This Week in MKE Music: Feb. 5-11, 2026

Stallis Cowboys w/ Derek Prtizl, Saint-Saëns “Organ” Symphony @ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Group of the Altos w/ Astral Hand and Exitstatements, Creed Fisher w/ Jenna Paulette, 13th Annual Guitar Festival Concert and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

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This Week in MKE Music

Black history and culture’s influence on music can’t be measured. Kick off Black History month with DRUMLine Live.

Stallis Cowboys w/ Derek Prtizl, Saint-Saëns “Organ” Symphony @ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Group of the Altos w/ Astral Hand and Exitstatements, Creed Fisher w/ Jenna Paulette, 13th Annual Guitar Festival Concert and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, Feb. 5

Stallis Cowboys w/ Derek Prtizl @ Patti’s Power Plant, 7 p.m.

Moving their monthly first Thursday of the month residency further south on Kinnickinnic Avenue, Stallis Cowboys offer up a mix of blues, classic country, folk and bluegrass. Opener Derek Pritzl is one of Milwaukee’s top-drawer songwriters, drawing inspiration from the like of Guy Clark and John Prine.

DRUMLine Live @ Marcus Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

DRUMLine Live embodies the soulful, high-stepping style of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching band tradition. With riveting rhythms, bold beats, and ear-grabbing energy, this stage show is a synchronized musical showcase of the HBCU experience.

Incorporating original compositions and soul-infused interpretations of Top 40 hits, group performances range from colorful, choreographed routines to heavy doses of drum riffs and cadences.

Friday, Feb. 6

Saint-Saëns “Organ” Symphony @ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, 11:15 a.m. (Also Saturday)

“Paul Jacobs is one of the great living virtuosos … he is utterly without artifice,” declares The Washington Post. The first and only organist to win a Grammy Award, Jacobs performs Saint-Saëns’s “Organ” symphony, a work so expressive the composer claimed, “I have given all that I had to give.”

Jacobs also performs Samuel Barber’s exuberant Toccata Festiva. Beethoven penned four unique overtures to his opera Leonore; the MSO performs the sumptuous third iteration here, as well as brand new music by composer Edmund Finnis. You may recognize elements of Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3 from the 1995 film Babe.

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Group of the Altos w/ Astral Hand and Exitstatements @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.

Group of the Altos moves beyond genres and musical boundaries. At times the sprawling group may number a dozen members—strings, horns, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards and vocals. The interplay might evolve from intense to glacial. They have been described as post-rock, which is usually a shorthand compliment for a pleasant frustration at adequately describing their sound.

Creed Fisher w/ Jenna Paulette @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

After growing up in West Texas, Creed Fisher played professional football for niner years. When he retired from the game, Fisher used that passion and drive to fuel his music and convert his scars and pain into passion and determination. “A big part of my music is patriotic and for the working class. I relate to my music because I lived it.”

In a crowded field of aspiring cowgirls, Jenna Paulette allows her music, her work ethic, and her way of life to speak for themselves. A gifted songwriter working with one of the most storied publishers in Nashville, Jenna understands that great country music is built on a ‘best song wins’ approach. She also understands that real fans are won on the road through hard work and by putting in the reps.

Saturday, Feb. 7

13th Annual Guitar Festival Concert @ Latino Arts, 7 p.m.

Latino Arts’ 13th Annual Guitar Festival Concert features an evening performance with winners of the Youth Competition and will feature a solo performance by Internationally renowned guitarist Xavier Jara. Jara (b. 1993) is an internationally acclaimed American classical guitarist celebrated for his expressive artistry and technical brilliance.

In 2016, he won First Prize at the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, launching a 60-concert tour across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Panama—including a performance at Carnegie Hall. The Minnesota native began his studies at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis with Alan Johnston before moving to Paris to study under Judicaël Perroy. In 2022, he toured Spain as a soloist with the United States Guitar Orchestra.

