I rode the buzz out to the Troubadour to catch the first of three nights What Made Made Milwaukee Famous would be performing in Los Angeles and quickly found it all to be true. The quartet from Austin opened their set with “Idecide,†the first song from their Barsuk Records release Trying To Never Catch Up.With very little knowledge of what the band would sound like, I was a bit apprehensive when the electro track started as they took the stage.Not that tracks are bad, it’s just that when done wrong they can be disastrous.This would not be the case tonight though. The full drum kit, guitars, keys and bass rig kept me at ease long enough to give everyone time to pick up and fill out the track most eloquently.The rich warm sound continued thought out the set.Vocals, guitars and everything layered most thoughtfully.The arrangements struck me as smart and unpretentious which made the listening all the easier.Though I didn’t know the title when they played “The Jeopardy of Contentment,†I was at once moved to the thought that I was on a journey, yet that I wasn’t really going anywhere.Much like an eagle soars high in the sky circling for prey and not really going anywhere for a time, but still flying.Though it’s nice to fly, on a later listen to the CD I realized that it might be more about that next step before moving on and the difficultly of making change, hence the title.
With a full set of solid music and crowd appreciation to show for it, What Made Milwaukee Famous must have won over more than just me tonight.With their sound ranging from a bit of the Magic Numbers to a pinch of Elvis Costello and a dash of Cheap Trick, What Made Milwaukee Famous is definitely worth an evening out, or at least a visit to your favorite downloading site.
