Independent Idols popping up around Milwaukee

I saw this local band called the Independent Idols at Riversplash this past summer. They were on the Rosie's stage. Water Street was jammed with people, and there was I.I. playing to about fifty people in a tent that could hold 500. The stages on Water Street had huge crowds. It was sad to see this quality band playing for a few dozen people.

On another night, they were scheduled to play on Brady Street during Harley Fest in front of Mimma's Cafe. The stage was set up, but they were shut down before playing a single note. It was a permit error that kept the band from playing in front of what was sure to be hundreds of people.

This time, Independent Idols will be playing at a club called Live, next Saturday, Jan. 2nd. Will this be another near-miss, as the band is booked to play a club two days after everybody spends their cash on New Years Eve? Time will tell.

Turner Hall for gigs so small

If your band is on the rise, or on the decline, Turner Hall might be the right fit for you.
The Riverside Theater is too big for some emerging acts. The Pabst is the same. The same folks that manage both of those venues took over at Turner Hall.

It's a club that will make you feel like a star if two hundred people show up. The place is rustic, and open.

Acts like Juliana Hatfield, Alex Chilton, and Shawn Colvin perform there. One show that I would check out is .357 String Band on January 10th. Nothing is better than punk played with banjo.

Halloween is for lovers

I couldn't begin to suggest where to go and whom to see on Halloween night, but if I was forced into it, I would suggest Gwar at the Rave. That's a band that doesn't wait for Halloween to put on a great costume and spray everyone with fake blood.

Save the date for that gig, and get out there. Otherwise do the East Side thing and join the college crowd. It's a good time to take leave the car in the driveway and take a cab. You don't need Milwaukee's finest putting the cuffs over your Dracula costume.

Mobfest comes to Miramar theater

November 8th, the Miramar Theater will host MObfest. This one day event gives artists a chance to put themselves in front of industry heavyweights. There will be a paned discussion, and a select group of bands will get to perform in front of these reps. The "winner" will win some studio time.

Milwaukee Rock bands, and others will try to schmooze the record reps at a time when the industry is basically collapsing. They still need grain for the grist mill, so go on down and try your best to impress the important people.

He's coming again, Dylan that is.

I'm not the biggest fan of Bob Dylan, but this time he's going to perform at a great place. No more Rave gigs for Bob. He's playing at the Riverside Theater in November.

Some of my friends swear that this guy is amazing. I find him rather boring.

It didn't convert to a good show when he played at The Rave. There is something to be said about feeling ripped off by the man as you pay for your $8 beers at the Rave, then you go in and listen to a rebel.

The Riverside is more intimate, and fun.

Miramar show for the Screamer

A benefit for The Screamer will be at The Miramar Theater this Sunday afternoon.

He was one great music fan.

Roxie Beane, Kenton Franklin , Plastic Pieces, Tina "The Junkyard Dog" Michaels and the Girls, Sigmond Snopek, Tinker and the Boys, 1/2 Mad Poet, Binky Tunny and the Farmland Chokehold, My Disaster March , Test Site.

What to see in Milwaukee this weekend

You could see Bruce Springsteen at Veteran's Park. You could check out Foo Fighters the next day. Some folks are going to see Kid Rock at Miller Park. Others will just cruise the Summerfest grounds and see about one hundred bands of all flavors.

With the Harley 105th anniversary in full swing, there is no lack of events. You could wander over to Brady street for the festival, or play around on Water St.

Every Harley dealership has something going on too. There will be lots of black shirts, bandannas, leather and chrome in the streets of Milwaukee this weekend.

Cactus Club anyone?

A bar on the south side for years, the Cactus club still manages to book bands. Although the venue is very small and the bands perform in a separate room with no chairs, a couple tables, and the smell of Lysol, the venue is plugging away. A few years back, the owner tried to improve the place, and his plan included reducing the noise outside the venue. That plan was mostly rejected by the powers that be.

