words by Cal Roach

Milwaukee Day kinda snuck up on us this year, didn’t it?  Last year there were a ton of killer shows around the city celebrating 4/14 (perhaps because it was a Saturday), but this year’s a bit more low-key.  But fear not; the holiday hasn’t been forgotten!  There’s plenty of MKE goodness going on, particularly for a Sunday, and we’ll tell you all about it, as well as fill you in on some other great weekend events, if you keep reading…

Tonight (Friday) there’s a terrific show going on at Shank Hall, headlined by WMSE’s own singing weatherman, Paul Cebar, and his Tomorrow Sound.  Lots of bands these days are taking a kitchen-sink approach when it comes to blending styles and genres, but it’s liable to come out all disjointed and weird in a lot of cases; not where Cebar is concerned, however.  If you’ve even listened to his radio show, you know he’s the king of smoooooooth, and the same is true when he plays live music.  He is also a contributor to the recent debut album by Painted Caves, who will be playing here as well.  The band mixes very old and exotic varieties of folk music with modern, more accessible styles to create…well, one of the best local releases of 2012, that’s for sure!

Another fine place to be tonight is Linneman’s, where prolific Mad City garage punk band The Hussy will be celebrating the release of its third album in as many years.  This one’s called Pagan Hiss, and if the band’s previous output is any indication (which it generally is, right?), you can expect lots of crashing cymbals, buzzsaw guitars and great melodies drenched in reverb and sounding huge, especially considering it’s only two people making all that racket.  This show is also kind of a big deal because it’s one of only three reunion shows for the legendary Green Bay garage rockers known as The Mystery Girls.  The band broke up in 2005, but they’re putting out a new collection of outtakes and rarities and such and, well, if you like raucous, unhinged rock and roll, it doesn’t get much better; check out a few tracks on Bandcamp if you still need convincing.

There’s also your wicked headbanging opportunity, this one happening tonight at Cactus Club with the city’s premier thrash revivalists, Architects Of The Aftermath.  They don’t try to get overly complicated or groundbreaking or brutal; just that classic 80s sound with all the gusto you could hope for.  The show will also feature one of the most intriguing new bands to come out of the Milwaukee metal scene in some time, Ara.  It’s members of Northless and Concentric joining forces for an inspired take on death metal.  The band’s 2012 debut The Blessed Sleep features compact slabs of brutality with a focus on well-written chunks of music that are anything but predictable; highly recommended.  Also playing: Vega.

Saturday night, it’s right back to Cactus Club with you (if you’re so inclined) for some more loud rock and roll.  It’s no surprise that Madison’s Zebras are such frequent visitors to our city; not only have they borrowed drummers from Milwaukee bands, they play a blistering style of noise rock that’s pretty popular around the Cream City as well, with perhaps a bit more of a metal edge than most (check out last year’s self-titled album for a good representation).  Very appropriate that our own Like Like The The The Death will be playing as well; surely you’ve checked out that band’s awesome Ghosts Of Dead Bros album by now?  It was widely regarded as one of 2012’s best local releases, and reports indicate an equally amazing live show.  PLUS, this show serves as the album release party for another local band, Temple.  Kind of a testament to the wide-ranging talents of members Cassidy DW and Myles Coyne that these indie/folkie dudes can also crank out some aggressive but catchy post-hardcore like this debut album (available, naturally, on Bandcamp, if you want a preview).

Sunday, Milwaukee Day!  The marquee celebration of your favorite holiday is going on outdoors (gulp) in the vicinity of Lucky Joe’s Tiki Room (we’ve been waiting a long time to type that venue name!) and features local Americana stars Hugh Bob And The Hustle.  Even though last year featured a glut of the countryishfolkrock style coming out of our city, that’s no excuse not to check out this band’s self-titled record, ‘cause it’s right up there with the best of them, and they put on a heck of a live show as well.  They’ll be joined by local pop/rock singer/songwriter Jayk and local synthpop act Boy Blue, which seems like a pretty weird combination overall, but we recall a very bizarre bill from last year’s Milwaukee Day that turned out to be one of the most incredible shows of the year.  We make lots of different kinds of music in Milwaukee, and we should celebrate this fact!  The party starts at 2 p.m. so get there early.

