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Linneman's
- Locust Street, Riverwest
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 The
first time I was in Linneman's was in, I think,
December 1999, to meet a blind date, who was the
featured artist for the acoustic open stage on
Wednesday night. (PBoy - if you ever read this, I
am ETERNALLY grateful for you introducing me to
this place...) Outside, it was dark, and maybe a
less adventurous spirit would have not gone in. But
for me, it was an immediate fit - a perfect little
place for live music!! An angled, raised stage with
the bar off it... Unpretentious (as is much of
Riverwest) and friendly. The first night I was
there, hanging from the ceiling were maybe 100
silver glittery stars, which apparently a band from
a previous evening had put up, and they decided to
keep them up. (They're still there today!) There is
original artwork on the walls, and you'll find some
pretty cool Woodstock memorabilia in the back room,
along with an excellent jukebox and a pool table.
This is, by far, my favorite place. Jim Linneman,
the owner, is a true lover of all things music, and
this IS his baby - along with wife, Marty. Small as
it is, Linneman's has a great reputation - must
have to get the likes of Bodean's Sammy Llanas to
want to play there on his birthday, when he could
easily draw a crowd at a larger club. I've been in
there when there were barely 15 people in the place
to see the great talents of Melanie Jane and the
Danglers, and when it was so crowded there was
barely room to breathe - like Sammy. But my
favorite time to go is Wednesday night, for the
acoustic open stage. Musicians of all types and
talents sign up to play 3 songs or 15 minutes at a
shot, have an opportunity to have their performance
recorded, and they get exposure to a rather
intimate crowd of fellow musicians and a smattering
of others like myself, just there to listen and
hopefully discover. The "featured performer(s)" get
½ hour and their name on the calendar and the
web page. :o) not a bad deal!! It's inspiring to
see the seasoned musician who hasn't played in a
while getting back up on the stage just to play for
someone, but nothing is cooler than watching a
musician / singer / songwriter sitting who's never
been on stage before sitting nervously, alone
(don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of
friends!), waiting for his/her turn, anxiously
sipping a beer... and then getting on stage and
shining!! They come off the stage with a confident
smirk on their face to hear "great job" from those
who weren't too busy chatting to listen.
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Shank
Hall
- Farwell Avenue
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I've
always loved this
place.
I
don't remember even having a bad experience at this
club in the 18 years I've been going there. (yikes.
I'm old) Okay, there was that time last year at
Frank Black and the Catholics, where I was
basically too short to see through the crowd and
... well... even that was a pretty good night!!
I've seen so many bands at Shank (formerly Teddy's,
and I believe there was another name in
between), I couldn't begin to think back on
all of them!! Remodeled and roomier since the 80's,
this is that nice middle-ground between smaller
clubs and the Rave. The bar
is at the back
by
the entrance, complete with a wonderful fireplace.
Depending on the show, there are plenty of tables,
and a lot of standing room. On the left
side wall,
there's a ledge where you can rest your drinks in
lieu of a table. (I actually prefer this, as I can
never sit still and "chair dancing" doesn't cut
it.) And on both the north and south walls are
hundreds of autographed photos of artists who have
played there; you'll probably see one or two and
say "Awww MAN!! When did they play
here?!?! I can't believe I missed that!!"
My wish is to once again visit the "back
stage" and see if it's how I remember it
back in "the day." :-) OH - and
if you know where the name "Shank Hall" comes
from (and no, it's not Mike Shank), brownie point
are awarded to you!
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Up
& Under
Pub
- Brady Street
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One
of the more established places in town, and a nice
haven on Brady. U&U is Milwaukee's
self-proclaimed (I think) home for the
blues. I really love this club/pub. Every time
I go to U&U, I have an experience
that I could write about... either musically,
or just in my interaction with someone I've met.
Maybe that's why I like it so much. :-)
It's got a raised nice stage with room to see bands
from both front and back, if you don't mind peeking
around some amps and railing. You can play pool if
you want and still see the back of the stage and
hear the music. It lends itself to some rather
TIGHT dancing if you're so inclined. Great place to
hear great music... and when the live music isn't
on, it's a nice place to sit and have a drink or 3.
As home of the blues, they should stick to playing
the blues on the CD player, though, and not
cave to the wants of the college crowd.
:-) They've got the whole gamut of blues
artists, from Muddy Waters to Susan Tedeschi. They
have pretty great bartenders too.
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Franks
Power Plant
S. Kinnickinnic, Bayview
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This
place feels so much like the south side I imagine
my mother grew up in (she was raised in South
Milwaukee). Very working class, basic... bar on one
side, bands on the other, with folding chairs and
tables set up... Saw the Rust Belt Boys, a
Milwaukee Rockabilly trio, there... It was a great
venue for that kind of band. Wonderful "retro" feel
without trying to BE retro... you know?? Would
be interesting to see a different genre of music
there.
