Taking the City By Storm, The Birth of Milwaukee's Punk Scene

[@stthbldt3594]

This is the greatest Milwaukee music film of all time...🏆

[@toddfritz6791]

YES IT IS!!!

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@stthbldt3594 Wow! We thank you!! 💥💥💥

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@toddfritz6791 Thanks Todd!!

[@b.w.22]

This documentary is flippin amazing. Being from DC and just being a kid at these times, I have zero knowledge of all of this. What a killer retrospective on a colorful scene! Great, great job. Important.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@b.w.22 Thank you! Much appreciated!!

[@rogra2087]

☆Killer doc, thanks for sharing. It really captures the excitement of thst special time. Also, gave me some cool music to hunt down. Sweet music! I always liked the Haskels and Lubricants off those 'Killed by...' comps, and Die Kruezen. Thanx Milwaukee! Much luv and respect to all these bands, and the poster, cheers to you an yours-peace &shove♧~♡☆

[@judithsimonds1011]

Thank you!!!! 🖤💥🖤

[@DanHintz]

great job! one thing to be emphasized: there were dozens, if not hundreds, of other milwaukee punk/weirdo bands in the scene who could've been included in this documentary--the scene then was large and peculiar and vibrant and there were many venues to play. a real golden age for m'waukee music.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@DanHintz Glad you liked it. To respond, we specifically focused on the bands that released 45 and LP records. Zak's and the Starship were a part of the very start of the Punk scene. The other clubs came later, hence our title including the word, " Birth". We focused only on 1975-85. The movie would've been three hours or longer had we included everyone. This was an incredibly daunting project for just three people who had never done a documentary before. It was 100% DIY. It took eleven years to complete due to technical issues, working full time jobs and "life". Someone else needs to pick up the torch and make another documentary about other bands in Milwaukee.

[@gordonlumps]

My heartiest congratulations to you Judith, and all who created this awesome document of this piece of Milwaukee's dynamic and fiery musical history. As one who was a part of that scene it was an incredibly exciting time. Your film brought back unforgettable and beautiful memories. Thank you so much! 👍 (gordonlumps AKA Martin Miller)

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@gordonlumps Thank you!!

[@bilklein]

I wish I had appreciated the scene back then as much as I do now. I missed out on a lot, thanks for this!

[@paulhoffman3032]

Awesome job, everyone! This really warms my cheesy heart.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@paulhoffman3032💛🧀💛

[@dathorndike4908]

I grew up in Wisconsin. My relatives lived in Milwaukee, so I know the city pretty well. This brings back alot of memories for me.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@dathorndike4908 Fantastic!

[@mikepodolak]

Thanks for all the hard work culminating in this entertaining and informative documentary. Me and Pam totally enjoyed it...on DVD. Soon will revisit it here on KZbin. It'll be nice to not have to get off the couch to put a disc in..lol

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@mikepodolakThank you!! ❤️😆❤

[@seanwhiskey8217]

I ran Bovine Records out of Madison, was in a couple bands there, but this is a 'half-a-punk-generation' before my time... I was a huge Die Kreuzen fan, remember the bread truck driving up to shows in Green Bay... This is an absolutely awesome music documentary!!! So cool to see the progression of the Milw scene in such detail and care. Thanks so much, tons of info and great memories, it's clear you all love the subject. Hope it gets a million views - I'm going to have to watch it another time or two. Cheers!

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@seanwhiskey8217 So cool!! Thanks for your support! The three of us were a part of the scene, so yes, we love the scene and all the people in our movie. It's our love letter so to speak! Please share the movie with your friends! 🤘😎🖤

[@davidamble361]

Wipfli? This you???

[@davidamble361]

Sean, its Chuck from back in the day(Stubs)! Little Caesars!

[@seanwhiskey8217]

@@davidamble361 Yep. Hope you're well!

[@cheapcharlieredhorse2286]

Kool, lived there 43yrs saw many bands including some of the bands on this awesome film. Milwaukee has a great underground music scene. 😊

[@LanceAndersen-cg2tp]

What an awesome retro find. I always knew more about the 90s wave given that was when my parents were in bands and whatnot. My father was actually in a group with Dan from Die Kreuzen in the oughts. Fun, loud memories.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@LanceAndersen-cg2tp Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@klausjungblut3298]

WOW !! Cheers and thanx for this Documentary.

