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.
If you’ve seen Sound of Music — or just know the “Do-Re-Mi” tune from the musical — you know that “La” has inarguably the worst line in the whole production: “‘La,’ a note to follow ‘So.’”
That’s it? Seriously? We’ve got female deer running around, and we’re twisting “Fa” to be “a long, long way to run,” and we couldn’t take a few liberties with “La” to make it something even hallways creative? Kinda mailed that one in, Rodgers and Hammerstein.
We bring up this 60+-year-old injustice to point out that “La” will finally get its due in Milwaukee in the days ahead as two separate “La” bands bring their considerable talents to our town for separate shows at Vivarium: LA LOM and La Luz.
The all-caps option goes first Sunday, when the Los Angeles League of Musicians (LA LOM) visit the East Side venue along with opener El Marchante. The night’s headliner has a slow-burn story that started in 2018 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where co-founders Zac Sokolow and Jake Faulkner played covers before bringing the Latin sounds of their childhoods into the performance.
Various music-minded writers have pointed out LA LOM’s ability to take cumbia, bolero and Peruvian chicha, toss in a taste of country and surf rock, and blend it into something that goes down smooth. They shared a big helping of that on their self-titled debut album released last August, they’ll do it again Sunday night at Vivarium and, if you can’t get to the show, they’re stopping by Studio Milwaukee at noon Sunday for an open-to-the-public session at Radio Milwaukee.
While we’re on the topic of sessions, our second “La” was here last September for a noontime performance between tour stops in Chicago and Madison. La Luz sounded razor sharp when they visited us to promote their latest album, News of the Universe, and a little more than six months later they’re back in town to play a proper Milwaukee show. You can catch them and opener Color Green at Vivarium next Tuesday.
Before we get to the full (very full) list of concerts, one more quick shout for another Sunday night show: Tank & The Bangas at Turner Hall Ballroom. It’s hard for us not to have a soft spot for this crew considering it was NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest that cranked up the spotlight on their talents. They’ve since collected three Grammy nominations and last August released their three-part concept album, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul. That ambition will be on full display on the Turner Hall stage this Sunday night.
Best Milwaukee concerts this week
- April 2: Mannequin Pussy w/Finom @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- April 2: Holy Pinto, Oogwé, ourVanity @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.
- April 3: Will Orchard, Caley Conway @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- April 3: The Ivy, Lyncs, The Keystones @ X-Ray Arcade, 7:30 p.m.
- April 4: Garrett Waite, The Stephen Hull Experience @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- April 4: Glitzy (EP release) w/Rainbow Cobra, Oh Well OK @ Linneman’s, 7 p.m.
- April 5: Harlow, Convoy, The Taxmen, Lainey Lou @ Cactus Club, 10 p.m.
- April 5: Keep for Cheap, Leisure Hours, Bronco, Killer High Life, Known Moons @ Sugar Maple, 6:30 p.m.
- April 6: LA LOM w/El Marchante @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- April 6: Nona Invie, Lucky Cloud, Ellie Jackson @ Cactus Club, 5 p.m.
- April 6: Tank & The Bangas w/Elliott Skinner, DJ Zeus @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- April 7: Garden Home, Bug Moment, Chapped Lips, Mizzy @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- April 7: Ani DiFranco w/Wryn @ Pabst Theater, 7:30 p.m.
- April 8: Ryan Davis, Old Pup, Tobacco City @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- April 8: La Luz w/Color Green @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
