Heartless Bastards @ Turner Hall Ballroom, Sept. 27
Thursday, Sept. 24
The Helio Sequence w/ Canopies @ Summerfest Grounds, 7 p.m.
Indie rock is a crowded field and some talented bands inevitably get lost in the shuffle. That’s been the case for the Portland duo The Helio Sequence, which despite a comfortable home on Sub Pop records and ties to indie stars Modest Mouse have never been able to find a huge audience for their brisk little rock records. This spring the group released their self-recorded, self-titled sixth album, and tonight they share a free show with Milwaukee’s psych-minded synth-pop band Canopies at Summerfest’s Johnson Controls World Sound Stage. Patrons 21 and older who arrive between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. will receive a free beer from Leinenkugel’s.
Friday, Sept. 25
Harvest Fair @ Wisconsin State Fair Park
Wisconsin State Fair Park will be bustling this weekend as it hosts its annual Harvest Fair, a free celebration of all things seasonal, featuring pumpkin carving, pumpkin bowling, scarecrow making, live music, a farmers market and a pumpkin patch. Other attractions this year include tractor rides, a make-your-own-scarecrow station, cookie decorating, caramel apple stations, a Maker Faire and Saturday Halloween-themed magic shows from David Seebach as well as all the country music you’ve come to expect from the State Fair grounds. Come hungry: There will be dozens of food vendors. (Through Sunday, Sept. 27.)
Garth Brooks w/ Trisha Yearwood @ BMO Harris Bradley Center, 7 p.m.
Though country music’s roots run deep, no artist is more responsible for shaping the look, sound and feel of modern commercial country than Garth Brooks, the superstar singer-songwriter who brought country music to the biggest arenas possible in the ’90s. Brooks has spent most of the new century out of the spotlight, only releasing periodic singles here and there, but last year he launched a full-fledged comeback with the release of his first album in more than a decade, Man Against Machine, which delivers his tried-and-true blend of big choruses and crunching arena-rock guitars. He’ll bring his signature headset microphone with him when his tour stops in Milwaukee for three shows this weekend, his first here in 19 years. His wife Trisha Yearwood will join him at each show. (Also Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.)
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Hopsin w/ Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton and DJ Hoppa @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Like a lot of rappers that later found success, Hopsin’s career began with a false start. The Los Angeles rapper was signed to Ruthless Records then dropped after the poor sales of his 2009 debut Gazing at the Moon. After the rise of Tyler, The Creator and Odd Future, however, Hopsin’s style of shock hip-hop became far more in demand, and in 2012 the rapper earned a coveted spot on XXL magazine’s Freshman Class list. For this tour, Hopsin is sharing the road with a host of artists on his Funk Volume label, which he launched after his split from Ruthless Records.
Saturday, Sept. 26
Comet Café 20th Anniversary Block Party @ Irving Place between Oakland and Farwell, noon-8 p.m.
Since opening 20 years ago, Comet Café has anticipated many of the city’s biggest culinary trends, from scratch cooking to craft beer and the deification of bacon. The café has also served an important role in the local music scene, both employing and feeding many of Milwaukee’s best musicians. Some of them will repay the favor at Comet’s 20th Anniversary Block Party, which will feature performances from Chimp Eats Banana (a Chumbawamba cover band), Filtharmonic, Alta, Ahab’s Ghost, Boy With Bosoms, Towers and Floods Fires. Lakefront Brewery will provide the beer, WMSE DJs will provide music between sets and Comet, of course, will provide the food.
Sunday, Sept. 27
Heartless Bastards w/ Alberta Cross @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
An endorsement from The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney helped the Cincinnati garage-rock band Heartless Bastards land a home on Fat Possum Records, and though some early praise hovered around the group’s first two records for the label, it wasn’t until 2009’s The Mountain that the band truly came into its sound. Produced by Spoon’s Mike McCarthy and recorded with a new lineup that left singer Erika Wennerstrom the sole remaining original member, the album piled massive, psychedelic sounds over wily, bluesy guitar riffs and featured a broadened palette of instrumentation. That bluesy sound has continued to toughen over recent albums, including 2012’s Arrow (produced by a different member of Spoon, Jim Eno), and this year’s Restless Ones.
Tuesday, Sept. 29
Brandi Carlile w/ Torres @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
Like so many of her adult-contemporary peers who owe a good deal of their name recognition to appearances on the “Grey’s Anatomy” soundtrack, Brandi Carlile plays melancholic but melodious folk-pop. She distinguishes herself, though, with an unusually deep love of authentic country, which informs her songs in both sound and spirit. After a few emotionally charged albums that explored the traumas of young love, Carlile takes a slightly different direction on her latest album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter, her first for Dave Matthews’ ATO label. It’s the loosest and rawest record she’s ever made. Opener Torres is worth arriving early for. The Nasvhille songwriter’s latest album, Sprinter, bristles with grungy tension.
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Mark Knopfler @ The Riverside Theater, 7:30 p.m.
With Dire Straits, singer-guitarist Mark Knopfler sought to fill arenas with polished, showy rock ’n’ roll, but the music he’s made since going solo in 1995 has seemed better suited for small clubs. Though his frequent solo albums feature a bit of Knopfler’s guitar heroics, they’re more intimate and stripped down than any of Dire Straits’ hits, drawing from the sounds of blues, folk and Americana. His eighth and latest album, this spring’s Tracker, is typically easygoing and likable, spotlighting Knopfler’s songwriting as much as his inventive guitar work. He’ll be joined by his band for this show.
