Local Live | WMSE

Milwaukee’s Rocket Cat guitarist Christopher Guse (Parallel), bassist Dave Maurer (Parallel, Signal Daddy), drummer Steve Vorass (I’m not a Pilot, Bright Black, Mouse Corn) and vocalist/lyricist Justine Trudeaux (Smack Leveaux) skillfully blend their backgrounds for a combination that yields a supercharged sound that’s at once fresh and familiar, forward-focused and reflective, unpredictable yet accessible, and always lushly melodic.

After a long hiatus from songwriting, Trudeaux crossed back into a forgotten world of creativity when an unexpected series of personal connections led her to Guse, Maurer and Vorass. This experience of reconnecting inspired the storyline of the band’s debut EP, Radiant Transmission, which chronicles her year-long journey of reflection, risk-taking and reawakening through Rocket Cat.

“I’ve lived in a number cities across the country and in Europe so I’m amazed I found these guys here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after years away from the music industry,” Trudeaux says. “It’s mind-blowing that we get along so well. I connect so viscerally to the sound they are creating, and each time they send me bits of music to tinker with, I instantly hear songs in my head.”

Joseph Huber was a founding member of Milwaukee’s .357 String Band.

The .357 String band, despite it’s abrupt breakup, still continues to gain popularity and is known as one of the most influential groups in the recent insurgent country and bluegrass movement.

As a solo musician, Huber has been prolific and gaining ground; Huber’s 4th solo release, The Suffering Stage is a shift both in writing style and in its filled-out production style…[looking] beyond his usual minimalist folk recordings. It features many of Milwaukee’s best players, such as Ryan Knudson on pedal steel; Dustin Dobernig on keys; Andrew Koenig on electric guitar; as well as his long-time touring band members–Jason Loveall on fiddle; and Eston Bennett on bass.

Match Stick is a tour-de-force rock/jazz fusion group from Milwaukee featuring Max Bowen on guitar, Mitch Shiner on vibraphone, Steve Peplin on bass VI and Nick Lang on drums.

With influences ranging from the Mahavishnu Orchestra to Rage Against the Machine, Match Stick performs their original compositions with technical wizardry and deep musicality.

Tune into WMSE to listen to a live set from Match Stick on Tuesday, May 30th – WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour.

Cairns began back in early 2013 following the release of a self-titled EP. Back then, the live format was simpler and quieter, staying truer to the bedroom recordings done by John Larkin. The project was originally intended to remain in a simple format – light percussion, sparse acoustic/electric guitar, keyboard – but quickly built into something more aggressive and dynamic, evolving beyond what could be considered a solo project.

The latest release, Current, was released in June of 2016. These songs were originally written and recorded by John, but in the process of preparing to perform them live, the songs strayed from the original recordings. This process created something much more organic, influenced by the different perspectives of each member of the group.

The latest incarnation features Caley Conway on bass, Eli Smith on drums, Eddie Chapman on electric organ and percussion, and D’amato on bari sax. It’s worth noting that everyone in Cairns has their own project that they actively pursue. Caley and D’amato each have projects under their own names, Eli performs solo as Honeymooners, and Eddie fronts a band called Gauss.

Upcoming releases include a pair of collaboratively written songs that were recorded by Kevin Dixon as well as three music videos directed and shot by Sam Kirchoff. These will all be released sometime throughout the summer.

Upcoming shows are July 7th at Circle A with Wavvy V; Aug 4 with Har-di-har, JE Sunde, and Bum Alum; and Breadfest, which will be happening mid-August.

Tune into WMSE to listen to a live set from Cairns on Tuesday, May 23rd — WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour.

After signing to Chicago-based label Closed Sessions last year, Milwaukee rapper WebsterX has delivered his full-length debut, Daymares. The 15-track project is a deeply personal dive into the rapper’s psyche, as he wrestles with his doubts and fears, but, ultimately, provides glimmers of hope throughout. The cohesive effort centers around Milwaukee, and WebsterX enlists production from budding hometown talent like Q the Sun and oddCouple to help him soundtrack his journey up to this point.

“Daymares is an accumulation of my life from years 2013-2017, the whole road of this WebsterX thing,” he explained to The FADER over email. “A rollercoaster of ups and downs that got me to this point, the insane experiences I’ve been able to be a part of with my friends by pursuing art, and my rise in my home city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and beyond.”

~The Fader

Ravi/Lola is a 60’s inspired psychedelic baroque/neo-toytown pop group from Milwaukee. Ravi/Lola began as a home recording project in 2008 by Casey Seymour with collaborators James Green and Nick Wieczorkowski. Two albums (Ravi/Lola, II: Ravi’s Tramadol) and 5 EPs (Collections 3-7) have been released from the home recording era.

In 2015, the band evolved into a live group consisting of Casey Seymour, Nick Wieczorkowski, Robert Thomas, and Anton Sieger. On June 2nd, 2017, the first album consisting of the live group, Shape Up Shoulders, will be released via CD, Bandcamp, and major online streaming services.