[@judithsimonds1011]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kellywittmann1893]

What a wonderful tribute to the great bands of a great city. Thank you so much!

[@DerScheisse]

*_ABOUT TIME_* *_THANK YOU_*

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@DerScheisse We feel the same way!! 😄 Eleven years of just the three of us working on this documentary. 100% DIY. Thanks for hanging in there with us!!

[@Buckseed]

Thanks! Such a great video...many band were coming out of San Diego too. I"m barely learning the names of the bands that made the songs that I heard as a kid. CO '85 here.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@Buckseed Thank you!

[@65mule]

I absolutely loved this!!! I'm not from Milwaukee but I was there briefly in 1984 and really liked the city. Great documentary with undeniable local music that is fantastic!!!

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@65mule Wow!! Thanks man!!! Really appreciate your words! 🤘😎🌟

[@johnhauser3789]

What a fantastic flashback and tribute to this amazing scene who opened up the minds and ears to so many of us. Great job!

[@Bradleybox1988]

Excellent documentary, Judith! I was involved in this scene as a music lover and photographer, mostly from 1982 to 1986. So many great bands. I am so glad you got interviews with all those cool people.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@Bradleybox1988 Thank you!! We are too!

[@ryanpoortenga4849]

Fantastic!

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@ryanpoortenga4849 Thank you!!

[@rnfr]

I’m starting to think there was a band in every city called Death that all invented punk rock at the same time. In all seriousness- this is great! A generation right before mine. I ended up in bands and even got to open for neurosis at the unicorn at 15. Our drummer was 13. Milwaukee was awesome back then!

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@rnfr 😅 it's a great name!

[@mightyturkeyneck1349]

🦃😂🦃

[@robinlgood]

Judy this is incredible! Thank you for making this great documentary! ❤🎉

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@robinlgoodThank you Robin! As you know it took the three of us to pull this off. Doug LaValliere did an amazing job of weaving the story together. He was behind the camera, edited, audio engineering, and so much more. We all had our jobs. Huge undertaking 🖤

[@jimsteele2072]

The late 70s early 80s was an awesome time for original music. Every city seemed to ha a scene. Mine was New Haven CT.

[@ARTCHANIFY]

Presley Haskell (Jerome Brish) was one of the kindest people I've ever known. He could spot a good song based on 3 notes in the intro. These Plasticland guys were probably the best psych band that ever existed. Die Kreuzen, well, nobody ever equaled their mix of speed and passion - they invented post hardcore. And the Ama-Dots were the best Post Punk band in History. I'd have liked to see a sequel with what came after.

[@judithsimonds1011]

It was quite the scene and many people don't know anything about all the stellar Milwaukee bands from that era 1975-1985.

[@madjohnshaft]

my childhood laid out in a video

[@angellavalliere]

Same ❤ literally !! I lived in the haskell hotel as a child.. my dad got a bigger house on Oakland with a practice room / recording studio in the basement ..music is life #LaValliere

[@JB-hv7ps]

Great documentary,bravo.

[@angellavalliere]

I remember going to staple the home made signs for shows with my dad. Or my uncle Richard i really miss those old days growing up with some of the coolest ppl in the whoke city. I was too young to go to shows at zaks but once in awhile there would be an outdoor show during the day. But best believe i was at every practice@ 2113 n Oakland ave

[@wildgatherer]

Great Doc! Glad someone can tell part of that story, A couple of numbers had me laughing out loud, Dance Mother Fucker Dance!!! And Mobil Home! Really Good numbers! And Kevn Kinney always down to earth! And still a big influence on the Music scene!

[@MarkMelchior-lb6vv]

RIP Tim and Skip. You don't ever know what you had until it's gone.

