CONCERT REVIEW: The Flaming Lips & The Fatty Acids (BMO Harris Pavilion/Summerfest, Milwaukee)

Despite being hampered by technical problems, the Flaming Lips still pull off a fun Summerfest show, with a little help from like-minded local freaks the Fatty Acids.

Read my full review here.

CONCERT REVIEW: Public Enemy (Miller Lite Oasis/Summerfest, Milwaukee)

Refusing to slow down with age, legendary rap agitators Public Enemy take over Summerfest's Miller Lite Oasis stage for a bracing, classic-packed performance. 

Read my full review here.

FEATURE: The Rashita Joneses Keep the Bangers Coming

Previously one of Milwaukee's best kept secrets, garage rockers the Rashita Joneses have quickly made a name for themselves thanks to an impressive string of releases.

Read the full piece here.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (06/24/15)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Fresh Hot Breeze of Summer", featuring songs for the season and more. If you enjoy it remember to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album
The Samurai - Fresh Hot Breeze Of Summer - Shu-Shu (Single)
Klaus Wunderlich - Summertime - German Funk Fieber, Vol. 1
Lee Hazlewood - Summer Nights - These Boots Are Made For Walkin': The Complete MGM Recordings
Lee Hazlewood With Suzi Jane Hokum - Summer Wine - These Boots Are Made For Walkin': The Complete MGM Recordings
Chad & Jeremy - A Summer Song - Rushmore (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Sly & The Family Stone - Hot Fun In The Summertime - Greatest Hits
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Long Hot Summer Night - Electric Ladyland
Love - Bummer In The Summer - Forever Changes
Zobe - Summer Spirit - The Wilde Flowers
Blues Creation - One Summer Day - Demon & Eleven Children
Brewer & Shipley - Indian Summer - Weeds
The Doors - Summer's Almost Gone - Waiting For The Sun
Paul McCartney - Summer's Day Song - McCartney II
Stevie Wonder - Summer Soft - Songs In The Key Of Life
The Last - Every Summer Day - L.A. Explosion!
The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City - Greatest Hits
Lenny White - The Venusian Summer Suite, Part 2: Venusian Summer - Venusian Summer
Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues - Maximum R'N'B!: The Roots Of The Who
The Outsiders - Summertime Blues - Back From The Grave, Vol. 2
The Who - Summertime Blues (Live) - Live At Leeds
Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues - Vincebus Eruptum
The Flaming Lips - Summertime Blues - Hear It Is
The Flying Lizards - Summertime Blues - The Flying Lizards
Bugs And Rats - Summertime - Adidas
Carnivores - Summer Shades - If I'm Ancient
Jasmine Love Bomb - From Last Summer - An Announcement
Pavement - Summer Babe (Winter Version) - Slanted And Enchanted
Belle & Sebastian - A Summer Wasting - The Boy With The Arab Strap
Wilco - Summer Teeth - Summerteeth
Pulp - David's Last Summer - His 'N' Hers
Denim - Summer Smash - Summer Smash (Single)
ABBA - Summer Night City - The Definitive Collection
Donna Summer - Summer Fever - Four Seasons Of Love
Musique - Summer Love - Keep On Jumpin'
The B-52's - Summer Of Love - Nude On The Moon: The B-52's Anthology
Bananarama - Cruel Summer - Bananarama
Of Montreal - Oslo In The Summertime - The Sunlandic Twins
The Flaming Lips - It's Summertime - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Noonday Underground - The Good Old Summer Time - Self-Assembly
Glass Boy - The Dregs Of Summer - Splayed And Nonplussed
Bobby Bunny - Last Day Of Summer - Bobby Bunny's Adventures In Magnetic Recording, Vol. 1

CONCERT REVIEW: Belle and Sebastian & Courtney Barnett (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

It's unfortunate that for some Belle and Sebastian will always be filed under the dubious category of "sad bastard music", in part because the long-standing Scottish outfit never really deserved their oppressive reputation for twee navel-gazing, but mostly because their recent output, admittedly sparse since 2006's The Life Pursuit, has been better suited for the dance floor than lonely bedroom contemplation. Yet while a mid-career change of pace should be expected from any group that sticks around as long as they have, the remarkable thing about this particular case is how organic it's felt from beginning to end. Instead of enduring a period of painful trend-hopping, Stuart Murdoch and company have had little trouble keeping pace with the indie-pop crowd they helped create, as evidenced by this upbeat Friday-night performance at the Pabst.

Warming up the crowd, an appropriately large one considering they haven't played Milwaukee in quite some time, was Australian artist Courtney Barnett, still fresh off the release of her debut studio album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. Her brand of likable, sun-drenched indie rock, propelled by some quirky, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, seemed to sit well with the audience, but at the same time didn't appear to have left anyone all that excited. Belle and Sebastian, on the other hand, had to do little more than walk onstage, silhouetted in miniature by an enormously projected video introduction, before they had everyone's undivided attention. The set that followed rewarded it, seamlessly blending both recent and classic material in a way that demonstrated the similarities between the two rather than their differences.

In addition to showing off several numbers from their new Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, including lead-off single "The Party Line" and the catchy "Perfect Couples", the band, backed by a string section and additional singers, also delved deep into their back catalog. Most anything uptempo proved fair game, such as "I'm a Cuckoo" from 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress or The Life Pursuit's "Sukie in the Graveyard", but 1998's The Boy with the Arab Strap received some special, and much-appreciated, attention. Overall the show offered little to complain about, either in terms of substance or showmanship, but was especially impressive in its elegant balance of old and new. By now most listeners have probably decided where they stand with Belle and Sebastian, but a lively performance like this could hardly be considered depressing.