This Week in MKE Music Aug. 6-12, 2026

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

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This Week in MKE Music

Wisconsin State Fair, Daniel Villarreal w/ Gabe Hammer Organ Trio, Third Ward Moon Festival, Voices for Voces Benefit Show, Circle Jerks x Repo Man, Los Mitoteros and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music.

Thursday, Aug. 6

Daniel Villarreal w/ Gabe Hammer Organ Trio @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 7:30 p.m.

Daniel Villarreal has collaborated with an impressive list of musicians:  Jeff Parker, Anna Butterss, Joe Chambers, Neal Francis, Mary Lattimore, Marshall Allen of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Charlie Hall of The War on Drugs, and cellist Leyla McCalla.

One look at the overlapping Venn diagram of musical styles the drummer, percussionist, and composer navigates reveals an artist who thrives across genres. In his case, the idea that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” feels especially apt. A multi-stylistic drummer, Villarreal moves fluidly from psychedelia and jazz to Latin rock, fusion to funk, blues to ballads, and salsa to soul, always creating something singular each time he performs or records.

Goo Goo Dolls Summer Tour 2026 w/ Neon Trees @ BMO Pavilion, Henry Maier Festival Park, 6 p.m.

According to legend, Goo Goo Dolls picked their name from a True Detective magazine ad for a toy. John Rzeznik said he didn’t remember how they picked the name. He said the band had a gig and had to come up with some kind of a name just to play the show. Some four decades founding members Rzeznik and Robby Takac were stuck with a name and a career in music.

Wisconsin State Fair, through Aug. 16

With dozens of free stages, plus the State Fair Main Stage, music and entertainment is everywhere at the Wisconsin State Fair. Nelly, Wynonna Judd & Melissa Etheridge and The Isley Brothers with The Commodores are among the headliners The Bank Five Nine Main Stage, located on the historic Milwaukee Mile Speedway.

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While you can’t turn a corner without running into a racing pig, a prize goat or a blue-ribbon quilt there’s plenty of music on free stages: State Fair mainstay Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience starring Robert Neary with special guest Claire Sardina, Here Come the Mummies, Vern & the Originals, Radio, Radio and Shattered: A Rolling Stones Tribute.  More info here https://wistatefair.com/fair/home/

Friday, Aug. 7

Third Ward Moon Festival @ Catalano Square, through Sunday

In honor of the Historic Third Ward Association’s 50th anniversary, the Third Ward Moon Festival will transform the neighborhood into a luminous, open-air celebration of art, community, and creativity. Over three days, the district will become an immersive experience where historic charm meets contemporary expression—blending large-scale public art, live entertainment, wellness, and local culture into one unforgettable weekend.

The festival is anchored by Museum of the Moon, an installation by UK artist Luke Jerram that has captivated more than 30 million people worldwide. The 23-foot illuminated sculpture, created using high-resolution NASA imagery and paired with a surrounding sound experience, brings a detailed and immersive representation of the moon into the heart of the neighborhood.

The event will fill the Third Ward with live music. Friday promises Milwaukee’s Hittaz Drum Line, and a medley of moon-themed songs from Skylight Music Theatre. DJ Kenny Perez, band Wisconsin Space Program, Edessa School of Fashion with the Florentine Opera, and local musician Dak DuBois will keep the energy flowing throughout opening night.

On Saturday, daytime performances include a mini-lesson and a pop-up performance by Milwaukee Ballet dancers, as well as music by Irish Fest performers Sarah Sheehan and Kevin Shortall. The evening kicks off with a set by DJ Ku Mays, and a show by Milwaukee favorite, De La Buena.

Live performances throughout Sunday include smooth jazz trumpet artist Nathan Mayfield and the Marcya Danielle Trio. The evening features the Will Carter Jazz Quartet, and local favorites Mama Digdown’s Brass Band closing the festival. The jazz performances are curated by Milwaukee’s own Fresh Coast Jazz Festival, in homage to the Third Ward’s former Summer Sizzle jazz festival.

At the heart of the festival, Museum of the Moon, is a breathtaking illuminated installation by artist Luke Jerram. Suspended above the Catalano Square fountain, the piece features a detailed, internally lit moon created using imagery from NASA—offering a rare opportunity to experience a globally recognized work of art in an accessible, public setting.

