Many of the fondest memories really aren’t too sensational. Going out on every Saturday night, seeing the same people, and doing the same things isn’t monumental. Yet, these memories last.

Andrew (guitar), Hugh (bass), and Matt (drums) of Midwest Voltage came to age during the time when Green Day, At the Drive-In, and Jimmy Eat World played over their radios. Matt explains how their time together just happened when they stumbled across each other during weekends in La Crosse, WI.

“We all knew each other, weirdly enough, through other people,” says Matt. “So, we all grew up around the same musicians. And played and went to shows. We all know about this weird little scene [in La Crosse].”

In one form or another, the combination of Andrew, Hugh, and Matt have been playing together for nearly 20 years. From 90s influenced ska to breakbeat hardcore, these guys haven’t skipped a genre. Once their band Sometime Tomorrow folded, in order to move forward, they stripped down and focused on dynamics.

“The kind of core sound of Sometime Tomorrow was an instrumental band based off dynamics,” says Matt. “You can be technical based on your songwriting, based on [your] dynamics.”

Midwest Voltage didn’t come together with musical preconceptions. As Andrew and Hugh mention, the concepts in the band develop organically.

“If a jam works or, you know, you write something that sounds good, just go with it, instead of saying ‘It really has to sound like this band,'” says Andrew.

“If it sounds good, keep it,” says Hugh.

Although Midwest Voltage was excited to record at Ground Breaking Studios with producer Jesse Wolf, the group hesitated. For people who grew up making music together, they didn’t want the music to become static.  The self-titled album, for the group, became an invitation for listeners to travel among their collective catalogue.

Like the name implies, Midwest Voltage has the electric spirit of the Midwest. Once the routine memories of everyday life become a part of you, they create moments for not only yourself, but the ones surround you.

“My dad said to me [after he saw us play] ‘You guys are really doing something great. There’s something about three life-long friends, playing music. You can tell that you really enjoy playing around each other and [that] makes the music sound even better,'” says Matt.