Culture

Photo by Cambria Harkey, courtesy What Made Milwaukee Famous

During the festivities this year, I saw What Made Milwaukee Famous at Emo’s...Front man Michael Kingcaid’s untouchable vocal performance and high-energy guitar playing kept the audience on their feet, rhythmically bopping about to his tunes the entire show. He kept his audience guessing with a degree of variety and fervor that many musicians can only strive for. Jason Davis’ lead guitar was especially noteworthy during “Cheap Wine,” which features a steady swell from a soft, barely there ballad to a head bobbing, drink-swinging ode to the familiarity of good company. Keyboardist Drew Patrizi also added a dimension to each song and did so masterfully even as his more playful style featured on Milwaukee’s freshman release gave way to more turbid guitar and bass lines featured on “What Doesn’t Kill Us.”

Perhaps one of the most notable songs on the band’s second album is “Self Destruct,” an anthem to the failing relationship that just won’t cease. It begins with the tingeing of barely grazed guitar strings and steady bass and drum beats, “I’d eat your heart out but my teeth are sore/besides I’m tired of you crawling right back for more…” The song eventually gives way to fierce guitars and pounding keys as it reaches a climax in its plea for an end to a self-destructive relationship. The song is beautifully written, and the music compliments the lyrics like few tunes do. The band’s performance of “Self Destruct” drove the audience into an awestruck and eerie quiet, “I wouldn’t self destruct for anybody else, if you can’t acknowledge that then…,” until Kingcaid finished with a vocal solo, crying “…just go f*** yourself,” to which the crowd erupted in resounding approval.

[T]his band gave one of the coolest and most fun performances that I have seen in quite some time.The band then thundered into a spirited rendition of “Sultan” that left no patron on his barstool. As Kingcaid belted out, “The only blame you cast is your own, and your only guarantee is your fear of the unknown,” the lyrics took on a life of their own for each person screaming along, and that effect was palpable from all corners of the room. As “Sultan” drew to a close, the band began to slow things down with “Middle of the Night,” instilling a copasetic feel before bidding its hometown a good night.

In summation, this band gave one of the coolest and most fun performances that I have seen in quite some time. Milwaukee only exhibited a couple of weak spots in its overall performance during a cover song. All in all, its original material serves it well on wax and on stage. It is well worth the time spent in a line stretching down a smelly alleyway to get in and see for one’s self What Made Milwaukee Famous.

[Front page image by Cambria Harkey, courtesy What Made Milwaukee Famous]