Milwaukeewouldn’t have been nearly as well represented if not for Ryan Matteson, founderof Muzzle of Bees, a popular music blog featuring daily concert and albumreviews of local and national musicians. Growing up in a tiny town near theWisconsin Dells, Matteson moved to Milwaukee to immerse himself in its musicscene, and has been a relentless champion of the city’s musicians ever since.
“I’m always looking to discover new bands that Ilikeit’s the thing in life I enjoy most,” Matteson explains. “Being able toshare music with other people is something I can’t imagine not doing.”
After covering SXSW for his blog since 2005, theidea of showcasing the great bands of Milwaukee at the annual festival was anatural progression. Matteson already knew where he would host his Milwaukeeshowcase: Habana Calle 6, a Cuban and Caribbean restaurant that boasts not onlya stage in its lower level, but also one of downtown Austin’s biggestand mostappealingoutdoor patios. Tucked behind the club’s long and narrow interior,the large, creek-side patio is accessible to bustling Sixth Street by a stonestairway. Matteson bet on festivalgoers hearing live music drifting up from thepatio and venturing down the steps for a closer look at what Milwaukee had tooffer.
Knowing that Kings Go Forth have recorded a highlyanticipated record, Matteson spoke to some of the members of the dance floorsoul collective and invited them to headline Muzzle of Bees’ unofficial “SXSWvs. MoB” showcase. “With a big label [David Byrne’s Luaka Bop Records] behindthem, when Kings Go Forth said yes, it was really an opportunity to ask morebands,” Matteson says. And so he did. Invade Rome, Juniper Tar, Group of theAltos, Conrad Plymouth and Pezzettino accepted the invitation to play aMilwaukee showcase at Habana Calle 6 on Thursday, March 18. Matteson augmentedthe schedule with national bands such as Peter Wolf Crier, Blair, Charlie Parr,Strand of Oaks, Common Loon and Roadside Graves to help draw people to thevenue.
At 2 p.m., the guys from Invade Rome played theirentire sethalf new material, half from their 2009 release, Light Eyed & Villainousat full throttleand never dropped the pace. Singing with soul-streaked passion, singer ChrisVos played his guitar like his very freedom depended on it. Afterward, JuniperTar took to the stage, treating audiences to the first of three shows theywould play at SXSW. Bolstered by the band’s sweet vocal harmonies, the gigconsisted of tunes from their newly released The Howl Street EP, aswell as a Townes Van Zandt cover.
Milwaukee’s Official Presence
A handful of Milwaukee acts could also be found onthe official SXSW docket. On Friday, the BoDeans performed to a setting sun atAuditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake. One of Milwaukee’s favorite sons, GordonGano of Violent Femmes fame, played an official showcase at Valhalla, inaddition to a couple of day parties. Gano performed a 35-minute set in thebackyard stage of the Galaxy Room with brothers Billy and Brendan Ryan,founding members of The Bogmen. In a perfect example ofsix-degrees-of-Milwaukee, Gordon says, “We found out we had the same produceron our records, Jerry Harrison, another Milwaukee boy.” The threesome performedan energetic, well-received set that pulled from their first collaborationtogether, September’s Under the Sun,and some of Gano’s most popular tunes from the Femmes’ debut album.
Twenty-three-year-old rapper Juiceboxxx killed hisless-than-ideal 8 p.m. time slot at Beauty Bar with a raw, uncensoredperformance that drew from his debut mixtape, Thunder Zone Volume One. Overturning a loaded trash can andcrawling to the top of the giant speakers, Juiceboxxx worked himself into asweat-dripping frenzy. Even though it was still early and the venue was slow ingetting people through the entrance, Juiceboxxx’s thumping house beat hadpeople moving. “It doesn’t matter where or when I’m playing,” Juiceboxxx says.“I’ll give you the same amount of intensity.”
With the energy and fervor of a headlining gig,experimental rock group Collections of Colonies of Bees performed on Fridaynight at the 21st Street Co-op, a super-liberal student-housing complex.Playing to a packed room, the group satisfied with ethereal, spacey tunes thatslowly constructed themselves into a complex weave of guitar riffs, percussionand electronics before peaking with a moving crescendo.
Fresh from inking a deal with indie-rock label SubPop Records, Milwaukee garage-pop ensemble Jaill could be found all overAustin, playing both official and unofficial venues. They drew an eager crowdto a blue sheet-metal warehouse and garage on Austin’s far east side, wherepeanut butter and jelly sandwiches wrapped in plastic were being sold for $2.They played a fun, loud, six-song set under a graffiti-tagged basketball hoop,splitting their performance between new songs and some of the tracks from theiralbum There’s No Sky (Oh My My).
The Milwaukee band with the most buzz at South bySouthwest was, without a doubt, Kings Go Forth.Sporting matching tunics, the 10-piece funk band performed a number ofhigh-energy shows at unofficial showcases, but it was their official 10 p.m.backyard showcase at the Galaxy Room that commanded the most attention. JamesMercer (of The Shins), Danger Mouse, The Black Keys and various members ofBroken Social Scene lined the sides of the stage to catch the band’s platformprowess. The fiery, focused rhythm section and passionate vocal harmonies thatKings Go Forth delivered to the SXSW audience thrust the group into thespotlight in a grand way.
The Milwaukee bands that made the journey southinvested a considerable amount of money, time and energy in taking their showon the road. So why do they go to all the trouble? The resounding consensus:for fun. None of the Milwaukee bands buy into the myth of the suited A&Rrep catching a show and signing them to a three-record deal, but the festivalstill affords them a chance to catch up with friends from around the countryand network.
“No one comes down here to play because it’s easy,”says Collections of Colonies of Bees’ guitarist Chris Rosenau. “If you’rethinking you’re going to get signed, you’re going to be disappointed. Come downhere to meet great bands and have a good time.”
All photos by Matt Schwenke
