Photo via Sister Wife Sex Strike - Instagram
Sister Wife Sex Strike
A folk-punk extravaganza in Cudahy, the debut of Trinity River Trio, Celtic sounds with The Bow Tides, Dusk, The Moody Blues’ John Lodge and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!
Thursday, Feb. 27
Sister Wife Sex Strike w/ Doom Scroll, Dusty the Kid and Rat Bath @ X-Ray Arcade, 6 p.m.
“Simply Nothing” by Sister Wife Sex Strike
I’ve got it somewhere in my notes, yeah here it is—you could say the roots of punk reach back to Woody Guthrie, who wrote “This machine kills fascists,” on his guitar.
Is Sister Wife Sex Strike predicting the future?
One day the dams will burst, the salmon will run freely to their homes
The roads will crack and shudder, buried underground with the bones of industry
That’s been reaping what we’ve sown
Go out there and build the world I’ve shown
Bathe in that spirit where political thought and social consciousness intersect with energy. Start the weekend off with a trio of folk-punk acts from Seattle, Denver and Montana, plus Milwaukee’s Rat Bath for good measure.
Friday, Feb. 28
Trinity River Trio @ Pomona Cider, 6:30 p.m.
Get in on the ground floor for Trinity River Trio’s debut. Songwriter Bernie Bernhoft is joined by Dottie and Rink L Finish as this trio of veteran musicians begin a new chapter on the local scene.
If I Knew the Way @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m.
Over a long career, the Grateful Dead often reinterpreted Bob Dylan’s songs. It could even be argued that Dylan’s quest has been to reinterpret his own songs in his never-ending tour. If I Knew the Way, a new group comprised of Milwaukee musicians—Garrett Waite on guitar, Ernest Brusubardis IV on fiddle, Dan Budziszewski on keyboards, Jordan Kroeger on bass and Jack Reed on drums—explore and improvise the music of Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, who themselves collaborated for a short tour in 1987.
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Saturday, March 1
The Bow Tides @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
The Bow Tides at Pittsburgh's BRIGID Celebration
The run up to St. Patrick’s Day often brings world caliber Celtic music to town. The Bow Tides is an ensemble led by three Irish fiddlers: Ellery Klein, Jessie Burns and champion Irish dancer Katie Grennan. These veterans of the stage and studio, boast a collective 16 years as fiddlers with the Irish American supergroup Gaelic Storm; bassist Eric Thorin and guitarist/singer Jeff Lindblade round out the band.
In 2023, they released their debut album Sailing On, a collection of gorgeous original compositions as well as a breadth of uniquely arranged traditional tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Galicia.
Sunday, March 2
Dusk w/ Graham Hunt, Misprints and Innuendo @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
“Pissing In a Wishing Well” by Dusk
Is Dusk the best Wisconsin band you have never heard of? Oozing talent, Fox Valley six-piece Dusk boasts revolving songwriters sharing the spotlight. Without fanfare, the group actually delivers on the promise of calling a genre “Americana” and also recalls the iconoclastic verve of The Velvet Underground. Like an older siblings record collection they pick and choose parts of Carol King, Neil Young and the Burritos, stirring up a gumbo that retains their own sprawling personality.
“Tashmere Anthill” by Graham Hunt
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.
Hunt’s 20213 album Try Not to Laugh is 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.
HR of Bad Brains @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYsS9CLF0bc&t=1s
Darryl Jenifer (Bad Brains) Reveals the Mystery Behind HR's Chair |
Paul “HR” Hudson is best known as the front man of the iconic punk band Bad Brains, formed in 1979. With unprecedented speed and precision, Bad Brains took the Washington, DC music scene by storm and quickly became the most influential band in American punk history, breaking down cultural barriers and creating emotionally charged music centered on the message of maintaining a positive mental attitude (PMA). This concept of PMA continues to inspire HR’s fans. Last year Org Music reissued Bad Brains’ earliest recordings Omega Sessions and the classic LP I Against I.
Monday, March 3
MISSIO - I Am Cinco Tour @ Vivarium, 8 P.M.
“Good Vibrations” by MISSIO
MISSIO—Matthew Brue and David Butler— break the rules as they fuse elements of rock, electronic, indie and hip-hop into a hybrid. They tie seemingly disparate threads together with lyrics meant to both provoke and inspire. Following the 2023-24 Cinco EP series, the pair present their most definitive and dynamic vision with their full-length double-album, I Am Cinco. It collates five moods—I Am Sad, I Am High, I Am Awesome, I Am Angry and I Am Crazy—into one. Tallying over 1 billion streams, their catalog has notably resonated with the Gold-certified “Everybody Gets High.”
Tuesday, March 4
Romeo and Juliet @ Marcus Performing Arts Center, through March 30
Photo by Mark Frohna - Skylight Music Theatre - Facebook
Skylight Music Theatre’s 'Juliet and Romeo'
The show opens to the sound of Renaissance music. Stage lights rise on the climax of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Romeo lies dead in the crypt and Juliet, desperate to join him, tries to kiss the poison off his lips. Failing that, she points his dagger at her heart and is about to stab when, suddenly, someone shouts “Cut!” from the back of the Cabot theatre. Sawyer Bloom storms toward the stage, and we understand we’re watching a rehearsal. Director Bloom can’t stand the shattering tragedy. He calls the cast onstage to send them home.
Read more of John Schneider’s review here.
Wednesday, March 5
The Moody Blues’ John Lodge Performs Days of Future Passed @ The Pabst Theater, 6:30 p.m.
“Ride My See-Saw” by John Lodge
The Moody Blues gained fame with a sound that combined rock with classical music, often building concepts into albums. Moody Blues bass player, songwriter and vocalist John Lodge wrote and sang hits “Ride My See-Saw,” “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band)” and “Isn’t Life Strange?”
Lodge takes the stage to perform their album Days of Future Passed in its entirety plus other favorites.
