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.
This installment of Milwaukee Concert Picks takes you to both ends of the career spectrum, and it starts with the glorious contradiction that is Built to Spill, who come to Turner Hall this Friday.
The project from Doug Martsch has more than 30 years under its belt, making it one of the more reliably excellent members of the indie/alt universe. Yet across those three-plus decades, Built to Spill has adopted an always-changing approach that welcomes rotating members on a regular basis.
Martsch has kept things pretty consistent over the last few years, with Teresa Esguerra (also of Prism Bitch) on drums and Melanie Radford (Blood Lemon) on bass. The trio came to our space back in July of 2022 for a Studio Milwaukee Session culminating with a great example of how joined up the three musicians are on stage: an 8-minute rendition of “Stop the Show” from 1997 album Perfect From Now On.
Nearly four years later, you can bet they’re even more in sync, and they’ll bring that chemistry to Turner Hall Ballroom for a Friday night show that opens with Wussy.
We’ll finish up with a pair of Saturday shows featuring local bands whose experience doesn’t run quite as deep as Martsch’s but whose talent has caught a lot of ears around Milwaukee.
Bowvee is a name you’ve seen pop up in the concert picks from time to time, so we won’t dig into this one quite as much. But the project fronted by Nick Bove (band name = correct pronunciation of his last name) has put out some solid tunes — most recently a three-song EP in March — that sound great on the city’s stages. You’ll find Bowvee and Hyperbolic at Anodyne in Walker’s Point at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday.
Your other option that night involves heading to venerated Bay View beverage haven the Sugar Maple for a five-band bill presented by X-Ray Arcade that includes local duo in shining armour. Singer/guitarist Seth Kaplan and drummer Aidan Hoppens released their first EP in February, and we’re pretty comfortable saying they’re a band to watch (or listen to … they’ll be on 88Nine’s DJ Takeover at 4 p.m. today, May 13).
You can catch in shining armour along with Ritual, Honor Choir, Lana Leone and 12th House Sun at the Sugar Maple for a Saturday night show that starts at 6:30 p.m.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- May 13: Molly Tuttle & Maggie Rose @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- May 14: Jesse Voelker @ The Argo, 6:30 p.m.
- May 14: Kitty Soft Paw @ Ope! Brewing Co., 7:30 p.m.
- May 15: Ari Lennox @ Landmark Credit Union Live, 8 p.m.
- May 15: Built to Spill w/Wussy @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- May 15: Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- May 15: Luke Callen (album release) w/Dandy Freling @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- May 16: Hyperbolic, Bowvee @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- May 16: Ritual, Honor Choir, in shining armour, Lana Leone, 12th House Sun @ Sugar Maple, 6:30 p.m.
- May 16: Afterbirth Cartoons w/Bloom the Arctic, Glitzy @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- May 17: Cause and Control, Alley Eyes, Varsity Mac @ X-Ray Arcade, 7:30 p.m.
- May 17: Joe Richter Band, Gabriel Harris @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.
