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.
It’s gonna be a hot week in Milwaukee and an even louder one this weekend, with a great lineup of shows hitting the city.
Take a break from tanning to enjoy over a dozen different artists playing this year's Summer Soulstice festival on the East Side starting at noon Saturday. The annual music festival turns the area around North Avenue into one giant block party, complete with food and drinks to complement the music. With a diverse lineup showing off a lot of what Milwaukee has to offer, Summer Soulstice brings together all kinds of Milwaukeeans.
The artists are split between five stages — the WMSE Kenilworth Stage, Educators Credit Union Ivanhoe Stage, New Land Black Cat Alley, Miller Lite Farwell Stage, Smokin’ Murray Ave Stage — plus additional performances outside the Kind Oasis storefront in the evening.
Attendees can expect performances from artists such as rapper Wave Chappelle joined by NilexNile, house DJ Asher Gray and local R&B artist Hanna Simone. Each hour offers a different blend of sound fit for all kinds of musical tastebuds. We’ll have a full Summer Soulstice post for you later today, so make sure you check it out to make sure you don’t miss any of your favorite artists.
If you're looking for a more Americana evening, you’ll want to check out Tommy Goodroad’s album release show at Linneman’s, also happening Saturday. Known for combining Midwest niceties with classic country bravado, Goodroad’s aptly named record Goddamnit brings an outlaw's sense of love to heel. The title track is the perfect preview of the entire album, with catchy hooks and grooves heightened by a delectable slide guitar that adds so much texture to the instrumentals.
Goodroad’s writing style is pointed and lighthearted, sharpened by the narrator falling but somehow landing right on his feet. With the help of producer Amos Pitsch, who’s done his own critically acclaimed work on Hotline TNT’s Raspberry Moon, Goodroad’s soundscape holds its own against the tidal wave of modern country influence in indie rock, as drum machines and crisp production augment the rustic instrumentation with contrasting yet sweet flair.
If that sounds like something for your ears, the 8 p.m. show kicks off with openers Max Niemann & The Fellow Travelers offering their Greenwich Village-inspired folk tunes, plus Milwaukee country-rock outfit Alewives.
Turning to Bay View, indie-rock legends 12RODS come to Cactus Club this Thursday in support of their newest album, If We Stayed Alive. The group built their record from a collection of long-lost demos recently transposed by songwriter and frontman Ryan Olcott. He shrugs off the dirtier bits of production for a refined feel without losing any of the emotional poignancy 12RODS are known for.
Olcott’s blunt writing style on the track “I Wish You Were a Girl” also finds its way into songs like “All I Can Think About” and “Private Spies.” But he takes a more indie-pop approach to building the soundscape, akin to Mac Demarco’s Salad Days. Brighter guitar tones and a carefree melody gently lure the listener into these seven tracks, with active basslines and drumbeats tattooed all over the album, playing up Olcott’s coy lovesick lyricism.
The show starts at 7 p.m. with locals Milby (MKE shoegaze) and Tiny Vamp (MKE riot grrrl) opening the night. Tickets are available right now for $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- June 10: Drew Peterson + Dellwood @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- June 11: The Wailin’ Jennys @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- June 11: 12RODS, Tiny Vamp, Milby @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- June 11: The Avengers, Jinksie, Geoff Palmer @ X-Ray Arcade, 7:30 p.m.
- June 11: Mouthful w/Shoobie, In Shining Armour @ Linneman’s, 7:30 p.m.
- June 11: Devotchka w/Known Moons @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- June 13: Summer Soulstice @ Milwaukee’s East Side, noon
- June 13: Tommy Goodroad (album release) w/Max & The Fellow Travelers @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- June 13: Daisy the Great @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- June 13: Dillstradamus @ Landmark Credit Union Live, 8:30 p.m.
- June 14: Davvn, Jack The Underdog, Gold Steps @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- June 14: Kate Voegele & Tyler Hilton @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- June 15: SheBros, Mala Mala, OurVanity @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- June 16: Maximiano, Bloodroots, Bitch Creek, The Devil Said Jump @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
Jonathan Joseph is a Milwaukee-based multimedia freelance journalist who specializes in art and culture writing (and all things Milwaukee), with work appearing on Radio Milwaukee and in Milwaukee Magazine. Contact him via email or find him on LinkedIn.