WAUKESHA - For the guys in Crazy Man's Basement, playing Jewel-Osco RiverFest this weekend will be coming home. That's because drummer Mark Kindler and bassist Bob Hedgcock grew up in Waukesha and first played together publicly while classmates at Central Middle School. They also played pops concerts, jazz shows and other events while attending South High School, where they graduated in 1986.
Playing with Tom Klubertanz of Oconomowoc and Andy Zietlow of Hartland, Kindler and Hedgcock will return home this weekend, opening for the Love Monkeys at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Leinie's Lodge. Crazy Man's Basement, named for the location of the band's first practice space, plays primarily covers of bands like Dave Matthews; Barenaked Ladies, U2, Coldplay and the Police. Kindler met Klubertanz while they both attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they performed together in the Wisconsin Singers. It was Klubertanz who approached Kindler about joining the band when Klubertanz and Zietlow wanted to expand beyond their original scope as an acoustic duo.
The band has been together for about a year and is working on original material; Kindler said. "We have a few originals and we are beginning to work more and more on that," Kindler said. The band has also been busy playing appearances at Bastille Days, State Fair and most Milwaukee-area clubs. Kindler said Crazy Man's Basement has also appeared at the Delafield Brewhaus and Carroll College, but Saturday's RiverFest is expected to be the largest hometown audience assembled to see the band. "It's an invitation to all our fellow Waukesha South grads to come out and enjoy the music and say hello," Kindler said. "All 541 of our graduating class would be just fine."
Riverfest Marks Homecoming for Crazy Man's Basement
