Brew City Sludge - March 2008
by Lane Klozier
Klozier here.
The state of straight-ahead blues based party rock has diminished in Milwaukee. It used to be that you could catch The Probers or someone of that ilk on any given weekend. Hope has been resurrected in Brew Town’s own Delta Routine. With the obligatory three-piece line up, drummer Kyle Ciske, bassist Lewis Gatford and vocalist/guitarist Nick Amadeus come on like a volcano. Blues, rock, and jam combine for a sound reminiscent of the first Jet release. They have followed the same path taken by acts such as the Black Crowes by putting out a record that flows from track to track without losing a step. Their debut album, Donna, was produced by Mike Hoffmann. The disc pounds and jumps with stand-out tracks such as Little Truth and Donna which beat simple chord progressions into submission in a delicious way. Songs such as “Once More” show the bands boogie side with a punk edge. Live, the act steams up a room. Their following is growing at an amazing rate. It’s time to take off your jackets and dance Milwaukee! Delta routine will burn down the Up and Under on Saturday, March 8th with a special opening set by Guido’s RaceCar.
Milwaukee has lost another legend. Beautiful Bert aka: BB Slags has passed away. For those of us who knew him, he needs no introduction. For those of you who didn’t, there is no explanation. BB was to trash rock what Chuck Berry was to rock ‘n’ roll. Most often compared to G. G. Allin, Bert transcended that type of weirdness by actually playing songs that made at least a bit of sense. His records were most often reviewed as “shitty”, “poorly recorded” or “ridiculous”. His records were indeed all of these things. But, so was Never Mind the Bollocks. You could sum up his musical career with track two off his latest record: Beer, Burgers and Broads. I have a feeling that when the pearly gates open for him, Bert will take a quick left and try to find some shit hole that’s still serving. RIP.
