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 May 20-26, 2019.
MONDAY, MAY 20
Shadow Show + Crime Of Passing, TAN @ High Dive
Detroit trio Shadow Show touts itself as “combining elements of ’60s garage-psych with a feminine mystique.” It’s an accurate boast: singles “Glass Eye” and “The Machine” are as hazy and menacing as they are hooky and head-bopping. Playing in support are Cincinnati’s Crime Of Passing and Milwaukee’s TAN, the latter of which features members of Volcano Choir, Collections Of Colonies Of Bees, and Seven Days Of Samsara.
TUESDAY, MAY 21
The Erotic Adventures Of The Static Chicken @ The Jazz Estate
If you were around for the weekly, now-legendary Erotic Adventures Of The Static Chicken shows at The Jazz Gallery back in the day, here’s your chance to relive those days. If you weren’t around, go to this one-night-only show anyway, because any opportunity to see Matt Turner, Jeremy Kuzniar, and Aaron Gardner do their thing is too good to pass up.
Eyehategod + Phobia, Northless, Peter J. Woods @ X-Ray Arcade
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
Milwaukee Record Presents Mars Attacks! @ Avalon Theater
Tim Burton’s dark and zany 1996 screen adaptation of the “Mars Attacks” trading card series pays homage to campy science fiction movies of the 1950s and ’60s, while still offering some nice action sequences and oodles of hilarity. Visitors from Mars make their first communication with Earth, followed by their first visit. Americans react about how you’d expect them to react, and eventually Tom Jones has to get involved. Everything about this movie is fun and icky and well-acted and you really, really need to see it.
Judas Priest + Uriah Heep @ Riverside Theater
Her Crooked Heart + Hello Death, Long Mama @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Mary Ocher ft. Your Government + Wavy V @ Cactus Club
GRLwood + Fox Face, Glacial Speed @ Bremen Cafe
THURSDAY, MAY 23
Judas Priest + Uriah Heep @ Riverside Theater
Priest is the best, man! Priest is the best, I’m telling you! Hey, lemme tell you. Rob Halford is the baddest motherfucking singer aroooouuuund! And K.K. Downing, man? That motherfucker can play some guitar! Priest is bad, man! Priest is number one in heavy metal, man! (Also May 22.)
414 Live: Nineteen Thirteen @ 88Nine Radio Milwaukee
Part Time Lover + Ravi Lola, Saebra & Carlyle @ High Dive
FRIDAY, MAY 24
DMX + Eric B & Rakim, MC Lyte @ Riverside Theater
DMX. Eric B & Rakim. MC Lyte. A tour billed as “The Revenge of Hip-Hop Tour.” What more do you need? Sure, DMX has only released a handful of new music in the past few years, but classics like “Party Up (Up In Here)” are much more than early-’00s nostalgia pieces.
Something To Do + Faux Fiction, Nasty Boys @ Walker’s Point Music Hall
Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood + SistaStrings @ Cactus Club
Old Earth + Dutch Courage @ Circle-A Cafe
Nineteen Thirteen @ The Jazz Estate
SATURDAY, MAY 25
Frühling Fest @ Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom
The Brewery District will be alive with food, art, music, and beer when Pabst Brewery & Taproom, Milwaukee Brewing Company, and Glass + Grill host the inaugural Frühling Fest. In addition to rare tappings of special beers from the breweries, food from local vendors, live art, a makers market, and a Preservation Park beer garden, the block party will host tons of bands from 12-7 p.m. Performers include Sneaks, Nickel&Rose, Klassik, Shle Berry, Copper Box, Surgeons In Heat, Faux Fiction, and more.
Peace Thru Music: John Lennon Tribute @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
SUNDAY, MAY 26
Something To Do + Bumsy And The Moochers, Beach Static @ X-Ray Arcade
Depending on who you ask, ska on its deathbed. Though some have reduced the once-formidable genre to a cheap punchline, a small-but-passionate guild of musicians with horns and a proclivity for upstrokes are keeping the remaining fans of the world skanking years after ska’s golden era. Among those musicians is the seven-piece Something To Do, who have been playing out since 2003 and show no signs of stopping.
Riverwest FemFest Keg Stand-Up! @ Lakefront Brewery
The 2019 installment of Riverwest FemFest kicks into high gear on Monday, May 27 (and runs through June 2). Before that, however, the fourth annual event starts on a comedic note with stand-up sets from Whitney Chitwood, Raegan Niemela, Vickie Lynn, and Le Aboav.
Beaumont James & The Wild Claims + Ahab’s Ghost, Bitches Of The Sun @ Company Brewing