Milwaukee is chock full of things to do, but only a handful of Milwaukee events are worthy of the lofty honor of “Record Recommended” (patent pending). Here are our recommendations—brought to you by Lilliput Records—for June 16-22, 2025.
MONDAY, JUNE 16
Empty Heaven + Buena Cara, Frantic Repair, Striped Cow @ X-Ray Arcade
“Empty Heaven began in San Antonio, Texas during the first leg of the latest worldwide pandemic. The project spearheaded by Chicago native Anthony Sanders seemed to be a musical reaction to the times, a theme explored heavily on his debut album Getting The Blues in 2021. Sanders adopted the DIY mindset because he had to. Everything about that album and the 2024 follow-up Laughing was done almost entirely independently, with very few outside collaborators only on aspects of the recording and manufacturing of physical media. No labels, no expensive recording studios, and most importantly: no barriers.”
It’s Alive: Lindsay Shanks @ Bronze Fonz
TUESDAY, JUNE 17
Chill On The Hill: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra @ Humboldt Park
For two decades, Bay View Neighborhood Association’s Chill On The Hill music series has brought music to Humboldt Park’s band chalet every Tuesday between the beginning of June and the end of August. Just as it’s done in recent years, Chill has expanded its footprint by designating the space between the band chalet and the Vine Beer Garden for show-goers. The park road will be closed between Howell Avenue and Idaho Street on Tuesdays to allow more space for food vendors and guests. Food trucks will open at 5 p.m., the music begins at 6:30 p.m.
Planning For Burial + Stander, Cannabinol Synapse, Cathedral Becomes Tomb @ Cactus Club
“For fans of doom and gloom, Planning for Burial is the musical project of American musician and singer-songwriter Thom Wasluck. Based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wasluck started to perform as ‘Burial’ in 2005 and released the debut album, Leaving in 2009. Wasluck plays all instruments during both his home recordings and live performances.”
Sharp Pins @ Irving Place Records
The Smashing Times + Sharp Pins, Now, Operations @ X-Ray Arcade
Riverwalk Commons Concert Series: TallBoy @ Milwaukee Public Market
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
Tosa Tonight: Old 97’s + Ladybird @ Tosa Tonight (Hart Park, Wauwatosa)
Tosa Tonight kicks off its 25th anniversary season by welcoming Old 97’s to the Hart Park Rotary Pavilion! The legendary and long-running Texas outfit comes to Wauwatosa in belated support of its 13th album, 2024’s American Primitive. As if a free outdoor performance by a seminal alt-country mainstay isn’t already good enough, the 97’s will also be joined by Milwaukee’s own Ladybird, who will start things off at 6 p.m.
Milwaukee Record Presents: Real Genius @ Avalon Atmospheric Theater
Think of Real Genius as an elevated “slobs vs. snobs” ’80s flick. The late, great Val Kilmer plays Chris Knight, a brilliant laser physics student and wise-cracking slacker at the fictional Pacific Tech University. Joined by young freshman prodigy Mitch (Gabriel Jarret), he applies his talents to the top secret pet project of Professor Jerry Hathaway (go-to ’80s heel William Atherton). But when the true nature of the project is revealed, the boys rebel. Hi-tech hijinks, endlessly quotable lines, memorable turns from Michelle Meyrink and Jon “Uncle Rico From Napoleon Dynamite” Gries, and a truly silly/transcendent ending ensue.
Silvertone + Fake My Death, Blind Hill, Nothing Of Consequence @ X-Ray Arcade
Heart(beats) Of The City: 2000 And Late @ Red Arrow Park
Mayfair Collection Summer Concert Series: Would You Kindly? @ Keady Plaza
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
Summerfest (Weekend 1) @ Henry Maier Festival Park (through June 21)
Summerfest! The affordable nine-day music festival spread out over three consecutive Thursday-Friday-Saturday blocks with a little something for everyone that takes place in a lovely and well-appointed lakeshore park where you can eat and drink and relax and grumble about it for some reason! It’s back! Some Weekend 1 headliner highlights include Def Leppard, Hozier, James Taylor, Fabolous, Rick Springfield, The Head And The Heart, Japanese Breakfast, Lindsey Stirling, Wang Chung, and more! And don’t forget local greats like Buffalo Nichols, NilexNile, Holy Pinto, Vincent Van Great, Collections Of Colonies Of Bees, Caley Conway, Immortal Girlfriend, Something To Do, and even more! And you can usually get in free by donating a few cans of beans or something! Grumble grumble! Find our easy-to-read schedule HERE!
Juneteenth Jubilee Parade @ 14th and Atkinson to MLK and Locust
“Milwaukee is known as the ‘City of Festivals’ for its rich tradition of hosting vibrant, diverse celebrations that bring communities together. As part of this legacy, Summerfest, presented by American Family Insurance and Northcott Neighborhood House, invite the community to join in celebrating music and culture with Juneteenth programming on the evening of Thursday, June 19, 2025, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Summerfest grounds, after the traditional Juneteenth Day festival celebration.”
