Strand of Oaks- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee 10 Year Anniversary Block Party, 6/24/17

photo by Will Piper

It is hard to find a musical act that loves what they are doing more than Timothy Showalter from Strand of Oaks.  This was Strand of Oaks's second stop in Milwaukee since March and with each performance his crowd continues to grow.

Strand of Oaks has been riding high off of their critically acclaimed record 2017's Hard Love and has been tirelessly touring on the album's behalf.

photo by Stephen Bloch

In an 88.9 Radio Milwaukee studio session with DJ Ken Sumka, Showalter talked about how Milwaukee has almost become like a second home to him, and how Strand of Oaks has frequently played Milwaukee due to the great friends he's made in town and strong support from local fans and radio play. Showalter referenced early tours with Juniper Tar and a friendship formed with Field Report's Chris Porterfield as well.

During the stripped down session, Showalter and his guitarist played toned down renditions of "Radio Kids," (the first single off of Hard Love), as well as "Goshen '97" (off of Strand of Oaks break through release 2015's HEAL), and debuted a reworked version of the rock 'n roll juggernaut "Rest of It," from Hard Love, which translated great live.

For their evening set, Strand of Oaks delivered nearly an hour of high energy rock 'n roll with swagger.  Every Strand of Oaks show is different, as Showalter and his bandmates often provide improvisational jams into their songs to allow band members to stretch themselves and for Showalter to cut loose as a front man.

photo by Will Piper

Strand of Oaks's performance at the 88.9 Radio Milwaukee Block Party was nothing short of a Milwaukee love fest, with Showalter grinning like the Chesire Cat from Alice in Wonderland constantly throughout the set, even amid some minor technical glitches during "Shut In." Highlights of the set included Showalter dedicating the track  "Plymouth" (off of HEAL) to the people of Milwaukee who have supported him from the start, as well as rousing renditions of "JM" (also off of HEAL), and a full-blown rock 'n roll version of "Rest of It" to close the show.  Based on the fantastic reaction from the crowd and Showalter's genuine enthusiasm for performing, expect to see Strand of Oaks back in town before you know it.

photo by Ken Sumka

Wilco- Riverside Theater, 6/18/17

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

There was a special vibe at the Riverside Theater for Wilco's Father's Day show as the band opened their set with "Via Chicago," featuring a literally thundering drum interlude in the middle of the track, compliments of Glenn Kotche. This was the best version of "Via Chicago" I had ever seen Wilco perform out of the 20 shows I've seen of theirs, and it set the stage for an evening of truly remarkable music.

Throughout the nearly two and a half hour set (including two encores), Wilco delivered a career retrospective performance, showcasing their talents as a well-oiled, seasoned, collaborative band who refuses to rest on its laurels and continues to push its music in new and unique ways.  When seeing Wilco live you can hear every note played by each band member and every word from singer Jeff Tweedy while the rest of the band is shredding on guitars and pounding away on keyboards and drums.  Wilco knows how to crank the show up to eleven for its rocking numbers and then back down again to allow for more mellow, introspective material in a seamless way that helps its music flow and keep the crowd engaged and mesmerized.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Touring is support of their reflective 2016 release Schlimco, the band performed new material with a fervor that can't be captured on the record alone.  Tender tracks like "If I Ever Was A Child," and "Cry All Day" were greeted with Nels Cline's virtuoso experimental guitar riffs and jams, and translated amazingly live.

Moreover, classic cuts from earlier albums were reworked to allow for more improvisation and experimentation by different members of the band.  "Art of Almost," off of 2011's The Whole Love, was a set highlight that saw Cline work his guitar magic like a mad scientist amidst his plethora of electronic pedals, and sonic enhancers.  Likewise, the epic "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" off of 2004's A Ghost Is Born was reworked to have guitar featured as the driving force of the melody and a capacity crowd sing-a-long lead by Tweedy to mimic the riff.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Wilco's mindful precision to the intricate nuances of their tunes makes them a one-of-a-kind act.  A mid-set placement of "Misunderstood," the first track off of Wilco's 21 year old break out record, Being There, featured multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone showing off his skills on banjo, while Nels Cline dabbled in lap steel guitar, to provide a more rootsy vibe to the tune.  "Impossible Germany," a fan-favorite jam off of 2006's Sky Blue Sky featured Cline delivering a face-melting solo, and a three guitar attack from him, Tweedy and Sansone, which prompted Tweedy to declare to the crowd, "he just keeps getting better each year," referring to Cline's playing.

