When Claire Martine stopped by Saturday, it wasn’t just a Studio Milwaukee Session. It wasn’t even “just” a Summerfest Studio Milwaukee Session. It was a family reunion.
A big round of applause from the crowd welcomed the Whitefish Bay native back home from the Big Apple on one of the hottest days of the summer. Martine and her band managed to cut through the humidity with some indie pop-rock that bends the genre to its heart's content.
In just three weeks of rehearsing, Martine and her band carved out a niche between riot grrrl and new wave that rocked the stage. “Guys this is my third gig,” she explained. “Everyone has been driving in, rehearsing three times — I’m really impressed by all the boys.”
At another point during her visit, she explained how her curious combination of genres came into being. “My parents, they’re musical people. In the car when we were really little, I would listen to Laurie Berkner children's albums,” she said. “I was listening to a lot of classical stuff when I was doing violin, but the pop or rock side of it, my mom and dad both are very into new wave. … My mom was like, ‘Here's the English Beat! Here's Elvis Costello!”
A classical foundation provides the framework where Martine thrives. Her elegantly soft singing voice bounces around the mix, parallel to the other members. There's an aura of camaraderie that makes this band come alive, with each section given a shining moment in every song to create a grander whole.
The skill of each of these musicians speaks for itself throughout this session: a groovy rhythm section that twisted and turned into a deluge of sound on a “About The Boy,” or a dreamy guitar and bright keys that brought some indie flavor to the unreleased “Too Bitter.”
This band really has it all — or, in the words of our very own Dori Zori, “You contain multitudes.”
Milwaukee is only a fraction of the size of New York City, but there's something in the water here that pierces the soul of every artist to make them open and honest. Martine brings this to her music: an understanding of who she is to her core that rings out of the speakers.
Studio MKE: Claire Martine set list
- “Gossip Baby”
- “Too Bitter”
- “About The Boy”
- “Supermarket Strawberries”