Music ArtistsSoutheastern WI Arts Guild is proud to serve members of the local music community with a custom profile page dedicated to helping them engage and connect effectively with music fans and supporters. Locally produced music, including rock, alt rock, pop, hip hop, rap, jazz, classical, and choral is a cornerstone of Metro Milwaukee's vibrant arts scene. Metro Milwaukee boasts a variety of outstanding venues to showcase the best of local, national and international artists. SWAG is dedicated to helping local musicians and venues gain the attention and support they so well deserve.
Annie B. (Annette Bzdawka)![]() WAMI Award-nominated singer, award-winning video producer, and rock vixen ANNIE B. along with her band The Vagabond Company (ABVC), are quickly making a name for themselves in the Milwaukee & Southeastern WI music scene. Annie stands out among over 1,000 female singers in Wisconsin, as she was nominated Female Vocalist for a WAMI Award, and runner-up for two years in a row (2011 & 2012) for the Shepheard Express Female Vocalist Award. “Annie B is the second coming of Alanis Morissette!” says Kevin Wondra of the Walker’s Point Association. Alanis Morisette and Ann Wilson are two of the most impressive comparisons listeners have made about Annie’s voice.
Annie started her career out on the West Coast. She moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and headlined L.A.’s best clubs with her band Shut Up Marie for 7 years. S.U.M. picked up college & commercial radio airplay all over the U.S. & appeared in national airplay charts as they were heard on numerous radio stations from New York to L.A. with their 2 CD releases. She relocated to Milwaukee in 2008, and has been since building on that momentum with her new band. The ABVC lineup: Funk bassist Dennis Michael, hard-hitting drummer Dave Johnson, and innovative alt-rock guitarist Joel Drouin. Songs offered by Annie B. and the Vagabond Co. reflect notions learned throughout the journey of an artist… that life is short, so enjoy every moment, that the journey is really more important than the destination, giving hope to each listener that they will find their own inner peace. Your journey as an audience member will encompass an array of emotion and movement, creating earworms with undeniable pop hooks while at the same time, making you want to start up your own mosh pit, with driving drum & guitar rhythms and in-your-face vocal power. Connect with Annie B: Website Home - Performance Schedule - Annie B. Grammy Blog - Annie B. & ABVC Music - Annie B. & ABVC Videos. |
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Tony Goff![]() TONY GOFF is a recognized frontman on the Metro Milwaukee music scene since the 1980's. Over the years Goff has fronted for such noteable groups as LIPS (1988-1991) Mother Conviction (Los Angeles 1991-1995), The Boogie Men (1996-2012) and 52nd Street - Playing the Music of Billy Joel (2011-Today).
During the Mother Conviction years, Goff & his band landed a development deal with A&M Records in Los Angeles and later had the same arrangement for a solo project entitled "Anthony". an EP was recorded with the likes of Greg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Maynard Ferguson, Joe Satriani, Ringo Starr) Robbie Wyckoff (Roger Waters, Rick Springfield, Jackson Browne) Solomon Burke, Jr. and members of his Wisconsin musical family: Songwriter and keyboardist Joe Hite, brother Joey Goff and bassist Mike Riojas (Corey Stevens). Goff is a lead vocalist with impressive range, power and expression. He is a natural frontman, capturing the audiences attention with ease and style. Goff is currently rehearsing with his new pop/rock band UPRISING - playing music from the 2000's-today. Tony Goff, Peter Mac, Brian Dale, Ethan Bender & Luke Edgewood are UPRISING! Goff also is an entrepreneur that has had success with his business, Goff’s Enterprises, a Pewaukee based manufacturer, since returning to the business in 1995. In 2010, Goff at the request of friend Cory Zimmermann helped to arrange a “We are the World” type recording collaboration featuring over 50 locally known musicians to re-record a song Zimmermann had written ten years earlier about a friend that was dying of Lymphoma. The song, “This Time Tomorrow” had a video shot for it as well, won several “Telly” awards, raised additional funds for LLS and became the impetus for starting their non-profit foundation. In 2011, Goff along with Zimmermann Co-Founded the “This Time Tomorrow Foundation,” an organization that through the use of music & the arts gives financial assistance to local families that are currently struggling because of cancer. TTTF holds events to include concerts and galas where 100% of the money raised goes directly to the mission. TTTF’s eight board members work on an entirely volunteer basis. That same year the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society honored Goff with their “Man of the year” designation for this region. |
Connect with TonyWebsite:
Goff's Enterprises, Inc. Website: This Time Tomorrow Foundation Linkedin: Tony Goff Facebook: Tony Goff Facebook: UPRISING |
David HB Drake aka "Wisconsin's Troubador"![]() Wisconsin troubadour David HB Drake has spent over thirty years presenting concerts at fine arts centers, festivals, schools, community centers and concert stages throughout the Midwest. This panorama of history, natural beauty and discovery is performed on guitar, concertina, dulcimer, banjo, and Native American Flute. David is regularly seen at festivals and tourism sites such as Irish Fest, Bastille Days, County Fairs and local Festivals, Old World Wisconsin and Milwaukee's Pier Wisconsin.
