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Photo credit: Linda Perry
Dorothy
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Metalachi
Thursday, Dec. 28
Metalachi
Metalachi w/ Beatallica @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
You’ll notice more cover and tribute bands than usual on Milwaukee’s live music calendar this time of the year—when other touring acts take a hiatus around the holidays, cover bands step up to fill the gap—but you won’t find any other one quite like Metalachi. Self-described as the world’s premier heavy metal mariachi band (no, they don’t have much competition for that title), the group puts a mariachi spin on favorites from acts like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne. They’ll be joined on this bill by Milwaukee’s most high-concept covers band, Beatallica, who mash up favorites from The Beatles and Metallica.
Friday, Dec. 29
Army of Me: A Björk Tribute @ Company Brewing, 10 p.m.
One of the most boundary-breaking artists of her generation, this winter Iceland iconoclast Björk released another remarkable album that it’ll probably take years to fully appreciate, Utopia. That makes now as good a time as any for a celebration of Björk’s rich and varied contributions to music. Curated by Milwaukee singer Amanda Huff, who’s tasked herself with the challenge of doing justice to Björk’s indelible vocals, this ambitious tribute features a murder’s row of talent from the local music scene, including Abby Jeanne, Zed Kenzo, Cat Ries, Nickel & Rose, Yasmeen Daniel, Steve Peplin, Michael Ritter, Pat Reinholz, David Wake, Kristian Brusubardis, Ousia Whitaker-Devault, Isaiah Joshua, Joe Niemann, Mitch Shiner, Reggie Bordeaux and William Bush. Radio Milwaukee’s Tarik Moody will DJ during the intermission and after the show.
Local H w/ Devil’s Teeth @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Local H will always be associated with the ’90s, when their grungy hit “Bound to the Floor” was a staple of alternative-rock stations. More than 20 years later, they’re still going, however, and singer/guitarist Scott Lucas still has some vital music in him. Following a run of concept albums that saw Lucas stretch his songwriting, the band’s eighth and latest album, 2015’s Hey, Killer, is their first with drummer Ryan Harding. Earlier this year the group reissued its best known album, 1996’s As Good as Dead, on vinyl for the first time ever.
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The BoDeans @ Potawatomi Bingo & Casino, 8 p.m.
Despite a schism that left the group without one of its co-leads, founding member Sam Llanas, The BoDeans continue to be one of Milwaukee’s most respected rock bands, and a fixture of many of the region’s outdoor festivals. They’ve been recording at a fast clip lately, too: This year they released their fourth and latest album since breaking from Llanas, Thirteen, an album performed almost entirely by singer/guitarist Kurt Neumann. At this show, they’ll perform stripped-down versions of many of their classic songs—including, in all likelihood, the hit that put them on the map, “Closer to Free.”
Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ BMO Harris Bradley Center, 3 and 8 p.m.
When the Trans-Siberian Orchestra debuted their symphonic take on Christmas music in the late-’90s, it sounded an awful lot like a novelty. In the years since, however, their progged-out, pyrotechnics- and light-show-assisted tours have become an enduring tradition—not to mention a lucrative one. The group’s recent tours have raked in tens of millions of dollars a year, and the band has proved so popular that it split into two touring entities to better capitalize on the seasonal demand. This year’s tour has been bittersweet for the group: It’s the first since the death of band founder and composer Paul O’Neill, who died in April. His final album with the group was one of their occasional non-Christmas efforts, 2015’s Letters From the Labyrinth.
Saturday, Dec. 30
The Prince Experience w/ Generation Z @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
Over the years Gabriel Sanchez’s Prince Experience has grown from a remarkably sharp Prince cover project into something decidedly more ambitious, a costume-heavy, near-faithful recreation of the iconic singer/guitarists’ ’80s live shows. For the Milwaukee band’s latest show, they’ll perform Prince’s most popular album Purple Rain in its entirety, along with other Prince favorites. The band is billing it as their “largest scale production to date.”
No Quarter (Led Zeppelin Tribute) @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
At this point it seems unlikely Led Zeppelin will ever reunite for one last tour. So if you missed out on seeing the rock legends live in concert before they disbanded, going to a tribute concert is likely the closest you’ll ever get to the real deal. No Quarter, Milwaukee’s resident Led Zeppelin tribute band, doesn’t just play covers; sometimes they reenact live shows and concert sets, or play entire Led Zeppelin albums from start to finish.
Wednesday, Jan. 3
Photo credit: Linda Perry
Dorothy
Dorothy @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Yes, there really is a Dorothy in the L.A. rock band Dorothy: singer Dorothy Martin, whose steely, bluesy voice has helped this rock revival band earn a fast following. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation released the group’s debut full-length Rockisdead in 2016, a set of stomping, trashy rock ’n’ roll that should be a blast to see live. After a memorable show last February, they return to the Rave for this stop on their current Freedom Tour.