You will be able to keep the music rolling all night, as the official wrap-up party for 4/14 is going on at Stonefly.  The headliners are Vic And Gab, a local duo of sisters who don’t get out much for playing live and it’s definitely a shame, ‘cause they’ve got some truly amazing songs that ought to be heard more.  Their EP from last year, Bridges And Guns, is one of 2012’s essential local releases without a doubt; click that link immediately and take a listen if you haven’t already.  The show will also feature Twin Brother, a local duo set to release a new album next month; another local folk project known as Bigfoot; and probably the loudest act of the night, Night Animals.

Finally, although it won’t include any Milwaukee music per se, you could do a lot worse than yet ANOTHER Cactus Club show Sunday night, this one featuring legendary pop-punk band Redd Kross.  The band made its name in the 80s and broke up in the 90s, but made its return to active duty in 2006 and actually put out a new album, Researching The Blues, last year.  Equally exciting is the appearance of the Minneapolis surf-ish garage punk act known as The Blind Shake; the band seems to create a wave of raves every time it comes to Milwaukee, and if you check out 2011’s Seriousness LP, it’s pretty easy to see why; pure infectious rock and roll energy is the name of the game.

Vic & Gab’s Bridges & Guns album has quickly become a local favorite and unsurprisingly so – the sisterly duo’s sweetly lined up vocal harmonies paired with strong guitar and bass lines speak to those seeking out some plain and simple, fun-spirited pop music. Add some power and poise from Jesus Nanez’ drumming and the three, together, have become a sought-after act to catch live, too.  With all the hard work a new album and playing out brings, also comes those little extras like music videos — the three recently hooked up with Bryce Richards to create a fun visual companion for the bittersweet “I Haven’t Seen You” (which you can watch, below). Victoriah Bañuelos (guitarist/vocalist) gives us the lowdown.

Is this the first video you’ve made for your music? And how did you get hooked up with Dizzy Bot, who produced the video?

This is our first music video! Bryce Richards from Dizzy Bot Productions contacted us saying he heard “I Haven’t Seen You” on the radio and was wondering if we were interested in filming a video. We jumped on the opportunity and met with Bryce to talk.

Is that how you came to pick that particular song? Did you already have a concept easily at hand for the song to translate into a video?

I think the radio stations picked “I Haven’t Seen You” –  it’s the song they would play, so we just went with it. It seems to be a favorite. We did have a concept that we were really fond of, so it was easy to talk to Bryce about it and try to make it happen. I had imagined most of the scenes in my mind and I was surprised we were able to capture it on film.

Name a few of the Milwaukee landmarks we might recognize and the neighborhood(s) you filmed in…

The opening scene was filmed at the Downtown Books-Bought & Sold Bookstore on Broadway Avenue. That’s my favorite bookstore and they were so cool about having us there. We filmed everything else around Walkers Point. The alley we used is behind an awesome building on Walker Street which is also where we filmed the loft party. The rooftop we used was a parking lot complex off of Ninth and McKinley Street. I love that scene! You can see the beautiful Milwaukee skyline.

Whose idea was it to do a party scene complete with rooftop shot for the end?

Gab is a huge dancer! She wanted to have a dance sequence and that’s how we came up with the idea of having a loft party and have everyone dance. The rooftop shot was Bryce’s idea; we mentioned we wanted to play our instruments and he suggested that rooftop, which worked out magically.

What’s the name of the dance everyone is doing at the party and how many takes did you have to do before it was video-ready?

We don’t have a name for it! Gab came up with all the moves and it was really fun to watch everyone dance together. We did about six or seven takes of it. We had previously sent out an instructional video to everyone that was invited so they already knew the moves when we filmed the party scene. Definitely, it was the best part for us because we were able to involve our friends.

words by Cal Roach

Hmmm, no music festivals this weekend, Halloween’s still another week off (if you observe the holiday the weekend prior, that is), middle of October; probably a dead one, right?  Oof, you know us better than that by now, don’t you?  Until our town is reduced to nothing but polka and mud wrestling, we’ll manage to dig up a handful of enticing options for you to get out and enjoy in the Brew City.  As usual, we didn’t have to look too hard…

In case you missed semi-legendary Chicago pop-punks Smoking Popes at Summerfest this year, let’s just say they were pretty bitchin,’ if you like that sort of thing.  But that was kind of a short set, as punk shows are wont to be; perhaps you’d be more inclined to check them out if they, oh, let’s see, were gonna play their 1994 gem of an album Born To Quit in its entirety?  You’re in luck!  Plus, what with Janesville being all in the news and stuff for some reason lately, maybe if you yell really loud you can get them to play their more modern-day classic “Welcome To Janesville” too.  At Club Garibaldi‘s tonight, the Popes will be joined by Milwaukee’s own Vic And Gab, the sisterly duo who released a pretty terrific little folk-pop album, Bridges And Guns, earlier this year.  Also playing: Roll The Tanks.

