SBS 338: Collections of Colonies of Bees // The Hallelujah Ward
Doors: 6pm; Show 7pm
Sat, June 28, 2025
For two decades, Collections of Colonies of Bees have existed in various forms and incarnations, beginning with Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller (who split time with post-rock band Pele).
From there, the line-up grew and evolved. At one time, Nick Sanborn -- currently in the spotlight as one-half of ;Sylvan Esso -- counted himself as a member. At another, the group joined forces with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to release two albums under the moniker Volcano Choir. (In fact, it was Vernon who proclaimed of his collaborators: “If the world was perfect, they would be as big as U2.”)
Never content to paint the soundscape twice, the previously instrumental Bees now come outfitted with vocalist Marielle Allschwang and a new full-length, HAWAII, that finds the Wisconsin-based ensemble harvesting the fertile intersection between experimental and pop to maximum effect.
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“This band has been trying to start since before the pandemic,” Waldoch laughs. “There are verses and choruses and bridges from songs I wrote ten years ago.”
Waldoch, of course, is no stranger to local music fans. When he’s not slinging drinks at seemingly every Milwaukee bar of note, the forever-busy (and always dapperly dressed) musician spends his time playing at seemingly every Milwaukee venue and festival of note. The Cooperage, Cactus Club, Bay View Bash, Summer Soulstice, the list goes on. Many of those gigs feature Waldoch solo, accompanied only by a city-grid of guitar pedals and his own booming, hold-onto-your-seats-because-here-he-goes voice. But with the release of Charlie Bee and a steady three-piece lineup—Waldoch, drummer Dan Didier, bassist Paul Hancock—The Hallelujah Ward finally feels like a distinct band.
“With Mark bringing these song he had played a thousand times solo, and then trying to retrofit a band into that, that was a new experience for me,” says Didier, who has decades’ worth of experiences with bands like The Promise Ring, Maritime, Dramatic Lovers, and more. “There’d be choices that were made that worked really well for him solo, but now there were two other people who needed to sync in with that.”
Along with Hancock (Testa Rosa), Waldoch and Didier give everything they’ve got on Charlie Bee. Lead single “Manageable Oblivion” is a driving, irresistible, heart-on-its-sleeve banger stuffed with quotable lyrics (“My friendless ocean has become
an acquired kink”) and those patented hold-onto-your-seats-because-here-he-goes moments. “Love In A Time Of Blah Blah Blah” and “Blonde” swoop and soar along with Waldoch’s effects-laden vocals. “An Anthology Of Disappointing Young Poets” slowly builds to a psych-indebted climax, and closer “86,000 Heartbeats” plays more like a prayer than a pop song. Recorded and mixed by Kevin Dixon (Brief Candles) and mastered by Justin Perkins (Mystery Room Mastering), I Forced Myself To Live, Charlie Bee is as unafraid and life-affirming as its title suggests. (The namesake of the EP is Waldoch’s longtime friend and creative partner.)
A full-length Hallelujah Ward record is in the works. For now, however, Waldoch is happy to have the five Charlie Bee tracks out in the world, complete and fully formed.
“Even just sharing these songs with friends before the release has been fun,” he says. “And then playing the songs live, and seeing people mouthing the words, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this is fun!’ People get something out of it, you know?”
-Matt Wild - Milwaukee Record 10/11/24
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