The Dig Sessions

Milwaukee by Calamity Janes and the Fratney Street Band

|

I’ve recently come to a realization: the Milwaukee music scene is incredible, and we who live here are all horribly spoiled. Case in point, the Calamity Janes and the Fratney Street Band. Mixing heart-melting vocal harmonies and tight instrumentation into pure auditory joy.

Read More... • • • • •
Bands On The Rise

You Can't Be Everywhere at Once – Carousel at Turner Hall

|

Sometimes, you just can’t make it to show as much as you’d love to. As a local musician, I hear a lot of really sad excuses for not making it to shows, but I promise, I’ve got a good one for not making Carousel and Cherub at Turner Hall Ballroom tonight. You see, I stay busy, and getting married at the end of this month doesn’t alleviate the schedule. The bachelor party is today, and if my best man does things right, I wouldn’t remember the concert even if I made it. Oh well, I at least had a chance to check out their music, watch their videos, and chat with the Kevin from Carousel and ask some questions about the band.

Read More... • • • • • • •
First Impressions

5 Things Learned from the Juiceboxxx Incident

|

Promoting last week’s East Side Music tour in Milwaukee, local hip-hop artist, Juiceboxxx, made an appearance on the local news. The interview was awkward, the quality of the performance was terrible, and the internet blew up. While the popularity of the video will actually probably help Juiceboxxx in the end, it’s a bit of a shame to see the knee-jerk reaction so many people had to a situation pretty well beyond his control. The incident demonstrated the ugliness that sometimes happens when artists get out of their niche and into the general public. After watching the video several times, looking at Juiceboxxx’s other performances and material, I compiled the top 5 lessons we can learn from the Juiceboxxx incident.

Read More... • • • • • • •
The Dig Sessions

Mississippi Sawyer | Me And My Gin

|

Welcome back to The Dig Sessions. Today’s episode brings us the second of three songs recorded with Mississippi Sawyer. This track, entitled Me And My Gin first recorded on 25 August 1928 by Bessie Smith, contains banjo, washtub bass, washboard, harmonica, a suitcase bass drum, and a foot tambourine. This Dig Session was recorded in the Brewers Hill neighborhood of Milwaukee Wisconsin. We hope you enjoy it.

Read More... • • • • • • • •
Venues We Dig

Linneman's Riverwest Inn: Still Going Strong

|

Good evening everyone. I was just about to call it an early night when I came across this piece written by JSOnline. I’d like to congratulate Jim Linneman on his success. For anyone that has not ever visited his establishment you are missing out. Hands down my favorite sound in Milwaukee. His Wednesday open mic night was where Pay The Devil played our first gig. Check out the article, and support music in Riverwest.

Read More... • • •
Album Reviews

Pay The Devil: Money For Old Rope EP

|

Since 2011, friends of the Dig Pay The Devil have worked to become a regular component of the Milwaukee Wisconsin music scene. The four piece band is comprised of Ivan Eisenberg on banjo, harmonica, and vocals, Ivan Wayne Baker III on guitar, and vocals, Matt Gibbons on mandolin, and vocals, and finally Kent Heberling on spoons, kick drum, and snare. Their newest EP is entitled Money For Old Rope and was released this week on August 6, 2013. True to their nature, it is a mix of Bluegrass, Americana, and  new compositions which speak to the audience through the filter of traditional music.

Read on for my complete thoughts. You dig?

Read More... • • •