The classic music of A Charlie Brown Christmas, John McGivern’s one-man show, Phil Vassar and Sister Hazel reflect on the holidays and The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra offers a somber note, This Week in Milwaukee
Thursday, Dec.16
The Commercialists play the music of Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas @ The Jazz Estate, 6:30 p.m.
There is that standard holiday music playlist that gets trotted out every year around Halloween. Then there is the 1965 album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, the soundtrack to the animated television special A Charlie Brown Christmas. The Estate presents the return of a holiday tradition, as The Commercialists (Anthony Deutsch, Clay Schuab, and Patrick Morrow) perform Guraldi’s nostalgic music.
Through Dec. 21. More info here and Dec. 23 @ Turner Hall
“Up Close With John McGivern … For The Holidays” @ Potawatomi Northern Lights Casino
Image via Northern Lights Theater
The irrepressible John McGivern returns to The Northern Lights Theater with his new show, Up Close with John McGivern … For The Holidays. Join McGivern for a fresh mix of old and new holiday stories from his childhood days on Milwaukee’s eastside to how he made his way and continues to make his way, through these pandemic times. The third born of six kids in a working-class Irish Catholic family, his stories are personal, funny, touching and familiar. McGivern’s themes are based in family and remind us that as specific as we might believe our experiences are, we all share a universal human experience.
Through Dec. 18. More info for times
Rat Bath w/ Robot Witch and Maybe Hazel @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 P.M.
The spooky country-core group Rat Bath is kicking off a Midwest mini-tour in preparation for the upcoming release of their debut album Rat From Hell. Their latest single, “Meat Poppet / Sweet Puppet,” has been described as “a nigh overwhelming piece of hardcore punk that has you entirely enraptured.”
|
|
Maggie Rose w/ Dylan Hartigan and Natalie Murphy @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
After years of honing her chops and making her name as a force-of-nature vocalist, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Maggie Rose has dreamed up her own unbridled collision of rock and roll, soul, folk, funk and R&B. Rose’s third album Have a Seat was produced by Ben Tanner of Alabama Shakes at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL. In a series of pre-pandemic sessions, Rose recorded live with a group that includes bassist David Hood of The Swampers (the session musicians who played on records from legends like Aretha Franklin and Etta James) and guitarist Will McFarlane (Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm).
Friday, Dec.17
Milwaukee Hot Club @ The Packing House, 6 p.m.
For 10 years Milwaukee Hot Club (Guy Fiorentini, Scott Hlavenka, Aaron Gardner and Clay Schaub) has been playing gypsy swing in the tradition of the late, great Django Reinhardt. The music is a high energy mix of swing and Latin rhythms, from ballads to barn burners; exuberant instrumental music alternating with soulful vocals. The group performs acoustically and with amplification designed to preserve the acoustic qualities of their instruments; they have been featured alongside international artists at the Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival.
A Motown Christmas @ The Riverside Theater, 7 p.m.
Past and present members of Motown’s most legendary groups The Temptations, The Miracles and The Contours join forces to combine Motown’s greatest hits with everyone’s favorite holiday classics. This show features Motown trademarks, dazzling choreography and unforgettable harmonies all performed in that memorable, soulful Motown style.
Saturday, Dec. 18
Switchback – “A Midwestern Christmas” @ Thrasher Opera House (506 Mill St., Green Lake), 6:45 p.m.
“Up On the Housetop” by Switchback
Switchback plays an exciting mix of mandolin, guitar and bass, and their harmonies have won them comparisons to famous duos such as the Louvin Brothers, the Everly Brothers, and Simon and Garfunkel. Music Connection Magazine said of Switchback: “The words ‘American Roots & Celtic Soul’ only begin to describe this unusual act.”
The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra Presents “An Evening of Lullabies and Dirges” @ St. Michael’s Catholic Church (1445 N. 24th St.), 7 p.m.
This concert is a memorial concert for the children of Milwaukee and Waukesha that have been killed in 2021. Additionally, this is a memorial concert for those that have died due to drug overdoses and also for healthcare workers struggling with patient deaths due to COVID-19. By extension, this concert is also for anyone else in 2021 that has also lost a loved one.
The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra is Milwaukee's “Black and Latinx” symphony orchestra. The BDSO, places the African diaspora and composers of color at the center of its concerts.
Sunday, Dec. 19
Big Al Dorn & The Blues Howlers @ The Craft Bar & Grille (351 W. Main Street, Waukesha), 3 p.m.
Big Al Dorn & The Blues howlers will be hosting a benefit for the victims and families of the Nov. 21 Waukesha Parade tragedy.
Phil Vassar and Sister Hazel Jingle Jam Live @ Potawatomi Northern Lights Casino
Phil Vassar hits the road for his fourth Christmas tour, this time with Sister Hazel. The Jingle Jam Live set includes holiday favorites like Vassar’s “Santa’s Gone Hollywood” and “Let’s Make A Little Christmas Tonight” as well as traditional holiday songs by both acts.
Also Dec. 20 More info here
Found Footage Festival @ The Back Room @ Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (The Colbert Report) return to the Back Room at Colectivo with a live guided tour through their latest VHS finds, including the 1987 Miss Junior America Wisconsin pageant, a mysterious tape labeled "bonion sergery," home movies taken at a Canadian hose factory, a fitness video called Skiercise, their favorite holiday video finds.
