Pop rockers The Last Bees’ latest tune is heavily inspired by ’60s psychedelia. It’s about the irrational thinking, apathy, and extremes one may fall into when they’re faced with persistent uncertainty. Vocalist Ian Ash told 88Nine that he’d been inspired by The Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” for the song’s demeanor and that the pandemic created a unique scenario that fit his writing. The Last Bees have a new EP that will be out soon, following their productive year of two EPs.
Tag: The Beatles
REVIEW: Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band at the BMO Harris Pavilion
When it was first announced in March that Ringo Starr would be playing the BMO Harris Pavilion at the Summerfest grounds, it was immediately earmarked by many as a highlight of an already busy 2018 full of great local concerts. That’s admittedly a bit of heavy pressure to put on the 78-year old Beatles drummer, as well as his All Starr Band consisting of Colin Hay from Men At Work, Steve Lukather of Toto, Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey, Graham Gouldman of 10cc, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bisonette. However, Starr and his band exceeded expectations on Saturday night with a prompt two-hour set that played like a catalog of greatest hits on shuffle.
The reality of this show is that if you were expecting a full night of Beatles tunes, you might be disappointed, but if you were a fan of the decades of classic rock that were in many ways a byproduct of The Beatles, you were in for a treat. Seeing the band member’s names on paper might make you wince a little as well; drummer Bisonette is the youngest member of the band at 59 years old. However, seeing the band live, everyone truly was a star(r), technically proficient as ever. Starr brings over a half a century of being a rock star, and the rest of the band have several decades of being on top of their game as well. When it meshes together, as it did on Saturday night, crowds like the jam-packed Pavilion audience eat up song after song. No solo was left untouched, and no part was altered for age. It was like watching a surreal jam session for two hours without a lull.
The set list bounced around in terms of showcasing the bands associated with each member, Starr included. In fact, Ringo seemed to know what he did best for many years with the Beatles; play the background. While we did get a fair amount of Ringo Starr solo material, and Beatles cuts “Boys”, “Don’t Pass Me By”, “Yellow Submarine” and “I Wanna Be Your Man”, much of the night was spent with tracks from Toto, Santana, Men At Work, and 10cc with varied vocalists. In many ways that worked to the show’s advantage, creating a comprehensive set with no real filler. It was, however, a little awkward to hear the band play Johnny Burnette’s “You’re Sixteen”. That could’ve maybe been cut from a set of many sexa- and septuagenarians.
Starr’s solo songs, “Photograph”, “Anthem” and “It Don’t Come Easy” made it to the set, but Ringo himself was the one to poke fun at his work. “Before joining The Beatles, I had written many songs” he quipped at one point, to follow with “most of them weren’t recorded”. This was also a great time to remind you that Toto and Men At Work had some bangers in their catalog (1. yes, I said it. And 2. Toto still does – they played the same BMO Harris Pavilion at Summerfest 2017). The band also played “Africa” and “Rosanna” of recent Weezer lore, but only referring to them as “a certain alternative band”, which leads one to believe perhaps Lukather isn’t too thrilled about their ironically hip covers.
Nevertheless, Lukather, Hay, Bisonette, and Warren Ham were the real standouts of the band, providing a shot in the arm whenever a boost of energy was needed. For 78 years old, though, Ringo was quite spry as well; dancing, swaying, jumping, and even running within the course of the set, in the middle of many, many peace signs to the crowd (naturally). There was only a pair of back-to-back songs – 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love” and Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”, that Starr was not on stage, playfully mentioning the songs were “Magical musical moments” to the crowd while he was away. There’s no shame in needing a breather at nearly 80, but it wasn’t as if the band was dead in the water without their main member.
No matter how long of a review that could be written about Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band on Saturday night, special moments would be almost assuredly be left out. There were enough winks and nods to all of the bands involved that made for an overload of nostalgia. The night closed on the all-too fitting “With A Little Help From My Friends”, and a touch of “Give Peace A Chance” which became an enthusiastic crowd singalong. Ringo Starr brought plenty of peace and love to the BMO Harris Pavilion, but he also delivered a night full of memorable moments, as well.
Ringo Starr to Play BMO Harris Pavilion After Summerfest
It’s already a big year for live music in Milwaukee, and it’s going to get even bigger this summer. OnMilwaukee first noticed that the newly knighted Beatle, Sir Ringo Starr is set to play Milwaukee on the US leg of his 2018 tour, as announced previously. The show is slated for September 8th, and we now have a venue; the BMO Harris Pavilion on the Summerfest grounds.
The tour will feature Ringo’s All Starr Band, which includes Colin Hay of Men At Work, Steve Lukather of Toto, Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey, Graham Gouldman of 10cc, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bisonette.
Tickets for Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band go on sale Friday, April 13th. Get more information from the Pabst Theater Group website here.
