This Week in Milwaukee: Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2023

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

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Surf’s up in Riverwest, Brian Posehn’s stand-up comedy, the 10th Annual Larry Penn Tribute Concert, The Silos, The Commercialists: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Nov. 30

The Broken Boards @ Foundation Bar, 8 p.m.

Surf’s up in Riverwest. Hang ten and usher November out the door with Madison instrumental trio The Broken Boards.

Angel Olsen @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.

In a 2022 interview in The Believer Angel Olsen was asked if she likes touring. “No. [Laughter] But I do like the feeling of interacting with people and seeing their faces.” Influenced by her life raised by adoptive parents, an appreciation of nostalgia as well as surrealist artists, Olsen seems to be a songwriter who is only beginning to mine the vast resource of her talents.

Friday, Dec. 1

Brian Posehn @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.

Writer, actor, and comedian Brian Posehn is known from television’s“Mr. Show with Bob and David” and “The Big Bang Theory” and acclaimed stand-up specials. His comedy rock album Grandpa Metal(2020) was released to rave reviews in the metal world. 

The Rock-A-Dials w/ The Hungry Williams @ Ope! Brewing, 7 p.m.

Back in 2020 The Hungry Williams sagaciously released an EP’s worth of holiday tunes. And just like clockwork every year around this time they get to dust the songs off. Fronted by vocalist Kelli Gonzales and guided by drummer John Carr, the jump blues and swinging R&B combo with a New Orleans flavor defines the cliché, “If you aren’t moving, check your pulse.” The Rock-A-Dials formed in the early ‘80s to play a style of American roots created in the ‘50s. The band’s recent and welcome return via some kind of time machine guarantees a night of energy.

Saturday, Dec. 2

Milwaukee Zappafest XXV @ Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, 7 p.m.

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America's longest running Frank Zappa tribute concert is back for its 25th anniversary. Headliners Gozortenplat are fresh off a performance at the German Zappanale (which debuted in 1990), Dr. Chow’s Love Medicine, the Milwaukee band that helped kick off the whole shebang two and a half decades ago and kept it alive through its infant years are back. The Mirror Men open the evening with a set of music by Zappa’s teenage buddy Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.

No Quarter@ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Get the led out indeed. No Quarter will perform albums Led Zeppelin III and Houses of the Holy made famous by the post-Yardbirds beat combo, named by The Who drummer Keith Moon. Expect the evening to range from the acoustic stylings of III to the reggae vamp of “D’yer Mak’er” to the faux funk of “The Crunge.”

Sunday, Dec. 3

10th Annual Larry Penn Tribute Concert @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., 3 p.m.

Join the all-star cast of local, regional and national acts to join together once again for the annual celebration of the late Milwaukee songwriting legend Larry Penn and his incredible body of song, story and lore. This year’s lineup includes: Tom Webber and Barb Webber, Ruth and Carl Sandy Stehling, Lil' Rev and Jim Eannelli and Lonesome John Stano.

Monday, Dec. 4

The Commercialists: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” @ Bradley Symphony Center, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Good Grief! The Commercialists bring their annual holiday tradition to the Bradley Symphony Center for a pair of performances. Sit right on the stage as you experience a live performance of Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, complete with bar service and festive seasonal beverages. Usher in the holiday season with the familiar tunes from everyone's favorite holiday soundtrack, plus the vocal styling of local jazz singer Donna Woodall. Tip: Enter off Second Street for a unique speak-easy experience.

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Vaughan Larsen: “Everything I Could Ever Want” @ MOWA-DTN, through Jan. 14, 2024.

Various exuberant and fertile tendrils snake through Vaughan Larsen’s exhibition “Everything I Could Ever Want,” on view at MOWA-DTN through Jan. 14, 2024 (shepherdexpress.com/culture/visual-art/vaughan-larsen-everything-i-could-ever-want). Shane McAdams writes, Literally, the show is backdropped by their own fetching hand-designed, vegetal-patterned wallpaper, against which plays out a frolicking exploration of identity in the form of photographic portraiture. Within the socio-political landscape of 2023, this verdant visual display might be read from the outset as anything from postmodern social politics to pre-Adamic innocence, though the longer one remains in Larsen’s garden, the more natural it all seems.

Wednesday, Dec. 6

A Benefit Concert to End Gun Violence @ The Bend Theater (111 N. Main St., West Bend), 6:30 p.m.

Join Stuart Stotts (folk songwriter, storyteller and author), O’Darby Irish Pub Band’s traditional Irish pub songs, ballads and humor, Acme Fiddling Company and bluegrass group Pickin' Up Speed Bluegrass Band featuring Poul and Linda Sandersen for an evening of music to end the epidemic of gun violence. Hosted by the Washington County Democratic Party. More info: facebook.com/photo/?fbid=698307882330658.

The Silos @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., 7 p.m.

Renaissance man Walter Salas-Humara has been a frequent visitor to Milwaukee clubs over the years. From The Silos to The Setters to an ever-morphing solo career the songwriter has been at it since the ‘80s. In recent years Salas-Humara has been putting his art degree to use, gaining notoriety for his paintings.