Photo: Blast Radius - Instagram
Blast Radius record bins
Blast Radius record bins
If it weren’t for the graffiti on the walls and the not-so-distant upbeat music growing ever louder as you ascend the stairs, you probably wouldn’t realize that you were about to step inside of a little slice of punk-rock heaven.
Blast Radius is Milwaukee’s newest independent record shop, an unassuming DIY storefront run by three local musicians out of a studio space in Walker’s Point. Located at 536 W. National Ave., there are no signs out front indicating that you’ve come to the right place—a feeling reminiscent of DIY punk basement shows, where addresses are seldomly given out on show fliers.
Instead, customers will check the shop’s Instagram page—@blastradiusmke‑for the store hours. A buzzer on the front door of the building will alert whoever happens to be working, and you’ll be let inside.
Shopping at Blast Radius feels more like checking out a friend’s cool collection than it does perusing a record store. A ragtag group of tattooed punks are hanging out at any given time. A sofa in the shop invites them to kick back, talk about upcoming shows, or just chill out and listen to some records. Cult classic films play out on two old tube TVs with built-in VCR players, and a corner dedicated to tee shirts is filled with second-hand band merchandise.
“As a kid collecting records, I just always loved the idea of running my own spot,” says co-owner Zach Moffat, who started Blast Radius with Austin Naamani and Drew Czarnik.
Putting Down Roots
Photo: Blast Radius - Instagram
Blast Radius records
Blast Radius records
The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic led Moffat to start contemplating putting down roots in Milwaukee. The idea of opening a record shop was something he and Naamani, his ex-bandmate in the now-defunct Milwaukee hardcore acts Gangstalker and Falter, had always discussed. Moffat also tossed around the idea of opening a vintage clothing shop with Czarnik, the vocalist in his current band Big Laugh. “(Czarnik) naturally joined forces with us,” Moffat says.
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Blast Radius started as a pop-up, periodically setting up shop at venues like Quarters Rock N’ Roll Palace. The opportunity to open a brick-and-mortar for the pop-up was made possible by Robbie Paulie, a tattoo artist at Shock Treatment Tattoo. Paulie was renting an art studio space in the building that Blast Radius now calls home, and helped the trio pin down a spot of their own.
“He really liked what we were doing, so he helped us lock one down,” Moffat says.
The shop’s initial collection was built largely from the three owners’ personal collections, as well as personal collections purchased from friends and online. “I just want to see someone give them a new-found appreciation,” Moffat says. “And also, to turn someone onto really great music.”
The shop is always buying in records for those looking to sell, paying out via cash or Venmo or by doing trades.
And even if punk isn’t your go-to choice when the aux cord is in your hands, you’re still likely to find something that excites you at Blast Radius. It’s an inviting, inclusive space that encompasses a DIY community ethos—where you’ll see a copy of Michael Jackson’s Bad displayed proudly next to Black Flag’s Damaged. It’s a shop where you can find a U.K. pressing of The Who’s My Generation, but also network with like-minded musicians and just hang out.
And before long, Blast Radius will be hosting events. Whether that entails local shows or not hasn’t been promised, but news on that front will come via the shop’s Instagram page, so be sure to follow @blastradiusmke to stay up to date.