REFLECTION: Favorite Moments of Summerfest
Now that the 11 days of craziness and madness of Summerfest is over, I’ve had time to reflect on what I just experienced these past two weeks. As a music lover, this festival is super important for me. It allows me to see bands I know and love, but also discover new ones . It is an exciting time of the year for Milwaukee as well because Summerfest is a place where you get together with your loved ones, make some of your favorite memories of the summer and enjoy music, which I did just that.
Within the two weeks, I had the pleasure of enjoying nine out of the ten days of Summerfest. I had quite the experience there, so I decided to put together my favorite memories of those days and share them. Here they are:
Seeing the dancing couple in the audience of the Decemberists
The Decemberists is a band I kind of knew. By that I mean, I knew one song and that they had Nick Offerman in their music video for it. As you could imagine based off of that, I really didn’t know what to expect from their show, which I kind of liked. When I got there, it was already much different than the other concerts I attended. It wasn’t super crowded. It didn’t have tons of super obnoxious drunk people bothering you. There weren’t people pushing and shoving you out of the way to get the spot they wanted. It was chill. The band had folksy tunes that had positive vibes and couldn’t help but put a smile on my face. Everyone in the audience was enjoying it as well. However, what really stood out to me was the couple in the aisle of the bleacher seating. Almost every song, they waltzed around the aisle, dancing and enjoying the music. It was great to see people just genuinely enjoying themselves and taking in the music. It just showed me how happy-go-lucky the band is and how just playing their music they can make people happier.
KT Tunstall singing that hit song you know and love
I was at Summerfest like a crazy madwoman because I intern at two places, OnMilwaukee and Milwaukee Radio Alliance, which is B 93.3 and FM 102.1. When I work for the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, I am pretty much one of their promo street team members. I sit at a tent and help the radio’s audience try to get opportunities to meet the musicians they love or see the shows they want to see. It’s a pretty cool gig. But anyways, one night I was sitting at the 102.1 FM tent and not a lot of people were coming up to us. Another intern and I decided that we should walk around and check out the shows. We looked at the lineup and thought that it would be super fun to see KT Tunstall sing “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” We doubted that she would be singing it the time we got there, but sure enough the second we arrived she started singing it. It was crazy. We got a three-minute concert from her and heard everything we wanted to.
Meeting Fitz and the Tantrums
Like I mentioned before I intern for Milwaukee Radio Alliance, and they do giveaways for meet and greets. This was the first night of Summerfest, and I had no idea what to expect with working it for FM 102.1. As soon as I got there, I got thrown into helping people get registered for the Fitz and the Tantrums‘ meet and greet giveaway. Before I knew it, I was backstage helping people meet them and then met them myself. And to be honest, there is nothing better than meeting a musician love and enjoy. They were nice and friendly, and it was great way to start Summerfest.
Seeing the Passion Pit concert in the pouring rain
My two friends and I decided to see Passion Pit. I was writing a review for it, but I also thought it would be fun to enjoy it with friends. I knew it was going to rain, so I brought my rain coat, and my friend brought her umbrella. We thought we were set, but, boy, were we wrong. The rain poured so much that it didn’t even matter what kind of protection we had from it. I came home soaking wet and with a water damaged phone. However, I didn’t even care because I got to see an amazing show from Passion Pit and have a Summerfest memory I will never forget–that one time I saw a concert in the rain.
Gaining a new girl crush on the one and only, Bishop Briggs
First off, watch this video. It’s a little odd, but isn’t she so cute and perfect? She brings all my 90’s grunge fashion dreams alive. She wears her hair in two little buns, choker necklaces and overalls. Like how can you get more cool than that? Also, she has an amazing voice. It’s soulful, unique and pretty different from what I am used to hearing. Then seeing her perform was the icing on the cake. I was impressed by her coolness and wanted to be her. Basically, after her show she gained a new fan.
Showing off my rap skills at the Nelly Concert
There’s nothing better than listening to some throwbacks. Some of my favorite to listen to is early 2000’s rap. I grew up listening to it and loving it, thanks to my man NOW CD. Nelly was an artist that frequently appeared on this CD collection of mine, so I basically know every hit song he has ever put out. This made the concert super enjoyable. However, what was even better was the I got to show off my rap skills by laying down the rhymes on songs like “Grillz” and “Hot in Here.” Did I impress the whole crowd? No. Did I impress all my friends? No. Did I impress myself? Yes, and that’s all you need.
Paul McCartney moving the crowd and me with his performance of “Blackbird”
(This was not from Summerfest, but still amazing).
Blackbird is one of my favorite songs of The Beatles. I wasn’t really expecting him to play it, so when he hit that first note I was so excited. I love this song because it is just straight up beautiful, but also because of its meaning. I have always loved the message of the song, but then Paul McCartney explained it to the whole crowd, and now I love it even more. He talked about how they wrote this song during the civil rights moment when they had all those problems in Little Rock. They wanted it to give people hope. Honestly, I think we can all use a little of that in our lives especially now, so I appreciated it a lot. It is something I will never forget.
