August 2019

Milwaukee Comedy Festival is proud to present comedy legend Todd Barry (Netflix, Bob's Burgers, The Late Show, Conan). Tickets available at https://mkecomedyfest.com/todd-barry/.

Todd Barry has been performing stand up for over 30 years, has three hour-long stand up specials including on Netflix Spicy Honey, and appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan and Late Night With Seth Meyers. He has also been in several films and television shows. Acting credits include The Wrestler, Road Trip, Flight of the Concords, Chappelle's Show, Spin City, Sex and the City. You may have heard his voice on the animated series Bob's Burgers, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Todd is also the author of the critically-acclaimed 2017 travel memoir Thank You For Coming To Hattiesburg.

Milwaukee Comedy Festival is proud to present the hilarious Judah Friedlander (30 Rock, Netflix, Comedy Central, Late Night, The Daily Show). Tickets available at https://mkecomedyfest.com/event/judah-friedlander/.

Hilarious, profound satire with endless one liners & seamless crowd work. Judah Friedlander is a singular performer. His Future President stand-up show is American satire at its most creative, incisive, and funny. You have not seen a show like this before. Judah satirizes American Exceptionalism, the systemic power structures that control America, and how America deals with all of its human rights issues. Judah finds and creates comedy from places you never knew it existed.

In Judah's uproariously engaging and unpredictable show, he will tell you why he should be the future President of the United States, and will invite you to ask him questions about his Presidential platform. With Judah's amazing and unique crowd work, no two shows are the same.

Last year, Judah Friedlander's critically acclaimed 84 minute stand-up performance film America Is the Greatest Country In the United States (Netflix, 2017) was named best comedy special of the year by many critics, comics, and fans. This year in 2019, Judah is on tour with all new material.

Come see the Future President of the United States.

Milwaukee Comedy Festival is proud to present the hilarious Beth Stelling (Comedy Central, Netflix The Stand Ups, Conan, @Midnight). Tickets available at https://mkecomedyfest.com/event/beth-stelling/.

Beth Stelling is a stand-up comedian, writer & actress. You may have seen her latest Netflix special The Standups (season 1, episode 5 of the series) currently streaming. She is a writer for I Love You America with Sarah Silverman on Hulu and before that wrote for seasons one and two of Judd Apatow's series Crashing on HBO, as well as Another Period on Comedy Central. She's a product of the Chicago stand-up scene and was named "Best Stand- Up Comedian in Chicago" by the Chicago reader in 2010. After moving to Los Angeles Beth made her late night debut on Conan and returned in 2017. She appeared on Comedy Central's @midnight, Chelsea Lately and The Pete Holmes Show. Beth was asked to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live after Jimmy saw her perform at Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. She has a Comedy Central half hour special that Vulture named "One of the Best Stand-Up specials of 2015." She guest starred on season 2 of the Amazon series Red Oaks opposite Jennifer Grey and can be seen in Comedy Central's Corporate and The High Court.

The Georgia Satellites were one of the most ferocious bands of the 80's. What set them apart from the other 100,000 bands who cranked their amps up to eleven was that their wild riffs and tanked up cries came from a band who, from the start, understood it's place in the rock tradition and fought hard to solidify it with each recording.

The story starts in the early 80's at Hedgen's, a "country club for the spiritually impoverished and emotionally destitute" as chief songwriter Dan Baird would later identify it. Bassist Keith Christopher, drummer Mauro Magellan and guitarists Dan Baird and Rick Richards were all playing on the Atlanta circuit in various bar bands such as The Hellhounds, The Brains and The Woodpeckers. These bands would gradually morph into the original Georgia Satellites, who signed to same the same management company as country-rock pioneers, Jason & The Scorchers, more of whom later.

