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 February 27 – March 5, 2023.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Bayside + I Am The Avalanche, Koyo @ The Rave / Eagles Club
The New York punk vets in Bayside make their way back to their familiar stomping grounds of The Rave. Joining them in this late-winter stop on their “Just Like Home Tour” will be I Am The Avalanche and Koyo. Bayside’s latest album is 2019’s Interrobang.

Ex Fabula StorySlam: Exes @ Times Cinema
Is it possible that Milwaukee’s homegrown storytelling org, Ex Fabula, has been around for 14 years? It’s true! The nonprofit first arrived on the scene back in 2009, and has been staging inclusive and justice-minded themed “StorySlams” and other events ever since. “At each Slam, any attendee can throw their name in the hat for the chance to share a true, personal story on the night’s theme,” explains the group. “Stories should be shared in five minutes or less and without any props or notes.”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1

Tab Benoit + J.D. Simo @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Tab Benoit is more than just a workhorse blues guitarist who’s been doing his thing since the early ’90s. Per his bio, “Benoit is the founder and driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to preserve the coastal waters of his home state. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit also starred in the iMax motion picture Hurricane On The Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to protect and restore the wetlands.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 2

Midweek Music: Genesis Renji @ Crafty Cow MKE
Instead of making you wait until spring before our Midweek Music series continues, Crafty Cow is warming up your winter by bringing the free concert series back for seven more shows spread throughout the months of January, February, and March.
This time around, the concerts are taking place at Crafty Cow’s location in Bay View. Another major change is the shows now happen on Thursday nights instead of Wednesdays. Thursday also happens to be Crafty Cow’s Burger Night, with discounts offered on build-your-own cheeseburgers. As usual, pints of Indeed Brewing Company beer will be available for only $4 during all Midweek Music shows. The series continues tonight with the fantastic Genesis Renji, fresh off his set at Mitten Fest.

‘Knowledge Fight’ Live Podcast Recording + Marty DeRosa @ X-Ray Arcade
Hoping to check out night one of a live recording of Knowledge Fight, a.k.a. the podcast where hosts Dan and Jordan take the piss out of awful human being Alex Jones? Sorry! It’s sold out!

Mall Grab + Greyhound, Asher Gray, Angelia Word (FemmeDecks) @ Cactus Club
Hailing from Australia (but now based in London), DJ and producer Mall Grab has been on a steady upward trajectory since hitting the scene in the 2010s. For this Cactus Club/Club Ritual show, Mall Grab will be joined by Milwaukee DJs and producers Greyhound and Asher Grey, as well as Chicago’s Angelia Word.

Well & Good + Superglue, Pescatarian At Best, Max of Diet Lite @ Bremen Cafe

FRIDAY, MARCH 3

Rucksack Revolution (Sara Vos of Dead Horses, Adam Greul of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Rucksack Revolution—a dynamic duo featuring Sarah Vos of Dead Horses and Adam Greuel of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades—doesn’t play out all that often, so when a show does come along, it’s a can’t-miss affair. Vos and Greuel released a self-titled Rucksack Revolution record in February 2022.

R.A.P. Ferreira + ELDON, Bright Boy @ Cactus Club
“R.A.P. Ferreira fka milo aka scallops hotel is an mc, producer and theorist working in the Black arts tradition commonly categorized as rap. Having founded the label ruby yacht in 2015 and since releasing all of his music through this channel, Ferreira has earned a sizable following within independent hip hop by rigorous, constant touring and an elevated, explorational style of performance. He is known for an uncompromised, utopic flow that speaks directly to the root of the listener.”

‘Knowledge Fight’ Live Podcast Recording + Marty DeRosa @ X-Ray Arcade
Hoping to check out night two of a live recording of Knowledge Fight, a.k.a. the podcast where hosts Dan and Jordan take the piss out of awful human being Alex Jones? Sorry! It’s sold out!

Scythian + Trinity School of Irish Dance @ Irish Cultural and Heritage Center

Jacob Slade + Hyer, Emmett Mulrooney @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery

The Turn Up: DJ Bizzon + DJ Nustylez @ Company Brewing

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

14th Annual Shamrock Shuffle @ various locations
Roughly two weeks before St. Patrick’s Day, it’s the Shamrock Shuffle, back for its 14th year! Once again, the mammoth T-shirt-clad bar crawl will take place in four Milwaukee neighborhoods: Water Street, MLK Drive, Brady Street, and Walker’s Point. The “Irish Jig Jog 4k Run/Walk” will be back, too. Both events benefit the Special Olympics of Wisconsin, as well as other local charities.

The Prince Experience + Radio Radio @ The Pabst Theater
A staple at Summerfest and just about any place with a stage and a taste for meticulous recreations of Purple Rain-era Prince, Gabriel Sanchez and his Prince Experience prove that in the right hands, tribute shows can be a ton of un-ironic and unabashed fun. Buckle up for elaborate costumes, elaborate choreography, and elaborate performances of “Little Red Corvette.”

Ryan Hamilton @ Turner Hall Ballroom
“Ryan Hamilton is a stand-up comedian originally from Ashton, Idaho. His first stand-up special, Happy Face, came out on Netflix back in August 2017. Ryan has been named one of Rolling Stone‘s Five Comics To Watch, has appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Conan, Craig Ferguson, etc. and he’s opened for Jerry Seinfeld many times.”

Drug Church + Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Anxious, Webbed Wing @ X-Ray Arcade

The Swivels (record release) + Spudbucket @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn

The Collection + Wire & Nail, Mom Rock @ The Back Room @ Colectivo

2nd Annual ’80s Prom: The First Wave + DJs Nikki Spudnikk, J. Freshluggage @ The Cooperage

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

Late Nite Laundry + Lunde, Sleepy Gaucho (solo) @ Cactus Club
The Chicago Tribune has described Chicago’s Late Nite Laundry as a band “perfect for long evenings indoors.” One listen to the group’s chilled-out self-titled 2022 EP proves that the description is more than apt. Tonight, LNL will be joined by two simpatico Milwaukee acts, Lunde and Sleepy Gaucho.

Lincoln Barr + The Steph Lippert Project @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery

Sam Morril @ Turner Hall Ballroom

The Hungry Williams + Old Sam & The Teardrops, The Incorruptibles @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn

Exclusive articles, podcasts, and more. Support Milwaukee Record on Patreon.