[@jeffreynorman9180]

Great stuff! Sadly, since the interviews were done, a few more folks seen in the video have died :-( Which is the only thing I missed...at least mentioning who we've lost (Kenny Baldwin and Rob McCuen leap to mind). But as you said elsewhere, about all the other MKE bands not in the doc...it would have been several hours long! Thanks.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@jeffreynorman9180 Yes, and they were our friends. Some some were close friends. We're still heartbroken by their untimely deaths. I wish they all were still here. 💫 💔💫

[@danielwhyte-rj1ff]

Thank you.

[@judithsimonds1011]

Enjoy and SHARE! :)

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@danielwhyte-rj1ff You're welcome! 🤘😎

[@pinkelephantz286]

Bit like here in the UK further north you go , more glamorous & melodic the punk/post punk/ alt rock / seems to get more new wavish , London punk always sounded tunless and flat to me , compared with northern England and Scotland, but it’s a personal taste thing I know , though there are exceptions to the rule. The tense experts and shivers plus so many cool unsung bands were finding out about still all this time later. Great vid remember just give making a band a chance it’s an experiment that usually blows up right , love from Yorkshire England …

[@judithsimonds1011]

Sending love from Austin, Texas! We're so happy that our movie has reached viewers in the UK!! Thanks for your insight and words of support! ~ Co-producer, Judy Simonds

[@jdre1976]

Wow, had no idea really of the signigance of living above Zaks in the early 2000s. Great documentary... I didn't make it into the scene until the Unicorn days in the 90's.

[@wowwhywow]

My name is Chris Boulet...I live in Padova, Italy... but I was born in Milwaukee and lived there for a large portion of my first 30 years of life. I made pizzas in a restaurant named Villa Rosa from 1985 to 1988... I made pizza for Die Kreuzen...The Violent Femmes...and later I worked with the Bassist from Uncle Mommy, and the lead singer from The Geriatric Boners... and The Mighty Deerlick (I also made Pizza for Frank Sinatra , Boddy Vinton, Steve Vai, Yngwey Malmsteem, and Jon Bon Giovi, and Joan Baez ,but who gives a fuck about them...right?) Anyways... I wanted to say that Jerome of the Haskels set up my guitar in 1991. About 2 months before he was murdered. I've never reset my Les Paul since that day... true story. He was a very very good friend...loved him and miss him. R.I.P Jerome Brish (aka Presley)

[@judithsimonds1011]

Very cool Chris! I remember Villa Rosa! Delicious food! Please feel free to share our movie with your friends in Italy. It will help us get the word out how great the Milwaukee Punk scene was! (Jerome was a friend of our's, we miss him).

[@wowwhywow]

@@judithsimonds1011 it's making the rounds in Padova and Venice as I write this.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@wowwhywow COOL!! 🤘

[@angellavalliere]

Jerome ❤❤

[@angellavalliere]

The haskels was my first favorite band. And the oil tasters I'm so grateful for KZbin because I can go back in time anytime I want

[@autumnleft]

is there a playlist that features the songs in the doc?

[@patrickcarroll1080]

This is close!

[@judithsimonds1011]

I think Patrick Carroll forgot the link. Here it is, it is close: www.mkepunk.com/releases/various-artists-history-in-3-chords-milwaukee-alternative-bands-1973-1982/

[@autumnleft]

@@judithsimonds1011perfect thank you!

[@judithsimonds1011]

Subtitles are available!

[@jamespritchett-q7m]

i remember working w/danny and keith from die kruezen at the old pizza man on oakland and north (burned down in 2010) back in '84'. i thought i was a hippie.. they were a bit further out for that hippie stuff.

[@angellavalliere]

This DOC is so fire 💀💀💀💀

[@TG-yr6gf]

anyone know of a band using a bass cabinet with dual Cetec Gauss Loudspeaker 18's? I have one that has "91.7 WMSE" and "Nite Owl" stickers on it. Gauss is some great vintage drivers and were not cheap back when they were in production. Gauss Loudspeaker 3880sx

[@DXPunx74]

I live in Pennsylvania but had an ex girlfriend from Milwaukee who introduced me to some stuff up there. I have always liked the Shivvers- Life Without You. You guys had bands better than the stuff from Pittsburgh.

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@DXPunx74 Thanks for watching and your comment!

[@redline2115]

Who slashed the Die Kreuzen van’s tires?

[@judithsimonds1011]

@@redline2115 No idea.