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 24-30, 2022.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24
Dessa + Open Mike Eagle @ Shank Hall
Dessa can do it all. In addition to forging an amazing career as a singer, rapper, composer, and songwriter (who has been part of more than a few Billboard-charting hits), the multi-faceted Minneapolis musician is also a skilled writer who has been published in a variety of respected national publications. But back to the music stuff: Dessa will swing by Shank Hall tonight for a somewhat rare Milwaukee performance. Open Mike Eagle, a versatile entertainer in his own right, will also perform.
IfIHadAHiFi + Microwaves, The Crosses @ X-Ray Arcade
“Death Van! You’re riding in the Death Van!” That’s the chorus to “Death Van” (natch), a standout track on IfIHadAHiFi’s 2019 album We’re Never Going Home. Recorded and mixed at Howl Street Recordings, the record is a typically noisy and chaotic affair, full of high-tension guitar playing, pissed-off drumming, and bursts of room-clearing shouting. But there’s a decidedly mature, socially conscious vibe running through the record, giving songs like “Hot Take On Line One” and “Bigfoot, Take The Wheel” a real-world urgency.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26
Milwaukee Record Presents: ‘The Lost Boys’ (1987) @ Avalon Atmospheric Theater (sold out)
What do you get when you combine a wickedly dark vampire movie with a teenage adventure film, and then spike it with a cast of ’80s icons, the future director of Batman & Robin, a terrific soundtrack, a terrific final line, and a script where characters say the name “Michael” approximately 118 times? The 1987 Joel Schumacher classic The Lost Boys, of course. Yes, we’re screening it (in 4K!) at the trusty Avalon Atmospheric Theater, and yes, the screening is sold out. Sorry, Michael!
Midweek Music: Hayward Williams @ 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: singer-songwriter Hayward Williams!
GWAR + Crobot, Nekrogoblikon @ The Rave/Eagles Ballroom
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27
Autumn At The Allis: Ellie Jackon @ 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 Ethiopian Cottage Restaurant. Autumn At The Allis concludes tonight with a performance from the incomparable Ellie Jackson.
Clementine + Tourne Forte, Nora Marks, Doubter @ X-Ray Arcade
Milwaukee has a thing for emo. Back in the ’90s, groups like The Promise Ring and Hey Mercedes put the city on the emo map; these days, Telethon, Versio Curs, Live Tetherball Tonight, and many more carry the big-guitars-and-impassioned-vocals torch. Add Clementine to that latter group. For the past few years, the Wisconsin/Illinois four-piece (not to be confused with another Milwaukee band called Clementine, which was active in the mid-’00s) has been playing out on the strength of its excellent 2017 emo/pop-punk EP This Will Hurt. But soaring new singles “Lucinda” and “Stone” may be the band’s best work yet.
MIDCOAST: 5PM To Nowhere + Jon Henry, Izzy Veta, SHADI @ Cactus Club
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28
Long Mama (record release) + Joseph Huber, Caley Conway @ The Cooperage
If you look up “one of the most anticipated Milwaukee debut albums of the year,” you’ll find a picture of Long Mama’s Poor Pretender. The sepia-toned alt-country/Americana group features a murderers’ row of local musicians: guitarist Andrew Koenig, drummer Nick Lang, bassist Samual Odin, and, of course, singer-songwriter Kat Wodtke. Expectations are high for the band’s first record, though previously released songs like “Half Love” and “Clean Break” all but guarantee it will meet or exceed those expectations.
Mondo Lucha @ Turner Hall
Since starting in 2008, Mondo Lucha has brought high-flying wrestling action, burlesque dancers, and live music to its annual Turner Hall showcase. Along the way, the variety show has managed to work with renowned pro wrestlers, sell out numerous shows, and become a must-attend Milwaukee event. The beloved local variety show returns to its familiar ballroom haunt on tonight!
The Return Of The Static Chicken @ The Jazz Estate
If you were a Jazz Estate regular during the first decade of the new millennium, you no doubt witnessed the glory of The Erotic Adventures Of The Static Chicken. The nimble jazz/funk/improv group was a Tuesday-night fixture at the East Side club from 2001 through 2013, logging more than 700 (!) shows. The band (Aaron Gardner, Matt Turner, Jeremy Kuzniar) has played the Estate on and off since then, though tonight’s Halloween show is their first gig there in three years.
Mike Mangione @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
An Evening Of Art Magick With Molly Roberts @ Lion’s Tooth
North Warren + Lunar Moth, Totally Cashed, Shoobie @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Molly Hatchet @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino
Mad Planet’s Annual Friday Night Retro Halloween Dance Party!! @ Mad Planet
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
Mightmare + Rat Bath, Kat And The Hurricane, The Mothman Cacophony, DJ Honeyboy @ Cactus Club
If you love Sarah Shook, you might also enjoy Mightmare, their decidedly-less-country-tinged new project. Shook’s new venture will come to the familiar confines of Milwaukee’s Cactus Club in belated support of their debut Mightmare album, Cruel Liars.
Flipturn + The Brazen Youth @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
Alternative Radio + Fun Bois Live @ Circle-A Cafe
Halloween On Brady @ Brady Street
A Black Cat Alley Halloween @ Black Cat Alley
Nightmare On Center Street 2022 @ Company Brewing
Halloween Dance Party!! @ Mad Planet
‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ @ Oriental Theatre
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30
Halloween Cover Concert: Velocihamster + Alkaline Quartet, Three Unassisted @ Cactus Club
It’s a Halloween Cover Concert with a little something for everyone! Velocihamster, the brainchild of Midwest musician/producer Sean Williamson, will play lap steel renditions of progressive metal songs you know and love. Alkaline Quartet is an Alkaline Trio tribute band (with a focus on early material), except there are four members instead of three. Three Unassisted is setting aside original songs in favor of Arctic Monkeys covers. There’s a suggested $10 cover, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. And yes, it’ll be over before the start of the Packers game.
Milwaukee Record Halftime Show: Velocihamster @ 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 an encore performance from Velocihamster!
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performing the live score to ‘Suspiria’ @ Oriental Theatre
Back in 2018, Milwaukee moviegoers were treated to a screening of Dario Argento’s 1977 classic giallo film Suspiria at the Oriental Theatre. But it wasn’t just any screening—it came complete with a live score from Italian progressive rock band Goblin and founding keyboardist Claudio Simonetti, both of whom provided the iconic original score to the film in the first place. If you missed that event, you’re in luck, because Suspria, Goblin, and Simonetti are back!
Smashing Pumpkins + Jane’s Addiction, Poppy @ Fiserv Forum
Tonight, tonight (well, on October 30, actually)! You can party like it’s 1979 (well, more like it’s 1996, when “1979” came out) in Milwaukee when Smashing Pumpkins headline Fiserv Forum. This loaded lineup also features Jane’s Addiction and Poppy.
Halloween Bash @ The Cooperage
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