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.
Befitting a week with a freak snowstorm, there are some delightfully offbeat options in Milwaukee’s live-music environment, and it starts Friday night at X-Ray Arcade.
The Very Famous venue in the heart of Cudahy will welcome Cory Branan, who almost fits into a few genres but refuses to settle into just one. The Memphis native is frequently connected to alt-country and punk-country and folk-punk and other classifications of that ilk. But does it really matter when the music is this good?
Branan has been co-signed by everyone from fellow folk-punker Frank Turner to 88Nine favorite Craig Finn, and there’s good reason for that. He’s been turning out fiercely catchy, lyrically unflinching tunes since the early days of this millennium, including “Steppin' Outside,” the single he released with Tyler Childers last fall.
Put simply, Branan is a classic “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” kind of musician, and there’s a good chance you’ll add him to your favorites after catching him at X-Ray Arcade for a 7 p.m. show this Saturday, with local alt-Americana outfit Tyne Darling opening.
Jumping all the way to next Monday, the endorphins will be flowing in a big way when The Happy Fits headline The Rave/Eagles Club as they tour behind their latest album, Lovesick. It also happens to be their longest studio effort to date (weighing in at 15 tracks), and the first to include Nico Rose and Raina Mullen as official members of the band.
The refreshed lineup allowed the group to tweak their sound in some pretty cool ways without ditching the largely upbeat, high-energy approach they had become known for (see “Around and Around,” one of the great kick-in-the-pants songs for any running playlist). Drummer Luke Davis put it nicely in an interview with The Aquarian, saying that the new album has “a thing for everyone; softer stuff, poppier stuff, heavier stuff.”
Providing additional pop next Monday will be opener BEL, who will open the 7 p.m. show before The Happy Fits take the headlining slot.
One more slightly offbeat entry before we go. There aren’t too many bad times to cut loose and dance, and opportunities to do so while enjoying a soundtrack that could’ve been programmed by Radio Milwaukee are pretty rare. So, if you want to get down to Vampire Weekend or MGMT or Interpol or TV on the Radio (or ALL of them), Kennyhoopla’s got you covered with a little something he’s calling “I’ve Got Your Number: An Indie Dance Party” happening at the Rave on Saturday. The fun starts at 9 p.m., and it will be fun. Go show off your moves.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- March 18: 97’ Flood w/I’ll Remember April, Courtesy, Hypersleep @ Falcon Nest, 8 p.m.
- March 19: Fust & Merce Lemon, Walker Rider @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- March 19: Rianna Marie, Violet Wilder, Valley Fox @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- March 20: Lake Drive, FLWERS, Callback, Hot Mess @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- March 20: Cory Branan, Tyne Darling @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.
- March 21: I’ve Got Your Number – An Indie Dance Party @ The Rave, 9 p.m.
- March 21: Radio Radio w/DJ Paul H @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- March 21: White Dry Pages, Cassini Echoes, Elephonic @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- March 22: Pons w/Rainbow Cobra, Brindled @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- March 22: Fairy Astronaut, Modern Haunting, LUXI @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.
- March 23: The Night Painters, EFH, No Thanks to You, Bowvee @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.
- March 23: The Happy Fits w/BEL @ The Rave, 7 p.m.
