Milwaukee Punk Rock Reunion Show Shank Hall

I'm preparing for another reunion show.  It's for my old Milwaukee punk band.  I will also be filling in on the drums for another great band named Sacred Order.  This time, I'm not doing any of the promotion, as the event is a fundraiser for an aspiring author.  The even is at Shank Hall this weekend.  All I have to do is try to play drums like I played back when I was 21 years old.  That's hard enough.

My bass player already asked me to bring the tempo down a bit on the songs.  I have no problem with that, as I really can't keep up with that drummer who used to be me. I can safely say that I'm not as flexible as I was all those years ago.  It's not that I need the flexibility, but it would be nice to have.  I'm drumming smarter now.

After the first few rehearsals on my own, I was starting to think that I would not be able to get my chops back up to snuff.  I was losing drum sticks, hitting the rims, and folding my arms onto themselves.  It was messy, to say the least.  To make matters worse, I had a ten day vacation planned well ahead of this event.  The vacation would take up precious drumming time. 

Our first full band practice went well.  When the rest of the band saw that I was just about as rusty as they were, it seemed to make them feel better.  Not that they need me to be playing poorly so they can feel better about themselves.  It was more of a "we're all in the same shape" kind of thing.  By our second rehearsal together, we had improved greatly.  The only wild card will be how well our singer performs. He's flying in the night before the event. 

Aside from the singer, the members of the band have all been performing in various bands in the past 25 years.  The singer was doing some hip jazz stuff in the early 1990's.  I don't know if he will be up to the task, but it's punk music, so all he has to do is get through the show with some sort of vocal style.    

Milwaukee's 1980's Music Scene Revisited

Someone from the 1980's Milwaukee Music Scene had died recently. His death prompted another 80's musical icon to set up a Facebook page that honored his passing, and the passing of many other great Milwaukee musicians. Our guitar player died just six weeks ago and as expected, his name was added to the page. I lost another great musical friend two years ago, and his name was posted as well. As the list of names kept growing, I received notices with every addition. I left the group. It was too hard to take.

Milwaukee's Musical Pioneers of the 1980's
Those Milwaukee musical pioneers certainly died too young, as most of them were in their 40's and 50's when they passed. I suppose that the ones who "lived fast" did die young, as the Circle Jerks song dictates. I rejoined the group when I noticed that the page had morphed into something so much more than a very depressing tally of the dearly departed. The Lest We Forget - Deceased Milwaukee Scene page is now a meeting spot for those who realize how important, powerful, amazing, and special it was to be part of that artistic moment.
Whether you were a spectator or participant, I truly feel that the 1980's punk scene in Milwaukee was a "happening" that doesn't come together too often. Perhaps everyone has their time, but I just can't bring myself to think that watching someone DJ, while lounging in a private area of a club will bring back amazing memories thirty years from now. The ingredients for something much more special has to include artistic and musical mavericks, something to rebel against, empty buildings in decrepit neighborhoods, and club owners willing to take a risk. I was too young to get into The Starship, but when the gates opened for me, I jumped at the chance to be part of that artistic family.

Thirty years have passed, and perhaps that is enough time to weather the rough edges, bury the grudges in silt, and allow us to come together to remember some of the amazing things that happened in Milwaukee. I'll never forget watching Sacred Order at Niko's, just days before my 18th birthday. I slid in under the radar only to get the once over from the bartender. The crowd was thin, but I was a paying customer. They let me stay.

Jay Tiller was my local drumming idol, and Sacred Order was tighter than tight. I probably had just enough money for a couple of beers, and no more. Second and National was not the best place to be at 2am, but punk clubs rarely opened in neighborhoods that were clean and well lit. For me, it's fitting that the face of Sacred Order would be the person who set up the online meeting place for what has now become a repository of amazing photos, stories, and memories that have come back to life.

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.

Sacred Order, Milwaukee punk from the 1980's

Way back when, there was this great Wisconsin punk band named Sacred Order. I say way back when because the original line-up featuring Jay Tiller, Mike Podolak, Chip, and Beezer were the top-end Sacred Order. Chip moved on to The Crusties, Jay Tiller started Couch Flambeau, leaving Beezer and Mike to rotate other mates into the mix. Damien Strigenz, and Don Nelson moved into Sacred Order in the later years. Those are the guys you will hear on the 2004 Last Rites DVD/CD from WMSE and Push Button Gadget. I don't know what line-up will be on the stage at The Miramar Theater on November 10th, but I am certain that it will crush.