Stand-up comedy, guitar-playing comedy, Lake Michigan’s enduring charm, Jazz in a grocery store and more; This Week in Milwaukee!
All events and times were accurate as of press time. Due to the fluctuating pandemic numbers, please consult venues to confirm events are happening.
Thursday, Dec. 30
Standup Showcase @ Sugar Maple, 8 p.m.
Let’s face it, 2021 has been a crummy year. Ring out the old with some comedy. Hosts AJ Grill and David Louis welcome performers Kay Baratti, Judd Reminder, Rich D'Amore, Raf, Ben Maier and Ton Johnson.
Friday, Dec. 31
MRS. FUN w/Liv Mueller @ Metro Market (4075 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood), 4 p.m.
Over three decades and still going strong, MRS. FUN’s music remains complex, sophisticated and adventurous; a unique blend of off-center jazz, ultra-funk, spoken word, rap and neo-cabaret; they have collaborated with K.D. Lang, Indigo Girls and others. Add the torch ‘n’ twang of vocalist Liv Mueller and you might just call it an early night.
Aluminum Knot Eye and Florida Brothers Band @ Circle A, 8 p.m.
Contrary to musical conspiracy theorists, it is little more than coincidence that noise-rockers Aluminum Knot Eye just happen to play Riverwest’s Circle A Café every time Father Time turns the page. Ringing in the New Year with punk rock mayhem, Aluminum Knot Eye will be joined by Florida Brothers Band.
Donna Woodall @ Blu, 8:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Donna Woodall
Donna Woodall
The Donna Woodall Trio are familiar faces around local Jazz spots. Back in September of 2020, Woodall faced the pandemic head on saying “I feel the lockdown has given me the gift of more time and reflection which, in turn, has reinvigorated a creative flow that can often get lost in the busyness of everyday life. But I am itching to get back in front of a live audience again. There is little to replace that special energy. I miss smiles.” Woodall and company ring in the New Year with two sets.
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Saturday, Jan. 1
2022 Polar Plunge@ Bradford Beach, Saturday, Jan. 10:30 a.m.
Image via Facebook / Polar Plunge Milwaukee
The annual New Year’s Day tradition continues. With the forecast calling for snow, wind and temperatures in the mid-20s will you take the plunge on a dare, hold up a tradition or simply go jump in a lake?
“Resolution-Free” Brunch @ Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen, 11 a.m.
The serious stuff of 2022 can wait until Monday. Reasoning that New Year’s resolutions cannot start on a weekend, Central Standard Crafthouse is offering a special-edition brunch. “After the 2021 we’ll all have survived, we think everyone in Milwaukee deserves one more brunch, a round of cocktails and a chance to win some free swag,” CCS’s Evan Hughes said. “Resolutions and the more serious stuff of the New Year can wait until Monday.”
Pat McCurdy @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Image via Pat McCurdy
Pat McCurdy is nothing if not resourceful. When the pandemic hit, the singer-songwriter took COVID-19 by the horns and wrote the tunes that eventually became the album Now is Not the Time for Sad Songs: A Pandemic 2020 Souvenir. McCurdy played Facebook shows; picked up a mandolin for $45 in a Chicago thrift store, learned to play it and generally made lemonade from lemons. Milwaukee’s veteran troubadour gets a head start on 2022 with this show.
Tuesday, Jan. 4
Ethan Jewell w/Mae Krell and Trinity Grace @ X-Ray Arcade (5036 S. Packard Ave., Cudahy), 6 p.m.
Photo via X-Ray Arcade
Ethan Jewell, a 19-year-old poet/songwriter from Dallas, released his third album, loneliness in the presence of company, in November. His musical poetry is part of the “Lonely Together Tour” which includes Mae Krell, who returned from a two-year hiatus in 2020 with a string of soft, folk-pop singles, influenced by singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers and Gregory Alan Isakov. Also performing is Milwaukee’s Trinity Grace who released her album Exposed in late 2020.
