Studio Milwaukee Session Calendar
This is where you'll find the schedule for the nationally touring artists coming to our stage in the weeks ahead. All Radio Milwaukee members get opportunities throughout the year to attend, although the only way to guarantee an invite to every single one is at the VIP level or above. Take a look at what we have planned (or who you may have missed) and then head over to our membership page to get on the list for our next unforgettable session.
All sessions start at noon unless otherwise noted, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. The schedule is subject to change based on artist availability.
May 29: Valerie June
Known for her distinctive voice and singing style, "[Valerie June's] every quiver bespeaks emotional honesty" (New Yorker). As a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and three-time Americana Music Honors and Awards nominee, June weaves fresh medicinal downloads of love, sweetness, goodness, and joy with songs that have flowed through her for years.
An author, poet, certified yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor, June has recorded three best-selling solo albums and written songs for legendary artists such as Mavis Staples and The Blind Boys of Alabama. She splits her time between Tennessee and New York when she's not touring.
- Artist website
- Upcoming album: Owls, Omens, and Oracles
- Upcoming MKE show: May 29 @ Vivarium
June 5: Samia
“I wanna be impossible” Samia Finnerty sings on “Bovine Excision,” the epic lead single from new album Bloodless that name-drops Raymond Carver, Degas and half a dozen grocery items (lime flavored Lays, rice wine, tea, Diet Dr. Pepper, peas…).
Yet the crux of the song — and the full album — is not centered on real things; it’s the things that aren’t actually there. The ghosts and the drained things. The “doll eyes” and the leeches with nothing to consume because you, yourself are devoid of what they need.
Samia’s first two albums, 2020’s The Baby and 2023’s Honey, were an introduction to Samia’s acutely introspective observations. On Bloodless, she takes that to a new level by observing herself with an almost third-person focus, hoping to understand how she’s come to be the woman she is and why. How the men around her have altered her in a way she’s still unraveling, and realizing that unraveling is universal.
- Artist website
- Upcoming album: Bloodless
- Upcoming MKE show: June 5 @ Turner Hall Ballroom
June 10: The Kooks (acoustic set)
“I’ve been thinking a lot about debutism. Why do we love debut albums?” reflects Luke Pritchard as The Kooks prepare to release their seventh album, Never Know. Eighteen years after their own debut, Inside In/Inside Out, this record feels like a return to the beginning. Pritchard’s goal was simple: “The whole thing was to just forget that the past had happened,” he says. But to truly move forward, they had to reflect: “What kind of music do we want to make, and how do we make it feel natural?”
- Artist website
- Upcoming album: Never Know
- Upcoming MKE show: June 10 @ Riverside Theater
Recent sessions
-
The singer-songwriter-storyteller brought all three categories to our stage as he played selections off his new album, "Always Been." -
In the midst of a string of sold-out shows, the Los Angeles trio played to an overflowing crowd in our space — and kept them moving throughout. -
On tour in the States from their native Manchester, the group led by Xenya Genovese looked right at home bouncing from grungy to dreamy to sinister. -
With their strong baritone and easy-going presence, Lutalo had the audience leaning into this performance. -
The Michigan-raised, NYC-based band literally crossed oceans to build a following that brought them to our stage on a frosty Tuesday.
