What Made Milwaukee Famous
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What Made Milwaukee Famous

Austin, Texas, United States

Austin, Texas, United States
Band Rock Pop

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"Well, I’m not sure what made Milwaukee famous, perhaps it’s the Randall Simon episode last year when he batted a costumed bratwurst or maybe its something not related to Bud Selig at all. Their music is at once infectious and will help redefine the term rock-n-roll with its electronica-fused choruses. Of course they’re another in a long line of superb indie bands from the Austin, TX area. You’ve got to love the bouncy fun of “Bldg. A Boat From the Boards In Your Eye” that conjures images of Beatles-esque magic found on their “Sgt. Peppers” album." - Smother.net


"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"I don’t know a whole lot about this Austin based band. But you don’t really need to know a whole lot when the music speaks as loudly as their debut LP does. These are 11 songs that will have any fan of The Wrens, Namelessnumberheadman or The Shins up in a tizzy. These are well-crafted pop gems that shimmer brighter than most of the pop albums out this year."
- IndieWorkshop.com


"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"What Made Milwaukee Famous are mixing up elements of all different genres and creating their own sonic smoothie. They go from loud to soft to sensitive to detached quite quickly-and, it must be said, quite effortlessly. It's melodic, it's smart, it's intelligent, and it sounds like everything you probably like and nothing you've probably heard."

- MundaneSounds.com


"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"As a stand-alone album, Trying Never To Catch Up is an upbeat collection of all your favorite pop and indie-pop signifiers: The Beatles, Radiohead, The Wrens and Namelessnumberheadman all shuffle in, at some point, to rear their heads. As an audition for an indie label contract, it’s even better. You could easily see someone like Absolutely Kosher, Barsuk or even Sub Pop putting out their next long player and all the kids lauding the rarely heard debut because of those MP3’s they downloaded a few weeks before. Get up on it, before they get up on The OC and you have to lie to your friends that you knew them way back when."
- Stylus Magazine


"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"Wistful and happy-go lucky, brooding and slapstick, hopelessly sentimental and chronically enigmatic, Trying to Never Catch Up succeeds on terms of its own devising. It's challenging in the best sense of the word because it raises the bar for every band with whom What Made Milwaukee Famous shares a stage." 4 of 5 stars - the Austin Chronicle


"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"It's really quite surprising that What Made Milwaukee Famous hasn't hit it big yet, because they certainly have potential to do so. The album covers so many genres in just over 45 minutes, yet it is still completely cohesive and never sounds forced." 4.5 of 5 stars - Music Emissions


"the Scene Stealers"

What Made Milwaukee Famous owes its existence to this very publication. When singer/guitarist Michael Kingcaid took out a few lines in the Chronicle Classifieds' "Musician's Referral" section in summer 2002, he beat keyboardist Drew Patrizi to the punch.

"When I saw his ad, I was about to run an ad with a couple of the same references," says Patrizi. "I was like, 'I'm going to look one more time,' and then I saw his."

"Serious, dedicated, like-minded individuals ..." recounts Kingcaid.

"It didn't say 'responsible,' did it?" asks Patrizi.

"Actually it did," nods Kingcaid, "but we threw that one out when we first started."

Taking no chances, Kingcaid took the extra step (and expense) of running a separate ad for each instrument. Patrizi perked up when he saw the Shins, Jeff Buckley, and Wilco, whereas drummer Josh Vernier heeded a heavier call.

"Matt Cameron [Soundgarden/Pearl Jam] hit me," the jazz-trained Vernier recalls. "Ginger Baker [Cream] hit me, too."

"No one knew what each other was going to do, but something came out instantly that sounded good," says bassist John Farmer, who's partial to Mike Watt and NoMeansNo. "It just came completely natural."

By design, WMMF's multilayered pop-rock is hard to pin down. Kingcaid and Patrizi's melodies can recall Grandaddy or the Flaming Lips, while Vernier and Farmer create a bottom better suited to an early-Nineties Dischord album. The whole thing might then stop on a dime and head somewhere else entirely.

"It might not even be on purpose," says Farmer, "but you hear something, and it's like, 'Wait, what did you just do?'"



What Made Milwaukee Famous, who are angling a June release for their debut, play Friday at the Parish with Shane Bartell and Matt the Electrician.

