Author: Matt Wild

East Side Gallery Night will make inaugural splash July 18

July 11, 2025

You've enjoyed nearly four decades of the original Gallery Night MKE. You've enjoyed nearly 15 years of the Bay View Gallery Night. Now buckle up for a new neighborhood-specific celebration of art and art-adjac...

East Side Italian restaurant L’Incontro is closed

Matt Wild

July 10, 2025

After 15 months in business, East Side Italian restaurant L'Incontro, 2315 N. Murray Ave., has closed. The restaurant made the announcement Wednesday on social media. It's last day of service was Monday, Jul...

Food/Drink Roundup: Koppa’s is back! Again!

Matt Wild

July 9, 2025

Looking for a roundup of Milwaukee food and drink news? Then take a bite of our cleverly titled, bi-weekly Food/Drink Roundup! This week: the latest return of Koppa's! • It's been eight years since we kicked...

Vivent Health will host .05k “Drag Race” (and bar crawl) in Walker’s Point July 26

Matt Wild

July 8, 2025

Milwaukee knows long-distance running isn't for everyone. Exhibit A: the 1.6-mile beer run/walk that kicks off the annual Locust Street Festival. It has beer! Exhibit B: the just-announced .05k "drag race" walk...

Summerfest, drone shows, and online misery vs. offline reality

Matt Wild

July 7, 2025

Over the course of the last three weekends, I had a terrible time at Summerfest. The lineup was pathetic, the prices were outrageous, and the Saz's sampler platter was mid. It was too hot and there wasn't enoug...

Take Me Back To Summerfest 1997: Matthew Sweet at Leinie Lodge

Matt Wild

July 3, 2025

To paraphrase someone I always paraphrase: Memories are illusions. Memories of concerts in the times before smartphones and social media, doubly so. Take my memories of a concert that for many years I consid...

Here are all the new and wonderful things they’re building in Milwaukee (June 18 – July 1, 2025)

Matt Wild

July 2, 2025

broadstreet.zone(154824); Depending on which news sources you follow, Milwaukee is going through either a "renaissance" or a "reinvention." However you want to define it, it's safe to say that Milwaukee is cur...

Trolley celebrates 30 years, honors late singer Mike Perotto with “A Carnival Of Grey And White”

Matt Wild

July 1, 2025

Look up "legendary Milwaukee power-pop band" in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of Trolley. For 30 years, the dapper Mod- and psych-influenced outfit has peppered the city's music scene with meticulous...

Brewers unveil anime-inspired William Contreras mural in Black Cat Alley

Matt Wild

June 27, 2025

The East Side got a shot of major league star power on Friday, when the Milwaukee Brewers unveiled a new mural of catcher William Contreras in the neighborhood's Black Cat Alley. The anime-inspired mural was il...

AJ Bombers will close later this year

Matt Wild

June 26, 2025

After 16 years in business, Water Street stalwart AJ Bombers will close its doors for good later this year. Benson's Restaurant Group, the owner and operator of AJ Bombers, made the announcement on Thursday....

MKE Music Rewind: Violent Femmes, “I Held Her In My Arms” (1986)

Matt Wild

June 26, 2025

broadstreet.zone(159870); In MKE Music Rewind we revisit notable Milwaukee music that was released before Milwaukee Record became a thing in April 2014. This week: Violent Femmes' "I Held Her In My Arms," from...

Food/Drink Roundup: Lupi & Iris owners will open Italian restaurant, Il Ponte, next year

Matt Wild

June 25, 2025

Looking for a roundup of Milwaukee food and drink news? Then take a bite of our cleverly titled, bi-weekly Food/Drink Roundup! This week: Il Ponte! • Two weeks ago, Milwaukee learned that Lupi & Iris own...

Record Recommended: Summerfest Weekend 2

Matt Wild

June 24, 2025

broadstreet.zone(152022); Summerfest! Like the last four installments, the Big Gig is staking out three Thursday-Friday-Saturday blocks instead of the old 11-day run. In an effort to help you make some potenti...

ArtBlaze beach parties will bring new “HydroBloom” inflatables to McKinley Beach this summer

Matt Wild

June 24, 2025

Last year, local public art nonprofit Joy Engine gave the Milwaukee summer a jolt of unexpected fun with a series of so-called ArtBlaze beach parties. The free all-ages shindigs on Bradford and South Shore beac...

Yep, Milwaukee is creating a task force to come up with a new city flag

Matt Wild

June 24, 2025

It's official: It's happening again. Oh god, it's happening again. On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Common Council approved the creation of a nine-member task force that will oversee an effort to design and approve...

NIVA ’25 Conference lands in Milwaukee. Here are some open-to-the-public events to check out.

Matt Wild

June 23, 2025

Summerfest may be currently catching its breath and cooling off, but another big-ticket Milwaukee event is just getting started. The NIVA '25 Conference—a.k.a. the fourth annual gathering of the National Ind...

Summerfest 2025 Weekend 1 Recap: All local, all the time

Matt Wild

June 23, 2025

THURSDAY Summerfest fans of a certain age will remember the so-called "local stage." This was an official Summerfest stage—initially sponsored by Cascio, later sponsored by K-Nation Entertainment—that was stoc...

1840 Brewing Company will close June 29

Matt Wild

June 22, 2025

After nearly eight years in business, Bay View brewery 1840 Brewing Company, 342 E. Ward St., will close its doors next week. Its final taproom service will be Sunday, June 29. "You may already be aware of t...

Talking new Milwaukee music with WUWM’s Lake Effect (May 2025)

Matt Wild

June 20, 2025

Once a month, Milwaukee Record's Matt Wild sits down with WUWM's Lake Effect and discusses some of his favorite new Milwaukee records and songs. Listen to the latest installment HERE. This month, Matt get...

Celebrate the first day of Summerfest 2025 with some random old Summerfest videos

Matt Wild

June 19, 2025

Happy Summerfest, Milwaukee! The 2025 edition of the monster lakefront festival takes place June 19-21, June 26-28, and July 3-5. Which makes today...opening day! So let's celebrate the first day of Summerfe...

Author Matt Wild