The Living Statues, purveyors of toe-tapping and infectious numbers that could as easily have had a prominent slot on jukeboxes in the 1970s as they could (and should) on Spotify playlists today, deserve praise. In fact, the suit-clad Milwaukee garage-rockers are mere months removed from turning heads with a 88Nine Radio Music Awards performance, and were recently named by our pal Piet Levy of the Journal Sentinel’s Tap Milwaukee section as one of “6 Wisconsin Bands To Watch For” in 2015. As much as radio-love and a well-deserved nod from one of the city’s most informed music voices appearing in the state’s largest publication can jumpstart an up-and-coming Milwaukee act, The Living Statues just got praise from a much larger (and infinitely less expected) source: Red Bull.
Monday, the synthetic energy peddler and foremost corporate sponsor of dudes jumping from the edge of space for some reason debuted The Living Statues’ downright catchy number “Blackout” and, simultaneously, pissed on the collective foot of Wisconsin music. RedBull.com author Shane Edwards precedes the exclusive stream guns a blazing.
“Aside from Violent Femmes and Bon Iver, how many bands from Wisconsin can you name? Probably not very many.”
How many other opening sentences did Edwards try before setting on that one? Probably not very many. Even for someone who has never set foot in the state or organically sought out Wisconsin talent, that’s an irresponsibly broad and unfair declaration. It’s almost like he doesn’t even know that the dude from Bon Iver was also in Volcano Choir. A staff blogger for a more obscure energy drink (Red Jak?) would know that. Not enough? What about 2014 “Best Of” award winners the Bo-Motherfucking-Deans, baby?! See, that’s another one right there! There are probably a few other decent ones out there, too. He continues:
“…next time someone quizzes you on Wisconsin bands, be sure to drop the name.”
It’s one thing for New York Times to make sweeping generalizations of an entire state’s music scene, beer, cheese, and flannel shirts (while still naming more than three bands in the process), but if you’re trying to fill some bandwidth between coverage of your beverage company’s annual Fall Into The Water When Your Poorly-Made Flying Contraption Fails To Work contest, maybe do a nanosecond of research before insulting an entire state and anybody who stumbled onto a website of a Jagerbomb ingredient while searching for music analysis. Do you honestly think Wisconsin is so uncultured and artistically lacking that before Monday, there were just TWO answers to the asinine “quiz” posited in the post? That’s Rip It-level journalism, buddy.
Sure, The Living Statues are a Wisconsin-based band worth mentioning, but there are plenty more. A hell of a lot more than three. Wake up, Edwards. If you need help, maybe try a Lo-Carb Monster. It’s delicious.
Anyway, listen to “Blackout” below. It’s good. There will be no quiz. See The Living Statues perform with four other Tap-tabbed bands to watch (not named Violent Femmes or Bon Iver) at a free showcase at 88Nine Radio Milwaukee studios Friday night.