Milwaukee 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 8-14 2023.
MONDAY, MAY 8
The Nile Club + Monsoon, Chapped Lips @ Cactus Club
Taking its name from a long-empty pyramid-shaped supper club outside of Beaver Dam, The Nile Club is an appropriately unlikely and unwieldy Milwaukee band—heavy and sludgy one minute, jammy and melodic the next. The group’s new album, Wake Up With A Sense Of Pride, kicks off with a menacing “Fight For Your Right”-esque banger (“Black Knight”) but quickly pivots to groovy shout-alongs (“Dragon Bone”) and emo screamers (“Rat Race”). Want some horns? The Nile Club has some horns. Want touches of sea-shanty psychedelia (“Colonial Rolloverer”) and heart-on-its-sleeve pop (the excellent “Forever Is A Word”)? The Nile Club has that, too.
TUESDAY, MAY 9
Apes Of The State + Pigeon Pit, Rat Bath, Hemlock Chaser @ X-Ray Arcade
“Apes of the State is an independent folk punk band from Lancaster, PA. As a band, they are driven by DIY ethics with a goal of helping as many people as possible with their music. They sing songs about whatever makes them feel things, like love, heartbreak, student loan debt, regret, and overcoming addiction.”
Chicago @ The Riverside Theater
“Hailed as one of the ‘most important bands in music since the dawn of the rock and roll era,’ the legendary rock and roll band with horns, Chicago, came in as the highest charting American band in Billboard Magazine’s Top 125 Artists Of All Time. And Chicago is the first American rock band to chart Top 40 albums in six consecutive decades.”
Basketball Divorce Court + Careful Gaze, Courtesy, Alley Eyes @ Cactus Club
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10
Bright Eyes + Maya Hawke @ The Pabst Theater
“Sometimes it feels like you hear a Bright Eyes song with your whole body. From Conor Oberst’s early recordings in an Omaha basement in 1995 all the way up to 2020, Bright Eyes’ music tries to unravel the impossible tangles of dissent: personal and political, external and internal. It’s a study of the beauty in unsteadiness in all its forms—in a voice, beliefs, love, identity, and what fills up the spaces in-between. And in so many ways, it’s just about searching for a way through.”
Samiam + Size 5’s, Overhand @ X-Ray Arcade
Samiam has done it all. Since starting out on Gilman Street in the late ’80s, the legendary punk band has released eight influential albums and a mess of excellent EPs. Samiam has toured extensively, played all over the world, spent time on a major label, and shared the stage with some of the planet’s biggest bands. Though the band has experienced some lineup changes and members have become involved in lots of other bands along the way, Samiam is still going strong. After a long-awaited return to Milwaukee in 2019—and just a few weeks removed from putting out Stowaway—the band returns to the region to headline a show at Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade.
Milwaukee Record Presents: Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002) @ Times Cinema (also May 11)
Yeah, baby! Instead of screening one film at Avalon Theater like we usually do each month, we somehow convinced Times Cinema to let us spend April—and parts of late March and May—showing all three movies in the Austin Powers franchise, along with two titles featuring dearly departed character actor Powers Boothe. The five films in the “April Powers” series will be screened a combined total of 34 times (!!!) between March 31 and May 18. Along the way, viewers can see a trio of beloved Mike Myers-starring vehicles and watch Boothe in some memorable roles from the end of his career in MacGruber (arguably the best comedy film of the century so far) and Sin City.
Argopelter + Caley Conway @ Boone & Crockett
Argopelter is an improvised experimental trio composed of Barry Paul Clark (bass), Devin Drobka (drums), and Christopher Porterfield (guitar). The group’s frequent residencies at Boone & Crockett are always appointment viewing/listening, especially when coupled with incomparable singer-songwriter Caley Conway. The musicians’ spring residency concludes tonight. Here’s to summer!
Studio Milwaukee Session: Ondara @ Radio Milwaukee
Girls Rock Gala: A Celebration Of 10 years Of Girls Rock Milwaukee @ Enlightened Brewing Company
THURSDAY, MAY 11
David Cross @ Turner Hall Ballroom
“Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee, David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen. Cross premiered his comedy special, David Cross: I’m From The Future, as a livestream event available internationally on his website. Cross’ 2019 comedy special, David Cross: Oh Come On, is available on Amazon Prime and Peacock. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for the albums, …America…Great, and Shut Up You F***ing Baby, and his comedy special, David Cross: The Pride is Back, was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by Rolling Stone in July 2015. $2 from every ticket will go to support The Innocence Project which works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of cellphones, smart watches, smart accessories, cameras or recording devices will not be permitted in the performance space.”
Man Or Astro-man? + Devils Teeth @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
“Man or Astro-man? have returned to Earth and unveiled their finest recorded work to date. Defcon 5…4…3…2…1 is here now with a striking validity that the band is unquestionably as both tuneful and energetic as they ever have been. The record combines ever-familiar Astro audio tones and the well-established playing ferocity that the band is known for, but yet now, there is an undeniably evolution to the band that is both intuitive, logical and well crafted. Man or Astro-man? has arrived in the present (and future, of course) with imminent purpose. And of course, they still bring an over-the-top, sensory overloaded show, which has always gained them a reputation for always being an undisputedly amazing band to see live.”
Sophie B. Hawkins @ Shank Hall
Whose Live Anyway? @ The Pabst Theater
Harsh Symmetry + Convert, X Harlow, Cyberplasm @ Cactus Club
Side-Room Concert Series: Hayward Williams @ Tonic Tavern
Big Beat MKE 2023 @ The Wicked Hop
FRIDAY, MAY 12
Waldemar + North Warren, Next Paperback Hero @ Company Brewing
There’s a good chance you don’t know the name Waldemar, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Eau Claire-based band is a project people will hear a lot more about in the very near future. Earlier this month, Waldemar released Ruthless, an outstanding album that was five years in the making. Tonight, the group makes its way to Company Brewing to head up a Milwaukee show that features local support from North Warren and Next Paperback Hero.