Palomino is down the street from Cactus Club. It's a great place to hang out before you stumble over to Cactus to see the band.

If you are a struggling new local band and you need a place to play, Cactus will give you an opening slot. Just get that gear out of the club after you play.

Boat gig again?

I'm going to try again to see Binky Tunny and the Farmland Chokehold on the Iroquois this coming August 1st. They were rained out in June 7th. This time, I don't think that there will be a torrent of rain flooding the entire city of Milwaukee area.

The Chokehold will be playing for about 90 minutes, and they have a special acoustic show prior to their set.

Milwaukee, didn't even blink after Summerfest ended. New show annoucements have been coming out. Old School gigs like The Eagles, and Springsteen are coming up. Newer bands always fly under the radar here, but check out the Turner Hall listings for the best new acts.

Playing at Summerfest, a local perspective

In my previous post I mentioned that Summerfest trimmed off its fat, and a number of Milwaukee cover bands did not get their annual chance to perform. I say that is a good thing. Frankly, it's not a music festival if the majority of local acts are cover bands. That's a glorified church festival.

Too many talented acts that play original music get passed over for the crap-tastic cover artists if you ask me. Yea, they can perform other people's music very well, but c'mon get original.
SonicBids helped to bring talent to the various stages this year.

Meanwhile, if you read the article about how B.B. booked the Marcus Amp. shows this year, you will only get more depressed. He tried to get Coldplay, Radiohead, and other worthy bands. He was proud that he landed Stevie Wonder? Tom Petty actually wants to come here every year, so what great accomplishment is it to land an act that wants to come here?

Give me a break.

Summerfest and Milwaukee bands

A quick scan of the Summerfest line up for 2008 shows that if you are a Milwaukee Rock Band, you are relegated to the Cascio tent. Officially titled the Cascio Groove Garage, this tiny tent is located just outside the Marcus Amphitheater gates, inside the Summerfest grounds. It faces out to the food area, but other than that, you have to work your way over there. It's not a space where you will get tons of traffic. Don't get me wrong. The ususal Milwaukee based, boring cover bands are hitting the bigger stages, but if you want emerging acts, head to the Groove Garage. You have to wade through a few bands that have Cascio employees in their line up, but after that, you might be treated to some good music.

None of the bands get paid to do these shows, and a Cascio email stated that you may have to pay to play there in coming years, so do the bands a favor and buy a cd, or shirt.

Pridefest is washed out

Man O' Man did the rain fall on Pridefest. Indigo Girls were the main act this year. They were scheduled for the Miller stage. At one point, the gates were closed, and nobody could enter the Summerfest grounds. The storm raged all around, and people scrambled for shelter.

This weekend was almost a total washout for the Pridefest fans. Even if you got to the Summerfest grounds, the ride home on Saturday was nearly impossible. Major streets were blocked off.

It took some of us an hour just to drive five miles across the southern half of Milwaukee. I'm glad I'm not flooded out, but others were not so lucky. I hope Pridefest can take the hit, but come back strong for 2009. See you there?

Riversplash and the future

I went down to Riversplash on Friday night to see Independent Idols at the Rosie's stage. As the sun set, the crowd got bigger. The Rosie's tent had plenty of room for the fans, but along Water street, the mass of humans was almost too much. Still, I thought it was a nice enough gathering of people.

It was the first festival of the summer, and the weather was perfect. Sadly, there were crowd control issues on Saturday night. Someone got shot; perhaps it was the owner of the gun himself. Some bottles were thrown at the cops. It got ugly.

The hammer came down on Monday night when city officials declared that the future of the festival is up in the air. If 60,000 people attended the festival like they say, and 7 of those folks got arrested, wouldn't that seem like a low number of arrests? What if the idiot who fired a bullet into his foot managed to keep the gun in his pants and didn't fire the shot? Would we be having this situation? I wasn't there on Saturday night, but a friend who was there on both nights said it was a mob scene. Give the Riversplash sponsors a chance to do some crowd control for 2009. Don't pull the plug just yet. Heck, it usually rains that weekend.

