Paul Spencer’s Groovy Jazz

Local Music

Jazz shouldn’t be this good anymore. At a time when many conservatory trained musicians have reduced a great American art form to a noodling string of solos held together on a fragile string of familiar melody, Paul Spencer has produced a contemporary big-band album showcasing many styles and moods. The solos . . .

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Woolton Parrish Revisited

Alt-rockers take a final bow

For a rock group navigating Milwaukee’s music scene in the late- ’80s, a time when venues gave cover bands preference over original bands, adaptability was key, and Woolton Parrish quickly learned to blend in with any surrounding. Their songs could chime like ’60s pop or thunder like contemporary hard rock, so . . .

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Under the Radar with Jail

Plus: Kramp’s shirts and a mysterious crunk single

Some local bands announce themselves loudly, but pop-rockers Jail have opted for a different approach. The group plays just a smattering of Milwaukee shows every couple of months, then disappears for lengthy periods. “We’re not aggressively booking local shows—we’re more interested in touring,” explains . . .

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The Nice Outfit: Power-Pop Legends

Music Preview

Paul James Wall sums up The Nice Outfit with a catchy litany of bands: “Buzzcocks, Bangles, Beatles and Byrds.” Judging by the Milwaukee group’s new EP, Kissing Jocelyn, they have distilled the essence of the Four Bs—plus a dollop of The Kinks—

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Malcolm Michiles

Official Packers DJ

Malcolm Michiles looks out his apartment window. It has begun to snow, and he studies it, sipping a mug of tea. It is two days before the NFL’s Green Bay Packers will beat the Oakland Raiders and win the NFC North division title. “I’m not sure about this . . .

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Cougar Den's All-Ages Screamo

The thrill of a good punk song is that it's combustible and could ignite at any time. With screamo songs, however, there's never any doubt about when they'll ignite. They arrive pre-lit.

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Scott's Friends

Milwaukeean plays L.A.'s Whiskey A Go Go

Scott Berendt has made lots of friends while kicking around in bands since the '80s. He didn't realize until recently how many of them were from MySpace. When he did, the singer-songwriter-drummer decided to put his cyber connections to work.

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Greg Koch: Blues in Mind

Excuse me, was that Greg Koch?" asked a woman at an Alterra coffee shop, overhearing our conversation. It wasn't that she recognized the 6-foot-plus guitarist by sight as he ambled off to the counter for his latte. Turns out she recalled Koch's mock basso profundo voice from hearing him on WMSE.

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