And Uhh… BEING IN THE PRESCENCE OF A FORMER BEATLEa PAUL MCCARTNEY
I grew up listening to The Beatles. Their one of my dad’s favorite musicians, so it was what we were forced to listen to in the car during road trips. I didn’t appreciate it as much then. But, because I was once forced to listen the dreaded “Dad Music,” I have now learn to know and love them. They are truly one of my favorite bands, so I was in shock that I even got to see one of them perform. It’s crazy because everyone will tell you that Paul McCartney is the best concert you will ever go to. I go to so many concerts, so I was very skeptical at first. However, by the end of it, I couldn’t even believe I questioned it. His show was magical he had fireworks, he told stories about him and the other Beatles as well made you fall in love with his music all over again. It is an experience I will never forget, and an experience I will forever be grateful for.
Brendon Urie back-flipping on stage and reminding me how perfect he is
Panic! At the Disco will always be one of my favorite bands. I’ve been seeing in concert since I was in 7th grade. I truly love them more and more every time they perform. This time was no different. Brendon Urie has such amazing stage presence and really knows how to perform. His pipes and high energy keep you excited from beginning of his set to the end. During his set, he did a back-flip, had a “drum off” with his drummer and just looked so damn good that it made you fall in love with pop-punk boys all over again. I am just so happy Summerfest gave me an opportunity to see him perform again.
Weezer singing all the songs I’ve grown to love by them
Weezer has been around for my whole life (I’m a 90’s baby), which has made them a band I have always loved. I have grown up listening to all of their albums and finding some of my favorite songs ever from them. Weezer was not as energetic as its co-headliner, Panic! at the Disco, but that doesn’t mean they were bad by any means. They just did their Weezer thing and, of course, you loved it. They sang their songs, had their witty banter and were their geeky selves. It is so wonderful. You can’t help but just be excited they sing all the songs you have grown up loving like, “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Island in the Sun,” “Beverly Hills” and more. It’s what made seeing them so great.
Blink 182 reminding me that’s okay if you change things up
There is so much drama and stress about the band changing their lead singer to Matt Skiba. In all seriousness, the change is good. Even though Skiba is a new member of the trio, he still rocks just as hard and does his best to keep the Blink 182 sound alive. I had a great time jamming out to these pop-punk classics that we all know and love, and it didn’t even phase me that they had a new singer. The band still sounds great and is still great at doing their thing.
All Time Low proving to me that they will always know how to rock
All Time Low is one of those bands I kind of just always see. They are either openers for bands I like or a headliner of their own tour. No matter what the situation is they just rock it. Unlike most pop punk bands, All Time Low has stuck to their roots and their sound. They are always their fun selves and just put on a kickass show. They are definitely worth seeing in concert, and it was a joy seeing them again this past week opening for Blink 182.
AUDIO: The Flaming Lips Featuring Andrew VanWyngarden and Miley Cyrus – “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
The world may be ending. The Flaming Lips have been preparing a full album remake of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, and have released this version of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, featuring a faint appearance from Miley Cyrus and Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT. As you can see above, this photo from Wayne Coyne’s Instagram indicates that they were very high making this. However, they did some justice to the song. Have a listen and judge for yourself below:
Milwaukee Artist of the Week 6/21/13 – The Living Statues
Are you a Milwaukee musician/band? You can submit your music to be the Milwaukee Artist of the Week by emailing links to info@BreakingAndEntering.net. We’ll check out every submission we get!
This week’s Milwaukee Artist of the Week, The Living Statues, are both a callback to an earlier time and a modern update on that sound, as well. The group is a straight up rock n’ roll trio, comprised of drummer Chris Morales, bassist Alex Thornburg, and frontman Tommy Shears. Their infectious sound is reminiscent of classic pop-rock bands of the 50s and 60s, combined with the energy and emotion of a punk rock band. That combination of styles gives their music a certain youthful edge, making them a refreshingly original component in today’s music landscape. If we had to compare their sound to anyone, it would be some sort of weird ménage a trois involving The Arctic Monkeys, The Beatles, and the Grease soundtrack. That’s probably a little bit too accurate. However, if you like any one of those things, you’ll probably like The Living Statues.
Currently, the band is playing shows in support of Strike of a Match, which they released last April. The EP, which is their second release, is a four-song dance party, complete with a slow dance in the EP’s longest song, “Maybe”. They also recently have worked on a new release at Howl Street Recordings in Bay View, which is proving itself to be a breeding ground for great rock albums. Speaking of Bay View, the group is playing tonight at Club Garibaldi with Wisconsin Beef Commission and Greetings From the Imposter. If you can’t wait that long to hear The Living Statues, check out their live video and the “Strike of a Match” EP below.
For more of The Living Statues, check out their Facebook, Twitter, and website.
