The DJ Takeover sponsored by Level Up is a program for listeners to discover their favorite artist's favorite artists, working to foster connection to the music and makers inside and outside our city. For the entire hour, we go down the rabbit hole of stories from their past, experiences of the present and goals for the future.
Despite the honor of sharing the air with so many talented artists for the DJ Takeover, I couldn’t manage to quiet the lingering feeling that something was missing, something was unreachable. And no matter what I did, I would never be able to turn back the clock to a time when a band of four Milwaukee legends were still playing music together.
Platinum Boys had slipped through my fingers by a mere error in the chronological universe.
Just when I thought I would have to make peace with this undeniable truth, everything changed: Platinum Boys announced a reunion and final performance to take place Oct. 11 at Boone & Crockett’s Flannel Fest.
Joey Turbo, Henry Chern and Casey Hughes arrived at our Walker’s Point studios first. All three boys donned blue baseball hats — Hughes and Chern’s with the Brewers symbol, Turbo’s reading “USA Today” and (in his own unique style) and sitting atop a towel liner.
When I pointed out the parallels, they explained, “It's just ‘cuz we spend a lot of time together.” After a moment’s hesitation, the group amended their statement: “Actually we don’t.”
The rare occurrence of Joey Turbo, Casey Hughes, Henry Chern and Matt Papas in the same room talking about music they make hadn’t happened since drummer Henry Chern’s farewell show in 2021, marking an unspoken end to Platinum Boys. So I had to ask: “If Joey Turbo were to write lyrics to a new Platinum Boys song, what would it be about?
“A lot of the themes of our songs and our lyrics are either about having a really really really good time with your boys or life-shattering heartbreak,” Chern explained. “The good times are not over. Just changing.” Turbo confessed in 2025 he might author a new song about “the life-shattering heartbreak of my truck breaking — maybe on my way to my final shake at saving love. The song’s called ‘A Good Time with The Boys.’”
The boys’ picks wandered into the greatest corners of late ’70s power pop, including Slade, Thin Lizzy and, most notably, a Devo rendition of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My.” I asked Chern about his pick of the 8-minute jam sesh featuring the high pitched vocals of Devo alterego, Booji Boy.
“Some may even say that it's bad,” he began. “[Devo’s] still like a challenging subversive rock-and-roll band even to this day, after 40 years. It's puzzling music. … It changed what I thought was possible, what I thought was cool.” Similarly, guitarist Matt Papas explained his Neil Young-connected pick, “Mr. Soul” from Buffalo Springfield. “I just like how Neil sort of embodies the attitude like he doesn’t care. He plays with soul.”
The influences rang true. The boys became platinum because of their authenticity and the importance of play in the music they share. The more time I spent with them, the more the bittersweet encore seemed almost unfair — to see the boys resurrected on stage just for the magic to be taken away once more.
The band confirmed the upcoming Flannel Fest performance will be their last. Reluctantly, I started to understand why.
For more than 10 years, Platinum Boys grew up together through hardships and heartbreak and music. At the end of the day, they knew there was a new horizon that sat between four friends. The unspoken potential of “good times with the boys” revealed itself. To find the company of those who might understand a better future for you than you see yourself.
The farewell performance Oct. 11 is a celebration not just of Platinum Boys’ past, but of the future ahead of Matt, Casey, Henry and Joey. They’re ready to pursue that future for themselves.
Flannel Fest is packed full of Milwaukee music, with performances by Caley Conway, Wave Chapelle, NilexNile, De La Buena and more. Platinum Boys will cap the night with a headlining performance at 9:30 p.m. Grab your friends, get ready to rock and strap in for a good time with the boys.
DJ Takeover: Platinum Boys playlist
- Platinum Boys, “Darlin” (from Raw Romance)
- The Scientists, “Frantic Romantic” (Casey)
- The Turtles, “Buzzsaw” (Matt)
- Slade, “Cum On Feel The Noize” (Joey)
- Buffalo Springfield, “Mr. Soul” (Matt)
- Devo & Neil Young, “Hey Hey, My My” (Henry)
- Thin Lizzy, “Little Girl In Bloom” (Casey)
- The Cure, “10:15 Saturday Night” (Joey)
- Gem Fumigation Spa, “American Rock Song” (Casey)
