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 October 14-20, 2024.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 14
MJ Lenderman & The Wind + Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band @ Turner Hall Ballroom (sold out)
“Fans of Waxahatchee & Wilco—MJ Lenderman & The Wind channels sadness and shame routed through guitars that echo the sparkle of R.E.M. and the insistence of Drive-By Truckers, both fellow Southern greats.”
Tom Colicchio: Why I Cook @ The Riverside Theater
“We just experienced an amazing Top Chef in Wisconsin. Now Head Judge and celebrated chef Tom Colicchio returns to Milwaukee for a special conversation with Paul Bartolotta this October! Each ticket includes a copy of Tom’s book, Why I Cook—books will be distributed at the Riverside Theater the night of the show.”
Joan Osborne + Joshua Radin @ Vivarium
Your Spirit Dies + Thus Spoke Zarathustra, xAll Of Gods Childrenx, Bird Law, xAblazex @ Cactus Club
Happy Hour For Harris @ Cafe Lulu
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15
French Cassettes + Holy Pinto, Lunde @ Shank Hall
“The album title for French Cassettes’ new album Benzene is neither an allusion to the dangerous fossil fuel byproduct, nor is it a nod to the anti-anxiety drug Benzos, but rather a twist on Huerta’s family nickname, ‘Benz.’ ‘I wish I had a better explanation,’ Huerta admits. ‘I guess I should have Googled it first.’ The self-deprecation is classic Benz, as is this crossing of the wires between the flippant and the deeply meaningful. It’s one reason the San Francisco band’s third album holds up so well to repeated listens. Even when influences like The Magnetic Fields and The Beach Boys peek through, Huerta’s lyrical aesthetic is his own, and Benzene is packed to the gills with funny, memorable one-liners that take a twist for the heartbreaking.”
Sessa + Amanda Huff @ Cactus Club
“Sessa, the São Paulo musician known for his enchanting 2019 debut album Grandeza, returns with an expansive collection of songs built with reverence for the deep historical traditions of Brazilian music, now adorned with elegant strings, cascades of hypnotic rhythm, draped with his graceful backing choir. Whereas Grandeza was about the softness of the human body, and the drunkenness of being in love, Estrela Acesa is about love’s fragility and the hangover of it all.”
National Cheese Curd Day @ Lakefront Brewery
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16
The Psychedelic Furs + The Jesus And Mary Chain, Frankie Rose @ The Riverside Theater
“Two of the most influential bands of their generation are coming together for one EPIC show. Talk about a double whammy…This October at the Riverside Theater experience The Psychedelic Furs & The Jesus And Mary Chain!”
Midweek Music: Listening Party @ Crafty Cow (Wauwatosa)
Join us at Crafty Cow Tosa on select Wednesdays and Thursdays in October and November for a total of eight Midweek Music performances! Once again, there’s NO COVER for these all-ages shows, which run from 7-8:30 p.m. If a free weeknight show isn’t already great enough on its own, Crafty Cow Tosa will offer $4 pints from Badger State Brewing. They’ll also have meal deals available during each show. The series continues this week with Americana outfit Listening Party.
Bay View Pumpkin Pavilion @ Humboldt Park (through October 20)
“This four-day, family-friendly event brings over 2,000 Bay View residents and Milwaukee neighbors to Humboldt Park Pavilion. Guests come to carve pumpkins, admire the display of 1,000 lit pumpkins, enjoy live music, eat local food, and embrace the fun that is Halloween.”
KMFDM + Morlocks @ The Rave/Eagles Club
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
Yo La Tengo @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co.
Legendary and forever-awesome indie-rock icons Yo La Tengo are playing a fundraiser show for the Harris/Walz campaign at the Walker’s Point Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. That’s a pretty intimate venue! Tickets are $100, and 100% of the ticket sales will go directly to the Harris Victory Fund. The 7 p.m. show (6 p.m. doors) is scheduled to last approximately 45 minutes. Anodyne has standing room and limited seating; seating will be first-come, first-serve.
Dexter And The Moonrocks + Edgehill @ Turner Hall Ballroom
“Hailing from Abilene, Texas, Dexter And The Moonrocks have carved a unique niche in the music scene with their innovative blend of Southern Alternative, red-dirt country, and alternative rock, creating a genre their fans affectionately call ‘Western Space Grunge.’ The band, consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist James Tuffs, lead guitarist and vocal harmonizer Ryan Anderson, bassist Ty Anderson, and drummer and vocal harmonizer Fox, combines influences from a wide range of artists, including Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and Whiskey Myers, to produce a sound that is both earth-shattering and introspective.”
Boo At The Zoo @ Milwaukee County Zoo (through October 20)
This “merry not scary” event brings after hours fun to Milwaukee County Zoo from October 17-20. Enjoy a “trick-or-treat trail,” pumpkin carving demonstrations, light shows, and (of course) lots of animals. All who attend are encouraged to come wearing a costume.
Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners @ Vivarium
Kat & The Hurricane + Well + Good, The Weekend Run Club, Alley Eyes @ X-Ray Arcade
Mizzy + Facing, Operations @ Cactus Club
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
A Celebration Of Brandy @ Great Lakes Distillery
Great Lakes Distillery has produced a batch of Milwaukee Record Brandy! This special 300-bottle release was made using Wisconsin-grown grapes that have been aged for two years. Tonight, you can buy a bottle during a multi-faceted event we’re calling “A Celebration Of Brandy.” From 6-10 p.m., the Great Lakes’ tasting room will be serving a selection of specialty brandy cocktails. In-house Fox Den restaurant will offer a brandy-inspired smash burger for the occasion. Bottles of Milwaukee Record Brandy will be available exclusively at Great Lakes Distillery for $35 (a portion of which supports Milwaukee Record). Oh, and we’ll be there celebrating the other Brandy—the iconic singer, actor, and model—by DJing a set that features an abundance of her music (as well as some other ’90s and 2000s R&B cuts). Heck, we might even throw Moesha on one of the distillery’s TVs.
Fall Gallery Night & Day @ Historic Third Ward (also October 19)
Calling itself “Milwaukee’s original gallery hop event,” Historic Third Ward’s Gallery Night MKE returns this fall with two days of art and entertainment scattered throughout a wide range of galleries. While you’re out and about, make sure to work in some shopping, dining, and drinks at some of the nearby Third Ward haunts.
Hunting Moon Pow Wow @ Potawatomi Casino Hotel (through October 20)
“Hunting Moon Pow Wow is three days of excitement, bringing together a host of Native American cultures for a celebration of singing, drumming and dancing in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Long a part of Native culture, the pow wow is an important social gathering; it’s a chance for Native people to connect with one another, connect with their vibrant history and traditions, and to connect with non-Native people through the power, beauty and pageantry of the event.”
Lewis Black: Goodbye Yeller Brick Road, The Final Tour @ The Pabst Theater
Sleepersound + Ghost Cuts, SSAANN, Mari Mari @ X-Ray Arcade
Max & The Fellow Travelers (record release) + Old Pup, Dandy L. Freling @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
KEN Mode + Hide, Wretched Blessing, Exploders @ Club Garibaldi
Friday Night Retro Dance Party: DJ Paul H @ Mad Planet
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
Flannel Fest @ Boone & Crockett / The Cooperage
Boone & Crockett’s Flannel Fest returns for its fourth installment! Enjoy live music, food vendors, and local retailers in the Boone/Cooperage lot during this free, family-friendly festival. There will be food available from Ay Chihuahua Coffee, Dooby Dogs, Flour Girl & Flame, Pete’s Pops, Roll MKE, Taco Moto, and Tots On The Street. You can browse goods from local vendors like BB Cakes, Canni Hemp Co., Cival Collective, The Dome Swap, Margaret Muza Photography, Paloma Wilder Bonded Bar, and Shock Treatment Tattoos. As for music, buckle up for Brew City Soul, The Hallelujah Ward, Bug Moment, Wire And Nail, B L O O D, Allison Mahal, Keshena Armon, Maximiano, and more.
Milwaukee Paracon @ various locations
Milwaukee Paranormal Conference is back, too! The celebration of the strange and unusual is set to take place October 19 at various locations in and around Milwaukee. This year’s installment is described as “a celebration of the ghost stories of Milwaukee, urban legends, Milwaukee UFO sightings, Wisconsin folklore, all kinds of paranormal and all centered on phenomena that happened in the Brew City.”
Lil Wayne + Saweetie, Selfish Sons @ Fiserv Forum
A Lil Wayne show in Milwaukee may not be rare (like Mr. Clean with hair), but we’re still pleased to report that the veteran rapper (and Green Bay Packers superfan) will play Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum tonight.
The Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards Tour (The Reprise) @ Miller High Life Theatre
Nineteen Thirteen + Mike Mangione @ Vivarium
Bane + Stick To Your Guns, Combust, Form @ X-Ray Arcade (sold out)
Prince vs. Michael Jackson @ Mad Planet
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20
Milwaukee Record Halftime Series: Gold Steps @ Cactus Club
Come on out to the Cactus Club for this week’s Packers-Texans game, and enjoy a halftime set from Milwaukee pop-rock favorites Gold Steps! Games will be shown in the bar, but they’ll also be shown on a projector screen in Cactus Club’s back room. As always, there will also be touchdown shots (both regular and N/A options will be offered). THERE’S NO COVER CHARGE for the concerts. Kickoff is at noon!
Fake Fruit + Rui Gabriel, Shorelining @ X-Ray Arcade
“Oakland, CA foursome Fake Fruit, fronted by Hannah ‘Ham’ D’Amato, made a splash with their self-titled debut amidst the pandemic in 2021 via Rocks in Your Head Records. With Alex Post on lead guitar, Miles MacDiarmid on drums, and Dylan Allard on bass the band is ‘a whirlwind of biting critique, nervy post-punk guitars, and absurdist humor.’ Pitchfork describes them as ‘spirited punk primitivism with two-minute art-rock tracks—punchy, melodic songs united by nervy guitars and cutting takedowns of modern frustrations.'”
Edition Redux + Dusk @ Cactus Club
Robbie Fulks + Jason Eady @ Vivarium
Cynthia Starich + The Steph Lippert Project @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Political Monsters Release Party @ Lion’s Tooth
Want more Milwaukee Record? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and/or support us on Patreon.