With all due respect to the countless musicians who are hosting live streams of performances in their own home or from their practice space in an effort to entertain folks (and hopefully raise a little money) during quarantine, there’s simply no substitute for watching music at your favorite local venue.

Sadly, Milwaukee listeners haven’t been able to see their favorite live music institutions (at least the inside of them) since mid-March. Though we don’t know exactly when we’ll be safe to attend concerts again, an innovative streaming event called Forward Music Festival will let listeners enjoy the familiar sights and sounds of local artists and a few of Milwaukee’s (and Cudahy’s) favorite haunts from the comfort of their own couch.

Wanting to help three deserving metro Milwaukee venues, a few organizers have rounded up an impressive batch of 18 Milwaukee bands, rappers, and solo artists who are donating their time and talent to take part in the first “and hopefully last” quarantine music festival. From April 24-26, Cactus Club, The Cooperage, and X-Ray Arcade will host stripped-down and socially-distanced performances from some of Milwaukee’s finest.

You can stream each night’s performance on the host venue’s Instagram account or on BizSNES’ Twitch page. Instead of paying a cover, viewers are encouraged to donate to the employee relief funds of Cactus Club and X-Ray Arcade and/or send money to The Cooperage ([email protected]) via PayPal. Here’s the lineup!

Friday, April 24 @ Cactus Club

5:00 p.m. — Mark Waldoch
5:30 p.m. — Flat Teeth
6:00 p.m. — OQ
6:30 p.m. — LUXI
7:00 p.m. — L’Resorts
7:30 p.m. — Klassik

Saturday, April 25 @ The Cooperage

5:00 p.m. — Fuzzysurf
5:30 p.m. — Christopher Porterfield
6:00 p.m. — SistaStrings
6:30 p.m. — Shle Berry
7:00 p.m. — Paper Holland
7:30 p.m. — REYNA

Sunday, April 26 @ X-Ray Arcade

5:00 p.m. — Greatest Lakes
5:30 p.m. — Graham Hunt
6:00 p.m. — Caley Conway
6:30 p.m. — Dramatic Lovers
7:00 p.m. — Telethon
7:30 p.m. — Rose Of The West