Mucca Pazza

We went to Midsommarfest this afternoon, one of the early summer neighborhood festivals in and around Chicago (it also happens to be in Andersonville, the neighborhood where my church is located). It was such a kick in the pants. It was so busy, with so much to look at and to do, and the weather was freakin' perfect. The highlight of the afternoon was this band that describes themselves as a circus punk marching band, called Mucca Pazza. I don't think I've ever seen a band perform live with quite so much energy and style and dynamic range. It's rare that you see people actually having fun performing, but these people captured the essense and energy of comic improv within their choreographed musical pieces, and mighty fine playing. I'm not sure I'd want to buy one of their CD's, as the music was unsual, but not striking. But the live performance was such that I could easily become a groupie of theirs. Still pictures really can't capture the energy and power of the performance, but it was a mighty one. If you get a chance to see these folks, I highly recommend it.