On June 20, a punk show that was originally set to play out underneath the Locust St. bridge in Riverwest was rained out and moved to the Cactus Club. A three-band bill, for many, unofficially marked the post-pandemic return of Milwaukee hardcore music, and punks of all ages showed up to commemorate the occasion.
As the show kicked off and the Cactus Club’s back room began to fill, it was as if a pre-pandemic time capsule had been unearthed—people screamed along to the opening band World I Hate’s lyrics (even though it was their debut show) and the crowd spilled out into the bar area because it was so packed.
Towards the end of that first set, someone’s nose was bloodied as a result of some passionate moshing. Despite the blood running down their face, they left the room with a big grin on their face because Milwaukee hardcore was back.
Keeping that momentum going, a trio of prominent Milwaukee punk-show promoters have released a compilation album that they had been putting together during the pandemic and announced their own first booked show since before the pandemic—a five-band gig at the X-Ray Arcade on September 11.
Arsenal of Heavy-Hitters
The compilation is titled Milwaukee Style and was put together by Tom Hively, JJ Kaiser and Michael Sokolowski, who not only book shows together under the WIHC moniker, but also all play in the band Slowpanic. It’s a 13-track arsenal of heavy-hitters, with a few soft reprieves provided by pop-punk band Honey Creek and shoegaze project Shamewave. The trio behind the comp had the idea to put the project together after they discussed what it would be like to book shows once the pandemic was over.
“I was thinking about how when shows come back, it’s going to be weird because I’m not going to know who is still in a band and who broke up,” Kaiser says. “So I pitched the idea of doing a compilation album so that we can remind people in the area what bands are still doing things and what bands to pay attention to.”
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And while Milwaukee Style isn’t going to be for everyone, it’s both a great introduction for those who are curious as to what the hardcore scene in Milwaukee is capable of and a reminder that some of the heaviest bands that the city has seen continue to thrive despite the pandemic. In fact, the tracks are sandwiched between songs by Infamy and Low End, two groups that fans of the genre are sure to be excited about hearing new entries from. Kaiser and Hively, who have certainly seen and heard their fair share of hardcore music, admit that they were blown away by some of the contributions.
“The Infamy song is the hardest song ever,” Kaiser says. “It’s crushingly heavy—the meanest beatdown shit you’ve ever heard.”
Hively agrees. “It was so good we had to start the comp with it—it’s a standout track,” he says.
Important Local Spaces
Milwaukee Style is available for digital purchase on Bandcamp, and there are currently preorders available for cassettes. All proceeds from the comp will be split evenly and donated to both the X-Ray Arcade and Cactus Club.
“In my opinion, those are the two most important spaces to the DIY community because they let multiple promoters book there and they’re all ages,” Kaiser says. “The owners get it, they know exactly what’s going on and they’re about it.”
Those that enjoy the comp will be pleased to know that Reality Check, Enervate, World I Hate and Infamy—all bands featured—will join Permanent Damage on the bill for the X-Ray Arcade show in September. The show is free and open to all ages and will conclude with an after-party DJed by Hively and Sokolowski.
It’s the debut show for both Enervate and Reality Check, and only the second time that World I Hate will have performed. In a way, it marks the start of a new wave for Milwaukee’s punk scene. It’s also sure to be a loud, resonating reminder that, despite everything that’s happened this past year, Milwaukee hardcore and the city’s all-inclusive venues are here to stay.
