MKE Music Night LXXII – Blacktop • Desperate Electric • The Quilz • Nate Scheurell • Tlalok
Tue 04/23/24
6:00PM
18+
music
$10 ADV // $15 DOS
Show Lineup
Blacktop
(Milwaukee, WI)
Genre: Alternative Folk
Blacktop is the Milwaukee-based writing and recording project of multi-instrumentalist and producer, Austin Wood. Resting gently between the genres of folk, surf rock, and dream pop, Blacktop’s sound is adorned with soft-spoken vocals, washed-out guitars and synthesizers, acoustic percussion, and field recordings.
When not working full-time in public health or mixing/producing for other artists, Wood writes/records music for Blacktop while drawing inspiration from spiritual philosophies of presence, mindfulness, and impermanence. The project incorporates a DIY- and analog-based approach to music creation, embracing the creative limitations and hands-on experience of recording to tape. Sonically, Blacktop draws from a large pool of influence ranging from Ethiopian jazz and Latin rhythms of the 1960s-70s to contemporary artists such as Florist, Loving, Alice Phoebe Lou, and Sam Evian.
For live performances, Wood is supported by a rotating cast of close friends, including Jordan Taylor, Jacob Olson, Jeremy Robinson, and Jacob Greenberg. Blacktop’s debut album, Gardening is a Practice, Not an Idea, was released independently in September 2023 with a deluxe re-release through Nice Guys Records in February 2024. Blacktop’s sophomore album, Modern Spiritualism, is slated for release on June 18, 2025.
☮︎
Tlalok
(Milwaukee, WI)
Genre: Multi-Instrumentalist
Tlalok is a bilingual singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originally a Chicago native, he comes from a long line of musicians dating back to his great-grandfather who was a composer from Vicente Guerrero, Mexico. A century later he keeps the family tradition alive through boleros, bossa novas, and vibrant performances channeling the passion of his ancestors.