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Milwaukee has long been an on-again, off-again hotbed forwhat's amorphously defined as punk polka. For a band bereft of a drummer andrich in accordion, Ando & The Jolly Barrels is punkier than most. Andrew"Ando" Ehlers' barbed vocal attack like a junior Jello Biafraandhandling of the torso-encompassing squeezebox make him a compelling frontman.
Distancingthemselves from their default genre's preoccupations with beer and levity, Andoand his Barrels attack emotional vacuity, apocalypse and boring day jobs withan enthusiasm bordering on crazed glee. And if the tempos and rhythmsapproximate hardcore more than what's to be heard at certain stages at PolishFest and German Fest, then these guys would be the perfect opening act foreveryone from the Violent Femmes to Gogol Bordello. If there's any justice,however, they'll be headlining soon enough.
