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 for November 10-16, 2025.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Milwaukee Record Halftime Show: Ellee Grim + DJ Jolena @ Cactus Club
The Pack is back! And so is the Milwaukee Record Halftime Show concert series at Cactus Club! We’ve assembled a stacked roster of 15 acts that will provide FREE all-ages entertainment at Cactus Club during halftime of Green Bay’s games. Our pals at Hamm’s are sponsoring the series, meaning fans can enjoy specials on cans and buckets of the beer “from the Land of Sky Blue Waters” and Miller High Life all game long. WYNK has also come on as a sponsor and its THC seltzer is available at a discount during all games. Last and certainly not least, Transfer Pizzeria Cafe is once again coming by most games to drop off some complementary pizza. Games are shown in the bar as usual, and also shown on a projector screen in Cactus Club’s back room.
WMSE’s “Hustle & Faux” @ The Hop
What do you get when you combine one of Milwaukee’s favorite non-commercial radio stations with one of Milwaukee’s favorite non-controversial modes of public transportation? “Hustle & Faux,” WMSE 91.7FM’s live broadcast from The Hop! From noon to 3 p.m., longtime WMSE DJ Faux Eyes—a.k.a. Rush-Mor Records co-owner Bill Rouleau—will set up shop on The Hop and spin “local, indie, alternative, and punk tracks on the streetcar tracks.” Will there be special surprise guests? Yes. Is the public invited to jump aboard during the broadcast and enjoy the action in person? Yes!
29 Bells: A 50th Commemoration Of The SS Edmund Fitzgerald And Her Crew @ The Cooperage
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
Messer Chups + The Swongos, The Swell Global @ Shank Hall
“Messer Chups is a Russian experimental rock band formed in Hamburg, Germany, in 1998 by guitarist Oleg ‘Guitaracula’ Fomchenkov. Known for blending surf rock, psychobilly, and horror themes with samples from B-movies and vintage animations, the band uses a dynamic sound featuring reverb-heavy guitar riffs, often accompanied by theremin solos.”
Die Spitz + Babe Haven @ Cactus Club
“Die Spitz is a mayhem-inciting rock four piece from Austin TX. Founded in 2022 the quartet (Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe Andrews, Ellie Livingston, and Kate Halter) is known for their unruly stage presence, bombarding their crowds with a wall of sound which as Austin Monthly put it: ‘youthful moxie has never sounded so good.’ Having become a staple of the Austin music scene they’ve extended beyond the state of Texas supporting national tours for legendary acts Amyl and the Sniffers, Sleater-Kinney and OFF!”
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Matt Pond PA + Anya Marina @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of Matt Pond PA’s Several Arrows Later. To celebrate, the band is reissuing the album with additional acoustic versions and demos, and performing special shows on the East Coast and in the Midwest this November. As a trio with strings, they will perform songs from their critically acclaimed album—including ‘Halloween,’ ‘So Much Trouble,’ ‘Brooklyn Stars’ and ‘Several Arrows Later’—alongside other favorites from their catalog and new songs Matt co-wrote with his wife, Anya Marina. They’ll also be releasing a 20th-anniversary limited edition of the album, available at all shows.”
VOILÀ + NOT A TOY @ Vivarium (sold out)
“Boasting over 1.5M combined followers, Luke Eisner and Gus Ross make up the duo VOILÀ. They are a fully independent band respectively from Wisconsin and London, who are now based in Los Angeles, California. They met on their first day in LA at USC’s Thornton School of Music and have been inseparable ever since. The Emmy nominated pair self produce, write and perform their own songs. Their noteworthy success has been increasing rapidly over the years and they continue to grow exponentially, with their hit single ‘Figure You Out’ having just gone Gold in the US. They have tripled their monthly listeners on Spotify in the past 18 months, now with 3.2M monthly listeners, and 25M streams per month.”
