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This summer our What Next? series returns asking questions about what the future of the arts within society might look like. We’ve invited guest speakers to give their thoughts, in a series of podcast talks, about the role of the arts in cities, in local communities, right now. Each day throughout our Festival we’ll be releasing a new podcast. Join the debate with #WhatNext
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Each Friday, My First Band features a long-form interview with a different notable musician about all of the projects that preceded what you know them for. We discuss their musical origins, and we trace a few of their embarrassing high school bands and other associated bands that happened before they broke out. This show digs deeper than any Wikipedia page or band bio would ever dare to go. And, sometimes, the guests will even share some of their old songs. You can expect to hear a lot of in ...
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This week's guest — the 200th and final My First Band guest! — is the incomparable Andy Junk. These days, you can see Junk on stage as a member of Holy Shit! and Chinese Telephones, taking photos at a ton of concerts in Milwaukee and beyond, and spreading Lakefront Brewery's sales territory to faraway lands. Before he was in two long-running and re…
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This week's guest is Ian Olvera, whose work can be heard in a variety of ways. Beyond being a current member of Blueheels and the bandleader of Daydream Retrievers, Olvera has helped record and mix music from a wide variety of other musicians at Wire & Vice and Mystery Room Mastering (and on his own), and he's been a live sound engineer for a bunch…
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This week's guest is Mark Waldoch, a Milwaukee mainstay who has been a prominent part of the city's music scene for more than 25 years. Over that quarter-century span, the multi-instrumentalist and owner of Brew City's most booming voice has released outstanding material with The Celebrated Workingman, under his own name and with his current Hallel…
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This week's guest is Julia Blair. In addition to being a member of two long-running and accomplished Wisconsin bands in the form of Dusk and Holy Sheboygan!, Blair released her excellent debut solo album earlier this year. Between putting out that album (and touring in support of it), Blair and her Holy Sheboygan! bandmates released the band's fift…
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As a founding member of All-4-One, Jamie Jones has been an integral part of Platinum-selling releases that feature some of the biggest R&B hits of all time. He's toured all over the planet, performed for world leaders, won a Grammy Award, spent months atop the Billboard charts and had a song on the soundtrack of an animated Disney feature. Though h…
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This week's guests are Gold Steps singer Liz Mauritz and guitarist Zach Duarte. Though the band is currently making a name for itself in Milwaukee with frequent shows, garnering loads of listeners on streaming sites and winning over new fans on a nightly basis during its ambitious tours, the up-and-coming "alt-pop-hyphenated-punk band" actually got…
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You might not know who Jeff Meilander is, but you're likely aware of his work. As the owner, founder and jack of all trades at Redwall Screen Printing, Meilander's company has made merchandise for professional sports franchises, multinational corporations and countless bands and brands from all over the country. Currently, Redwall calls a 100,000-s…
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This week's guest is Charlie Parr. Over the course of his 30-year career, the Duluth-based guitarist and singer has released more than a dozen albums, played thousands of shows all over the U.S. and beyond, opened for legends like B.B. King and Doc Watson, and has remained thoroughly captivated by the guitar the entire time. Along the way, he's per…
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This week's guest is Chris Barker, who you probably know better as "Chris No. 2." The longtime Anti Flag bassist has been an integral member of the iconic and important Pittsburgh punk band since late 1998. Over that span, he's played on some influential albums, performed all over the planet and helped spread activist ethos to generations of listen…
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Over the last quarter century, Josh Berwanger‘s work has taken many different forms. After his time in accomplished early aughts emo outfit The Anniversary was through, the Kansas-based songwriter dabbled in alt-country with The Only Children, ventured in the direction of indie rock with his Berwanger project and joined forces with members of The G…
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This week's guest is River (a.k.a. Sarah) Shook. As the bandleader and namesake of Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Shook has ardently toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. They've released some excellent albums, including Nightroamer, which came out on Thirty Tigers in February. Following the release of that acclaimed album and ample touring in suppo…
