If many of Wisconsin's alt country/Americana practitioners skew toward honky-tonk good times and general hilarity, Green Bay's Midwestern Charm brings grim equilibrium on the band’s self-titled debut. Loneliness, regret, angs...

Indie rock took a beating in the blogosphere last week. In a series of writings, New Yorker critic Sasha Frere-Jones lambasted the genre for its lack of rhythm and its ever-growing distance from African-American music.

It looks like that long-rumored Conor Oberst/Jim Jones/M. Ward collaboration is actually going to happen: Monsters of Folk�wow what a name�will release their debut album on Sept. 22, according to a press release sent out this morning that promises this album will bring peace on earth: Monsters of Folk began as folklore of sorts, when James, Obert, Ward and [Mike] Mogis did their first run...

Eisley is an odd but promising indie-rock act prone to poppy, Coldplay-ish pianos and comprised of four young siblings and their cousin. That set-up implies novelty act, but the group has won the support of some esteemed indie peers, most notably Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, who recruited members to perform on his . . .

Although it can sometimes feel like Milwaukee's music scene is a tad predictable, 2007 will be remembered as a more eventful year than most. Here's a look back at some of the biggest happenings, controversies and trends of the year.

Bright Eyes' grand return to the Pabst was a little anticlimactic, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. Last time Milwaukee saw young Mr. Oberst, he was being dragged off stage by an exasperated handler, following a clusterfuck finale filled with forgotten lyrics, drunken ramblings and persistent stage dive attempts. The sloppy end was particularly spectacular given how forma...