So I woke up this morning, fumbled my way to coffee, and stumbled wearily to the computer to find that all the long hours I’ve put into this site so far actually mean something!
What began as a vague idea in 2003, became a myspace profile in 2007, and finally evolved into a full-fledged website four months ago actually serves a purpose and is becoming the movement I hoped it would be.
When you get an awesome endorsement from someone as influential and accomplished as Hobbes Caltous, singer of 9mm Solution, that really makes the work worth while.
If you have been living under a rock or a shack in the woods with dead bodies and haven’t heard 9mm Solution you can check them out here:
9mm Solution on Myspace | Facebook
Here is what Hobbes posted in a note on facebook at about six o’clock this morning:
ok.. i’ve been in the Milwaukee “scene,” in one band or another, for going on ten years. i’ve seen countless people come and go in their effort to “promote” local music. 9 times out of 10, it was simply to get free stuff from the bands.
now, i’ve known about this one site for awhile, but, admittedly, i had never actually checked it out.. so many invites, so little time, right?
the website is www.wisconsinsickness.com
it’s run by Charlie Hintz and a couple other people i don’t really know, and when i got the invite awhile back, i dismissed it as yet another attempt to get something from the band– something bands go through a lot, turning people down simply because we can’t afford to.
now, WS does something a little bit different.. for one, the site actually looks like a site. a la Blabbermouth, this site discusses wisconsin area bands, and the news they have to hype it up with. moreover, they’ve put out two full length compilation albums, complete with album art- that even showed up automatically on my Zune(which, to me, ROCKS!)- and it’s full of songs that are at least listenable. you might not like what you hear in each song, but here’s the kicker..
the fuckin thing is FREE. simply to expose bands. no one’s profiting from this, and to me, that fuckin rocks. that says to me,
these people actually give a shit, and their not trying to mark on something, or get away with ripping people off..
i gotta say, this is the best local site since Milwaukeerocks first started.
so, here’s a toast to Charlie and whoever works with the guy. dude, you’re not doing a half bad job. keep it up.. and put us on the next ones.
———-
Thanks a lot man, that really means a lot.
Wisconsin Sickness is intended to build a network of mutual support and promotion, to end that rivalry that always exists between bands, and to shed some light on Wisconsin art in all it’s forms.
Art isn’t a competition, and independent Wisconsin artists need to work together to get farther. So many great bands have come and gone, amazing songs that will never be heard again.
We all know the major label bands and the Hollywood films, but yet we hear very little about the local artists who are doing the same things on a much smaller budget, and every day fight through the obstacles to achieve the impossible.
A band shouldn’t need a major label deal to have people care about what they’re doing. The dark, dingy basements, garages and warehouses of Wisconsin are thriving with some of the most interesting and innovative music the world has ever known.
We are the virus.
Let’s infect everything…
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You guys do a great job! Dirtknap is proud to be a part of the family.
Yeah, this is infinitely more possible now than five years ago because of social networking and media. It’s easy to gather and distribute the latest news from local artists.
That’s why it just seems logical to (attempt) to bring it all into one place.
Hopefully this lasts longer than milwaukeerocks or sinfection. Social networking sites make these types of things a lot easier these days, too. Good luck to you, I hope this succeeds.
Amen. This site fucking rocks. Mute Grey has been sheizted one to many times by organizations (HM Live ohio) that just wanted our money and didn’t give half a shit about our music. Wisconsin Sickness is the first legitimate structure for local music that we’ve ever encountered. Gives me hope for this scene that’s nearly six-feet-under.
More power to you guys, keep it up!!!
Alletta – MGB