Sunday, Feb. 8

Trio WAZ – featuring Edward Wilkerson, Jr., Tatsu Aoki and Michael Zerang @ Woodland Pattern, 7 p.m.

For over 30 years, Trio WAZ (Edward Wilkerson, Jr—reeds, Tatsu Aoki—contrabass, shamisen and Michael Zerang—drums, percussion) has performed together, making it one of the longest standing experimental music trios in Chicago. Over 100 hours of recordings, but none have been released until now. Trio WAZ is an eclectic experimental group focusing extensively on improvised music, free jazz, contemporary composition, puppet theater, experimental theater and international musical forms.

Adam Blackwood w/ John Stanford and Bowvee @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting, 7 p.m.

During the Covid pandemic, Milwaukee’s Adam Blackwood took it upon himself to write his own solo music. His debut single, “One of a Kind,” was released in 2022. He has continued to challenge himself artistically as his third eponymous album, Adam Blackwood, was released in 2025 with more mature and broader themes.

What started as a professional shift quickly became a personal transformation, as Rockford, IL’s John Stanford fell in love with the Milwaukee’s vibrant music scene and creative spirit. Stanford recently celebrated two single releases in September 2025, “You Looked My Way” and “Slow Feet.” Colombian American indie pop outfit Bowvee is the creation of 20-year-old Nick Bove. In 2023, Bowvee released its first album Cool Guy as a newcomer in Milwaukee. After spending a year playing out in the city, becoming familiar with the culture and community, Bowvee now takes a tonal shift in the music. Their upcoming album Pumpkin Pie is a pivot towards a more raw and honest sound.

Monday, Feb. 9

BASIC: Chris Forsyth, Douglas McCombs, Mikel Patrick Avery @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

New York guitarist Robert Quine gained notoriety playing with Richard Hell and the Voidoids and on Lou Reed’s album The Blue Mask. Quine and Fred Maher later recorded Basic, a homemade project that shoots arrows through electric Miles Davis, minimalism, droning blues and psychedelia. The record was largely ignored. Enter Chris Forsyth, who has performed at Milwaukee Psych Fest. Over the pandemic the guitarist and Nick Millevoi bonded over a mutual appreciation of the Quine/Maher album. BASIC, Forsyth’s collective trio with Mikel Patrick Avery (percussion and electronics) and Millevoi (baritone guitar and drum machine) takes inspiration from the namesake album.

Tuesday, Feb. 10

GA-20 w/ special guest Tony Holiday @ THE Argo, 8 p.m.

Vintage Gibson GA-20 amplifiers are recognized for their tone, the funky underdog amps punch above their weight. Likewise, the band GA-20 relies on a raw, throwback sound channeling the spirit of classic blues, country, and early rock and roll; the two-guitars and-drums lineup recalls legendary Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers. Known for their vintage gear, live-off-the-floor recording style, and a fearless, high-energy stage presence, GA-20 has become a leading force in the traditional blues revival.

Joining them is Memphis’ Tony Holiday, whose soulful, blues-driven sound blends North Mississippi hill country grooves, Delta blues grit, and smooth Memphis soul into something hypnotic and modern.

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Motion City Soundtrack w/ Say Anything and Sincere Engineer @ The Rave, 7 p.m.

Motion City Soundtrack will be the first ones to tell you that The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World wasn’t necessarily an easy album to make, but now that it’s finished it’s a document of the last ten years that shows them growing as people alongside their music.

“I think that if you look at a lot of our past records, it’s about ‘What’s wrong? What am I not getting right? Why do I feel fucking crazy? Why can’t I figure this out’… and I figured it out,” vocalist/guitarist Justin Pierre admits. “It’s  almost like I felt I didn’t have an identity [in the past] and now by working through the hard stuff, I know who I am.” That sense of self-discovery is mirrored by the music, so when the final track fades out with just acoustic guitar and Pierre’s vocals it may be the conclusion of the album, but it’s the beginning of another chapter for Motion City Soundtrack’s collective journey