This Week in Milwaukee: Sept. 21-27, 2023

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

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Doors Open, Hip Hop returns to the Wicked Hop, Milwaukee Astronomical Society’s Open House, Nick Cave solo and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Sept. 21

Daisychain w/ Tigera and Atheists and Airplanes @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.

Daisychain’s dynamic soundscape harkens back to the classic rock bands of the 1960s and ‘70s, a unique blend of blues and psych-rock. Tigera takes inspiration from the forerunners of the garage rock revival of the early ‘00s and pop rock outfits of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Tigera has developed a unique sound that flirts with danceable disco-adjacent grooves and over-the-top rock machismo. Atheists and Airplanes’ influences include classic rock, blues, grunge and existentialist philosophy to create music that is part noise, part Nietzsche.

Quies Terry, GP El Magico and Faded Francis at Wicked Hop, 9 p.m. 

Three Wisconsin hip hop acts will take over the Jackalope Lounj side of The Wicked Hop in the Third Ward for a free showcase concert. Milwaukee’s Quies Terry headlines, with a set of material from this past January’s Arts And Crafts, supported by South Side standout GP El Magico and Madison’s Faded Francis. Topher will spin records between sets. This is the first of a regular hip hop series at the venue from Milwaukee's Breaking and Entering: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=799411272186707&set=gm.853623972455181

Friday, Sept. 22

Misha Siegfried Art Opening @ Amaranth Bakery & Café, 3 p.m.

Musician and visual artist Misha Siegfried’s 3D caricatures of local musicians. “This project is a loving tribute to Milwaukee blues and jazz musicians. Some of these are folks I’ve played with over the years, some of them are personal heroes. But all of them have played a role in my life and in the story of Milwaukee’s vibrant music scene,” said Siegfried. Stop in for the live remote broadcast with WMSE’s Sonia’s Blues Drive.

Open House @ Milwaukee Astronomical Society (18850 Observatory Rd., New Berlin), 6:30 p.m.

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Stop by the Milwaukee Astronomical Society for a night under the stars, an open house and a presentation on the moon. Larger planets like Jupiter and Saturn will also be entering a good viewing position and volunteers will be aiming our observatory telescopes for optimal summer nebulas and galaxies. More info at facebook.com/events/624740523057579.

Tim Schweiger & The Middle Men w/ Trolley @ Circle A, 8 p.m.

Circle A will be missed, but here is another reason to be cheerful. A double bill of pop that rocks or rock that pops. A rare appearance by Trolly, who have been recording their next chapter and Tim Schweiger & The Middle Men (shepherdexpress.com/music/artists-beating-covid-19/tim-schweiger-glances-back-with-reissue-album). Here’s hoping for new material from both acts.

Saturday, Sept. 23

Jones Island Fest @ Kaszube’s Park, noon

It might get crowded real quick. The “world’s smallest beer festival” (probably) includes food from Crafty Cow, and Jones Island Polish Pale Ale from Torzala Brewing Co.

Third Space Brewing 7th Anniversary Party, noon

Celebrate the 7th Anniversary of Third Space Brewing in partnership with YMCA Camp Minikani. Food trucks, beer releases and music from Big Style Brass Band, TAE, Ladybird, Steph Lippert Project, Moonglow, Derek Pritzl and Dig Deep.

Doors Open 2023 @ various locations, also Sunday

Over 130 buildings open their doors, from Basilica of St. Josaphat to Falcon Bowl, from Garage at The Harley-Davidson Museum to the Milwaukee Manhole at West Michigan Street, between Plankinton and Second Street. The program aims to not only raise awareness and appreciation of Milwaukee’s architecture and built environment, but also help protect the diversity of income, culture, race, and ethnicity that make neighborhoods livable for everyone. More info at historicmilwaukee.org/doors-open.

Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu - “We Must Ask Again, Where to Now, Community or Chaos?” @ First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, 3 p.m.

Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Rev. Desmond Tutu, in her lecture titled “We Must Ask Again, Where to Now, Community or Chaos?” will share her thoughts about diversity’s strength and beauty. 

Tutu grew up in South Africa and divided her life between the U.S. and South Africa. After working as a development consultant, and race and gender activist, she accepted her call to ministry. Tutu’s lecture title is inspired by the title of Martin Luther King’s final book, We Must Ask Again, Where to Now, Community or Chaos? Where Do We Go from Here was King’s analysis of the state of American race relations and the movement after a decade of U.S. civil rights struggles.

Sunday, Sept. 24

Harbor Fest @ Milwaukee Harbor District (600 E. Greenfield Ave.), 11 a.m.

Celebrate everything water, fish, and boats with a boat parade, Sturgeonfest, music from Caché MKE and David HB Drake, Ballet Folklórico Xanharati and more. Info here: harbordistrict.org/harbor-fest.

All-Ages Battle of the Bands Fundraiser for Girls Rock MKE @ X-Ray Arcade, 3 p.m.

Local musicians are campaigning to help Girls Rock MKE raise enough funds to continue operations in 2024. This friendly Battle of the Bands competition will include 20-minute sets from Lauryl Sulfate & Her Ladies of Leisure, Panko Stankhole, June Gloom, Araelee Berberbaby and Ali J. Attendees will be able to vote for their favorite artist. More info at girlsrockmke.org/battle/info.

Monday, Sept. 25

“Pause/Connect” at Warehouse Art Museum (1635 W. St Paul Ave.) 

“Pause/Connect” is an unconventionally arranged exhibition of some 80 photographs from private collections, plus five videos. Work from 16 nations is represented with a time frame spanning 1910 through the present. (shepherdexpress.com/culture/visual-art/photography-exhibit-insists-its-time-to-pause-connect)

The exhibit is not arranged chronologically, nationally or biographically, but thematically. “Pause/Connect” refers to the thought that occurs even when catching a moment on the fly and especially when the photograph results from a plan.

Tuesday, Sept. 26

Uncle Lucius @Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Five years ago, it seemed like Uncle Lucius had run its course. They had torn a swath out of the Texas roots music scene over a 13-year run, worn out five vans and recorded four albums, and grown a reputation at home and abroad. Long-time fans were certain they’d be a massive global hit. The only question was when. Growing families demanded their fathers’ attention, and years of touring started to feel like circles around a drain. The tide went out, and they folded up their sails.

The audience had other ideas. Interest in the band continued to grow during their absence from the touring circuit. Pro athletes used their songs for walk on music, and top-rated television shows featured their music during pivotal scenes. “We should have broken up years ago,” they joked.

Wednesday, Sept. 27

Nick Cave @ Riverside Theater., 7 p.m.

Songwriter Nick Cave’s self-destructive lifestyle decades ago in bands The Birthday Party (shepherdexpress.com/film/reviews/punk-rocks-birthday-party-breaks-the-limits-in-mutiny-in-he) and The Bad Seeds hardly suggested he’d one day be honored with the Order of Australia Officer and the Royal Society of Literature (AO FRSL) for “distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or humanity at large.” While he’s gone on to become a novelist and playwright, Cave is best known for the depth of his lyrics—referring to his songs as “little dangerous bombs of truth.” His concerts, conflagrations really, ultimately are exchanges of energy between performer and audience.

Baba Commandant w/Luma Knotty @ Turner Hall, 7 p.m.

Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band are a contemporary group from Burkina Faso. Coming from Bobo-Dioulasso, the group is steeped in the Mandingue musical traditions of their ancestral legacy. The enigmatic lead singer Baba Commandant (Mamadou Sanou) is an original and eccentric character who is well respected in the Burkinabé musical community. 

A sort of punk Faso Dan Fani activist for traditional Mandingo music, Baba continues to redefine the boundaries between traditional and modern. In 1981, he joined the Koule Dafourou troupe as a dancer. Later, he embarked on his current musical direction as a singer first in Dounia and then in the Afromandingo Band.