Riversplash Milwaukee 2008

Riversplash is ramping up the music. Over 10 stages, placed along the downtown Milwaukee area will feature some original acts. Yes, the usual cover bands will be performing too. Milwaukee can't seem to shake that cover band virus. The Love Monkeys will mimic real musical artists on Saturday on the Miller Lite stage. U2Zoo will be in full mime, and The Five Card Studs will don their wigs and play the same night. Now, what I think will be interesting is that Riversplash has fireworks at 10pm. Do the bands take a break while the crap is blowing off above their heads? In previous years, I found it to be more fun to get a burger at John Hawks and watch the boats go by. Perhaps this infusion of original acts like Brother Louie and Willie Porter, coupled with the craptastic cover artists will draw me away from my burger-and-boatspotting fun.

Rilo Kiley at The Pabst Theater

Start off your extended Memorial weekend with a little Rilo Kiley at the Pabst Theater. Jenny Lewis heads up this band, and the put the "indy" in independent. Under the Blacklight is the cd that they are supporting with this current tour. Tickets are cheap, and still available. It's one of those general admission shows, so you can expect some maneuvering to get the prime spots. I would head right for the balcony instead of the main floor. Those old theaters, have great views from upstairs. The sound can be real nice up there too.

Flight was great

Flight of the Conchords was hilarious. The Riverside Theater was a perfect venue for the show too. I must say that being in the 12th row didn't hurt. You could see the expressions on the faces of Jemaine and Bret. They performed for nearly two hours. Their relaxed style was refreshing and funny. The comments shouted out from the crowd was ridiculous, but they handled it well throughout. The evening was opened by a cast member from the show. It was a sold out show at the Riverside Theater.

New Snare

I'm getting my new Paul Leim snare (slightly used) soon. A chrome over brass beauty that will crack across the bar when I play my next show. Meanwhile, I have been going to more theater and less shows. If you want to call it rock and roll, I'm going to Flight of the Conchords on Sunday. They rock hard.

Van Halen in Milwaukee

Word from the Van Halen show was that Michael Anthony's back up vocals were pumped through the p.a. system last night. I think that Van Halen made a deal with M.A. before going out on the road. The deal included the "use" of his back up vocals. Eddie played hard, David shaves his chest, and the rest of the band did a workmanlike job. There were tickets all over the street. When the show got moved to a Monday night, the party was over. To follow up on my Kraftwerk post, it was a great show. We were the test market, but they booked a pre show for Minneapolis. It was solid, the sound was great, and the Rave was tolerable.

Nuna and Crumpler

I stopped by the Brat Stop to see two Milwaukee bands. Crumpler, (in the men's room the poster was misspelled "Crumbler", headlined. They have a tight drummer for sure. In fact, the three-piece band is altogether a group of talented guys. Their set was short, but solid. Nuna played a bit longer, and their band includes a keyboard player who smokes while playing. That's a mystery to me. Is it a bigger rush to smoke and play a song at the same time? In between those two bands there was Binky Tunny and the Farmland Chokehold. It was Binky's birthday. That is the same day as the pope, and she mentioned that a number of times throughout the high quality set. Binky managed to get a drunk fan up to sing "meows" for a song called Pussycat. Her DD friend just stared. The Brat Stop has great food, a nice bar staff, and it's a huge place! I stayed sober the entire night, so the coppers had nothing on me, should they stop me on the way home to Milwaukee.

Playing on the Iroquois in Milwaukee

The Iroquois is starting their summer cruises for the year 2008 in late May. The boat has been refitted top-side with a tent like atmosphere. The bands play up on top, and the bar is on the deck below. The cruise around the lake is a two-hour event. You can see rock bands, dj's, or cover bands, depending on the weekend. The boat docks along the Milwaukee river at Michigan St., on the west side of the riverbank.

You have been Spoofed!

