This Week in Milwaukee: Aug. 3-Sept. 6, 2023

Here are the Milwaukee events we are looking forward to coming up this week.

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Impromptu String Quartet in Washington Heights, The Weird Wonderful World of Industrial Musicals, a Concert to Celebrate the Life of Milwaukee Anti-Fascist Hero Mildred Fish-Harnack, Fox & Branch turn 25, The Trusty Knife returns, Laborfest and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, August 31

Impromptu String Quartet @ Charles E. Fromage, 6:30 p.m.

Laurie and Glenn Asch, Dave Rasmussen and Shep Crumrine will play classical and pop string quartets from the rooftop bistro above Vliet Street.

Glenn McCormick Bossa Trio @ Transfer, 6:30 p.m. 

This is the last public show Glenn McCormick will be doing before heading to Rio de Janeiro. Singing and playing guitar João Gilberto style, accompanied by Steve Peplin also on guitar and Yanni Chudnow on drum kit.

The Weird Wonderful World of Industrial Musicals @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.

The Weird Wonderful World of Industrial Musicals, a bizarre and hilarious evening of corporate musical films, is presented by Steve Young, former David Letterman writer and star of the acclaimed documentary Bathtubs Over Broadway.

“I’m excited to be screening these strange, ultra-rare treasures for a Milwaukee audience,” says Young. “I’m bringing films that are glimpsed briefly in the documentary, like General Electric’s 1973 ‘Got to Investigate Silicones’ and American Standard’s legendary 1969 plumbing fixture musical ‘The Bathrooms Are Coming.’

It’s hard to believe, but there were entire musicals created for company conventions and sales meetings. It’s a jaw-dropping alternate universe of business infotainment, and these films can’t be seen anywhere else.”

Friday, Sept. 1

Concert to Celebrate the Life of Milwaukee Anti-Fascist Hero Mildred Fish-Harnack @ Turner Hall, 6 p.m.

Mildred Fish-Harnack was born in Milwaukee on Sept. 16, 1902. In 1929, during the ascent of Adolf Hitler, she and her husband moved to Germany to fight fascism head-on. She started regularly hosting a small group of anti-fascist activists in her living room. This group went on to become the largest underground resistance in Berlin.

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She is the only American known to have been executed on the direct order of Adolf Hitler.

Ruth B8r Ginsburg, Glutton for Insurrection, Brandon Payton-Carrillo, Lil' Guillotine, and DJ Dr!psweat! celebrate the life and achievements of a true antifascist hero.

As part of the Red Orchestra—a network of left-wing and other resistance fighters—Fish-Harnack was pivotal in publishing an underground newsletter, feeding information to the U.S. and Soviet embassies, and transmitting military intelligence to Moscow concerning Germany's invasion of the USSR.

The Gestapo arrested Fish-Harnack and her husband in September 1942. She was initially sentenced to six years in prison. However, Hitler took a personal interest in her punishment and demanded a retrial, which resulted in her being sentenced to death by guillotine on Feb. 16, 1943.

Fox & Branch 25th Anniversary Show @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.

Fox & Branch are celebrating 25 years of making music together with a special evening show at Anodyne! Dave Fox and Will Branch began playing blues music and fiddle tunes together in 1998. Since then, their music has taken them across the U.S. and to Canada, Ireland and the U.K. Their focus on music for kids and families has made them fans around the world. This special concert will be a family-friendly show full of new songs, special guests and songs that the duo rarely plays on stage. Expect two sets of music and fun!

The Trusty Knife Vinyl Rerelease W/ Spidora, & Delicious Monsters @ Linneman's, 7 p.m.

The Trusty Knife celebrates the vinyl rerelease of their self-titled album from Dusty Medical Records, with a return to their wild and inspired live show, at one of the first venues they ever played. Spidora, with a twist on Tropicália and art punks Delicious Monsters fill out the bill.

The Ocean Blue @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

The Ocean Blue arrived as the ‘80s drew to a close. Their debut record on Sire Records in 1989 seemed to summarize the best of the passing musical decade. The band left the majors in the late ‘90s and released several independent records in the ensuing decade. In 2013, after a long hiatus the band released their first full length record in a decade, Ultramarine.  In 2019, the band returned with the beautifully powerful Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves.

Saturday, Sept. 2

Alive At Eight - Sex Scenes w/Holy Shit and Peroxide @ Circle A, 7 p.m.

Grab Sex Scenes image from link below

Last call, as Circle A cruises into the final month for the little club with a big musical heart. Mayhem will be in order with this lineup of noise-complaint-waiting-to-happen. A few years back Sex Scenes album h drew comparison to The Germs, Jesus Lizard and Pissed Jeans: shepherdexpress.com/music/on-music/milwaukees-sex-scenes-wrestle-with-awfulness-on-h

Sunday, Sept. 3

Labor of Love Music Festival @ Hart Park Rotary Pavilion & Playground, 11 a.m.

Just Live, Inc. presents the 14th anniversary Labor of Love Music Festival supporting suicide prevention and mental health resources. Open to the public, all proceeds go to supporting local suicide prevention and mental health resources, research, education, and programs.

The music lineup includes Ben Mulwana, Newski, Adam Greuel & the Space Burritos, and headliner Good Morning Bedlam. More info here: justliveinc.org/labor-of-love.html.

Monday, Sept. 4

Laborfest 2023 @ Henry Maier Festival Park, 11 a.m.

Labor Day is a chance to remember those who made sacrifices for benefits many take for granted: weekends, worker protections, vacation, overtime pay, and the list goes on. It’s also a time to celebrate the power in standing together and the things we can achieve in the future.

Thanks to the generosity of our local unions and union members, Laborfest is free and open to the public. Enjoy children’s activities on the Summerfest grounds, a raffle for children, the splash pad and fountain and more. For adults there will be food and beverages, adult bingo, wrestling, a classic car show, and live musical entertainment on the MillerCoors stage.

Laborfest Parade kicks off from Zeidler Union Square at 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 5

Vincent Van Great @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.

Vincent Van Great continues to display his diverse array of styles, collaborators and influences in his latest album Ladies Please. Released last month, the 35-minute pop showcase is one that, as the title suggests, is made for the ladies—while the clubs will enjoy being a secondary market. Each song is danceable, upbeat, yet unique from the others.

Wednesday, Sept. 6

Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery @ Peninsula Players Theater (4351 Peninsula Players Rd, Fish Creek), through Oct. 5

There are folks who will tell you that after Labor Day is the best time to visit Door County. Who am I to argue? 

In Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, The game’s afoot in this hilarious thriller as Holmes and Watson must crack the mystery of The Hound of the Baskervilles before a family curse dooms its newest heir. 

Who killed Sir Charles Baskerville? Is there any truth to the legend of a supernatural bloodthirsty hound? This sounds like a case for the world’s most famous detective—join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they try to escape a dizzying web of clues, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than 40 characters.