Opening band Kacy & Clayton, a psychedelic folk outfit from Canada, came on and joined Wilco for their first encore, "California Stars" a beautiful rendition of the band's 1998 stand-out track from their Mermaid Avenue collaboration album with Billy Bragg.  "California Stars" has become a long-time fan favorite at Wilco shows, and the harmonizing between Tweedy and Kacy Anderson coupled with Clayon Linthicum taking lead guitar duties made this version extra special.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

By the time Wilco ran into their second encore which featured straight up rocking renditions of "Monday," and "Outta Sight, Outta Mind" (both off of Being There) they had the entire crowd (comprised mainly of 40 year olds) on their feet singing along and basking in Wilco's masterful way of ending their performance on a strong, rocking note.

Wilco continues to refine their craft and push themselves as musicians.  They do get better with age and remain the best band on the planet (in this writer's humble opinion).

Setlist:
Via Chicago
Normal American Kids
If I Ever Was A Child
Cry All Day
Muzzle of Bees
I'm Trying to Break Your Heart
Art of Almost
Pickled Ginger
Misunderstood
Someone to Lose
Poor Places
Reservations
Impossible Germany
How to Fight Loneliness
Forget the Flowers
Box Full of Letters
Heavy Metal Drummer
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird
The Late Greats

Encore 1:
California Stars (with Kacy and Clayton)
Locator
Random Name Generator
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
I'm A Wheeel

Encore 2:
Monday
Outta Sight , Outta Mind

Twin Brother- Good City Brewing Festival, 6/17/17

photo by CJ Foeckler

Milwaukee's Twin Brother is a band re-imagined.  Fronted by West Allis native, Sean Raasch, Twin Brother has been playing indie-inspired folk rock in town since 2012.  The band released two records, 2013's self-titled release, and 2014's Swallow the Anchor, which drew a lot of praise and earned Twin Brother headlining club gigs across town as well as opening slots at Turner Hall for several national acts. However, not content to be a band pigeonholed in the ever growing alternative country folk scene, Raasch and longtime bandmate Lodi Broekhuizen retooled Twin Brother, adding new members and expanding the band's sonic repertoire.

Alongside Raash and Broekhuizen at the core of Twin Brother are Terry Hackbarth playing bass, Andrew Eshbaugh on trumpet, Marlese Koehlein playing organ and  keyboards, and Luke Rivard on drums and percussion.  The result of the collaboration of these musicians is a band who has emerged from its cocoon with a full-bodied, complex and diverse sound that takes into account each of its members' strengths as performers and blends them together into a unique, original, juggernaut of sound.

Recently, we had a chance to catch up with Sean Raasch to talk about the retooled Twin Brother:

MKE Rocks: How would you describe your band's sound as its evolved over the years?
Raasch: The sound is simply larger now.  The arrangements are more intricate and the musicianship has stepped up.

MKE Rocks: How have new members helped shape the new sound?
Raasch: Everyone brings their own flavor.  Everyone's individual style is what makes the band unique in an otherwise generic and saturated market.  We pull from genres all the way from power pop to 70's prog rock to r&b and soul.

MKE Rocks: Do you focus on playing mainly new tracks, or are you mixing in older stuff as well?
Raasch: We have a mix of everything but you'd have to come to a concert for that info :)

photo by Will Piper

Twin Brother played an afternoon set at the inaugural Good City Brewing Fest, celebrating the one year anniversary of one of Milwaukee's most acclaimed new mico-breweries.  This festival curated by the Pabst-Riverside Theater Group featured a boon of local talent including sets by Klassik and Fever Marlene.  The family-friendly event was a great way to showcase local talent, food and great brews.

photo by Will Piper

Twin Brother's spirited set drew heavily on new material, some of which will appear on a forthcoming EP set for release in September, and on a full-length album the band is working on at Honeytone Studios.  Eshbaugh's horns play a prominent role in the melodies of the tunes, bringing a Calexico-style Tex-Mex vibe to the group.  Moreover, Broekhuizen's guitar work was on point, often jamming effortlessly into Jerry Garcia inspired progressions.  Rivard also added his percussion prowess to the mix, especially on numbers like "Ladybird" and "Heywood," the first single released from the new incarnation of Twin Brother.  Everything considered, the band clearly seemed to have fun and enjoy creating music together.  Raasch was particularly relaxed on stage and Koehlein and Hackbarth effortlessly glued the sound together.

Twin Brother has emerged as a complex and musically diverse act-- breaking the boundries of Americana to create something fresh and new. Pairing Raasch's introspective storytelling lyrics alongside lush sonic arrangements make Twin Brother one of the more interesting, fun and insightful acts on the scene today.  If you haven't caught a Twin Brother show recently, do yourself a favor and check them out. You won't be disappointed.

Setlist:
New Mexico ->
Alone in Austin
Secret Talks
Troublemaker
Heywood
Ladybird
Bombs
Canterbury
Big Bird