This Week in Milwaukee: April 13-19, 2023

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Celebrate 414 Day at City Hall, at Tripoli Shrine for Shepherd Express’ Martini Royale, and with an album release by Resurrectionists and friends; Spoof Fest takes over Club Garibaldi, Sugar Maple turns 15; the annual MPS World Fair and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, April, 13

Chris Smither w/Paul Cebar @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

With his soulful blend of blues fingerpicking and a songwriter’s eye for keen detail, Chris Smither’s music has resided high on a shelf for over 50 years. Smither’s profile was elevated when his confederate Bonnie Raitt recorded his songs “Love Me Like a Man” and “I Feel the Same.” You already know that concerts by Paul Cebar can be joyous, swinging affairs. What you may not know is his rare solo outings are mesmerizing in other ways. Several years ago at The Jazz Estate, Cebar’s intimate performance was equal parts hoodoo and history lesson.

Friday, April 14

414 Day @ City Hall

On Friday, April 14, Milwaukeeans will come together to celebrate Milwaukee Day (or 414 Day, depending on your preference) a day dedicated to all things Milwaukee. Local clothing brand 414 Milwaukee, fittingly, is celebrating the local holiday in a big way, with festivities kicking off at 8 a.m. as they unfurl their signature 414 flag at City Hall (shepherdexpress.com/culture/happening-now/414-milwaukee-plans-milwaukee-day-celebration-and-city-hall).

To add to the flavor of the morning’s event, Bel Air Cantina and Fuel Coffee will be at City Hall with breakfast burritos and coffee for those who attend the flag ceremony. A newcomer to the city’s sports landscape, Milwaukee Pro Soccer, will be on hand to meet and greet fans, and to hand out giveaways to those in attendance.

Martini Royale @ Tripoli Shrine Center, 4:30 p.m.

What does it take to be a spy besides solving mysteries and saving people? Sipping on martinis! Come and taste Milwaukee's best martinis with Shepherd Express. Sip, taste and determine the best at the end of the night! Shaken or stirred? Come save our city and help solve one of the biggest Milwaukee mysteries! Come ready with a spy name and spend the night sipping on martinis! 

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Shaken or stirred, find out which Milwaukee bar does it best! When you aren't sipping on your martini, come shoot pool in the billiards room, spend your time investigating people in the Cigar Lounge (cigars will be for sale), or put on your poker face and try your luck at the poker, blackjack or roulette table. Want more of a mystery? Challenge yourself and see if you can solve the Milwaukee Mystery Scavenger Hunt. When all is said and done, have your palms read to see if you truly have what it takes to be the next Secret Agent 414. More info here: shepherdtickets.com/events/136583441/martini-royale.

The Mavericks w/ McKinley James @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.

The Mavericks might be the best band you’ve never heard of. Any band that manages to survive three decades, seeing its core members go from young adults to veteran musicians is bound to have its swings and cycles. The eclectic rock and country group known for crisscrossing musical boundaries with abandon, has gone through three distinct phases since it was founded in Miami in 1989. Guitarist Eddie Perez recalled his musically omnivorous band’s recent experience “we spent three nights on a cruise ship, and never used our set list because Raul [Malo] kept on calling out different numbers, like cover songs we’d never played before that night! I love contributing to that magic as well as supporting it. We listen to what everyone else is playing. This happens when you’re so proficient on your instrument that you feel the emotion of the song rather than worrying about playing it right.” https://shepherdexpress.com/music/music-feature/the-mavericks-might-be-the-best-band-youve-never-heard-of/

Francesca & Tom w/ Still No Tomatoes @ Sherman Perk, 7 p.m.

A pair of duos at this unique gas station-turned coffee house. Francesca & Tom serve up folk sounds while Still No Tomatoes explore the upside of unrealistic expectations in song form with trombone, keyboards, ukulele and acoustic guitar.

Resurrectionists album release w/ Credentials and Spidora @ Promises Bar, 8 p.m.

Resurrectionists’ Joe Cannon drew inspiration form German novelist Thomas Mann for the band’s new album Now That We Are All Ghosts, citing their sound as a mix Doc Boggs, Television and Low (shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/resurrectionists-celebrate-new-album-with-release-party-film). The ambitious release schedule continues on Sunday, April 23 at Cactus Club with the Inaugural Resurrectionists Film Fest at 3 p.m. Local filmmakers Eric Arsnow, TW Hansen, Brian Theisen, Conan Neutron, Wendy Norton and Erica Strout all created videos for each of the albums nine tracks, which will be screened.

414 Day Celebration at The Cooperage, 8 p.m.

Breaking & Entering presents a 414 Day bash at The Cooperage, welcoming a diverse group of artists, and vendors, Enjoy local libations with music by Twan Mack, Tigera, BJ Seidel, Reality TV, DJ Dripsweat and live art from Non-Pop.

