Small-Format Music Venue Planned For South Side
Mitchell Street building would host 'underground' groups for shows with no more than 45 attendees.
Brian Hospital (left) and Dave Pacifico at the site of future MKE Ultra, 1535 W. Historic Mitchell St. Photo taken Aug. 21, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
The historic, two-story building at 1535 W. Mitchell St., with its stone facade and narrow stained glass windows, is a relatively unassuming presence on the southside thoroughfare.
Brian Hospital and his Age Out bandmates, Dave Pacifico and Andy Worzella, hope to maintain that understated character while also activating the building to foster growth and community within the city’s underground music scene.
Currently, the trio uses the space as a practice spot for their band. Throughout their combined decades of experience in the music industry, however, the band members have identified a gap in the local scene for micro-venues designed for niche or up-and-coming acts with small audiences.
For them, the southside building presented a perfect solution.
“It obviously has lots of potential,” Pacifico said. “It’s really cool, it’s cozy. I think the space is inspiring, and so we’re trying to do something more with it.”
The venue will ultimately cater to groups accustomed to the underground music scene, meaning shows played in basements, houses and other nontraditional venues. But everyone is welcome.
“The idea is primarily to have it be a venue for really small acts,” Pacifico said. “There are a lot of acts that will bring out, like, 30 people, and we wanted to have a really awesome place to fit that niche—that tiny, starting-out, or very niche music kind of thing.”
Dubbed MKE Ultra, a nod to the CIA’s infamous mind control program, the upcoming venue is slated to host its first shows this fall. That is, if permitting proceeds without incident.
The partners, requesting food, liquor and public entertainment licenses, are now approaching the end of the process, though it hasn’t been without challenges.
“There is no word for this thing in zoning and licensing,” Pacifico said, referring to the paperwork that prospective business owners must present for administrative and Milwaukee Common Council approval. “Puppetry, that’s on there. Poetry readings, we checked that off.”
“Poets and weird puppet theater, please apply,” Hospital quipped.
Although they laughed it off, the partners are far from alone in their struggle with the scope of Milwaukee’s licensing framework. Several others this year alone—including food halls and incubator-style kitchens—have grappled with defining their businesses according to the city’s existing frameworks.
The venue itself will occupy approximately 770 square feet within the building, featuring high ceilings, exposed brick and hardwood floors. The space is currently outfitted with a handful of couches, sound-absorbing rugs, professional sound equipment and an old organ rescued from Craigslist.
In one corner, a miniature stage has been converted into a vinyl zone, with stacks of records poised for a spin on the turntable. A side door on the opposite side of the room leads to a hidden patio, obscured from street view by a tangle of vines.
The building also includes apartments on its upper level and a private space that’s used for practicing and recording. Once MKE Ultra is open, the “back-of-house” area will serve as a load-in zone for bands.
The partners plan to reconfigure the space according to the needs of each performer. They also plan to offer pre-packaged snacks and refreshments during shows, which will be capped at approximately 45 attendees.
Hospital, Pacifico and Worzella have more than six decades of combined experience in performing, recording, promoting, publishing and producing independent music, and said they’re excited to finally move forward with a plan that’s been in the works for a long time.
“This is something we’ve been talking about for going on years now, basically ever since I remember,” Hospital said.
Julio Rudy Rodriguez owns the building, as well as five other Milwaukee properties. Constructed in 1889, the southside building historically operated as a tavern and was once known as La Chic.
A liquor license for MKE Ultra is pending Common Council approval. If granted, the venue plans to host its first shows in the coming months.
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