
Photo Via The Namby Pamby - Instagram
The Namby Pamby
Salsa at MAM, Bluegrass Winter Heater at The Cooperage, The Great Folk Scare redux, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dylan LeBlanc and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!
Thursday, Jan. 23
Cassini Echoes w/ Resurrectionists, New Beliefs and DJ Rooney @ Cactus Club, 7:30 p.m.
“I’m Gonna Write a Song If It Kills Me” By Cassini Echoes
Cassini Echoes’ debut album The Only Way Out Is Through was released in November; here’s a chance to check out the band that has been described as layering atmospheric textures, dynamic structures and crafted melodies. Weirdos in the finest sense of the word, Resurrectionists is informed as much by the back-country wail of Dock Boggs as it is by the meticulous punk of Television, or Low in their most glacial moods. High lonesome songs, sometimes with shrieking banjo feedback and echoes of Pere Ubu.
Friday, Jan. 24
MAM After Dark: Salsa Night @ Milwaukee Art Museum, 7 p.m.
A sizzling night of Latin flair as salsa band music fills the air with irresistible rhythms made for dancing. Never tried salsa before? No worries, you can learn the right moves to hit the dance floor in style.
The evening includes It Started with a Dream film screening, Orquesta Ayala Salsa Band, Mezclando dance performance and instruction and flamenco guitarist Evan Christian. Tickets also include access to the galleries and complimentary light bites.
Saturday, Jan. 25
4th Annual Bluegrass Winter Heater@ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
“Hoods” by the Milbillies
Four bands turn up the temperature with bluegrass as an excuse. The Milbillies straddle progressive and traditional sounds; songwriter Joseph Huber combines a driving guitar style and vivid storytelling lyrics.
“Roll on Mary” by Valley Fox
Rooted in folk and country music, Minnesota progressive folk-rock-country sextet Maygen & The Birdwatcher isn’t afraid to embrace eclecticism and Valley Fox has been compared to Gillan Welch and David Rawlings.
Bleecker & MacDougal at 60+ A Celebration of the NYC/New England Folk Scene @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 7 p.m.
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“I Paint a Design” by Michael Hurley, Kassi Valazza and Merle Law
The Folk Scare found young Americans strumming guitars, plucking banjos and earnestly blowing into jugs. Some six decades later the sound would get rebranded as Americana. This benefit for Jail Guitar Doors (an organization with ties to the MC5’s Wayne Kramer, The Clash and Billy Bragg) collects a full house of Milwaukee artists nodding to underground legends and household names.
Matt Davies plays the great Michael Hurley, Deadelijk plays Dylan and the Folk Tradition, Chris Haise plays Dave Van Ronk, Timoth Kloss salutes the Beatnik poets and Chris Porterfield plays Tom Rush. The evening’s organizer Owen Goldin and Rachel Orheim play star-crossed Tim Hardin, The Taxmen play Paul Simon/Simon and Garfunkel and Rich Travis and Dusty Pockets play Lead Belly.
Elemental Quartet CD Release @ Bar Centro, 8 p.m.

Photo Via bar centro - centrocaferiverwest.com
Elemental Quartet
A Small Patch of Earth is trumpeter and composer Paul Dietrich’s fifth album as a leader, but his Elemental Quartet is the smallest group he’s ever recorded. After two quintet albums (in 2014 and 2017) were followed by one for a full-size 18-piece jazz ensemble (2019’s Forward) and another for a nine-piece quintet-plus-string-quartet (2023’s 5+4), Dietrich wanted to get back to basics. This drove the formation of this group, which moved to a more intimate sonic landscape, a folk-inspired sound, and simpler musical forms, with an emphasis on interaction and improvisation rather than the more controlled nature of his recent large-ensemble work.
To make it happen, Dietrich turned to three longtime collaborators. Chicago guitarist Matt Gold’s diverse musical background and his experience in a variety of different styles made him the perfect fit for this type of project. Dietrich and bassist Brian Courage (also from Chicago) have been making music together since their college days at Lawrence University all the way back in 2007. Milwaukee drummer Devin Drobka also brought a mindset that set the tone for the group.
Sunday, Jan. 26
The Namby Pamby w/ The Part Timers, Caley Conway and Maximiano @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.

Photo Via The Namby Pamby - thenambypamby.com
The Namby Pamby
The Namby Pamby is composed of sisters McKenna and Emily Parks and their longtime friend Payton Knerr. The sound of this feminine folk phenomenon is emotionally driven, and often defined by nuanced vocals, experimental chords, and jazz-like drumming that orbits arresting lyrics. A shared small town Indiana charm channels into each nearly tangible story, unionizing their individual musicianship.
Monday, Jan. 27
Meshell Ndegeocello @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
“Love” by Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello eschewed genre for originality, celebrity for longevity, and musical trends for musical truths. Her on sojourns into soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop and rock are sonic investigations that have defied and redefined the expectations for women, for queer artists, and for Black music for over 30 years and she remains one of few women who write the music, sing the songs, and lead the band.
A bass player above all else, Ndegeocello brings her warm, fat and melodic groove to everything she does. Her resume includes work with the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Alanis Morrisette, James Blood Ulmer, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tony Allen, John Medeski, Billy Preston and Chaka Khan
Tuesday, Jan 28
Kerry King w/ Municipal Waste and Alien Weaponry @ The Rave, 7 p.m.
“Where I Reign” by Kerry King
After 44 years with Slayer, guitarist Kerry King’s solo career kicked off with last year’s From Hell I Rise. UK’s Kerrang! Magazine said. “The phrase ‘metal as f*ck’ may never be better applied.”
Wednesday, Jan. 29
Dylan LeBlanc w/ David Ramirez @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
"Coyote" by Dylan LeBlanc
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dylan LeBlanc often finds himself flirting with the edge—or “dancing on a razor,” as he calls it—as it is all he has ever known. A vagabond since he was a little boy tossed between Texas, Louisiana and Alabama, LeBlanc thrives on the precipice, never staying in one place for too long. It is that nomadic spirit that drew him not only to a life as a touring musician, but also to the beast that titles his newest record Coyote.
Austin, TX-based singer-songwriter David Ramirez—whose decades-long includes six full-length studio albums, three Eps and an illustrious supergroup project in Glorietta—spent a season of rest away from his focus on writing songs. In the wake of the end of a long relationship, he wanted to prioritize processing his grief as a human, not as an artist bleeding on the page.
“The last thing I wanted was to write a heartbreak record. So, I stopped writing altogether, and I just waited until I saw my heart start coming back to life. I wanted the next thing to be hopeful and sweet and beautiful--a testament to music and my love for it.” All the Not So Gentle Reminders comes out in March.