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We enlisted some help from a local artist to warm up for weekend one of Summerfest, so it only made sense for us to revisit Milwaukee’s deep well of talent as we get ready for the final weekend. And did we luck out with the band we were able to line up.
If you need a group of Milwaukee musicians to get you suitably pumped for really any energy-expending occasion, you can’t do much better than Gold Steps. Their music is a jolt of caffeine all by itself, but a whole new level of amped up is achievable by adding their live experience to that sound. Even on a relatively modest stage like ours, they find the space to move and get your adrenaline flowing just that little bit faster.
The four-piece gave us a sample of that experience ahead of the full dose they planned to deliver at Summerfest’s T-Mobile Stage at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. All three songs in the broadcast portion of their performance were released over the past year (or are just about to be, in the case of “Make It Make Sense”), and all three drench life’s complexities in the band’s riff-heavy version of sonic release.
Whether they’re talking about an ex who can’t get you out of their head or authenticity vs. the algorithm, Gold Steps provide an emotional pressure valve that drummer John Pankow explained during the mid-set interview.
“I like bands that keep the energy up through the whole set," he said. "Obviously, if you need a water break, that’s cool or whatever. But I think just like banger after banger, keeping the crowd’s attention the whole time, that’s something we strive for.”
The group also delved into more controversial topics like Wisconsin-Texas culinary showdowns, the first Summerfest show they ever attended as fans and how everyone has important jobs to fill on the road (e.g., lead singer and snack queen Betty Mauritz).
You won’t need to go far to enjoy Gold Steps at Summerfest on Thursday, and remember there are still a couple festival-related Studio Milwaukee Sessions coming up before the Big Gig goes bye-bye for 2026:
- Wednesday, June 17 — Micah Emrich
- Thursday, June 25 — The Mountain Goats
- Wednesday, July 1 — Gold Steps
- Thursday, July 2 — Jobi Riccio
- Friday, July 3 — The Beths
Studio MKE: Gold Steps set list
- “Rent Free”
- “Make It Make Sense”
- “Jealousy”
