Music

October 17, 2014

Much like the catchall “indie rock” classification that’s often applied to bands on major labels that don’t play rock and roll, “bedroom pop” seems to be the sub-genre du jour to describe delicate, exposed sing...

Pop-culture blind spots, Patti Smith, and the unique pleasures of the unknown

October 17, 2014

There’s a moment in The Blair Witch Project when Heather, stumbling aimlessly in the woods and refusing to admit she’s lost, calmly explains, “It’s very hard to get lost in America these days, and even harder t...

Haunted Heads’ Andrew Johnson talks Oshkosh-Milwaukee connection, Shepard Fairey

October 16, 2014

For more than 15 years, Andrew Johnson (right) has been a pillar of northeast Wisconsin music. The former singer and guitarist of seminal Oshkosh (by way of Portland) rock band h. Chinaski, longtime Oshvegas li...

The Disclaimer: Talking “Smith Uncovered” with Betty Strigens

October 16, 2014

Every Wednesday at noon, WMSE’s Ryan Schleicher, Shepherd Express’ Evan Rytlewski, and Milwaukee Record’s Matt Wild take to the WMSE airwaves to discuss all things Milwaukee. This half-hour fun-fest is called T...

Bow and acknowledge Lorde Fredd33’s debut EP

October 16, 2014

Debut EP. Just one word and an abbreviation representing two other words can yield a myriad of listener outcomes. Sometimes, it's a one-and-done test of ultimately unkind waters before a half-hatched project...

Milwaukee Record presents “Local Coverage” January 16

October 15, 2014

Milwaukee’s music scene can be somewhat insular at times. Think about how many times you see the same three to four bands or rappers booking shows at that one venue in their own neighborhood. Conversely, how of...

Busdriver looks Milwaukee’s way on his “Motion Lines” music video

October 15, 2014

Milwaukee has really stepped up its music video game lately. With the number of talented directors and skilled filmmakers in town routinely putting striking visuals and innovative concepts to music, it’s onl...

Ryan Adams captivates crowd, serenades security guard at Riverside Theater

Cal Roach

October 15, 2014

If your first impression of Ryan Adams’ new self-titled album is that it sounds more like Bryan Adams than usual, you’re not alone: the younger, hipper Adams has taken to covering Bryan’s “Run To You” on his cu...

Dance, dance, dance! (To new Scrimshaw and Heavy Hand videos)

October 14, 2014

Music videos can be used to communicate many things: the meaning of a song, the subtext of a song, or an elaborate story that has little or nothing to do with a song. Then there are music videos like the new on...

The Who is coming to BMO Harris Bradley Center in 2015

October 10, 2014

Back in July, in our recounting of the strange story of Tim “The Rock And Roll Animal”’s quest to bring The Who to Milwaukee in 1982, we speculated that the legendary group would likely skip Milwaukee on its cu...

Eric & Magill announce album, release remixes by Nick Sanborn and Rupees

October 10, 2014

Though stationed in two separate continents for almost the entirety of its existence to this point, longtime Kenya/Brooklyn-based dream-pop duo Eric & Magill managed to get more accomplished with an ocean b...

Exclusive: Get pummeled by Volunteer’s four-song EP, Goner

October 9, 2014

In a time when the number of bands on planet Earth rivals the amount of water on planet Earth, it’s rare to find a “band’s band.” You know, a band that other bands respect, regardless of style or genre. Milwauk...

Put on your (orthopedic) dancing shoes for Scrimshaw’s “Hoopula” video

October 8, 2014

If there’s a more willfully weird and gleefully enjoyable Milwaukee band working today than Scrimshaw, we haven’t found it. For the past few years, the oddball trio of singer-guitarist Robert Thomas, singer-dru...

Exclusive: Chris Porterfield takes off mask in video for Field Report’s “Decision Day”

October 7, 2014

Field Report’s second album, Marigolden, sees its official release today on Partisan Records. It’s a stunner. From bittersweet road song “Home (Leave The Lights On)” and electronic-tinged “Wings,” to somber pia...

Tracklist: 10 especially ambitious Milwaukee music videos

October 6, 2014

// No modern band has done more with the music video medium than OK Go. With its genius use of things like treadmill choreography, Rube Goldberg-like mechanisms, paint, and other artsy accoutrements, the L....

The Suicide Machines were semi-operational at The Metal Grill

October 5, 2014

These days, a band can rarely be considered “broken up” for good. Even a member’s death doesn’t necessarily spell a project’s conclusion. Whether paid handsomely enough to return to the stage to sate nostalgic ...

Listen to the Sylvan Esso remix of Phox’s “Slow Motion”

October 2, 2014

Brooklyn-based label Partisan Records is home to some top-tier national talent (Eagulls, John Grant) as well as some top-tier local (or local-ish) talent, including Field Report, Sylvan Esso, and Phox. Those la...

Direct Hit! will be on Last Call With Carson Daly tonight

October 1, 2014

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: For a band that doesn’t get much local love, Direct Hit! enjoys a great deal of attention elsewhere. The latest case of DH! getting outward acknowledgement will come...

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