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 January 20-26.
MONDAY, JANUARY 20
Midwest Pastry Stout Challenge @ Crafty Cow
We’ll let the Facebook event do the talking here: “Join us as we tap beers from Mikerphone Brewing, Third Space Brewing, Hubbard’s Cave Brewery, and Fair State Brewing Cooperative for the midwest pastry stout challenge! We need your help for a blind tasting of each stout submitted to decide the People’s Choice award for the best stout! Flights of every stout will be available as well as individual pours. We also will have a build your own Pastry Stout bar, filled with everything from peanut butter cups, donuts, waffles, raspberry cake, and more! Official Judges from Milwaukee Record, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Milwaukee Magazine will be on hand to help determine a winner.”
Nick Lang’s B-day: Derek Pritzel And The Gamble + Joseph Huber @ High Dive
Even if you’ve only seen a few local bands in recent years, there’s a decent chance Nick Lang was in at least one of them. The percussionist currently keeps the beat for several Milwaukee projects, and that doesn’t even cover his occasional stints in Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra pops concerts or filling in on drums with other groups. Lang isn’t just one of the city’s busiest drummers. He’s also one of the best.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22
Milwaukee Record Presents: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story @ Avalon Theater
Most people have one of three experiences with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. They either love it, they’ve never seen it but are sure to love it once they finally do, or they saw it and kind of liked it initially but now love it after revisiting it years later. No matter which one of these classifications you fall into, it’s safe to assume you presently love Walk Hard or you will love it soon. How soon exactly? Let’s say sometime around Wednesday, January 22 when we screen it at Avalon Theater. Tickets are available now.
Riversedge + Momotaros, Holy Shit! @ Bremen Cafe
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23
Benjamin Gibbard + Francis Quinlan @ The Pabst Theater
In addition to his impressive and emotive body of work he’s managed as the lead singer of Death Cab For Cutie and as one half of The Postal Service, Benjamin Gibbard has also found the time to write and release excellent solo material. He’ll drop by Pabst Theater to play some of that (and hopefully some select cuts from the bands we mentioned in the previous sentence) on January 23. If that’s not reason enough to leave the house in the middle of winter, Hop Along singer Frances Quinlan will open the show and is sure to play material from her forthcoming solo record that will be released January 31.
The Slow Deaths + Raging Nathans, Avenues, The DUI’s @ X-Ray Arcade
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24
Jerry Seinfeld @ Riverside Theater
What’s the deal with Jerry Seinfeld? Find out tonight! Two shows!
Florida Brothers Band + SolidState @ Circle-A Cafe
Back in 2017, we introduced you to a new Milwaukee project called Florida Brothers Band. In that article, we said the unusual, interesting, and utterly enjoyable group “crafts poppy punk earworms that will make you smash your neighbor with a steel chair.” Since that outset, the singlet-wearing band that features a vocalist who channels Reginald “The Crusher” Lisowski while bellowing lyrics about wrestling has only gotten better and more compelling. Florida Brothers Band’s debut full-length, You Will Hate Us, was released in 2019.
LO/ST (single release) + The Keystones, Meadowers @ Cactus Club
Ex Fabula New Year Spectacular: “Middle School” @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Teddy Davenport & The Cushions @ Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts
Whitney Chitwood @ The Laughing Tap
Jamie Breiwick Quartet @ The Jazz Estate
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25
Bruce McCulloch: “Tales Of Bravery And Stupidity” @ Shank Hall
You know who’s great? Bruce McCulloch. You know what’s great? Bruce McCulloch bringing his latest solo show, “Tales Of Bravery And Stupidity,” to Milwaukee’s Shank Hall on Saturday, January 25, 2020. What’s the show about? McCulloch explains in an interview with Calgary CBC: “It’s actually probably the most personal I’ve gotten in this show. I talk about a kind of a unique friendship of mine. And there’s actually parts that are quite touching—or at least that’s what I’m told. A lot of it is like stand up, and a lot of fun, but there’s a couple moments there that are much more serious.”
Froth & Follies: A Fringe Fundraiser @ Hacienda Beer Co.
Bernie Benefit: Saebra & Carlyle + Allen Cote, Habitat For Insanity, Shayne Steliga @ Cactus Club
Max Williamson + BJ Seidel, Matt Hendricks, Ash Rotwell @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Whitney Chitwood @ The Laughing Tap
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26
Coffee and Donut Festival @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Hey, this sounds fu…oh, it’s sold out. Never mind.