As we collectively stare down another Summerfest, the epitome of an event trying to please everyone, it’s worth remembering that Milwaukee is also home to plenty of smaller festivals that don’t play it so safe and that one of the most adventurous, the irregularly held Utech Records Music Festival, is back for another installment. Featuring avant-garde acts from around the world, this third incarnation running June 12 and 13 at various Bay View locations offers plenty for fans and newcomers alike, but for label-founder Keith Utech it’s also an opportunity to reflect on everything he’s built during the last decade.
“I was wondering how that was going to feel, coming up on 10 years, because in a way I almost saw the label ending after 10 years, just tearing it completely down and starting over,” Utech says, “but at the same time, people appreciate what I do, and if I can continue that, I’ll be happy.” Instead of imploding, the imprint is going stronger than ever and Utech still hasn’t lost his passion. “I’ve always considered the label almost like an art project in itself,” he says. “I keep adding to it and building on it and it’s kind of become its own entity.”
Since 2011, a crucial part of that entity has been the festival that Utech mounts whenever time and circumstances come together, this installment being prompted by a disappointment from the previous one. “It’s always been inspired by something or someone. I was going to have the artists Burning Tree here from Norway last year and they couldn’t make it. Their sax player broke his ankle,” he explains. “But they emailed me again saying, ‘We still have this arts funding and we’d still love to do it,’ so that was kind of the kickoff this time. I said, ‘Okay, I can build something around that.’”
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What he built is a two-day celebration of experimental music bringing together diverse artists from around the U.S., including Milwaukee’s own percussionist extraordinaire Jon Mueller and Brooklyn heavy drone-duo Insect Ark as well as several from outside the country. “I work with people all over, so it’s easy to reach out and at least extend the invitation,” Utech says, noting that a number of the international acts including the aforementioned Burning Tree and metal-tinged free-jazz outfit Dead Neanderthals hail from Scandinavia and the Netherlands. “‘Why?’ is a good question,” he says, laughing, “but it seems like fertile ground for really interesting, intense music.”
Wherever they’re from, musicians and fans soon discover the festival is more than just another concert. “It’s about a sense of community; since there aren’t a lot of shows like this in Milwaukee, the whole atmosphere is fantastic,” Utech says. “Bands actually want to do the fest because it’s an opportunity to hang out with likeminded people.” It’s clear Utech does this for the music, and others pick up on that. “It’s a special thing for me and I think for a lot of other people too,” he says, “and maybe this year we can draw some bigger crowds and extend that vibe.”
And Utech is definitely interested in bringing new listeners into the fold, expanding from his home base at the Cactus Club to include Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. and a free instore at Rushmor Records. “Things that fall under the umbrella of ‘experimental’ are often hard to explain, but at the same time I think it can be a very approachable sort of music if you’re open to it,” he says. “I’ve had people say, ‘I didn’t even know there was music like this out there, but I had a great time,’ and that’s what’s exciting about it for me too, hearing something new and challenging.”
For the complete Utech Records Music Festival lineup, visit utechrecords.com.
