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Andrea Gibson
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Photo credit: Julia Grossi
Elysia Crampton
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Photo credit: Laura Crosta
Rachael Yamagata
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George Clinton
Bundle up, Milwaukee: It’s Mitten Fest weekend.
Thursday, Feb. 1
Photo credit: Julia Grossi
Elysia Crampton
Elysia Crampton w/ Itsï and Xexyz @ Cactus Club, 10 p.m.
The Milwaukee electronic music collectives Close Up of the Serene and Earth Angel have teamed up with Milwaukee Pride and UWM’s LGBT Resource Center to bring one of the most distinctive voices in the experimental club scene to Milwaukee. Drawing from a borderless pool of Latin, noise, hip-hop and classical influences, California’s Elysia Crampton creates surrealist sound dioramas that comment on class and cultural identity. “The organizers of the night see it as a significant moment for the queer-experimental-electronic community here in Milwaukee, with most of us agreeing that this show would have seemed like a futile effort even a year ago,” says promoter Max Holiday. Before this bill, which also features Chicago producer Itsï and Milwaukee modular synth composer Xexyz, Crampton will speak at the LGBT Resource Center. That lecture, “Queer Indigenous Deities,” begins at 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 2
Ben Miller Band w/ Chicago Farmer @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Teaming with producer Chris Funk of The Decemberists, the roots-rock lovers in Missouri’s Ben Miller Band adopted something of an open-door policy for their new album, Choke Cherry Tree. The record features guest contributions from Decemberists players Jenny Conlee and Nate Query, saxophonist Ralph Carney (a frequent Tom Waits collaborator) and Dan Hunt of Neko Case’s band, among many others. The record features the stomping blues-rock single “Akira Kurosawa.”
Milwaukee Gospel Jubilee @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.
For decades Milwaukee’s rich gospel scene was a secret to nearly all but the faithful who attended the churches where this music can be heard each Sunday. That’s been changing in recent years, thanks in part to the organization Milwaukee Gospel and its annual fundraiser for Progressive Community Health Centers, which for five years running has spotlighted a variety of vocal ensembles, many of which have roots that span generations. This year’s lineup features six acts: Voices of Faith, Doc Smith & The Disciples, Genesis Singers, Spiritual Tones, Holy Hill Praise Dancers and the Messmer Gospel Choir.
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George Clinton
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
George Clinton now tours with a band billed as Parliament/ Funkadelic, giving the funk pioneer free reign to cull hits from both of his best-known ensembles (Parliament was the one that recorded “Flash Light,” for instance, while Funkadelic was responsible for “One Nation Under a Groove”). Recent Clinton concerts have featured the usual assortment of odd characters (a Pink Pimp, a diaper-clad guitarist, etc.), and although the 76-year-old ringmaster doesn’t spend as much time on stage as he used to—he disappears during long jams—Clinton’s band throws down long sets of thick, free-form funk, often with a heavy, acid-rock vibe that casual listeners might not anticipate.
San Fermin w/ Mikaela Davis @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 7:30 and 10:15 p.m.
Composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone enlisted a lot of help for his self-titled debut as San Fermin. More than 20 players lend their voices and instruments to the chamber-pop project’s self-titled 2013 debut, including singer Allen Tate, a baritone crooner who often comes across like a more sober version of The National’s Matt Berninger. The album garnered plenty of glowing comparisons to Sufjan Stevens and Dirty Projectors, as well as high accolades from the New York Times and NPR, which deemed it one of the best records of 2013. Since then, the band’s lineup has stabilized. The group’s peppy 2015 sophomore album, Jackrabbit, was their first with singer Charlene Kaye, and, like its 2017 follow-up, Belong, it’s swollen with bright, richly arranged pop songs.
Saturday, Feb. 3
Mitten Fest
Mitten Fest @ Burnhearts, noon-8 p.m.
For a city that prides itself on its festivals, Milwaukee sure doesn’t offer many of them during the offseason. Thankfully, each year the Bay View beer-lover’s bar Burnhearts braves the cold with Mitten Fest, drawing thousands with the promise of strong drinks and live music. Performers at this year’s sixth installment of the event include Slow Walker, Lex Allen, NO/NO, Fox Face and Rose of the West. There will also be rare beers from Central Waters and Founders, ginger brandy and barrel Old Fashioneds, as well as an arts, craft and maker faire.
Marilyn Manson w/ Amazonica @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Will Johnny Depp be playing guitar at Marilyn Manson’s rescheduled Milwaukee concert? In January Manson tweeted that Depp was considering playing guitar on the band’s most recent tour, and although it may sound unlikely, it wouldn’t be unprecedented: Depp and Manson are longtime friends, and Depp has appeared in two of the music videos from Manson’s most recent album, Heaven Upside Down. If Depp does sit in on guitar, though, he’ll be joining a tour that could charitably be called “damned.” Already several members of the band have dropped out over the course of the tour, including Manson’s longtime bassist Twiggy, who was kicked out after sexual assault allegations surfaced, and a stretch of the tour was canceled (including a planned October show at the Rave) when a stage prop collapsed on Manson, knocking him out and shattering his leg. You’ve got to admire his resilience, though: By November he was back on the road, performing in a wheelchair.
Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson w/ Chastity Brown @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 6:30 and 9 p.m.
Since winning 2008’s inaugural Woman of the World Poetry Slam, Andrea Gibson has been one of the country’s most celebrated spoken word poets, and with each album and poetry collection, Gibson continues to discover new muses. Their most recent album, Hey Galaxy, was originally intended to be an orchestral record about the most universal of subjects—love—until the 2016 election upended those plans. Instead, Gibson ended up recording one of their most angry, passionate albums yet, a raw response to the politics of division. For their current tour, Gibson is performing with a stage design commissioned from Milwaukee artist Kristina Rolander.
John Cusack: ‘Say Anything’ @ The Riverside Theater, 7:30 p.m.
John Cusack had appeared in bit roles in teen comedies like Sixteen Candles and had anchored a couple of romantic comedies like Better off Dead and One Crazy Summer before 1989’s Say Anything…, but it was his turn as love-struck aspiring kickboxer Lloyd Dobler that cemented him as a star. Cusack will be on hand for this screening of the film, and will participate in a moderated conversation about the movie afterward, answering questions from the audience.
Monday, Feb. 5
Photo credit: Laura Crosta
Rachael Yamagata
Rachael Yamagata w/ Hemming @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
With her 2004 debut, Happenstance, Rachel Yamagata established herself as a songwriter’s songwriter, earning the respect of artists like Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, Jason Mraz and Rhett Miller, all of whom she would go on to collaborate with in the years that followed. Song placements in dozens of television shows, including taste-making ones like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The O.C.,” helped her further expand her audience. Her fourth and most recent album, Tightrope Walker, is one of her most leisurely and richly arranged projects yet, which she credits to its fan-funded origins, which allowed her to record the album at her own house at her own pace. Though he piano remains front and center, it features an array of acoustic and electric guitars, as well as horns, mandolins and strings.