Fleetwood Mac, Oasis, Yes, The White Stripes, Smiths, and supposedly The Village People all performed on one stage in Cudahy last Saturday. The egos were kept in check, and the boys from Oasis hardly fought at all. It was worth the whopping $10 entry fee to see this mega event.

Milwaukee rock bands get together in different forms to do their best imitations, and it doesn't disappoint the crowd, ever.

I heard a rumor that next year the Misfits might show up. That would rule!

Thanks to V'nuks for another great spoof fest.

Shag at State Fair

It's a Shaggin' ritual to see Shag a State Fair. They are the nicest bunch of guys, and they play quality rock tunes in an unpretentious style. It's a pit stop you must make when you walk the grounds of state fair. Chuck Travis Jr. is a master musician, and the rest of his band is up to the task. Perhaps I'm just dreaming of summer while the snow still melts this late into spring. Check out Shag when you get to State Fair.

Summerfest shows

The major concert announcements for Summerfest have started. So far, I haven't found a band that I want to see. I'm going to see the Police play after Summerfest, in late July. I wonder what Stevie Wonder will be like. That might be my old school gig for Summerfest. I hear that he brings a super tight band with him. That would do nicely. Meanwhile, Milwaukee is still cold and grey. If the temps hit 60+ we might get excited about seeing rock and roll shows in Milwaukee. For now, it's not even on the mind. Who wants to freeze by the lake? Not me. I'd rather be comfy in some warm venue like The Riverside Theater, as the city thaws out from a long, cold winter.

The Rave and Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is coming to The Rave. They will beep and pop on the state on April 20th. I think that it will be in the Eagles Club, rather than the Ballroom. If enough tickets sell, they will move the show into the Ballroom. See you there.

Milwaukee Music for Rock fans

The best way to book a show at a club is to get a shot as an opener for an established band. Bring 50 of your friends and family, and they might ask you back. Ok, you say that it's obvious. You say "of course you need to get butts in the door". That helps, but the more important thing is to get those Rock and Roll fans to BUY DRINKS! We used to play Teddy's back in the 80's and 90's and they loved my band. The venue held about 300 people. We would bring in over 150. The half-full venue was full of drinkers though. They would throw down their cash and the bar would make great money. In fact, we broke a record for liquor sales one night. The owner said that we sold more liquor for a local band night than any other. On another occasion, we played The Unicorn in Milwaukee on the night before New Year's Eve. The owner was so pleased that he invited us back the next night to celebrate for free. So to recap, bring your friends, but better yet, bring in those drinking friends.

Summerfest coming up fast

Why did Summerfest book The Jonas Brothers to headline the last night at Summerfest? They sold out a 3000 head venue this year, but they are not worthy of a 23,000 seat venue. Sorry, put "JOBRO" on a side stage. Hell, push them out onto a lake barge for all I care. I can't believe that Summerfest would sell enough Marcus Amp. tickets to make this work. The comments I get from the adults of Milwaukee regarding Summerfest have a similar ring. They basically want to know why the festival has dropped in quality. I think I know why. It's been about the beer for the past 10 years, not the music. Summerfest pays less and less money for the musical acts, so what do you expect?

Eagles Club shows

20 years ago I started to go to shows at various Eagles clubs around the Midwest. The Eagles had clubs in Madison, Racine and Milwaukee. Times were tough for those fraternal Eagles, so they started to rent their clubs to just about anybody. I saw a Crusties show at the Milwaukee Eagles club in 1986. The club members did not like a punk band defiling their hallowed hall. I don't even think that a Milwaukee rock band would have soothed the anger. Now, it's common practice to see lots of shows at lots of Eagles clubs in Wisconsin.

Racine clubs

Broadzilla cancelled their Racine show last Saturday at McAuliffes Pub. I would say that it was their loss for sure. The place was packed on Saturday. Hwy 13 played one of their last shows. It was a great set. Princess Meatfist, featuring Binky Tunny opened the night. Finally, Binky Tunny and the Farmland Chokehold closed the night. The snow started to fall just before the bar closed, and the ride was slippery. It was too bad for Broadzilla. Supposedly, one of the band members was ill. I would would have been ill if I missed such a killer crowd at McAuliffes.

