The Year in Music

A subjective look back at 2021

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Let’s face it, livestream concerts suck. They are pale imitations compared to experience of being in a space where musical molecules are moving. The pandemic forced live music to hibernate and mutate. Several artists were able to work well in the format. In February, Todd Rundgren followed the rules and safely camped out with his band in Chicago where he played a virtual 25-city tour, with each show tailored to the evening’s city. The Feb. 28 show was geared to Milwaukee/Madison. For that night Rundgren’s career-long investment in technology, exquisite musicianship and songwriting transcended the laptop screen. Delivering for his audience is par for the course for Rundgren, he’s the guy who skipped his recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction to play a concert for his fans.

Local Albums

In April Couch Flambeau released Bunny Hideout. If the time between records gets longer, the songs and playing keep getting better. With any justice “Blogger Bill” will become added to the syllabus for Sociology 101. The album did not come without a cost though. Jay Tiller had to pay an extra toll fee of $12 travelling to Illinois to get record mastered. Read more on that here.

By June, the year’s best album (to my ears, at least) was released. Red Stuff’s Tom Wanderer took a detour and release the solo album Private Revolution Working with a trusty 8-track cassette recorder and playing all instruments himself, Wanderer blew the dust off Skip Spence’s playbook and delivered a psychedelic-influenced masterpiece of inside-your-head music. It draws the listener in from start to finish.

Other local releases of note include Jason Wietlispach’s 40 minute minimalist track Further Perspectives On Ambient Music For Sleeping Dogs ; the unexpected return of volume merchants-turned-acoustic Dwain Flowers and Dan Kubinski as DeadFinger and bassist-composer Dave Gelting’s collection of sounds, Volume 2

The Return of Live Music

In fits and starts, live music gradually made a comeback. On a sunny July afternoon, two buskers set up on a corner in the Third Ward. Playing to a backing track of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” it was worth the time to take them in as they jammed for ten minutes without a single soul dropping in a coin for appreciation. Meanwhile, a few blocks away Summerfest geared up with a proof-of-vaccination policy for a series of September weekend concerts.

Oblivious to the heat, the noon start time and the lack of bodies in the bleachers, Milwaukee’s Thriftones played a set that was wise beyond their years:

Fishbone showed no signs of aging as the punk-funk group blasted through an afternoon high-energy set. The group delivered a hit-and-run performance that balanced musical chops with WTF showmanship:

Musically, we’ve had the fortune to see Jeff Tweedy grow up here in Milwaukee: from crashing on local bands’ couches after Toad Café and Unicorn gigs with Uncle Tupelo to Wilco’s early-lineup show at Shank Hall in 1996 to Wilco’s 2011 album artwork that featured Mader’s Restaurant. At Summerfest the group delivered a sprawling, indie/grown-up rock show that balanced tradition with risk-taking.

Closing night, Turkuaz, with the help of Talking Heads Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew, reanimated the sprawling Afro-funk best of Talking Heads in a cathartic closing night show.

In August, Son Volt, led by Jay Farrar (Jeff Tweedy’s former bandmate in Uncle Tupelo) headlined Manitowoc’s Metro Jam. Under a full moon with a light show that projected onto nearby trees, the evening felt like winning a lottery. That same weekend, The Tritonics played a farewell show at Tonic Tavern. The bittersweet performance, one of the band’s last, was something of a wake for Tritonic co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Dave Bolyard.

Bill Camplin and his group played a semi-monthly residency at Linnemans. These early shows were a master class in old-growth players digging deep and playing with a sense of gravitas and humor that offered a break during a pandemic. Expect Camplin to be featured in a documentary soon.

In November Trashfest returned with Dueling Theremins and a reading of Charles Bukowski, among other mind-warping acts. On first thought it would be easy to take a night called Trashfest for granted. But the imagination, talent and ingenuity of this four-decades-and-running bohemian free-for-all make it easy to appreciate the freaks who make Milwaukee great.

Also, in November, Bob Dylan kicked off his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour at the Riverside Theater. With a stage that resembled a scene from Twin Peaks, Dylan and band shook the rust off with a set that included eight songs from his recent album. At 80 years old, Dylan did anything but coast. He continues to be vital, humorous and challenges his audience’s expectations at every turn.

To close out the month, the Shake & Holla concert at the South Milwaukee PAC featured second and third generation musicians from the legendary Dickinson and Burnside clans as the North Mississippi Allstars anchored an evening of American grooves.

What were your musical highlights from 2021? Let us know in the comments section.