#1 fan and road manager Kevin Jennings, sold an EP of early Satellites records to an independent UK record label, Making Waves, who released them as the Keep The Faith ep. The ep provoked an extraordinary response from the UK music press, which, in turn, woke up the previously indifferent US music industry. Elektra records quickly signed them and their first single, Keep Your Hands To Yourself, became a runaway hit. It reached #2 on the singles chart and their eponymous debut album reached the same position on the album charts. Both album and single only being kept off their respective #1 slots by Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet and Livin' On A Prayer. A second hit single, Battleship Chains consolidated their success.

Where the Satellites really earned their reputation though, was with their live shows. All those years of three sets a night, paid dividends laid waste to audiences across the States and particular, Europe, which took the band to it's collective heart, a love affair that continues to this day.

Two more Elekra LP's, Open All Night and the remarkable In The Land Of Salvation And Sin, plus a cover of The Singing Blue Jeans, Hippy Hippy Shake, on the Tom Cruise movie soundtrack, Cocktail followed, but by the early 90's, all those years of incessant touring had taken their toll and the band split. Dan Baird went on to a successful solo career with Rick Rubin's Def American, scoring major hits with the album Love Songs From The Hearing Impaired and the single I Love You Period. A second LP, the critically acclaimed Buffalo Nickel followed and Dan also developed as a career as a highly sought after producer.

The rhythm section on both solo albums were Keith Christopher (bass) and former Georgia Satellites drummer Mauro Magellan, the duo responsible for a large part of Dan's trademark sound.

Jump to 2007 and the band was completed by Jason And The Scorchers founder member and guitarist extraordinaire, Warner E. Hodges. The quartet released their debut album in 2008, championed by Alan Jones (Uncut), Scott Rowley (Classic Rock) and Bob Harris.

The band appeared at the Sweden Rock festival in 2009 and Hard Rock Hell in 2011 and 2012. In 2012 they headlined the prestigious Kilkenny Festival in Ireland. They have established an annual series of concerts in London that attract fans from all around the world.

In 2013, Circus Life, the long awaited follow up to the debut album, was released and attracted great reviews across Europe. The album was also their first CD to get a full USA release and their first album to album to appear as a vinyl release.

2014 saw long term bassist Keith Christopher replaced by ex Bonafide man Micke Nilsson as their touring schedule stepped up, seeing shows in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, UK and USA. The last night of the 2014 tour will see the band play their first ever acoustic show before a sold out London audience.

Tommy Tutone were an early-'80s power pop band led by vocalist Tommy Heath and guitarist Jim Keller. The group's first single, 1980s "Angel Say No," charted on the American Top 40, yet it was 1981's "867-5309/Jenny" that sent the group to the top of the charts. Peaking in early 1982, the single hit number four and went gold. Tommy Tutone also charted in the the Top 40 with the release of their third album, 1983's National Emotion. In 1994, Heath returned with Tommy Tutone and a new release, Nervous Love. Heath continued with Tutone, releasing Tutone.rtf in 1998, Tutone-Ality in 2009, and A Long Time Ago in 2011. 2016 saw the release of Tommy Tutone Live, capturing the excitement of their earlier live performances. And in 2017 we have a new release by Tommy Tutone of the Pop Classic, My Little Red Book. As a group, and more recently as a Duo and a Solo Act, Tommy Tutone continues to rock festivals and clubs in a Power Pop style. Jenny turns 35 this year!

Squirrel Nut Zippers had the good fortune to make it to the big leagues at the same time the swing revival of the 1990s crested. Although the group's roots stretched far beyond the Rat Pack -- they were informed by New Orleans jazz, hot dance music, Harlem jazz, and other jumping music of prewar America -- they nevertheless benefited from the lounge revival, which helped lift their 1996 album, Hot, and its accompanying single, "Hell," into the Billboard charts. Squirrel Nut Zippers kept touring into the early 2000s, after which they went on hiatus. Leader Jimbo Mathus revived the group in 2008 for a live album but it wasn't until 2018 that the group released a new album, Beasts of Burgundy.

