On August 14, 2025, Milwaukee lost a legend when Art Guenther died at the age of 80. The owner and namesake of Just Art’s Saloon was nothing short of a fixture in Walker’s Point for much of his life. To quote our tribute to Guenther in the wake of his passing this summer, he was a “merch peddler, storyteller, local historian, dice roller. Pretty bad bartender. Pretty good cook” and the “nuclei for a whole neighborhood.”
Upon learning of his death, countless friends, acquaintances, and customers shared their fond memories of Guenther and his character-laden bar, and expressed what both the man and the inimitable tavern he owned meant to them. And as of today, there’s also a musical homage to the beloved owner of Just Art’s Saloon. Milwaukee country outfit Wire & Nail just released a brand new single called “Too Drunk,” which is a nod to the local watering hole where members were known to end their nights on many occasions.
Not only does the rollicking, beer-soaked single pay indirect homage to Just Art’s (which we’re told was a “night cap spot” for Wire & Nail’s members), the song actually begins with a voicemail Guenther left a member of the band.
“One of guys in the band lived in that apartment building next to Art’s, so that’s how we got to know him,” Wire & Nail member Sam Brunelli tells Milwaukee Record. “We were all friends with him and thought it was fitting to write a tune about a mostly fictional night at his bar.”
“Too Drunk” was recorded at Treehouse Studios with Ian Olvera. The song was mixed by Kyle White at Wire and Vice and mastered by Sam Roller at Lovegrove Studios. Brunelli says the band plans to release a series of other singles throughout the fall and into early next year. As you wait for more material from the self-described “Milwaukee-Tonk” outfit, stream “Too Drunk” wherever you listen to music (or just click our SoundCloud link above) and raise a glass to the great Art Guenther.
