My First Band Podcast

Listeners know Nick Wiger as a TV writer and the co-host of Doughboys — a podcast about chain restaurants — and How Did This Get Played? — a video game podcast. But he has a surprisingly extensive musical history that includes playing the clarinet, saxophone and bassoon as a child as well as short tenures in Orange County ska bands in high school. Wiger also wrote comedic songs like "The Original Monster Mash" (a.k.a. "The Monster Fuck") for Funny Or Die and even leans on his musical past for Doughboy

Aaron Mader has made quite a name for himself. That name just happens to be "Lazerbeak." Using the moniker, the co-founder and CEO of Doomtree has released an abundance of his own music, produced songs with the likes of Lizzo, P.O.S, Mac Lethal and Dessa, and delved into the world of artist management. Long before Mader was one of the driving forces of an accomplished creative collective, he was a teen in the Minneapolis suburbs struggling to get shows for his first band — The Plastic Constellations.

Mike Park is nothing short of a ska punk legend. Beyond being an activist and touring musician with more than 30 years of experience, Park is best-known for his work with Asian Man Records. The label's founder started Asian Man in his parents' house in 1996. In the 24 years since that humble beginning, Park's venture has managed more than 300 releases, helped introduce the world to bands like Less Than Jake and Alkaline Trio, and outlasted many of its — oftentimes much larger — record label counterparts

Before he was traversing the continent, touring Europe and sharing the stage with punk-rock powerhouses, the singer-songwriter listeners now know as Walt Hamburger was just a guy named Walt Lontkowski who fronted little-known bands in Northeast Wisconsin and had no expectations of making a living as a musician. Thanks to untold hours of experience, a great work ethic, an ever-improving catalog and a few chance meetings, Walt Hamburger has already accomplished more than he'd ever imagined possible.

If you've been keeping up on Milwaukee entertainment and culture coverage at any point in the last 15 years or so, you're likely familiar with the work of Matt Wild. Before co-founding Milwaukee Record with My First Band host Tyler Maas in early 2014, Wild served as the City Editor of Milwaukee's branch of The A.V. Club and got the occasional byline in national publications as well. Prior to all that though, Wild was a musician and film student with little-to-no writing aspirations.

Compared to many musicians, Todd Bell got a kind of a late start. After first picking up a bass in his early 20s and playing a few shows in a band he formed with a skating buddy, Bell wound up in the rhythm section of a little project known as Braid and later Hey Mercedes. Despite being under quarantine, Bell has been keeping extremely busy with parenting duties and his day job as a special education teacher. Still — despite battling technological issues — he found time to chat recently with the podcast

With Milwaukee (and much of the world) under quarantine for the foreseeable future, we're no longer able to record My First Band episodes in person at this point. Rather than shelve the show for a few months, we decided to give "remote recording" a go. Concerned about potentially wasting a guest's time with a subpar recording, My First Band co-producer Jared Blohm had the idea to do a test run by interviewing the podcast's usual host, Tyler Maas, about his first/only band, Infinity & One.

Caleb Westphal is best-known for his amazing fish fry streak, which currently stands at 325 consecutive Fridays. This unarguably Midwestern feat has earned the Milwaukee writer attention from national publications, a cameo on a documentary and a spot in a band. After mentioning his desire to play again in some of his reviews on Milwaukee Record, Devils Teeth gave Westphal a chance. A couple years later, the saxophone player is still in the accomplished surf rock outfit, and his streak is still going strong.

As the energetic singer and spellbinding guitarist of Tiny Moving Parts, Dylan Mattheisen — along with his cousins/bandmates William and Matthew Chevalier — has toured the world, built an impressive fan base that's grown with each of the band's seven full-lengths, and helped put his hometown of Benson, Minnesota, on the map. Before all that though, the band members were working at a family-owned grocery store, learning covers of Blink-182 and Sum 41 songs and holding no expectations of where they'd wind

Marc Solheim is a low-key Milwaukee music legend. Though he rarely takes the stage himself these days (except when he fronts his Morrissey and The Smiths cover band, Salford Lads Club), Solheim has been a noted figure in Wisconsin music for close to 30 years. The Pabst Theater Group booker has been instrumental in bringing some notable — and once-unthinkable — acts to Milwaukee and, along the way, he's also helped Turner Hall Ballroom delve into wrestling events.

Most musicians wait a lifetime for the chance to be part of one outstanding project. Sabrina Ellis is currently in three. The front person of A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit recently added another project to their already-impressive arsenal. Along with Har Mar Superstar mastermind (and Episode 19 guest) Sean Tillmann, Ellis embarked on a new artistic endeavor called Heart Bones. After a successful tour in which they performed the music of Dirty Dancing, the dynamic duo set out to record an album of their own.

Sid McCain, of 91.7 WMSE, came to the My First Band headquarters to talk about her long and interesting music industry background, including an internship at MTV, experiences with the likes of Angus Young and Iggy Pop, coordinating a concert at the World Trade Center, and helping her father (John McCain) hang out with her then-client (The White Stripes) in the green room at Saturday Night Live when the senator was hosting during his Presidential campaign and The White Stripes were the musical guest.

Norb Rozek is known better to the world as Reverend Norb, the front man of Boris The Sprinkler. Before he was the incomparable voice of the legendary Green Bay punk band, Rozek was cutting his teeth in other — far less-renowned — Titletown projects like Static Cling and Suburban Mutilation after being led to a life in rock and roll by The Everly Brothers of all things. With close to 40 years of onstage experience, Rev. Norb has no shortage of great stories at the ready.

Not only does Cory Chisel, the accomplished singer-songwriter and namesake of Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons, have an impressive body of work, he's also the co-founder of the Mile of Music festival in Appleton and an instrumental figure at Refuge Foundation for the Arts. Long before he landed a major label deal, collaborated with Norah Jones and Emmylou Harris, performed on late night talk shows, and helped carry the Fox Cities music scene to higher ground, Chisel was part of a punk band called Panic.

These days, you're most likely to see Chris Schulist at The Vanguard, the beloved Milwaukee bar and sausage establishment he co-owns. Before taking the leap into restaurant ownership, Schulist started a hip-hop label called Dope Folks Records and fronted one of the city's most accomplished bands of the early 2000s. Prior to The Mistreaters, giving endangered rap recordings a second life on vinyl and opening a Midwest culinary landmark, Schulist was performing jokey hip-hop under the name "C-Section."