Welshly Arms + Ben Mulwana & The Village @ Shank Hall
Cowboy Killers Comedy Show @ Falcon Nest
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13
GZA + The Phunky Nomads @ The Rave / Eagles Club
Wu-Tang Clan founding member and elder statesman GZA swings by The Rave as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his groundbreaking and timeless album Liquid Swords!
Midweek Music: Liv Weiss of Bitch Creek @ Crafty Cow Tosa
Every fall since 2021, Milwaukee Record has brought live music to Crafty Cow Tosa with Midweek Music. The series is back in October and November 2025, so stop by and enjoy some free music! Once again, there is NO COVER for these all-ages shows, which run 7 -8:30 p.m. The series continues this week with a set from Bitch Creek singer-songwriter Liv Weiss.
Ben Dameron Trio @ The Estate (early and late shows)
Bruiser And Bicycle + Cusp, Bowvee, Health Club, Socially Suspect @ Sugar Maple
WPR Presents: Music & Stories @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
The Hippsters @ Ope! Brewing Co.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14
IfIHadAHiFi (record release) + Ghost Cuts, The Dire @ Uptowner
“There’s no hippocratic oath in the punditry biz / When no one is a doctor, then everyone is!” That’s a key line in “Everyone’s A Doctor,” a standout track from IfIHadAHiFi’s new EP Paws In The Bacon Grease. The veteran Milwaukee noise-rock outfit doesn’t mince words in the song: we’re living in a post-truth world where cynical bullshit artists pump figurative (and literal) poison into the brains of brain-rotted dupes who have been trained to ignore facts in favor of “doing their own research.” It’s not quite a post-apocalyptic Mad Max hellscape, but it’s close. Tonight, The HiFi celebrates the release of both Bacon Grease and an accompanying EP, Night Vision Creeps.
Tom Segura (Live Special Taping) @ The Riverside Theater (three shows, also November 15)
“Actor/comedian/writer Tom Segura is one of the biggest names in the comedy business. He is currently selling out venues all over the world on his Come Together tour. This follows his highly successful I’m Coming Everywhere World Tour, where he played over 300 shows.”
Gig’s Up: Notes From The Milwaukee Underground Music Scene/New Underground Media/Zines and Radio @ Real Tinsel
“Hot on the heels of the well-attended ‘Gig’s Up: DIY Art and the Dada Spirit in Milwaukee Music Posters’ artist’s panel discussion on October 24 comes Final Event Night #3. The November 14 panel discussion is entitled ‘Notes from the Milwaukee Underground Music Scene/New Underground Media/Zines and Radio’ and will focus on the explosion of local indie media and radio at the time of the international shift to alternative publications and music at the dawn of the ‘punk’ era. The panel participants will include 91.7 FM WMSE Station Manager Tom Crawford, Co-founder and Managing Editor Shepherd Express David Luhrssen, former WZMF DJ ‘Downstairs’ Dan Hansen, WMSE DJ and former station Music Director Paul Host, Shepherd Express writer and podcaster Blaine Schultz and Zine writer and DJ Eric Blowtorch. The panel will be moderated by show curator Clancy Carroll and will discuss the participants’ backstories, influences and changes to the indie journalism and radio landscape that have taken place over the last half century. There will also be a musical performance by Liv Mueller and video from the Mark G.E. Archives.”
Music Go Round x Volta Records Present: Frantic Repair + Poor Ridley, Patter, Pro Video @ Cactus Club
“Music Go Round and Volta Records return with another installment of our all ages show series, once again at Cactus Club on November 14. With a secondary goal of bridging the gap and fostering relationships between Milwaukee and scenes in other cities, this evening’s lineup features a great group of guitar-driven acts from the Midwest and East Coast.”
