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 11-17, 2022.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12
Rise Against + Pennywise, Stick To Your Guns @ The Rave / Eagles Ballroom
Roughly six months removed from headlining the Generac Power Stage at last year’s Summerfest, Chicago punk stalwarts Rise Against return to Milwaukee to perform at The Rave in one of the 10 shows the band added to its Nowhere Generation Tour.
Big Dopes + Maybe Hazel, Man Random @ Company Brewing
Good Morning + PACKS @ Cactus Club
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
Midweek Music: Chrissy Dzioba Clobes (of The WhiskeyBelles) @ Crafty Cow Tosa
Midweek Music is back! Join us at Crafty Cow Tosa every Wednesday in April and May for a total of eight Midweek Music performances. There’s no cover for these all-ages shows, which run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If a free weeknight show isn’t already great enough on its own, Crafty Cow Tosa will offer $4 Indeed Brewing Company pints. They’ll also have a “Cheap Date” special, which includes two entrees, an appetizer, and two drinks for just $39. This week: Milwaukee music veteran and WhiskeyBelles frontwoman Chrissy Dzioba Clobes!
Argopelter + Caley Conway @ Boone & Crockett
Argopelter is an improvised experimental trio composed of Barry Paul Clark (bass), Devin Drobka (drums), and Christopher Porterfield (guitar). The group’s recent Wednesday-night winter residency at Boone & Crockett was appointment viewing/listening, especially when coupled with accompanying solo performances from singer-songwriter Caley Conway. Now, Argopelter and Conway are back for a Wednesday-night spring residency. The remaining dates are April 13, April 20, May 18, and and May 25. The shows are free and wonderful. Be there.
Living Hour + Large Print, Bug Moment @ Cactus Club
THURSDAY, APRIL 14
Milwaukee Day Showcase: Fox Face + Shle Berry, Devils Teeth @ Company Brewing
Join us at Company Brewing to celebrate Milwaukee Day with a loaded lineup of local entertainers: Fox Face, Shle Berry, and Devils Teeth! Company’s Milwaukee Style Lager will be available, and we’ll have some new T-shirts and Fungible Tokens (not pogs!) available for purchase. The 21+ show—sponsored by Gruber Law Offices—starts at 8:30 p.m. sharp (doors at 8 p.m.). Tickets are $10 in advance ($14 doors). There are so many great ways to celebrate Milwaukee on April 14, but we’re pretty excited about this one. We hope to see you there!
Milwaukee Day 2022: Group Of The Altos + You Win !!!, Gold Steps @ The Cooperage
The fine folks at The Cooperage are celebrating the city in grand fashion this April 14 with their Milwaukee Day 2022 show. Group Of The Altos will serve as the headliner in an all-too-rare outing, with You Win !!! and Gold Steps rounding out the loaded lineup. The Andys (a DJ duo composed of Andrew Menchal and Milwaukee Day co-founder Andy Silverman) will spin what we can only assume will be an entirely local batch of songs between sets.
414 Day: Klassik + Diet Liet, Funk Summit Bass Team, West Nile Crows, Dora Diamond @ Cactus Club
This Milwaukee Day, Cactus Club will showcase an eclectic and impressive group of local artists. The incomparable Klassik headlines an 18+ “414 Day” show that also features Diet Lite, Funk Summit Bass Team, West Nile Crows, and Dora Diamond.
Bad Cop / Bad Cop + Drakulas, Fea @ X-Ray Arcade
It may be Milwaukee Day and all, but there’s also a great show with absolutely no local ties happening in Cudahy on April 14. Fat Wreck Chords’ own Bad Cop / Bad Cop returns to X-Ray Arcade to head up an outstanding bill that also features Drakulas (an Austin-based band featuring members of Rise Against, Hagfish, and Riverboat Gamblers) and Fea out of San Antonio.
Dave Stone @ The Laughing Tap
Veteran comedian, voiceover actor, and The Boogie Monster podcast co-host Dave Stone returns to The Laughing Tap to headline a one-night residency at the Walker’s Point club that just so happens to coincide with Milwaukee Day. While there’s little in the way of local affiliation, this is sure to be an awesome event happening in Milwaukee…on Milwaukee Day, so it counts!
An Evening With Guerrilla Ghost & Spoy @ Best Place At The Historic Pabst Brewery
Glass Cannon Live! @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Brewers Opening Day! @ American Family Field
FRIDAY, APRIL 15
Henry Rollins: Good To See You 2022 @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Hardcore legend Henry Rollins always has good stories to tell, but this “Good To See You 2022” tour should feature some doozies. “Henry will faithfully recount the events of his life in the brief pre-COVID period since the last tour and when things got even stranger over the last several months,” reads a press release. “It’s been an interesting time to say the least and he’s got some great stories to tell.”
Jon Spencer & The HITmakers + Quasi @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
What’s better than seeing Pussy Galore/Blues Explosion legend Jon Spencer in person (at the intimate Back Room, no less)? How about seeing Spencer perform with his HITmakers band? The group’s raucous album, Spencer Gets It Lit, was released earlier this month. Oh, and the live version of the group features none other than former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss!
Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends (record release) + Lung, Delicious Monsters @ X-Ray Arcade
Country Westerns + Craig Brown Band, Chinese Telephones, Soup Moat, Pussy Collector @ Cactus Club
Pleasure Cube + Aluminum Knot Eye, Caw, The Women @ High Dive
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
Rat Bath + The Antibuddies, Summer Birth, Pescatarian At Best @ X-Ray Arcade
Rat Bath has been scampering around the Milwaukee music scene since 2019, specializing in what the band calls “spooky country core.” That sound is certainly on display throughout the group’s debut LP, Rat From Hell. The 11-track record careens between noisy, full-barrel cow punk and chaotic, witchy hardcore, with everything in between. (A few quieter moments, and a guest appearance from Johanna Rose, are also included.) It’s a wild ride, and it’s one of the best Milwaukee albums of the still-young year.
Combichrist (old school electro set) + Black Asteroid, Conformco, Biocarbon 13 @ The Cooperage
Moonglow + Good Grief @ High Dive
Roxie Beane + Bryan Cherry, Steph Lippert @ Tonic Tavern
Erik Koskinen + Kat Wodke, Derek Pritzl, Andrew Koenig @ Circle-A Cafe
SUNDAY, APRIL 17
Easter Sunday @ various locations
Happy Easter, Milwaukee!
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