What Made Milwaukee Famous

Posted by Rob Ortenzi on 05-Jun-08 @ 04:53 PM

HQ: Austin, TX
NOW PLAYING: What Doesn't Kill Us (BARSUK; barsuk.com)
THE STORY SO FAR: Schlitz beer may be what made Milwaukee famous, but What Made Milwaukee Famous the indie pop band are on the map because of hard work, a broad range of influences and a bit of good luck. After coming together through newspaper ads frontman Michael Kingcaid placed in 2003, the then-four-piece hunkered down in a practice space, perfecting songs for about a year before their first gig. Good thing they focused on their live chops because when Arcade Fire pulled out of taping their 2004 Austin City Limits PBS special at the last minute, WMMF were tapped to fill in, landing them a slot at the ACL Festival, too. "We were out on the road when we found out about it," says Kingcaid. "It was just a crazy weekend, and everything since then [has been] a whirlwind."
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Having recently added Jason Davis on guitar, the quintet--Kingcaid, Davis, Drew Patrizi (keys, vocals, guitar), John Farmer (bass) and Jeremy Bruch (drums)--released their eclectic sophomore album, What Doesn't Kill Us, last month. Kingcaid believes the disc negotiates the band's varying influences--everything from Latin jazz to ska. "There's too much good stuff out there to sacrifice trying other things," he says. "The new album is a little more cohesive because we were all kind of in the same headspace and it sounds like it wasn't pieced together. It sounds that way. Some of it was." [Laughs.] -Rachel Lux
YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: NADA SURF / OKKERVIL RIVER / SPOON