Hello Again

Ok, I haven't posted in a while for some very obvious reasons. Most of you already know about what's going on, and I will post more as time goes on. What I will say is there's been some massive changes in my life.

I will say I have ended a major part of my life, to which my identity was bound for the last 18 years (and if you haven't figured out what I'm talking about, you must be quite dense). I'll leave this topic here, and not elaborate.

Since the end of August,  I have met some truly great people (Melissa, Jess, James, and especially you Julie). I have also cemented preexisting friendships and weeded out the frauds. I have also purged myself of some really destructive people who fueled the depression that (though not their fault) DAMN near ended my existence in November. These people know who they are... unless the pills have killed their ability to process.

So what I want to say as I end the worst year of my life is so long to those I move on from, and thanks to all who are in my life. "New beginnings" sounds so cliche, but cliches are that for a reason. This is a new beginning, a new world to me, and I look forward to making it all spectacular.

Summerfest

So as many of you know, this is the time of year for Summerfest in Milwaukee. Summerfest is considered the largest music festival in the world, and like everything else, it has mixed opinions from the locals.

According to the local media, Saturday night Summerfest reached capacity, and due to the influx of people at the gates last night, people were "allowed" in for free. What my sources have reveiled to me, ticket buyers were waiting in line for over 45 minutes, and were not allowed in at the gate, and started jumping the gate anyway. This is the first I've ever heard of a situation like this arising. For the most part the festival goes fairly smooth, and yeah there will be a fight here and there occasionally, but this happens at just about any festival type situation.

I personally wasn't at Summerfest on Saturday, but was attending a local block party called Pabst Fest here in Bay View, then went to support a local punk show at The Down & Over Pub. That being said, I do plan on attending Summerfest at least once this year, and will probably go more than once.

As a resident of Milwaukee, I know plenty of people who refuse to go to Summerfest. Some call it "Bummerfest" and other colorful names, and have a real fear of the festivities. Admittedly, I feel their system of having shitty cover bands play during the day is lame, and probably illegal, but that's just my feeling. I guess it kinda makes sense to try to have safer music for the day crowds when considering the large amounts of children at the festival during the day, but there are plenty of local bands that would be willing to play family friendly originals for the day crowds of Summerfest. Seemingly the largest percentage of attendees there are what I refer to as suburbanites. Many of the Summerfest goers are people who come in from the suburbs, act like they're high society, and are a bit of a drain on the event. The thing to keep in mind though, is the fact that the event brings revenue to the Milwaukee area.

Even though the headliners play at the Marcus Amphitheater, you can still see some great national acts in the general stages (the stages that are included with the standard ticket for admission). These bands aren't just the B bands that are touring the state and county fair circuit or casinos. These are bands that are actually still relevant, as well as some of them nostalgic bands that are around in some form.

...And So Forth.

Guess it has been a while since I've posted on here. It's been a busy summer.

First off, as some of you already know, I have left my part time job delivering auto parts for NAPA, and have moved on to a new venture; life insurance.

With the new job, I have been exceptionally disconnected, especially with going through the licensing process. The anxiety of it has made me real standoffish and I have not been at all myself. On the plus side, this is definitely a big step forward for me, and I hope to hell I made the right decision.

On other fronts, I've had some great opportunities to see some really great friends this summer more often than I usually get to see them. Did a show in Madison with Beef Commish about a week and a half ago the birthday of our good friend Elllie Maybe (formerly of The Maybenauts). Met some great bands from the Madison and Chicago area, and look forward to playing The Frequency again. That's a great venue they have!!

I'll let everyone know how all is going, but basically this is just a state of the union blog. Take care!!

Greetings!!

Hey all. I've tossed around the idea of doing a personal blog for some time, and now I'm figuring... oh, what the hell. As many of you already know, I have other blogs I post on regarding guitar and bass gear, as well as the bands I'm in. These I've always tried to keep on topic. This I'm figuring will be more candid, and deal with life in general as I view it rather than just the bands, the shows, the gear, and what have you. For those who have been in contact with me for a while and remember Myspace, this blog should be a lot like the blog posts I use to leave there. Those entries may still be up on my Myspace profile I never deleted; I'm on there as Dave The Pius.

So as we go along here, I will be keeping everyone posted with ongoings, ideas, and opinions. I will be running a commentary on life as I see fit, and dammit, YOU WILL READ IT!! Ok, that was a bit harsh, but I hope everyone enjoys what I post here. Blogging won't be a new religion for me, but at least a fun outlet. So check up periodically, and I should have some fun reading for all y'all. I suppose I'll give some info about myself in this first post for those not familiar with me. The following is a rundown of who I am. For those who already know, you may go back to checking your Facebook.

My name is Dave Wiese, and I currently live in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI (USA). I grew up in a small town called Sturgeon Bay in the Door County region of Wisconsin. I am married, and my wife and I are quite involved with the local music scene and have been referred to as "foodies", whatever the hell that means. I am currently in 2 bands; American Radio Police which is a Milwaukee based street punk band that's been around since 1999, and Wisconsin Beef Commission which is a 3-piece punk/country band that consists of bass, drums, and vocals (I write a seperate blog for this band called Wisconsin Beef Commission).

I grew up in the Green Bay WI punk scene both as a performer, and as a spectator. I went to school at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where I majored in history. I'm a real sucker for pop-culture from the 80's and 90's. I have a knack of knowing songs by the first couple notes or sometimes the opening drum beat (like that godawful "We Are Young" song by that horrible band Fun). I use referential humor more than I probably should, and I'm ok with that.

I generally look for the weird things in life to comment on, and plan on publishing them here. Think of it like Angry Cat, or I Love to Geek postings, but much deeper.

ENJOY!!