On The Record

Host Tyler Maas talks to the mayor of Cudahy, John Hohenfeldt.

Host Tyler Maas was joined by Yeah, Bro! Podcast host, ComedySportz improviser, and proud "gay sherpa" Jacob Bach to discuss this year's PrideFest Milwaukee, what to expect at the Yeah, Bro! LIVE show, and the significance June (which is National Pride Month) has in the LGBTQ+ community. The pair also run down the acts they're excited to see, many of which are part of the Milwaukee Record Stage lineup.

For this endearingly slipshod episode, hosts Matt Wild and Tyler Maas (that's us) decided to try something a little different and do an "Ask Us Anything" kind of deal via Facebook Live. So yes, as we were recording the audio for this podcast, we were also broadcasting live video on Facebook and taking real-time questions from viewers. Beyond that, summer was our general theme, and we managed to run down some of the Milwaukee summer festivals we're most excited about, discuss the issue of a seemingly small handful of bands playing the bulk of these festivals, and dig into the massive and always divisive Summerfest schedule. Thanks to our viewer questions, we also talked about "Weird Al," how we manage work and personal time, and what constitutes a "Milwaukee 8."

David "Punky" Wastak had a front row seat (or more accurately, a backstage pass) for much of the prosperous epoch of Summerfest comedy. As the longtime stage manager of Summerfest's Comedy Stage, Punky booked an astounding list of comics, such as Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Tracy Morgan, Jay Leno, Louie Anderson, Drew Carey, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, George Lopez, Joe Rogan, Frank Caliendo, Emo Phillips, Bobcat Goldthwait, and his good friend Lewis Black. In the early 2000s, the laughs began to die down as the stand-up presence at Summerfest ground to a halt, which spelled Punky's departure. He joined host Tyler Maas to share hilarious anecdotes, discuss the rise and fall of Summerfest's Comedy Stage, and ponder whether we can expect comedy to return to "The World's Largest Music Festival" any time soon.

In addition to being an accomplished Milwaukee filmmaker, the lead singer of a band, a sex educator, and an occasional Milwaukee Record contributor, Ashley Altadonna is an ardent trans activist. Though we're living in a time of unprecedented acceptance and consideration of one's gender, America is still presently wrestling with boycotts and increasingly heated debates about which bathroom somebody uses. Yet even with that opposition, the world is changing for the better. But is it changing fast enough? And what, if anything, can be done to accelerate society's understanding of gender identity? Altadonna recently joined host Tyler Maas at the uncharacteristically loud Milwaukee Record office to discuss America's apparent obsession with restroom labels, what the "trans" umbrella term covers, gender confirmation surgery, her work in film, and her own harrowing experience.

Host Tyler Maas was joined at Milwaukee Record HQ by Johanna Rose, a busy local musician and co-organizer of this year's FemFest and Arte Para Todos benefits. Joining her in the studio were Milwaukee comedian (and former funniest man in Vermont) Phil Davidson and Chicago-by-way-of-Milwaukee comic Sammy Arechar, two of Cream City Comedy Festival's three founders. They all discussed the formation and focus of their particular benefits, the underlying hope for artistic exposure and collaboration, and why artists who are struggling to make a living in their creative fields are willing to play for free to support worthy causes.

In an era of unprecedented online criticism, how can prospective consumers possibly sift through the noise to figure out, simply, what's good? To many people, the answer to that question is Yelp. Like it or lump it, the popular online review resource and its numerous counterparts are here to stay, both throughout the world and right here in Milwaukee. In her time as Yelp Milwaukee Marketing & Community Director, Rachel Fell has helped foster a passionate and (predominately) positive community of reviewers while also developing a localized presence for the polarizing international corporation. Fell and host Tyler Maas met up to discuss how she happened upon her unique position, the ups and downs of online criticism, and how quality and care are still paramount to a business' success.

Since 2009, the young professional group NEWaukee has become an ever-present player in Milwaukee's social and cultural scenes. What began as a simple social networking group started by a handful of friends looking to meet their peers and explore their city has become a social architecture firm looking to change the way Milwaukeeans young and old live, work, and play in their city and beyond. The NEWaukee Night Market, an arts and crafts fair that takes over a chunk of W. Wisconsin Ave. for four nights every summer, has become a huge success. The NEWaukee-organized Young Professional Week, a statewide program featuring hundreds of free events, workshops, and panels, kicks off April 23. On top of that (and dozens of other events), NEWaukee has been working with the new ownership group of The Shops of Grand Avenue, offering input and shaping the redevelopment of the long-struggling downtown mall. For this episode of On The Record, Matt Wild dropped by the NEWaukee offices (which, coincidentally, are in the basem

Host Tyler Maas was invited to the soon-to-be-vacated Lucky Cat by Eric Apnea (Holy Shit!), a booker at Cocoon Room who currently lives in the Lucky Cat space. Kelsey Kaufmann (Gallery Night, Youth Crush), a lifelong proponent of all-ages venues, joined in on the conversation. Together, the trio delved into the broad topic by comparing the state of all-ages music in Milwaukee today, discussing the importance of all-ages venues, laying out the limited businesses that can cater to young crowds (some better than others), and suggesting lasting ways the city can address this artistic absence.

