Squares -- I'm voting for this band of Hoosiers that relocated and set up shop on the South Side of Milwaukee around 1985. The band's quirky mix of power pop and heartland rock was fueled by the strong and distinctive personalities in the band, from singer Scott Wooldridge's unique vocal style, to his brother Brian's Bruce Thomas-style bass runs and bouncing drummer Jeff Martin's frenetic beats. Their shows were upbeat and uplifting because the band always seemed like they were having a good time and that was infectious. The quintet released a 7" single, a vinyl LP and a CD, but an early cassette release - which many argued was the band's best work - has just been issued on CD for the first time. Find it at Atomic Records and CD Baby.com. Some potential runners-up might be The Barnburners, Modern Values and The Honest Disgrace (all circa 1983-'84) and Wild Kingdom (a few years later). -- Bobby Tanzilo

Violent Femmes -- It almost seems a little too easy, or at least a little too cliché, to name the Violent Femmes as my favorite Milwaukee band. It's been several years now since I've seen them perform, and indeed longer since I bought a Femmes album (not that they've given me much to work with). But in a 10-year period, between 1992 and 2002, I probably saw the Milwaukee trio 15 times, playing venues from the Waukesha County Fair to the Marcus Amphitheater, and everywhere in between. Obviously, their most beloved album was their debut, and while it's in the lowest of rotations in my iTunes at this point, I'll always crank the volume when "Gone Daddy Gone" or "Blister in the Sun" comes on the radio. But what struck me most about the Femmes was their lesser-known work.

Tracks from albums like "Hallowed Ground" and "Why Do Birds Sing?" and "Blind Leading The Naked," that never got any air play, define the group's brilliance. They've had a halo effect on the Milwaukee music community, and if you listen to John Kruth or Sigmund Snopek, you'll hear influences in both directions. In fighting, egos, breakups and an unwillingness to record new material took the luster off my appreciation of the band. As I've interviewed each member and gotten to know the back stories, I've found myself wishing I didn't, and wanting to just go back to that show at Great Woods in Boston in 1992. But take a listen someday to their greatest hits album, "Add It Up," released the next year. Every one of those songs is a work of art, and proof positive that the Femmes are the all-time best band to come from Brew City. -- Andy Tarnoff