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.
Andrew Shelp isn’t solely responsible for the current state of the city’s solid psychedelic music scene. But, as the person behind Milwaukee Psych Fest, the dude deserves some serious respect.
The event returns for its ninth installment this Friday and Saturday at The Cooperage, having grown steadily since its inception — even in the face of a multi-year absence due to the pandemic. What was once an entirely solo endeavor on Shelp’s part eventually became more of a team effort that pulls in bands and fans from well beyond Milwaukee’s borders.
Before a note has been played, this year’s festival has already overdelivered. While the event page says to expect “a total of 19 acts from all over the world,” I count 20 in the daily schedule below. Throw in “live rhythm painted visuals” from Mad Alchemy and Luminacidy, food trucks, and beverages provided by The Cooperage, and you’ve got yourself an enjoyably mind-bending couple of days.
The proceedings start at 6 p.m. Friday and continue at 1:45 p.m. Saturday (with some goodies from Centripetal Force for the first 25 folks through the gate that day). Tickets run from $35 to $75 and are available now via Eventbrite.
Friday, May 10
- 6 p.m. — Retroreflector
- 7:30 p.m. — Shoobie
- 9 p.m. — Vocokesh
- 10 p.m. — Cult of Lip
- 11 p.m. — Blues Ambush
- Midnight — Film School
Saturday, May 11
Inside Stage
- 2:30 p.m. — Elijah McLaughlin & Caleb Willitz
- 4 p.m. — Luke Schneider
- 5:30 p.m. — Drew Gardner Flowers in Space Band
- 7 p.m. — Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders ft. Isaiah Collier
- 8:30 p.m. — Vague Plot
- 10 p.m. — Glyders
- 11 p.m. — Dire Wolves
- Midnight — Garcia Peoples
Outside Stage
- 1:45 p.m. — A. James Shelp & The Rolling Hills
- 3:15 p.m. — Spiral Galaxy ft. Drazek Fuscaldo
- 4:45 p.m. — The International Disassociation of Aaron Dooley
- 6:15 p.m. — Frank Hurricane
- 7:45 p.m. — Emergency Group
- 9:15 p.m. — Bitter Wish
More shows worth a go
- May 8: HOSTS, Hurd & Galante, Stephie James @ Anodyne on Bruce, 8 p.m.
- May 9: *aya, Steph Lippert Project, Adorner @ Company Brewing, 8:30 p.m.
- May 9: Christopher Paul Stelling w/Nathaniel Heuer @ Anodyne on Bruce, 8 p.m.
- May 10: Laura Jane Grace w/Pigeon Pit, Sam Russo @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- May 10: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
- May 10: The Spine Stealers, Ross Thorn, Valley Fox @ Anodyne on Bruce, 8 p.m.
- May 11: Boys of Fall, Greywind, Good Terms, Gold Steps, Lilac & Lotus @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.
- May 11: MKE Music Night LXXV w/Charlie Grider, Cosmic Lovechild, Cullah, Hanna Simone @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- May 11: Jeffrey Martin @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- May 12: R.A.P. Ferreira w/Cavalier, BLAX@ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- May 13: Babehoven, Greg Mendez, Mia Joy @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- May 14: Portugal. The Man w/Reyna Tropical @ Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
- May 14: Social Distortion & Bad Religion @ The Rave, 7 p.m.