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This week's guest is NNAMDÏ. The Chicago-based singer, rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist has put out a ton of great music since 2020 (including his acclaimed new Sooper Records / Secretly Canadian album, Please Have a Seat). He's performed with Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, Black Midi, Jeff Rosenstock and Speedy Ortiz. He has garnered acclaim fro…
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This week's guest is Chris Gethard. Though Gethard isn't a musician, he is a cult comedy legend, the namesake of The Chris Gethard Show, an actor (who you might know from films like Don’t Think Twice and TV shows like Broad City and The Office), the host of the Beautiful/Anonymous podcast, a soda pop appreciator and historian, a point of New Jersey…
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This week's guest is Mike Reed. These days, Reed can be heard as the guitarist and vocalist of 84 Tigers, a tremendous Michigan-based project that's preparing to release their debut album, Time In The Lighthouse, on Spartan Records this fall. Prior to that album's Oct. 21 release and the band's upcoming appearance at The Fest, Reed spoke with My Fi…
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This week's guest is No Trigger vocalist Tom Rheault. Though the long-running Massachusetts melodic punk project doesn't put out albums very often, they really make it count when they do. The 20-year vets released Dr. Album — only the band's third album ever, and its first since early 2012 — last month, and now they're playing some shows in support…
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This week's guest is Josiah Johnson! As a vocalist and founding member of The Head And The Heart, Johnson was part of a certified Gold-selling album, he toured the world with some of music's biggest acts and performed at many of the planet's most renowned venues, he played various late-night shows and had songs featured on countless TV shows, and h…
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This week's guest is the great Rhett Miller. The Americana legend has been a member of Old 97's for close to 30 years and, along the way, he's released seven solo albums. Miller's eighth album, The Misfit, is set to come out on Sept. 16, just a few days after Old 97's begin their long-awaited tour in support of 2020's Twelfth. Prior to both of thos…
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This week's guest is Tim Kasher. In addition to fronting legendary Omaha emo outfit Cursive, Kasher can be heard in The Good Life and on his four solo albums. Over the course of his nearly-30-year career, he's toured extensively, put out some downright incredible records that have reshaped the genre and has influenced countless musicians along the …
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Though Josh Modell isn't a musician, the veteran entertainment writer has been covering music for decades. Over the course of his career, he's held prominent positions at The Onion, The A.V. Club and his current role as Executive Editor of Talkhouse. Before his work was reaching millions of readers all over the world, Modell was producing a Milwauk…
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This week's guest is Matt Allen, who you might know better as Nur-D. And if you don't know Nur-D yet, you will soon. The Minneapolis-based rapper, singer, dancer and all-around entertainer is poised for big things. The latest step of his ongoing journey to national notoriety is his just-released album, HVN (pronounced "heaven"), which will be celeb…
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This week's guest is Matthew Stubbs. As a guitarist and founding member of GA-20, Stubbs has released two well-received albums, toured extensively, ascended the Billboard charts and helped to usher in a traditional blues revival. With a new album on the way — Crackdown, out Sept. 9 on Colemine Records! — and a bunch of shows on the horizon, Stubbs …
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Toby Jeg hasn't ever been in a serious band, but he's been instrumental in helping a ton of other people's bands release music. As the owner/operator of Red Scare Industries, Jeg has put out more than 150 releases over the last 18 years, including albums from The Menzingers, The Copyrights, Direct Hit!, Masked Intruder, Sincere Engineer, The Falcon…
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This week's guest is Mariel Buckley. The burgeoning singer-songwriter from Alberta, Canada is about to release a new album, open for Orville Peck and perform all around Europe. And that's just the beginning! Buckley is planning to tour extensively in 2023 and continue her upward trajectory that started in bars and at open mics throughout Western Ca…
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This week's guest is Chris Rosenau, whose impressive and inventive guitar work you might recognize from accomplished projects like Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir. Before he was playing to audiences all over the world, collaborating with Justin Vernon and members of The Promise Ring, and releasing influential albums that hav…
