The first month of the year often spells desolation for the city’s music scene, as venues shut down or at least reel in the bookings since they estimate turnouts will be sparse. That normal bleakness was absent this January, and in fact, this past month saw a fruitful crop of impressive releases and well-attended shows. Instead of picking between one show or the Netflix queue, most weekends offered three or four good options to get you out of the house. To catch up on what you may have missed in January, here are the top picks from the month.
10. Sat. Nite Duets follows in Eddie Vedder’s (unintentional) path and pays tribute to the Green Bay Packers’ backup quarterback
When Pearl Jam returned for an encore at its recent BMO Harris Bradley Center performance, frontman Eddie Vedder donned a Green Bay Packer jersey, on that was labeled with No. 10—a reference to the name of its debut record. It also happened to be the number of Packers backup quarterback, Matt Flynn, who was dancing awkwardly in the pit with offensive lineman T.J. Lang and punter Tim Masthay. When the crowd made the connection between jersey and man, they, literally, lifted Flynn on their shoulders like he had thrown a Super Bowl winning touchdown pass. It was an incredible and absurd moment. Sat. Nite Duets duly pay homage to the second stringer on the equally incredible and absurd single, “Matt Flynn,” that the band released before the NFC Championship on a split single with International Friendly, whose contribution is prophetically and painfully titled “Onside Kick.”
9. The Living Statues unveils black-and-white music video for “Extra Day”
The raucous power pop three-piece The Living Statues released the supremely underrated Knockin’ EP last year, which seemed like something that would immediately charm the rock heavy local scene just half a decade ago. This month the band premiered a music video on Entertainment Weekly for a track off the EP called “Extra Day.” Watch below:
8. Pele announces return to Cactus Club to play Milwaukee first show in nearly a decade
Post-rock three-piece Pele returned to the stage for the first time since 2007 opening a New Year’s Eve performance for reunited Midwestern emo legends American Football last month. I guessed the band’s Milwaukee onstage reunion would perhaps take place on Milwaukee Day, but alas, I was four days off. Pele announced a return to Cactus Club for a can’t-miss show on April 18. You can buy advance tickets here.
7. Lex Allen debuts video for the luscious soul tune “Puppy Love”
Not unlike The Living Statues, the debut album from Lex Allen, Anonymous Vibes, was similarly slept on in 2014 for being such an impressive effort—you may recognize his contributions to WebsterX’s “Renaissance,” one of my favorite tracks from 2014. Watch the video for his dreamy, head-over-heels R&B single “Puppy Love” below.
6. New city-wide festival Arte Para Todos promises art for everyone
Rarely does a brand new festival get everything right. The inaugural Arte Para Todos (which translates to “art for everyone”) makes that task seem effortless. The event is spread out over three days (February 27-March 1) and three neighborhoods (Bay View, Riverwest/Harambee and East Side), raising funds for three public schools in each neighborhood. It’s a noble concept that is enlivened by its impeccable 50-plus band lineup, which includes the city’s most essential acts like Bliss & Alice, Whips, Christopher Porterfield (Field Report), Canopies and NO/NO. Single event tickets run $7, day long passes are $12, but the economical and highly recommended three-day passes are just $20.
5. Death Blues performs Ensemble front-to-back at Alverno Presents
I’ve written extensively about Jon Mueller’s final record under the Death Blues moniker, Ensemble, which in my opinion and many others, was the best album of 2014. His performance this month at the Pitman Theater for the Alverno Presents series was lush, captivating and complex, but at the same time simple. His first Alverno Presents performance as Death Blues was a complicated, multi-sensory experience—attendees tasted food, watched dancers and literally navigated through a labyrinth. This time around he kept the focus directly on the intricacy of the music, a spotlight that was absolutely deserved.
4. Soul Low kicks off 2015 with ambitious EP/DVD set
Youthful indie-rock three-piece Soul Low haven’t been completely silent since 2013’s impressive full-length debut UNEASY, in fact every couple months there seems to be something new from the band. Last year they released a handful of music videos for new songs, which have been compiled on a new four-song EP/DVD set. Listen to Kind Spirit below.
3. Klassik keeps warm from the frigid January chill on new EP
With intentions to release brand new material every three months, genre-spanning hip hop phenom Klassik has already planned out his 2015 with a series in seasonal EPs. The first is Winter, a three-song effort that feels like alluding the drafty windows by sitting around a warm fire.
2. Inaugural Local Coverage showcase runs smoothly, raises significant funds for Girls Rock Milwaukee
While the concept of local bands covering each other’s material seemed intriguing, I remained somewhat skeptical that the final product would be any good. Those doubts were cast aside immediately when Bright Kind opened the inaugural Local Coverage event by masterfully translating the wispy folk of the Ugly Brothers into its engaging and soulful electro-pop sound. The other seven sets proved enlightening as well, and even the shticky performances didn’t have time to grow stale, as the bands moved on and off stage every 20 minutes or so. Perhaps most importantly, the showcase was packed the whole night, which was especially awesome since the proceeds from the event went directly to local non-profit Girls Rock Milwaukee.
1. WebsterX premieres “Doomsday” video and gains some substantial hype
If any Milwaukee rapper seems set to have a breakout year, it’s WebsterX. His music video for “Doomsday” has reached more than 17,000 views in a couple weeks and just keeps growing. Check out this local talent before he’s not local any more.
