Performers prepare for the second weekend of Summerfest
MILWAUKEE, WI (CBS 58) -- An array of artists will be performing at the Big Gig for the second weekend of Summerfest.
CBS 58's Alex Corradetti caught up with a few of the artists before they hit the stage.
We spoke with Chicago suburbs native JORDY.
He recently released his album titled Boy. He says the songs released are for his inner child. Jordy was interested in music at a young age. He was immediately intrigued by artists like Michelle Branch, Avril Lavigne, The Spice Girls and Hilary Duff.
He tuned up his musical skills in theatre programs and says performing on stage has given him a venue to really be himself. The last time he performed at Summerfest was before the pandemic. JORDY is excited to return to Milwaukee. He describes his music like one of America's favorite foods.
"Lyrically, there's a lot of real-life experiences real feelings, things I feel that need to be talked about. But also, someone once described my music as songs that sound like cotton candy and ever since then I love that description and I love using that as a way to describe our songs. So, if you like cotton candy, if you like that pop with that fresh sound, give it a listen."
Jordy takes over the BMO Pavilion on July 1 at 8:15 PM.
We also spoke to Nashville singer Lexie Hayden.
Lexie began her music career at a very young age. Growing up in a country music family, her first live performances were with her brother in a local band and she released her debut EP at 16 years old. She has two EPs across all streaming platforms and is always working on new music. Similar to her biggest musical influence, Shania Twain, she’s ready to continue blazing the trail for women in country music. Lexie was a contestant on “Becoming A Popstar” coproduced by Pepsi, MTV and TikTok.
Hayden says she still gets nervous before a big show.
"I've been in Nashville for almost eight years, but this is the biggest stage I've ever played on. So, it's a mix of excitement and a little bit of oh my gosh. The fact that Noah Kahn played the same stage last weekend, and I saw the picture of how he had the biggest crowd in festival history. I was like, that's where I am going to be playing. I am mostly excited. I think when I get there the nerves will set in a little bit."
Hayden takes over the UScellular Connection Stage on Friday, June 30 at 8:15 pm.
CBS 58 also spoke with Rachelle Koshen of Rocky Rose.
This is the band's fifth year together. Their music is all original and it's music that tells a story. Each song has a unique back story that Rachelle likes to share before performing. This is so the audience has a chance to relate from the start of the song.
Rachelle says being an original band is a privilege and she looks forward each show they do.
"We're kind of where root music comes from, getting back to the roots. What's fun about Americana is that you can do anything. I am not stuck in like I have to do country or rock or do both. It's whatever comes to me. It makes it fun to perform and to listen to because you never know what's coming up next."
Rachelle tells us her style is a cross between John Denver and Pat Benatar with a bit of Avril Lavigne mixed in. This will be her second time performing at Summerfest.
Rocky Rose performs Thursday, June 29 at 4:15 pm on the UScellular Connection Stage.
Paul Bronson is also performing at Summerfest this week. He's a Rockford native who performs all over Wisconsin. He's a solo instrumental acoustic guitarist whose style is difficult to label. He's best described as a neo-classical artistic guitarist.
Bronson takes popular rock or pop songs and arranges them into a solo guitar format. He's excited to perform at Summerfest for the first time with original content.
"It's going to be 100 percent original material. it's probably the first time I've done that uh, because I want to showcase what I am about. You can cover people's music and put your interpretation of artists and pieces together, but I want to be speaking from the heart for the entire show, that's a new one for me."
Bronson takes over the Ground Floor Stage of Summerfest Thursday, June 29 from noon to 12:50 pm.
Whitney Rose is also performing at the Big Gig this week. She joined the CBS 58 morning news team to perform in studio on Thursday.
Rose is a talented singer/songwriter based out of Hartford, Wisconsin. She's been playing music since she was 16 but took a 10-year hiatus to be married and raise her family.
Whitney is currently creating her first official album in a homebrew studio with her ex-husband. Whitney has written all the songs and am doing most of the instrumentation and mixing herself. Whitney will be slowly releasing each song to all the major streaming platforms as they finish them. You can find her first single 'It’s Ok' on all platforms now. Her next single 'Place Amongst the Stars' is set to drop very soon!
Whitney Rose performs on the Second Floor Local Artist Stage at Summerfest on Thursday, June 29 from 1 PM to 1:50 PM.