If you were excited about the terrific line-up for last year’s Madison
Blues Picnic, you’ll be happy to know that the members of the
MBS Music Committee have choosen the 2018 lineup set for Sat.,
June 16 at Warner Park in Madison.
Our committee— Susie Laudner (Chair),Dave Speers, Vivian Schmelzer, Shari Davis,
Steve Lendborg—began reviewing bands once the submission
deadline passed on Nov. 27.
So how do we begin to whittle down the list? Well, because we
don’t have a travel budget we start by eliminating from consideration
those who wouldn’t already be in the Upper Midwest.
Next, it’s important we get the right mix of bands. If we choose
all local bands, we’re probably giving our audience acts they have
already seen and heard. But if we don’t choose any local bands, we
felt we weren’t being true to our local music community. We plan to
do what we did last year: Select a combination of local and regional
bands, plus a great headliner.
We spend time together listening to the bands that fit in each of those
categories. We’re also on the lookout for bands who will offer a variety of blues styles. We discuss, debate, research, and eventually come to a consensus.
Once we came to a consensus, we presented our recommendations to the
2018 MBS Board of Directors and it was approved! The five selected bands have been notified and once the contracts are signed, we’ll make the public announcement. It’ll be very soon!
Next up, we’ll be reaching out for volunteers to help run this
free community event, so mark your calendar for a day of great blues
music and fellowship with other blues music lovers—Sat. June 16!