This Week in Milwaukee: Nov. 10-16, 2022

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A convergence of songwriters: Bill Camplin, Matthew Davies, Beth Orton, Rich Travis and former Barenaked Lady Steven Page; trains, Armistice Day at City Hall, Jews in Space, and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Nov. 10

Bill Camplin w/ Matthew Davies @ Linneman’s, 7 p.m.

Although he won’t fess up to it, Bill Camplin is something of a legend in singer-songwriter circles. He cut his teeth at long-gone joints like the Blue River Café, Numero Unos, The Crystal Palace, The Avante Garde and the 19th Street Coffee House. These days he seldom ventures beyond his home base, Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson, but when he does Linneman’s listening room is a perfect choice.

Opener Matthew Davies recent album Skywriter, places him securely in the lineage of the headliner. 

Friday, Nov. 11

Rich Travis w/La Chevere and Christian Jackson @ The Uptowner, 6 p.m.

Sometimes the smallest, most non-descript venue will surprise you. The Uptowner has been open since 1884 and is Milwaukee’s oldest and continuous longest-running tavern. Known as “Home of the Beautiful People” aka “Charm School,” since 1985 Steve Johnson and Shawnette Smart have turned this corner bar into a sort of salon for local artwork, poetry and live music, including the odd stop by a national artist.

For the past few years Rich Travis has been honing his original songs until they morph into dreamlike episodes of sound and words. He has developed an ability to stretch the boundaries of where a song usually goes.

Veterans for Peace 16th Annual Armistice Day Program @ City Hall, 7 p.m.

Veterans For Peace sponsors this annual event as a reminder that Nov. 11 was declared Armistice Day, a day to promote world peace. Speakers include Navy veteran Reggie Jackson, an award-winning Milwaukee journalist and head griot at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, speaking on “When Will We Ever Learn?”

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Kelly Denton-Borhaug, is a professor of religion, co-director of Peace and Justice Studies at Moravian University in Pennsylvania, and author of two books on how religion and violence collide in American war-culture. She will speak on “And Then Your Soul Is Gone: Moral Injury and US War Culture.”

The event will also include musical acts, Frogwater, a multi-instrumental duo whose repertoire spans from Celtic tunes to Delta blues, and original material, and songwriter/poet Harvey Taylor. The event is free and open to all. The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin and other peace and justice groups are co-sponsors.

B.D and The Gents @ Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts (3270 Mitchell Park Drive, Brookfield), 8 p.m.

B.D. Greer spent 21 years in the Big Apple performing with national Broadway tours and as lead vocalist with the NYC USO Performing Troupe. This concert presents a speakeasy club vibe as B.D. pays tribute to Veterans in honor of Veterans Day,

Beth Orton w/Heather Woods Broderick @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.

In 1996, Beth Orton’s haunting “She Cries Your Name” seemingly came out of nowhere, announcing a songwriting talent. Her new collection of songs are described as are nothing more than her voice and a “cheap, crappy” upright piano installed in a shed in her garden.

About Orton’s that album, Weather Alive, Jon M. Gilbertson writes, she is “likely the equal of Björk or Beck. She’s just quieter,” and says of the closing track “Unwritten,” it is “an electronically enhanced folk vision of Nebraska-era Springsteen, Beth Orton matches him, Yorke, Beck, and so many others. Quietly. Not serenely.”  shepherdexpress.com/music/album-reviews/weather-alive-by-beth-orton

Saturday, Nov. 12

Family Art Saturdays @ Arts@Large, 10 a.m.

Arts@Large is a combination gallery, art space, café and performance center that provides a variety of free programs that give students and their families, teachers and the greater Milwaukee community the opportunity to interact with visual, performing, literary and multimedia artists. 

Programs are designed to meet the needs of all ages and abilities. Participants are challenged to use a variety of art forms to express themselves and share their personal stories, while examining ways to make our community an inclusive, arts-rich place to live.  For Saturday’s Family Art Space, bring the family for a low stress morning of art and creativity. Materials and guidance are provided as needed. Fun for the whole family.

Rashomon @ Avalon Theater, noon

Here is a chance to see Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece on the big screen. Based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short story, the film presents the idea of the unreliable narrator. How can several people witness and experience the same event, yet present differing stories? What do they have to gain by presenting themselves in what they perceive as the best light?

If you see it with others, set aside plenty of time afterward for discussion. You’ll need it.

Trainfest @ State Fair Park, 9 a.m.

America's largest operating train show, Trainfest, showcases the world of miniature railroading. The train show is designed for children of all ages; for modelers, collectors and enthusiasts; and for the simply curious. Trainfest features hundreds of booths of train manufacturers, train retailers, as well as huge operating exhibits, activities for kids, free seminars and educational opportunities, and much more.

Free workshops and seminars are on tap to learn things like how to build a model railroad of your own, how to use digital command control, or how to make your trains and layout look ultra-realistic.

Also Sunday. More info here: train-fest.com.

Sunday, Nov. 13

Bluegrass Sunday @ The Gig (1132 E. Wright St), 1 p.m.

The weekly bluegrass jam happens on Sundays at this cozy Riverwest neighborhood bar. All levels of talent are welcome. Bring an instrument and join in!

Monday, Nov. 14

Steven Page @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Barenaked Ladies founder Steven Page left that band in 2009 and has since released a handful of solo albums and collaborations and written musicals. He also hosted quirky Canadian reality television series, “The Illegal Eater,” which explores “clandestine dining experiences” via creative, underground and often illegal spaces around North America. Page has also shared personal stories of his struggle with mental illness. Years after writing the song “Brian Wilson,” he realized it described symptoms of his illness. During the pandemic Page performed over 80 virtual concerts. His new album Excelsior was released last month.

Tuesday, Nov. 15

“Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit” @ Jewish Museum Milwaukee, through Feb. 5

 “Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit” includes everything from 17th century Hebrew astronomy tomes to copies of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine and autographed “Star Trek” memorabilia. David Luhrssen wrote about the exhibit here: shepherdexpress.com/culture/ae-feature/new-exhibit-reaches-for-the-stars-at-jewish-museum-milwaukee. A video panel documents Hannukah with astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, the first American Jew in space, demonstrating a dreidel spinning in zero gravity.

More info here: jewishmuseummilwaukee.org.

Wednesday, Nov. 16

Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble and Steel PANthers Steel Band @ Jan Serr Studio, 7:30 p.m.

The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble and the Steel PANthers Steel Band will join forces to present a memorable evening of lively music, as the two student ensembles celebrate rich musical traditions from the Caribbean through multiple lenses. The Steel PANthers Steel Band is a steel pan ensemble that explores Trinidadian steel band music as well as classical and pop music transcriptions. The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble showcases repertoire by great Afro-Caribbean jazz composers, including Eddie Palmeri, Ray Barretto, and Chucho Valdes, alongside other jazz legends.

More info here: uwm.edu/arts/event/afro-caribbean-jazz-ensemble-and-steel-panthers-steel-band.