This Week in Milwaukee: May 25-31, 2023

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

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Metal Fest at The Rave, post-punk at Shank Hall, Subhumans at Cactus Club; the annual night of John Lennon songs at Linneman's, a tribute to Tina Turner, bluegrass in West Bend, the music of the great Mary Lou Williams and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, May 25

Impossible Operas @ Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre, through Sunday

You come to their wedding reception with doubts. Bluebeard and Judith met online during the pandemic, rated 98% compatible by their dating app. Do algorithms tell the whole story? Some flotsam of disturbing gossip about Bluebeard remains stuck in the back of your mind, rumors about his past relationships with women. The mood at the reception is vaguely ominous—maybe it’s just the Bela Bartok tunes the pianist is playing. And then Bluebeard points to seven doors and tells Judith she can open them all—except that last one. What’s that all about? Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Quasimondo Physical Theatre will raise those questions in their new production, Impossible Operas.

Jazz at the Vine - Andrew Spadafora and the Fountain of Youth @ The Vine, Humboldt Park Beer Garden, 6 p.m.

This concert series at the beautiful Humboldt Park’s beer garden and is designed to engage the community, bring people together, and raise funds to support the park system. The series kicks off with saxophonist Andrew Spadafora (Tweed Funk, the Sweet Sheiks, and The Dead Man’s Carnival), Sam Catral (guitar) and Tael Estremera (bass). For more info and upcoming schedule visit the Humboldt Park website.

The MilBillies at Regner Rocks featuring Jay Roemer and Aly Hauser @ Regner Park (800 N Main St, West Bend, 5 p.m.

Regner Rocks 2023 kicks off in bluegrass style with The Milbillies. The Thursday summer series continues on June 22 with Betsy Ade & the Well-Known Strangers with Special Guest Ben Mulwana; July 27 with The WhiskeyBelles and Jay Matthes and finishing on Aug. 24 with Pat McCurdy with Party Marty & the Dirt Bags. More info here.

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Friday, May 26

The Zodiac & The Planets @ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, though Sunday

Jazz composer Mary Lou Williams originally wrote her Zodiac Suite with each section inspired by a musical associate born under a different zodiac sign. MSO Artistic Partner Aaron Diehl premieres the complete version for full orchestra, after having presented four of the sections with the New York Philharmonic in 2021. In the second half, the MSO stays among the stars in Holst’s The Planets, delighting in the astrological characters of our solar system. On Saturday, at 6:30 p.m. stop by the Ellen & Joe Checota Gallery for a special pre-concert performance by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Youth Jazz Ensemble (UJAY), as they present works by Mary Lou Williams and Duke Ellington to complement the evening’s program.

Milwaukee Metal Fest @ The Rave/Eagles Club, through Sunday

Founded by Jack Koshick, Milwaukee’s venerable Metal Fest has traveled from Waukesha County Exposition Center to the Modjeska Theater but always seemed most at home at the Eagles Club. The headbanger’s ball returns with three days of heavy-osity. Lamb of God, Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Biohazard, Jungle Rot and Biohazard. The weekend also includes special meet and greet events. More info at The Rave website.

Saturday, May 27

Oddities & Curiosities Expo @ Wisconsin Center, 10 a.m.

The Oddities & Curiosities Expo showcases hand selected vendors, dealers, artists, and small businesses from all over the country with all things weird. You’ll find items such as: taxidermy, preserved specimens, original artwork, horror/Halloween inspired pieces, antiques, handcrafted oddities, quack medical devices, creepy clothing, odd jewelry, skulls/bones, funeral collectibles and much more. The O&C Expo prides itself on being a completely DIY ran show from start to finish, finding so much joy in being able to provide a place where you can feel at home surrounded by others that share the same interests.

The Skies Are Shifting, Past is Prologue, Endswell and Spoy @ Shank Hall

Here’s an indoor mini-festival. Settle in for an evening of post-hardcore music featuring Chicago’s The Skies Are Shifting, Milwaukee’s Past is Prologue and Spoy, as well as Madison’s Endswell.

