This Week in MKE Music: April 9-15, 2026

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

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This Week in MKE Music

ZETI, Cello Madness 2026 - The Belle Weather w/ Cel Canto, Yonat Piva, Throwing Muses w/ Louie and the Flashbombs, Erik Koskinen w/ Long Mama, Horse Vision w /Lipsticism and Gem Fumigation Spa and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, April 9

ZETI @ The Jazz Estate, 7 p.m.

Margaret Stutt recalls a lighthouse beaming into her window when she was a kid. Racine’s Wind Point lighthouse has literal meaning for here and is apt metaphor. She knows what it is like to have to “build your own light in the dark.”

These days she offers her art to be a beacon, kind of a lighthouse for things we experience personally and universally. Her Zen practice and the “rich soul” of a minimalist music approach to music has “really sunk into my pores.”

Before the pandemic Stutt navigated some challenges. Having previously released music as Pezzettino, Stutt played Sugar Maple as ZETI in 2012. The EP It is What it is – Prevail is the first release in more than a decade from ZETI, and the first music that Stutt has released under any name since 2020.

“The real reason I want to play The Estate is the grand piano. It’s a listening room.” She says the set will be a mix of new material and minimalist, spare pieces and pop radio songs. “I’m interested in quiet spaces where I’m not fighting over the bar or people chatting.”

Friday, April 10

Cello Madness 2026 - The Belle Weather w/ Cel Canto @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting, 6:30 p.m.

Drawing from influences across modern folk, indie rock, and alternative music, The Belle Weather fuses acoustic guitars, upright bass and richly layered strings with passionate vocals and dynamic energy. Their music moves effortlessly between quiet, reflective moments and expansive anthems, carrying audiences through stories of love, loss, hope and resilience.

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Cel Canto presents an exciting and genre-spanning concert celebrating the expressive power and versatility of the cello quartet. This dynamic variety program brings together masterworks of the classical tradition, early music treasures and imaginative arrangements drawn from opera, film, video games and popular music.

The first part of the program explores the rich depth of the classical repertoire. The ensemble performs the monumental D Minor Chaconne by Johann Sebastian Bach, originally written for solo violin and transformed into a powerful four-cello arrangement by László Varga. The program also features two sweeping operatic arias by Richard Wagner, alongside a fascinating musical comparison of how different composers interpret the timeless title “Ave Maria.” Audiences will also hear vibrant early music selections by composers such as Henry Purcell and Giovanni Gabrieli highlighting the historical roots of ensemble string playing.

Cel Canto shifts gears with a lively celebration of modern influences and crossover styles. Expect music inspired by films, video games, tangos and rhumbas, and iconic pop, rock and heavy metal hits — with arrangements ranging from The Beatles and The Legend of Zelda to Metallica and The Beach Boys. This eclectic mix showcases the cello’s remarkable ability to move seamlessly between centuries and styles.

New Jazz Underground @ Marcus Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

New Jazz Underground is setting a new standard for the future of jazz. This trio, comprised of Abdias Armenteros, Sebastian Rios and TJ Reddick, has earned acclaim for their distinctive approach, establishing themselves as a defining voice in jazz and beyond.

Blending deep jazz traditions with modern influences from swing, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, house and Afrobeat, the group creates a dynamic and electrifying sound.

Graduates of The Juilliard School and rising stars in the jazz world, they’ve earned major accolades, including the 2023 DCJazzPrix™ and the 2024 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.

Yonat Piva @ Bar Centro, 8 p.m.

Drawing from the wells of jazz, blues, experimental indie and world music, Yonat Piva blends a distinctive voice that ranges from sultry to fierce, driving bass and electronic layers under blues-infused guitar.

Saturday, April 11

Throwing Muses w/ Louie and the Flashbombs @ Shank Hall, Noon

Formed in the early ‘80s, Throwing Muses were at the artistic edge of alternative music. With a discography that numbers in the dozens, Kristin Hersh—solo and with Throwing Muses, has followed her own muse. These days her son Dylan has joined her on bass along with longtime collaborator Fred Abong and cellist Pete Harvey.

How does her songwriting happen today compared to the 4AD years?

“I used to think songs were evil spirits,” Hersh says, “ now I just think they’re spirits—the only evil music is uninspired product the industry just calls “music.”

“Real songs want to breathe, so the energy I feel in the room before I give it a sound body—the thing that used to freak me out so much—I now just see as kind of a hover soul, wanting to hang out. A teammate,” she says.

“My stuff has never been shallow, but at first, it kind of fell off an art cliff. I learned that my role is to sculpt and edit—to produce—while keeping my ‘self’ out of the process. Tricky when all the work is autobiographical!

But I respect my songs like I respect my sons. Very similar, actually, raising children and writing songs. Both demand that you facilitate their idiosyncrasy, their fingerprints.

Lost Orange Cat w/ Cozy Danger @ Linnemann’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m.

Lost Orange Cat’s energetic live performance brings elements of classic rock, outlaw country, psychedelic blues, and a hint of bluegrass—call it “Folk N’ Roll.”

Cozy Danger is the surf garage passion project of Jake Brandt, Chris Vertovec and Phil Gieschen. Born from the bend of Milwaukee’s indie rock scene, their jangly brand of surf garage teeters between surf driven garage pop, funk-tinged rock and smiley punk.

Little Blue Crunchy Things  @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 6:30 p.m.

