As another season passes us by, don’t be left in the dust. Catch up on all the major happenings from the Milwaukee music scene last month by reading the top 10 picks of April.
10. Outdoor festival season is on its way
Summer still seems a ways away, but it got closer this month with the announcement of the line-up for the annual North Avenue festival Summer Soulstice. This year boasts a particularly solid bill, including bands like Soul Low, Midwest Death Rattle, Canopies, GGOOLLD, Twin Brother, WebsterX, The Erotic Adventures of Static Chicken and more. See the full schedule here.
9. Summerfest drags out side stage schedule release strategy
The first Summerfest line-up announcement came in one lump sum. In March, the festival released a whopping 95 confirmed acts. Where the bands would play and what time? That came later. This month Summerfest decided to painfully slowly release its side stage schedules one at a time. There wasn’t a lot to get excited about until the full schedule was finally released. Now, it’s time to plan out the best days to go.
8. Summerfest also announces acts for its most consistently good stage
The smaller, off-the-beaten-path KNE New Music Stage is usually an oasis from Summerfest. It’s a great spot to avoid the crowds and catch some good local music. Yesterday, the line-up for the stage was announced and it was predictably solid, featuring Trapper Schoepp and The Shades, Midnight Reruns, Direct Hit!, Maritime, The Championship and more. See the full schedule here. Oh, yeah and Neil Young and Stevie Wonder were announced to headline the Marcus Amphitheater, too.
7. Nostalgia floods throughout sold-out Riverside Theater crowd during Neutral Milk Hotel set
More than 17 years after the release of the groundbreaking, fuzzed-out folk album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel performed in Milwaukee to a sold-out Riverside Theater audience. The show wasn’t as transcendent as the original recording, but for a band that seemed like it would never get back together, there’s little to complain about here. Read the full show recap from (new Music Notes contributor!) Sahan Jayasuriya.
6. Future Islands’ singer Samuel T. Herring teams up with milo for new track
You may know Samuel T. Herring as the frontman of Future Islands, whose strange dancing became infamous after a David Letterman performance that went viral. Earlier this month under the alias Hemlock Herst, Herring took to rapping on a track with Milwaukee’s word-slinging milo, who’s working under the moniker Scallops Hotel. Television fans will appreciate milo name-dropping on-screen characters Raylan Givens and John Snow.
5. What’s WebsterX been up to lately?
This month WebsterX released another track from presumably his highly-anticipated sophomore album. “Lately” finds the introspective rapper embracing his own crew while his star ascends in wider hip hop circles.
4. Pele plays one-off show at Cactus Club to celebrate the limited-run vinyl release of 1999’s Elephant
For those who never experienced the post-rock trio during its decade-long run near the turn of the century, catching Pele at Cactus Club felt like a history lesson. And those lucky enough to get the merch table early enough were able to snag a copy of the vinyl release for 1999’s Elephant.
3. Midnight Reruns gives taste of forthcoming album with a new EP
In anticipation of its opening slot for the Replacements on Saturday, local power pop four-piece Midnight Reruns released the four-song EP Get Me Out, which features one track off an upcoming full-length (the title track) and a cover of defunct Milwaukee punk band The Mistreaters (“The Other Man”). My personal favorite, however, is “Eyes on the Sunset,” and its ‘90s slacker rock epilogue.
2. Maritime embraces hometown landmarks in honest music video
This month Maritime premiered “Milwaukee,” a new music video that’s essentially an honest salutation to the city. The song doesn’t paint the city in the best light—Davey Von Bohlen sings that Milwaukee “doesn’t cast such a shadow” and that it’s “a one-horse town”—but rather, despite the flaws, he gives a realistic visual interpretation of what makes the city so great. Watch it below; you won’t be disappointed.
1. Surgeons in Heat returns with first proper full-length
It’s been three years since Surgeons in Heat released its first two EPs on vinyl. The breezy, laid-back rock ‘n roll trio make a welcomed comeback with the loose yet concise, 10-song effort Disaster. This album sets the bar for the best Milwaukee record of the year.