Subhumans w/Cop/Out and World on Action @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

Anarcho-punk leaders of the 1980s known for cutting their straight-edge message with wry humor, the U.K. Subhumans continues trekking around the world still radiating off of 2019’s Crisis Point LP. This crew is one of the most influential bands from 80’s scene, filed right alongside Crass and Conflict, and just as relevant today as they were during the darkest days of Thatcher’s Britain. Cop/Out advances the queer commie conspiracy one hook heavy tune at a time. Every show brings together the partiest of parties with the embrace of community and empowering camaraderie.

Sunday, May 28

The Bourbon Jockeys @ The Tonic Tavern, 4 p.m.

Here’s a matinee show for this young band of local veterans. Fronted by Jon Ziegler (The Uptown Savages, The Exotics, The Rockin’ Bones and WMSE’s “The Chicken Shack” radio program), with guitarist Michael Arnold and Nick Hunt and Bart Ferrara anchoring the bass and drum duties respectively, the Jockeys aim for the sounds of classic Chess Records' rhythm & blues of the 50's.

Robot Witch with Alternative Radio and The Midnight Purchase @ The Back Room @ Colectivo, 7 p.m.

Robot Witch are one of Milwaukee’s best kept secrets—the kind of band when you hear them on the radio you can’t help but wonder,“whatinthehellwasthat??” The group’s livewire sound blends psych/punk/electronic elements and their Bandcamp page includes a brave interpretation of that drug song by the Velvet Underground. Orlando Peña’s sturdy songwriting gives The Midnight Purchase room to roam. The group’s four-song EP, National Sessions, revealed The Band-like sounds of young folks older than their years.

“Peace Thru Music”—A John Lennon Tribute @ Linneman's, 7 p.m.

Since it opened in 1993 Linneman’s Riverwest Inn has hosted many benefit performances. The annual “Peace Thru Music—A John Lennon Tribute,” helps raise awareness for sensible gun laws. Proceeds go to Wisconsin’s Anti Violence Effort (WAVE) and the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Co-owner Marty Hacker organizes the event which corrals over 20 local acts that cross generations. Sigmund Snopek, Chris Porterfield, Lyric Advisory Board, John Sieger Combo, Heidi Spencer, Mike Fredrickson and plenty more reimagine (sorry) the songs John Lennon made famous with the Beatles and his solo career. More info at the Linnemans website.

Monday, May 29

“Objects of Substance” @ Warehouse Art Museum (WAM), through July 22

Most of the objects displayed in “Objects of Substance,” the current exhibition at Warehouse Art Museum (WAM), are of recent origin. And yet, the roots of the exhibit, subtitled “International Contemporary Craft,” are traceable to William Morris’ Arts and Crafts movement prevalent at the dawn of the 20th century. Morris countered the mass production of the Industrial Age by reviving the idea of craftspeople making beautiful objects for everyday or decorative use. Problem was that mass produced wares were cheaper to buy. “Arts and Crafts produced expensive objects only the aristocracy could afford,” says WAM’s co-director John Shannon. “That was the flaw.”

Tuesday, May 30

NINETEEN THIRTEEN w/ Lodi @ Story Hill FireHouse, 7 p.m.

As part of the Originally Wisconsin series, chamber-rock duo NINETEEN THIRTEEN (cellist Janet Schiff and Victor DeLorenzo, founding drummer of Violent Femmes) play this historic venue. The group’s “Cello and Drums Forever” had an interesting backstory.

“The origination of the piece is my voice memo of me composing and plucking out a cello/bass line,” Schiff says of the song writing process. “My parakeets were whistling in the background of the rough demo. I sent it over to Schmidt and he subtracted out the birds and synthesized them somehow, extracted the cello line and then we had the foundation of this piece.”

Wednesday, May 31

“Sharing the Same Breath” @ John Michael Kohler Arts Center (608 New York Ave., Sheboygan), through April 21, 2024

In her 2021 essay “A Family Reunion Near the End of the World,” botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer contemplates our kinship with nature and proposes a road map for deepening our care and respect for all living things. “Being a relative,” she writes, “is more than shared blood from a common past. Real kinship arises when we realize that we have a common future, that our fates are linked.” She goes on to suggest, “Real kinship comes when you live it. It’s not a noun, but a verb, it’s not a thing, it’s what you do.” Artists in the exhibition include Juan William Chávez, David Freid, Lindsey French, Emilie Louise Gossiaux, Nina Katchadourian, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Marie Watt, William Wegman, and Dyani White Hawk.