Ramie Makhouf—stand-up comedian and co-host of "The Big Show" on 105.7 The Fan—comes to Milwaukee Record headquarters to tell host Tyler Maas his 2016 Brewers predictions, draw parallels between Chicago and Milwaukee's rebuilds, and discuss the ups and downs of making something he loves into his career.

Milwaukee has no shortage of bars. Though going to and evaluating literally more than a thousand taverns, dives, pubs, and cocktail lounges is a tough an unenviable job (and honestly, it should be), longtime OnMilwaukee bar writer Molly Snyder and Brian West, founder and editor of Alcoholmanac Magazine, have made it their lives' work to tell locals where and what to drink. They were kind enough to join host Tyler Maas at his favorite Milwaukee haunt, Blackbird Bar, to discuss the current climate of Milwaukee bars, future openings, gimmicks, pedal taverns, and how each writer made it their life's work to cover the things we drink.

To help find the best, weirdest, and most interesting events taking place in Milwaukee this spring, host Tyler Maas enlisted the expertise of two of the city's premiere entertainment writers. Milwaukee Magazine and Shepherd Express music writer Kevin Mueller and WMSE radio personality (and occasional Milwaukee Record contributor) Cal Roach joined Maas to discuss the shows they're most excited to see. From Janet Jackson's Bradley Center gig to Bubba Sparxxx's upcoming show at Cudahy's City Lounge, the trio covers a wide range of spring shows...most of which are somehow connected to Andy Kindler.

Milwaukee Comedy Festival and Fringe Fest co-founder Matt Kemple somehow finds enough time to get away from the office to join host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record's uncharacteristically noisy work space to discuss his various ventures, the struggles he (and the city's entertainment realm in general) faces, the origin of Milwaukee Fringe Festival, and how helping organize raves in his youth still informs the way he puts on a show today.

Born and raised in the Milwaukee, Adam Carr has taken his love of his hometown and made it into his livelihood. The Milwaukier Than Thou founder/photographer, civic activist, tour guide, storyteller, former radio personality, and all-around local champion recently added author to his résumé. Explore MKE: Your Neighborhood, Our City invites readers—children and adults alike—to look into the endless things that make Milwaukee and special place. Of course, Carr also acknowledges Milwaukee's imperfections and ways it needs to improve as the city's story continues. He joined host Tyler Maas to discuss his immense love for Milwaukee, how his book came to be, the city's deep-seeded segregation, and more.

Halo Of Flies founder Cory von Bohlen (who plays in long-running band Protestant)welcomes host Tyler Maas and Population Control singer Ricky Ramirez into his Riverwest living room to discuss how Milwaukee's metal scene currently stacks up to past decades and against nearby cities, what bands are bolstering that reputation, and why there's a lot to be excited about going forward.

During his short-yet-impressive career as a documentary filmmaker, Milwaukee native Spencer Chumbley has shot for such internationally regarded news outlets as VICE, AL Jazeera, TIME, and more. He's covered everything from riots overseas and community injustice within minutes of his hometown. While in town to screen a new doc, Oil & Water, Chumbley met up with host Tyler Maas to discuss the importance of his latest project, the Corey Stingley case, his path from Milwaukee's hardcore scene to a career in docs, and advice for aspiring filmmakers.

With an on-air resume that spans more than 30 years, few (if any) radio personalities in Milwaukee have witnessed more changes firsthand than Steve Palec. The longtime host of WKLH's "Rock N' Roll Roots" joined 88Nine Radio Milwaukee program director/DJ Jordan Lee and Milwaukee Record's Tyler Maas to examine the state of radio. In an 88Nine side studio, the three hosts—with 40 combined years of radio experience…and, uh, 13 months of podcasting—delved into the current climate of both commercial and listener-supported stations, and explained why specialization is key to maintaining a following in a rapidly changing industry.

Last month, Milwaukee comedian Ryan Holman made a Making A Murderer-related meme that garnered millions of views on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Imgur, various popular blogs, and more. However, his photo and joke went viral with little-to-no attribution going Holman's way. Similarly, Milwaukee's Hunter Ruth made a Scott Walker image that was spread throughout Wisconsin and beyond a few years ago—again, with no credit for doing so. Host Tyler Maas met the pair in Holman's house to discuss their own experiences making memes, their thoughts on the murky principles of online ownership, and the parallels to theft in the realms of both comedy and journalism. We swear, it's not as intense of a conversation as it sounds.

While home from Washington D.C. (where he now lives following a brief time living in L.A.) to play with Decibully in our Local Coverage benefit, Eric & Magill's Ryan Weber came to Milwaukee Record's studio where he and Decibully bandmate Andrew Menchal spoke about their time in the band, what prompted Weber's Milwaukee exodus, how he and Eric & Magill cohort Eric Osterman wrote with an ocean between them, and experiences from his journeys that will stick with him forever.

Fresh off a run of shows at Milwaukee's Comedy Cafe, stand-up comedian Shane Mauss sits down with host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters to discuss the trials and tribulations of making a living as a road comic. The western Wisconsin native got his stand-up start in Boston before winding up in Los Angeles and bringing his act to comedy clubs throughout the country. Along the way, he released a Comedy Central Presents special and two albums, performed on Conan (five times!), and found his material evolving considerably. Over the course of the hour conversation, Mauss chronicles his path from crouton factory worker to full-time comedian, details the highs and lows of the comic lifestyle, talks about breaking both his feet, and gets into the background of his great and ultra-informative podcast "Here We Are."