With their Coldplay-slick ballads and Rooney-esque rockers, The Good Luck Joes’ have been making “Grey’s Anatomy” soundtrack-ready pop songs since before there was a “Grey’s Anatomy” soundtrack. Although the star-making ABC drama hasn’t adopted the Milwaukee group yet, a number of other ABC series have: the short-lived drama “Six Degrees” and ABC Family shows “Greek” and “Kyle XY” have featured the Joes’ music, as have Weather Channel and MTV programs. The group is versed in the new economics of the music industry: A decade ago that band’s polished pop would have been called radio-ready, but at a time when radio no longer breaks music, theirs is soundtrack-ready.
They exuded at their early evening set in equal measures boyish modesty and rock-star poise, smiling and demurring between songs, then earnestly rocking out during them. In their balance of jokey humility and crowd-wooing showmanship they resembled Milwaukee ’s more famous group of arena-rocking guys next door, The Gufs. The Gufs have quite a few years on the Joes, but like The Gufs, The Good Luck Joes are already Summerfest perennials. Tonight was their fifth year playing the Big Gig.
