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 March 31 – April 6, 2025.
MONDAY, MARCH 31
Opening Day @ American Family Field
It’s here! Opening Day! Your Milwaukee Brewers vs. the Kansas City Royals! And thankfully not the New York Yankees, who absolutely teed off on the Crew the last three games for a combined score of 36 to 14. But whatever—GO BREWERS! AND WE MISS YOU, UECK!
Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage + Grasping Straws, Max Niemann @ Cactus Club
“Native New Yorker Jeffrey Lewis is a comic book writer/artist and a musician. Jeffrey Lewis and his band tour the world, mixing folk with noise and sharing stages with the likes of Stephen Malkmus, The Mountain Goats, and more. Jeffrey has albums out on Rough Trade, Moshi Moshi and Don GIovanni Records, and has been featured by NPR, The History Channel, The NY Times and more.”
TUESDAY, APRIL 1
2025 Spring Election @ various locations
It’s the 2025 Spring Election! It’s super important and individual votes matter! Here’s the super-simple deal:
• Everyone in Wisconsin will vote for Justice Of The Supreme Court. If you like Donald Trump and Elon Musk, you’ll probably want to vote for Brad Schimel. If you do not like Donald Trump and Elon Musk, you’ll probably want to vote for Susan Crawford.
• Everyone in Wisconsin will vote for State Superintendent Of Public Instruction. If you tend to vote Republican, you’ll probably want to vote for Brittany Kinser. If you tend to vote Democratic, you’ll probably want to vote for Jill Underly.
• Everyone in Wisconsin will vote in a State Of Wisconsin Referendum. If you tend to vote Republican, you’ll probably want to vote YES. If you tend to vote Democratic, you’ll probably want to vote NO.
• In Milwaukee, East Side and some Riverwest residents will vote for District 3 Alderperson. If you want to vote for the candidate who has said he will “work to replace We Energies with a municipal or cooperative utility using Chapter 197 of the Wisconsin State Statutes,” vote for Alex Brower. If you want to vote for the candidate who has been endorsed by Mayor Cavalier Johnson, former District 3 Alderperson Nik Kovac, and the widow of late District 3 Alderperson Jonathan Brostoff, vote for Daniel Bauman. As always, find information on where to vote, how to register to vote, and more voting goodness at MyVoteWisconsin.com.
Baths + Fashion Club @ Cactus Club
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2
Mannequin Pussy + Finom @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Now in its 15th year as a band and firmly implanted in the punk rock zeitgeist, Mannequin Pussy is no longer “up and coming” because, well, Mannequin Pussy has arrived. The Philly outfit drops by Turner Hall in belated support of last year’s album I Got Heaven.
Holy Pinto (tour homecoming) + Oogwé, ourVanity @ Cactus Club
“Holy Pinto is the indie-rock group led by songwriter Aymen Saleh. It originally began in his hometown of Canterbury, England and now based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After settling here by way of touring-happenstance, the sound grew from its pop-punk origins into multi-genre-influenced indie– the songwriter tradition donning a multitude of colourful clothes. They return from a West Coast tour to play this special one-off homecoming show– to celebrate the miles clocked up and end things in style.”
Naked Giants + Lunar Moth, Girl And Girl @ Vivarium
“When Naked Giants formed in 2014, the Seattle trio—vocalist/guitarist Grant Mullen, bassist/vocalist Gianni Aiello and drummer Henry LaVallee—were all 18 years old, and full of the reckless, restless energy of youth. A decade on, both they and the world have changed immensely. Shine Away—the band’s third full-length, following on from 2018’s SLUFF and 2020’s The Shadow—is very much an acknowledgement of that. It’s an album that doesn’t just reflect on the personal life and times of the three of them and the world at large, but casts a discerning, self-reflective eye on what it’s like to be in, and be, Naked Giants.”
John R. Miller + Dandy L. Freling @ Shank Hall
Cowboy Killers Comedy Show @ Falcon Nest
THURSDAY, APRIL 3
Will Orchard + Caley Conway @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
“Will Orchard is an artist who deeply disarms the listener by speaking to the core of our collective vulnerability. He began his career in his home state of Rhode Island with the experimental project LittleBoyBigHeadOnBike. He established a prolific output of 100 EPs and LPs by 2018, often with a lo-fi, homespun touch. Orchard transitioned to an Americana-centered sound under his own name, while maintaining the gently atmospheric and introspective qualities of his former project. he has since toured the US and much of Europe, and has supported Liz Longley, Y La Bamba, Josiah Johnson, and The Brazen Youth. Having released four EPs and LPs as Will Orchard, both independently and with Brooklyn-based label Better Company Records, he has been praised by PopNews, Glide Magazine, The Wild Honey Pie, Atwood, and more as a unique, emerging voice in folk music. Now based in Nashville, he is currently back in his natural environment of self-production, with an in progress-LP slated to release in 2025.”
