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 sponsored by Educators Credit Union.
We’re hip deep in the season of traditions. And while it’s tempting to go the holiday route for this week’s selection, our Milwaukee Concert Pick tradition is to put the music first and foremost. Through that lens, you can’t go wrong with the brilliant Son Little, who will fill the Vivarium with a joyful noise this Thursday.
While the spirit is certainly fitting for the time of year, it doesn’t come from a place of yuletide cheer. Rather, Little found his happiness in a cabin in upstate New York. With a view of the Delaware River, he conjured his most recent album, Like Neptune, while also doing some heavy work on himself.
Having experienced sexual abuse as a child, Little went through intensive therapy to address the trauma and put himself in a completely different frame of mind compared with his past projects. As he stated in promotional materials leading up to Like Neptune’s release, “This is the first time in a long time I’m making music for the pure joy of creating.”
The album wound up exploratory in nature, as Little spoke to (and sung with) different sides of his personality while displaying his well-established mix of soul and R&B. You can hear the end result Thursday night, when Son Little plays the Vivarium with opener Kyah Bratz.
In addition to that show, we’d be remiss not to include a nod to the four holiday-themed concerts that found their way into our weekly list below. Spaced out across four different nights, you could conceivably take them all in — provided your appetite for that kind of thing is as bottomless as Santa’s bag.
You can start with the traditionally expansive Mannheim Steamroller’s 20-instrument extravaganza Thursday, dial up the vintage sounds of Squirrel Nut Zippers on Friday, groove with Brew City Soul on Saturday, and finish it off by jazzing up Monday night with The Commercialists as they play selections from A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s an overflowing cup of musical eggnog you can find among all our picks below.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Dec. 19: Son Little w/Kyah Bratz @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Mannheim Steamroller (Christmas show) @ Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Davy Knowles @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 19: FRIEND w/Chants, Dave Schoepke @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Tiny Moving Parts w/Action/Adventure, Greywind, Courtesy of Tim @ Vivarium, 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Squirrel Nut Zippers (Christmas Caravan) @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Collections of Colonies of Bees, Astral Hand, Known Moons @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 21: Mari Mari, Vanity Plates, Bunk Bed, Bryan Cherry @ Cactus Club, 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 21: Brew City Soul (Groove Theory — A Soulful Christmas) @ The Cooperage, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 22: Chi-Chi’s Restaurant (album release), Vacancy Chain, Tea Service @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 23: The Commercialists play the music of A Charlie Brown Christmas @ Turner Hall, 6 & 8:30 p.m.
