Local Live | Wmse

Tune into Local/Live for a set from Klassik (and his new band) as he gets ready for his gig during the Arte Para Todos festival on Friday, April 27th at Club Garibaldi’s. Klassik has shared the stage with acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, DJ Premier, and Robert Glasper to name a few. Klassik is truly an old soul. His fusion of hip hop and jazz, amongst many other genres, pays homage to the many legends of generations past. His music is not based around braggadocio or glorification of the world’s ills, but rather portrays a positive, forward thinking person, fueled by his inspiration to constantly create and innovate. His diverse influences including Stevie Wonder, John Coltrane, and Pharrell Williams have helped mold a blend of musical styles that comes out one hundred percent unique, fresh, and timeless. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, April 24th for a live, on-air set from Klassik – WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour. L

Bandoleer Bacall are four nice, young, Wisconsin lads serving up their own brand of romantic phantasmagoria straight from the raspberry underground. They sing songs about French actresses, trees, and jackets with a touch of rock and roll, a dash of psychedelia, a splash of pop, and whatever else it takes to reach through the mirror. They’ve recorded two albums (available at bandoleerbacall.bandcamp.com) and are currently working on a third. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, April 17th for music from Bandoleer Bacall and to hear all the details about their big gig at Chill On the Hill this summer. Go to WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour. Local/Live on WMSE is sponsored by Club Garibaldi’s

“‘It’s not even that we’re obsessed with ducks,’ Quinn Cory [of Milwaukee band, Duckling] says. ‘It’s the nature of who we are, and what our relationships are in this band, that it made sense to push this duck thing as far as possible, definitely further than it needs to go.’ Pushing things too far is sort of a pattern with the band, who play loopy punk and buzzy alternative with echoes of The Rentals and The Breeders but with a screwball edge that’s all their own.” ~The Shepherd Express The trio’s Bandcamp debut EP, Sup From a Duck, is full of contradictory qualities, reeling from lax, down-tempo ballads to kicky-y songs filled with singalong choruses. There’s a decidedly 90s feel to Duckling’s repertoire, so if you like your slacker-rock full of nostalgia, Duckling is for you. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, April 10th for the newest music from Duckling and news on what they have going on this spring and summer; WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at

WMSE’s Local/Live once again returns to Club Garibaldi’s for another awesome Local/Live segment that YOU can join! On Tuesday, April 3rd, we welcome Milwaukee rockers Slow Walker hot on the heels of their newest album for a live show and interview on-site and over the airwaves. Still kicking after eight years, Slow Walker’s sound is always evolving. Originally floating somewhere in the garage/psych realm, they now operate as a power trio that is heavier and louder than ever before. They aim for the sweet spot between the ears where you can still hear it well after the show is over. Their new LP Ah Yes is out March 30th on Holy Family Players Theatre. You can join WMSE and Slow Walker at Club Garibaldi’s as we team up for this live radio show. If you can’t make it, listen live over the airwaves (or in the WMSE archives). As always, WMSE Music Director Erin Wolf and co-host Cal Roach will lead Slow Walker through questions in between the live performance with the help of our audience (audience participatio

Milwaukee’s Sundial Mottos (Graham Hunt, Alisa Rodriguez, Brady Murphy and Charles Markowiak) take a shared love of old-school indie Brit-pop and add a patina of fuzzy guitars to those sweet and tender hooks. The quartet’s unfussy approach and time spent “spending dollar bills on cheap booze and thrills / not ashamed” lends them a decidedly down to earth air. Rodriguez sings those lyrics on “Fool” [from the band’s five-song debut EP] and though the outgoing breath is tired, it feels like a comfortable place to be; to know you do foolish things and that that’s just part of life. Sundial Mottos easily entwines the complacent with the hopeful, creating a pleasantly pragmatic air that is relate-able and plainly, sounds really good. And although Sundial Mottos were pretty young during the 90s / early 00s indie pop heyday, they certainly have unraveled the magic thread that made groups like Yo La Tengo, Sebadoh, Built to Spill and Slowdive (and beyond) so unitedly appealing. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tues

WMSE welcomes Chris Porterfield and Barry Paul Clark of Field Report into the studios the same week their band welcomes their newest record, Summertime Songs (out March 23rd). “The difference between Summertime Songs — recorded at Wire & Vice, in the same Milwaukee neighborhood where 3/4ths of the band resides — and 2014’s brilliantly autumnal feeling Marigolden and 2012’s more chilly and intense self-titled record is that we hear Porterfield at his most honed and pure. He’s more direct and effective with his writing, and in doing so, the scene is even more expertly set. It’s sharper and more captivating. The character sketches that he creates with these mostly toasty and soaring hooks gluing them together are robust and stark like a Hemingway line, but with that keen eye for all of the subtle details that always made up the sad couples in Raymond Carver’s stories.” Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, March 20th for music from Field Report; WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune yo

Tarek Sabbar is the experimental/electronic music of Kenneth Tarek Sabbar. Originally drawing from kraut-rock motorik drums and brooding, post-punk attitude, the project has since shifted to operating somewhere between the fog of a dance floor and a fever dream – machine-driven but ethereal. Join Tarek Sabbar on the WMSE airwaves as he gets ready to join the stage for another installment of the MELT music series with Machine Girl and the Demix on 3/14. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, March 13th for music from Tarek Sabbar; WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour.