David's original songs can be heard on the "Simply Folk" programs on Wisconsin Public Radio, and he has been played on folk radio programs from Victoria BC to the Netherlands. David has performed on tall ships on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Great Lakes and is the resident musician for the Wisconsin flagship, the Lake schooner "Denis Sullivan." David is represented by Organic Arts Ltd., a fine arts educational organization - an artists cooperative offering educational performance events and recordings throughout the Midwest. |
Connect with DavidWebsite:
David HB Drake Calendar: David HB Drake Contact: David HB Drake Music: David Hb Drake - Music Youtube: David HB Drake Website: Organic Arts, LTD |
Jerry Grillo![]() WAMI Award-Winner (2011) and Nominee (2012) JERRY GRILLO is perhaps the best known and respected Jazz-Singer on the vibrant Milwaukee, Wisconsin music scene. Mr. Grillo is the elder statesman of Milwaukee Jazz. Mr. Grillo is poised and polished out in front of his band - The Jerry Grillo Band. His vocals are smooth, articulate and finely balanced. Mr. Grillo's on-stage persona and vocal style are reminiscent of a bygone era when Jazz was King and Jazz-Singers held Court.
In the Press, Mr. Grillo has been compared to the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin. Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett are two of Mr. Grillo's strongest musical influences and he is honored by these comparisons. As a Jazz Singer, Mr. Grillo has received rave reviews from discerning Music Writers and Jazz Critics including Jerome Wilson and Frank Rubolino from Cadence Magazine, The New York Times, The Chicago Sun Times, The Shepherd Express, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Mr Grillo is known for his versatility as a vocalist and performer. He is a blues, pop, and jazz singer, with early Broadway Musical Performance as well. Mr. Grillo is also a natural entertainer with the ability to command attention from his audience. He is "old school" cool with a style all his own and an alternative presentation of many of the songs from the Great American Songbook. Born and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota, Mr. Grillo studied art, voice and acting at the University of Minnesota - Duluth. After graduating, he moved to Wisconsin where he first studied jazz vocal at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and later studied dance and theatre at the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Grillo has released nine CD's in his career spanning nearly twenty years. His music is heard via internet radio and jazz stations throughout the country. The Jerry Grillo Band is currently appearing in venues, ranging from intimate clubs to festival mainstages, in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago. The core of the band consists of Mr. Grillo on vocals, Joe Kral on the Piano, and Randy Maio on the Drums. Mr. Grillo incorporates other musical elements into the band when needed to match the style of music being performed. This Award-Winning Jazz Artist, prefers to work with Wisconsin Conservatory Musicians and other professionals who play in Milwaukee and in Chicago. Mr. Grillo has performed with his band at Jazz in the Park, Summerfest, Rainbow Summer, County Parks Concerts, Bastille Days, River Rythms, Milwaukee Area Cultural Centers, and the finest Jazz Clubs in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago. Mr. Grillo has also performed internationally with bands in the Czech Republic, France and Italy. |
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Steven White![]() A classically trained musician, Steven J. White works with filmmakers, choreographers and theater groups composing and performing many genres of music. Whether scoring to picture, improvising on stage with dancers or playing in a jazz combo his work communicates the emotions of the moment.
Steven started playing professionally while attending music school in the mid-1980s. Bands ranging from top-40 acts on large stages to duos and trios performing in intimate venues and house concerts, his love of performing and connecting with audiences is always present. He plays jazz regularly with Southeastern Wisconsin and Chicago musicians in Milwaukee and Kenosha. Steven is also collaborating as composer, programmer and mix engineer with Hartford, CT composer Dan Lis on a collection of electronic music, 'Swing of the Pendulum'. Dan and Steven have never met in person or even spoken to each other on the phone. The idea to work together remotely was sparked through finding each other through social media. They realized the similarities and differences of their musical approaches would make for a powerful and challenging collaborative experience. 'Swing of the Pendulum' will be digitally distributed on Bandcamp as well as on limited run boutique physical artifacts. Steven is also composing music for 6-string fretless bass guitar to be recorded and performed live using looping technology. He is signed to Any and All Records. |
Connect with StevenWebsite:
Steven White Blog: CosmoGalactic Music: SoundCloud - Steven White Facebook: Steven White Twitter: Steven J. White Email: [email protected] |
Matthew Schroeder![]()
Matthew Schroeder is a Milwaukee based WAMI winning
guitarist who is equally at home on acoustic or electric guitar. He is a Faculty Member and Department Chair (Fingerstyle
and Rock Guitar) at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Matt earned his BFA, with honors in
Guitar Performance, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ('97).
Matthew Schroeder is one of a handful of players to graduate from the short lived cooperative program between the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a performance degree in American fingerstyle guitar. As a fingerstyle guitarist, Matt studied under John Stropes. He has performed in America and Canada, been featured on local television and radio, and can be heard on the CD compilation American Finger-Style Guitar circa 1999. His debut CD Signal was released April 2006. Matthew Schroeder is the Artistic Director for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music's annual Guitar Weekend Workshop and Interlochen College of Creative Arts' Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop. Matt currently performs acoustically as a soloist, in a duo with vocalist Lynda Lee, and with the trio La Guitarra. As a rock guitarist, Matt has performed extensively throughout the Midwest and beyond. Past Bands include Blackfish, Pet Engine, Steve Grimm and the Thrill Cats, and Jamie Jess, and the WAMI-award winning Barbeez. Matt’s solo shows feature a mix of original compositions, music by artists like: Duane Allman,The Beatles, Pierre Bensusan, Blind Blake, Bruce Cockburn, Ry Cooder, John Fahey, Alex De Grassi, Michael Hedges, Billy McLaughlin, Leo Kottke, Keb’ Mo’, Jimmy Page, John Prine, Jerry Reed, Merle Travis, as well as arrangements of traditional and pop tunes. For information on Matt's next performance, click here |
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