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MKE Music Notes

Milwaukee Magazine •

Violent Femmes Add It Up at the Riverside Theater

It’s Sunday night at the Riverside Theater, and we’re running the gauntlet of the vaguely recognizable Milwaukeeans (Did I? Did we? Are you? etc.). Though our Gen X peers age at varying degrees of speed, Violent Femmes founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals) sound straight out of 1984. One of the most vital American bands of the 20th century arrives with an oversized Picasso-blue behemoth bass; a frontman playing (among other things...
Milwaukee Magazine •

Review: Caley Conway Captures Time and Space

A few Decembers ago, I drove under darkening holiday skies and was shocked to hear “Sleigh Ride” sound as if two harmonizing aliens had just discovered the tune and thought it the oddest, most beautiful song on Earth. That was the first time I heard Milwaukee’s Caley Conway and Ellie Jackson singing together. There was something gorgeous in Conway’s spooky, otherworldly treatments of holiday songs. Fortunately for me and all of Milwaukee, Caley Conway’s gorgeous sounds continue on her 2024 album, Partner, and in her live shows.
Milwaukee Magazine •

Milwaukee Music Notes: Rap J & Friends Find Their Groove

Something about Sunday nights in December makes Cactus Club the perfect place to commune over great grooves and danceable beats. A growing crowd got cozy and joined Rap J & Friends at an uplifting all-ages show on Dec. 21, ideally timed to take the edge off the pre-holiday rush. Rap J is known for rhymes loaded with wisdom and humor. But before I checked out the Milwaukee star-studded event, I caught up with Rap J to talk about his new LP, his various collaborations and the magic of the Drunken...
Milwaukee Record •

The Agony & the Irony are Killing Me (and WLUM-FM 102.1)

Despite various shakeups since the ’90s, WLUM had been Milwaukee’s FM home for bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, Tame Impala, Jane’s Addiction, Weezer, and more since the mid ’90s heyday of grunge and alternative rock. Earlier this year, 102.1 was sold to Christian radio chain K-Love Inc., a subsidiary of Educational Media Foundaton (EMF), which owns and operates countless FM radio stations throughout the United States. On Wednesday, 102.1 finally switched to the Christian contemporary format Air1. It’s official: WLUM-FM 102.1 is no more.
Milwaukee Magazine •

Milwaukee Music Notes: Natalie Sue & The Steed Is a Band Becoming

Songs of Experience took flight like fireflies at the Cactus Club on an August evening, delivered by Derek Pritzl, Valley Fox and headliners Natalie Sue & The Steed. I can think of many ways to begin the end of a summer marred by a rising dew point, 1,000-year flooding and unkindly chaos, but none better than warming my spirit to pedal steel and tight harmonies among a packed crowd blessed to believe that summer continues.Taking the stage alone with an acoustic guitar, Derek Pritzl, from Valders...
Milwaukee Magazine •

Milwaukee Music Notes: The Carlos Adames Group’s New Latin Jazz

Before launching into “Muevete,” on which he plays killer conga, Carlos Adames suggests ways to respond to the changing political and social landscape: “Kill people with kindness,” which he immediately contradicts, like John Lennon in “Revolution 1.” “But I’m not sure I agree with that. It all depends on what you’ve got to lose.” Wise words for all of Milwaukee to consider as we respond to shutdowns, programs closing and history disappearing. Adames knows the voice of the oppressed can only be so loud, so true: It all depends upon just how much you have to lose.
Milwaukee Magazine •

44 Years of ‘Frontier Radio’: Four Stories from WMSE’s Early Days

I embarked on a project to record the stories of the DJs from the early years of WMSE. Interviewing four DJs on the frontier of free-form radio in Milwaukee was an illuminating experience; they reminded me of the incredible power music has on our community and led me to many new explorations in sound. Ultimately, I hope to interview many more of WMSE’s foundational voices, preserving their histories for future freaks of “Frontier Radio.”
WMSE - 91.7FM •

SMOKE N' MIRRORS @ UPTOWNER: A Concert Review

"Shutdown at the Uptowner" Alright, let’s get right to it: the Uptowner got shut down by two baby faced cops at 8:40 p.m. before SMOKE N’ MIRRORS could begin their second set, which would’ve been tight n’ blazing, based upon the first set we saw Thursday night. The drummer was tight as tight can be, tastily filing whenever space gasped with satisfaction from the sweet sax and organ foundation. We’ll get back to Milwaukee’s finest in a moment, but first, about the police: a noise complaint surfaced from across the street,...
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