November. Summer is now far in the rear view mirror. Most of Milwaukee’s festivals are now over. By now, your Halloween costume has been washed and stored away for later use. On paper, November doesn’t offer much beyond Thanksgiving. It’s the continuation of one season and the precursor to another. Still, between lauded comedians and bands coming to town and can’t-miss Milwaukee Record happenings, there’s plenty to keep Milwaukee occupied as we await the impending wintry doom. Here are 15 of our top picks.
Saturday, November 2
The Menzingers + Direct Hit!, Holy Pinto @ The Rave / Eagles Club
The Menzingers don’t come around Milwaukee all that often, so when they do, it’s to be cherished. A year after releasing the band’s latest, Some Of It Was True, the pride of Philly (by way of Scranton) will come to The Rave. Milwaukee’s own Direct Hit! and Holy Pinto play in support.
Wednesday, November 6
Caley Conway (album release) + Cathedral Becomes Tomb, The Hatchets @ Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery
Singer, songwriter, guitar virtuoso, and all-around local treasure Caley Conway is celebrating the birth of her new album, Partner, with a can’t-miss record release show at Anodyne’s Walker’s Point Roastery. Cathedral Becomes Tomb and The Hatchets play in support.
Sunday, November 10
Cursive + Gladie @ X-Ray Arcade
Fresh off the release of its latest album, Devourer, iconic Omaha emo outfit Cursive is coming to the cozy confines of Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade to play songs off that record and (hopefully) material from various other points of their influential and outstanding 30-year tenure. Gladie opens.
Wednesday, November 13
Big D And The Kids Table + We Are The Union, Devon Kay & The Solutions @ X-Ray Arcade
Over the course of the band’s 30-year run, Big D And The Kids Table has released 11 studio albums, traveled the globe, and earned a place as one of the planet’s premier ska-punk projects. The Boston band will come to Cudahy to head up a show at the “Very Famous” X-Ray Arcade that also includes We Are The Union and Devon Kay & The Solutions.
Modest Mouse + The Black Heart Procession @ Riverside Theater
Wanna feel old? Modest Mouse released Good News For People Who Love Bad News 20 years ago. That’s two decades! Damn. In honor of the occasion, the seminal Washington indie rockers will come to Riverside Theater to play songs from that celebrated album. Oh, and they’re bringing The Black Heart Procession along with them.
Thursday, November 14
Wild Pink + John Francis Flynn @ X-Ray Arcade
New York indie rock stalwarts (and semi-regular Milwaukee visitors) Wild Pink will make its Cudahy debut with a X-Ray Arcade show that also features John Francis Flynn.
Thursday, November 14 through Saturday, November 16
Dana Gould @ The Laughing Tap
Between his decades of stand-up experience, his abundance of TV appearances, and his years as a writer and producer on The Simpsons and Parks And Recreation, we think it’s safe to call Dana Gould a legend. The “comic’s comic” will bring his incomparable perspective and thousands of hours of on-stage experience to The Laughing Tap for a total of five performances spread over a three-night run.
Friday, November 15
Telethon + Breakup Tour, Nick Wilkinson And The Featured Players @ Cactus Club
Wanna feel old? Telethon released Hard Pop five years ago. That’s half a decade! Damn. In honor of the occasion, the Milwaukee-born project will come to Cactus Club to play songs from that celebrated album. Oh, and they’re bringing Breakup Tour and Nick Wilkinson And The Featured Players along with them.
Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16
Sam Jay @ Milwaukee Improv
Sam Jay, is an accomplished comic who you might also know from her work as a Saturday Night Live staff writer and an actor on TV shows like Bust Down and films like You People. About a year removed from the release of her HBO special, Sam Jay: Salute Me Or Shoot Me, Jay will drop by Milwaukee Improv in nearby Brookfield for a pair of shows spread over a two-night span.
Wednesday, November 20
Milwaukee Record Presents ‘Escape From New York’ @ Avalon Theater
We’re screening John Carpenter’s classic 1981 film Escape From New York at Avalon Theater! This dystopian sci-fi thriller stars Kurt Russell as former Special Forces member-turned-prisoner Snake Plissken, who is given 24 hours to rescue the President from his captors in New York in order to regain his freedom. Over the course of this 99-minute masterpiece, viewers are treated to memorable performances by the likes of Russell, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton. Escape from your normal midweek routine and watch Escape From New York with your pals from Milwaukee Record.
Friday, November 22
SistaStrings @ South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center
SistaStrings, which consists of classically-trained siblings Monique and Chauntee Ross, has been a fixture in Milwaukee music for the better part of the past decade. Now based in Nashville, the Ross sisters have quickly found their careers reaching unimaginable heights of late. In recent years, they’ve played arenas and massive music festivals all over North America while supporting world-renowned talents like Allison Russell, Jason Isbell, and Brandi Carlile. Along the way, they’ve performed at the Grammys, played late night shows and SNL, sat on stage during Joni Mitchell’s live return, and released a dual album with Peter Mulvey on Ani DiFranco’s label. SistaStrings will return home a few days before Thanksgiving to take center stage at the South Milwaukee PAC.
Saturday, November 23
Ryan Necci And The Buffalo Gospel + Joseph Huber, Maximiano @ Vivarium
Even though Ryan Necci—the founding member, bandleader, and namesake of Ryan Necci And The Buffalo Gospel—now calls Tennessee home, the Milwaukee expat and professional songwriter returns to his home region every November and brings the band out for a Turkey Day-adjacent concert. This year, Necci and company will makes its Vivarium debut the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Joseph Huber and Maximiano add local support and make this a certified can’t-miss show.
Maria Bamford @ Turner Hall
Minnesota-raised comic Maria Bamford has been either crushing or absolutely alienating comedy audiences (at about a 50/50 ratio) since the late 1980s. About as “alternative” as alt-comedy gets, Bamford—by way of her inimitable comedic style that’s as off-kilter as it is uproariously funny—has gone on to do ample voiceover work, star in Lady Dynamite on Netflix, and film a few wholly unique comedy specials. You may also recognize her from her unsettling Target commercials. Knowing nothing about her recent material, it’s safe to say you’ll never see anything like her forthcoming Turner Hall appearance again.
Wednesday, November 27
Chicken Wire Empire + Dandy L. Freling @ The Cooperage
While Chicken Wire Empire plays festivals all over the Midwest and is known to embark on the occasional European tour, the Milwaukee-based bluegrass stalwarts tend to only play sparingly in their hometown. The scarcity of those local outings only serves to make them more special and less skip-able, so you definitely don’t want to miss Chicken Wire Empire’s “Friendsgiving” show at The Cooperage the night before Thanksgiving. This relatively rare local performance will feature two sets from the headliner (including one “Friendsgiving” set with some bluegrass contemporaries) and an opening set by Milwaukee’s own Dandy L. Freling.
Friday, November 29 through Sunday, December 1
Pete Lee @ Milwaukee Improv
After growing up in Janesville, Wisconsin, Pete Lee has gone on to perform on Letterman, guest on The Tonight Show (FIVE TIMES and counting!), and rack up a wide variety of credits that include notable TV shows like Last Comic Standing, As The World Turns, Best Week Ever, Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, and much more. He’s released comedy albums, put out a Comedy Central half-hour special, and has performed more than 500 shows at colleges around the country. Lee will return to the region November 29 through December 1 for a total of five Thanksgiving weekend shows at Milwaukee Improv.