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Y-Not
II - Lyon Street
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Neighborhood
bar next to the Soap Opera (?) laundromat,
I always thought I'd hang here if I ever
lived in the area, and have a few drinks while
doing my laundry. A small carpeted stage is nuzzled
in the back, this is kind of a nice, intimate place
to catch a band. You can sit on the side of the
stage and listen to the band up close, play some
pool right on the other side, or sit at the
"other" end of the bar by the front door if
you're not interested in the music. There is also
an area that is off to the west side of the bar,
which is where it "wraps" around the laundromat (if
you've ever driven by, you'll know what
I mean). A mish/mosh of styles, Y-Not
II cannot be pigeonholed. It has large, bright
neon drink lights on the wall (martini, etc...),
and a purple florescent lighted "ledge" with bar
stools on the west wall that feels very much like a
dance club. But it is far from it!! YNII has a nice
old, long, wood bar, old band posters on part of
the ceiling, and vinyl seats that are moments away
from being repaired with duct tape. The jukebox has
a pretty cool mix of everything from the Pixies, to
Tom Waits, Billy Holiday to Sade, as well as local
artists and "special occasion" songs. .
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Reed
Street Station
2nd Street, Walker's Point
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If
you want to see a band and they're playing at Reed
Street - GO. I say that only because I
think it's a really great little club, on 2nd
Street in Walker's Point, just north a few blocks
from the Hub of 2nd & National. I was
really sad when this place closed under it's
previous name, The Filter Inn, and I'm hoping Reed
Street stays around. It's a really charming,
smaller club with great "cream city brick," a
nice bar, a small raised stage... Decor has a bit
of a biker feel to it, but it's not overwhelming.
It's got a really great "feel" and there's no
reason why it shouldn't succeed!! They're
getting some more well known local bands lately, so
hopefully people are going and they'll stay
around!!!
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Thai
Joe's
- Prospect Avenue
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There's
no sign from the outside, but don't worry - you can
be confident when you walk under the Bangkok Orchid
awning and in the door you'll see Thai Joe's
downstairs... "underground." Very cool spot,
and really cool club. (Mr. Fen - you were right...
there's no place like it in town...) This was a lot
bigger than I thought. First impression was
"wow." Beautiful and colorful butterfly kites
were suspended from a black ceiling. Large bar,
with two "sides" to it - one on the side where the
music was playing, and if you wanted a little less
crowd and perhaps a quieter moment you could sit on
the other side, which is painted with bright
colors, and has ample tables and elbow room. The
stage is a slightly raised large square area in the
north west corner. No tables near the stage - there
were some against a mirrored west wall, and quite a
few tucked in the east corner which had a wall
painted with sky/clouds, but still seemed quite
dark. (I'm not sure if the table thing was the
venue I went to or a common thing). The floor
in front of the stage was vast and wood - prime for
dancing.
For
the most part, Thai Joe's is pretty cool (the
underground and black made me long for the
Unicorn)!! However, I think I really
need to stop in again, perhaps for a different type
of venue, as the clientele and overall
"vibe" the night I went was one
I can't say had a positive impact on me at
all.
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The
Rave
- 27th & Wisconsin
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The
Rave actually has several venues (4) within
this incredible building. Check out their site. I'm
up to 3 now!!
The
Rave Bar, is basically that. A nice, big,
dark bar, with what looks like entangled vines with
hot pink colored Christmas lights on them hanging
from the ceiling illuminating the more open areas.
Tile flooring, a low but good sized unfinished wood
stage. The stage viewing area wraps around the
stage (in a kind of backward L shape), which can
make for a limited view if there is a crowd and
you're sitting on the side, but still a good view
in an intimate and friendly setting. And the side
view gets chairs. Front view sits on the tile floor
in front or stands in the back. You can sit on the
stools at corner of the bar off to the side, but
there's a chance someone will stand in front of
you. Toward the back of the Rave Bar, there appears
to be large windows looking outside, but upon
closer examination, they look out to the side stage
and floor of the Ballroom!! It would be very cool
to watch a bigger show from the smaller bar
area!! Their jukebox is really cool as well!
The
Rave Basement is in... well... the basement -
what a great place! Underground, dark, and very
spacious, illuminated glass bricks with various
bric-a-brac on and among them, light the side
walls. There are long colorful bubble lamps
throughout which were very cool in the mostly black
room. Large bar areas, and in the center of the
room is a large wooden dance floor that - if there
was ever room at a show - would be amazing to just
let loose on!!
