This Week in MKE Music: January 9-15, 2025

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

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Morning Train: A Tribute to John Prine, Leroy Airmaster returns, Conniption The Theatre of Invention album release, The Sound of Kareem City: A Tribute to Twan Mack, Nineteen Thirteen and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, January 9

Morning Train: A Tribute to John Prine @ Shank Hall, 7 p.m.

Shank Hall owner Peter Jest presented John Prine’s concerts for a number of years so this event makes all the more sense. An all-star cast of Milwaukee musicians including members of Chicken Wire Empire, Funkclub Wagon, The WhiskeyBelles and more gather for an evening of the legendary songwriter’s material.

Friday, January 10

Long Line Riders @ The Wiggle Room, DJs 4:30, live music 6:30 p.m.

Long Line Riders play an early show offering up classic country sounds. Honky-tonk DJs get things warmed up at Wiggle Room—voted Best New Bar by Shepherd Express readers!(bom24.shepherdexpress.com)

Leroy Airmaster @ Ope! Brewing Co., 7:30 p.m.

One of Wisconsin's most tenured and favorite blues bands featuring Steve Cohen, Bill Stone, Dave Kasik Marc Wilson, Leroy Airmaster notches up the January temps a few degrees.

Conniption The Theatre of Invention album release w/ Imperial Fall and The Truck @ Miramar Theater, 8 p.m.

Looking for a laidback evening of mellow jams? You might want to steer clear of Miramar—maybe just avoid the East Side. This triple bill brings the rawk for Conniption’s album release. Brunke’s Truck will also have sneak previews available for their debut record, which they have threatened to release in February.

Saturday, January 11

The Sound of Kareem City: A Tribute to Twan Mack @ The Cooperage, 3 p.m.

On Saturday, celebrate the life and times of Antoine Mack, aka Twan Mack. Mack was a member of the pioneering local hip hop group Kali Tribe in the early ‘90s and a staple of the Milwaukee music scene. In later years he toured the globe with likes of Arrested Development and continued to inspire the heavyweights of hip hop to travel to and perform in Milwaukee, joining Souls of Mischief and Slick Rick on stage among others.

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Nineteen Thirteen w/Ace Christie @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.

Nineteen Thirteen’s sound is built around Janet Schiff’s Romanian-built cello which was crafted in 1913. While the group has been at it for over two decades the sound continues to evolve with new blood. Schiff notes current Violent Femmes drummer John Sparrow was the original drummer. He was replaced by original Femmes drummer Victor DeLorenzo.

 “I can for sure tell you that Renee [Luna Bebeau] is my drummer going forward, Jen [Janvier] will be singing several songs, moving to the music and doing hand percussion,” Schiff also said Holly Haebig will be sitting in on flute and background vocals. “Victor [who drummed with Nineteen Thirteen’s for 15 years who took the drum seat after John Sparrow of Violent Femmes] is planning on sitting in for some shows, we are still best friends through this transition,” Schiff said.

The Grovelers w/The Haggardlys and Brendan Cleary @ Great Lakes Distillery, 7 p.m.

Alt-country group The Haggardlys debuted in November so here is a chance to get in on the ground floor. The Grovelers are guaranteed to make you forget it’s winter for an hour. GLD alum Brendan Cleary also plays.

Sunday, January 12

Big Head Todd and the Monsters: 40th Anniversary Tour @ Pabst Theater, 7:30 p.m.

For close to four decades, the members of Big Head Todd and The Monsters have continued to both throw down in the studio and light up stages worldwide. Rallying around a core vision, the platinum-selling Colorado quartet kick out the kind of blues-drenched rock‘n’roll bangers that make you want to rev the engine a little louder, sing along like no one’s looking, and live a little freer. “To me, my band means four people who listen to each other, work hard, and share a goal,” Todd Mohr observes. “The goal has to do with reaching out to people, catching their ears, and sharing a story we hope they relate to.”

Tuesday, January 14

Been Stellar w/Malice K @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

Scream from New York, NY, the first album by Been Stellar, is a remarkably brutal debut. Bruised and volatile, it captures an image of ‘20s New York that’s unrelenting and harsh, where tenderness is a finite resource burned up by the machinery of the city and human connection is a luxury product. Leaving behind the driving shoegaze of their early recordings, the NYC-based five-piece tap into the disaffected sound and spirit of New York luminaries like Sonic Youth and Interpol.

Wednesday, January 15

Chicago @ Marcus Performing Arts Center, through January 19

Chicago is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one showstopping song after another and astonishing dancing.

In the whirlwind of Chicago’s Jazz Age, two of the Cook County Jail’s most notorious murderesses—vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart—become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy.