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 September 12-18, 2022.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Gavin DeGraw @ The Pabst Theater
Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw has been a reliable presence in pop music for nearly 20 years. He’s come a long way from his days as being the guy who sang the One Tree Hill song, though; his seventh studio album, Face The River, was released in May.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Spiritualized @ Turner Hall Ballroom
It’s kind of crazy that Radiohead’s landmark album OK Computer and Spiritualized’s landmark album Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space were released on the same day (in the UK), isn’t it? The trajectories of both bands have certainly differed since June 16, 1997, but don’t feel bad for Jason Pierce and Spiritualized; the former Spaceman 3 member and his long-running English space-rock outfit have been releasing consistently solid albums ever since. Spiritualized’s latest, Everything Was Beautiful, was released in April on Fat Possum Records.
Sylvan Esso @ Cactus Club
Surprise! While Sylvan Esso calls Durham, North Carolina home, the world-renown, Grammy-nominated electro-pop duo’s story actually starts right here in Milwaukee. Vocalist Amelia Meath and producer (and then-Milwaukee resident) Nick Sanborn met at a show at Cactus Club and the rest was history. Years later, the collaborators are returning to where it all started for this surprise (and sure-to-be-sold-out) show.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
The Recombobulation Area Presents: A Conversation With David Crowley @ Anodyne Walker’s Point Roastery
Milwaukee political analyst and all-around swell guy Dan Shafer brings his award-winning Recombobulation Area site to life once again—this time for a candid chat with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. (Shafer talked with newly elected Mayor Cavalier Johnson back in June.) The event is free and open to the public. Here’s hoping Crowley’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles socks come up.
COUCOU CHLOE + DOGPOUND, Cyrus Chrome, Skymall, Police Create Hippies @ Cactus Club
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Post Malone + Roddy Ricch @ Fiserv Forum
Wildly popular rapper Post Malone makes his Milwaukee debut tonight at Fiserv Forum. The show will be the fourth of Malone’s 33-city “Twelve Carat Tour.” Malone’s fourth studio album, Twelve Carat Toothache, was released in June, and it features appearances from Doja Cat, Fleet Foxes, Gunna, and more. An official after party follows tonight’s show at Fiserv’s Potawatomi Club.
Amanda Huff @ The Jazz Estate
Whether alone or with You Win !!!, Amanda Huff is one of Milwaukee’s most thrilling, unique, and unpredictable voices. Tonight’s show will likely be just as unpredictable, with Huff performing an ultra-rare solo acoustic set.
Third Space Presents: Emmitt James @ Third Space Brewing
Every Thursday through September 15, “Third Space Presents” brings a different musical act to the Menomonee Valley brewery’s new and improved outdoor patio. In addition to the concert (which runs from 6-8 p.m., including an intermission) and plenty of award-winning local beer on site, Triciclo Peru is always on hand to serve empanadas and other Peruvian goodies out of its food truck. This week’s can’t-miss installment features a performance from Midwest-bred and currently L.A.-based emcee Emmitt James.
Bubba Sparxxx @ Drunken Cobra
If you recall, gold record-selling rapper Bubba Sparxxx took the stage in a tented patio at City Lounge in Cudahy TWICE in 2016. Now that City Lounge is closed (RIP, City Lounge!), Sparxxx is taking his talents a few miles northwest to the Drunken Cobra. Could this free Bubba Sparxxx show possibly top the time Public Enemy played a family reunion at the old Red Dot in Wauwatosa? Find out!
El Grito Con Browns Crew +Danny Robelo, T.M.I., Cuerda Callejera @ Cactus Club
Ramona + M545, Future Plans, Secondhand Souls @ X-Ray Arcade
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
The National + Indigo Sparke @ The Riverside Theater
Few bands have a more impeccable critical reputation than The National. For more than 20 years, Matt Berninger and company have delivered album after album of stately and majestic indie rock. The National’s current sound was solidified on 2007’s The Boxer; this August, the band released the single “Weird Goodbyes” with Bon Iver.
