Blaine Schultz
Worried Man Blues, by Dominique Mills (Download only)
With his debut novel, Worried Man Blues, Dominique Mills pens a modern inner city noir that anyone familiar with the heart of urban Milwaukee will recognize. Read more
Mike Fredrickson: After It’s Over
Once again working with producer John Sieger, Milwaukee guitarist Mike Fredrickson’s After It’s Over delivers 14 songs that thrust and parry across genres, held together by the fabric of Fredrickson’s songwriting and the musicianship of dru... Read more
Marshall Allen presents Sun Ra and His Arkestra: In the Orbit of Ra (Strut Records)
When Sun Ra left this planet in 1993 the world lost a true original. As a bandleader, his Arkestra fearlessly dove into jazz, Disney tunes and intergalactic ballets with equal rigor. And to consider that he recorded, pressed and distributed... Read more
Brian Wurch Band: Say Yes (Sybil Records)
Say Yes is a 16-song collection from Milwaukee’s Brian Wurch that draws from the timeless version of rock ’n’ roll that emerged from the doo-wop streets of Dion and the Belmonts and moved to the scrapple of the New York Dolls, ending up at ... Read more
The Gun Club: Fire of Love (Superior Viaduct)
Shaking the late Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s hand was like holding a cold fish, which was 180 degrees from the intensity of his music. Over a generous handful of albums, Pierce’s Read more
Hank Williams: The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 (Omnivore Recordings)
Hank Williams was a country music star but he was also a comet, streaking across the horizon of American popular culture in the early 1950s. He recorded Read more
Jews Who Rock
The Jewish Museum of Milwaukee celebrates 60 years of Jews in popular music with an exhibit that features hometown hero, the late Howie Epstein, bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, alongside legends like Bob Dylan and Bill Graham ... Read more
Our Man in Havana
By day Michael Martin is senior community planning and development representative with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but he moonlights as Read more
Alex Chilton’s Long, Strange Career
The shorthand for Alex Chilton is that he experienced his career in reverse.In 1967, as the 16-year-old singer for The Box Tops, Chilton had a number-one hit with “The Letter.” He followed that group with the critically Read more
Photo Credit: Paul Ruffolo
'Matilda' Triumphs Over Bullies (and a Dumb Dad) at First Stage
Roald Dahl’s story Matilda is the tale of a young person’s triumph, how her wisdom and tenacity thwarts the folly of adults. Read more
Performing Arts Weekly: Jan. 10-16, 2019
This week’s highlights include Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival Showcase, which returns to Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre for an eighth year. Read more
Locate Your Lips: For Kenny (Happy Growl Records)
For Kenny is both a tribute to Kenny Baldwin (who passed in 2015) and a worthy document of the trio in action. Read more
Photo Credit: Lindsey Abendschein
First Stage's 'Matilda' is a Timely, Uplifting Tale of Empowerment
First Stage presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical Jan. 11-Feb. 24 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater. It’s highly recommended for young audiences given its tale of youthful empowerment. Read more
Photo Credit: Linsey Sieger
Semi-Twang Do One for Kenosha
The Milwaukee roots-rock band reflects on growing up in a factory town on their economical new LP. Read more
Anything Goes at Off the Wall's Holiday Party
Dale Gutzman and Jeremy C. Welter, as Noel Coward and Cole Porter, offer a witty, musical show for the holidays. Read more
The Bangles, The Three O'Clock, The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade: 3x4 (Yep Roc Records)
Four groups from the early ’80s Los Angeles music scene known as the Paisley Underground covers each other’s songs on this passionately crafted tribute album. Read more
Renaissance Books Opens at Southridge
The long history of Milwaukee’s Renaissance Books begins another chapter with a new store in Southridge Mall. Read more
Various Artists: Women at War: Warrior Songs Volume 2
Women at War: Warrior Songs Volume 2 pairs songwriters with veterans to create 15 songs that take a different look at how the experience of war is refracted through the experiences of female veterans. Read more
Photo Credit: Jeffrey M. Goldsmith
Milwaukee Music Scene's Wesley L. Streater R.I.P.
Wes Streater, familiar in Milwaukee for his work at various music clubs, died in his hometown of Winona, Minnesota of cancer on Nov. 14. He was 68. Read more
Ben Sidran: Ben There, Done That: Live Around the World 1975-2015 (Sunset Blvd Records)
The recently released Ben There, Done That CD includes 27 Tracks of previously unissued live performances from Racine native Ben Sidran. Read more
Red Stuff Embrace The Great Unknown
What Red Stuff’s records lack in technical polish, they make up for with innovation and ambition. Read more
Renaissance Man Mike Fredrickson Rolls On
The journeyman Milwaukee singer/songwriter/rocker covers a lot of ground on his latest album, “Till The Cows Come Home.” Read more
Charles Mingus: Jazz In Detroit / Strata Concert Gallery / 46 Selden (BBE Music, 180 Proof Records)
The inspired and powerful recordings by the Charles Mingus Quintet on Jazz in Detroit document a weeklong residency collecting live radio broadcasts made in a workshop setting. Read more
Richard Lloyd: The Countdown (Plowboy Records)
Best known as founding member of Television and hired gun for Matthew Sweet and Rocket From the Tombs, Richard Lloyd has been building a solo career since his debut album Alchemy in 1980. Read more
Photo credit: Alex Walzak
Wayne Kramer Did Justice to MC5's Legacy at Turner Hall
Fifty years on, MC5's "Kick Out The Jams" has lost none of its visceral power. Read more
Photo courtesy Clarion Call Media
Shilpa Ray Brings Her Unconventional Blues-Punk to the Bay View Bash
The unconventional Brooklyn musician and Nick Cave collaborator headlines the Bay View Bash’s Rush-Mor Records stage Saturday night. Read more
Walter Salas-Humara: Walterio (Rhyme & Reason Records)
The latest album in a career that reaches back to The Silos in 1985, finds the solo troubadour, band leader, painter, spoken-word collaborator Walter Salas-Humara’s arc at an all-time high. Read more
Gervis Myles: Element of Love/I'm Thirsty (S'plat Records)
Studio owner/producer Danny Zelonky heard singer Gervis Myles singing across a club and knew he had found the voice for the debut release of his Milwaukee record label, S’plat Records. Read more
Neil Young: Roxy – Tonight's the Night Live (Reprise)
As a companion piece to its studio namesake, Roxy - Tonight’s the Night Live, recorded in 1973, shows how deeply masterful Neil Young and his band dug into this material, which the audience is hearing for the first time. Read more
