What Made Milwaukee Famous?” One might ponder the question…if one desired. Polling the random passerby on the street solicited a collage of answers that ranged from, “where the hell is Milwaukee,” to “all I know…is that it’s fucking cold there,” and ”their beer is cheap!”

Fortunately, “What Made Milwaukee Famous”, aka WMMF, knows exactly where they’re from, have a good idea where they are going, and may very well prefer “Cheap Wine” to “cheap beer”. WMMF is in fact, a band of five gentlemen hailing from Austin, TX, producing some of the most energetic, alternative, edgy-pop-balladry these ears have heard in many a year.

WMMF were just blasting off on their new tour of North America, and I caught up with the band as they were attempting a border crossing from Canada, heading into blustery Buffalo NY. The wind blowing through the cell phone mic, and the cramped quarters of the band’s tour van made for an interesting phone interview attempt…thus we relented to concluding the interview via Internet. Michael Kingcaid, and Jason Davis of WMMF, “sequestered themselves for hours” in their hotel room to answer my silly questions.

WMMF contains:

Michael Kingcaid – lead vocals, guitar John Farmer - bass guitar, guitar, vocals Drew Patrizi - keyboards, guitar, vocals Jeremy Bruch - drums, vocals Jason Davis - guitar, vocals

What Made Milwaukee Famous were interviewed via phone and email by artist/musician/ARTCOTIC representative Craig Cleveland (Seraphim - Improv Jazz & Spoken Word http://www.myspace.com/fieryserpent)

What made Milwaukee Famous can be contacted through their website www.whatmademilwaukeefamous.com and their myspace page www.myspace.com/whatmademilwaukeefamous.

ARTCOTIC: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. The band is from Austin, TX...why did you choose Milwaukee for your namesake? Is it the beer? Or an homage to the old Jerry Lee Lewis song of the same name?...certainly not the Rod Stewart version!?

JD: It’s definitely an homage to the Jerry Lee Lewis song. We love the Killer.

MK: I haven’t even heard Rod’s version. I’m fine with Jerry Lee’s. We chose the name to get people’s attention. Done.

ARTCOTIC: Being from Chicago myself...I have been to Wisconsin a few times...they seem pretty proud of their state of cheese and beer...have you had any criticism from the fine people of Milwaukee in using their town as your moniker?

MK: We haven’t had any overt criticism from the fine folks of Milwaukee, however, they may have voiced their disdain in an under-the-table fashion of less-than-decent attendance to our few shows that we’ve had in their fair city; considering one show was a rockabilly bill and one was election night, 2004.

JD: Most of our criticism comes from the fact that we could be considered posers. None of us are from Milwaukee. Not that that we wouldn’t want to be.

ARTCOTIC: How long have you all been together by the way...and what was the catalyst for the band?

MK: We’ve been together now for about 5 or 6 years. The original line-up met through a series of ads that I placed for musicians-wanted in the Austin Chronicle.

JD: But Michael and I were in a band together in High School that shall remain nameless. Forever.

ARTCOTIC: I was able to find some early postings of live performances of WMMF online...it appears you started as a 4-piece, sans 2nd guitar...what prompted the addition to the band...and how has that changed the band's dynamic?

MK: I’m the biggest hack at guitar, it’s ridiculous to think that I could fool people into being convinced that I’m not just a douche on the 6-string. Jason had been helping me out at solo shows for the last few years and was finally musically available to fill the void that I could never; ever fill as a bullshit, wanna-be guitarist. You have to know your limitations. And I realized a long time ago that guitar was not my forte. Jason is an amazing guitarist and is a fully capable and malleable as a musician and thus, has become an irreplaceable asset to this band.

ARTCOTIC: The band played on Austin City Limits in 2005...one of the only un-signed bands, at the time, to ever play on the show its history...what was that experience like?

MK: It was a total whirlwind. We eventually ended up playing a sold-out Arcade Fire/Black Keys Stubb’s show and got inserted onto the ACL Festival circuit to replace a cancellation, all in the same weekend. So, the whole weekend was pretty surreal. It was kind of a lot to take in, all in a matter of a few days. The whole experience was amazing, of course, but we were just kind of taken aback by the whole experience and it was hard to soak it all in considering we were at a point in our careers when we so didn’t really “deserve” an ACL taping appearance. There are so many amazing artists that wait their whole careers and never get to experience what we got to. We were so lucky to be a part of it. It’s all so strange, in hindsight.

