Live Music is Better Smoke Free!
(August 30, 2010)—
Concert-goers have had occasion to celebrate this summer! On July 5, 2010, all Wisconsin workplaces, including music venues, went smoke-free. To bring live music to concert goers who for too long either had to endure smoky bars and clubs, or forgo hearing their favorite bands altogether, the American Lung Association in Wisconsin joined forces with True Endeavors and Wisconsin Is Better Smoke Free to present an exciting state-wide concert series in several of Wisconsin’s newly smoke-free venues.
The new law has special appeal to music lovers who had stopped going to shows due to secondhand smoke. Additionally, performers, bartenders, wait-staff and all those working in music venues are all benefitting from breathing smoke-free air. Live music, simply put, is better smoke-free.
Concert-goers got their first taste of Smoke Free Sounds on July 5 at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, hearing VO5 and Freedy Johnson.
Cornmeal, a popular bluegrass act from Chicago, headlined at Milwaukee’s Shank Hall on August 5th. Kris Nowak, guitarist and vocalist for Cornmeal, has strong opinions about smoke-free music venues:
"I am a lifelong asthma sufferer, and as a working musician, I’m ecstatic that so many states like Wisconsin have enacted no-smoking policies in public places and music venues. This benefits my quality of life immeasurably, and it will allow me to continue singing and performing in these venues without harming my health in the process. My father passed away years ago from cancer that first formed on his lung despite the fact he was a non-smoker. It is a sobering reminder that preserving our air quality, while perhaps an inconvenience for some, preserves the lives of many more."
Cory Chisel, an Appleton-bred Americana musician who specializes in gospel and blues, performed at Becket’s in Oshkosh on August 13th. He was joined by Jentri Colello, who fronts the popular Madison indie rock band, Flight.
The next stop was in Racine on August 20, where country favorites Jason and the Haymakers played to an appreciative crowd at Raytown Roadhouse.
Not to bypass the northwestern part of the state, music lovers packed the Thirsty Pagan in Superior on August 26 to hear Charlie Parr, a one-man guitar show of original and traditional folk and Piedmont-style blues. That concert was followed by the closer on August 28th at Green Bay’s Tom, Dick and Harry’s, featuring Monsters of Mock, an 80’s tribute band to the heavy metal sounds of Bon Jovi, Poison, and Motley Crue.
Smoke Free Sounds has presented a unique opportunity to celebrate healthy air for all Wisconsinites while enjoying a variety of musical genres and Wisconsin locales.
The people of Wisconsin are still talking about the great change that’s taken place here in the Badger state. From Friday fish fries to concerts, individuals and families are returning to local bars, pubs, nightclubs, and restaurants! Please check out wibettersmokefree.com/ for videos, tweets, testimonials, and more from happy Wisconsin citizens excited about the new state law.
Live Music is Better Smoke Free
