Milwaukee, WI - FRIEND LESS, Midwife, Amulets, Apollo Vermouth

MIDWIFE
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Madeline Johnston is a self taught multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer, currently based in Southern Colorado by way of Denver, where she spent the last decade+ developing her sound and focusing on her artistic community. Midwife began while Madeline was a resident of the beloved DIY space Rhinoceropolis in 2014. On stage, Johnston is known for her sparse, emotionally charged experimental pop music that can silence a room. On record, she produces intricate and lush sonic environments in her own little corner of the heavy music scene. She describes her sound as "Heaven Metal," AKA emotional music about devastation: catharsis. Johnston writes primarily about grief, and the many faces it can inhabit.

AMULETS
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The prolific, Portland-based Randall Taylor is an audio/visual artist best known for his musical project, Amulets. Taylor’s work uses analog tape and its imperfections to explore themes like degradation and nostalgia and their relationship to technology and to the self. By constructing and modifying tape loops and repurposing antiquated cassette players, Taylor creates dense, never-ending, looping soundscapes for both his live performances and sculptural sound art installations.

FRIEND LESS
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FRIEND LESS is a project by Jon Mueller. Its latest recording, Energy Rippers, aims to provoke the heart, mind and body through an unorthodox approach to rhythmic patterns. In performance, the pieces from Energy Rippers lean on a system of AIR (Acoustic Improvised Rhythm) using drums and voice to achieve a similar effect. More information about the project can be found at rhythmplex.com. 

Jon Mueller studied jazz drumming with Hal Russell at Columbia College in Chicago, and singing with La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela at the Kirana Center for Indian Classical Music in New York. A prolific performer, he tours extensively and has appeared at festivals and venues throughout the United States, Canada, England, Europe and Japan.

In addition to his solo work, Mueller has collaborated and performed with groups such as Who is the Witness?, Mind Over Mirrors, Volcano Choir, Collections of Colonies of Bees, and Pele. He has also worked with artists including Olivia Block, Aaron Turner, Faith Coloccia, Timo van Luijk, Dawn Springer, Chris Hefner, Jason Kahn, Hal Rammel, Asmus Tietchens, Z’EV, Rhys Chatham, Jarboe, James Plotkin, Duane Pitre, and Raymond Dijkstra. He has released music on renowned labels such as Room40, Astres d’Or, American Dreams, Table of the Elements, Type Recordings, Important Records, Taiga Records, SIGE Records, and his own imprint, Rhythmplex.

APOLLO VERMOUTH
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Milwaukee Ambient/Drone