Looking for a deep dive into Milwaukee’s punk, new wave, and alternative musical past? Looking for a ridiculous wealth of footage and music from groups like The Haskels, Die Kreuzen, The Shivvers, Violent Femmes, and many more? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Behold Taking The City By Storm: The Birth Of Milwaukee’s Punk Scene! The Doug LaValliere-directed, Judy Simonds- and Clancy Carroll-produced documentary focuses on the “progression of Milwaukee’s protopunk, punk, new wave and alternative music scene from 1975 to 1985. It is a ‘slice of life’ documentary following the ups and downs of the early pioneers of the scene during those exciting and turbulent years.” Released in local theaters in 2023, the film is now available for free on YouTube. Watch it now! (And oh yeah: the doc takes its name from a Haskels song/record.)
Here’s more on the doc:
A deep-rooted Midwestern blue collar work ethic influenced club owners and musicians, which led to the prolific production of DIY 45 and LP records. To this day, these recordings remain highly sought after by collectors around the country and the world, where vinyl records once again reign supreme. Rare and original video footage of Milwaukee exports such as the Violent Femmes, no-waver James Chance, post-hardcore conceptualists Die Kreuzen, Rockford-based, Milwaukee nightclub habitués and global criss-crossers Cheap Trick, as well as less-heard champions such as neo-psychedelicists Plasticland and The Prosecutors (featuring Kevn Kinney of Atlanta’s Drivin’ n’ Cryin’), join that of many more unsung artists. It is our hope that the film will also entertain and appeal to those who were not a part of the Milwaukee punk scene, but that have interests in the music, art, fashion and style of the era when this rust-belt city punched above its weight in quantity and quality when compared to many other locales.
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