One of the busiest and most beloved Milwaukee bands to make its name post-pandemic has been Diet Lite. The scruffy indie-rock outfit released the excellent Seems To Be The Way It Tends To Go in 2021, and followed it up with the super-sized (and equally excellent) Into The Pudding in 2023. Countless shows, oodles of videos, a full-length tour documentary, an on-stage moment with Weezer, and a recent covers album have all figured into the band’s story, too. And now, add to that “frontperson starts his own country-leaning solo project.”
Enter Max & The Fellow Travelers, the new country-leaning solo project from Diet Lite singer-songwriter Max Niemann. The project includes Niemann and a self-described “ragtag gang of friends and family.” A four-song debut, The Fellow Travelers, is out now, and it’s great. Fans of twangy Dylan (“Dogsittin’,”) plaintive fiddles (“Clean Copy,”) plaintive Wilco (“Jim’s Song,”) and some good ol’ fashioned songs about trains (“Train”) will find a lot to love here.
The Fellow Travelers was produced by two other busy Milwaukee musicians, Maximiano Janairo (Maximiano) and Will Hansen (Old Pup). Max & The Fellow Travelers will celebrate the release of their record Friday, October 18 at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn. Old Pup and Dandy L. Freling will play in support. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Oh, and Diet Lite isn’t going anywhere! The group’s next show is set for Friday, November 8 at Cactus Club.
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