ARTCOTIC: Did you experience a feeding frenzy of label offers following that performance?

MK: Not necessarily. We were talking to a couple of labels from the SXSW prior to that performance. So, the ACL taping kind of just consolidated any label talks that we had going on.

ARTCOTIC: The band signed to Barsuk Records which hosts some pretty heavy hitters in the indie scene...what was the deciding factor for you to go with Barsuk?

MK: We definitely had Barsuk on our radar from the onset. We initially sent out our self-released CD to a handful of independent labels that we respected and Barsuk was definitely at the top of that list. Their entire roster is constituted by artists that we hold in the utmost of esteem and ones that have been an inspiration to us as artists, ourselves. So, to have them actually come calling for us was such an honor. We couldn’t imagine a better fit.

ARTCOTIC: What are some your favorite label mates and why?

JD: Menomena because they rock.

MK: John Vanderslice, because he (at least) helped hang the moon. If not, I think that he must have constructed the crane that hung it. John Roderick (of the Long Winters) is the greatest example of genius that I have ever experienced first-hand. Rocky is amazing. Aqueduct is great. It’s really hard to choose a favorite. They’re all fantastic.

ARTCOTIC: There was nearly a 5 year gap between recording the albums..."Trying Never to Catch Up" and your new release "What Doesn't Kill Us"...any particular reason for the gap in time ;-)?

JD: Why not? The dilemma at hand is that artists normally have to rush into their second release. We had the luxury of taking our time to make the second album

MK: We were doing quite a bit of touring and essentially had to spend a fair share of time promoting the self-released version AND the Barsuk-released version with separate tours. So, we had a few years to get things straight. It actually worked out for the best. It’s pretty hard to write on the road. The way that things spread out, it helped us to take the time that we needed to make the second album that we needed to make.

ARTCOTIC: What was different about the recording experience / process for each album?

MK: This time was different primarily because we weren’t doing a majority of the (recording) work ourselves. On the first album, Drew and I were doing most of the recording ourselves. And it kind of leaves you in a compromised position trying to capture the sound that you’re actually wanting to make yourselves. Going back and forth between an amp and the board to try to get the sound that you want can be a time-staking effort and can kind of distract you from the real task at hand: getting the best take that you can for the song. It was nice to finally have competent engineers manning the boards to translate what we had in our heads onto tape.

ARTCOTIC: I understand you worked with Chris Michaels of Sparklehorse fame...one of my favorite bands...what can you tell me about that experience?

MK: Chris was great to work with. He really helped us sort through our material to see what we were working with and helped us to figure out which songs would best represent us.

JD: It was really nice to have the privilege of having time in pre-production to work out the kinks of some of the songs and develop some of the others that were last-minute additions. He really encouraged us to allow the songs to develop naturally and organically, and wrangled us in from over-producing (and over-thinking) the way that they should be presented.

ARTCOTIC: The titles of your 2 records "Trying Never to Catch Up" and "What Doesn't Kill Us", to me, suggest fortitude, timelessness, and a desire to keep evolving...any comment?

MK: Right on. Thanks for being a thinker. I love it when people are with me. Thought is infinitely better than face-value reactions. You’re with me. I’m with you. (Does the “we’re-eye-to-eye” gesture).

ARTCOTIC: I love the new record...throughout the album, there seemed to be a prevailing lyrical theme of a general disdain or contempt for human complacency and lack of personal accountability...juxtaposed with a musicality infused with positivity and hopefulness for us all to essentially..."get it together"...the tracks that really struck that chord with me were:

1. And the Grief Goes On...

2. Cheap Wine

3. Self-Destruct

4. Prevailing Wind

5. The Other Side

6. Sultan

ARTCOTIC: Any pearls of wisdom you would like to share...?

MK: Thanks. There aren’t any pearls that aren’t already there in the lyrics to begin with. They’re all pretty to-the-point. I figure, in this day and age, you’ve got to shoot straight with people. There’s no reason to get cryptic in order to get your message across. We’re looking to speak to as many people as possible in the most simple terms that we can.