- the Austin Chronicle - by Christopher Gray


"review of Trying to Never Catch Up"

"This Austin act takes it cue from early- to mid-nineties Britrock but adds an unmistakable American sense of rock'n'roll (more Chicago than Austin, actually) that takes the band's music to levels that few unknown acts are able to ever reach. You can hear hints of The Beatles at times, and '80s new wave acts at others. But Trying To Never Catch Up never sounds dated -- far from it, actually. With each song, the album breathes new life into an increasingly stale genre. This is undoubtedly one of the best albums of 2004." - Space City Rock


"GLC, Sek Loso Rule SXSW (2005)"

"Best Misplaced Band: What Made Milwaukee Famous. They're from freakin' Austin. Either way, their pop chops were as shimmering as the curtains of the Velvet Spade. Runner-up: Georgia's Of Montreal."

- Rolling Stone


"South By Southwest Diary: March 19"

"Saturday at SXSW belonged to the independents. The hyped shows -- M.I.A., Bloc Party, the Go! Team, etc. -- were over. With the buzz transferring to lesser-known artists, such as the Franz Ferdinand-inspired Maximo Park and the elegant pop of Texans What Made Milwaukee Famous, there wasn't a clear-cut must-see show. Labels such as Century Media, Definitive Jux, Victory Records, Rainbow Quarts and Fenway Recordings presented showcases and major labels took a back seat to the undiscovered."
- Billboard Magazine


Discography

Trying to Never Catch Up - June '04
What Doesn't Kill Us - March '08

Photos

Bio

What Made Milwaukee Famous charges into 2006 with a remarkable year behind them. Critics have been buzzing about WMMF since their unforgettable 2005 SXSW showcase. Their “elegant pop” (Billboard) has landed them shared billing on shows with The Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National and Snow Patrol. The year culminated with their national TV debut on the legendary PBS show Austin City Limits, which featured WWMF and Franz Ferdinand. Rarely in the series’ 30 year history has an unsigned band performed on the show.

In their critically acclaimed debut, Trying to Never Catch Up, What Made Milwaukee Famous deftly weave a web of melodic pop gems shot through with electronic-fused choruses, tight rhythms, edgy guitars, and colorful vocal arrangements. Their infectious, intelligent and emotional debut led both Billboard and Rolling Stone to list them as a new band to watch, and garnered a recommendation for "Album of the Year" by The Austin Chronicle. Silent Uproar wrote that “What Made Milwaukee Famous blends Death Cab for Cutie/John Vanderslice rock with the swagger of Austin counterparts Spoon. The result is delightful and dynamic.”

What Made Milwaukee Famous is Michael Kingcaid (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Drew Patrizi (keyboards, vocals, guitar), John Farmer (bass, vocals), and Jeremy Bruch (drums, vocals), each bringing a diverse range of influences to the stage. Their music employs an exhilarating blend of classic persuasions and fresh enthusiasm; instantly accessible, yet intricate enough to appeal to discriminating audiences. What Made Milwaukee Famous draws on influences from a span of eras--calling to mind everyone from classic Television to Candy-O-era Cars to the raucous romp of The Kinks - blending the quirks and energy of The Knack and XTC with My Bloody Valentine textures and Jeff Buckleyesque vocal acrobatics.

The enthusiasm and support for Trying to Never Catch Up is especially positive and universal. What Made Milwaukee Famous has been featured on shows such as WXPN’s influential World Café in Philadelphia and Andy Langer’s Next Big Thing on 101X in Austin. They continue to receive airplay on college and community stations across the country and overseas, including Steve Lamacq’s Music Show on the BBC. WMMF are equally engaging live - The Austin Chronicle picked What Made Milwaukee Famous second behind Spoon as the best live band in Austin, and Pop Matters wrote “live, these guys exude amiability and a genuine love for playing. Bottom line, they’re fun AND talented—a cut above the rest.”

With a potent debut CD catching the attention of new music fans and industry heavyweights, a live performance that radiates with ambitious energy while showcasing their pop sensibilities, and an upcoming tour, What Made Milwaukee Famous are poised to inspire audiences of many stripes, and make a profound impact on the landscape of pop music.