Local Live - Dirty Dancing

“WITH SINGER ERIC SCHOEN’S IAN CURTIS-ON-UPPERS VOCAL DELIVERY AND VELVET UNDERGROUND-INSPIRED GUITAR FREAK-OUTS, THE BAND CAN SWITCH FROM SULKY TO SEXY IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, OFTEN BUILDING ON A SKELETAL GUITAR RIFF OR A REPEATED PHRASE TO CREATE A FEELING OF ANXIETY AND, EVENTUALLY, EUPHORIC RELEASE. THOUGH THE BAND CAN BE DARK AND GLOOMY—PERFECT ACID-RAINY-DAY MUSIC—IT IS NOT AFRAID TO PEPPER ITS SONGS WITH JITTERY HANDCLAPS OR SHOUT-ALONG CHORUSES.” ~ CMJ ON MAY 11, LOCAL POST-PUNK OUTFIT DIRTY DANCING WILL RELEASE THEIR SECOND LP THAT FOR THIS THROUGH GLOSS RECORDS. LED BY PRIMARY SONGWRITER ERIC SCHOEN, THE BAND HAS SEEN INNUMERABLE LINEUP CHANGES IN ITS DECADE-LONG EXISTENCE. THE CURRENT LINEUP OF SCHOEN (GUITAR/LEAD VOCALS), NEIL LARSON (GUITAR/VOCALS), MAX WILLIAMSON (BASS/VOCALS), AND TRAVIS MCDONNELL (DRUMS) COALESCED IN THE FALL OF 2017 TO BEGIN WORK ON THAT FOR THIS WITH PRODUCER HARRISON COLBY. SINCE THEN, IAN EHRNSTROM HAS STEPPED IN TO REPLACE LARSON ON GUITAR. A YEAR (PLUS) OF ON-AGAIN / OFF-AGAIN RECORDING SESSIONS FORMED THE ALBUM’S RAW, ANGULAR SOUND, STARK WITH MULTI-FACETED STATEMENTS ON CHANCE, LOSS, LOVE, AND CONSUMERISM. “THE ENTIRE MUSIC EXPERIENCE, FROM PERFORMING TO BUYING AND SELLING RECORDS, IS A TRANSACTION BETWEEN AUDIENCE AND ARTIST, LIKE AN ABSTRACT CONVERSATION,” SAYS SCHOEN. THIS KIND OF DETACHED STOICISM PERMEATES THE BAND’S SOUND. SONGS LIKE “RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME,” TO “WINNING” WITH ITS SCREAMED CHORUS OF “TO WIN YOU GOTTA BEAT SOMEONE,” SHOWCASES THE BAND’S UNIQUE BLEND OF DEADPAN LYRICS WITH TWANGY, PERCUSSIVE GUITAR. TUNE INTO WMSE’S LOCAL/LIVE ON TUESDAY, APRIL 30 TO HEAR THE NEWEST MUSIC FROM MILWAUKEE’S DIRTY DANCING; WMSE.ORG TO STREAM LIVE OR IN THE ARCHIVES OR SIMPLY TUNE YOUR RADIO TO 91.7 FM AT THE 6 O’CLOCK HOUR. LOCAL/LIVE ON WMSE IS SPONSORED BY CLUB GARIBALDI’S.