The Blackberries, a local Milwaukee band, formed within guitarist and vocalist Brandon Payton-Carrillo's gray matter as he searched for new Milwaukee members like guitarist Emily Zimmer.,”Transcending standardized musical categories and genre classification, the Blackberries voyage to the Union Sports Annex at 9 p.m. Saturday.

The Blackberries, a local Milwaukee band, formed within guitarist and vocalist Brandon Payton-Carrillo's gray matter as he searched for new Milwaukee members like guitarist Emily Zimmer.

"I started meeting people up in the Milwaukee area like Zimmer," Payton-Carrillo said. "I asked for her to take a position on the spot, but she turned it down. She joined really soon after that, though."

Payton-Carrillo attended high school with bassist Jordan Senz, while Marquette alumna and drummer Jess Cushion recently joined the team.

"The Milwaukee version of the Blackberries hooked up about two years ago," Zimmer said. "I think that's the real beginning of the Blackberries."

According to Cushion, the band continues playing live around Milwaukee at locations like BBC Bar and Grill, 2022 E. North Ave, and Linneman's River West Inn, 1001 E. Locust St. She said this is the first time the Blackberries have played at Marquette.

The band is currently working a new album.

"We're doing the album independently," Zimmer said. "This one is gonna be the first real album we're gonna get pressed and printed and all that jazz."

Although the Blackberries love the Milwaukee area, the group aims to branch out to a wider audience. Zimmer said Milwaukee's accessible live music and distinct selection of bands are reasons to check out the city. She said she wonders why individuals pay to see DJs or to get into clubs but do not want to pay for a live concert.

"The bands are what it's all about," Zimmer said. "There's so much good music out there and it goes under the radar."

While Payton-Carrillo enjoys the Milwaukee scene as well, certain problems distract him.

"Milwaukee has a lot of great bands and a lot of great places to play," Payton-Carrillo said. "But the bands that get a lot of push are ones that are like Whammy members or whatnot. They get a lot of the large free paper press while other bands that are just as good or better get lost in the mix."

Payton-Carrillo stresses live performances without resorting to gimmicky stage productions like tap dancers or armpit symphonies. He said a band should produce a relationship with the audience by singing and playing emotionally driven tracks. Once engaged with a crowd, he said a band can get more personal.

Nevertheless, the Blackberries finds it incredibly difficult to label or compare itself to genres and bands.

"Trying to describe something like our band isn't easy like where some other bands can easily name a counterpart," Senz said. "With us there's so much going on. But yeah, maybe sexy indie pop."

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