This Week in MKE Music: Jan. 18-24, 2024

Beat the winter blues with Third Coast Blues Trio and The Bourbon Jockeys; RIOTNINE at Shank and DRAMA at Turner Halls, respectively; a low-key matinee with Frogwater and a mid-week mind bender with William Tyler & The Impossible Truth w/Chris DeMay & Red Stuff and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Jan. 18

Third Coast Blues Trio @ Shorewood Metro Market, 4 p.m.

Think of all the times you shopped with mindless Muzak for a soundtrack. Join Big Al Dorn, Kurt Koenig and Marc Wilson as they shake the shelves at Shorewood Metro Market. Can you think of a better definition of multi-tasking than grocery shopping with a live band?

Jazzy Joan Recorded Jazz Series: “Jazz: Where it is and Where it’s Going.” Next Stop: SWEDEN! @ Bar Centro, 7 p.m.

Jazzy Joan will be taking you on an exploration to discover where jazz is today, stylistically and/or geographically. (shepherdexpress.com/music/music-feature/jazzy-joan-gets-the-music-going-at-riverwests-bar-centro) This month we're heading to Sweden. Starting out mellow with Robert Elovsson and building to close with a bit of sass on brass with Anders Bergrantz. Joan introduces the show at 7 p.m.—get there early for the hang. Plus, it’s Big Sweater Night. Wear yours!

Friday, Jan. 19

RIOTNINE! w/ The Nile Club and Garden Home @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Grab RIOTNINE! image here  https://shankhall.com/schedule.php

Influenced by ‘90s emo, post-hardcore and skramz. RIOTNINE! combines twinkly riffs and harsh vocals to bring an intense energy to the stage. After quarantine The Nile Club had amassed enough material to release their second LP, Wake Up With a Sense of Pride, a year ago. It features lovesick pop anthems, “Forever is a Word,” the self deprecative calamity of “Burnt Young Man” and the soul crushing story of “Open Arms,” wrapped in a spaced out jazzy groove.

DRAMA w/Ric Wilson @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.

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Chicago’s DRAMA is a multicultural collaboration of duo producer Na'el Shehade and vocalist/songwriter Via Rosa. They play to the complementary dynamics of their unlikely pairing by blurring the lines between R&B and dance-pop, heartbreak and bliss.

Saturday, Jan. 20

The Bourbon Jockeys @ Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, 7 p.m.

Burn those winter blues away with top shelf R&B by The Bourbon Jockeys at this legendary concertina bar. The four-hour dance party starts at 7 p.m.

I Should Know This w/Elephonic @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.

At this installment of I Should Know This, the improvised game show where the funniest answer always wins, Jon Adler and Milwaukee’s symphonic-tinged folk pop band Elephonic are joined by a pair of Milwaukee comics, Comedy Sportz’s Amy Westrup and The Midnight Show’s Alan Guzkowski. Host Kristoffer Puddicombe gathers some very interesting people for a totally unique experience that weaves together game show mechanics, live music, friendly banter, and internet ephemera.

And the audience gets into the act, submitting open-ended, conversation-starting questions for Puddicombe and co-host James Boland to debate during the show, or volunteer to join the panelists onstage during the show’s second round.

Sunday, Jan. 21

Frogwater @ Sugar Maple, 4 p.m.

Frogwater settles in for a matinee show. The husband-wife duo John and Susan Nicholson are multi-instrumentalists whose acoustic repertoire spans from Celtic tunes to Delta blues, and original material. Fixtures of Milwaukee’s Irish Fest, Bastille Days and other outdoor events, they have made a second home at Bayview’s Sugar Maple.

Monday, Jan. 22

Soul Sisters: Aretha to Whitney! @ Sunset Playhouse, also Tuesday 

Pay some Respect to Aretha, Chaka, Gladys, Dionne, Whitney and more—a tribute to the women of soul by an all-star cast! More info here: sunsetplayhouse.com/shows/soul-sisters.

Tuesday, Jan. 23

The Shepherd Express Sonic Rendezvous Podcast

Take a break and listen to our interviews with the folks who made Milwaukee rock: shepherdexpress.com/podcasts/sonicrendezvous.

New episodes coming soon!

Wednesday, Jan 24

William Tyler & The Impossible Truth w/Chris DeMay & Red Stuff @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

“That was our favorite Blue Oyster Cult song,” William Tyler says at the outro to a cover of Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity”—an offhand quip from the same guy who titled an album Elvis Was a Capricorn. The dry witted unreliable narrator is also an imaginative guitarist whose instrumentals pull “from a variety of styles, from sparse American Primitive to pastoral country-driven rock and folk.” Tyler’s recent album Secret Stratosphere includes cuts that range from just under five minutes to over 13 minutes. Settle in for a blast of midweek sonic bliss.

Don’t shirk on the openers. On their own both Red Stuff and Chris DeMay have been stage shy as of late. As far as I can recall this will be their first live collaboration. Songwriter DeMay goes back to America-ians West of Rome, the severely missed Juniper Tar and a handful of solo releases. Red Stuff just may be Milwaukee’s best-kept secret. Musical weirdos in the best sense of the word, Red Stuff’s colors outside the lines better than most anyone.