Spoof Fest @ Club Garibaldi, 7 p.m. (also Saturday)

Milwaukee’s long-running festival of irreverence returns. There are no sacred cows here, just serious musical ability and questionable choices. On Friday Green Day, Everly Brothers, Slade, No Doubt, Warrant are the victims. On Saturday it’s Alanis Morissette, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Men at Work, Hooters and the Blowfish, The Black and White Striped Keys.

Detroit `67 @ Marquette University, Helfaer Theatre (through April 23)

In 1967 Detroit, Motown music is getting the party started, and Chelle and her brother Lank are making ends meet by turning their basement into an after-hours joint. But when a mysterious woman finds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than the family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and they find themselves caught in the middle of the '67 riots. More info here: showclix.com/event/detroit.

Saturday, April 15

Sugar Maple turns 15, 3 p.m.

Sugar Maple opened its doors on April 1, 2008 as an American craft beer bar and has become an active community center that elevates the local art, music and food scenes. It is a place to gather, connect and inspire. Sugar Maple regularly hosts events including beer releases and brewery showcases, pop-up beer dinners, musical performances, art openings, fundraisers for local non-profits, comedy shows, theater performances and more.

This coming-of-age party will feature 15 special beers from 15 of Sugar Maple’s favorite local craft breweries, accompanied by the Troublemakers, Cocina Mad Mexican Food Truck and music from the Mariachi Real Azteca Band and DJ FreakishNerd. In addition to the 15 special beers, Sugar Maple will feature the bar’s other drafts for the throwback price of $5 a beer. There will also be a menu of featured cocktails to celebrate the occasion. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in theme, whether it be a favorite early aughts outfit or a vintage Quincañera fashion.

Sunday, April 16

WMSE’s Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser @ MSOE’s Kern Center, 11 a.m.

To say WMSE’s Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser signals spring is like saying Eve Babitz was a chess player. For 21 years the annual gathering has offered samples of chilis from restaurants, cafes, and caterers from all over Milwaukee. Over 40 different chilis vie for best: Meat, Heat, Veggie, Unique chili, and who has the hottest display. Tom Crawford emcees the event; Chicken Shack DJ Johnny Z and Saturday Morning Car Tunes DJ Dietrich spin the soundtrack for this family-friendly gathering.

Donate two or more non-perishable food items to Hunger Task Force and you’ll receive two additional sample tickets.  Healthy non-perishable foods like Peanut butter, low-sodium canned vegetables, or whole grain breakfast cereals are critically needed at this time.

Monday, April 17 

Tamarisk w/Ghost Dance and Normal Rituals @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 8 p.m.

Star the week off, sonicly speaking, with improvised music. Tamarisk’ sound has been described as “… unsettling at times, as the musicians interact with various and intricate language, which is musical, yet pushes many boundaries, so the brain takes a while to catch up with the ears, as the complex depths reveal themselves with each listen.” Ghost Dance offers Indigenous power electronics from Michigan and locals Normal Rituals traffic in the noise-free improv zone.

Tuesday, April 18

MPS World Fair @ UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, 10 a.m.

More than 2000 students will celebrate countries and cultures from around the world. The annual MPS World Fair provides a space for students in grades 4 to 8 to showcase what they’ve learned about the United Nations and its 193 member countries during the school year. Student projects dig deep to explore the strengths and challenges of each nation and the role each country plays in its region or continent. The World Fair will include performances representing various cultures, including the Milwaukee School of Languages band and choir, the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Languages Cultural Fashion Show, the dance team and drum line from Rufus King, and African dance from Milwaukee French Immersion School.

“This was the dream of my mother, Joan Robertson, and at 107 years old, she's thrilled that it continues on,” said Annette Robertson of Annette J. Roberts & Joan R. Robertson Fund for World Peace. “The real wonderful thing is that if you ask any student at the World Fair about their country or what they studied, they’re so excited and empowered. They see that these children, these people are like them; they just speak a different language and live in a different country.”

More info here: mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/District/Superintendent/Blog/MPS-World-Fair.htm.

Wednesday, April 19

God of Carnage @ The Rep (through May 14)

God of Carnage is a play about the complications of language within the constraints of an encounter among people who have seldom considered the other side of any argument, wrote David Luhrssen (shepherdexpress.com/culture/theater/god-of-carnage-on-stage-at-the-rep). It looks like playground bullying. The incident occurs in a posh Brooklyn neighborhood, probably on a private playground, and the parents of the two boys meet in a gesture—perhaps sincere?—of conflict resolution. But verbal missteps escalate into social pratfalls as the conversation grows testier, angrier, in God of Carnage.