Jimbo Mathus (vocals, guitar, trombone) and Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo) formed Squirrel Nut Zippers in 1993 in the Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. Settling in the nearby small town of Efland, the couple renovated a farmhouse, where they pursued various arts and crafts, and eventually the band fell into shape as Mathus and Whalen met local citizens like Don Raleigh (bass) and Ken Mosher (guitar, saxophone, vocals) who shared an interest in hot jazz. Before long, Chris Phillips (drums, percussion), Tom Maxwell (vocals, guitar, baritone saxophone, clarinet), and Je Widenhouse (trumpet) were added to the band, which was now named after an old-fashioned candy bar, Squirrel Nut Zippers. The group soon made its live debut in Chapel Hill and within a few months had developed a large fan base throughout the South.

The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers By the end of 1994, Squirrel Nut Zippers had signed with Mammoth Records, and they released their debut album, The Inevitable, in the spring of 1995. Supporting the album with a tour, the group made some waves but it was their second album, Hot, that provided SQZ with a breakthrough. Released in June 1996, Hot gained momentum in early 1997 after "Hell" became a hit on such influential radio stations as Los Angeles' KROQ. Shortly afterward, MTV made the video into a buzz clip. By the spring, "Hell" and Hot had become hits, with the single earning heavy play on modern rock stations. Hot climbed to 27 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold in May; after its summer single "Put a Lid on It," it was certified platinum at the end of the year. Also in 1997, Squirrel Nut Zippers released the Sold Out EP.

Perennial FavoritesPerennial Favorites, the full-length sequel to Hot, followed in August 1998 -- it peaked at 18 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified gold the month after its release -- with Christmas Caravan appearing in October of that year.

Bedlam Ballroom Following 2000's Bedlam Ballroom -- a record that went no further than 195 on Billboard's Top 200 -- Squirrel Nut Zippers entered an extended hiatus. Mathus and Whalen divorced, with each singer pursuing their own solo musical projects, while Chris Phillips played with the Dickies and formed a band called the Lamps. In 2007, Squirrel Nut Zippers reunited with a lineup featuring Mathus, Whalen, Phillips, Stuart Cole, Will Dawson, and Je Widenhouse for a tour that extended into 2008; the 2009 album Lost at Sea was taken from a December 2008 date in Brooklyn.

Another hiatus followed, with Mathus assembling a new version of the band to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hot in 2016; he was the only original member, although Phillips did serve as the group's manager. Happy with the new roster, Mathus and Phillips took the band into the studio to cut a new album. The resulting Beasts of Burgundy appeared in March 2018.

Los Angeles protest rock power trio, Rebel Rampage, recently released their debut album Divided We Fall feat. Angelo Moore (Fishbone) and Emily Armstrong (Dead Sara) to critical acclaim. From being featured on LATV National Television to performing with Tom Morello at the ACLU 100 Years National Tour event in Grand Park, Los Angeles as well as winning Deli Magazine LA "Emerging Artist of the Month" and being featured on Loudwire, they are rallying the people through music everywhere. RR are also partners with the ACLU and A Voice For The Innocent, who is sponsoring their Midwest Summer Tour. Armed with words and music to resist oppression by the government and inspire change for equality and justice, they are galvanizing the public to engage in the democratic process by upholding civil and constitutional rights, and enforce accountability for the actions of those in power. The ever-expanding list of topical issues addressed range from immigration and women's rights to free press, climate change, and the failings of the U.S. health care system. Rebel Rampage feels that rock music recalling the likes of Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, and Rage Against The Machine blended into a current sound and format provide the best framework for this kind of musical protest.

Divided We Fall is a collaboration of industry heavy-hitters, and its collection of politically charged and controversial songs are a fiery addition to L.A.'s historic lineage of protest music. In an effort to bring the creative process to life, Rebel Rampage retreated to the famed Rancho De La Luna recording studio in Joshua Tree, CA with owner Dave Catching (Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age) and engineer Jon Russo (Mojave Lords). Vocals were tracked at Attic Recording in Nashville, TN with engineer Greg Magers (Lupe Fiasco, Umphrey's McGee). Four-time Grammy Award winner Adam Kasper (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden) mixed the album at Studio X in Seattle, WA, and all mastering was done by Grammy Award winner Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering in Burbank, CA.

