Calexico @ Turner Hall Ballroom, Sept. 20
Thursday, Sept. 17
Tap Thursdays: The Mitch Shiner Vibes Quartet @ Summerfest Grounds, 7 p.m.
The festival season may be coming to an end, but first Summerfest is squeezing in two final, free concerts at its Johnson Controls World Sound Stage. The first of this month’s Tap Thursdays shows features The Mitch Shiner Vibes Quartet, a vibraphone and percussion-based jazz act. Patrons 21 or older arriving between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. will receive a free Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest beer.
Milwaukee Noise Fest @ Borg Ward, 7 p.m.
Milwaukee’s noise scene remains decidedly under the radar—just try booking a noise show at most clubs or bars and see what kind of response you get from the owner—but once a year it gets the recognition it deserves at the annual Milwaukee Noise Fest. For its 10th year, this three-day bill at the all-ages Borg Ward will feature innovative ambient, drone and feedback-based acts from all over the country, including Z’EV, Plagues, John Maloney, Wilt, Flesh Trade, Lamonta, Jon Mueller, Karl Paloucek, Gnawed, Dan of Earth, Nummy and Climax Denial. Haven’t heard of some of those acts? That’s kind of the point: Come with an open mind and enjoy what they bring to the table. (Through Saturday, Sept. 19.)
Friday, Sept. 18
The Middle Ground w/ Nicole Rae and Timothy Charles and the Blind Fiction @ Club Garibaldi, 8:30 p.m.
Last call for The Middle Ground. This year the Milwaukee pop-rock act released a catchy self-titled EP and performed at Summerfest, but they’ve since announced that they’re relocating to Nashville, where the prospects for working bands tend to be a little bit brighter. First, they’ll say goodbye to their home with this farewell show, featuring Nicole Rae (of the Traveling Suitcase) and Timothy Charles and the Blind Fiction.
Bro Safari w/ Datsik and Zomboy @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
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Critics of dubstep’s louder, heavier incarnations have coined a derisive term for the genre: “brostep.” Not all artists see the term “bro” as an insult, though. A veteran of the Atlanta drum and bass group Evol Intent, producer Nick Weiller embraces the word and all the alpha-male qualities it evokes with his project Bro Safari, which pairs hard dubstep drops with the slick trap sounds of Atlanta’s rap scene. His act headlines this show which features the similarly drop-minded acts Datsik and Zomboy, as well as Delta Heavy and Terravita.
Saturday, Sept. 19
Bay View Bash @ Kinnickinnic Avenue, 11 a.m.
One of the last Milwaukee street festivals of the summer is also one of the largest. Spanning a long, thriving stretch of Kinnickinnic Avenue, the Bay View Bash features dozens of vendors selling local food and creative crafts as well as six stages of entertainment. Highlights this year include a magic show, drum line, fashion show, strong man competitions throughout the day and performances from Dead Man’s Carnival. There’s plenty of live music, too: Space Raft, Rio Turbo, The Love Monkeys, Myles Coyne, Midnight Grove and the Kyle Feerick Band are among this year’s headliners.
Country in The City @ Cathedral Square Park, 4 p.m.
Though Milwaukee has never been known as a country hotspot, contemporary country music remains widely popular throughout the city; just ask FM 106.1, the top-rated radio station that’s sponsoring this free country music festival. Headliners include Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Ray and Bella Cain. There will also be a pig roast.
Global Union @ Humboldt Park, noon
Now in its 10th year, Alverno Presents’ Global Union festival continues to scout semi-obscure acts from around the world that fuse the sounds of their native lands with unlikely genres seldom associated with those countries. Some of these acts are making names for themselves outside of world-music circles, while others are content to fly below the radar, but all of them lend themselves to a lovely afternoon of free music in the park. This year’s lineup features the Senegalese act Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa, Polish singer-songwriter Karolina Cicha, the Montreal rapper Boogat, and closing headliners La Chiva Gantiva, a Colombian act that blends funk, afrobeat and punk music with Latin sounds.
Briggs and Al’s Run & Walk @ Summerfest Grounds
One of Milwaukee’s most iconic charity events, Briggs & Al’s Run & Walk is an 8K run (or 3 or 5-mile walk) benefitting Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The event draws 13-16,000 participants a year, making it one of the largest run and walk fundraisers in the Midwest.
Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival @ Downtown Cedarburg
Cedarburg celebrates all things fall at its annual Wine & Harvest Festival. In addition to wine from Cedar Creek Winery and food including apple brats and cranberry turkey wraps, there will be a marketplace, an art walk with 250 juried booths, a kid’s play area, pumpkin carving, hayrides and a giant pumpkin weigh-off featuring pumpkins that tip the scales at more than 1,000 pounds. (Also Sunday, Sept. 20.)
Sunday, Sept. 20
Calexico w/ Gaby Moreno @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Named for a California border town, the Arizona band Calexico peppers their rootsy Americana music with a generous seasoning of Tex-Mex and Latin sounds, drawing both from mariachi music and alt-country alike. Nearly two decades after their first shows together, that fusion still sounds mighty fresh. Their latest album, Edge of the Sun, is one of their finest, a festive record that took inspiration from the band’s sojourn to Mexico City. It features guest vocals from Neko Case and Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, two artists Calexico has collaborated with frequently.
Monday, Sept. 21
Beach House w/ Jessica Pratt @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
Somewhere along the way Beach House became audible. The Baltimore duo, since expanded to a full band for their live shows, began as a quiet dream-pop act heavily indebted to Mazzy Star, but over time, their sound has grown bolder and more assured as they polished it to a brighter sheen on albums such as 2010’s breakthrough, Teen Dream. Their latest effort, Depression Cherry, isn’t a huge departure from that record’s glowing pop, but like its predecessors it radiates warmth and affection. Don’t let the slow tempos or that album title fool you: This is happy music.
Wednesday, Sept. 23
Viet Cong w/ Greys @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.
In hindsight, Viet Cong would have gone with a different name. The group stirred controversy earlier this year when a promoter canceled one of their shows, citing a band name “that deeply offends and hurts Vietnamese and Vietnamese American communities.” The band has since apologized. It’d be a shame, though, to let a tasteless name overshadow the band’s new, self-titled record—a commanding effort that combines ’80s indie and post-punk in surprising new ways. The band name may resort to cheap provocation, but their music never does.