JD: As the album title suggests, any adversity and criticism that we may face, is just inspiration for us to forge ahead. What’s the point in spreading negativity if it’s only going to manifest itself? Amen. Hallelujah.

ARTCOTIC: You appear, as a collective, to get along well... and for your video for the song "Sultan", you chose "fencing" as a visual metaphor...any particular reason?

JD: I think that it’s important that you’re able to poke fun at yourself, or (at least) not take yourself too seriously. The video was Daniel Gibbs’ idea, but we were totally on-board from the get-go. With the serious lyrical content of the song, the tongue-in-cheek take of the video combined with the competitive element of us being portrayed as a hot-shot fencing team, is a great balance of humor and determination.

ARTCOTIC: Does the act of “fencing” give any insight as to how you all operate inter-personally as a band?

MK: No comment.

ARTCOTIC: (Laughs)

ARTCOTIC: I know this may be a plot spoiler...but...Lance Armstrong...huh?

JD: Nope. Winona Ryder. Did you not even watch it?

ARTCOTIC: (Laughs)

MK: There’s no shame whatsoever in us having a world-class athlete grace us with their presence in OUR video. We’re lucky. Period. That dude’s a badass.

ARTCOTIC: No Doubt!

ARTCOTIC: Describe your songwriting process within the structure of the band?

MK: It kind of depends on the song. There are some that we individually bring in and some that we collectively flesh out. This particular album, however, was a bit more streamlined. But we have the potential to come at it from any angle.

ARTCOTIC: WMMF are currently touring with Louis XIV...how's the tour going?

JD: The tour is going wonderfully. The Louis fans have been very supportive and it has been a great experience, overall.

ARTCOTIC: I hear this morning that you had a bit of trouble escaping Canada? How was that?

MK: Big trouble in big Canada. Not at all. We love Canada. And hopefully, the feeling is mutual. It could have been much, much worse. Get back to us after the Vancouver crossover. We’re crossing our fingers that we’ll have the same response. Hope, hope.

ARTCOTIC: You will be hitting the ARTCOTIC hometown hood of Salt Lake City, Utah on March 26th at the Venue...any apprehension about entering the quirky land of Utah?

MK: Ugh. Guess you haven’t gotten the news. No apprehension. Hopefully, we’ll actually still make it. Last show was a little wild, but nothing that we haven’t experienced in some other city. Salt Lake City is afforded the luxury of being as-quirky-as-they-want-to-be when it’s as-beautiful-as-it-is.

ARTCOTIC: Can I give you any pointers on navigating the often misunderstood Utah club and music scene?

JD: Can you? Sure. We need all the help that we can get.

ARTCOTIC: Speaking of Utah and alcohol..."Cheap Wine"...off of "What Doesn't Kill Us"...any recommendations on brands...?

MK: Haywood - Cabernet Sauvignon. JD: 2-buck Chuck (in CA). Impeccable.

ARTCOTIC: On your myspace page you have listed a wide range of musical influences that run the gamut both in decade and musical style: i.e. - radiohead, elvis costello, the shins, fugazi, jeff buckley, the beatles, bowie, brendan benson, grandaddy, the flaming lips, the faint, led zeppelin, grant lee buffalo, wilco, the cars, my bloody valentine, the kinks, the cure, nomeansno, gang of four, spoon, the constantines, etc... What is the musical "epiphany" moment in time that floored you...that best describes when you knew you wanted to become a musician...to be in a band...wanted to play an instrument...etc? For instance, for me, I knew I wanted to play guitar and be in a band back in '78...when I first heard "Roxanne" off the first Police record, "Police and Thieves" by the Clash...and oddly enough "The Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits...how about you guys?

MK: Somewhat off-the-subject, “Sultans of Swing” will never, ever get old to me. Ever. I would possibly give up a swinging member of my body to play guitar as well as Mark Knopfler. But on-the-subject: Elvis and everything relating to him. My parents didn’t even tell me that he was dead until like 5 years later. I won my first talent show doing “Hound Dog” at the age of 5. Hope no pictures ever surface.

JD: I grew up around live music and seeing how it moved people (physically and emotionally), and it drew me in. I couldn’t ever imagine doing or loving anything as much as I love playing music.

sultan