In a more northerly part of town, you can get a different fix of folk-pop in a decidedly punk rock setting: Circle-A Café will host a solo set by Lisa Ridgely (she of The Fainting Room fame), whose EP from earlier this year, Wine In Bed, is definitely one of the essential local releases of the year; pick that up immediately if possible.  She’ll be joined tonight by a sometime-collaborator, WMSE’s own Chris Demay, one of the most versatile musicians in town, what with his successful solo career, playing guitar and keys and singing in Juniper Tar, and lending his many talents to countless other projects we couldn’t possibly keep up with all of.  It’s always a treat when these two singers get together, and you won’t find a more intimate setting than the smallest rock club in town.

If you’re still feeling pangs of sadness that the Milwaukee Film Festival is all over with, don’t pass up your next opportunity for checking out a bunch of independent films at the Oriental Theatre (as well as the UWM Union Theatre).  Yep, it’s the Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival, and judging by the way film seems to be taking off in this town lately, something tells us this will be another rousing success.  The festival runs Thursday through Sunday and features a veritable crapload of award-winning flicks; click here to check out the brochure for the full lineup of movies and events.

For all the infectious beats and lasers without the meat-market atmosphere, there’s a stellar alternative to sweaty dance clubs Saturday night: Future Rock is playing at the Miramar Theatre.  The band’s chosen name may not be exactly prescient, nor is its sound very close to what anybody would call “rock,” but if the prediction was about the increasing popularity of electronic-style music in this country, Future Rock hit that one on the head.  The twist here is that these guys play all their stuff on actual instruments instead of employing DJs, producing a sound that’s almost pure EDM by traditional rock-band means.  The band has built a following in the jam band community, but don’t expect goofy lyrics and meandering guitar noodles; the atmosphere is more like a mid-90s rave than a Phish show, and you can expect tight, catchy songs and a massive amount of energy.  If you have a pulse, this is a band that will make you dance, end of story.  Also playing: Undercover Organism.

It seems like pop music doesn’t allow for many quirky folky singer-songwriter chicks in this millennium; kinda makes you wonder if the whole Lilith Fair movement in the 90s did more harm than good, relegating most of those performers to the where-are-they-now category soon after the fad was over, while glittery wacko divas continue to thrive.  All the more reason to support Regina Spektor, whose slightly peculiar piano pop has managed to sneak onto the airwaves without pandering to any recognizable trends.  In fact, her latest album, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, is one of her weirder and more engaging collections yet, and as evidenced on 2010’s Live In London, she’s a fierce, charismatic performer as well.  Catch her Saturday night at the Riverside Theater, along with her husband, Jack Dishel, former Moldy Peaches guitarist and currently performing as Only Son.

“Less is more” isn’t exactly the traditional formula for international popular fame, but the xx have managed to parlay exceedingly minimalistic melancholy pop songs into a pretty massive success story.  The group’s self-titled 2009 debut came out of nowhere and landed on a ton of best-of lists for the year, and it’s just a guy and a girl from London singing together over barely-there beats and instrumentation.  The new Coexist somehow manages to be even mellower, although the music is slightly more eclectic even if it’s still mercilessly subdued.  This stuff shouldn’t be tough to pull off live; the trick will be whether the onstage chemistry between Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim is compelling enough to wrap up an audience for a whole set.  Find out Sunday night at the Pabst Theater.  Also playing: John Talabot.