Riverwest Commons

I'm going to see Princess Meatfist at Riverwest commons tonight. They are not Original Rock and Roll Milwaukee style, but they rock none the less. They cover Misfits, Ramones and more. Princess Meatfist opens the club for the night, so I better get there before 10 pm.

The Commons has a big enough stage and friendly bartenders. I like it there.

best music in Milwaukee

I have written about Milwaukee venues before, but where do you go to see the best live music in Milwaukee? I think it's easier to find a great band in Milwaukee and then follow them around the Southeastern Wisconsin area. Some Milwaukee venues are not the best for sound, or for their patrons, others are better known for solid bartenders, great drinks and such. Consider Myspace, find a band that you like, and then follow them around Wisconsin. I don't agree that the booking agent for a club will bring in the best bands. You follow that route and you end up seeing some really crappy cover bands.

Milwaukee's biggest "gig"

Summerfest will have Tom Petty on July 5th. They call it the Big Gig here in brew city. 900,000 people will pass through the gates over ten days. Summerfest features local cover bands and touring acts. They don't have Comedy Sportz anymore because that would be too kid friendly. The Cascio music stage, next to the Marcus Amphitheater, is going to the higest bidder this year. I suspect that we will see some crap-tastic cover bands night after night on that stage now. I long for the days when you could see original musical bands in the afternoon at Summerfest. Those were the days my friend.

The perfect club in Milwaukee

It should have a stage that is big enough to handle a five member band. It should not smell like Lysol floor cleaner. The 7 Up or Sprite should actually be 7 Up or Sprite. There should be a staging area to store gear that is up off the dance floor. The venue should have an area to poster for the next gig.

WAMI, what is it.

Wisconsin has the WAMI awards. I don't take the WAMI thing seriously. Awards should not go to cover bands. There shouldn't be a "best cover band" category. I think Wisconsin music man said it best when it comes to cover bands. I'm all about the original rock and roll music in Milwaukee. Bands like Fat Bottom Special and Rabid Aardvarks, are for the musically challenged. What's the point of actually PAYING money to see someone play songs that were sluiced through with payola, and forced onto the public airwaves with bribes and drugs, then promoted as the best music this country has to offer.

Shank Hall Milwaukee

I used to know it as Teddy's. Back then the venue was host to anything from Punk Rock to Folk, to Rock and Roll. Now Teddy's is Shank Hall. I have seen some great shows at Shank Hall. Gary Numan was one of the best. He toured through Milwaukee last April. Gary Numan still has the chops. So did Carl Palmer, of ELP. He brought a 16 year old guitar prodigy with him. It was amazing.

Acoustic Show Riverwest Commons

On the lighter side of Milwaukee Rock and Roll, we have an acoustic show at Milwaukee worth checking out. It's at The Riverwest Commons on E. Center Street. The line up for this "Chick Singer/Songwriter Showcase" is 9pm The Housecats, 10pm Binky and Pauly, 11pm Roxie Beane.

Rock and Roll doesn't have to be all men, all volume. Open your mind and enjoy the music.

Milwaukee's Finest Guitars VS the world

I checked out a new guitar shop (ok they have been open for over a year now) in Milwaukee. Milwaukee's Finest Guitars is heads and shoulders above the competition. They don't mess around there. Guitar lessons take place in their basement, but mostly it's about the finest axes in the Midwest. If you have the time, it's totally worth the drive up there.

Spoof fest 2008

It sounds like Spoof fest for 2008 in Milwaukee is gearing up. Who would you represent at Spoof fest? Would it be a Led Zeppelin cover band? Would it be a Morrissey cover band? Would it be AC/DC? Whatever you pretend to be at Spoof fest Milwaukee, it's a good time for sure.
Keep it up Milwaukee Rock and Roll fans.