Both a striking visual centerpiece and an emotional focal point, the installation invites moments of reflection, connection, and awe—while creating stunning, shareable scenes day and night. More information here https://www.historicthirdward.org/third-ward-moon-festival

Tracy Bonham @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., 7 p.m.

Tracy Bonham’s Summerfest show two years ago found the songwriter in top form. Especially when she “grooved on a slinky rhythm and as the band jammed a bit Bonham strapped on an electric guitar plugged into the small, battered tweed amplifier and cut loose with a finale that suggested the primacy of Link Wray and the undefined skronk of Marc Ribot. Yet, it was a few guitarless trio tunes that were evidence that Bonham’s impact would be much more powerful in a club setting.”

Anodyne, it turns out is that setting.

Saturday, Aug. 8

Voices for Voces Benefit Show @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 6 p.m.

Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts hosts a benefit show in support of Voces De La Frontera. Performers include Eli White, D’Funk & the Grease Monkeys, Moonglow, Thanks for the Accident, Alewives and Rainbow Cobra.

“The current administration’s assault on immigrants and immigrants’ rights is a crisis that continues to confront the conscience of every compassionate person, and we as Milwaukee musicians will not sit idly by. Voces De La Frontera is on the front lines every day standing up for rights and what’s right—in supporting Voces, we support a movement that insists upon the inalienable dignity of every human being.”

Sunday, Aug. 9

Sister Midnight and Milwaukee Film Present The Circle Jerks x Repo Man @ Oriental Theatre, 6 p.m.

“I shall not cause harm to any vehicle nor the personal contents thereof, nor through inaction let that vehicle or the personal contents thereof come to harm.” The Repo Code.

Here is a rare chance to catch a live performance by the Circle Jerks followed by a screening of cult classic film Repo Man, and a Q&A with director Alex Cox and Circle Jerks’ Keith Morris and Zander Schloss.

Crash House (EP Release) w/ Sky Pine Drive, Overhand and Weeklong Weekend @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee’s post-hardcore, grunge-gaze quartet Crash House celebrates the release of their Blueprints EP with a little help from their friends: locals Sky Pine Drive (alternative, indie, pop) and Overhand (punk) are joined by Minnesota’s Weeklong Weekend (skate, emo).

Monday, Aug. 10

Dale Watson w/ Liv Mueller @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Moons ago, Steve Johnson booked Dale Watson for a packed, sweaty show at The Uptowner. If memory serves it was a Sunday or weeknight. That did not matter. The band closed their first set covering Roy Head’s classic “Treat Her Right.”

During the break, striking up a conversation with the bassist—who happened to be Gene Kurtz who co-wrote the damn tune—led to a 15-minute history lesson in the crossroads of early ‘60s Black and white music.

Since that evening, when Watson turned the Riverwest corner tavern into a roadhouse, he returned to conjure Potawatomi’s side bar into a honky tonk. So, there’s little doubt “the silver pompadoured, baritone beltin’, Lone Star beer drinkin’, honky-tonk hellraiser” will be flying the flag of real country music at Shank Hall.

Opener Liv Mueller is one of the city’s music treasures who knows her way around a twangy country tune. Instead of buying a Powerball ticket, let’s hope Watson asks Mueller to join him for a song.

Tuesday, Aug. 11

Chill on the Hill – Known Moons w/ Sleepersound and Andres Vadin Project @ Humboldt Park Bandshell, w p.m.

Expect an evening of travel to inner space when Known Moons and Sleepersound set the controls for the heart of Cudahy—settle back, pull up a cushion or whatever it takes to make life bearable for the evening.

Grammy-nominated guitarist Andrés Vadin is a prominent Havana-born flamenco artist known for blending traditional flamenco with jazz and world music.

Also note - makeup dates have been added for Chillith Fair, Tuesday, September 8 and Milwaukee American Legion Band, Tuesday, September 15.

Wednesday, Aug. 12

Heart(beats) of the City - Los Mitoteros @ Red Arrow Park, 11:30 a.m.

Washington Park Wednesdays – Carnival: Los Mitoteros w/ The Hot Swing Trio @ Washington Park Bandshell, 5 p.m.

Los Mitoteros - Live at Fiserv Forum

Join Tlalok Rodriguez for a full day of music. First, check out a lunchtime performance at Red Arrow Park, then, Milwaukee’s Latin ensemble Los Mitoteros will play cumbia, boleros, bossa and regional Mexican sounds at Washington Park Bandshell with The Hot Swing Trio.