This Week in Milwaukee: Oct. 13-19, 2022

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Outdoor events at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and Lincoln Park, a visit from New Orleans’ Alex McMurray, The Music of David Lynch, Robyn Pluer, Eric Blowtorch, the return of John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, Trashfest and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Oct. 13

Flight Night @ Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (1111 E. Brown Deer Road), 6 p.m.

Flight Night returns. Spend a fall evening with Milwaukee craft breweries and meet some birds of prey. This event supports the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Raptor Program, which was founded to help educate the public about these dynamic birds and their importance in our environment. Today, 15 birds of prey live at and are cared for by Schlitz Audubon.

Sample seasonal, specialty, and local beers in a Schlitz Audubon tasting glass while talking with brewery representatives from Black Husky Brewing, Component Brewing, Good City Brewing, MobCraft and Sahale Ale Works. Enjoy the Center’s Great Hall ambiance at this tasting event, and meet some birds, including owls, falcons, hawks and even a bald eagle.

Stop back on Sunday for Species Spooktacular. This 10 a.m. outdoor event is a chance to learn about some of nature’s spooky and misunderstood animals. Wear your Halloween costume to participate in a nature-themed scavenger hunt around the new ponds and along wooded and prairie-lined trails. Go at your own pace on this self-guided adventure filled with engaging activities. At the end of the scavenger hunt, children receive a sweet treat.

More info here: schlitzaudubon.org/calendar.

Friday, Oct. 14

Supersuckers @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Since 1988, the Supersuckers have plied their brand of scorched-earth rock and roll (with a nod to country) with attitude to spare. Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister said, “If you don’t like the Supersuckers, you don’t like Rock-N-Roll.” They collaborated with Willie Nelson, Steve Earle and Eddie Vedder. In 2015, leader Eddie Spaghetti recovered from a cancer diagnosis and the band remains as vital as ever, releasing Play That Rock -N- Roll in 2020.

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Robin Pluer Quartet @ Bar Centro, 8 p.m.

Robin Pluer fronts this group made up of Juli Wood, Peter Roller and Guy Fiorentini. Among them there is plenty of history—expect a mix of fun and serious musicianship. Don’t expect musical genres to remain intact.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Eric Blowtorch and the Bodyguards @ Fondy Farmers Market (2200 W. Fond du Lac Ave.), 10 a.m.

The 105-year-old Fondy Farmers Market supports local farmers and celebrates local food traditions. With more than 40 farmers and local food producers, it is Milwaukee’s largest and most diverse market.

In June, Eric Blowtorch and the Bodyguards released a 45 RPM collaboration with members of Fishbone: shepherdexpress.com/music/album-reviews/too-many-dues-bw-mercy-by-norwood-angelo-chris-meet-eric.

Tenacious and ambitious, Blowtorch’s previous release was the three LP, 36 song set Quality Items that included “reggae, including a dub version or two, ska, a kind of acoustic rocksteady number, soul and funk filtered through rock‘n’roll, a bossa nova, a kind of Brazilian disco thing, a few jazzy numbers including two big-band ballads and some mongrelizations …” shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/eric-blowtorch-and-the-inflammables-go-extra-rounds-on-ambit

Alex McMurray w/Still No Tomatoes @ Tonic Tavern, 6 p.m.

Here is an unexpected treat. New Orleans songwriter, singer and guitarist Alex McMurray has played with Tin Men, The Valparaiso Men's Chorus, The Write Brothers, Royal Fingerbowl, 007 and more. Stylistically, Tom Waits might be the easy refence point, but songwriters like Greg Brown and Chris Smither come to mind as well. His recent album, The Recent Future, is another chapter in a discography of over 20 releases.

Trashfest 2022 @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.

In 1964 Marshall McLuhan proclaimed, "The medium is the message." At Trashfest shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/trashfest-2022-a-tradition-in-art-and-culture-continues the medium and the message is trash. “Nobody’s Got Talent” is the motto for the annual event where parody, satire and wit collide with serious musicianship and brain power. Since 1984, Trashfest has refused to take anything seriously—except not taking things seriously. This year’s lineup includes: Nervis Virgins, Dick Taste (Like Frito), The Supremes Court, DB Fox, Atheists & Airplanes, Loving Lolly, The Ray Sisters, High Wizzzard, Trash Deco and Anson Obvious & the Uncomfortable Moments.

Sunday, Oct. 16

“Fish, Animals, Plants, People!” @ Lincoln Park (Lincoln Park boat launch, 4950 N Milwaukee River Pkwy.), 10 a.m.

Mni Wiconi, the Lakota phrase meaning “Water is life,” is more important than ever: shepherdexpress.com/news/features/equal-access-to-milwaukees-waters.

The Waterway Restoration Partnership is a group of long-standing, trusted partners in the community who have been working together for years to improve water quality in the area. This free family fun event offers a chance to learn about the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern, hear updates on projects planned for Lincoln Park Oxbow, Estabrook Falls, Kletzsch Dam Fish Passage, Havenwoods State Forest, and the Milwaukee River Greenway.

You can also paddle a canoe/kayak with Nearby Nature Milwaukee, hike and learn about plants with River Revitalization Foundation. More info here: mkewaterwaypartners.org/oct22-habitat.

Inside a Dream: The Music of David Lynch @ The Cooperage, 6 p.m.

A friend swears he saw David Lynch coming out of Omega Restaurant on 27th Street. Apocryphal? Perhaps. But Lynch filmed part of The Straight Story in Wisconsin and once shared a vacation home in Madison … and Omega serves pie and coffee. This event features live music with eight-piece band and visuals inspired from a selection of his famous work. Here is a chance to sonically venture into the mind of one of the greatest auteurs of our time. Featuring music from Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Twin Peaks and more.

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt @ The Pabst Theater. 8 p.m.

In 2007 Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett played the Pabst. When Lovett’s turn came up, he remarked that they were seated alphabetically. “I’m last and I feel like L,” he quipped. His catalog blends country, folk and jazz for songs that come off like character studies, laid all the more bare without the backing of his Large Band.

Hiatt’s songs share Lovett’s balance of humanity and wit. He has been long known around these parts, going back to the days when he recruited Milwaukee-bred bassist Howie Epstein and Appleton’s Doug Yankus on lead guitar. Hiatt’s Nashville-by-way-of-Indianapolis pedigree might easily pass for anywhere funky in the deep South.