The Blinding Light of Milwaukee's Underground At The Intercontinental

The concept of Underground at The Intercontinental is of the purist intentions: giving local talent the opportunity to play for an audience in an environment they might not (strike that - definitely not) get the opportunity to play for otherwise. The environment? How about the classy, posh veneer of the hotel bar? On paper, in theory or as a "what if" conversation, the Underground series could potentially foster an enlightening live music experience for everyone involved - absolutely.... well, ideally it would.

What Happens In Milwaukee... Tellings Of A Local Music Addict

Saturday night. Destination: Linneman's Riverwest Inn. Oh, we'd been there before, my local music scene aficionados and I - it's Milwaukee's worst kept secret - the premier performance venue for the best local talent in the area. Tonight was special, though. Tonight we were especially excited to see The Vega Star after a several month drought.

Sure, their 2008 masterwork album The Night, is still in heavy rotation at my house, but seeing The Vega Star live is an entirely different experience - and more so since we've heard rumors of new songs to be performed.

Heaton's Acid Erosion

It's been five long years since the disbandment of The Beautiful South, and frontman turned solo artist, Paul Heaton's newest offering, Acid Country, further demonstrates the slow acid erosion of his salad days.

The James Blake Make And Break

Aside from the fact that you'd be hard pressed to find another collection of songs that sound like they're being sung by a sad robot (literally), the success of UK artist James Blake's debut album is almost as fascinating as the recording itself.