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Shining the spotlight
Wisconsin's small venues create stunning music atmosphere with local and alternative bands
by beth wick
In August 2005, CBGB, the epicenter of underground rock in New York City, lost its lease, forcing many people to question the future and health of underground live music. Just two months earlier, Luther’s Blues, a downtown Madison venue, heard its final song and saw its final concert as it unexpectedly shut its doors with concert dates still booked for months ahead. While some still push to reopen the venue, it has since stood dark, silent and closed without a performance for months. Although the closure of CBGB, a media darling, caught national attention, in Wisconsin, Luther’s Blues is the true loss.
Wisconsin is home to small unique venues that book talented underground international, national and local bands. But imperfect relationships between talented bands, smaller venues, promoters, radio stations and fans threaten the state’s healthy, vibrant and competitive music market.
The history of music in Wisconsin is diverse and spans many decades. Les Paul, a Waukesha native, invented the electric guitar, revolutionizing the way music was conceived, played and heard. Since then, Wisconsin has bred many successful bands, including the Violent Femmes, Garbage, the BoDeans and The Gufs. These bands garnered national attention, but it seems fewer bands have been discovered recently on Wisconsin soil.
Small music venues lie at the heart of a diverse, exciting, cutting-edge music scene. Musicians and fans need to keep smaller venues thriving because they cater to underground and local talent, which is highly vulnerable in today’s music industry. Additionally, smaller venues are diverse and avoid mainstream music that is already widely promoted on television and radio. Places like High Noon Saloon and The Annex in Madison, and The Rave and Mad Planet in Milwaukee play a dominant role in creating a stunning musical atmosphere. Their eclectic lineups encompass many different musical genres and cater to a variety of crowds.
Cathy Dethmers, owner of High Noon Saloon in downtown Madison, secures bands to play seven nights a week, but says Madison might not always be a major priority to national booking agents.
“We are considered to be a tertiary market because we are smaller than Chicago and Minneapolis,” Dethmers says. “If an agent or a band has a good working relationship with a club in Madison or they just really like the crowd here, then they’ll definitely make it a priority.”
Dethmers opens her venue to local, national and international bands and says about 90 percent of the bands that play there seek out the venue. She sees smaller venues as a vital part of Wisconsin’s music scene and a place where bands can gain a following.
“[Small venues] are definitely good as a breeding ground for bands, particularly local bands, but even nationals that maybe don’t have a huge name yet and just are kind of getting going,” Dethmers says. “Playing in the smaller venues regularly and packing them creates a really good buzz, good reputation and just helps them build their scene.”
Similarly, Mad Planet, in Milwaukee’s River West neighborhood, shares the same philosophy in its booking process. Marc Solheim, who works for Mad Planet, successfully brings in a number of talented national and international bands to play at the venue.
“We work with a group of agents that represent a lot of the bigger bands,” Solheim says. “Sometimes we look for local flavor to augment the shows and round out the bill or have a completely local event.”
Last year, The Raveonettes and Arcade Fire, bands from Denmark and Montreal respectively, graced Mad Planet’s stage. Arcade Fire sold out the show even though Milwaukee radio did not play their music.
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| front man: Nic Adamany performs lead guitar with the Mighty Short Bus at Angelic Brewing Company. photo:beth wick & nate koch |
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curb magazine 2005: balance for wisconsin's young professionals
