An American Band

The Milwaukees CD release show at Maxwells on Saturday was nothing short of a triumph. By carefully building up anticipation over a number of months with a series of well-timed shows and songs strategically dropped on MySpace and through blogs and podcasts, the Milwaukees - an unsigned, self-managed DIY band with no significant radio play or marketing budget, mind you - sold out the club and had a room packed with people passionately singing along to what the Milwaukees appropriately call their "American Anthems."

Such is the nature of the music business in 2007 that the Milwaukees can tour consistently, draw well at all their local shows, self-release a magnificent album, and they're still a long way from even dreaming about leaving day jobs behind and living off their music. But they're certainly more than one step closer to that goal with American Anthems Vol. 1. (Scroll down to read my review.) And I hear that Vol. 2 is already mostly recorded.

This kind of success is what happens when a club like Maxwells is smart enough to realize that a band like the Milwaukees knows what it's doing, and just hands over a Saturday night. The Milaukees put together a terrific bill, one that stressed the theme of American rock 'n' roll with NJ's Molotov Cocktails and Baltimore's J Roddy Walston & The Business.

The Molotov Cocktails - formerly known under the more cumberson name Adam Streicher & The Molotov Cocktails - have been completely reinvented since I last saw them, with a more cutting edge look and a more exciting sound. Pete Marceau (of Hero Pattern) on guitar and Steve Mariani on bass add sexy, cutting edge appeal (both looking red-hot at this show in matching black tanktops) while Streicher - who's recuperating from an accident and has his arm in a sling) concentrated on vocals. The songs have been beefed up with more rock 'n roll muscle and less of the alt-country twang that Streicher used to have, and judging by the squeals and shouts from the crowd, the changes are paying off.

I'd seen J Roddy and Co. open for the Milwaukees before at the Lit Lounge so I knew what to expect - barrelhouse piano, jumping rhythms, huge backing harmony vocals, and a band that injects pure energy into every song. It's not considered fashionable these days for bands to get this excited about playing rock and roll, but the Business have a lot more Tennessee roadhouse in them than Brooklyn art-bar.

I'd traded emails and MySpace messages with The Finals but had never seen them before. They turned out to be younger than I assumed and not emo, as expected, at all; in fact, it's pretty hard to stick any label on them other than rock 'n'roll, even if their influences might be a little different than, say, J Roddy's or Adam Streicher's. Adding them to the bill also added an all-ages element to the draw, which is always fun to see.

The Milwaukees beamed pride at the turnout and the crowd support they reaped and they certainly deserved it. They ran through American Anthems Vol. 1 in order and then added a few old favorites to end the set. The room was all smiles, swaying cigarette lighters, and singalongs, and a lot of the crowd even bought a t-shirt and copy of the CD - an inspiring example of what DIY rock and roll can still accomplish in the age of iTunes and Emo.