The Milwaukees Debut New Album, Live

In an unsuspecting building on what is essentially a back alley in Jersey City, one of my favorite bands rocks a packed house with new material.



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April 2, 2011: I used to rehearse at Pearl Studios (21 Cook St, Jersey City) a lifetime time ago. It’s an amazing hodgepodge of rooms and passageways that make up this rehearsal facility. Sure there are better looking, modern, shiny places. Yes there are places where you don’t have to walk up and over a rooftop to get to ‘Studio E’. But none of them have the same character as this place.

Walking in tonight, I flashed back to some great nights of creative revelations and fears of height. Back in my day, the place was hard to find because there was essentially nothing else here aside from the courthouse. Not that it’s much easier to find now, but at least I’m more familiar with the area. I had to give my cabby directions. Of course, I was relying on a brain five pints into the night, but we found that short strip of Cook Street.

I was here, packed into ‘Studio C’, along with many other fans and friends, to witness the debut of ‘American Anthems Vol. 2’ by The Milwaukees. This was not just another listening party. They’d be performing the entire album, top to bottom, live.

I was invited by guitarist Jeff Nordstedt who lured me in with his description of me as being “something of a local arts loudmouth.” How could I resist that? I mean, he is right, after all. Truth be told, I would have shown up anyway. It’s nights like this that I live for as a writer and as a lover of great music.

When I see a band this good having this much fun and connecting so well with people, it reinforces my philosophy about live music. No matter how far we’ve come or how far we’ve yet to go with the digital delivery systems at our fingertips, nothing will ever replace the excitement and joy of seeing a great band live.

Being surrounded by many familiar faces and such support, Nordstedt compared the night to the last Far Side cartoon, which was a spoof on The Wizard of Oz. In it, Gary Larson wakes up and is surrounded by all the characters he had created and said, “And you were there, and you were there.”

After the set, he told me how odd it felt to play the songs in the order of the record. The process of putting together the sequence of songs on an album is very different than that of a live show. But in this case, it worked out fine. The album is a well-rounded mix of the hard rock, great hooks, and softer moments that have made this band a favorite of mine.

Here are two sample tracks from ‘American Anthems Vol. 2’ that showcase the band’s wide range of emotion and energy.

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I had to leave before the second set due to a prior engagement. I was told would be filled with a lot of special guests, old favorites and surprises. Sorry I missed it. Thankfully, I did get to see another favorite of mine, Christina Alessi of Hey Tiger, get up and sing with the band. She also makes an appearance on the new album.

See Also:
The Milwaukees at Pearl Studios (gallery)
The Milwaukees
Hey Tiger
Pearl Studios


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