Harley-Davidson Homecoming, Mekons, Von Munz One Night Retrospective, Bastille Day West, Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes, Digable Planets, and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!
Photo via Pabst Theater Group
Mekons
Mekons
Thursday, July 10
Mekons @ Vivarium, 6:30 p.m.
“Fallen Leaves” by Mekons
Formed in 1976, “fundamentalist punk rock art project” from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, The Mekons recently released their 337th album, Horror. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but what isn’t is the good fortune Milwaukee music fans have experienced since band members Jon Langford and Sally Timms moved to Chicago in the early ‘90s. Since then, local Mekons club gigs have been wonderful, regular occurrences.
Did they kickstart Americana with 1985’s Fear and Whiskey album? Don’t blame the Mekons.
Harley-Davidson Homecoming @ various venues, through Saturday
“Roar Like Thunder” by Buckcherry
Harley takes over the city again with another homecoming bash, including three days of music from headliners Buckcherry (not to be confused with Chuck Berry) on Thursday.
“A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams Jr. headlines on Friday and Chris Stapleton with Turnpike Troubadours and Sierra Ferrell on Saturday.
“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton
More info here https://www.hdhomecoming.com/the-activities
Friday, July 11
Bastille Day West @ West Vliet between 57th and 60th Streets, 4 p.m.
A street festival with a pedigree that includes some of Milwaukee’s finest talents. The Incomparable Hildegarde presented by Jean Kaldunski, Milwaukee Hot Club, The Best Westerns, Troubadours of Rhythm and Robin Pluer with Glen Asch and Chris Hanson.
Von Munz One Night Retrospective @ The Magnet Factory. 6 p.m.
Von Munz in his element
This exclusive, one-night-only event showcases nearly 30 years of hand-printed concert posters by the legendary Milwaukee visual artist Von Munz. From The White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age to DEVO, Primus, Clutch, and Gary Numan—Von Munz has created artwork for some of the most influential names in music. This is a rare chance to view and collect pieces from his celebrated body of work.
DJ Ascot from the Jing Jong Triple Play (WMSE) will be spinning vinyl all evening.
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Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
“Wake The Dead” by Chuck Prophet
Chuck Prophet’s concerts at Shank Hall turn a music club into evangelical tent of rock and roll, energetically testifying to the music’s powers of rejuvenation. Today he is in full remission, but Prophet was Diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma a few years ago. His down time found him gravitating to cumbia, the music of Colombia and Peru. His new album, Wake the Dead, collaborates with ¿Qiensave?, the band steeped in the rhythmic sounds of the music.
Saturday, July 12
Puddler’s Hall Presents The Fifth Annual Rock Party Block Party @ Puddler’s Hall, 2 p.m.
A block party in the best tradition of Milwaukee’s music scene. The lineup includes DIY punks Contraptions; The Bronswik Affair mix of power pop, British Invasion melodies, and indie rock swagger; Two and a Half Stars surfy, trippy, fuzz-drenched sound; Louie & the Flashbombs all-star sextet bringing decades of musical chemistry to life; The Truck’s Rust Belt anthems with steel guitar firepower; and The Dirty Sweet’s hard-hitting anthems soaked in love, late nights, and rock ‘n roll.
Buzz from WMSE’s Buzz’s Garage will be spinning vinyl between sets and the Punk Rock Rummage Sale.
West Bend Homegrown Music Festival @ Regner Park (800 N Main St, West Bend), Also Sunday
Two days of original music featuring Joseph Huber, Zach Pietrini, The People Brothers Band, Wise Jennings, The Freques, Maple Road Blues Band, Valley Fox, Traveling Suitcase and more.
More info here facebook.com/homegrownmusicwi
Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys Featuring Westside Andy @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting, 7 p.m.
Photo via Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co.
Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys Featuring Westside Andy
Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys Featuring Westside Andy
Bringing crowds to their feet at the hardest to please and sophisticated night clubs in the Midwest, Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys play traditional blues, straight up with a big dose of passion. They play original songs peppered with nods to Slim Harpo, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and the three Kings.
