This Week in MKE Music: Aug. 14-20, 2025

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

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This Week in MKE Music

Outdoor festivals, weekly park concerts, world class clubs and theaters, adventurous radio—Milwaukee’s musical riches offer a bounty of choices.

This week is no exception. A memorial for Nate Rader, Irish Fest Julian Lage, SLM reunites, Outer Limits Duo, Sleepersound, Rory Block, America and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Nate Rader

Thursday, Aug. 14

Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen by Sahan Jayasuriya @ Boswell Book Company, 6:30 p.m.

Sahan Jayasuriya was born too late to see Milwaukee’s Die Kreuzen play live. So, he did the next best thing: he wrote a book about the band, Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen.  Jayasuriya and Die Kreuzen bassist Keith Brammer will chat about the book at this event. More info here boswellbooks.com/event/2025-08-14/sahan-jayasuriya-author

Irish Fest @ Henry Maier Festival Park, through Sunday

Irish Fest offers over 100 music and cultural acts across 18 stages, from traditional Irish to indie rock. Food, shopping and a Sunday mass, Liturgy for Peace and Justice.

Music from Atlantic Wave, Conor Mallon Unearthed, Trad Rave Irish Dance Party with SuperCéilí, Milwaukee Irish Dance, Sean-nós dancing with Caoimhe Ní Mhaolagáin, Fiddler of Oriel Winner: Maebh McGlinchey, Frogwater and plenty more.

America: The Encore Tour 2025 @ Riverside Theater, 7 p.m.

On their way to becoming a global household name, America's journey found them exploring a wide variety of musical terrain. Their best-known tunes which include “A Horse With No Name,” “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don't Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People,” and “Sister Golden Hair” were cornerstones of 1970's Top 40 and FM rock radio. Yet beyond their impressive catalog of hits, listeners would discover there was always much more to America than surface perceptions.

The combination of melodic pop rock and folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with other more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.

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Friday, Aug. 15

Julian Lage @ Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.

Hailed as one of the most prodigious guitarists of his generation and “highest category of improvising musicians” (New Yorker), Julian Lage has spent more than a decade exploring American music history with impeccable technique, curiosity and a sense of infinite possibility. Alongside his acclaimed solo work, Lage has collaborated with Gary Burton, John Zorn, Nels Cline, Chris Eldridge and Fred Hersch, among others.

“There’s a disarming spirit of generosity in the musicianship of Julian Lage … a guitarist with roots tangled up in jazz, folk, classical and country music….”—New York Times.

SLM Reunion @ Nashville North, 8 p.m.

With bassist Zach Steiner back in town from the Netherlands, SLM is reuniting. This will be a special show with Antonio Ninham on drums, and Milwaukee’s original Saxsquash Matt Ostlund on sax. If you only know multi-instrumentalist Don Woppert from Nashville North’s weekly open jams, here is a rare chance to catch the group stretching out on an evening’s wapatui batch of original material.

Outer Limits Duo @ Bar Centro, 8 p.m.

In a week overflowing with live music, this might be the pick of the bunch. Drummer Kim Zick and saxophonist Juli Wood have performed together over the years in many configurations. As the Outer Limits Duo, the Mrs. Fun drummer and onetime R&B Cadets saxophonist (living now in Chicago) ventures to places explored by jazz avant-gardists such as Archie Schepp and Max Roach in a relentless sonic assault.

Their new album, Carnival of Souls, was recorded last year at Milwaukee’s DV Studio with Zick’s partner in Mrs. Fun, Connie Grauer, producing. Carnival of Souls includes nine live improvisations by Zick and Wood plus renditions of three Grauer compositions, including “Judy,” “Cecil’s Waterfowl Ranch” and the melodically gorgeous “Zoila,” which suggests something Henry Mancini might have written for a film that audiences never saw.

Saturday, Aug. 16

Center Street Daze Festival @ Center Street , 11 a.m.

The annual street festival includes a cart race, yard games at The Uptowner, food, vendors, a car show and over 30 musical acts with stages sponsored by Bar Centro, High Dive, Quarters, The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, Club Timbuktu and The Uptowner. Artists include Bits of Buena, Kabillo live drums (From Senegal), Mosh Wah, Rabid Wreck, Mosleys 2.0 featuring Robbie Gjersoe, Stephen Hull with the Wilsons, Big Style Brass Band and more.

