The four Milwaukee bands on this bill vary widely, but all share a common interest in exploring the fringe of psychedelic music. Recalling Akron/Family in their fusion of the earthy and electrical, Dear Astronaut distinguish themselves from other psych-folk bands with doom-laden guitar riffs that lend their loosely structured compositions a dark edge. Partisan prefers a lighter sound that recalls the expansive mess of The Microphones, while Quest For Fire takes the opposite approach, riding crushingly heavy psych-rock riffs. Masonry, meanwhile, plays by the shifty conventions of math-rock but integrates flashy, stoner-rock riffs of the sort more uptight math-rockers deny themselves.
Dear Astronaut w/ Partisan, Quest For Fire
Tonight @ The Borg Ward, 8 p.m.