Mama Tried Show

Milwaukee, WI

Words by: Kara Pierce

"I know that Wisconsin is a top choice alongside Ohio for movie writers to use as boring places their lead characters are from and don't want to go back to, but living here has been better than anywhere else in my short 28 years. It's about the same size as Portland with a similar layout to Chicago, and ghosts of the old factory days like Detroit. The people are nice, there's no traffic, and rent is cheap. It can feel like a time warp to the 90's with the corner bars, comic book stores, and grungy cafes; lots of garage sales in the summer, and plenty of space for riding along the lake. During the Mama Tried show I heard a stranger yell, "I love Milwaukee!!!" though he may have had a few PBR's.

I'm saying this because the Mama Tried Show is SO Milwaukee. There were two floors of an old industrial warehouse full of different kinds of motorcycles and people. Choppers, historic Harley's, scramblers, cafe's, and Road America race bikes all under the same roof. PBR tall boys were $3 with the no-judgment option of drinking Sunday morning. The mix of people was beautiful. I saw a dude in his moto gang vest with the DOT logo tattooed on his bald head, a toddler-age girl trying to rotate a tire, rockabilly gents, lots of beards and vests, a little boy dressed in a super hero costume, my friend's Wisconsin mom who brought us cookies, and some rad acquaintances from Chicago that became friends overnight. Despite the variance in people and bikes, there was an overarching sense of acceptance because most Milwaukeeans love motorcycles and don't give a shit what kind you ride. Especially if you threw some studs on the tires and finished the weekend with ice riding on Lake Michigan."