WMSE’s Local/Live once again returns to Club Garibaldi’s for another awesome Local/Live segment that YOU can join! On Tuesday, March 6th, we welcome Milwaukee folk group, Dead Horses for a live show and interview on-site and over the airwaves. At fifteen, Dead Horses frontwoman Sarah Vos’ world turned upside down. Raised in a strict, fundamentalist home, Vos lost everything when she and her family were expelled from the rural Wisconsin church where her father had long served as pastor. What happened next is the story of Dead Horses’ stunning new album, ‘My Mother the Moon,’ a record full of trauma and triumph, despair and hope, pain and resilience. Blending elements of traditional roots with contemporary indie folk, the album is both familiar and unexpected, unflinchingly honest in its portrayal of modern American life, yet optimistic in its unshakable faith in brighter days to come. Earthy and organic, Vos’ songs often reveal themselves to be exercises in empathy and outreach; she writes not only to find

Cat Ries of NO/NO and Rio Turbo presents a more personal side with her solo project Pleasure Thief. With sensual, spiritual lyrics delivered through ethereal vocals on top of dark, minimalist beats, she illustrates an evocative landscape of pure mood. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, February 27th to hear more music from Pleasure Thief before she opens for Yamantaka // Sonic Titan and Vanishing Kids in Milwaukee on March 31st; WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour. Local/Live on WMSE is sponsored by Club Garibaldi’s

Dorth Nakota are just a group of friends that always talked about doing something together. After past bands broke up, they started hanging out and playing music for fun, not looking to do much until we were forced to actually learn our songs to play their first show with Viet Cong (now called Preoccupations) in late 2015. The band features: Chris Roland (guitar / vocals – ex Worrier), Jon Murray (vocals), Kristofer Taylor (bass – ex Sleepcomesdown / Worrier), Jerome O’Callaghan (drums – ex Coo Woo / Worrier), Jesse Harmon (guitar – ex Coo Woo / Piles)…and as of last week… Sean Hirthe (saxophone – Soul Low / Paper Holland). Dorth Nakota, while bringing sounds from their old groups, strike up a new sound that effortlessly blends noise with melody. The band takes a casual approach, focusing more on the friendships and hanging out over sticking to a schedule, yet there are plans to record a proper album this year and the band will be opening shows for Palm and for Protomartyr (both coming up, soon) as well as

Midwest Death Rattle plays catchy doom-pop that compels listeners to shout and dance. Their latest release, Square Wave, is a five song EP that delivers relentless hooks with an enthusiastic cynicism that the Shepherd Express describes as “seriously fun.”

WMSE’s Local/Live once again returns to Club Garibaldi’s for another awesome Local/Live segment that you can join! On Tuesday, February 6th, we welcome the zany and crazy-talented Xposed 4Heads for a live show and interview on-site and over the airwaves. In 2012, Xposed 4Heads had the opportunity to “regroup” for the “Lest We Forget” festival and has been going strong ever since. X4 has had numerous acclaimed releases in the synth pop art rock genre. Guest artists have included No Wave legend James Chance, Tuxedomoon co-founder Blaine Reininger, Grammy winner Frank London from the Klezmatics and Deborah Evan from The Flying Lizards (among others). 2017’s ‘Urgency Squad’ stayed on WMSE’s Top Ten play list for 6 months. Xposed 4Heads are a party band that puts on a high energy, witty show that is compared to a mash-up between Devo and the B52’s which features the Star Girls, two aliens that have come for peace and dancing. You can join WMSE and the Xposed 4Heads at Club Garibaldi’s as we team up for this li

Nickel & Rose is an American folk-music duo made up of upright bassist Johanna Rose and guitarist Carl Nichols. They formed in the summer of 2016 and spent their first winter and the following spring traveling Europe, playing dozens of shows in France, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Poland, and Ukraine. While in Berlin they recorded their EP, Oh Sweet Love, released in April 2017. Oh Sweet Love, is a sweet-sounding auditory souvenir of Nichols’ and Rose’s four month European journey and a recorded testament to the two-piece’s ability to turn tough times into something vibrant with help from a traveling companion. Nickel & Rose have influences that span the spectrum of American music. Carl’s background brings elements of West African music and blues while Johanna brings her experience playing bluegrass, folk and jazz. From loss and heartbreak to love, Nickel & Rose address the human experience with gentle harmonies and soul-stirring cries. With a shared appreciation for traditional music and a desire to b

