GRiZ @ Stellar Spark, Dec. 31
Thursday, Dec. 31
The Crystal Method @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 8 p.m.
Few acts epitomized the blustery big-beat aesthetic of late-’90s electronic music better than The Crystal Method, the Las Vegas duo who released one of the great blockbuster albums of the MTV “Amp” era: 1997’s Vegas, a dazzling assault of kinetic loops and breakbeats. The duo has continued recording since, updating their sound accordingly over the years. Their latest album, a 2014 self-titled effort, reaches out to modern EDM audiences with some of their most blown-out sounds yet, and features guest vocals from LeAnn Rimes and Dia Frampton. The duo headlines this New Year’s Eve ballroom bash at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
Stellar Spark @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Each year the Rave assembles dozens of DJs and electronic acts for its annual Stellar Spark New Year’s Eve party, one of the largest Wisconsin EDM shows of the year. This year’s should be an especially feel-good one, since it’s headlined by GRiZ, a Michigan producer whose uptempo soul and trip-hop draws heavily from the uplifting spirit of ’70s funk. Other acts on the bill include Doctor P, Ookay, Artifakts, Brasstracks, Prince Fox and Casey Lee.
Shane Mauss @ Comedy Café, 10:15 p.m.
With his droll frat boy persona, La Crosse, Wis., native Shane Mauss has worked his way out of Wisconsin and onto the national comedy scene, thanks to some support from Comedy Central, which hosted his comedy special in 2010 and released his first album, Jokes To Make My Parents Proud. He’s since done a Netflix special and become a reoccurring guest on “Conan,” where he’s riffed on racist co-workers, kinky sex and the many things that people say that don’t make much sense when you really think about them. Like every comedian, he also has his own podcast: the often very funny Double Date Podcast, where Mauss riffs on relationships and philosophy (sometimes while stoned). Mauss does multiple shows at the Comedy Café this week through Saturday, Jan. 2.
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Friday, Jan. 1
The Cool Fool Kite Festival @ Veterans Park, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Winter has a way of isolating us, confining us indoors for long, uncomfortable periods. That’s why there’s something liberating about heading outdoors in spite of the weather and making the most of it. Every Jan. 1, Milwaukee celebrates the new year with two audacious, weather-defying traditions: the Polar Bear Plunge at Bradford Beach, where hundreds of warm-blooded heroes dive into the icy waters of Lake Michigan at noon, and the neighboring Cool Fool Kite Festival in Veterans Park, which fills the skies with dozens of extravagant kites. While grand kites fly overhead, a group of artists called the Quiet Ice Carvers will be creating live sculptures on the ground. Yes, it can be a bit chilly around the lakefront, but organizers do their best to keep the crowd warm, offering free hot chocolate and coffee while supplies last.
Riverwest Radio Launch Party @ Riverwest Film & Video, noon
In 2014, after years of webcasting from the storefront window of Riverwest Film & Video on Center Street, Riverwest Radio got the approval to begin broadcasting as a low-power FM radio station. And now, after more than a year of waiting, the station will finally take the airwaves, broadcasting to roughly a five-mile radius on 104.1 under the call letters WXRW-LP. To commemorate the launch, the station will celebrate with a free party on Friday, Jan. 1 from noon to 3 p.m. at its Riverwest base.
Saturday, Jan. 2
Cosmic Railroad w/ Recalcitrant and The Canvasmen @ Mad Planet, 9 p.m.
As the band’s name and vaguely psychedelic font choices hint, Milwaukee’s Cosmic Railroad are a jam band in the truest sense of the word, inspired by the rootsier digressions of acts like Phish, Dave Matthews Band and The Grateful Dead. Three guitarists take turns playing lead, while leaving room for the band’s two drummers to lend their own flair. They’ll be joined on this bill by Recalcitrant, a Milwaukee jam band with more of a funk/reggae flavor, and the similarly groove-oriented Canvasmen.
