Growing up in a suburb of Milwaukee, I know firsthand that there has been a lot of shit broadcasted over the city's radiowaves. Since 1979, one of the biggest stations in the city, 102.1 FM, has been owned by Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Green Bay Packers defensive end Willie Davis. You'd think that someone who had so much success with the greatest sports franshise in history would find success in any arena, however the man was clearly struggling with running a radio station. From the early 90's to mid 00's, the station went from contemporary hits to a heavier lean on rap and hip hop to modern rock to a greater emphasis on classic rock to mainstream pop and rock to hard rock to metal to alternative rock. Finally, on July 11, 2006, the current format of "FM 102.1 Independent. Alternative. Radio." was born, featuring more local and independent bands, as well as more popular bands that don't suck. It was redemption for Willie Davis and a positive shift in Milwaukee's music climate.
Another huge step in the right direction came when 88.9 Radio Milwaukee was launched on February 26, 2007. The station describes itself as "a new approach and music mix that doesn't exist anywhere else in radio. It's hand-built, designed for Milwaukee and we think it can welcome a lot of folks into the world of non-commercial radio. Every day, you'll hear the ideas, aspirations and opinons of people who care about their community and are doing something to make it better." From what I've heard (from listening myself and from friends), the station is an excellent mix of local, independent, lesser known, up-and-coming, and more established acts that play anything from rock to power pop to punk to hip hop to blues to jazz to funk to reggae to pretty much anything else you can think of depending on the dj, but they all seem to make great picks and have a vast knowledge of music.
Helping to sustain the city's new sound was the renovation of historic Turner Hall Ballroom (above), which re-opened in late 2007. The ballroom was previously used for social, cultural, and political events in the late 1800s up until it was damaged by fires in 1933 and 1941. Now, it provides a venue for some of the most innovative bands around. For example, acts like Sonic Youth, Deerhunter, and Gaslight Anthem will perform there in the next few months.
With the groundwork laid for a new music culture in Milwaukee, some local bands are beginning to provide sounds that the city can be proud to call its own. Two of the creators of such sounds are Scott Starr (vocals/guitar/synth) and Kevin Dunphy (drums/vocals) who make up the homegrown Fever Marlene (above). After graduating UW Madison in 2002, the duo moved to LA and then Chicago before settling back in Milwaukee in 2006. Shortly after their homecoming, they received steady play on both 102.1 and 88.9 and became a staple at Turner Hall Ballroom. They recorded one of their live shows at New York's Pianos in early 2007, but their first studio album, Civil War (Rev Pop) didn't come out until that summer. Their debut effort features catchy pop rock hooks partnered with garage rock (see "Red Fire"), a little Oasis (see "All the Kites in the World"), and a healthy dose of electro pop (see "We Are All Colors" and "Somethings Going to Carry You Down").
The boys recorded their second studio album, White China (Rev Pop), at New York's legendary Chelsea Hotel, and decided to switch things up for this spring 2008 release. This time around, they went a lot lighter on the drums, a lot heavier on the electronics, unplugged the guitar, often got behind the piano, and opted for gentler, more dreamy/folksy sounding vocals. Luckily, this style worked for them as well, producing gems like the title track, "Oh Berlin", and "Check for Pulse".
http://www.myspace.com/fevermarlene
About a month ago, they released another live album, Febrile State, recorded last fall at Turner Hall Ballroom. The live recording features songs from both studio albums, as well as some others that did not make it on either album. Additionally, a number of guests from the Milwaukee music scene join Scott and Kevin on stage for this one.
Hopefully, these guys keep coming up with new sounds, inspire others to follow, and help shift Milwaukee out of the dark ages and turn it into a hotbed of good music.
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