Milwaukee knows how to (polka) riot
Before I talk about what happened at the 2025 Milwaukee Polka Riot, let me tell you about the first Milwaukee Polka Riot I attended in 2023. It was long overdue, and I had a blast.
It’s always good to visit Milwaukee. If I wasn’t so head-over-heels in love with Madison, I’d live there for sure. But to crash a party that’s full of people who love polka — in this case, alternative polka or polka-adjacent music — it felt like there was hope for my mission to get more people into polka music. There were bands playing polka, but with more punk, more world beats, more scrappy DIY attitude.
The highlight of the 2023 party in the grassy backyard of Last Rites bar was getting to meet DJ Stashu, who is one member of the very tiny sorority of female polka DJs. Her show, Dance with Me Stanley on WFMU, is a journey into the weird and wonderful. Her selections are eclectic, but she always works in a healthy dose of polka. At the Milwaukee Polka Riot, she brought LPs and 45s that stayed true to her funky taste. She had a copy of the infamous L’il Wally album with the go-go dancers, and she gifted me a copy of his recording of the Meow Meow polka that sounds a lot like a certain cat food jingle (cats ask for it by name).
So when Keith Gaustad, aka DJ Brumeister, invited me to this year’s event, it was an easy yes. I already had it on my calendar because I didn’t want to miss it. Learn more about Keith’s passion for polka and see the photo of him, me and Stashu from the 2023 event.
The 2025 event moved to a new venue, Linneman’s Riverwest Inn. Despite the amazing weather outside, people packed in to watch the bands perform on stage (packed like sardines - and the bartenders worked their butts off that night). I played LPs on turntables in the back of the room. Compilation albums were a real blessing because I could let them play while I talked to so many cool people between bands.
In true Polka Riot style, the band lineup was diverse. The Frantastic Sound System from Chicago brought high-energy zydeco vibes to covers of songs we love. Milwaukee’s Good Friends Klezmer Band kept people dancing. November Criminals made it a very Milwaukee night with their blend of hip-hop, social justice and polka (plus a little sea shanty or two). We even got schooled on the power of another p-word from Milwaukee Poet Laureate Emeritus Mario the Poet.
The standout band was The Polkaholics from Chicago who I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t seen before. With a guitar, a bass and a drum kit, these three guys rocked our faces off with their completely unique style of punk-polka. If you spot them on a future band lineup, put aside any doubts you have and go see them. They have been playing guitar polka for over 27 years!
The event got a shout out in Milwaukee Magazine and Riverwest Currents, and DJ Brumeister did a really good polka-centric preview show on WXRW. I had a blast and deeply regret not bringing a shotski with me. Maybe next year?