This Week in MKE Music: Jan. 25-31, 2024

Enjoy the thaw with some music. The Femme Punk DJ spin, Denny Rauen finally gets around to releasing his album, Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound, flights of improvisation with Tashi Dorji and Dave Rempis, the  Blue Note Quintet and Present Music’s “Cello Cello, ” and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Jan. 25

Femme Punk DJs @ Last Rites, 9 p.m.

Selectors Wendy Norton and Avalon Clare are joined by guest DJ, Convert’s Richie Murry. The evening celebrates women and femmes in rock and roll. Check out art and jewelry pop up while you are there.

Friday, Jan. 26

Francesca and the Night Sky @ Pomona Cider, 6 p.m.

All of a sudden Farwell Avenue is lousy with live music. A quartet of seasoned local veterans, Francesca and the Night Sky, play Pomona Cider’s Friday music series.

DAYBREAK V.5 - Milwaukee Release w/ Joseph Huber and Long Mama @ Third Space Brewing, 7 p.m.

DAYBREAK Magazine is a print publication celebrating creatives in the outdoors. From painters and designers (DJ Javier, Terry Urban) to surfers (Pua DeSoto, Holly Wawn, Lola Mignot) to the future faces of film photography (Brian Chorski, Katharine Kollman, Wes Walker). Celebrate the new issue with a free night of music from Joseph Huber and Long Mama.

Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Sure, you can catch Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound at outdoor festivals but why wait? Experiencing the band in the friendly confines of Shank Hall can generate some serious steam in the winter months: shepherdexpress.com/music/concert-reviews/paul-cebar-brings-outer-space-music-to-shank-hall.

Tashi Dorji and Dave Rempis @ Sugar Maple, 8 p.m.

Back in March 2020 we were on the eve of lockdown when guitarist Tashi Dorji and saxophonist Dave Rempis (as Kuzu with drummer Tyler Damon) delivered a night blazing jazz improvisation (shepherdexpress.com/music/concert-reviews/jazz-in-milwaukee). They return to the Bayview jazz spot.

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Both of these musicians have the ability to come out of the gate spewing lava at anything in their path. But they also know how to temper that energy into patiently constructed arcs, where meditative inner focus within the maelstrom renders the magnificence of their long form constructions even more powerful.

Saturday, Jan. 27

Tollbooth w/ The Cult of Lip, Bad Crime, and Winona Driver @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

Music Go Round and Volta Records have teamed up for a brand new all-ages show series that focuses on showcasing newer and lesser-known acts.

Madison’s Tollbooth are among the city’s most promising young acts. Melodic and jangly, recalling the best of the 2000s post punk revival; The Cult of Lip have been refining their brand of feedback-soaked shoegaze over the last decade. Equal parts noisy and dreamy, it is music for the fuzz freaks and wallflowers alike.

Chicago four-piece Winona Driver provide a fresh take on a familiar sound, playing a crunchy brand of mid ‘90s MTV Buzz Bin indebted power pop. The perfect combination of dirty guitars alongside sugary sweet hooks. Bad Crime have slowly established themselves among Milwaukee bands with fast, straight ahead rock and roll played with attitude and precision.

The Championship w/Christopher Porterfield @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.

The Championship reunite for a night of nostalgia for those that know and discovery for those that don't. Christopher Porterfield of Field Report opens.

Denny Rauen - 6/8 Time CD Release, w/Peter Mac, The Flood and Keep'n Open Mind @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m.

Denny Rauen’s guitar compositions mirror his workshop. The expansive open tunings sound simple yet closer listening reveals harmonic depth and complexity. (shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/keeping-time-with-milwaukees-denny-rauen)

As a master luthier, Rauen knows the importance of taking his time when working on or building stringed instruments. So, it would follow that he would be just as patient in his debut album. The album, 6/8 Time, features his acoustic fingerstyle playing, described as “inspired by his first 68 laps around the sun.” Here’s hoping for a quicker follow up.

Big Style Brass Band @ Thurmans 15, 9:30 p.m.

If you think Thurmans is ground zero for all things Grateful Dead you’d be right. But you’d also miss out on the other music the cozy Brady Street neighborhood tavern offers. Case in point New Orleans-influenced Big Style Brass Band.

Sunday, Jan. 28

Blue Note Quintet @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.

The most revered label in jazz recording celebrates 85 years of unforgettable music with a tour by a distinguished quintet.

Pianist Gerald Clayton, former music director of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, has organized a new ensemble to express the heart and soul of jazz, Blue Note style. Fresh off an outstanding release featuring Santa Barbara favorite Charles Lloyd, Clayton has assembled a group of young lions who refresh the bop idiom with contemporary harmonies and irresistible rhythms.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

Present Music - “Cello Cello” @ Jan Serr Studio, 7:30 p.m. (also Thursday)

Two world premieres, three guest artists and four fantastic cellists are promised for Present Music’s next concert, “Cello Cello.” (shepherdexpress.com/culture/classical-music/cello-cello-and-more-cello-at-present-musics-next-concert)

So why all the cellos? Eric Segnitz, Present Music’s Co-Artistic Director, explains the choice. “It’s such a great instrument, and we had the opportunity to highlight a couple of cello quartet works, with some great players,” he says. “In general, the preeminence of the violin in Western chamber music has been called into question for decades, almost as a political statement. And why not?”