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Est. late 2018, Infini is more than the music it brings to the stage, it the legacy we leave behind. This is only the beginning....

The Producers is a new wave and power pop band formed in the 80s from Atlanta, Ga. The original line up still includes Van Temple on guitar and vocals, Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, Wayne Famous on keyboards and Bryan Holmes on drums and vocals.

Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed musical directions and began performing their own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area. The response to their music was so good that they were quickly signed to CBS subsidiary Portrait Records by producer Tom Werman, who had worked with Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and Mother's Finest among others. They released two albums for the Portrait label, The Producers (1981) and You Make the Heat (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the Southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does to Me" onto the national Billboard Magazine single charts. "What's He Got", "Certain Kinda Girl"' and "Who Do You Think You Are?" had some popularity as music videos, but did not chart.They toured extensively with Cheap Trick and The Motels. The also played with Toto and Hall and Oates. "She Sheila" from the second album was a popular MTV video. They headlined New Year's Rockin Eve in 1982. They released a 3rd album, "Run for Your Life" on their label in 1987. They were then signed by MCA to a deal, but before they could release the album a revamping occurred at MCA, so they released their 4th album, Coelacanth, on their own.

Martha Cannon is hardly the first songwriter to note that romance is complicated, but few of her peers capture the ugly particulars of those complications with quite as much nuance. As the singer/songsmith behind Lady Cannon, she subjects her relationships to a vicious post-mortem, holding the mirror to herself as she details self-doubt, codependence, infidelity, deception and sunsetting love with unflinching candor. Raised on a Pacific Northwest farm largely secluded from pop culture, married by 19 and a single parent by her 20s, the Milwaukee musician has lived a singular life of tragedies and triumphs, and she channels those experiences into dreamy Americana that plays her lacerating lyrics against her honied voice.

After Lady Cannon's first album, 2012's impassioned Whiskey Dear, Cannon pulled the plug on the project and retreated from music. "I lost a taste for it," she says. "My divorce kind of broke up the band and I struggled with performance anxiety and self-doubt." It was drummer Devin Drobka who encouraged her to begin playing again and helped her shape the band's unusual new direction and lineup, which includes some of Milwaukee's most distinguished jazz and experimental musicians, including upright bassist Barry Paul Clark (who plays in Field Report along with Drobka), cellist Pat Reihholz and guitarist Andrew Murray Trim. The band's new sound is softer around the edges thanks to those strings, yet as tough as ever at its core--a stately complement to Cannon's sweet/sour songwriting.

Recorded with Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Recordings, Lady Cannon's album Fortune's Darling is an account of driftless men and determined women that documents the toll that trying to play it cool takes on the psyche of even the most resilient pragmatist. It features some of Cannon's most barbed songs yet, and conversely, some of her most romantic, too. No matter how often she's burned by relationships in these songs, she never loses her resilience.

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Band of Dust is an indie-rock band based out of Milwaukee, WI. Their sound evokes both rustic afternoons and urban nights where suspenseful storytelling and anxious confessions intersect. It's a sound that's both contemporary and classic, informed by the energies of artists like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Replacements, and The Gaslight Anthem.

The group's debut album Whispers Are Roars (2017) and follow-up EP Songs For All Blood Types (2018) has led them on a midwestern excursion, with singles like "Blue Flame" rocking the radio waves. Energetic and adventurous, the band supplies an infectious fusion of guitar and organ within a collection of songs that pack an emotionally swift punch.

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Fuzzysurf is a surf pop indie band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The group is composed of Sean Lehner (vox/guitar), Corey Murphy (keys), Ben Giddens (bass/vox), and Mike Roy (drums). Citing The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Blur, Weezer, and Talking Heads as early musical influences, the group goal has always been the creation of a catchy song.

