Photo by Bradley Meinz
Little Blue Crunch Things
Little Blue Crunchy Things
They were among the bands that kept Milwaukee on the music industry map in the early ‘90s. Little Blue Crunchy Things had a good run from 1992 through 2000, releasing CDs, touring the Upper Midwest, even playing New York’s Knitting Factory. And the crowd-slamming excitement they generated never entirely dissipated. They are the subject of a 20-episode web series on Patreon and a documentary film by Madison director Aaron Greer.
Daniel Holland, stepdad to the Crunchies vocalist Noah Tabakin and band manager, reflects on the teenage group that emerged from the early ‘90s all-ages scene with jam-packed shows at The Globe, Shank Hall and other venues. “We got a lot of young people who were also into high-energy Milwaukee bands like The Pacers and Alligator Gun,” he says.
The Crunchies were aggressive but not destructive, sometimes angry at the world but never nihilistic. Tabakin was a supersonic rapper on stage and thoughtfully softspoken in person. They transmuted the adrenalin of hardcore into their own brand of funk. They were perfectly paired with another Milwaukee contender, Wild Kingdom, and opened for the Kingdom at memorably high energy shows.
By Y2K, the Crunchies realized they were plateaued and no longer ascending. They were playing 150 shows a year, often returning to the same venues within a few months, but that elusive next step … Holland puts it this way: “We were making enough money to keep going but not enough to buy a house.”
Reunion Show
For their 30th anniversary show in 2022, a reunion at Shank Hall, the Crunchies hired Kneeverland Studio to film the concert with four cameras. The footage became starter material for the Patreon series, which also includes interviews with band members and close associates.
For Aaron Greer, a friend of Tabakin’s since middle school and now teaching film at UW-Madison, his documentary, Florence, is a creative exercise in looking back on a band that left indelible impressions on their fans. “Florence” was the Crunchies’ stand-out ballad, a beautifully composed expression of romance and resentment. Interviewed for the film, Tabakin comments, “I’m hearing a young version of myself and it’s a trip.” His Riverside High School English teacher, Caroline Pritzloff, remembers that the lyric began as an in-class assignment—and Tabakin sang it out loud. “That’s completely plausible,” Tabakin says, adding that he doesn’t really remember. Crunchies’ guitarist Michal Wengler cowrote the version familiar to the band’s fans.
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Many of the band members are now living out of town or out of state but most remain active in music, whether teaching, playing or recording. Bill Backes is still active in Milwaukee as an in-demand drummer.
Greer’s Florence earned an April 5 spot at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison that quickly sold out. The director arranged a second screening, April 11 at Madison’s Bartell Theater. “Things are hot for the band right now,” Holland says. Another reunion? “Who knows for sure, but I’m looking at April of next year.”
For tickets to the Bartell Theater screening, visit : https://link.edgepilot.com/s/6db55353/zd66F7eR8EexxvAj0yp_0g?u=https://bartelltheatre.org/2025/films-milk-punch-florence/