The Ivy + Lyncs, The Keystones @ X-Ray Arcade
Texture Freq + Habitat For Insanity, Delicious Monsters, Kev @ Bremen Cafe
Art In Bloom @ Milwaukee Art Museum
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
Midwest Gaming Classic @ Baird Center (through April 6)
Remember when the annual Midwest Gaming Classic was held at the Brookfield Sheraton? Remember when that seemed like a big convention? Remember when MGC moved to Milwaukee’s oft-renamed downtown convention center in 2018? Remember when that seemed like a big convention? Well, things have gotten really big lately. Last year’s MGC drew more than 30,000 fans, all of whom roamed the Baird Center halls playing oodles of pinball, arcade games, retro and new consoles, tabletop games, and more. And it’s all set to return to the Baird Center this weekend! “The heart of the gathering is the Game Center filled with over 250 pinball and arcade video games (no quarters required), as well as every generation of home consoles,” explains a press release. “Other areas will host gaming exhibits, tabletop games, live entertainment, live-action role-playing, video game art displays, and more.”
Explosions In The Sky + FACS @ Turner Hall Ballroom
“Explosions In The Sky are an iconic instrumental rock band from Texas that have become the gold standard for bold, emotional, cinematic music and are known for their incendiary live concerts. They’ve slowly grown from playing DIY spaces and opening for Fugazi to having headlined Radio City Music Hall, Royal Albert Hall, the Greek Theatre, and the Sydney Opera House. Over 24 years of being a band (with the same four members the entire time), they’ve achieved remarkable commercial success from an especially non-commercial corner of the music world, selling more than 1.3 million copies over six studio albums, and scoring five major motion pictures in the process. They’ve become the sound of modern sports films, documentaries and television, due largely to their genre-defining Friday Night Lights score, and they’ve been asked to tour with artist fans as diverse as Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, The Flaming Lips, and Death Cab for Cutie, while managing to not sound like any other popular artist.”
Something To Do + Bumsy & The Moochers, Local Legends @ Sabbatic
Glitzy (record release) + Rainbow Cobra, Oh Well, Ok @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Sex Mex + Jinksie, Lavish Waste @ Last Rites
Garrett Waite + The Stephen Hull Experience @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Gilded Cages + Apex Aura, Blue Moon Assault, Que So What @ Falcon Hall
Friday Night Retro Dance Party: DJ Paul H @ Mad Planet
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
Subhumans + FEA, Big Laugh @ X-Ray Arcade (sold out)
“Subhumans are one of the most influential bands from the UK Anarcho-Punk scene of the ’80s, filed right alongside Crass and Conflict, and just as relevant today as they were during the darkest days of Thatcher’s Britain. Take your choice in how to label them—Punk, UK82, Crusty, etc.—there lies the attraction and consequent reason for their popularity, the band epitomizes non-conformity and connects with people in many different scenes.”
Emmylou Harris: Celebrating Guy Clark + Shawn Camp & Verlon Thompson @ The Riverside Theater
“A 14-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. In recognition of her remarkable career, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2018.”
Scorched Waves + Gold Steps, Lake Drive, The Keystones @ Falcon Hall
Keep For Cheap + Leisure Hour, Bronco, Killer High Life, Known Moons @ Sugar Maple
J.T. & The Congregants + 10KCK, Chrystal Gales @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Harlow + Convoy, The Taxmen, Lainey Lou @ Cactus Club
Bryan Cherry Band @ Ope! Brewing Co.
The New New: A New Popular Music Dance Party @ Mad Planet
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
Morgan Park Picnic Fundraiser & Volunteer Sign-Up @ Busby’s
In case you haven’t heard, Milwaukee Record and Busby’s are working together to bring a brand new community festival to Morgan Park on Saturday, May 24. Though the generosity of some local sponsors has gone a long way to help make the inaugural Morgan Park Picnic possible, we could use a little extra support to cover some of the costs associated with putting on an event of this scale. That’s where you come in! If you’d like to pitch in, please join us at Busby’s on Sunday for the Morgan Park Picnic Fundraiser. From 2-5 p.m., there will be hourly raffles and 10-liners with all funds going to the event. Milwaukee Record will donate 50% of shirt sales to the event as well. And if you want to go the extra mile, this fundraiser will also double as a volunteer sign-up.
LA LOM + El Marchante @ Vivarium (sold out)
“The Los Angeles League of Musicians, LA LOM, are an instrumental trio formed in Los Angeles in 2021. They blend the sounds of Cumbia Sonidera, ’60s soul ballads and classic romantic boleros that emanate from radios, backyard parties and dance clubs of Los Angeles with the twang of Peruvian Chicha and Bakersfield Country.”
Accessibility Fundraiser: Enervate + Si Dios Quiere, Payasa, See No Evil, All Life Gone, Nightmare Unit @ X-Ray Arcade
“This is part of our series of fundraiser events, featuring rad performers who’ve chosen to do their thing for free—every dollar in ticket sales goes toward our accessible entryway construction project. All you gotta do is show up. If you’re feeling particularly charitable, there’s an option to add some extra money to your ticket price that will also go toward the construction effort. There’s also merch which you can pre-order now and pick up at the show (or have shipped to you).”
ZZ Top + The Sedonas @ The Riverside Theater
“‘That Little Ol’ Band From Texas’ has been at it for well over a half century, delivering rock, blues and boogie on the road and in the studio to millions of devoted fans. With iconography as distinctive as their sound, ZZ Top is virtually synonymous with beards, hotrod cars, spinning guitars and that magic keychain, all of which transcend geography and language.”
Nona Invie + Lucky Cloud, Ellie Jackson @ Cactus Club
The Swivels + Combustor @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
The Wishbone Breakers + Obsess Tact, Poor Ridley @ Falcon Nest
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