Fuzzysurf is releasing their new album, "Fuzzy & The Surfs", on May 11th. Mixing melodic British Invasion pop sensibilities, Classic American surf, and a splash of psychedelia, the upcoming album showcases the band doing what they do best.

Singer, Drummer, Songwriter, and Bandleader Lindsay Beaver is much more than a young woman with musical talent, she is a force that knows no bounds. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Lindsay has been leading her band across North America and Europe for the past several years playing her own blend of Rock n' Roll, Soul, Punk & Blues. She has shared the stage with Legendary Artists such as Jimmie Vaughan, Bob Margolin, Paul Oscher and more. Her limitless voice and ferocious standing-drumming, once seen - never forgotten, have become known across festivals, theaters, and clubs from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

Her songwriting and albums have given her an impressive list of accolades and awards that include a 2015 Juno Award nomination (Canadian Grammy), 15 Maple Blues Award Nominations, a 2015 Blues411 Award, multiple Sirius/XM INDIE award nominations, as well as several nationally syndicated radio features and numerous 4 & 5 star reviews in publications from around the world. Her unforgettable live performances are executed with electric energy and amazing finesse, which draws upon a deep well of influences that range from Little Richard to The Ramones, and from Howlin' Wolf to Iggy Pop - Lindsay's love of blues and rock and roll music provides her a catalog of songs with the perfect mix of originality, tradition, and attitude to establish a true identity.

Slim Jim Phantom has secured his place as a true rock-n-roll icon. As the legendary drummer for the Stray Cats, Phantom, alongside band mates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 80s. With a love for 50s rock-n-roll the Stray Cats took inspiration from that bygone era and mixed with their youthful energy and aggression produced the updated hard-edged rockabilly sound that saw them conquer London, Europe and later the U.S., gaining fans among the likes of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Robert Plant along the way.

Over 30 years and millions of record sales later and Slim Jim Phantom continues to inspire and excite audiences worldwide. With a sound, style and image that remain as fresh today as they ever were, Phantom has cemented his place among rock royalty. Considered by many as the coolest drummer in rock-n-roll, Phantom's influence is still clearly felt on today's music scene with countless rockabilly drummers imitating his pioneering stand-up style.

As most artists will attest, the most unexpected circumstance can spark artistic inspiration. That's a fact that hasn't been lost on singer, songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Albert Castiglia. With his latest album, the aptly named Masterpiece, he celebrates an unforeseen triumph -- a connection with a daughter he never knew he had. The result is a work that's both personal and provocative all at the same time.

Castiglia calls this the most meaningful album he's ever made. "My daughter finding me and opening up my world to an additional family, including two grandchildren, brought out the deepest material I've ever created," he notes, "along with my wife, they were my muses." Indeed, songs such as "Keep On Swinging", "Masterpiece" and "Bring on the Rain" address the unexpected emotions that infused his psyche with the discovery of a family he never knew.

"Prior to my daughter finding me, my entire adult life felt incomplete," Castiglia reflects in the song "Bring On the Rain." "I never knew why I felt that way. I could never put my finger on it. Then when I discovered my daughter, my heart was suddenly overflowing."

The title track echoes the same sort of sentiment. "After my daughter and I connected for the first time, I submitted my DNA sample to the lab to confirm that I was indeed her father," Castiglia recalls. "I knew she was my kid the second I saw her picture, but my daughter wanted closure and by me taking the test, it would put all the speculation to rest. On the day my results came up positive, I wrote a letter to my daughter telling her how happy I was to be her father. At the end of the letter I wrote, 'I've been an artist for thirty years, but you're my masterpiece!' I ran with that line and made it the perfect song to express my love. As the lyric says, I loved her before I even knew her."

