Our fat-free, dolphin-safe Milwaukee events calendar is chock-full of things to do, but only a handful of events are worthy of the lofty honor of “Record Recommended” (patent pending). Here are our recommendations for April 1-7, 2019.
MONDAY, APRIL 1
Pixies + Basement @ The Rave/Eagles Club
Is it possible to get excited about a Pixies show in 2019? Maybe. On one hand, the endlessly influential alt band has been reformed and touring behind the same handful of classic albums longer than it was together in the first place. Kim Deal is out. Two new albums, Indie Cindy and Head Carrier, were blasted by critics. (They’re not bad!) On the other hand, it’s the fucking Pixies. Frontman Frank Black/Black Francis is a goddamn genius, and his songs are just as alive and as crazed as they were 20-odd years ago. A new studio album and an accompanying 12-episode podcast are due later this year.
Mott The Hoople ’74 + The Suburbs @ Miller High Life Theatre
TUESDAY, APRIL 2
Tuesday Tunes: Mark Waldoch @ Kindred On K.K.
Milwaukee Record has joined forces with Kindred On K.K. to bring you “Tuesday Tunes.” The Tuesday evening performance series features eight weeks of music from some of the city’s favorite artists. There’s no cover for these shows, which all run from 7 to 9 p.m. This week’s show features the forever-awesome Mark Waldoch, who will likely blow the roof off the joint. As always, Kindred’s kitchen and bar will offer their full menu, and their Tuesday night happy hour (including $2 oysters and $5 old fashioneds) will last all night.
Wild Belle + Immortal Girlfriend, DJ DRiPSweat @ Cactus Club
Wild Belle is awesome. Immortal Girlfriend is awesome. DJ Dripsweat is sure to play awesome songs between their awesome sets. What better way is there to spend a Tuesday?
WMSE Local/Live: Nineteen Thirteen @ Club Garibaldi
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
Saebra & Carlyle + The Ultrasounds, Busey @ Bremen Cafe
Though Saebra & Carlyle only started playing out in 2017, the duo’s roots extend more than 10 years, all the way back to when the project’s namesakes worked together at a shopping mall coffee chain. There, singer Saebra Laken and guitarist Carlyle Nowak decided they wanted to start a band together. It took more than a decade to happen, but the longtime friends have finally made good on their plan. Along with playing oodles of local shows, Saebra & Carlyle will release a split 7-inch with Abby Jeanne for Record Store Day 2019.
The Ophelias + Warhola Cats, Karen Meat @ Company Brewing
Wet Tropics + Hot Coffin, Murder Generation @ High Dive
THURSDAY, APRIL 4
Writer’s Round: Chris Porterfield + Marielle Allschwang, Mark Waldoch @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
If you missed Mark Waldoch Tuesday night, catch him Thursday night at Linneman’s for the latest installment in Chris Porterfield’s Writer’s Round series. Plus, Marielle Allschwang is playing, and it’s not every day that three of the absolute finest artists in the city share the same stage.
Savak + Devils Teeth, Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends @ Cactus Club
Something To Do + Dogbad @ Tonic Tavern
FRIDAY, APRIL 5
Goddamn Gallows + Scott H. Biram, Urban Pioneers @ Pabst Brewery & Taproom
Though Goddamn Gallows (featuring Milwaukee’s own Jayke Orvis) is nothing to shake a stick at, Scott H. Biram makes this a can’t-miss show. The pride of San Marcos, Texas and the self-proclaimed “dirty old one man band” crafts unforgettable tunes that blend blues, country, and punk. Biram tours relentlessly, but it’s been a bit since he’s made his way to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Psych Fest Warmup Party: Mdou Moctar + Old Prospectors, Names Divine @ The Cooperage
Robyn Hitchcock @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
Laura Jane Grace And The Devouring Mothers + Mercy Union, Control Top @ The Rave/Eagles Club
Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound @ Sharon Lynn Wilson Center For The Arts
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
Okilly Dokilly + Playboy Manbaby, The Eradicator @ X-Ray Arcade
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Okilly Dokilly—a.k.a. a Ned Flanders-themed metal band—plays original music loaded with “direct Ned quotes” and puts on shows “that weave together comedy and brutality.” Playboy Manbaby and The Eradicator will play in support. X-Ray’s Simpsons machine will be free all night, of course.
Rose Of The West (record release) + Cashfire Sunset, Jenny Lee (Warpaint) @ Mad Planet
After bursting onto the scene with a few sythn-y, sleek singles and high-profile shows, Rose Of The West is ready to put an album into the world. Join the up-and-coming outfit at Mad Planet as they release their self-titled debut LP. Cashfire Sunset will play beforehand, and Warpaint’s own Jenny Lee will DJ.
Joe Bob Briggs “How Rednecks Saved Hollywood” @ Times Cinema
Fans of horror movies and long-canceled TNT shows have been beside themselves lately with the glorious return of Joe Bob Briggs. In a handful of recent holiday specials and a just-started Friday-night series on Shudder, the beloved movie host has been introducing and riffing on a slew of cinematic turkeys (and some classics), just like he did in the old Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater and MonsterVision days. Tonight, Briggs brings his “How Rednecks Saved Hollywood” show to the Times Cinema as part of the 2019 Twisted Dreams Film Festival. Four stars! Joe Bob says check it out!
Radkey + Rex Everything, Tigernite @ Cactus Club
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Pkew Pkew Pkew + Telethon, Future Plans @ X-Ray Arcade
Toronto’s Pkew Pkew Pkew is awesome. Telethon is awesome. Future Plans is awesome. What better way is there to spend a Sunday?