For the second half of the ‘90s Little Blue Crunchy Things were among the bands that kept Milwaukee on the music industry map. LBCT had a good run from 1992 through 2000, releasing CDs, touring the Upper Midwest, even playing New York’s Knitting Factory. And the crowd-slamming excitement they generated never entirely dissipated. This reunion evening kicks off with a screening of the documentary film Florence.

David Wilcox @ Unitarian Church North (13800 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon), 7:30 p.m.

David Wilcox has long been a quiet force in American folk music; a musician’s musician, a writer’s writer, and a seeker whose gift lies in making the personal feel universal.

With the release of The Way I Tell the Story, Wilcox proves that resilience isn’t just a survival skill—it’s an art form. The record shimmers with musical sophistication but leaves just enough space for the listener to feel what Wilcox has always done best: tell the truth, gently but without apology.

Sunday, April 12

Erik Koskinen w/ Long Mama @ The Cooperage, 3 p.m.

Before the pandemic these artists played a memorable song swap at Circle A; an evening of sold souls in an intimate setting. Erik Koskinen’s rough-hewn songs have been digging in with listeners for a while now with songs that echo the next generation carrying on from Greg Brown and Bo Ramsey. His confederates in Long Mama share a similar point of view—telling real stories that resonate with music that shakes with a visceral familiarity.

Strike the Runway – Riverwest Radio Benefit @ Falcon Bowl MKE, 6 p.m.

Produced by The WALKee Way and supported by JulieAnn, this fashion show fundraiser will feature three local designers, vendors, and a runway show, with proceeds benefiting Riverwest Radio.

Pat Metheny @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.

Side-Eye III+, the latest evolution of Metheny's Side-Eye project - a concept he first introduced to showcase the next generation of exceptional young musicians who have come onto his radar in recent years. The album features Metheny alongside Chris Fishman on keyboards and Joe Dyson on drums, the trio at the heart of the Side-Eye ensemble that has toured extensively worldwide.

Metheny explains, “Once I got in the studio with the guys, I realized that while the trio concept was perfect for us as a live ensemble, the music I had written was asking for something bigger. That is where the ‘+’ in Side-Eye III+ comes in. I ended up adding fifteen other musicians to the trio — expanding the sonic world of the record far beyond what we had done before.”

Recorded in the studio, Side-Eye III+ brings together an additional cast of musicians including bassist Daryl Johns, harpist Brandee Younger, percussionist Luis Conte, and a vocal ensemble led by Mark Kibble of Take 6, creating a richly layered and expansive musical landscape.

“He brought in an incredible group of singers,” Metheny said of Kibble, “and together, we found a sound that has a relationship to the Gospel tradition, but I think most people will hear the kinds of harmonies and melodies that identify it as mine right away.”

The Silos w/The Carolinas @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

By now Walter Salas-Humara has earned status an honorary Milwaukeean. His artwork hangs on the walls of homes; he stays with longtime fans who became close friends. Just as impressive, his songwriting has evolved and gained gravitas while never losing sight of humor since his first stop in town.

On Christmas Day 2024, the Silos offered an unexpected present via Bandcamp to Milwaukee music fans from the band’s (and city’s) distant past: Live at The Toad Café, 1988.

The 12-track live album gloriously captures the New York City rock band toward the end of its first national tour amid a relentless stretch that saw the Silos do 75 shows in 90 days as they sought to promote 1987’s Cuba.

Another memorable show at Pont’s East found the recently departed Jon Dee Graham join the Silos, adding shards of blistering lead guitar to the set.

Lead singer and group founder Walter Salas-Humara, who has kept the Silos going through the years with many different lineups, will bring the band to Shank Hall on Sunday as the group celebrates its 40th anniversary and the release of the new album Everything.

Monday, April 13

Horse Vision w /Lipsticism and Gem Fumigation Spa @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

With the release of their 13-track album Another Life, Horse Vision conglomerates a distinct selection of acoustic instruments and their synthesized counterparts; the acoustic guitar and its synthetic equivalent, the recorded vocal and the vocaloid – weaving a musical landscape that is at once sincere and strangely familiar.

Lipsticism is the electronic dream pop/ ambient house solo project of musician and producer Alana Schachtel. Because of her background in dance, she began writing music by imagining choreography and creating the rhythms and melodies to match.

Tuesday, April 14

414 Day – City Hall and other locations

Free pretzels, breakfast burritos and coffee. That’s what you can expect for the seventh annual flag drop this 414 Day 2026 at City Hall. “There's nothing more real and honest than bread. It's solid. It's reliable. It's a friend. And in pretzel form, it's fun for everyone,” says 414 Milwaukee owner, Fred Gillich.

More events here www.milwaukeeday.com

Phill Smith w/ Pedro M. Gutierrez and Phill, Pedro, and John Larkin @ MKeUltra, 6:45 p.m.

Here’s a midweek show to challenge your musical boundaries. Phill Smith-drums and laptop, Pedro M. Gutierrez-electric piano and Phill, Pedro and John Larkin improvise as a trio.

Wednesday, April 15

High Desert Queen w/ Gran Moreno, Shadows Taller Than Souls and Ashamed @ X-Ray Arcade

High Desert Queen draws from an eclectic backdrop of influences ranging from Kyuss and Alice in Chains to Queens of the Stone Age by way of Tom Waits and The Allman Brothers Band. Referencing “a sound that takes listeners on a journey across the open road, from the badlands of Big Bend all the way to Joshua Tree,” certainly gets the right kind of attention.