Die Kreuzen Reunion May 26 in Milwaukee | Lest We Forget at Turner Hall

I'm clearly not the first to bring up the Die Kreuzen Reunion show set for May 26 in Milwaukee. There has been quite a bit of press generated already. Basically, the "Lest We Forget" event at Turner Hall was already marked off on my calendar as a must attend event. With the strong lineup of bands getting back together (before Die Kreuzen jumped on board,) who could miss this one? It all started with a Facebook page.

Who is scheduled to perform? Thirteen bands to be exact. It starts at 6pm, and runs just past midnight. Bands like Xposed 4Heads, (3) XCleavers, Tense Experts, Lubricants, Dummy Club, and St. Bernard will take their turn on the Turner Hall stage. In between all of this, I'm sure that there will be chaos and fun, as it's sure to be a reunion of not only bands but long lost friends. Bring a name tag to this one, as some of us have not seen each other in three decades.

For me, I get to see a few bands that were just before my time. The Lubricants came and went just before I got to go to clubs. Judging by the Xposed 4Heads web page, I should look forward to cuts from their cassette titled "Annoying Sh*t in a Bag." I wonder what the value of one of their original bags is now? Okay, perhaps I was old enough to see these guys, but I don't remember running into them when I was in The Crusties.

The Blackholes are famous for songs like Nazis From Outer Space, Blitzkrieg Over Kenosha, and Warren Span. I personally performed with the Blackholes during a one-off fill in gig in Madison. Mark Shurilla is too famous to remember me, as I tried my best to do those songs justice on my punk rock drum kit, but I'll never forget that show. The Barrymore theater was full, and people actually clapped after each song.

Closing the show will be none other than St. Bernard. I don't have link to this band. When I look up St. Bernard, all I get are dog, and church parish sites. They could be four ballerinas playing kazoos for all I know. Tickets for Lest We Forget are going fast, and I'm guessing that it will sell out. See you at Turner Hall!

Die Kreuzen to Receive WAMI Hall of Fame Honors

The Wisconsin based band Die Kreuzen will be inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame this April. Starting in 1981, the band exploded onto the Midwest punk scene. They were armed with a sound that rose above the two-note, rapid fire music that was easily found in the Milwaukee, Madison and Rockford clubs. It was no surprise that they gained a strong following quite quickly. Putting aside their 1982 demo tape, the release of Cows and Beer set the bar high. When Touch and Go records put out their self titled LP, the reviews were quite complimentary. Milwaukee had one hell of a talented band in Die Kreuzen, but they had to hit the road. They spent the next few years turning people on to their sound. Here is a link to their song Hate Me.

The later works showed that they were certainly not going to ride along on their current sound. They continued to grow, even if some fans were hungry for what they played in 1984. When I listen to the sound that came out of the Seattle in 1990, I think back to what Die Kreuzen was doing five years prior. Their influence is well known, and it was an honor to be on the same bill as Die Kreuzen from time to time. Not only are were they a great band, they continue to be stand up guys to this day.

What Happened to Punk Rock In Milwaukee?

What happened to Punk Rock in Milwaukee? I was recently approached by a promotional company based out of Chicago. They wanted to point me in the direction of one of their "Milwaukee based punk bands." OK, I'll bite on the bait. After all, I was a punk drummer for nearly twenty years before moving on to Detroit rock, chick rock, and music that cannot be described very easily.

Milwaukee was home to Die Kreuzen, Sacred Order, The Crusties, Oil Tasters, The MotherF*ckers, and many more. They were punk. What I heard on this Milwaukee based punk band's Myspace page was that typical sickly sweet, Sum 41-sound-slowed-down so the singer could touch upon things like the sun going down, and how much he loves his girlfriend. Nope, not punk, not even close. This was a band that claimed that they went through multiple line up changes, break ups, and now they found their sound? Yes, they found a sound on Youtube, but it's someone else's sound. I'm hearing 2002.