Canni Music Series: 1-800-HUG-ME @ Canni Hemp Co.
Canni Hemp Co.’s aptly named “Canni Music Series” features intimate performances on the store’s newly renovated rear patio space on select Thursday and Friday nights. The series continues tonight with 1-800-HUG-ME, a.k.a. the side project of GGOOLLDD’s Margaret Butler and Nick Ziemann. These 18+ shows start at 7 p.m. and a minimum purchase of $10 (or $5 for Canni Members) is required to attend.
Man Random + Clementine, The Unitaskers @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
Roughly a year removed from the release of their Present Tense LP, the fine folks in Man Random will host a belated celebration of the album at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn. The band will be joined by two other terrific Milwaukee acts: Clementine and The Unitaskers.
Panic! At The Disco + Marina, Jake Wesley Rogers @ Fiserv Forum
OM + Zombi, DJ Kraken @ Cactus Club
Cozy Danger (record release) + North Warren, The Nile Club @ Shank Hall
Coop/Boone Patio Presents: Gemini Parks + Dauzat St. Marie @ Coop/Boone Patio
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Bay View Bash @ Kinnickinnic Avenue
Even though most of Milwaukee’s major festivals are now in the rear view mirror, one of the city’s biggest and best undertakings is this weekend. Yes, Bay View Bash will make its long-awaited return to Kinnickinnic Avenue on Saturday. You can check out the full lineup, bar locations, and an extensive vendor list HERE.
William Elliott Whitmore @ The Back Room @ Colectivo
What needs to be said about William Elliott Whitmore at this point? Over the course of an impressive career that’s spanned more than two decades, the Iowa-born folk legend has performed all around the world, shared the stage with an abundance of renowned musicians, and released eight outstanding albums. Some 11 months after his last stop at The Back Room @ Colectivo, Whitmore brings his quality catalog and incomparable voice back to the East Side venue.
Angel Du$t + One Step Closer, Payasa, Instill @ X-Ray Arcade
Just over three months after winning over Turner Hall while playing in support of PUP, Angel Du$t returns to the region to headline a show at Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade. The Baltimore hardcore outfit-turned-multi-genre amalgam is likely to play a set full of cuts from last year’s excellent album YAK: A Collection Of Truck Songs.
Kurtis Conner ft. Dean Hebscher + Jacob Scharpe @ The Pabst Theater
Kevin James @ The Riverside Theater
Yum Yum Cult (record release) + LUXI, Moonglow @ Cactus Club
Uncorked Wine Festival @ Deer District
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Milwaukee Record Halftime Show: Green Day Packers @ 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 performers are the one and only Green Day Packers, a.k.a. a Packers/Green Day tribute band fronted by Milwaukee Record‘s own Tyler Maas.
Josiah Johnson + Calvin Arsenia, Dandy L. Freling @ Cactus Club
When a founding member of The Head And The Heart drops by a cozy Cream City venue to play a solo set (including some never-before-heard cuts from his forthcoming sophomore solo album on ANTI Records), you make sure not to miss it. That’s exactly what will happen when Josiah Johnson heads up a 4 p.m. show at Cactus Club that we’re told will be over before that night’s Packers-Bears game.
Tenacious D + DJ Douggpound @ BMO Harris Pavilion
The Greatest Band in the World, Tenacious D, is playing the BMO Harris Pavilion in Milwaukee! The D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) will be preceded by DJ Douggpound (a.k.a. Doug Lussenhop). That’s fucking teamwork.
Awkward Nerd Book Fair @ The Cooperage
Remember those school book fairs you absolutely loved when you were a kid? Thanks to the fine folks at Awkward Nerd Events, now you can enjoy something similar, but as an adult! This event will feature “everything from comics, manga, zines, sci-fi, and bilingual works.” Local authors, comic writers, game sellers, and beer makers will be on hand, and there’ll even be story hours, tarot readings, themed cocktails, a photo booth, a craft area, and more.
Milwaukee Makers Market @ Discovery World
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