By Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Jan 21, 2008 at 7:23 AM

The forecast is frigid, but Milwaukee's hot with musical talent, and here at the OnMilwaukee.com / WMSE Local Music Podcast, we not only tell you about it, we let you listen to it as well. Luck you!

Tune in each week to hear four different Brew City bands. This week we begin with The Micah Olsan Band, a folksy five-piece with a penchant for funk. The band recently released its debut, "Giant Sized Life," off which Brent and I play the song "I Never Knew." If you like what you hear, you can catch Micah and crew this Friday, Jan. 25 at Linneman's Riverwest Inn.

If you're in possession of the "Live at WMSE: Vol.8" compilation, you may be familiar with Test-Site, the metal-esque band that opens the album. If you're feeling rowdy, Test-Site is playing at Vnuk's Lounge in Cudahy on Saturday, Jan. 26 with Trouble and Carbellion.

That same night Shank Hall hosts a benefit show called Kegger 4 Kevin, featuring Phalaphel, The August and Pictures of Them. Your $10 entry fee goes toward The Kevin M. Anderson Memorial Mentorship Program, which provides travel, lodging and living expenses each summer for one University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate to pursue his / her interest in the motion picture industry.

We end this week's podcast with a live song from Spransy & Kolb -- which has evolved into a four-piece and is on the hunt for a band name. Said unnamed four-piece plays live at the Cactus Club Saturday, Jan. 26 with Testa Rosa and Kid, You'll Move Mountains. Poptastic!

Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.

As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”