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 March 21-27, 2022.
TUESDAY, MARCH 22
Screen Queens: ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984) @ This Is It
Milwaukee’s connection to Rob Reiner’s classic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap is one of the city’s many quirks. In the film, the fictitious titular band plays fictitious Milwaukee club Shank Hall; in real life, the real Shank Hall opened on Farwell Avenue five years later. For this free “Screen Queens” screening, drag queens Beth Anne Bodyworks and Dora Diamond will host the film and riff it throughout.
Escape From The Zoo + Public Serpents, Faster Faster Faster @ Cactus Club
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23
The Cactus Blossoms + Alexa Rose @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
Brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum didn’t form The Cactus Blossoms until they were in their 30s, but their collective star has been on the rise ever since. The group’s dreamy, Roy-Orbison-meets-The-Everly-Brothers vibe was a perfect fit for David Lynch’s Twin Peaks revival in 2017; Torrey and Burkum performed “Mississippi” (from 2016’s You’re Dreaming) at the Roadhouse in Part 3. The Cactus Blossoms’ latest album, One Day, is their best yet, with nods to ’80s pop and ’70s AM gold.
7 Seconds + Negative Approach, Buggin @ X-Ray Arcade
It’s one of those “Whoa!” concerts: legendary hardcore punk bands 7 Seconds and Negative Approach playing the cozy confines of Cuday’s X-Ray Arcade. Both groups have been kicking and screaming since the early 1980s.
THURSDAY, MARCH 24
Bright Eyes + Christian Lee Hutson @ The Riverside Theater
Following a lengthy hiatus from both recording and touring, influential Omaha-based band Bright Eyes—consisting of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nathaniel Walcott—returned with a long-awaited album, Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was, in August of 2020. For this Riverside Theater show (and every other show on the tour), Bright Eyes will be partnering with Plus1 and will donate $1 from every ticket sold to the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram @ The Pabst Theater
At just 23 years of age, budding blues guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has recorded with Buddy Guy and Keb Mo, has performed alongside Tedeschi Trucks Band and Samantha Fish, and has released two well-received albums on Alligator Records. The latest of those albums, last year’s 662, earned the axe-wielding wunderkind a Grammy nomination. Ingram makes his way to The Pabst Theater as part of his “662 Juke Joint Live” tour.
Hari Kondabolu @ The Laughing Tap
Comedian Hari Kondabolu has amassed an impressive reel of TV appearances, has released two chart-topping albums, and has been called “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today” by the New York Times. In late 2017, Kondabolu became a household name and changed the way we watch television (for the better), when TruTV released his Simpsons-centered documentary, The Problem With Apu. Socially impacting documentary aside, he’s one hell of a comic. Following performances at The Underground Collaborative and The Back Room @ Colectivo in recent years, Kondabolu returns to Milwaukee March 24-26 for three performances at The Laughing Tap.
Nick Thune @ Milwaukee Improv
Way back in 2014 (and later in 2017), comedian Nick Thune performed sold-out shows in a shopping mall basement at The Underground Collaborate (R.I.P.). Since then, Thune has been the face of numerous national ad campaigns, has amassed countless film credits and late night appearances, and has put out a special. Thune takes the stage in the basement of a Brookfield mall this time around, when he performs a total of five sets at Milwaukee Improv March 24-26.
Korine + The LOL, Orange Drink @ X-Ray Arcade
FRIDAY, MARCH 25
Colin Hay @ The Pabst Theater
The last time Colin Hay was in town was 2018, when he was playing with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band. Now, four years and one pandemic-delayed show later, the Men At Work frontman returns for a show of his own. Expect those big Men At Works hits (“Who Can It Be Now?”, “Down Under”) plus plenty of cuts from Hay’s prodigious, decade-spanning solo career.
Film Girl Film Festival Opening Night Party @ Nō Studios
The dozens of features and shorts in this year’s Film Girl Film Festival may be streaming-only, but the Opening Night Party is a decidedly in-person affair. The homegrown woman-focused fest kicks things off at Nō Studios with drinks, pizza, and sneak peeks at this year’s films.
Myles Coyne’s Bitchin’ Beatles Birthday Bash: Glad Onion @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
The Unitaskers + Man Random, Spoy, Overhand @ High Dive
Hari Kondabolu @ The Laughing Tap
Nick Thune @ Milwaukee Improv (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. shows)
SATURDAY, MARCH 26
An Evening With Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
Alec Ounsworth’s long-running indie project Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has been so long-running that it’s now graduated to “An Evening With” status. Not that we’re complaining—this is a terrific chance to see Ounsworth and company perform oodles of hits, from CYHSY’s 2005’s self-titled debut and beyond, in an intimate setting.
Hari Kondabolu @ The Laughing Tap
Nick Thune @ Milwaukee Improv (6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows)
SUNDAY, MARCH 27
Womxn Makers Market @ Bad Moon Saloon
Throughout the month of March, some female Milwaukee-area beer reps from five different breweries and distributors are partnering with some women buyers and bar owners from all over the region to put on nine unique events that will celebrate Women’s Month and raise funds for a great local organization in the process. The events were organized by sales representatives from 3 Sheeps, Indeed, Revolution, Rhinegeist, and Surly. During each of these events (including this Womxn Makers Market), $1 from each purchase of one of those brewery’s beers will benefit the Sojourner Truth House.
Duma + Fruit LoOops, Nicholas Elert @ Cactus Club
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