The
Rave Ballroom, formerly the Eagles Club
ballroom, is still a pretty cool place to go. Black
walls with red trim and accents, high ceiling, the
upstairs wraps on the sides and back, the floor has
a spacious area to stand in a crowd, and I seem to
remember the stage being a little less "open" but a
little more raised, :-). Would still like to see it
up a little, but I think I had a pretty decent view
considering I was toward the back and I'm a
mere 5'3". There's always the opportunity to be up
front and personal if you get there early enough.
Always cool!!
Downfall
of this place? Those like myself who
are vertically challenged, get to the show
early, or be sure to strategically place
yourself between or in front of tall people, or be
prepared to defend your right to see the stage!!
Drink prices. $5.00 a cup for a large
plastic cup of *blech* Miller Genuine Draft or
Miller Lite beer, $3.00 for the same size soda. My
suggestion - drink before you get there, don't
worry about drinking anything, or if you're truly
wealthy and can afford to get truly liquored up at
the Rave, e-mail me!! We'll talk!
:o) However, in the Rave's defense, the Rave
offers free passes for certain shows and the
"catch" is a 2 drink minimum (much like comedy
clubs do). Not "no-name" acts either. Saw Vertical
Horizon with a pass - $12 w/ 2 drink tickets. What
a deal!! ;-) And for the "less than
mellow" shows, allow an extra 3-5 minutes to
get through security. You'll be "patted
down" (whoo hoo!), scanned with a handheld
metal detector (ala Spinal Tap!), and if you have a
bag/purse, its contents will be examined with a
flashlight. But it's cool. At least you feel
secure!
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G-Daddy's
BBC - Farwell & North
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You've
heard "it's a thin line between love and
hate." That's the BBC. The thin line being
the stairway that leads from the downstairs (a
large, television infested sports bar filled with
GAP and Abercrombie collegiate types, pool tables
and baseball hats - a.k.a. my personal
hell) to the heaven upstairs! Don't arrive
early for a show. Wait until the doors open (good
luck finding the door in that crowd!!), so you can
climb the steep stairs to the place where there is
just one TV!! There's a relatively small bar
in the back, stage in the front, and stools and
tables filling the long somewhat narrow gap between
them. It's slightly dark, with carpeted cream city
brick walls, stucco ceilings, and windows that look
out to the the corner of Farwell
& North... the windows catch and bring in
a sparkle of light from the busy intersection,
which is something you just don't get at a
ground-level club. The acoustics are good, the
stage is fairly large. Definitely worth wading
through the sheep to go see some good
music! :-)
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The
Globe - Farwell & North
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I'll
confess. I don't' like this place. At all.
Been there twice now, and always have kind of a bad
"vibe" there. Not a bad time, mind you
- in fact that last time was pretty cool. But it's
just a really uncomfortable setup for my taste (one
other person I know concurred). The stage is
decent, but there's limited seating, and the bar
takes up a huge amount of space on the right side
of the club from the back toward the front, so you
basically stand around the left side of the bar...
There's a little "loft" in the back where you
can watch from up high... which is always cool...
there's a little room up front... but, I would
never go to this place unless it was for a band
I really wanted to see.
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Lakefront
Brewery
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What
a beautiful place!! Primarily, this is a brewery,
so they have a really cool selection of unusual
beers (I had pumpkin). I've was there for the
WMSE Halloween Show. It's a really large,
restored building, with beautiful cream city brick,
and (if I remember correctly) hard wood
floors. It had a really great "dance hall" feel to
it. I'm not sure if they have live venues often.
Might help to check out their site. I'll have to go
there again on a better night. (don't
ask)
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Quarters
- Center Street
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This
place is really small & basic, but kind of
interesting. Wooden flooring, a multileveled
seating area coming off the "dance floor" (if
that is a proper term for it ) - basically, it's an
area of wooden floor in front of the stage without
tables or chairs occupying it. There's a small
raised stage well suited for the band I caught
the last time I was there. A nice bar on the
side... Simple, basic, no frills.
(notice the sign!)
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Sande's
National
Pastime
Near
the baseball stadium!
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Small
and unassuming, this is a great little place to
hear blues. My friend and I won tickets for a
show just after Halloween, and saw Dr. Hector and
the Groove Injectors. There were about 15 people in
the place, a sad showing I thought, but it was
a little pricey... The band was really great,
though, and in such a small place, it's really
conducive to interacting with the band, and
chatting with them after the show. We had a great
time. Again, like Linneman's, you know this place
is a labor of love for the music. A really friendly
place to hang out. I'll get there again - some
day.
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