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May we serve a big helping of rootin' tootin' tuneage on our MAY 2026 MRP RADIO SHOW featuring Wisconsin home-brewed country music by these artists? Jim Dawson, Les Martin and the Country Drifters, Bobby Hodge, The Plainsmen, Hoot Roberts, Curley Fields and the Kentuckians, Frankie Ray and more!


I say to thee: Go forth on this fourth month and enjoy our APRIL 2026 MRP RADIO SHOW featuring music by Astronaut Ice Cream Headache, The Promise Ring, Burbank Cartel, The Revomatics, Sheebie and the Lovemakers, The Demix and many more!

Skinny Puppy at Cafe Voltaire, December 16, 1985. It was their first tour and every other Milwaukee promoter passed on booking them, including Tony Selig, who offered it to me. I was a fan of Skinny Puppy and was happy to be the promoter for the show. I asked friends of mine, PMT (Pioneers of Modern Typography - Scott Schanke, John Luttrop and Frances "Frank" Ullenberg), to open the show being that they were a perfect fit. The contract for Skinny Puppy called for a guarantee of $400 that night (which would be about $1,200 in 2026).

I made three different posters for the show and despite it being a Monday and 4 below zero, I managed to cover the guarantee as we had a full house. Arlene, Cafe Voltaire's lovely owner, made the band a home-cooked meal of fresh green salad and spaghetti, plus glasses of milk. The band loved it.

Over the next few years, when I would see Ogre at other shows and during my work on the Pigface documentary, Glitch, he would always say how much the band appreciated that night in Milwaukee. (Things hadn't gone well in Chicago two nights earlier. They played at Joz, the venue above the Metro (Cabaret Metro then). Their numerous pieces of electronic gear kept blowing fuses during the show, which embarrassed and angered them, especially Ogre, as he was out in front performing. Luckily the stage at Cafe Voltaire had sufficient stage power, so it wasn't a problem.)

The next three posters were kindly submitted by Skinny Puppy fan Jay Kern. Many thanks Jay!

Skinny Puppy at Cafe Voltaire (Version Two of Three)

Skinny Puppy at Cafe Voltaire (Version Three of Three)

Skinny Puppy at The Eagles Club (aka, Central Park Ballroom, October 31, 1990). I wasn't the promoter of this show, but went backstage to talk with the band. They were hitting their peak fandom.

Skinny Puppy at Club New York (aka, Papagaio's, May 10, 1987). The infamous "blood spatter" poster (from this site). I was the promoter of this show but let my friend Tony Selig run things so I could hang out and watch Skinny Puppy play.

Audience Recording of the 1985 Cafe Voltaire Show. I don't remember who taped this, but it's worth listening to.

Thanks to Ken Cutter for sending MRP these vintage posters from 1979 to 1981 of Or, Lubricants, Plasticland, and more recent posters for Voot Warnings and Freddie Lee!


Thanks to Devan Ray for sending MRP this vintage poster of Colour Radio!

Thanks to Keith Soko for sending MRP some posters from his collection:




Founded and produced by Ron Faiola, the Milwaukee Rock Posters DotCom Radio Show began 18 years ago in 2006, and our archives currently features over tons of Wisconsin-based tunes! Check 'em out and enjoy! Muchas gracias and a hearty handclasp to Paul Host, Tim Noble, and Tom Crawford at WMSE 91.7FM! Onward!

*** HEY YOU. MilwaukeeRockPosters.com has lots of photos, music and POSTERS available for view. I'm glad you like the rare old items, but STOP POSTING THE POSTERS ON YOUR OR OTHER WEBSITES without permission or credit. I've spent many hours scanning, posting, writing. Okay? -- Ron Faiola

Sad News: On December 11, 2017 we lost our friend and fellow musician Peder Hedman way too early in life.

On March 30th, 2018 there was be a special live show celebrating Peder's music at Linneman's Riverwest Inn. Proceeds from this event were donated to the Cyril G. Hedman irrevocable trust.

For now, here is a video of Liquid Pink that Ron Faiola shot at Cafe Voltaire in 1987 and 1988 - RIP Peder (and Rob McCuen).

Rock Read! Brick Through The Window an oral history of punk rock, new wave and noise in Milwaukee, 1964-1984. Cool stuff!

We lost a good friend in 2016 well-known writer and extraordinary musician, Tom Laskin of the Appliances SFB and writer for the Isthmus. Check out his story in this Isthmus Article.

Visit the Facebook Lest We Forget Group Page.

The LEST WE FORGET LIVE CD RELEASE PARTY held at the Miramar Theatre on May 24th was a hit! Thanks to the bands and fans that made it another special night. LIVE CDS of the 2012 LEST WE FORGET are available here

The LEST WE FORGET Milwaukee Music Scene Memorial at Turner Hall on May 26 was a huge success. The sold out show featured a 14 band line up including Die Kreuzen, Tense Experts, 3XCleavers, Sacred Order, 3 On Fire, Rock-A-Dials, Dominoes, The Dummy Club, The Lubricants, St Bernard, Xposed 4Heads, Blackholes, Liv Mueller and a surprise appearance by Von Trash.

Check out the amazing Lest We Forget 360 VR images by photographer Scott Witte, it's like you were there, in fact you were and we can see you!

Cheap Trick at Humpin' Hanna's with In A Hot Coma, circa 1974 (?). We got this amazing artifact from Martin Miller and Martin Krohne. Krohne recalls the night:

"Our biggest gig was backing up Cheap Trick. At it, Presley Haskel, lead singer, wore skin tight leopard skin pants.

And he liked to jump around a lot onstage.

What Presley didn't realize was that the seam of his pants split just enough to show off more than he had planned.

This lead Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick to thereafter refer to him as

'The King of Milwaukee Dick Rock'."

Les Paul Show Update: Jay Tiller's 1982 Blonde Les Paul Won Second Prize at the show.

Rick Nielsen at the Les Paul House of Sound Guitar Show