Milwaukee’s concert scene has a lot going on, so we look at the shows coming up to find the ones you’ll look back on and be glad you went. Then we add them to our weekly Milwaukee Concert Picks.
In case you haven’t glanced at a calendar recently, it’s August, which means summer is starting to get away from us. Thankfully, the Summer of Soul concert series happening at the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s Peck Pavilion isn’t even halfway over — although it will officially hit that point when Moonchild headlines this Wednesday.
The soul/alt-R&B trio are fresh off an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, where they helped kick off day one alongside the likes of Brittany Howard, André 3000 and Kamasi Washington. It’s been a minute since releasing their last record, 2022’s Starfruit, which was nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2023 Grammys but ran into the juggernaut that was Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights.
Pop on that LP, and the “progressive” nature of their music jumps right out. There’s some interesting experimentation happening in the production, with effects that wouldn’t be out of place in a Bon Iver album. But Moonchild is much more than flicks and tricks. The musical bona fides are all over their live performances, as evidenced by their Tiny Desk Concert from a few years back.
Speaking of musical bona fides, Moonchild will share the stage with a local talent we’re lucky to have walking the halls of Radio Milwaukee: B~Free, education coordinator for Grace Weber’s Music Lab and — as I noted when she released “iProduce My Own Sh*t” last year — a hyper-hyphenate who sings, writes, produces and turns out a mean flute solo.
You can catch B~Free, Moonchild and sets from DJ LoLo this Wednesday at Summer of Sound, which gets under way at 5 p.m.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Aug. 7: Charlie Hanson w/EZRA, Charlieboy @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 7: Anna Smyrk @ Anodyne on Bruce, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 7: Moonchild w/B~Free (Summer of Soul) @ Peck Pavilion, 5 p.m.
- Aug. 7: Ladybird (Vivarium in the Park) @ The Vine Humboldt, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 8: Astral Hand, Zang!, Credentials, DJ Von Munz @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 8: Second Hand Souls, Of the Orchard, Bad Year @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 8: Deadelijk (Jazz in the Park) @ Cathedral Square Park, 5 p.m.
- Aug. 9: De La Buena (Sounds of Summer) @ Bayshore, 6 p.m.
- Aug. 9: Tedeschi Trucks Band w/Margo Price @ BMO Pavilion, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 11: Oh Well Ok, Big Scary Indian, West Nile Crows @ Bremen Cafe, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 13: The Struts w/Barns Courtney @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
