It’s Friday night in the Chicago suburbs. Traffic crawls along Interstate 290, creating a river of steel as workers head home, hoping to get out tonight and blow off a little steam after a hard week’s work. The Great American Struggle, the newest release from the Broken Robots, is set to debut tonight at a bar in the very suburbs where it was inspired.

We all wrestle with life. From a minor inconvenience to heartbreaking tragedy, we all feel disconnected at times from the rest of humanity. Music soothes the pain as we are brought together with others who have dealt with similar issues and realize we are all one tribe. Broken Robots has released a new CD with 10 songs that explore the trials and tribulations of modern life, aptly titled The Great American Struggle.

Broken Robots’ new release, The Great American Struggle, comes out September 12. On this, the band’s fourth release, a new level of maturity in songwriting and musicianship emerges, showing how much the band is growing. The songs have deep meaning, tackling the struggles and triumphs of life. Each track can stand alone as a complete work, and each one is a gem.

Gifting sprouts has become popular with festival attendees recently. The little green shoots are exchanged as a token symbolizing hope for a new friendship. The sprout is a new beginning, but it needs good ground, sun, and water to flourish. Festivals too are like the sprout. They need the right balance of an excellent location and vendors providing the foundation, sunny, warm entertainers, and the flow of patrons. Jamboozled 2024 was a first-time festival held at the Country Ranch in Mendota, Illinois, this September.

Every Labor Day weekend since 2011, the beautiful grounds of Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see near Manteno, IL have played host to Shoe Fest. I find myself camped this year with two of my favorite fire spinners and band members from Broken Robots. Yes, everybody can get close at Shoe Fest and you never know whom you might meet. This is an eclectic music festival with something for everyone, and some things unexpected.