Born in 1952, Madison’s Westside Andy caught the music bug young and picked up his first harmonica at age 11. Listening late at night on KAAY AM Radio in Little Rock, he got turned on early to Muddy Waters, Little Walter, James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, and Big Walter Horton, to name a few. He's played over 10,000 gigs over some 45 years, working with a Who’s Who of the Blues: Luther Allison, Ben E. King, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Barrelhouse Chuck, Hubert Sumlin, Tab Benoit, Gary Primich, Mel Ford, Billy Flynn, and The University of Wisconsin 250-piece band.
Sunday, July 13
Graham Hunt (Record Release Show) w/ Impish Tips and Royal Jelly @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
“Frog in the Shower” by Graham Hunt
If you know how to work the angles, you can fit a lot into the container of a three- or four-minute pop song. Graham Hunt understands this. This show celebrates the release of Hunt’s new album Timeless World Forever. Since he was a teenager, he’s been working at perfecting the form, writing songs that get to the heart of what makes Midwestern guitar pop so essential, and doing it while sidestepping any of the dead-end creative moves that weigh down many in the genre.
Monday, July 14
Bonerama @ Musical Mondays – Lake Park, 6:30 p.m.
“When the Levee Breaks” by Bonerama
A legendary New Orleans band featuring three trombones, Bonerama plays a genre-bending gumbo that covers the sound of everything from Crescent City horn bands, soul and gospel to music of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Tuesday, July 15
Testa Rosa w/ Telethon @ Chill on the Hill – Humboldt Park Band Shell, 6:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of the band
Testa Rosa
Is it time for V? Back in 2020 Testa Rosa released IV, and if the band’s trajectory of naming their albums in tribute to Chicago LPs holds true, then album number five might be just around the bend.
Among IV’s standout tracks, the cinematic quality of “High Horse” could be a lost Karen Carpenter track, abetted by Berg’s stark piano riff. “Play It as It Lays” features Damian Strigens rich-toned chiming guitar runs topped by Betty Blexrud-Strigens’ idiosyncratic vocal phrasing. “Herring Gull” threatens to turn into Krautrock then nodding to The Jaynettes “Sally Go Round the Roses” before Bill Backes’ drum finale rebuilds to a coda.
In March, Telethon released Suburban Electric, the band’s sixth album. Described as “11 different character studies delivered via rock & roll.” Leadoff track pays tribute to the badass, rebel actor “Sterling Hayden.”
The Swell Season @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
“People We Used To Be” by The Swell Season
The fan base created by the modern masterpiece of Once looms large in the minds and hearts of many. With that, the heartbreaking beauty of The Swell Season, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, came to be. They return with their first full length album in 16 years, featuring their exquisite sound. This night of music will highlight songs from The Swell Season, the soundtrack to Once, as well as their individual careers.
Wednesday, July 16
Digable Planets w/ KidCutUp - Summer of Soul 2025 @ Peck Pavilion, Market place opens 4:30
“Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” by Digable Planets
Digable Planets burst onto the music scene in 1993 with their Grammy-winning single, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” Made up of Ishmael Butler (“Butterfly”), Craig Irving (“Doodlebug”) and Mary Ann Vieira (“Ladybug Mecca”), the trio carved out a unique style of jazz-informed hip hop. Shortly after, Digable Planets followed up with their debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time And Space).
Melding jazz samples, and complex rhymes that touched on everything from the nuances of city life (“Where I’m From”) to abortion rights (“La Femme Fetal”), Reachin’ was a rich and vibrant artistic statement as well as a huge commercial success.
In 2017, they released Digable Planets Live, a live album that showcases many gems from the group’s catalog as well as the trio’s skill at rocking the crowd with a live band. A pioneering act that continues to cast a wide-ranging, genre-bending influence, Digable Planets have left an indelible mark on music. More than 30 years after their debut, their music still shines. More info here marcuscenter.org/event/digable-planets-at-rainbow-summer
Built To Spill + Yo La Tengo @ The Pabst Theater, 6 p.m.
“And The Glitter Is Gone” by Yo La Tengo
Few bands are musically omnivorous as Yo La Tengo. Four decades into a career that easily moves from folk rock to noisy jams to Krautrock-inspired zone outs, their concerts are like feel like a cool record collection brought to life. Led by Doug Martsch, Built to Spill’s songs are not afraid to let a song spool out and evolve, to the delight of fans of imaginative guitar sounds.
