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.
At concerts, are you a “bob almost imperceptibly to the rhythm” kind of person? No shame, that’s where I am in my evolution as a live-music attendee, and it’s perfectly acceptable in the inclusive environment of concert-going. But the two picks we have for you this week will challenge those of us who keep our audience participation low key.
First up is Dehd at Turner Hall Ballroom on Wednesday night. The Chicago three-piece are already ahead of the game with a sound that nudges you toward letting loose. We’re talking stripped-down (but aggressive) percussion, driving guitars, and vocals that ping-pong between Emily Kempf and Jason Balla.
We didn’t get the full Dehd experience during last year’s tour in support of new album Poetry, although they did us a solid by whipping up I-94 for a one-off Studio Milwaukee Session. At the time, they promised to get back to our city for a proper show — and here they are. Take advantage.
The topic of memorable Studio Milwaukee Sessions dovetails nicely with this week’s other pick: Urban Heat at X-Ray Arcade this Sunday night. The trio of Jonathan Horstmann, Kevin D. Naquin and Paxel Foley went all out when they visited us a little more than two years ago by tacking two bonus songs onto their set and playing to the crowd like they were on the main stage at Coachella.
Led by Horstmann’s undeniable presence, Urban Heat know how to boss the stage and coax the most reticent audience member to find their own personal groove to the darkwave blasting from the amps. Get to X-Ray Arcade on Sunday and give in.
Best Milwaukee concerts this week
- April 23: Dehd w/Sweat FM, Merlin Brando @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
- April 23: Lady Blackbird @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- April 23: The Tallest Man on Earth w/The Still Tide @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- April 24: IshDARR (Old Soul + Young Spirit 10th anniversary) @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- April 24: The Silos (40th anniversary tour) w/Jonathan Rundman @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- April 24: OK Go w/L.A. Exes @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
- April 25: Whitty Remarks (album release), So Zuppy, Melodia @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.
- April 26: Move Ya Body: The Birth of House (Milwaukee Film Festival) @ The Oriental Theater, 6 p.m.
- April 26: The Tavern Pedalers w/Wolves With Virginia @ Linneman’s, 7 p.m.
- April 27: Urban Heat, [:SITD:], No Motel, DJ Dance Commandr, Night Ritualz @ X-Ray Arcade, 7:30 p.m.
- April 27: Stop Making Sense w/Jerry Harrison @ Pabst Theater, 7:30 p.m.
- April 27: Disaster Kid, Well + Good, Health Club, Royal Mill @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- April 29: Ivan Cornejo @ UWM Panther Arena, 8 p.m.
