2009's most memorable Milwaukee moments, according to some interesting locals

“What’s the most memorable thing you experienced in Milwaukee this year?” That was the question we posed to some of our favorite local artists, performers, and personalities in the waning days of 2009. Barring some cataclysmic event that could happen in the next few days and render this list irrelevant, here’s what they said.   

Margaret Stutt (Pezzettino)
My favorite Milwaukee memory of 2009 is inappropriate for print, so here's my second favorite memory: Stumbling upon Annie Lock's carved piano at the MIAD Senior Thesis show in April. It took her six months to turn a neglected bar piano into a monarch, and I’ve never seen anything like it. The Milwaukee skyline on the panel above the keys is completely carved through, partially exposing the hammers. She installed LED lights on the interior, under the piano key bed, and on the sides to highlight the contours of a completely carved surface. That woman is out of control; I want to be her.

Chris Rosenau (Collections Of Colonies Of Bees, Volcano Choir)
I have decided to choose Shellac’s show in June at Club Garibaldi as my “Best Of 2009” in Milwaukee from a pretty long list for a couple of reasons. First, and most importantly, Shellac rules balls. They always have, and apparently they always will. I remember buying The Rude Gesture fresh off the presses from [Steve] Albini himself when an old band of mine was recording with him at Kitty Empire. I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to Big Black and Rapeman, but excited that maybe it would. It did. That was 1993. That was a while ago. That’s the thing about this show: I have seen Shellac a lot over the last 15 years. I should be sick of it at this point, but I’m not. That’s amazing. The performance itself—plus the fact that they capped ticket sales at 150—made it a totally great night; totally comfortable to watch and attended only by people really into the music. 

Ryan Matteson (Muzzle Of Bees)
It's nearly impossible to limit the awesomeness of Milwaukee to one single event. 2009 was my first year attending the 91.7 WMSE Rockabilly Chili Contest and I can say with absolute certainty that I will be back every year going forward. The event not only to exposed me to some of the best chili I've ever tasted—thumbs up to The Wicked Hop—but was a wonderful representation of just how many great restaurants we have in this city. 

Vince Vitrano (WTMJ TV)
The Milwaukee Air & Water Show returned to the lakefront this summer, and it was awesome! I took my young kids who really enjoyed the stunt planes and parachutes—not so much the F-15 Strike Eagle. The meltdown that followed the thunderous entrance of that powerful fighter prevented us from staying for the Thunderbirds. Hopefully they'll be ready for the Blue Angels next summer. It's a great opportunity to honor our veterans and current service members. Plus, it's summer on Lake Michigan, and you've got the world's finest aircraft scorching the air against the backdrop of our beautiful skyline.

Jonathan Jackson (Milwaukee Film Festival executive director)
Seeing Sonic Youth at Turner Hall fulfilled my dream of seeing that band live, which I had ever since I was thrown out of Lollapalooza for throwing grass and sod at security guards—at Courtney Love's request. How wildly they exceeded my expectations, featuring almost entirely music I had not heard before, and rekindled my interest in the band of my youth.

Kevin Meyer (local promoter and DJ)
The best thing to watch happen this year in Milwaukee was seeing DIY artists and musicians thrive. Faythe Levine put together a movie documenting the DIY arts and crafts movement, and screened it all over the globe. Kings Go Forth put out a few self-released 45s, and got picked up by David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label. Jaill, another band that’s been quietly releasing its own records, toured behind its latest LP and got signed to Sub Pop. And the most rewarding thing about seeing these kinds of things happen locally is you truly get the feeling they are an afterthought, a bonus—not the main reason these people do what they do.

Ryan Schleicher (Juniper Tar, WMSE promotions director)
One of my favorite moments of 2009 was the Bonnie "Prince" Billy show at Turner Hall Ballroom. Anyone who’s seen Will Oldam live knows that his live performances can be a complete train wreck. The two previous times I saw Oldham, once at an Atomic in-store and once in Chicago, the enigmatic songwriter stumbled through lyrics and often forgot how to play his own songs. While it was charming because, well, it was Will Oldham, those performances left a lot to be desired. The Turner show fulfilled every last desire for me. With a full band, each song was flawlessly performed while Oldham put on a stage performance like only he can. He can be goofy like a Calvin Johnson character or exude passionate stoicism à la Doug Martsch. Plus, dude played a lot of my favorite songs. That’s always a good way to get me to remember a show.

Nicholas Sanborn (Decibully, Headlights)
After somehow missing out for past three years, I finally got to check out Jordan Lee's amazing Miltown Beat Down Hip-Hop Olympics series this February. MCs usually get all the glory, but my favorite part by far was the producers battle, where local beat makers got to face off and play their instrumental tracks in front of a packed house. It was great to see all these crazy talented producers I never would have heard about otherwise, and to see so many different types of people coming together to get down each week. I can't wait to see who shows up in 2010.

Ryan Miller (Host of “Indie Soundcheck” on 102.1 FM)
The Fish Fry & A Flick series down on the lake at Discovery World was a great addition to Milwaukee’s summer happenings. One of the things I liked the most about it was that it wasn’t marketed as a family event like most free outdoor movies tend to be. Kids could come for the food, but the movies were for the beer-drinking demographic. It was a great idea that was beautifully executed week in and week out, with a great sound system and reasonably priced food and drinks. All in all, a great way for the community to spend a Friday night. And while I have the floor here—I’d like to take this opportunity to vote for Tommy Boy and Wet Hot American Summer to be on the schedule for next summer. That’d be great.

Faythe Levine (artist, author, and filmmaker)
In 2009 I was away from Milwaukee more than I was home, but I was lucky enough to attend these three events that were fantastic: The 30th anniversary of the Turf Skate Park with photos by Peter DiAntioni organized by local skate shop Sky High; The Milwaukee Film Festival première of Modus Operandi, directed by local filmmaker Frankie Latina; and last but not least, I really enjoyed being home for the 4th of July and hanging out at the annual Burnheart's block party in Bay View where there was a ton of great music and local food.

Jacent Jackson (program director at 102.1 FM)
The greatest event to happen to me this year happened in West Allis on March 9. My son was born. Honestly, since then the rest of 2009 has been a blur, and that was probably a good thing. I don’t know that 2009 is going to down as one of the most awesome years ever, unless you enjoy a certain amount of anxiety of course.