This Week in MKE Music: Feb. 1-7, 2024

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

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Be a part of Garrett Waite Trio’s live album recording, annual benefit events Keys for a Cause at Shank Hall and Mitten Fest relocates to Boone & Crockett, a guitar festival at Latino Arts and release shows for Graham Hunt and Rustbelt and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Feb. 1

Garrett Waite Trio – Live Album Recording @ Bar Centro, 7:30 p.m.

Here is a chance to be part of history with a live album recording by the Garrett Waite Trio. “This band was created and has evolved in front of a live audience.  We’ve never had a real rehearsal and most of our discussions about the music happen minutes before we walk on stage, so all of the musical events that occur happen as a result of the chemistry and trust built between us as players and the energy we receive from the audience,” Waite said. “Centro has been the perfect laboratory for us to develop our sound, so recording here with a live audience will allow the listeners of this record to feel the same excitement and intensity they would get from sitting in the front row at one of our shows.  I can’t wait to see where the music leads.”

Keys for a Cause 3 @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Hosted by Twila Jean, this benefit for the American Cancer Society features some Wisconsin's most respected rock keyboardists. The evening includes music by Bella Brutto, Mike Frayer, Carter Hunnicutt & The Swivels, Francesca and Lyndenthal.

Friday, Feb. 2

Xposed 4Heads w/ The Diffs @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m.

Here’s a mid-winter dance party with conceptual new wave art rockers Xposed 4Heads. Boston’s The Diffs might be the ringers here. Active starting in the late ‘70s, the hard-hitting pop mavens are recommended for fans of The Cars, The Knack, Cheap Trick and The Beat (Paul Collins).

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Saturday, Feb. 3

Mitten Fest @ Boone & Crockett, noon

Traditionally Mitten Fest would take over the streets outside Burnhearts but for this year’s excuse to beat cabin fever, the scene shifts to Boone & Crockett. The benefit for the Hunger Task Force includes rare and limited beers from Central Waters Brewery and Founders Brewing, food vendors, and marketplace and plenty of music. Hanna Simone kicks things off followed by Emmitt James, Force and Rat Bath; DJ Christreater keeps things spinning between the bands.

11th Annual Guitar Festival Concert @ Latino Arts, 7 p.m.

Latino Arts presents the 11th Annual Guitar Festival and Concert and Youth Competition featuring master classes with internationally renowned talent, workshops focusing on classical guitar careers and exploration of other styles. The evening concert will highlight the winners of the Youth Competition and will feature a solo performance by internationally renowned guitarist Andrea Gonzalez Caballero.

Caballero’s recent highlights include Festival Casals in Puerto Rico, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, National Auditorium and Juan March Foundation in Madrid, as well as performances with Sinfonietta Ratingenand Neue Philharmonie Westfalenin Germany. Selected by the International Guitar Foundation of London to perform as a soloist in international music festivals such as the London Guitar Festival, she debuted in the U.K. offering concerts at venues like King’s Cross in London and Sage Gateshead in Newcastle.

Graham Hunt (LP Release) w/Rustbelt (EP Release), Shontrail and DJ Yuppie @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

If you know how to work the angles, you can fit a lot into the container of a three- or four-minute pop song. Graham Hunt understands this. Since he was a teenager, he’s been working at perfecting the form, writing songs that get to the heart of what makes Midwestern guitar pop so essential, and doing it while sidestepping any of the dead-end creative moves that weigh down many in the genre.

Nowhere is this balancing act as clear as on the Madison-based artist’s new LP, Try Not to Laugh. It’s a record where breakbeats coexist with anthemic choruses and synth runs go toe-to-toe with acoustic guitars. From start to finish, the song stays at the forefront.

It’s been the throughline for Hunt, who has played in street punk bands and power pop bands and hardcore bands and the underrated Midnight Reruns, who pushed a distinctively Upper Heartland kind of songcraft, one that led to opening slots for The Replacements and a diehard following in Wisconsin.

Sunday, Feb. 4

Punk Rock Yoga @ X-Ray Arcade, 10:30 a.m.

Namaste at the X-Ray; This is an all-ages spirited punk rock yoga class, led by Healium Hot Yoga’s Sarah Filzen. Bring your own yoga mat for an intermediate yoga session with a punk rock soundtrack. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Pearls for Teen Girls. This event is for all ages/skill levels and includes one complimentary domestic beer or well drink (21+) or non-alcoholic beverage of your choice (soda, seltzer, coffee)!

Bruce Humphries and the Rockabilly Rebels @ Just J's (9037 W. National Ave.), 3 p.m.

Bruce Humphries and the Rockabilly Rebels ramble on with their Badger State Barnstorm Tour. Last year the group released the 3D-revved album Live It Up. 

“I’ve always had a slightly twisted sense of humor and that reflects in a lot of my song writing, artwork, etc. ‘In My Backyard’ was started before Covid but finished during the lockdown,” Humphries said: /music/local-music/vinyl-lives-bruce-humphries-and-the-rockabilly-rebels.

“I thought that the world needed a song that was light on subject and just plain happy so I wrote a song about growing old, falling apart and dying."

Tuesday, Feb. 6

Fight Dice – WMSE Local/Live @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.

Join the live radio broadcast with Fight Dice. The post-punk/hardcore ensemble brings the realms of fantasy, RPG and D&D to life through their songs and soundscapes. Featuring members from a multitude of successful and respected bands (The Promise Ring, Braid, Devil’s Teeth and Tigernite) and the mind behind the beloved local chaos that is MONDO LUCHA!