Under The Bridge: Gold Steps @ Third Space Brewing
Jazz In The Park: Christopher’s Project @ Cathedral Square Park
Creeping Charlie + Panik Flower, Heavy Bend, Bowvee @ Cactus Club
Concerts On The Green: One Louder + 90s Jake @ Enderis Park
It’s Alive: VLNTYN @ Milwaukee Public Market
Thursday Bike Night Concert Series: Rust Belt @ Harley-Davidson Museum
West Allis Summer Concert Series: Cache MKE @ Veterans Memorial Park, West Allis
FRIDAY, JUNE 20
CreativeMornings Milwaukee Presents: Samer Ghani @ X-Ray Arcade
“CreativeMornings is a free monthly breakfast-lecture series for Milwaukee’s creative community. Part of a global network with 249 chapters in 70 countries, we meet on the third Friday each month in a different local venue—aiming to reach diverse zip codes and connect creatives citywide. Enjoy pastries, Discourse coffee, and great company. This month’s keynote speaker is Samer Ghani, a first generation Palestinian American, born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”
Bad Moves + Barely Civil, Breakup Tour @ Cactus Club
“When people sing together, is it necessarily cathartic? Is catharsis necessarily rejuvenating? And what if the aftermath of catharsis turns out to be the same old frustration? With their third LP, Washington, D.C.’s Bad Moves have expanded their founding artistic identity—a candy-coated guitar-pop shell surrounding a bitter lyrical core—by refracting their ideas through a new set of musical forms that weaponize repetition. On the new Wearing Out The Refrain, Bad Moves propose that the flip side of the delirious harmony of the basement show singalong is the volatile, accusatory antiphony of a community divided by strain, shouting the same desperate hook back and forth at one another.”
Lavish Waste + Body Futures, Spidora @ MKE Ultra
Glitzy + Fugu, Dustcover, Brindled @ The Sugar Maple
WME’s Friday Night Freak Show: Hedwig And The Angry Inch @ Oriental Theatre
Current Sounds: ADORNER @ Lakefront Brewery
Music On The Beerline: DJ Gid Money Dance Party @ Beerline Plaza
Soulful Summer: Garrett Waite Quartet (music of Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead) @ Gordon Park
Friday Night Retro Mixtape: Sage “Champagne” Schwarm + Mosh Wa @ Mad Planet
SATURDAY, JUNE 21
Insane Clown Posse + JCW Wrestling, Wakko The Kidd, Sammy Sosa @ The Rave / Eagles Club
It’s hard to believe now, but there was a moment when the most outrageous thing in pop culture was a song in which two rapping clowns from Detroit questioned the inner workings of magnets. “Fucking magnets, how do they work?” asked the Insane Clown Posse in 2010’s instantly infamous “Miracles.” We may never know how magnets work (or solar eclipses, vicious weather, and 15,000 Juggalos together), but we’d sure love to go back to a time when the question was the only thing occupying our minds. And maybe we can, because ICP— a.k.a. Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope—play The Rave / Eagles Club tonight!
The Milwaukee Hardcore Summer Jam Volume 4 @ X-Ray Arcade
From noon to 11 p.m., X-Ray Arcade will feature some of the city’s finest hardcore acts, as well as hardcore punk and “mosh metal” projects from all around the Midwest. A $44.12 ticket ($35 plus fees) will get give you an opportunity to see the likes of Spine, World I Hate, The Sissy Boys, Bootcamp, Basic Needs, What Counts, Contempt, Intrusive Thought, XablazeX, Jagged, Sense Of Self, Twisted Truth, See No Evil, All Life Gone, and Sex Scenes. Tickets also include free BBQ and entry to the MKHC Market.
Blacktop (record release) + Maximiano, Bitch Creek, JR Wesley @ Cactus Club
“Blacktop is the Milwaukee-based writing and recording project of multi-instrumentalist and producer, Austin Wood. Resting gently between the genres of folk, surf rock, and dream pop, Blacktop’s sound is adorned with soft-spoken vocals, washed-out guitars and synthesizers, acoustic percussion, and field recordings.”
Sofie Royer + Rebounder, You Win !!! @ Cactus Club
Daniel Tosh @ The Riverside Theater (two shows)
The Bloody Mary Festival @ Harley-Davidson Museum
Current Sounds: Genevieve Heyward @ Lakefront Brewery
Make Music Milwaukee @ various locations
DJ Caleb Westphal Spins Vintage Vinyl 45s @ Boone & Crockett
Twerkfest w/ The DJ Milkman @ Mad Planet
SUNDAY, JUNE 22
Emmitt James + dak duBois @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
“Barista by day, full time musician at all other hours, Emmitt James will play Anodyne as a pre-release party for his upcoming EP We Got Food At Home. After spending eight years in Los Angeles, Emmitt James in 2023 returned back to the city that loved him first, Milwaukee. James has opened for legendary acts such as The Pharcyde and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) as well as contemporary acts like Duckwrth, Cuco, Rejjie Snow, and more. James is a well celebrated performer known for his jazz rap fusion featuring a live band.”
Pictoria Vark + Breakup Tour, Buena Cara @ Cactus Club
Cafe Sopra Mare: Neal Bardele @ Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
Cathedral Square Market: Peter Irving @ Cathedral Square Park
Milwaukee Makers Market @ American Family Field
2025 Ladies Rock Camp: Session 2 Showcase @ Radio Milwaukee
Summer Patio Music Series: Dianna Jones @ Great Lakes Distillery
QWERTYFEST MKE Telethon @ The Sugar Maple
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