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 finally made it through winter! It’s the first official week of the new season, and there are lots of reasons and incentives to get out there and work through that spring fever.
It starts tonight (Wednesday) at Cactus Club with local music photographer, artist and vice president of Cactus+ Samer Ghani releasing his new photo book, Memories of a Streetcat, which contains familiar faces from the Milwaukee music scene.
Ghani jumped into a recent DJ Takeover, and host Carolann Grzybowski astutely shared that “his skills have been honed over the last 10 years as he photographed the live scene in Milwaukee … document(ing) artists such as Klassik, NilexNile, Soul Low and Sista Strings.” You’ll find the book at Cactus Club, along with live music from some of his friends and book subjects: Klassik, Garden Home, Living Room, Known Moons and El Sebas.
Also, Wednesday night, #vanlife pros and psych-y, dreamy, Brit-pop-inspired guitar rockers Twen visit the X-Ray Arcade stage for what will be a dynamic and fun show. We don’t use that last adjective lightly. Twen are truly all about fun — just go watch one of their many music videos to see why — and their live show will feature songs from their latest, dense, riff-y harmony-laden album, Fate Euphoric. Get an early taste with their Studio Milwaukee Session at noon on 88Nine.
Want a perfect vibe for a Thursday night? Official Claire will bring some “calm shredding” to the stage at Cactus Club, creating a great vibe for that day of the week before the “official weekend” gets rolling. Longtime Chicago singer-songwriter Claire wavers between Mazzy Star and Ani DiFranco (yes, that’s possible), achieving serenity while loosely revealing a layer of grit with distortion pedals and enjoyably witty writing. Milwaukee’s The Fainting Room and Nineteen Thirteen bookend Official Claire for the 7:30 p.m. show.
Finally, Wednesday becomes Friday — or something like that — when Wednesday the band come to Turner Hall Ballroom. You can sing along with “Townies” and “Elderberry Wine” while sipping on some wine (or any beverage of choice) while they rip it up with songs from their much-lauded, grunge-y, gritty, twangily sweet album Bleeds.
No, MJ Lenderman will not be there. Yes, he is awesome. Yes, Wednesday is so much more than just one of its members. Leader Karly Hartzman is a modern-day poet, and her vocal range alone is worth checking out the band’s dynamic shifting shows. Expect to be inspired and recharged. Gouge Away opens the 8 p.m. show, which is technically sold out. But we’re rooting for you if you haven’t snagged a ticket yet.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- March 25: Twen, Monsoon @ X-Ray Arcade, 8 p.m.
- March 25: Cowboy Junkies @ Turner Hall, 7:30 p.m.
- March 25: Boys Like Girls @ Landmark Credit Union Live, 7 p.m.
- March 25: Samer Ghani (book release) w/Klassik, Garden Home, Living Room, Known Moons, El Sebas @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- March 26: Mike Doughty @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- March 26: Charlieboy, Ur Mom, Heavy Bend, Socially Suspect @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.
- March 26: The Fainting Room, Official Claire, Nineteen Thirteen @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- March 27: Hey Ily, Malamiko, Endswell, Arizona the State @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- March 27: Wednesday w/Gouge Away (sold out) @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- March 27: Geordie Greep @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- March 27: Talib Kweli w/NilexNile, Wave Chapelle @ Miramar Theatre, 9 p.m.
- March 29: Menorah w/Blind Hill, Oh Well OK, Disposable Thumbs @ Falcon Nest, 8 p.m.
- March 29: Chuck Ragan w/Eoin McCarthy @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- March 29: Ila Rose & The Betrothed, The Jesse Garwood Club @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.
- March 29: Ray Gun Youth, Mary Jam, Shoobie, Courtesy @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
