Listening Party

Over the last decade, Milwaukee-based band Listening Party has sought to create songs that deeply resonate with their listeners. Their folk and Americana-steeped sound expertly and reverently takes the pulse and traditions of their genre while adding their own charm. Milwaukee-based Shepherd Express even compared the band to The Avett Brothers and The Lumineers. They’ve stayed busy with shows ranging from dive bars to regular main stage performances at Summerfest. Pounding the pavement for over 120 shows a year throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest has led them to a road-tested live performance.

Much like Bob Dylan and Jon Prine and more current contemporaries such as The Avett Brothers and The Lumineers, Milwaukee, WI-based band Listening Party is indebted to the traditions of folk, rock and Americana and taking those styles to new horizons. At the heart of their sound, storytelling and melody reign supreme, with songs seeking to examine stories rooted in the joys and perils of life.

After earning a Music Education Degree, Jacob Wood decided to move from his hometown in Iowa to Milwaukee to focus on live performance. It was there he met Weston Mueller, a Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter. They formed the band in 2013 in an effort to create and perform original music together.

Listening Party has “waxed and waned” in terms of line up changes. 2023 release “Been a Long Time Comin’’ highlights Mueller and Wood’s perseverance to carry on creating music through the Covid-19 pandemic while adjusting from a playing as a trio to a duo. Their upcoming 2026 release “High & Low’ celebrates the added musicality of Travis Worth (Oshkosh) and Tyler Furrer (Oshkosh). Now a Quartet, Listening Party remains steadfast in creating songs that deeply resonate with their listeners while finding joy in composing a more sonically involved product. Although the line up has grown the intimacy between the band, song, and audience remains unchanged. Taking pride in playing dive bars to main stages, Listening Party remains a Mid-western staple.