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 October 10-16, 2022.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
Liz Cooper + Adorner @ Cactus Club
We’ll let the bio do the talking on this one: “On the porch of her one-time Nashville home, Liz Cooper had a multimedia project that combined two of her loves: lips and cigarettes. She painted her own lips with red paint and kissed a canvas two or three hundred times, later dotting them with the detritus left behind in ashtrays by her friends. An overlap of intimacy, indulgence, cheekiness, and sensuality, the piece complements Cooper’s roiling second record, Hot Sass.” For this show, the Nashville psych artist will be joined by Milwaukee psych act Adorner.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11
Southern Culture On The Skids + The Exotics @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
North Carolina rockabilly band Southern Culture On The Skids has been dutifully doling out its Southern-fried schtick since 1983. Perhaps you remember the group’s unlikely ’90s breakout hit “Camel Walk”? Perhaps you remember when “Weird Al” Yankovic did a Southern Culture On The Skids style parody, “Lame Claim To Fame”? SCOTS’ latest album is 2021’s At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids.
Blight: Performance, Songs, Stories By Sean Williamson + Ian Sallman, Friends @ Cactus Club
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12
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’ autumn residency continues tonight, with shows on October 19 and November 16 to follow.
Midweek Music: Valley Fox @ Crafty Cow Tosa
Midweek Music is back! Join us at Crafty Cow Tosa on Wednesday nights in October and November for a total of eight Midweek Music performances. There’s no cover for these all-ages shows, which run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If a free weeknight show isn’t already great enough on its own, Crafty Cow Tosa will offer $4 Indeed Brewing Company pints. They’ll also have a “Cheap Date” special, which includes two entrees, an appetizer, and two drinks for just $39. This week: Valley Fox!
Of Montreal + Locate S,1 @ Turner Hall Ballroom
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
The Eradicator (record release) + Cryptual, Overhand @ X-Ray Arcade
In his first two albums, The Eradicator—a punk project that’s based on an iconic sketch on The Kids In The Hall—asserted his dominance over “pussheads” and the like in songs most often pertaining to his superiority in the sport of squash. With little left to prove at this point, the Chicago-based endeavor (with members in Milwaukee) will release one last album worth of squash-themed punk anthems before, quite literally, leaving it all on the court. The Eradicator will perform songs off that parting shot, Forever The Eradicator, and material from its pair of predecessors during a record release show at X-Ray Arcade.
Autumn At The Allis: Steph Lippert @ Charles Allis Art Museum
Every Thursday night in October, Charles Allis Art Museum will celebrate autumn with an eclectic blend of live and local music at its gorgeous Tudor-style museum on Milwaukee’s East Side. The four-concert seasonal series will also feature food from Flour Girl And Flame (on October 6, October 13, and October 20) and Ethiopian Cottage Restaurant (October 27). Autumn At The Allis continues tonight with a performance by Steph Lippert.
Ex Fabula: Like Magic @ The Sugar Maple
Is it possible that Milwaukee’s homegrown storytelling org, Ex Fabula, has been around for 13 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. All fall 2022 events are competitive Slams, so at the end of the night the audience votes via secret ballot and an Audience Favorite is crowned.”
Melt-Banana + NO AGE, DREAM_MEGA @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
National Cheese Curd Day @ Lakefront Brewery
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14
Twisted Dreams Film Festival @ Avalon Atmospheric Theater (through October 16)
The seventh annual Twisted Dreams Film Festival will feature the usual assortment of “the most twisted independent films from around the world,” as well as a bunch of other goodies. Unstoppable Troma mogul Lloyd Kaufman will be on hand for a meet-and-greet on the 14th, as will Slumber Party Massacre star Brinke Stevens. The 14th will also see the Milwaukee premiere of Uncle Lloyd’s latest Troma masterpiece, Shakespeare’s Shitstorm. Then, on the 16th, Milwaukee horror-core band Ratbatspider will provide a live score to the classic 1922 film Nosferatu.
Brat Sounds (record release) + The Unitaskers, Bunk Bed, Pescatarian At Best @ Cactus Club
An album release is filled with anticipation. Just ask Brat Sounds, Milwaukee’s premier melodic indie-rock outfit. The group has been preparing for the release of its new record, Nothing, by unveiling a new single every month. Nothing follows Brat Sounds’ excellent 2021 covers album Dust Covers—i.e. the one with the Mister Rogers song—and 2019’s Bad Luck—i.e. the one with one of our favorite Milwaukee songs of the last decade, “Motortrend.”
Spellbound, A Witches Ball: The LOL + Tigernite, Dora Diamond, Beth Anne Bodyworks @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Linneman’s Riverwest Inn is set to host “an evening of mythical mayhem” in the form of “Spellbound.” The Witches Ball will feature entertainment from The LOL, Tigernite (making its glorious return after a few years of hibernation), Dora Diamond, and Beth Anne Bodyworks. There will be art, prizes, and “high strangeness” aplenty. Costumes are admired, but not required.
Supersuckers + Aces @ Shank Hall
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15
Milwaukee Paranormal Conference @ various locations (through October 16)
The Milwaukee Paranormal Conference has been celebrating ghosts, ghouls, aliens, cryptids, and the folks who love them since 2015. Founded by journalist and author (and Milwaukee Record contributor) Tea Krulos, MPC is a homegrown affair that punches above its weight. Saturday will feature speakers, panels, and vendors at Alverno College. It’s all free, thanks to the fine folks at American Ghost Walks. Sunday will be MPC’s “Activities Day,” with oodles of events (some free, some ticketed) happening throughout the city. An official afterparty—hosted by Gothsconsin—is set for Saturday night at X-Ray Arcade.
Contraptions + Florida Brothers, Bob Piggins @ The Sugar Maple
Shutter Step + Venturer, Adorner @ Bremen Cafe
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16
Milwaukee Record Halftime Show: Tigera @ Cactus Club
Our Milwaukee Record Halftime Show series has returned! This season, we’ve assembled a stacked roster of 16 performers that will provide FREE entertainment during halftime of Green Bay football games. Miller High Life, Miller Lite, and Rehorst Vodka Bloody Marys will be on special. Meanwhile, Awkward Nerd Events will occasionally pop by for giveaways to their upcoming events and other fun complements to the in-game/on-stage action. There will also be touchdown shots (both regular and N/A)! This week’s Halftime Show features a performance from earnest alt-rock/power-pop group Tigera.
Inside A Dream: The Music Of David Lynch @ The Cooperage
Grab a Pabst Blue Ribbon (fuck that Heineken shit) and/or the nearest telepathic log and buckle up for “Inside A Dream: The Music Of David Lynch.” Milwaukee musician Aidan White will head up an eight-piece band that will “sonically venture into the mind of one of the greatest auteurs of our time.” There will be Lynch visuals, too, so expect that Eraserhead baby to burrow its way into your brain, just in time for Halloween.
Dru Hill + SWV, Dave Hollister @ The Riverside Theater
Celebrate Sweetest Day a day late with a potent trio of R&B favorites. This Riverside concerts features headliner Dru Hill (who is celebrating its 25th anniversary), as well as SWV and Dave Hollister. Show your significant other “How Deep Is Your Love” and say “I Love You” to them by taking them to this concert.
Jonathan Van Ness @ Miller High Life Theatre
Lyle Lovett + John Hiatt @ The Pabst Theater
Twin Temple + The Bridge City Sinners @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Humid + Bedroom Wounds, Brief Candles, Apollo Vermouth, Haunter @ X-Ray Arcade
Milwaukee Makers Market @ The Ivy House
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