Back in the 90s when grunge was king, ex-Pussy Galore frontman Jon Spencer bucked the sullen rock star trend with the dirty punk blues of the Blues Explosion.  Having a sense of humor was utterly out of fashion in those days unless you were Beck, possibly the only explanation for why Spencer never got as huge as his angst-ridden contemporaries.  He may not have had a huge impact now, but echoes of his greasy rock and roll reverberated into the massive success of the garage revival of the 00’s; it’s hard to listen to Jack White’s bluesy guitar heroics without hearing the Spencer influence.  After some years of inactivity, Blues Explosion is back on the scene, having just released a killer new album Bag Of Bones and appearing Tuesday at Turner Hall Ballroom.  Also playing: Bloodshot Bill.

words by Cal Roach

The flurry of local album release parties continues unabated this weekend.  If there’s one plus side to the sudden availability of affordable means of recording music (and there are many), it’s the ease with which local artists can put out quality records that they mightn’t have been able to ten years ago.  Tonight (Friday) you can catch Vic And Gab at Cactus Club releasing their new album Bridges And Guns, or WAMI winner Tweed Funk at Shank Hall with fresh copies of Love Is.  Read on for some other great options for stuff to do this weekend.

Also tonight, a rock and roll legend makes his way to the Riverside Theater for a career-spanning night of music.  It’s Steve Winwood–the voice of Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, and those sophisticated 80s keyboard-pop tunes with “high” in the titles (“Back In The High Life” and “Higher Love”).  His distinctive tenor has graced the FM airwaves for over four decades, as well as his tickling of the ivories (and plastics, natch).  Joining Winwood for this tour is fellow British singer/songwriter Bobby Long.

Linneman’s will play host to a pretty eclectic night of bands.  Topping the bill is Panalure, a jazzy, folky hybrid of mellow but quirky music.  Plus, a few members of Altos have formed another awesome band called Hello Death, who will join Panalure for this show.  The music is subtly dark but not without its lighthearted moments, and watch out for the occasional subversive melodic hook that could be stuck in your head for weeks.  Also playing: Chris Demay, who keeps busy in between Juniper Tar gigs with his own cache of original tunes (his most recent album, Bigger Than Small, came out last year).

In case you weren’t already aware, Saturday is World Fair Trade Day!  We always encourage you to think locally, but since things like coffee beans and coconuts don’t grow very well in Milwaukee, it’s always important to pay attention to where your foreign goods are coming from.  So, why not take part in the fifth annual Greater Milwaukee Fair Trade Crawl?  From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can hike around to 31 area businesses and learn about the fair trade movement, find great gifts (for Mother’s Day, perhaps?), sample chocolates and free refreshments, even join in on a drum circle!  Check out the full list of participating businesses here, as well as info on how to win prizes by visiting six or more locations.

Hey, remember emo?  Back in the late 90s, there was a local punk rock band called 5 Foot 7 that was transitioning into a sort of math-y take on the genre that sort of put Milwaukee on the map for a while (thanks, Promise Ring!), but they broke up shortly after the new millennium got underway.  But recently, two of the members of that band (guess how tall they are!) have been playing gigs as Samson, maybe a little mellower than their former incarnation but we’re pretty sure you can still count on the high energy Saturday night at Circle A Café.  Also playing: venerable neighborhood maestros The Riverewest Aces.

Just in case you get all family’d out at Sunday brunch and need to blow off some steam that night, you’ve got some terrific options.  Over at Cactus Club, Quintron And Miss Pussycat will bring their wacky musical variety show to life.  Expect a weird mélange of lo-fi electronic sounds and rock, homemade instruments and lots of puppets.  The duo will be joined by Catacombz, a Milwaukee band that, if this hasn’t already happened, someone will tell you soon you’ve got to see live.  Also playing: Cave.

For another loud show in the cramped confines of Circle A Café, check out Fahri, and get a sneak preview of the band’s highly anticipated album, Final Disconnect Notice, before it’s finally released June 9^th.  Few Milwaukee bands do the combination of noise and melody as well as Fahri, so get excited.  Also playing: Nightinghales, a band out of Minneapolis that combines vintage and modern sounds into punchy Brit-poppy rock and roll.

Or, you could go to a show that Mom might actually like: how about Willy Porter & Patty Larkin at the Pabst Theater?  This double bill features two of Milwaukee’s most celebrated singer/songwriters (Yeah, Patty is based in Boston now, but she grew up here–that counts!) for a night of folk-y, heartfelt pop tunes.  In case you’ve never seen Porter before, be advised: this guy can really play the acoustic guitar; his jazzy take on finger-style is often reminiscent of Leo Kottke, and he’s also written quite a few enduring songs that you’ll probably recognize even if the name doesn’t ring a bell.