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.
We love a good 20th anniversary party, especially when it involves a group of great musicians at a great venue. About six months ago, we heartily recommended one such celebration, as Milwaukee hip-hop trio Black Elephant (featuring a certain HYFIN program director) marked two decades of Eat This Album, their standout sophomore LP, at The Cooperage.
A half-year later, we find ourselves back at the same location for another 20-year party, this one whooping it up in honor of Milwaukee rock institution The Delta Routine.
The band has spread a lot of good music around in that time, with four studio albums and countless live performances at local hangs like Summerfest and road gigs across the country. This Friday at The Cooperage, they’ll add to their discography by turning what was already a special concert event into a vinyl release. The four-song EP includes The Delta Routine’s first new music in a decade and will be available for the first time at the show.
In addition to support from Wire & Nail, a few surprise guests will join the band on stage (they mentioned local cellist extraordinaire Peter Thomas, for one) for what’s shaping up to be a night to remember. Tickets for Friday night’s show are available online now, and you’ll also be able to pick them up at the door.
If you're looking to stack your Friday evening, we have a bonus pick that just so happens to be going down at Radio Milwaukee HQ. It's the very last Grace Weber's Music Lab of the school year, and for graduation day they've invited a few of their standout alumni to take the stage.
Mia Hart, El' Bang and Trinity Grace were all students in the Lab at one time and took what they learned out into the world to share their talents (including a recent Milwaukee Music Premiere from Grace). See what they can do at this pay-what-you-can event that starts at 5 p.m. Friday.
Best Milwaukee concerts this week
- May 21: JV Harris & Then Some, Casual Sex, Would you Kindly? @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- May 23: Grace Weber’s Music Lab (all-star alumni) @ Radio Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
- May 23: Equipment, Arcadia Grey, Doubter, Phasing @ Cactus Club, 6 p.m.
- May 23: The Delta Routine (20-year celebration) @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
- May 24: Pissed Jeans, Misprints, Sex Scenes @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- May 25: Wilmette, Glory Days, When the Sun Sets, The Up & Up, Buena Cara @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.
- May 25: Peace Through Music: The Music of John Lennon @ Linneman’s, 7 p.m.
- May 27: Torcado, Half Moon Hideaway, Fairy Astronaut, Tlalok @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