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People know Scott Radinsky for two very different reasons. During the ex-pitcher's lengthy Major League Baseball career, he managed an impressive 3.44 ERA and tallied 52 saves in almost 500 innings on the mound with the White Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals and Cleveland. In addition to being a proficient reliever, Radinsky is also an accomplished punk-roc…
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This week's guest is Ricky Ramirez, who Milwaukee-area listeners might know as the owner of The Mothership. Since opening the Bay View bar in early 2019, Ramirez has managed to navigate his business through a worldwide pandemic, earn attention by way of The Mothership's unconventional/unflinchingly honest social media presence, and (probably) sell …
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This week's guest is Chris Cresswell. You probably know this Canadian crooner as the singer/guitarist of The Flatliners, as a guitarist in Hot Water Music or from his work as a solo artist. This year is the 20th anniversary of The Flatliners, and the band is marking the occasion with the release of its sixth full-length album — New Ruin, out Aug. 5…
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Midwestern rock and roll fans rejoice because this week's guest is the great Allen Epley. You likely know Epley as the vocalist and guitarist of Shiner and The Life And Times, as the host of the Third Gear Scratch podcast, and as a member of BirdHands and the backing band of the Chicago Blue Man Group. He's up to a lot at the moment, including a Sh…
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This week's guest is Eric W. Krueger, who has been a musical mainstay in the Fox Cities — a region in northeast Wisconsin — for close to 30 years. Though he's been active in a wide range of bands since he was a teenager (including at least four different projects presently), Krueger only recently put out his debut solo album. Shortly after the rele…
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This week's guest is Aymen Saleh. The Milwaukee singer, songwriter and producer — who releases music under the Holy Pinto moniker — has kept busy of late with a steady run of local performances, semi-frequent tours and collaborations with artists from all ends of the musical spectrum. Long before he became an unlikely ambassador for the Milwaukee m…
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If you're not familiar with The Stereo, chances are you know many of the acts they've influenced. Founded in 1999, the band released four well-received albums on Fueled By Ramen, toured in Europe and Asia, and sat on the cusp of even bigger and better things. However, The Stereo also experienced more than its fair share of bad luck, unfortunate tim…
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If you follow Milwaukee music, there's a very good chance you've heard Josh Evert's work. In addition to being the longtime singer of The Fatty Acids, Evert played drums in Jaill, he's currently part of a great new project called Dinner Set Gang, and he crafts inventive and impressive solo work using field recordings he collects in natural settings…
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As the lead singer and founding member of Vandoliers, Joshua Fleming has released three outstanding albums, aggressively toured throughout the U.S., and shared the stage with legendary acts like Old 97's and Flogging Molly. Before he was wowing listeners all over the world with a winning blend of country and punk, Fleming was playing shows at rolle…
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We broke format for this week's episode and invited Tim Dillard to be a guest on My First Band. The charismatic professional-pitcher-turned-broadcaster spent the vast majority of his 18-year playing career as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, including stints at all levels of the team's minor-league system and parts of four seasons in…
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Pete Donnelly is an accomplished solo artist and a former member of NRBQ, but you probably know him better as the bassist, one of the vocalists and a founding member of The Figgs. Since starting out in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1987, The Figgs have played thousands of shows all over the U.S. and beyond, they've toured with the likes of Weezer …
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This week's guest is Laura Jane Grace! In addition to being the singer and founding member of Against Me!, Grace is also an author and an accomplished solo artist. Before setting out on The Carousel Tour — which will take place all around the U.S. throughout the month of May, including a May 2 show at The Rave — she spoke to My First Band host Tyle…
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Vincent Van Great is a man of many talents. The Milwaukee singer, rapper and producer has been showcasing his diverse set of skills for years but really started turning heads in his hometown and beyond with his attention-grabbing and award-winning Troublemakers EP collaboration he released with Amanda Huff last year. Coming off a big 2021 and prior…
