This Week in Milwaukee: June 29-July 5, 2023

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Thursday, June 29

Summerfest @ Henry Maier Festival Park

The second weekend of Summerfest kicks off three days of music and magic. Rachel Raven kicks off the Tiki Stage at noon. Twan Mack warms up for a fall tour with Arrested Development; magician and hypnotist Rondini; Mike Mangione; Cypress Hill; Georgia Satellites (shepherdexpress.com/summerfest/the-georgia-satellites) and Lord Huron whose album Vide Noir has been described as, “Dusty ballads share space on the album with punky rippers, ‘50s sock-hop sways and ethereal electronic passages. Each entry is a glinting star, and together they form a sonic constellation examining the search for meaning amidst the cold indifference of the universe.”

Black Duck with Book of Johns @ Acme Records & Music Emporium, 8:30 p.m.

Black Duck brings together three pillars of the Chicago music community: guitarist/bassist Douglas McCombs, guitarist Bill MacKay and drummer Charles Rumback. The prize in the crackerjacks here might be an appearance by Book of Johns aka John Dereszynski & John Borden, an instrumental duo consisting of guitar/electronics and drums.

Friday, June 30

Summerfest @ Henry Maier Festival Park

Friday offers two performances from genre-hopping acoustic duo Frogwater; Earth, Wind and Fire groove the BMO Pavilion; Odesza (shepherdexpress.com/summerfest/odesza) and Olan play the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.

Saturday, July 1

Saturday’s eclectic picks include Anson Obvious and the Uncomfortable Moments at the Tiki Hut; R&B groover James Hunter Six (shepherdexpress.com/summerfest/the-james-hunter-six); two sets of Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz from De La Buena and  Reggaeton/Latin Urban from Gego y Nony. 

If nostalgia is your bag, this might be your time machine with Spin Doctors, Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, Information Society, even Strangelove-The Depeche Mode Experience.

/CLOUT/ w/Duval/Larocca and PaVda @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 7 p.m.

Riverwest host a pair adventurous of shows within walking distance from each other tonight. Musicians from Madison, Chicago, Connecticut and Milwaukee will convene at the Jazz Gallery for an evening of improvised music.

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PaVda (Hal Rammel/Linda Binder) is a Milwaukee/Cedarburg based duo consisting of Linda Binder (viola d’amore) and Hal Rammel (musical saw, waterphone, and amplified palette). /CLOUT/ is an electroacoustic duo oftentimes working with textures of drone, ambient music, and lots of space and silence, featuring Hunter Brown (laptop, electronics) and Jakob Heinemann (bass, electronics). Michael Larocca and Caleb Duval are a musical duo out of Connecticut playing in the styles, traditions, and methodologies developed in free music. They look to play, not ignoring the history of the development of free improvisation but instead embracing all of it in their syntax to create a dense, layered, and highly rewarding piece of music.

Boy Dirt Car w/Vocokesh @ Circle A, 8 p.m.

The soundtrack to a night of coloring outside the lines, Richard has guided improvisors Vocokesh since 1989 (his ties with F/i reached back even further), when he was a maven of cassette culture, gaining a worldwide cult following. Boy Dirt Car’s roots in Milwaukee began in 1981 after an encounter with Glenn Branca. As of late the band has been anchored by founder Darren Brown and Julie Brown. Earplugs are suggested and weather permitting, the café’s beer grotto might the perfect spot.

Sunday, July 2

Bruce Humphrey and the Rockabilly Rebels w/Rebecca and the Grey Notes @ Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, 2 p.m.

Expect to hear selections from Live It Up! the new album from Bruce Humphrey and the Rockabilly Rebels. Local Americana group Rebecca and the Grey Notes open.

Laurie Asch and Glenn Asch Porch Concert @ 2836 N. Shepard Ave.

With a lineup of guitar, viola, violin, mandolin, cello and vocals you can expect chamber music trio, double fiddle tunes, jazz standards from the talented group of Jay B. Kummer, Glenn Asch, Laurie Asch and Charles Asch.

Monday, July 3

Fireworks @ Veterans Memorial Park, 9:30 p.m.

Atmospheric conditions permitting, the 45-minute fireworks display will light up the lakefront. Celebrate safely. Fireworks are illegal in the City of Milwaukee.

Tuesday, July 4

More Fireworks

The City of Milwaukee’s Fourth of July festivities are scheduled for Tuesday, July 4, 2023. A tradition dating back to 1911, Milwaukee has long celebrated the Fourth of July with community events around the city. 

With 2022 being the first year of full celebrations since the pandemic-related cancellations, Independence Day activities continue in 2023 in the parks throughout Milwaukee this summer, including parades, picnics, games, talent contests, and fireworks, in celebrating this great American holiday. Get your boom on at Alcott Park, Enderis Playfield, Gordon Park, Humboldt Park, Jackson Park, Martin Luther King Center, Lake Park, Lincoln Park, Mitchell Park, Noyes Park, Washington Park and Wilson Park. More info here: city.milwaukee.gov/DCD/BoardsCommissions/July4th.

Wednesday, July 5

Regional Responses to the Art Preserve @ John Michael Kohler Arts Center (608 New York Ave., Sheboygan), through Oct. 29

In the summer of 2022, the Arts Center invited Wisconsin-based artists and Arts Center members to submit proposals for work in any medium that makes tangible the feelings of wonder, curiosity, and exploration awakened by the collection of artist-built environments on the first floor of the Art Preserve. This exhibition includes five responses to the work of Mary Nohl, Eugene von Bruenchenhein, Levi Fisher Ames and James Tellen by artists Clara McElfresh, Christina Wilke-Burbach, Kristin Plucar, Sarah Rose and Jennifer Kaiser.