While Studio Milwaukee Sessions at The Cooperage are inarguably a brand-new thing for us, Thursday afternoon’s performance by Brigitte Calls Me Baby may have been another landmark moment: most rock-and-roll swagger at a single session.

The boys from Chicago zipped up I-94 for an evening at Summerfest’s Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard but prior to that made the short trip across the water to play a mini-set for Radio Milwaukee members and lucky ticket winners.

Even before playing their first note, Brigitte Calls Me Baby exuded old-school rock vibes the moment they stepped right through the crowd on their way to the stage. From Leavins’ sunglasses-and-pompadour combo to bassist Devin Wessels’ expansive ’do to the CBGB style of guitarists Jack Fluegel and Trevor Lynch, there’s a throwback feel to the group that carries over to their performance.

Leavins’ vocals do a lot of that work, alternating between crooning and crowing while showing off his remarkable range — something that was present throughout the session. If the audience wasn’t won over by the time the band rolled through “Eddie My Love” and “Palm of Your Hand,’ Leavins clinched it when he was asked what he knew about Summerfest and answered, “it’s better than Lollapalooza, some say.”

Whatever holdouts were left couldn’t help but be won over by set finale “Impressively Average,” the single we’ve been spinning with regularity on 88Nine. It’s a “gotta dance” kind of song, and the crowd was happy to move while no doubt making plans to use the free Summerfest ticket they scored to check out the band’s full set later in the evening.

You can listen to the full session using the player at the top of the page, and if you want to catch any of the remaining sessions at The Cooperage, check out our contests. There’s also a way for you to guarantee yourself an invite to all of our Studio Milwaukee Sessions, which you can learn all about on our membership page.

Set list

1. “Eddie My Love”
2. “Palm of Your Hand”
3. “Impressively Average”