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 can’t resist a classic “local boy makes good” story, especially when the music is as good as what you’ll find at this week’s top pick: The Record Company’s album-anniverary gig at the Pabst Theater this Saturday.
The local boy in this case is Chris Vos, who decamped to Los Angeles when his wife got an irresistible job offer and left behind beloved Milwaukee music projects like Invade Rome and Freshwater Collins. The Left Coast provided new opportunities, though, and Vos eventually connected with Alex Stiff and Marc Carzola to create a trio that within a few years earned the title of “Grammy-nominated trio.”
The album attached to that accolade is the group’s full-length debut, Give It Back to You, which capped another classic story in music circles: an overnight success, years in the making. Lead single “Off the Ground” climbed to the top of Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart, and the album spent 42 weeks on the Heatseekers album chart while picking up a Grammy nod for Best Contemporary Blues Album (Fantastic Negrito ended up winning for The Last Days of Oakland).
Three weeks ago, that transformative record hit its 10-year anniversary, something the band has been celebrating on a tour that started its Midwest swing this week. Vos and his crew saved the best for last by booking a busy Saturday that will kick off with a Studio Milwaukee Session at noon in our performance space, and then a nighttime show at the Pabst.
After their performance, the Record Company will enjoy a well-deserved 12-day break before resuming the tour on the West Coast — so you know they’re going to leave it all on the stage Saturday night in Vos’ hometown.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- March 4: Feeble Little Horse w/Hooky @ X-Ray Arcade, 8 p.m.
- March 4: Drew & Ellie Holcomb @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- March 5: Tanner Dane, Kneafsey, Max Niemann @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- March 5: Bitch Creek, Sam Gelband, Bad Posture Club, Maximiano @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- March 5: Bowvee, Alley Eyes, Mas Verde, Limited Edition @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.
- March 6: The Early November & Hellogoodbye w/Punchline @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- March 7: The Record Company w/Jontavious Willis @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- March 7: Hawthorne Heights w/Letlive., Creeper @ The Rave, 7 p.m.
- March 7: Matty Timmons (single release), 5PM To Nowhere, Sabrina Prochaska @ Anodyne Bay View, 7:30 p.m.
- March 8: Lion’s Tooth Birthday Bash w/ Middle Reader • Mostly, Spidora, Middle Aged Riot DJs, Rum Revere, Brock & Jess Spin @ Cactus Club, 6 p.m.