Co-produced by longtime friend and colleague Mike Zito, and released on Zito's own label, Gulf Coast Records, on May 24th, the album also finds Castiglia reflecting on the disappointment and disconnect that's gripped the nation in the past several years. Several songs, "Heavy" and "Love Will Win the War", deal with the dilemma that has impacted the those forgotten as the result of this modern malaise. "Heavy" brings those ideas to the fore. "It was inspired by people who live in this country and feel alienated, unappreciated, demonized and shunned by society," Castiglia reflects. "The homeless, the vets, immigrants, people of color, teachers, the LGBT community...they were on my mind the whole time I wrote this tune." "Love Will Win the War" goes even deeper into the horrors and violence that have shaken the very pillars of the nation's faith and fortitude. Castiglia says it was inspired by the mass shootings that were all too prevalent in recent years. "Those horrific events got me thinking, 'What goes through my daughter's mind when she drops her kids off at school? Does she think the worst or hope for the best? I really have a hard time playing this song without choking up, because I have my grandchildren in mind when I play it. It's sad, but I believe it's also hopeful."

The tone of the album underscores both its mood and its message, from the forthright stance of "Bring on the Rain," the frenzy and fury of "Keep On Swinging" and the driving determination of "Catch My Breath," "Thoughts and Prayers" and "Red Tide Blues," to the rustic reflection of "Love Will Win the War," the confidence and contemplation of the title track and the somber and sobering "I Tried To Tell Ya." By Castiglia's own admission, the sound is raw and unfiltered, little wonder since he and Zito play all the instruments between them.

"I think blues is a wide open net," Castiglia once told a reporter. "There are a lot of different ways to do it...I've taken a lot of heat for what I do. Some people think I'm too edgy to be considered a blues artist. On the other hand, I don't think that people like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf would have wanted me copying them and redoing their stuff. There's no point in doing that. They would want me to do my own stuff."

Of course, Castiglia should know. The Miami-raised musician served an apprenticeship while backing legendary blues musician Junior Wells. He later went on to work with singer Sandra Hall. Never content to allow himself to be confined to any particular category, he embarked on a solo career that's yielded eight critically acclaimed album and consist kudos for his exceptional instrumental prowess, his searing vocals, and live performances that have dazzled audiences from coast to coast. It's little wonder that Miami's New Times lauded him as South Florida's "Best Blues Guitarist" or that USA Today was inspired to remark "It's a revelation to discover the thrilling retro-electric blues from this astonishing young guitarist."
Likewise, BluesABout.com called Castiglia "one of those mid-tier artists that is just one album away from breaking big and becoming a household word in the blues world." Or, as M Music & Musicians once noted, "His back-to-basics approach follows in the footsteps of those who fostered the blues in the Mississippi Delta and the smoky late-night haunts of Chicago."

For now anyway, Castiglia is content to celebrate a new chapter in his life and what has become an added incentive for making music. That philosophy is perhaps best expressed in another song on the new album, a track called "Keep On Swinging." "It's about advice I would have given my daughter had I been around when she was a kid but which I'm now able to give to grandchildren," Castiglia says."'Keep on swinging, don't let the haters get you down.'" I always try to remind them that they are special and can accomplish anything their heart desires if they only put their minds to it. They're the ones that give me hope for the future."

Gulf Coast Records to release Masterpiece on May 24, 2019

With vocal comparisons to Janis Joplin and Grace Slick and guitar work likened to Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour, Jocelyn & Chris Arndt took their new record to #1 on the Jambands Top 30, cracked the Billboard Triple A Top 40, and earned a national TV debut on NBC’s Today Show. The siblings, both recent graduates of Harvard University, have balanced college with performances coast to coast and recordings featuring special guests G. Love, Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis, and Cory Wong of Vulfpeck. They’ve been featured at Sundance, Summerfest, SXSW, and Mountain Jam Music Festival, to name just a few, and garnered coverage from Baeble, Huffington Post, NowThis, Paste Magazine, People, Jam in the Van, Hollywood Reporter, and numerous others.