Sleepersound + Resurrectionists, John & Dan @ Club Garibaldi
Idle Voices, the 2021 full-length from Milwaukee moody dream-pop band Sleepersound, is filled with expertly sculpted soundscapes and ethereal instrumental jams. Now That We Are All Ghosts, the 2023 full-length from Milwaukee doom-chamber outfit Resurrectionists, is filled with off-kilter banjo ditties and creaky folk tunes. Put ’em together (and add NYC post-rock duo John & Dan) and you have a can’t miss Garibaldi show.
Milwaukee Record Presents: Sin City (2005) @ Times Cinema (also May 13, 14)
Yeah, baby! Instead of screening one film at Avalon Theater like we usually do each month, we somehow convinced Times Cinema to let us spend April—and parts of late March and May—showing all three movies in the Austin Powers franchise, along with two titles featuring dearly departed character actor Powers Boothe. The five films in the “April Powers” series will be screened a combined total of 34 times (!!!) between March 31 and May 18. Along the way, viewers can see a trio of beloved Mike Myers-starring vehicles and watch Boothe in some memorable roles from the end of his career in MacGruber (arguably the best comedy film of the century so far) and Sin City.
Gabriel Iglesias @ Milwaukee Improv (also May 13)
If you snoozed on getting tickets to these uncharacteristically intimate Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias shows at Milwaukee Improv in nearby Brookfield, we regret to inform you that all four performances have sold out.
Pretending + Garden Home, Bug Moment, Past Is Prologue @ Bremen Cafe
Brick + Mortar + Jharia, Pollyanna, Clementine @ X-Ray Arcade
Robbie Fulks @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
The Silent Comedy + American Restless, Alley Eyes @ Shank Hall
Louie & The Flashbombs + Wire And Nail, Bing Bong @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
SATURDAY, MAY 13
The Great Milwaukee Can Koozie Swap @ Promises
From 1-5 p.m., people 21 and older are invited to bring their koozie collection to Promises to try to make some deals at The Great Milwaukee Can Koozie Swap, presented by Busch Light and yours truly. Buy koozies! Sell koozies! Trade koozies! We’ll even have a mic set up on stage, where people can drum up interest in some of their favorites. But there’s more! The first 200 people through the doors will get a free Milwaukee Record/Busch Light can koozie. Show it to a Promises bartender ANY TIME BETWEEN MAY 13 AND JULY 4 and get $2 cans of Busch Light.
Rat Bath + The Nile Club, Bug Moment @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
Rat Bath has been scampering around the Milwaukee music scene since 2019, specializing in what the band calls “spooky country core.” That sound is certainly on display throughout the group’s 2022 debut LP, Rat From Hell. The 11-track record careens between noisy, full-barrel cow punk and chaotic, witchy hardcore, with everything in between. Opener “The Tale Of Dead Ol’ Fred” establishes the record’s epic narrative (a battle between a witch and a demon, natch), while “Bone Eater” slices the air with Pixies-esque guitars. Rat From Hell‘s quieter moments are among its best, especially the dreamy and sad “At Least You’re Lonely Too.”
Samantha Bee @ The Pabst Theater
“Samantha Bee has quickly established herself as having one of the most unique and sharp comedic voices on television. Bee began her career performing as a member of the all-female sketch comedy troupe The Atomic Fireballs. In 2003, Bee joined Comedy Central’s The Daily Show‘s ‘Best F#@king News Team.’ In 2016, Bee received global recognition from the success of her very own weekly late-night comedy series, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Bee is also the author of the essay collection I Know I Am, But What Are You? and has been featured in TIME 100: The Most Influential People. She is also the host of ‘Full Release,’ a podcast featuring in-depth conversations with the best and brightest of people about how to navigate the ever-changing world and what to laugh about along the way. In 2018, Bee announced her new production company, Swimsuit Competition, co-founded with Full Frontal producer Kristen Everman.”
Elephonic (record release) + Chris Haise Band, The Belle Weather @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
“Elephonic is a band of musical peers with names familiar to the Milwaukee music scene that play mostly Mike Jarvis’ songs and a handful of beautiful covers, both obscure and not-so obscure. In Elephonic, while singer/guitarist Mike Jarvis has remained true to his power pop roots, he has grown a small orchestra to water them. The songs are melodic, instantly memorable and layered. Above all, they stand out from everything you hear on Spotify or Pandora: a 7 piece symphonic pop band from Milwaukee including violin, cello, keys, guitars, bass and drums.”
Radkey + Reynaldo Jenkins And The Teardrops, Cozy Danger @ Cactus Club
The Wood Brothers + Shovels And Rope @ The Riverside Theater
SUNDAY, MAY 14
Breaking Benjamin + Bush, Another Day Dawns @ The Rave/Eagles Club
“Breaking Benjamin are no strangers to the upper echelons of the rock charts. Since bursting onto the scene with 2002’s Saturate, the band has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits, with ten songs hitting #1, numerous platinum and multi-platinum songs and albums, 8.5 billion combined streams worldwide and a social imprint of over 6.5 million—a testament to the band’s global influence and loyal fan base. Their most recent release, Aurora, gave Breaking Benjamin their 10th #1 song at rock radio with ‘Far Away ft. Scooter Ward.’ Breaking Benjamin’s last studio album, Ember debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 and marked the multiplatinum band’s fourth Top 5 debut on the Billboard Top 200.”
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