The night of March 18, Direct Hit! played a free show at Puddler’s Hall in Bay View, accompanied by Milwaukee hardcore band Beggar and Californian punk rock act Decent Criminal. Direct Hit! is a local punk rock band that has played for over ten years, starting from DIY venues to touring in Europe, Australia and Canada. However, the band’s favorite city to play in is in their hometown, Milwaukee.
The show was apart of the St. Patty’s Day Leprechaunicon, several shows Direct Hit! and Decent Criminal played over Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. They first played in Minneapolis, then in Madison and finally Milwaukee.
Beggar opened up with thrashy, frantic beats that reminisced of hardcore from several decades ago. The band’s energy matched the pace of their music, the singer running to and fro while screaming verses. When the songs hit their breakdowns, he would be on the floor, still singing as if in some sort of cathartic, lyrical trance.
Decent Criminal stepped up next, swaying the crowd with their own poppy, surfy brand of punk. Decent Criminal had the vibes of a relaxing house show but still had fast-paced energy like any classic punk rock band. Their music echoed of Californian punk and post-punk that has been around for years.
Direct Hit! played the final act and the floor was dominated by a chaotic mosh pit for the whole set. Direct Hit!’s sound corresponds with their motto, specifically to “Get pumped.” They played a fast, dirty and energetic punk that easily reflected off the crowd. When the mosh pit opens up in a Direct Hit show, it doesn’t just take up part of the venue. The entire room is the pit.
When the show was over, Direct Hit!’s singer and songwriter Nick Woods toweled the sweat off and talked about his experiences in the Milwaukee scene and abroad.
“I grew up listening to Milwaukee music, that’s sort of what shaped my band,” Woods says, “Local music in Milwaukee meant a lot to me because I could just go and talk to the people that were playing in front of me.” Local rock bands like Get Rad and Call Me Lightning has influenced Nick’s music more than any band heard on the radio.
For Woods, Direct Hit! is the most efficient vehicle for seeing the rest of the world. “Playing in bands, especially in this band, has given me a better idea about what real problems are,” Woods says, “Learning about the real troubles people have all over the world is something that music has given me.” Playing in a band has given Woods some insight on the world, but it also extends his love for the city of Milwaukee.
“Milwaukee is like the mutated inferiority complex of Chicago.” Woods said. He mentioned Milwaukee’s staples like the Ambassador Hotel, where Jeffrey Dahmer committed his first murder and Ed Gein’s grave in Plainfield. On the list of other Milwaukee attractions were the Domes and the Bob Paquette Microphone Museum.
“There’s just so much oddball stuff here,” Woods said, “You can talk about L.A. or New York or New Orleans or all these other odd cities, but they don’t have the authenticity that Milwaukee has.”
“It’s home. Coolest place in the entire universe. I’m never leaving.”
Milwaukee is not the only place for budding underground rock bands.
“You hear about all these hardcore bands like Liquids and Coneheads coming out of Indiana, and you wouldn’t be able to predict anything like that,” Woods says, “It’s really difficult to predict the trajectory of rebellion.” Nick says that if music was easier to predict, it wouldn’t be as new or as fresh.
Two years ago, Direct Hit signed with the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. “If anything Fat has done, it’s changed our perspectives on what it’s like to play professional music,” Woods says, mentioning that Fat was a label him and his friends listened to growing up.
“It’s really awesome to be able to contribute to that foundation and be a part of something that meant a lot to us when we were younger.”
The show in Milwaukee was both free and for all ages, which gave kids under 21 an opportunity to see local music.
Woods said, “Being able to go to shows when I was a teenager meant a lot to me and I hope it means a lot to the kids that were here tonight.”
This April, Direct Hit will start a tour across the United States with Less Than Jake and Face to Face. The first show of the tour will be in New Orleans.