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Riverwest has long been one of the city’s most diverse and artistically activeneighborhoods, with a thriving music scene that flourishes in part because ofthe neighborhood’s unique makeup, and partly in spite of it. There arecertainly places for bands to play in the relatively small area between Capitol Drive and North Avenue andthe Milwaukee River and Holton Street (Linneman’s, Stonefly, MadPlanet, The Uptowner, Circle A, etc.) but not a single all-ages venue for youngacts to hone their sound and gain exposure. House shows have long filled thegap, but are, by their very nature, only as reliable and consistent as the asthe people who host them (and also, technically illegal).
In an attempt to remedy this lack, the good people from theJackpot Gallery (825 E. Center) organized Riverwest Fest, a two-day affairfeaturing over 30 bands performing at a variety of venues throughout the area,hoping to raise funds to legitimatize the Eagle’s Nest (the music / performancepart of the gallery space). It’s an admirable and rather improbable venture(for those freethinker’s among you who enjoy supporting admirable and ratherimprobable ventures, more info is available at eaglesnestriverwest.tumblr.com)but regardless of the way things ultimately turn out, the organizers have atleast succeeded in putting on some good shows and drawing a lot of attention tothe neighborhood’s eclectic scene.
Originally from Wauwatosa, Terrior Bute are not really a Riverwest band, but can count manylongstanding fans and friends among the area’s residents. Approaching ClubTimbuktu, which usually features dancehall, roots reggae and jazz, for theband’s 9 p.m. slot, it was clear by the throng of people smoking and chattingoutside that many of those fans and friends had come to show their support.Inside, concertgoers mingled with a handful of regulars while the band set up.
As the show got under way, the club’s dance floor filled (though it neverseemed to achieve the same density as the crowd milling outside) and the wallsreverberated with blaring synthesizers and pounding drums. The trio’s sound,bereft of guitars, could be described as techno-punk, a more party-friendlytake on Suicide or The Screamers, but it offers a myriad of pleasures that’ssometimes hard to pin down. Imagine a combination of Devo (to whom the banddrew many comparisons early on) and the tense, kick-out-the-jams-motherfuckerenergy of the MC5.
There was an appropriate weirdness to watching the band do its thing as theclub’s lasers and vibe lights played across the tropical décor, and though itwas all over some scant 15 to 20 minutes later there was not a dissatisfiedword to be heard. It was the kind of show that should inspire newcomers to seekout Terrior Bute gigs in the future, and with any luck, some of those gigs willbe at the Eagle’s Nest.
In an attempt to remedy this lack, the good people from theJackpot Gallery (825 E. Center) organized Riverwest Fest, a two-day affairfeaturing over 30 bands performing at a variety of venues throughout the area,hoping to raise funds to legitimatize the Eagle’s Nest (the music / performancepart of the gallery space). It’s an admirable and rather improbable venture(for those freethinker’s among you who enjoy supporting admirable and ratherimprobable ventures, more info is available at eaglesnestriverwest.tumblr.com)but regardless of the way things ultimately turn out, the organizers have atleast succeeded in putting on some good shows and drawing a lot of attention tothe neighborhood’s eclectic scene.
Originally from Wauwatosa, Terrior Bute are not really a Riverwest band, but can count manylongstanding fans and friends among the area’s residents. Approaching ClubTimbuktu, which usually features dancehall, roots reggae and jazz, for theband’s 9 p.m. slot, it was clear by the throng of people smoking and chattingoutside that many of those fans and friends had come to show their support.Inside, concertgoers mingled with a handful of regulars while the band set up.
As the show got under way, the club’s dance floor filled (though it neverseemed to achieve the same density as the crowd milling outside) and the wallsreverberated with blaring synthesizers and pounding drums. The trio’s sound,bereft of guitars, could be described as techno-punk, a more party-friendlytake on Suicide or The Screamers, but it offers a myriad of pleasures that’ssometimes hard to pin down. Imagine a combination of Devo (to whom the banddrew many comparisons early on) and the tense, kick-out-the-jams-motherfuckerenergy of the MC5.
There was an appropriate weirdness to watching the band do its thing as theclub’s lasers and vibe lights played across the tropical décor, and though itwas all over some scant 15 to 20 minutes later there was not a dissatisfiedword to be heard. It was the kind of show that should inspire newcomers to seekout Terrior Bute gigs in the future, and with any luck, some of those gigs willbe at the Eagle’s Nest.
