9.19.2006
[What Made Milwaukee Famous]
So what does make Milwaukee famous? It's rich German history? The fact that despite being of the Great Lakes region, Milwaukeeans are more likely to refer to soft drinks as "soda" rather than "pop"? Perhaps they're famous because of this band? Well maybe the first two, but this band is actually a quartet that formed in Austin, and the only ties they have with that Wisconsin city lies in their name. What Made Milwaukee Famous compose tunes of a rather sporadic nature, and if you've listened to their debut album Trying To Never Catch Up, I think you'd agree. Now usually a band that can't keep to one musical manner in a debut album just have no idea who their band character is. WMMF, however, are meant to hopskotch the squares between happy-go-lucky and darky-go-broody. Overall though, if there's anything to love, it's their melodic pop gems laced with twangy jangles; pop in some tambourining, a bit o' clapping and group chorusing and I got me a new iPod buddy. What Made Milwaukee Famous rummaged about label-less during their climb to popularity - they were unsigned when they first played ACL and began to really prick up some ears during SXSW in 2005. To celebrate their sign with Barsuk Records, home of Starlight Mints and John Vanderslice to name a few, Trying To Never Catch Up was rereleased last month with four new songs that had the pleasure to be recorded in Spoon drummer Jim Eno's Public Hi-Fi Studio. As always, What Made Milwaukee Famous, yet another Austin gem.

From What Made Milwaukee Famous' Trying To Never Catch Up (all songs are right click - save as):
Hellodrama
Almost Always Never
Sweet Lady

Check out the What Made Milwaukee Famous site for info on their tour.
Be their friend!
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Otherwheres - Let's not forget about our Bishop Allen Monthstravaganza Contest for 7 of their EPs, a winner will be chosen Friday and announced this Saturday. A recently added second prize winner gets one EP of their choice too...

Otherwheres - Pop by the Austinist to check out this week's New Release Tuesday...

Otherwheres - Dodge posted on one of my mix add-in favorites, San Francisans(?) Scissors for Lefty...
Published at 8:58 PM by Anonymous.
4 comments
4 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
What Made Milwaukee Famous are great! But Milwaukee is most definitely a Wisconsin city.
10:34 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...
Aha, done and fixed - thanks for correcting my mistake there Ian....
11:28 PM  
Blogger Greg said...
After watching them on Austin City Limits earlier this year, the album as a whole was a little dissapointing, but that was an awesome performance and I had probably just built them up in my head. And "Curtains!" is one of my favorite songs right now anyway.
10:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...
Greg - I caught them on PBS' Austin City Limits show, and they seem like they'd be better apart from their album. Then yet, it should go about true for just about the majority of artists. I guess what I'm saying is that its better to be disappointed from an album than a live performance, eh? I'm glad it isn't the other way around, and aha I hate to build high expectations like that sometimes. "Curtains!" is something I would love to see live - the energy in it, ah, I should have posted that file....

Expect a possible and what would be our first interview with these guys in the near future...
11:28 PM  
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