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.
There’s never a shortage of holiday-esque things to do the week before the actual holiday week. But how about for those who would simply like to go out and see some live music? Not surprisingly here in concert-hungry Milwaukee, there are opportunities a-plenty. So here are the twinkling stars of a packed week.
This Sunday brings a homecoming for Milwaukee native Queen Quail, who makes the short trip from the German capital of Berlin to drop by Riverwest singer-songwriter mainstay Linneman’s. Queen Quail is Kristin Edwards, who first became enamored with artistic and musical culture growing up near the shores of Lake Michigan. Engrossing herself in cello lessons, language classes, architecture and even the lake itself, the artist within emerged — as did a desire to explore further and leave the nest.
As she teased in our recent interview, she’s making a return not too long after the release of her beautiful new EP, Narcissus, whose thoughtful folk carries echoes of other 88Nine favorites like Squirrel Flower, Phoebe Bridgers and Adrianne Lenker. The songs on the new EP reveal the self-doubt and struggles of Edwards’ transition from Milwaukeean to Berliner and features a connecting line of Milwaukee’s own Old Pup on slide guitar. Henry Geraghty opens the show, with doors at 7 p.m. and music starting an hour later.
If you’re looking for something with additional tempo and the added bonus of community-building, FTBK and Shontrail lead a lineup of Saturday night music at Anodyne that doubles as a Holiday Benefit Show.
A recent DJ Takeover guest with Carolann, FTBK (aka Fred Steinmetz) was raised in Kenosha and moved to Madison before starting to call Milwaukee home two years ago. His artistry has flourished since then under the name FTBK (Fred the Black Kid) — playing headlining shows, growing a group of other musical collaborators and bringing forward a new full-length album, This Is Not a Mask, which finds him reclaiming his identity.
Joining him at Anodyne is Milwaukee producer and singer-songwriter Shontrail, who likewise just shared some new music, an EP titled Sonata that shows the artist’s enviable genre-blending capabilities. Death is a Business and Jackson Jaymes share the full bill for Saturday’s show, which is a benefit for Voces de la Frontera.
Need one more reason to go out and support the community? Our last pick will give you one, with a callback you might recognize from the compilation CDs of your youth. “Now That’s What I Call Milwaukee Music” sees Falcon Hall pile in a bunch of the city’s great artists — Tlalok, Ssaann, Crook & Company, The Panoptics and Nate John Herlache — into one Saturday show. And, as a delightful bonus during the holiday hectic-ness, it starts nice and early at 5 p.m.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Dec. 18: Julian Saunders, Croix Du Nord, Growing Boys @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Superglue (album release), Shoobie, Mourning Star, Courtesy @ Cactus Club, 6 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Teenage Bottlerocket, Boris The Sprinkler, Rodeo Boys (sold out) @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Anodyne Workers Benefit feat. Barely Civil, MIZZY, Known Moons @ X-Ray Arcade, 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Gabriel Harris Band @ Ope! Brewing Co., 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Groove Theory: A Soulful Christmas with Brew City Soul @ The Cooperage, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Tlalok, Keylime, SSAANN, Crook & Company, The Panoptics, Nate John Herlache @ Falcon Hall, 4 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Holiday Benefit Show feat. FTBK, Death is a Business, Shontrail, Jackson Jaymes @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Greyhound @ Cactus Club, 10 p.m.
- Dec. 20: Lake Drive, Fake Out, Hot Mess @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 21: Queen Quail, Henry Geraghty @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
