In early June, Madeline Stadel was getting ready for a gig at Nashville North on Brady Street, when she realized she’d been robbed.
“I kept my stuff in a storage unit in my basement. When I opened the door, there was nothing there,” says Stadel, a Milwaukee musician who fronts the band Adorner. “My stomach dropped, it’s nightmare fuel.”
Stadel lost all the musical equipment she had used to record the next Adorner album, Ascension; along with a keyboard she’s owned since she was 15 years old. In total, over $2,000 worth of equipment was stolen.
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On top of that Adorner had a Summerfest show lined up for Saturday, June 22 – her first performance at the Big Gig.
“How am I going to get enough money in time? I’m playing SummerFest – it’s one of the biggest gigs of my life,” she says.
She called her father, and he suggested reaching out to see if anyone in the Milwaukee community was willing to help her recoup the loss. Stadel posted on Instagram asking for donations. “I started the GoFundMe an hour after it happened, the goal was hit in under 24 hours,” she says.
Her Instagram post on the Adorner account was shared by dozens in the Milwaukee music scene. Donations quickly came in. With almost 70 people contributing, Stadel raised $3,000, surpassing her goal of $2,300.
“I often have those self-doubt thoughts – does anyone even care?” Stadel says. “I never knew how many people were in my corner, it was so encouraging.”
This isn’t the first time the Milwaukee music scene has united to help an artist in need. “Two years ago my guitarist Ellee had her car stolen and the scene rallied around her,” says Stadel. “We hold each other up, because we understand that as an artist, we must do this. We have no other option but to create.”
Adorner has been able to recover quickly from the robbery. With the money raised, she bought new equipment for her show at Summerfest on Saturday.
“I started the project as Madeline, someone who was very creative but very afraid and my worst fear happened, but I’m still here and I’m more Adorner than ever,” said Stadel.
Adorner’s new full-length album Ascension comes out Aug. 16, accompanied by an album release show at Shank Hall, with openers Lunar Moth and Blacktop. You can also catch Adorner at Summerfest June 22 at 3:45 p.m. at Ground Floor Stage.
