By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Aug 16, 2023 at 4:56 PM

The Great Milwaukee Summer is HERE! Your guide to what you'll be doing, where you'll be drinking, who you'll be hearing and how you'll be getting a sweet tan this summer is on OnMilwaukee. The Great Milwaukee Summer guide is brought to you by Educators Credit Union and Harley-Davidson Museum

Somehow Black Cat Alley has become even more filled with vibrant art this summer. In addition to all the colorful, beautiful murals covering its walls, the East Side outdoor art walk added two live music series this year: the ongoing Black Cat Rising series on Thursday nights and, now, a newly announced live DJ series. 

Created by the East Side BID #20 and curated by Club Ritual, the Sound SYSTEM DJ Series will host free all-ages dance parties once a month in Black Cat Alley, found in between Ivanhoe Plaza and Kenilworth Place. The event's inaugural edition will hit the dance floor from 5-11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, with three more Saturdays set on the 2023 calendar: Sept. 30, Oct. 28 and Nov. 25. 

In addition to DJs spinning hot tracks and attendees moving and groovin' on the dance floor, the Sound SYSTEM DJ Series will feature beverages of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties for sale at the Crossroads Collective outdoor bar, along with a lineup of light snacks to help refuel those fist-pumps and dancing feet. 

"After experiencing last year’s Summer Soulstice event, Asher Grey of Club Ritual and I began brainstorming ways that we could build on the energy of Summer Soulstice more regularly," said Matt Sievers, co-founder of SYSTEM Seltzers, one of the series' presenting sponsors. "The opportunity to create a monthly installment with the East Side BID was the next logical step to continuing to push the Milwaukee experience and music culture forward."

The individual DJ lineups for each night of the Sound SYSTEM DJ Series have yet to be announced – but for more information and updates, stay tuned to Black Cat Alley's website and Instagram. And for more free outdoor summer music series info, check out OnMilwaukee's guide.

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.