Tune into WMSE on Tuesday, May 9th to hear a live performance and interview from the Ravi/Lola in advance of their newest album release on Local/Live’s Spring Membership Drive 2017 program — WMSE.org to stream live or in the archives, or simply tune your radio to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour.

Local/Live on WMSE is sponsored by Club Garibaldi’s.

WMSE travels to Club Garibaldi’s on Tuesday, May 2nd to host another great evening of local music for our Local/Live at Club Garibaldi’s series. It’s the final one until September, so join us! “School’s out for summer!”

Milwaukee’s husband and wife duo, Sara and Kenny, combine the best of jazz and folk for a captivating live performance; voice, ukulele, nylon and steel string guitars show how Sara and Kenny embrace a wide range of musical styles to create their intimate sound. The duo’s most recent release, ‘Familiar Rhythms’ is another example of their unique chemistry and talent in marrying classical musicianship through an indie pop lens.

Sara and Kenny met in Milwaukee and through their shared love of thegrowing improvised music scene. They immediately connected and started working on original music. The duo’s debut album, ‘Spirit of Gold’ was released in the fall of 2015. It received rave reviews and garnered a sold-out show at the historic Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee.

“…a blend of jazz and traditional music… [Sara and Kenny] challenge your conventional idea of where a tune should go in an entertaining way…” ~ Chris Farlie, w21Music

Join WMSE and Sara and Kenny by listening live over the airwaves or getting in on the action, on-site, by participating as an audience member. This event is FREE and open to the 21+ public and lots of fun! And as always, WMSE Music Director Erin Wolf and co-host Cal Roach (and YOU), will lead our musical guest through questions in between the live performance.

Doors are at 5:30pm, segment starts at 6pm and runs until 7pm. Club Garibaldi’s is located at 2501 S. Superior Street in Bay View.

If you can’t join us for the live segment and show at Club Garibaldi, please tune in, per usual, to 91.7 FM (or stream online at WMSE.org) at the 6 o’clock hour.

Local/Live on WMSE is sponsored by Club Garibaldi’s.

About the band:

Sara’s Story:

Born into a multicultural and musical family, Sara grew up in Southern Italy where she was exposed early to a variety of musical genres and expressions.

She began writing her own music from an early age, even before she began her training in classical guitar. While obtaining her degree at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Rome, Italy, she continued cultivating her love for songwriting and all types of musical genres by playing and singing in a variety of groups and ensembles.

She moved to the USA in 2010. Since then she has been continuing to grow musically by teaching and performing both as a solo artist and with other musicians, until she met Kenny.

Kenny’s Story:

A native of Brookfield, Wisconsin, Kenny began his study of classical piano at age five and guitar at age twelve. He began his early jazz studies with local guitar veteran Roger Brotherhood. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Jazz Studies and also attended the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. During his high school years Kenny won various outstanding soloist awards, including “Best Class A Soloist” at the prestigious Eau Claire Jazz Festival.

Kenny attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He then returned to Milwaukee and finished his degree in Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee while performing actively around the city. Then in January 2015, completely by chance, Kenny met Sara.

There comes a point in every long-running band’s career when listeners (and writers) start tossing around words like “veterans” and “fixtures.” Ready or not, The Fatty Acids have arrived at that point. Over the course of seven-plus years, three full-length albums, and an untold number of shows, the frantic and ebullient Fatties have become stalwart stars of a diverse and glowing Milwaukee music scene. Their confetti-cannon-combination of chaotic “scramble-pop” and psyched-out synth has made them local favorites ten times over. But The Fatties are far from grizzled vets. As evidenced by the first (double) single from their upcoming album, Dogs Of Entertainment, The Fatty Acids are as fresh as ever, and veteran status suits them just fine.

~Milwaukee Record

Gauss is a Milwaukee musical collective formed in 2012 with origins in the Riverwest basement scene.

Punk music inspires their ethos and intensity and a desire to escape punk music propels their continual evolution in sound and songwriting.

Now featuring trumpet, violin, and keys, Gauss appears to be a post-rock chamber group. However, they’re equally capable of hair-rising feedback, subtle pop covers, backing up rappers, and making enchanting new sounds every year.

Gauss is getting ready to release brand new material and will be playing two upcoming shows in April: the first on Friday, April 21st at the High Dive (which is a benefit for the MacCannon Brown Homeless Sanctuary) and Saturday, April 29th (for Arte Para Todos 2017 with Foreign Goods).

Gauss is a Milwaukee musical collective formed in 2012 with origins in the Riverwest basement scene.

Punk music inspires their ethos and intensity and a desire to escape punk music propels their continual evolution in sound and songwriting.

Now featuring trumpet, violin, and keys, Gauss appears to be a post-rock chamber group. However, they’re equally capable of hair-rising feedback, subtle pop covers, backing up rappers, and making enchanting new sounds every year.

Gauss is getting ready to release brand new material and will be playing two upcoming shows in April: the first on Friday, April 21st at the High Dive (which is a benefit for the MacCannon Brown Homeless Sanctuary) and Saturday, April 29th (for Arte Para Todos 2017 with Foreign Goods).