What is Funk Latin Music?

I was intrigued by the fact that Grupo Fantasma call themselves a funk Latin band. I had to see for myself what this would sound like. After checking out various videos, I must say that what I hear is more Latin, and less funk. That's okay. This band is tight.

Whether you find them in Las Vegas or on the road, Grupo Fantasma is one of those bands whose songs were probably absorbed by you while you watched an episode of Weeds, or some other cable TV program. Their tour schedule is exhausting. Their shows legendary. Groupo comes to Milwaukee this Sunday, August 21. Admission is $10, and their gig is at Turner Hall.

Local Milwaukee Music Takes Over when Winter Sets In

I would guess that big time touring bands don't want to do cold winter tours. Would you want to come to Milwaukee in December? We're about to have our first snow storm of the year. It might not be a big one, but it will certainly snarl traffic. The first one always does. I'm hoping to head down to Turner Hall tomorrow night to see a Smiths tribute band. If that is a bust, I might sneak over to see Tim Cook and the Riverwesterners at the Uptowner. Heck, there are a bunch of great local Milwaukee bands playing this weekend. Beatallica is on at 11pm tonight. Screw the big time tour monsters, just get to a local club for local people.

Turner Hall St. Vincent Show Milwaukee

St. Vincent played the way you would expect a touring band to play, tight, perfectly, easily. They performed at Turner Hall last night, and I must say that the crowd was receptive, and polite. It took about six songs to pass before some dude shouted "We love you Annie." That was followed up by "Marry Me." Ok, one drunken jerk to my left was not going to be a buzz kill. He stopped generating laughter after the third "WOOOOOO."

Annie Clark gave us the usual "we love you Milwaukee," and "thanks Milwaukee." My favorite was when she said "Milwaukee is the gem of the Midwest." That's when my friend turned to me and said "It's February."

The band played all the songs from their second disk. Ms. Clark sang a couple solo numbers, one being an Ice Cube cover. Their encore numbers included a song from her first disk, but by that time I had been standing for almost three hours. It was time to move to the back and soak up the atmosphere of the entire venue.

We stuck around for a chance to get autographs. The drummer, wearing a sport coat and bow tie, was kind enough to sign my disk, even though he was not on it. Finally, the violin player came out and I managed to get him to help me with autographs from the rest of the band. It was totally worth the wait. They play the sold out Metro tonight, in Chicago.

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.

Shows that Feature Milwaukee Rock and Roll

I like the band On A Sun. Unfortunately, they are playing for the big record contract, instead of the fans. Sometimes you can see it in their style. They seem to have a manager that wants to drink from their fountain and score the big money. Still, I like them. I like the Rock and Roll band Crumpler. I like the rock bands that have something to say in their music. Lots of Milwaukee bands have great lyrics. Great Rock and roll bands in Milwaukee play The Rave, but I don't go there too much. I really like the new Milwaukee venue Turner Hall.