This year’s Metro Jam in Manitowoc begins with something unique.
Bob Mittnacht, one of the founders, says that The Jim and Rick Show Live from Metro Jam is something the two-day music festival has not done before.
But Mittnacht said he wanted to include WOMT in the event while Seehafer Broadcasting celebrates 100 years of live, local radio.
“Many of us that are musicians from way back in Manitowoc got our start listening to music on WOMT and WCUB,” he admitted. “So it’s a great thing to have that connection.”
Jim and Rick host an evening of non-political fun with content like local trivia, “5-Second Panic”, and a t-shirt toss, among others.
Following the show, the first act on stage will be The Fordney Brothers Band playing a mix of rock and blues.
Psycho Logic will end the night with their high-energy nu-metal covers of bands like System of a Down, Chevelle, and The Perfect Circle.
Starting Saturday, local acts like Dan Walker and Derek Pritzl take the stage at noon, while Biff Hansen and The Works will play at 2:30 p.m.
Mittnacht says it’s very important to mix local bands with groups seen across the U.S.
He explained, “If we go back to the roots of it with getting it started, it was all local bands in the early days, and we just don’t want to lose that connection to the community because that’s really important.”
This year’s Metro Jam headliner is slide guitar icon Sonny Landreth.
He has performed live with artists such as Buddy Guy and John Hiatt in arenas and has also worked with Eric Clapton at the Crossroads Guitar Festival.
Mittnacht calls him a good get.
“His slide-guitar playing is amazing,” he stated. “He just won a Grammy this year actually for an album he was involved with. So, pretty cool stuff.”
Sonny takes the Washington Park stage at 8:30 p.m. A full list of bands at this year’s Metro Jam can be found at metrojam.org/lineup.