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Siri Undlin's musical journey started at a very young age. The founding member and bandleader of Humbird, an outstanding Minneapolis-based folk project, is the daughter of a Lutheran preacher and she sang in the church's choir as a child. Piano lessons and guitar tutorials soon followed and, by the time she was in middle school, she was regularly p…
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As the singer and guitarist of Limbeck, Robb MacLean has been part of some excellent and influential albums. He's toured all around the U.S. and Europe with bands like Motion City Soundtrack and All-American Rejects, and he's even had a song featured on a Mac commercial. After more than 20 years together (off and on), Limbeck is still at it, and th…
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As the drummer of Kali Masi, John Garrison has performed all around the United States, toured Europe, played Riot Fest and FEST, shared the stage with the likes of The Lawrence Arms and Titus Andronicus, and released one of our favorite albums of last year (the altogether outstanding [laughs] via Take This To Heart Records). Years before he was kee…
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At just 23 years of age, budding blues guitarist Christone "Kingfish" Ingram has recorded with Buddy Guy and Keb Mo, performed alongside Jason Isbell and Samantha Fish, and released two well-received albums on Alligator Records. The latest of those albums, last year’s 662, earned the axe-wielding wunderkind a Grammy nomination. Kingfish has already…
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During the band's 20-year run, The Dollyrots have released more than a dozen albums and EPs, played all over the world, performed with countless punk and rock and roll mainstays, and had their music featured on television shows and in films. Though the band itself has quite a long and interesting history, its founding members go back even further. …
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Martin Defatte is a busy guy. The Milwaukee-based producer is one half of Guerrilla Ghost, an owner and co-founder of the Triple Eye Industries record label, and a web developer who helped build and maintain the archives at MKE Punk. In addition to that diverse collection of credits, Defatte also has a solo project called Tron Jovi, he's part of an…
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In her relatively brief career as a musician, Monica Martin has toured in Australia, New Zealand, around Europe and throughout the United States. She's performed on late-night television, shared the stage with world-renowned bands like The Head And The Heart and The Lumineers, and played a bunch of major music festivals. Though she's done so much a…
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We're bending the show's format again this week by chatting about music (and more!) with Gareth Reynolds. Though the comedian, actor, writer and one half of The Dollop podcast is not a musician, My First Band host Tyler Maas was still excited to hear Reynolds discuss his listening and show-going past, what he's listening to now, and some of the par…
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For close to 15 years, Erik Stenglein has been the vocalist, guitarist and only constant member of Northless. During that span, the Milwaukee metal band has managed a number of sludgy and punishing releases that have earned the attention of respected music publications and listeners all over the world. With new members in the fold, a new album on t…
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This week's episode features a fun conversation with actor and podcaster Mike Mitchell. Though "Mitch," who you probably know from his work on films like The Tomorrow War, TV shows like The Birthday Boys and the Netflix series Love, and as a host of Doughboys, is not a musician by trade, music actually plays a fairly significant role in both his ca…
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Over the course of his 30-year music career, Peter Mulvey has released more than 20 albums, written hundreds of songs, played thousands of shows all over the world, shared bills with a wealth of notable performers and helped to enact change though his efforts as an activist and environmentalist. Before the Massachusetts-based singer and songwriter …
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At this point in his career, it might take us less time to list the amazing things Kev Marcus hasn't done. As the violinist in Black Violin, Marcus has played thousands of shows all around the planet. He's collaborated with the likes of Alicia Keys, Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. He's helped produce music for Tom Petty, Lupe Fiasco and more.…
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As the bassist and co-vocalist of Bad Cop / Bad Cop, Linh Le has been part of some great releases, played to audiences all over the world and shared the stage with some of punk rock's biggest acts. Long before she was part of that beloved and accomplished band, Le was a gymnast in Rochester, New York, who took an interest in music after an injury s…
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