Music

July 12, 2017

Somehow in all the Summerfest and Fourth of July-adjacent activity, we missed a bit of unfortunate news. Classically-influenced indie rock outfit I'm Not A Pilot will call it quits following a farewell show in ...

The Shins brought Summerfest 50 to a close and it was kind of perfect

July 10, 2017

There's something bittersweet about the final day of Summerfest. Vendors are packing away mountains of fresh roasted nuts, patrons are desperately stumbling around like its closing time, and the final serviceab...

Nelson, Dylan, Crow, more bring wild-and-wooly Outlaw Music Festival to Summerfest

Cal Roach

July 10, 2017

With Summerfest trying to brand itself a "national" music festival, allow us to point out a few differences that separate the Big Gig from all of its ostensible counterparts: relatively clean, plentiful re...

Here’s the lineup for Triple Eye Industries Fest 2

July 10, 2017

Today, in the era of Name-Your-Price digital downloads, 99 cent iTunes singles, and abject saturation in the music industry, owning a record label isn’t exactly the glamorous and financially lucrative endeavor ...

Huey Lewis And The News enchant Summerfest fans with timeless talent and charisma

July 8, 2017

For its 50th edition, Summerfest treated music history nerds to a mini museum located inside the festival grounds. The Summerfest 50 historical exhibit is jam-packed with fun facts about the festival's longtime...

Standout moments from Milwaukee Record’s entirely local day at Summerfest

July 7, 2017

Though Summerfest books bands from all corners of the country and brings in a fair amount of international talent, the Big Gig has recently gone about narrowing the disparaging gap between its hometown talent a...

Milwaukee’s (and probably Earth’s) premier Chumbawamba tribute band is calling it quits

July 7, 2017

Way back in 2015, we introduced you to Chimp Eats Banana. The unorthodox outfit calls itself “Milwaukee’s premier Chumbawamba cover band” and focuses its tribute set on the nonsensically-named British band's pr...

High Dive will kick off Riverwest 24 with two-year anniversary show

July 7, 2017

Has it already been two years since High Dive opened in Riverwest? Yes, it has. The summer of 2015 saw the new bar—headed by longtime Riverwest resident Jason McBrady—take over the shuttered Impala Lounge/River...

Here’s the schedule for the second annual Synth Fest MKE

July 7, 2017

Milwaukee, as you may have heard, is the "City of Festivals." It doesn't take that title lightly. Between June and August the city is absolutely stuffed with events bearing the "fest" suffix, from big-time shin...

T-Pain’s Summerfest set was some killer, some filler, but still a good time

July 6, 2017

"Every generation is afraid of the music that comes from the next," says Lindsay Weir in the second episode of Freaks And Geeks. She's discussing the Sex Pistols with her parents, who are appalled by the idea o...

Killing time at the Renegade Stage, Summerfest’s one-stop shop for the eccentric and eclectic

July 5, 2017

Eating and drinking all day at Summerfest can take a toll on your wallet, and walking around checking out the vendors really doesn't take that long. Plus, let's get real: it's the same stuff every year. Fortuna...

Death From Above 1979 is rowdy, rusty in Summerfest debut

July 5, 2017

Each and every year, there's a select few Summerfest bookings that are capable of coaxing even the most jaded among us to shed their "Bummerfest" shirt and their long-held sentiments for enough time to begrudgi...

Car Seat Headrest delivers inconsistent performance at Johnson Controls stage

July 3, 2017

In the 2001 film Legally Blonde, future lawyer Elle Woods makes it her goal to help nail technician Paulette snag her dream guy. Albeit quirky, Paulette is cute and charming. She lacks the confidence that she n...

Ludacris headlines a rap paradise Sunday at Summerfest

Cal Roach

July 3, 2017

The first Sunday of Summerfest featured a bit of nasty weather during the afternoon hours and then cleared up beautifully in time for the evening sets. Many patrons were in the middle of a long holiday weekend,...

Jack Antonoff leads Bleachers’ gigantic dance party

July 2, 2017

Listening to FM radio is the ultimate old-fashioned way to find a new favorite band. It of course has its share of drawbacks, like super annoying ads and not being able to pick what song is next in the queue. R...

The Metal Grill has closed

June 30, 2017

Last weekend, a near-sellout crowd packed The Metal Grill to see the likes of Off With Their Heads, Negative Approach, PEARS, Toys That Kill, The Copyrights, Direct Hit!, and more during Dummerfest. Less than a...

I saw Corey Feldman play the show of his life, knock his tooth out, and then look for his tooth