TheMilwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s long-running Symphony Style, perhaps themost exclusive and decadent of Milwaukee’s fashion events, haspreviously showcased the designs of top names like Vera Wang, Zang Toiand Oscar de la Renta. Tonight’s gathering puts the spotlight on Peggy Jennings, a Florida designer who remained mostly out of the public eye until Laura Bushbegan singing her praises in 2004. Jenning’s luxurious silk andcashmere wares can now be found in some of the most upscale,prestigious stores in the country, including Saks Fifth Avenue andNeiman Marcus, meaning they’d likely be right up the alley of a certainformer vice presidential candidate.
Steve Mackay and the Radon Ensemble, Sikhara, The Danglers and IROCK Z @ Club Garibaldi’s, 9 p.m.
Bythe year 2000, rock saxophonist Steve Mackay’s profile had dropped solow that music historians had written him off as dead. In 1970 Mackayemerged as an enigma when he briefly joined Iggy Pop and The Stooges torecord and tour behind their Fun House album. Although he’s recordedsporadically in the following decades (including with Milwaukee’sViolent Femmes), it wasn’t until he joined The Stooges’ 2003 reunionthat the cult figure earned a critical reappraisal (or, at the veryleast, an acknowledgement that he was in fact alive). It turns out thatsince the late-’90s, Mackay has been playing with a noisy,ever-shifting experimental outfit called the Radon Ensemble, whichhe’ll perform with tonight as part of a bill arranged by and featuringMilwaukee’s violin-wielding prog-punks, The Danglers.
The Radiators w/ SLM @ Miramar Theatre, 9 p.m.
Partof an earlier breed of party bands, The Radiators presaged the currentjamband movement with their knack for distilling multiple, groove-basedstyles into their genre-hopping live shows. The Radiators are prone toall sorts of up-tempo, danceable tangents, but the true heart of thenow-30-year-old group has always been the swampy, New Orleans“fish-head music” scene, as they call it, a style that pairs Deltaroots music and the sounds of New Orleans with the ripping lead guitarsof classic rock. Like the younger jam bands they inspired, these guyslove to stretch out a good, classic cover song.
The Radiators
Saturday, Nov. 15
Young Widows w/ Suicide Note, City of Ships, Gabriel Hunter and Mike M. @ The Borg Ward, 7 p.m.Anotherin a small but growing movement of bands too young to remember the BigBlack/Jesus Lizard school of noise-rock firsthand, but eager torecreate it, the Louisville,Ky., trio Young Widows toned down some of the playfulness of theirfirst album for this fall’s follow-up, Old Wounds. The result is anaustere record, as stern as Fugazi and as heavy as The Melvins, withfew flourishes to break the disc’s ferocious spell.
Southbound @ Shank Hall, 9 p.m.
Seasonedcountry-rockers Southbound created an unlikely Milwaukee tradition acouple of years ago when they hosted their first all-Allman Brotherstribute show at Shank Hall. The group, which takes their name from anAllman Brothers tune, had long slipped the occasional Allman song intoits sets, but these themed shows proved particularly popular. Theirthird-annual tribute show tonight will cover the first two Allmanalbums, including 1970’s Idlewild South, as well as an assortment offavorites and rarities. Boney Fingers opens, fittingly, with anall-Grateful Dead set. [It’s a good week for Allman Brothers fans,incidentally. On Thursday, Nov. 13, the jammy Allman Brothers sideproject Gov’t Mule will perform at the Rave.]
MasakiKobayashi’s Human Condition trilogy, based in part on the director’sown resentment at having been forced to fight for the Japanese army inWorld War II, has been described by a handful of critics as the finestfilm ever made, but it’s no small time commitment. This three-part filmlasts nearly 10 hours, so it’s rare that a theater rises to thechallenge of screening it in its entirety, as the UWM Union Theatredoes over the next several weeks, beginning with two showings thisweekend of its first installment, No Greater Love. The movie introducesprotagonist Kaji, a kind, idealistic newlywed who, over the next threefilms, will be beaten, abused and humiliated by war and the country forwhich he unwillingly goes to war. (Also Nov. 16, 5 p.m.)
Monday, Nov. 17
Dolly Parton @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.Therewas perhaps no greater casualty of the 1990s commercialization ofcountry radio than Dolly Parton. In spite of her two decades of hits,the starlet suddenly found herself all but blacklisted from the radioairwaves because of her age. Of course, with her trademark resilience,Parton found ways to make do. Without abandoning her ditzy, lovable,big-breasted image, she went underground, so to speak, playing to thegrowing market for traditional country and bluegrass. This year shefinally cashed in all that stockpiled good will and returned withBackwoods Barbie, her first mainstream country record in 17 years,which she promoted with an “American Idol” appearance and a grand tour.When back problems postponed that tour this spring, the ever-smilingsinger was the first to joke about the obvious causes of her back pains.
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Greg Laswell w/ Jenny Owen Youngs @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
JennyOwen Youngs’ familiar brand of sighing alternative-pop has earned hertour dates with like-minded singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and ViennaTengas well as some royalties from the Showtime series “Weeds”but ifanything, Youngs’ plucky demeanor most recalls Ben Folds. Like Folds inhis prime, the magnetic Youngs blends sentimentality withrabble-rousing silliness, cutting her saddest songs with bursts ofprofanity. In the hands of most singers, a Lilith Fair cover of Nelly’s“Hot In Herre” would be overly jokey, but Youngs makes hers work,creating a wistful new melody for the song’s ridiculous chorus. Sheopens tonight for everyman troubadour Greg Laswell.
Disappears @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.
BrianCase already claims ties to two fine Chicago indie-rock bands, themostly retired 90 Day Men and the far more active The Ponys, but hemakes a push for three with his latest band, Disappears. This new groupdoesn’t aim to sweep you off your feet the way 90 Day Men’s cascadingpianos did, or for that matter knock you on your ass the way The Ponys’hard-hitting alterna-rock does. Rather it opts for a slow and steadyapproach, eroding the listener with hazy guitars, druggy VelvetUnderground riffs and more than a little of The Fall’s trademark“repe-tition.”
Wednesday, Nov. 19
Cute Is What We Aim For w/ Secondhand Serenade @ The Rave, 7:30 p.m.Havingalready burned through two drummers and two bassists during theirshort, three-year tenure, Cute Is What We Aim For have endured enoughreported personal conflicts to drive a season of “The Hills”which isappropriate, since this young emo group shares much the same targetdemo as that MTV reality drama. No doubt their early success is toblame for some of their instability; after being signed to the powerfulFueled By Ramen label, the group became stars while they were stillteenagers. After a debut album that was more than a littleafflicted by a fever that couldn’t be sweated out, they began to find amore original voice with their slick, poppy new album, Rotation. Butthe September departure of drummer Tom Falcone suggests they still havea few interpersonal kinks to iron out.