Milwaukee’s mathy power-pop katamari of hooks, riffs, effects, and harmonies return with a new collection of fuzzed-out indie-rock nuggets, Maybe It’s Just the Weather! Bassist Michael Wojtasiak and drummer DJ Hostettler set the foundation with bouncy, driving, and occasionally unconventional rhythms, while guitarist Christopher Maury teams with keyboardist/electric autoharp strummer Dixie Jacobs to layer a hyperactive wall of sound, made all the catchier by sour-patch-sweet vocal melodies more often than not led by Dixie’s powerful voice and assisted by shouting rejoinders from DJ and Michael. Maybe It’s Just the Weather is a melancholy but joyous take on life in 2018: lots of stuff sucks but making music with your friends sure is rad, and for now, it’ll keep us going. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, January 23rd to hear the latest from Milwaukee’s Body Futures – WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour. Local/Live on WMSE is sponsor

The product of a haunted jukebox and golden heart degenerates. Nothing beats writing the narrative for the cosmic radio and thriving off of the lust for life. Dreams, schemes and traveling the world. It’s Rock N’ Roll for the dreamers soul. Every note feels like a sanctified connection echoing into the chambers of heartache and infinite love. Music is my language and with this tool, I hope to heal and translate the traumas of our lives. -Abby Jeanne “Milwaukee wailer Abby Jeanne has a robust, jazzy voice that rivals the greats—Ella, Amy, even Janis. Her music plays like a talent reel, shuffling through bluesy torch songs, moody trip-hop experiments, and unhinged rockers, the constant thread being Jeanne’s go-for-broke determination and her refusal to let the world wear her down. What an absolute thrill it is hearing a singer this powerful just cut loose, free of any genre restraints.”- Shepherd Express, best albums 2017 Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, January 16th to listen to Abby Jeanne play he

Local Milwaukee musician Jon “Midnight” Liedtke brings out his influences and love for the blues on guitar with this dynamic group, The Witching Hours. Formed together in 2014, they deliver an unique range of sound from traditional blues shuffles to up tempo energetic blues rock. The group plays original songs by “Midnight ” Liedtke as well as some old favorites to put listeners in a “Midnight” groove. “Midnight” Liedtke’s debut album, You Can’t Get The Blues If You’ve Already Got ’em was released this past summer. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, January 9th to listen to a live set from Midnight Liedtke & the Witching Hour – WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour. Local/Live on WMSE is sponsored by Club Garibaldi’s

Local Live - Best of 2017 by WMSE

For 15 years, Altered Five Blues Band has been winning audiences with a swaggering stomp of bruising, barrelhouse grit. According to Downbeat magazine, frontman Jeff Taylor “sings powerfully” and “Jeff Schroedl’s live-wire guitar reaches the high bar of mixed invention and fluidity.” Blues Bytes magazine declares the group features “the funkiest rhythm section outside of Memphis.” For its fourth album, Charmed & Dangerous, the Milwaukee-based quintet joins forces with Blind Pig Records, one of the world’s premiere blues labels. Produced by multi-Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge, and featuring guests on harmonica and backing vocals, the 13 tracks of original, contemporary blues prove worthy of the recent groundswell of acclaim. American Blues Scene proclaimed the album “will be making huge waves… one of the year’s best.” The group’s third album, Cryin’ Mercy, reached #3 in the iTunes blues store, hit #1 on the Roots Music Report blues album chart, and won “Best Self-Released CD” at the 2015 International Blues Cha

On Tuesday, December 12th (yes, the SECOND Tuesday of the month for this time, only), WMSE welcomes Space Raft to the stage of Club Garibaldi’s to share in our annual holiday radio tradition with the help of some very special local guest musicians! Join Space Raft for a very Special Local/Live at Club Garibaldi’s as they celebrate the release of their new single “Another Holiday Is Here” and ask some talented folks from the Milwaukee music scene to perform holiday favorites and their own originals, bound to be future holiday classics; Testa Rosa, Marielle Allschwang and Joe Crockett will play and take part in the interview portion of the show with some fun audience participation in between the tunes. Come, be merry and enjoy the seasonal festivities with Space Raft and WMSE. You can join WMSE and Space Raft at Club Garibaldi’s as we team up for this live radio show, but if you can’t make it, listen live over the airwaves (or in the WMSE archives). As always, WMSE Music Director Erin Wolf and co-host Cal Ro

King Eye & the Squirts formed in 2015 after vocalist/guitarist Steve Look and Drummer Jesse Buskov met and shared their affinity for 60’s surf music as co-workers at the late Hotel Foster. Enlisting the help of guitarist Adam Nelson and John the Savage bassist Paul Fleming, the quartet began gigging as an instrumental surf cover band, but quickly evolved their own vocal-heavy surf/grunge/garage style. For the past few years, King Eye & the Squirts has continued gigging around Milwaukee and in 2017, is pleased to announce the release of their debut self-produced full-length LP Demonseed. As the album nears its release, the band anticipates a bright future filled with endless Miller High Life and all their favorite hometown haunts. Tune into WMSE for Local/Live on Tuesday, December 5th to listen to King Eye & the Squirts play songs from Demonseed before its release; WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour. Local/Live on WMSE is sponsored by Club