Author Cal Roach

Nick Cave enthralls the faithful at sparse, powerful Riverside Theater show

September 28, 2023

Nick Cave's most recent studio release is a 2021 duo album with multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis called Carnage. Given that Cave's current tour is a rare one without the Bad Seeds backing him, it seemed a goo...

Goose fly into Miller High Life Theatre for night of polished groove-rock

Cal Roach

September 18, 2023

Everybody skips Milwaukee—it's a tired lament, and one that jam band fans can't chime in on, at least not this year, as nearly every artist from that sprawling community has stopped or will stop by the Brew Cit...

Extreme and Living Colour bring signature tunes (and more) to Pabst Theater

Cal Roach

August 16, 2023

At first glance, the pairing of Extreme and Living Colour—a couple of American rock bands whose last charting singles came out in the mid-'90s—for a tour in 2023 seems odd. Both bands are dangerously close to o...

Stevie Nicks wows, pays tribute to fallen collaborators at Fiserv Forum

Cal Roach

August 9, 2023

Is Fleetwood Mac still a band? Following the passing of Christine McVie late last year, the group has at least been on hiatus, with only three members remaining from Mac's '70s-'80s heyday. However, while Mick ...

“I think we all need this night.” Paramore delivers, delights at Fiserv Forum

Cal Roach

August 2, 2023

When Hayley Williams asked a sold-out Fiserv Forum late Tuesday night if it was anyone's first Paramore show, at least half the crowd screamed in delight. They knew they were the lucky ones; as any pandemic-era...

Janet Jackson takes control at AmFam Amphitheater with four-decade career retrospective

Cal Roach

May 29, 2023

At first it seemed as though Ludacris might've gotten the crowd too hyped. He'd dug back almost a quarter-century to perform his debut single "What's Your Fantasy," stomped around in his giant Air Force 1s for ...

Ragtag theater troupes, crowd-pleasing cat wars take center stage in Milwaukee-made ‘Earlybird’

Cal Roach

April 26, 2023

In the wake of a worldwide pandemic, lots of people have found themselves working from home. Without the separation between an office and residence, some have found themselves working more and more without nece...

“Thank you so much for changing plans for us so many times!” Bikini Kill (finally!) rocks Riverside Theater

Cal Roach

April 20, 2023

In April of 1997, riot grrrl pioneer Bikini Kill embarked on a brief tour of Australia and Japan. These would be the last shows of the band's original eight-year run. Twenty-two years and many side projects lat...

IDLES treat Riverside Theater to ferocious, fun performance

Cal Roach

September 4, 2022

Americans who lived through the rise and fall of grunge might smell something familiar in the media spat that’s gone on for the past few years between British alt-rock band IDLES and its detractors, who accuse ...

Kristin Hersh lives up to (and exceeds) alt-rock-icon status at intimate Back Room show

Cal Roach

June 13, 2022

Alt-rock icon Kristin Hersh, unlike virtually all of her peers, never made much of a grab for stardom. Even at their most compelling, Hersh's songs are more likely to get under your skin than make you hum along...

New book, ‘The Milwaukeean,’ tells tragedy-and-triumph tale of Milwaukee music original Klassik

Cal Roach

June 2, 2022

By now, any fan of Milwaukee music has heard of Klassik, and any fan of Klassik knows a bit about his life story. Kellen Abston is an artist who makes no attempt to hide his past or his opinions, and the journe...

Weird Al fortunately returns to Milwaukee with “Unfortunate Return” of non-parody tour

Cal Roach

May 25, 2022

broadstreet.zone(72091); Welcome to Milwaukee Record’s Weird Al Week, sponsored by Lakefront Brewery! Want daily Al-related articles culminating in a recap of Al’s May 24 show at the Marcus Performing Arts Cen...

The kids are alright: An interview with a 9-year-old Weird Al fan

Cal Roach

May 23, 2022

Courtney Barnett takes her time, shreds at Pabst Theater

Cal Roach

January 21, 2022

The Pabst Theater Group catches flak whenever the "all the good tours skip Milwaukee" conversation flares up, so due credit to those in charge for snagging Courtney Barnett late in the game. This leg of her U.S...

Billy Strings goes electric (and acoustic, and electric again) in sold-out Riverside Theater show

Cal Roach

November 4, 2021

Bluegrass is one of the most popular genres of music that still has fierce gatekeepers and rules—all of which Billy Strings has made his name disregarding. The attitude is evidently paying off.While most to...

Credentials work it out in video for “Body Builder’s Lament”

Cal Roach

October 28, 2021

Milwaukee band Credentials may just be hitting the public radar, but they've been kicking around for a few years. A collection of demos appeared on Bandcamp in May of 2019, and the group played a handful of sho...

Tool still invincible at Halloween costume-clad Fiserv Forum show

Cal Roach

November 1, 2019

Photos and video recordings were not allowed during Thursday night's sold-out Tool concert at the Fiserv Forum. It's a hip policy these days, ostensibly to force an audience to be present and focused on the sta...

Trey Anastasio refuses to play it safe at rewarding Riverside Theater show

Cal Roach

October 19, 2019

It’s been another uneventful year for Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. He didn’t write a single Broadway musical, nor did he perform with any symphony orchestras. Phish didn’t even release an album or invent an i...

Heart anything but a nostalgia act at deep-cut Fiserv Forum show

Cal Roach

October 13, 2019

Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have helmed Heart for more than four decades, almost entirely responsible for the group's success through more personnel and stylistic changes than the average fan could even keep t...

Stereolab remain relevant, revelatory at sold-out Turner Hall show

Cal Roach

October 5, 2019

Lætitia Sadier and Tim Gane probably didn’t set out to change the landscape of popular music forever, but that’s essentially what happened. The duo responsible for Stereolab didn’t simply inspire the creation o...