This Week in MKE Music: Jan. 30- Feb. 5, 2025

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

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This Week in MKE Music

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Wynton, tributes to Metallica and Anthrax Mitten Fest, Arturo O'Farill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, Jan. 30 

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Wynton @ Marcus Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.  

For more than three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture and arts education, dedicated to inspiring and growing jazz audiences throughout the world. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to cities around the world.   

Milwaukee Jazz Institute (MJI) “A” Train Ensemble plays a post-show reception at Saint Kate following the concert.

Friday, Jan. 31 

Daniel Rey & the Revenirs w/ Bellends Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 7 p.m.

The Revenirs sound revolves around singer/songwriter Daniel Rey’s tales of “sorrow and solitude” like a fever dream embodied by the many “low down” souls he’s encountered along the way. The group began as a side project of Dejan Kralj (day-on kraal), who has spent the last three and a half decades as the bassist of The Gufs. 

Bellends’ songs tell the stories of love, loss, and the struggles of everyday life with the passion and intensity that could only come from the streets and dives of Milwaukee. Taking the stage, the band delivers their catchy hook driven songs with that same train driving intensity. 

Peter Mulvey @ Schauer Arts Center (147 N. Rural St., Hartford), 7:30 p.m. 

Peter Mulvey, a seasoned songwriter, performer and storyteller with a career spanning over three decades, began his musical journey by busking on the streets of Dublin and performing in bars in Milwaukee before settling in Boston. His career has included 20 albums, live performances, collaborations with well-known artists, and even a TEDx talk. Peter will share his distinct brand of modern folk music richly infused with his life lessons, observations and wit. 

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Saturday, Feb. 1 

Mitten Fest @ Burnhearts, noon 

Mitten Fest After-Party - Club Ritual Presents: Analog 2 Digital w/ Greyhound, Asher Gray, Varsity Mac, AJ and Angelica @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m. 

Yes, we come from hearty stock. In the city of festivals February is just another page on a calendar and for 11 years Mitten Fest’s outdoor bash has smirked at Mother Nature and said, “Go ahead—bring it.” This year’s music includes Fight Dice, BLAX, Bug Moment, Shontrail and DJ Christreater.  

Don’t want the fun to end? The party shifts a few blocks east to Cactus Club for the after party with DJs and live music.

Brett Newski Book Signing, 4 p.m. and Cassini Echoes w/ HOSTS, 7 p.m. @ Ope! Brewing

Milwaukee’s Brett Newski has plied his wares as a troubadour playing gigs of all sizes on six continents. As an author, his recent memoir Piss In The Wind: Misadventures Of An Indie Troubadour (Vol 1) is a fly-on-the-wall collection of journal entries along with lyrics. Adaptive, witty and with the awareness of a cat (a recent social media post from South Africa simply read, “Just witnessed a man smoking and jogging at the same time.”) Newski’s humanity shines through the freakish nature of some events.

With the bulk of the chapters culled from his nomadic adventures in Southeast Asia, Newski offers the reader a vicarious view of life most of us will never witness. And maybe a few a parent—in this case his mom would like to unsee, “Please don’t eat mushrooms or other consumables from sketchy due ever again."

Arturo O'Farill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble @ Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m. 

Afro-Latin jazz pianist, composer, and educator Arturo O'Farrill’s professional career began with the Carla Bley Band; it includes solo work and collaborations with artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. O’Farrill’s “Afro-Latin Jazz Suite” from the album CUBA: The Conversation Continues won a Grammy as did his composition “Three Revolutions” from the album Familia-Tribute to Chico and Bebo.

Damaged Justice (Metallica tribute) w/Among The Living (Anthrax tribute) @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m. 

Damaged Justice is Chicago's female fronted Metallica tribute band, formed in 1996 by drummer Robert Masliansky, who kept the band together through the thick and thin of Metallica's career and the local Chicago music scene. It's the band's long-term goal to play every single song in Metallica's catalog live on stage.

Sunday, Feb. 2 

Rempis / Adasiewicz / Corsano @ Sugar Maple, 4 p.m. 

The trio of Dave Rempis (saxophones), Jason Adasiewicz (vibes) and Chris Corsano (drums) made its debut at Chicago’s Hungry Brain in September as part of Rempis’ month-long residency at the famed Chicago club. The group features what could only be described as an all-star trio of international proportions. Corsano’s 2024 album recorded live at Big Ears Festival with guitarist Bill Orcutt nearly jumps off the turntable. That improvised set recalls the imagination and sonic squall of vintage Television.

Paul Cauthen w/ Tyler Halverson @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. 

Paul Cauthen fits in the lineage of Texas songwriters. With a deep baritone voice and grandfather that had with ties to Buddy Holly, Cauthen may seem rooted in the past but his songs “Hometeam” and “Hot Damn” welcome modern production touches.

Tuesday, Feb. 4 

Reflection of Flesh w/ Age of the Fallen and Sacrament @ X-Ray Arcade, 6 p.m. 

Need a wintertime hit of heavy metal thunder? This triple bill of Milwaukee bands should scratch that itch and then some. As an added bonus, this all-ages show kicks off at a civilized hour for a weeknight show.  

Wednesday, Feb. 5 

The Craic @ Milwaukee Rep, through March 16 

Co-written by Rep Artistic Director Mark Clements (who also directs) and Deanie Vallone, The Craic (pronounced “crack”) is literally just that; a fun time given all the great Irish music—and musicianship—set within a well-defined storyline that engages from start to finish.   

Set in a cozy, family-run Irish pub, four musicians gather for their weekly session entertaining the locals as much as themselves. But when a former member shows up unexpectedly after a decade-long absence, the evening’s entertainment is as much “therapy session” as music session as unresolved conflicts rise up—and the throw downs begin. Read more from Harry Cherkinian’s review here.