Music

Braid releases new album, will come to Cactus Club Oct. 3

August 6, 2014

After a swift and undeniable rise to mainstream prominence forced Sylvan Esso to move its September 5 show from Cactus Club to the more spacious confines of Pabst Theater, the intimate Bay View club somewhat ma...

Exclusive: Listen to Body Futures’ terrific debut album, Brand New Silhouettes

Matt Wild

August 5, 2014

Let’s take a moment to honor those bands that refuse to play the kind of music that typically gets streamed on NPR. Let’s take a moment to pay tribute to bands that stick to their noisy, straight-up rock-and-ro...

Girls Rock Milwaukee comes back bigger, better in year two

Tyler Maas

August 5, 2014

Yesterday, 11 new bands formed in Milwaukee. While none of these new bands have yet to finish writing their first song, and some of them won't last more than a week, each of these acts hold untold significance ...

Hayward Williams previews new album at Walker’s Point Anodyne residency

Matt Wild

August 5, 2014

Back in the spring of 2012, Milwaukee’s gone-but-not-forgotten Juniper Tar set up shop at The Hotel Foster for four Wednesdays in a row, previewing songs from their then-upcoming album Since Before, and collabo...

Welcome to August: Here’s what you’re doing this month

Matt Wild

August 1, 2014

Is there anything more punch-worthy than saying “It’s August already? Where did the summer go?” Probably not, so we won’t say it. Instead, we’ll look ahead (past this weekend’s Breadfest/Center Street Daze mayh...

How Tim The Rock ‘N’ Roll Animal brought The Who to Milwaukee

Thomas Michalski

July 31, 2014

//It’s a frustrating situation that has befallen every music-loving Milwaukeean from time to time: you hear your favorite band is going on tour and eagerly scan the list of dates, only to find our fair cit...

Crocodiles take Cactus Club over the mid-week hump

Tyler Maas

July 31, 2014

It's hard to get people out on a Wednesday night. It's harder yet to get people into a cozy neighborhood bar/venue on a Wednesday in the middle of summer when people are either recovering from or preparing for ...

NPR posts version of Sylvan Esso’s “Wolf” from Alverno Presents “Lend Me Your Voice”

Tyler Maas

July 30, 2014

At the risk of Milwaukee Record becoming a full-on Sylvan Esso fan site, we've stumbled on a new version of the North Carolina band's song "Wolf" on NPR. This version is of particular local relevance, as the vi...

Exclusive: Stream The Midwestern Charm’s new album, Growing Pains

Tyler Maas

July 30, 2014

The Midwestern Charm will always have a place in music. The Milwaukee (by way of Oshkosh) band's identifiably-angst-ridden output on its 2012 self-titled record helped bring them to local consciousness both her...

Video: .357 String Band reunites…for one song

Jared Blohm

July 30, 2014

Farmageddon Records Music Festival attendees were witness to a rare Wisconsin musical treat earlier this month—a surprise .357 String Band performance. The Milwaukee band reunited to play one song during a Jayk...

Listen to a previously unreleased (and totally bad-ass) Hollowz track, “Heist”

Matt Wild

July 29, 2014

It’s been a few years since Milwaukee hip-hop duo The Hollowz have dropped new music on the city—three years to be exact, which is when the group’s last LP, Dreams Of Sex And Flying, was released. Not that rapp...

Tracklist: 11 Milwaukee bands that are bigger elsewhere

Tyler Maas

July 28, 2014

Some people think the Milwaukee music scene can be too insular. There’s some truth to that, but not all local bands stay nestled in the supportive confines of our city limits. Some venture well beyond Milwaukee...

Brady Street Festival 2014: A minute-by-minute recap

Cal Roach

July 28, 2014

While Brady Street may not retain much of its former countercultural artsiness, the intersection of Sciortino’s Bakery, St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church, and Art Smart’s Dart Mart alone suggests the neighborh...

Exclusive: Listen to the putrid new Drugs Dragons album, II & I/II

Matt Wild

July 24, 2014

Some albums instantly reward listeners with big hooks, sparkling production, and an eagerness to please. Other albums offer up complex arrangements and knotty lyrics, challenging listeners to unlock the rewards...

Counting Crows go long, fall short at Riverside Theater

Tyler Maas

July 24, 2014

Just over two years ago, veteran pop-rock mainstay Counting Crows only filled the BMO Harris Pavilion to about a quarter of its capacity in one of the young venue’s first non-Summerfest bookings. This time arou...

Great job, Milwaukee! Milwaukee named 4th unhappiest city in U.S.

Matt Wild

July 23, 2014

For a few months out of the year, Milwaukee is a magical place, filled with festivals, fireworks, and babes and bros on the beach. But the fleeting summer months hide an ugly truth: Milwaukee is a deeply unhapp...

A-side/B-side: Is the Milwaukee music scene too insular?

Milwaukee Record Staff

July 23, 2014

In A-side/B-side, two Milwaukee Record writers tackle important city issues in an informal, crosstalk style. Insults are hurled, feelings are hurt, and everyone learns something in the end. Maybe.Matt Wild:...

Exclusive: Stream the debut GGOOLLDD EP, $TANDARD$

Milwaukee Record Staff

July 23, 2014

Since the project played its first show just over nine months ago, GGOOLLDD has been privy to a wealth of positive local attention and cherry gigs ranging from beer-celebrating block parties, concert cruises, a...

Jack White at The Rave or: In defense of good artists playing bad venues

Matt Wild

July 22, 2014

Walk into the Cactus Club and you’ll see a silk-screened 12” record created by Milwaukee artist Von Munz promoting The White Stripes’ first out-of-state show, November 13, 1999, in which they opened for The Mis...

September Sylvan Esso show at Cactus Club moved to Pabst Theater

Matt Wild

July 21, 2014

Durham-by-way-of-Milwaukee electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso have been having what music industry insiders call “a really, really, really big year.” Amelia Meath and former Milwaukeean Nick Sanborn met at a Cactus Cl...