Alyssa Allgood @ The Estate, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

Milwaukee Jazz Institute presents two performances by Chicago vocalist Alyssa Allgood with Tom Vaitsas piano. Allgood is a fearless vocalist known for her confident musical interaction, fierce improvisation, and vulnerable expression. Downbeat magazine has praised her “boldness, swagger, and surefooted musicianship” while the New York City Jazz Record has recognized her “force, clarity, and jazz integrity.”

Sleepersound w/ Deep Tunnel Project,  Human Ant Farm and Glowingtide @ X-Ray Arcade

Currently a trio, Sleepersound’s latest album My Own Dead Love, is an ideal soundtrack for our troubled times. While the band claims the record tells a love story, it also conveys the ravages of mental illness (“Tread Down”), the fear of abandonment (“Embers”) and the pursuit of redemption (“Certain Beasts”).

According to Sleepersound’s Dan Niedziejko, this will be Chicago group Deep Tunnel Project’s first Milwaukee (or Cudahy) appearance; the group’s roots trail back to AmRep and Touch and Go record labels—which is enough of a recommendation. Milwaukee post-grunge shoegazers Human Ant Farm and Glowingtide’s “confused Midwest loud rock” round out the evening.

Sunday, Aug. 17

Nate-Raser @ Creed's Foggy Dew (3672 S. Kansas Ave.), St. Francis, 2 p.m.

“He was a grumpy guy—maybe born saying ‘Get off my lawn!’ But he was endlessly kind and devilishly funny,” is how Cass Gleisner recalls Nate Rader, who passed away on August 9. Gleisner has put together this event to benefit Rader’s family. Rader, who was heavily involved in the annual Strummerfest concert that celebrated Joe Strummer and the Clash, was also a film maven. He “could name a movie made in the ‘30s in minutes,” Gleisner said.

The celebration will include food, tattoos, a memorial t-shirt and a DJ spinning Rader’s favorites. Live music will include Jourdain LaFrombois, Stacks Edward, Chris Tishler and Brian Kasprzak, The Dirty Sweet and Clove.

August 17

Rory Block @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

At age 15, blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Rory Block’s early lessons came from learning directly from Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt. Early on she mingled in the NYC Greenwich Village scene with the likes of Bob Dylan and Maria Muldaur.

Monday, Aug. 18

Musical Mondays - Laura Rain and The Caesars @ Lake Park (2975 N. Lake Park Rd.), 6:30 p.m.

A proud product of the Motor City, hard-driving singer Laura Rain and her hot band pump out soul, R&B and funk originals recalling the many greats hailing from Detroit, with fearless emotion and excitement.

Tuesday, Aug. 19

Chill on the Hill – Cozy Danger w/ Lauryl Sulfate @ Humboldt Park Band Shell, 5 p.m.

Cozy Danger, the surf garage passion project of Jake Brandt, Chris Vertovec and Phil Gieschen, released the album Orange Feels last year; it was the follow up the band’s Yeah No for Sure EP. When vocalist and drummer Jake Brandt transformed his kit into an unconventional standing style the change propelled what was an already up-tempo show into another gear.

Back in 2022 dance pop group Lauryl Sulfate were part of the Musicians for Reproductive Rights gang that told the Supreme Court, Oh SCOTUS, Up Yours! More recently the group were include on the Notes From the Underground Vol. 1 Milwaukee collection.

Wednesday, Aug. 20

Railing Unveiling @ Cactus Club, 4 p.m.

You have to admit Railing Unveiling would be a cool band name, but this really is just that. Cactus Club’s mission goes beyond that of a music club and this project is part of the philosophy that “Accessibility improvements enhance our collective quality of life.” The 140-year-old legendary Bay View music venue and community space has worked to make it compliant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A free, all ages talk with mosaic artist Kate Klingbeil will be facilitated by Kelsey Kaufmann at 6 p.m. Free guacamole and chips from @fridascocina, while supplies last. Queer Karaoke kicks off at 8 p.m.