This Week in Milwaukee: May 4-10, 2023

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

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An eclectic list of things to do, including violinist Melissa White and pianist Pallavi Mahidhara, Milwaukee Psych Fest VIII, “Art Of Water” Exhibition, Kenilworth Open Studios, a polka celebration, Drinking Liberally Milwaukee and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, May 4

Melissa White and Pallavi Mahidhara Recital @ Sarah Ball Allis Art Museum, 7:30 p.m.

If violinist Melissa White and pianist Pallavi Mahidhara are the future of classical music, then the future is bright. White and Mahidhara cross the spectrum of violin and piano repertoire. “We are performing works by composers who represent a diversity of backgrounds, much like the two of us,” explains Mahidhara.

With a nod to the exhibit celebrating women at the Sarah Ball Allis Art Museum, the duo will perform works by American women composers Amy Beach and Nokuthula Ngwenyama. The concert also includes works by Johannes Brahms, William Grant Still, and a transcription by Jascha Heifetz of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. They are performing this program for only two concerts, one in Milwaukee and a sold-out show in Washington D.C.

Milwaukee Psych Fest @ The Cooperage, through Saturday

Psychedelic music comes in many flavors, from breezy pastoral ballads to mind melting sonic challenges. Milwaukee Psych Fest returns to The Cooperage May 4-6 for a three day festival that boasts an immersive light show and a lineup of homegrown talent (Vocokesh and Kendraplex featuring Chelsea Bridge) to world travelers from Australia (Smoke Bellow), Paris (En Attendant Ana) and Japan (Acid Mothers Temple) (shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/milwaukee-psych-fest-returns). In organizing the MPF festivals, Andrew Shelp has learned how to keep a lot of plates spinning at once—including a Saturday set at noon with his own group The Rolling Hills. While he may not be a child of the ‘60s, Shelp certainly is an old soul. More info here: facebook.com/events/190348793705151.

Friday, May 5

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“Art Of Water” Exhibition @ James May Gallery, 5:30 p.m.

This opening reception present the 7th Annual Art of Water exhibition— a juried international water-themed art exhibition.  This free event focuses on conservation and protection of water, inspired by Lake Michigan. The event started in 2017 in Algoma, in response to water concerns in Kewaunee County and continues to attract artists from around the country in a dialogue about the necessity and beauty of water. This year brings together over 100 regional and national artists celebrating our most vital resource.

“Art of Water” includes ideas and personal experiences of water in every locale. Art of Water believes “water can attract and beckon us and endanger us.  The hope is to celebrate the beauty and necessity of water in our lives so that we can better protect it.”

The Quilz, Palm Ghosts and Lavish Waste @ Club Garibaldi, 9 p.m.

Last December The Quilz album Beneath the Covers surveyed the electronic duo’s influences and favorites. The Poppy Family’s “Where Evil Grows” was balanced by a transfiguration of the Troggs’ “A Girl Like You.” Nashville’s Palm Ghosts has been called “The sound of an ‘80s prom in a war zone” and “An intoxicating mix of Shoegaze and Dream pop, taking from the ‘80s but not in debt to it.” Electro/post-punk duo Lavish Waste round out the evening.

Dead Dead Swans w/ Dandy L. Freling, and Old Wolves @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.

Here is a trio of artists, call them folkies, practitioners of Americana, or acoustic tunesmiths—these old souls present storytelling through song. As timeless as it seems, they present the world as viewed through their own lens.

Saturday, May 6

Kenilworth Open Studios @ UWM Kenilworth Square East, 11 a.m.

Immerse yourself in creativity when Peck School of the Arts student and faculty artists open their studios to the public at this annual event. From exhibitions and studio visits to live performances and family-friendly art activities, you’ll find something to excite you at Kenilworth Open Studios.

Sunday, May 7

Polka Parade @ Polish Center of Wisconsin, noon

The Polish Center of Wisconsin celebrates 40 years of polka and ethnic radio. You'll hear great music and enjoy dancing with some of today’s best polka bands including Klancnik & Friends, The Steve Meisner Band and David Austin Band.

Alive At Eight - Connor LaMue,  Old Pup and Johanna Rose @ Circle-A, 8 p.m.

Settle in for an evening of song this cozy Riverwest spot. For over 20 years Jennifer Mueller and Warwick Seay have provided a space for fans looking to get up close to performers  (shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/circle-a-cafe-celebrates-20-years) or just relax in the booze grotto. The night’s trio of performers have done time with Hughes Family Band, Sex Scenes, Ruth B8r Ginsburg, The Ugly Vipers, Nickel&Rose and Luke Callen. As is the custom, the evening’s DJ, Trail Boss Tim Cook takes over at 10 p.m.

Monday, May 8

David Plowden: The Architecture of Agriculture @ Grohmann Museum 

Photographer David Plowden, age 90, lives in Winnetka, Ill. “I befriended him in 2011 when we hosted an exhibition of his railroad photographs in Madison,” says the Grohmann’s director James Kieselburg. “It is in knowing and befriending Plowden that one also knows that his full impact is likely yet to be felt, as we continue to lose the features of the American landscape that he so expertly and thoughtfully captured. From the rural landscape to railroads to bridges to heavy industry, he has distilled in many ways the essence of America by portraying our too often overlooked treasures—the commonplace fabric of our familiar environment—dilapidated or dismantled today.” Through Aug. 20.

Tuesday, May 9

Drinking Liberally Milwaukee @ Art*Bar, 6:30 p.m.

Come share a pint and talk progressive politics. Drinking Liberally is a nationwide network of informal, inclusive progressive social groups. Raise your spirits while you raise a glass and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert, and this isn't a book club—just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Look for the folks wearing Drinking Liberally MKE buttons. Check out the Laughing Liberally podcast at shepherdexpress.com/podcasts/laughing-liberally.

Wednesday, May 10

The Sarah Ball Allis Art Museum 

Allis Chalmers, West Allis, the Charles Allis Art Museum—the Allis name is inseparable from Milwaukee’s history. The current exhibition hopes—among other goals—to turn the spotlight on a member of that family whose role in the community has been overlooked. Through June 11, the Charles Allis Art Museum will become the Sarah Ball Allis Art Museum in an exhibit featuring 20 contemporary artists juxtaposed with the institution’s permanent collection. Through June 11.