Long Line Riders @ Wiggle Room
Ann Marie & The Fever Dreams + Gypsum Sunflower, Kid Elephant @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Houses In Motion – Perform The Music Of Talking Heads @ Vivarium
Father Sky @ The Estate (early and late shows)
Cathouse Dandies + The Black & Blue Hearts, Bellends, Mulva @ MKE Ultra
Couple Skate + Girth, Sublet, Corporeal Ooze @ Sabbatic
Trolley A Carnival Of Grey And White Listening Party @ Wiggle Room
Frugal Stu & The Coupons @ Ope! Brewing Co.
Goth Barge Goes To The Movies @ Mad Planet
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
The New Reality @ X-Ray Arcade (also November 16)
Back in August, X-Ray Arcade announced a brand new festival that will celebrate the abundance of top-notch hardcore and metal music being made in the Midwest. The New Reality is a co-production between The Basement Collective and Milwaukee Hardcore Shows that will come to the Cudahy arcade/venue November 15-16. Milwaukee bands World I Hate and Twisted Truth (as well as Madison’s Stress Test) will give the event some local representation. There will also be acts from a variety of other Midwest locales in the form of D Bloc, BIB, Prevention, Spine, Payasa, Direct Measure, Sector, Velocity, Dose, Identity Crisis, No Guard, and Source Of Fire. Oh, and Gridiron (from Pennsylvania), No Cure (out of Alabama), and Ontario-based Mile End will take part as well.
Larvavision + Adam Michael Krause, Lucky Bone @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts
“Neil Gravander (aka Lucky Bone) and Adam Michael Krause used to perform together as Druome (a duo that made drones on drums, of course!). They never did the same set twice, once played an amplified bicycle at the Riverwest 24, and started a side project utilizing burps and sirens as their only sound sources. Druome has been silent for years. Maybe too silent. While this is not a reunion, the duo will be playing one after the other, on the same night, at the same place. We don’t really know what to expect, but it will probably get weird. Closing out the evening will be Chicago’s free jazz trio Larvavision, returning to the Jazz Gallery with their blistering and cathartic onslaught of sound.”
Long May You Run: A Neil Young Tribute & Fundraiser For Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
“A concert to pay tribute to Neil Young’s music and, at the same time, raise money for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin! Performers in order of appearance: 8:00 – Barry Houlehen; 8:25 – Tom Trisco; 8:50 – The Resonators; 9:15 – Keep ‘n Open Mind; 9:40 – The Mirror Men; 10:05 – Chris Haise; 10:30 – Bella Brutto; 10:55 – Francesca & the Night Sky. Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 8:00pm. A $10 donation is requested for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin Space Program + Shadeseeker & The Erly, Rare Visions Liquid Light Show @ Falcon Hall
Oh Geeez, Not Again + VLNTYN @ Ope! Brewing Co.
The DUI’s + October’s Exit, Future Plans @ MKE Ultra
Willie Watson + Gabrielle Hope @ Cactus Club
Kenny Reichert Quartet: A Tribute To Grant Green @ The Estate (early and late shows)
Brew City Bowl V @ Broken Bat Brewing Co.
Y2K: All 2000s Dance Party @ Mad Planet
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Milwaukee Record Halftime Show: The Stinkeyes + DJ Libra BOGO @ Cactus Club
Stop us if you’ve heard this already, but…the Pack is back! And so is the Milwaukee Record Halftime Show concert series at Cactus Club! We’ve assembled a stacked roster of 15 acts that will provide FREE all-ages entertainment at Cactus Club during halftime of Green Bay’s games. Our pals at Hamm’s are sponsoring the series, meaning fans can enjoy specials on cans and buckets of the beer “from the Land of Sky Blue Waters” and Miller High Life all game long. WYNK has also come on as a sponsor and its THC seltzer is available at a discount during all games. Last and certainly not least, Transfer Pizzeria Cafe is once again coming by most games to drop off some complementary pizza. Games are shown in the bar as usual, and also shown on a projector screen in Cactus Club’s back room.
Thomas Dolby: The Iconic 80s – My Personal Recollections @ Shank Hall
An Afternoon With Dog Man Creator Dav Pilkey @ The Riverside Theater
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