Well, the Milwaukee Brewers season ended this weekend in the same way it started--a devastating series sweep at the hands of a non-salary capped large-market juggernaut. But in between those harsh bookends, the Brewers had a remarkable and magical year. They had the best overall record in baseball, set a franchise record for most wins, set a franchise record 14-game winning streak (Yay, free George Webb hamburgers for Milwaukee!), and brought a lot of joy to a lot of people in some pretty dark times. They beat the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS and they also inspired me to write an entire album of original songs about them.
Because Fear the Beer was intended to be a soundtrack to this year's Brewers' playoff run and because this weekend marks almost exactly two months from when I wrote my first Brewers song (8/15), I thought I'd take a quick moment to reflect on the project's goals and share some of the outcomes.
It took roughly four weeks to write eleven songs, practice them, and to record guitars and upright bass for all twelve tunes while also keeping up with my full-time job. It was a joy making music with friends (many thanks again to Randall Finley, Andrew Harrison, Dmitry Karev, and Art Stevenson!) and also to record backing vocals with my family (thanks again Adam, Ethan, Lilly, and Whitney!). And none of this would have been possible without my super-talented nephew Ethan Gibson encouraging me and putting in so much time recording my vocals, playing guitar, editing tracks, as well as mixing and mastering the entire thing. It was a real joy working with Ethan on this project!
It then took a week to design the artwork (many thanks to Rachel and Mike Lee for the assists!), getting my vision to match the printer's layout (many thanks to Travis "Daddy-O" Quam!), press the CDs (many thanks to Sooper Dooper!), register copyrights, get the album uploaded to Bandcamp, and to set up streaming and digital distribution. I also partnered with Wisconsin Humane Society during this week and pledged to donate all (if there were any) of the profits to them in memory of Hank the Dog.
During that week I also began seeking out press and I'm so grateful to Richelle Wilson and Rob Ferrett at Wisconsin Public Radio, Ashley Rodriguez at The Cap Times, Christopher Hawbaker at Channel 3 News, Jared Blohm at Milwaukee Record, Bob Koch at Isthmus, and Andy Moore of WORT's 8 O'Clock Buzz for taking an interest in the story and spreading the word. Thank you, all! As of yesterday (10/17) WPR's video of me singing "Fear the Beer" has 40,000+ views (on Facebook and Instagram). Chris's news segments aired on multiple days, The Cap Times gave it a full page, and in just two weeks, the album accrued 4,000+ streams via Bandcamp, Spotify, and YouTube. The album has also been in regular rotation on WI radio stations including WORT [many thanks to Art, Bobbie and Bill C. Malone, and Brian Oh Brien!], WXPR [thanks, Betty Jo!], and WVMO [thanks, Eric!].
Nearly all physical and digital sales were done via Bandcamp, which has worked out amazingly, and I also listed them on eBay and Discogs for discoverability. The CD was also sold in Rushmor Records in Milwaukee and both B-Side Records and MadCity Music in Madison bought copies, too. My friend Bobby Batyko even took CDs to several local jams and sold a bunch for me (many thanks again, Bob!). The initial print is now very near sold out!
When I started writing this country music love letter to the Brewers, I really had no idea if anyone would care or take an interest. I didn't do it to make money, but to my surprise, after two weeks I had recouped all of my expenses. In the following week and during the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, we sold another $400+ in CDs and digital copies--all going directly to the Wisconsin Humane Society to help animals in need and their WI families. Please adopt, don't shop!
These past two months I really tried to focus on the positive things around me. I wrote a bunch of original music. I got to do a music project with my nephew and several friends. I went to some amazing baseball games (including two of the incredible Brewers-Cubs NLDS victories!!). And we raised several hundred dollars for the WI Humane Society in the process. A sincere THANK YOU to everyone who purchased the album and supported the overall mission!! It's easily the most fun I've had watching baseball in the last couple decades and it's been a healthy distraction from the daily onslaught of horrors brought about by this federal administration.
Now that the Brewers 2025 Playoffs run is over, you may be wondering, "what's next for Fear the Beer?" Well, I don't really know that answer, but there is actually a group of music marketing majors at Emerson College currently discussing that very question. I'll be sure to keep y'all in the loop! In the meantime, many thanks again to the Milwaukee Brewers for an absolutely magical season and for the flurry of creative inspiration! Go Brewers!
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