This Week in MKE Music July 30-August 5, 2026

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

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This Week in MKE Music

An evening with Stewart Copeland, a rare Robot Witch sighting, return of the Hickoids and Watershed, Black Arts Fest MKE, Brass Queens @ Racine Zoo and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music.

Thursday, July 30

Stewart Copeland - Have I Said Too Much @ Vivarium, 6:30 p.m.

Stewart Copeland’s “Have I Said Too Much: The Police, Hollywood, and Other Adventures,” presents an evening of conversation, with photos, videos and Q&A with the world-famous drummer, founder of the most successful rock band of the 1980s, The Police, composer of film scores, video games and operas, multi Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, writer and film maker. It is his first American spoken-word tour, to talk about it all in his usual funny, intelligent, sharp and unique way.

Robot Witch w/ Bellends @ Nashville North, 7 p.m.

Robot Witch’s wonderfully chaotic electro synth punk is on display in what is the band’s first and maybe only local show for 2026. They released their full-length album Take Me to the Show last year. Bellends bring the sounds of dive bars to Midwest folk-punk. The simple, dirty, basement rock and roll band is driven by powerful guitar solos and steady rhythms.

Friday, July 31

Hickoids @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Jeff Smith and his long-running Texas cowpunk band the Hickoids are returning to Milwaukee after more than three decades away, but there’s an unknown local sound man from the last time they played here who might want to confront him, Smith says.

The Hickoids, who play Friday at Shank Hall, were performing at the famed Unicorn in the basement of the now demolished Sidney Hih building, sometime between 1988 and 1990, Smith remembers (his story, with some cartoon-type elements, caused me to spit out my sparkling water at one point on my iPad). A Kansas City garage band, the Sin City Disciples, was also on the bill, and Smith fondly recalls Unicorn owner Gus Hosseini, who now operates Gus’ Deli in West Allis.

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“There wasn’t a tremendous number of people there, but I do recall the sound man that night that I guess I owe an apology to,” Smith says. “I was kind of hitting on his girlfriend, and I passed out in the (sound) booth. And so, the club was in the basement. I passed out in this booth talking to his girlfriend, and one of the guys had to drag me up the stairs. They dragged me out there like by one arm, and so about a day and a half later, I was in the van. I was like, ‘Man, did you guys see me fall the other night or something?’ And they all started busting up, laughing in the van.”

Saturday, August 1

Black Arts Fest MKE @ Henry Maier Festival Park, Noon

A cultural festival celebrating and showcasing African and African American culture. Various genres of music on tap, performances and workshops for children, dance performances and activities focused around African heritage are in store. A Market Square will feature wares and products aligned with the culture and produced by black owned businesses. More info here https://www.blackartsfestmke.com/

Current Sounds - Pete McDermott of Ladybird @ Lakefront Brewery Patio, 2 p.m.

Catch a set from Pete McDermott of Ladybird. The free music series continues through September. More info here https://lakefrontbrewery.com/events/current-sounds

Sunday, August 2

Third Coast Blues Collective featuring Greg Koch and Nick Moss @ Ope! Brewing, 3 p.m.

Blues fans, guitar fans, music fans--notorious guitar demons Greg Koch and Nick Moss stop by Ope! for an afternoon of spontaneous musical debauchery. Kurt Koenig and Matt Liban keep things grounded, as always.

All this in the delightful environs of Ope! Brewing Company with lots of parking, tasty beer, tempting food trucks, indoor and outdoor games and no cover charge. Bring your doggies too.

Matt Blair Clearings Quartet @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 8 p.m.

Matt Blair Clearings Quartet returns to Jazz Gallery bringing their singular, post-everything take on jazz. Local support from the free improvisation duo of Rick Ollman and Eli Smith.

Monday, August 3

Watershed – Acoustic In-Store Performance and Book Reading @ Irving Place Records, 5 p.m.

In a blurry memory from a lifetime ago, Watershed is playing black-lit backroom of Brett’s—the band’s power pop rock sound bouncing off the walls,

To celebrate the re-release of Watershed’s Joe Oestreich’s memoir Hitless Wonder, the guys decided to hit the road and make a pit stop in Milwaukee, for their first visit in ages with three new releases, all wrapped up in one project.

Joe Oestreich’s legendary memoir covers the four-decade career of the Columbus, Ohio rock band Watershed, the Hitless Wonder 15th Anniversary Edition will feature new artwork and photos, along with a new afterword from Joe and a new foreword by Rob Harvilla.

Second, to celebrate the re-release, there is a soundtrack to the book. Hitless Wonder-The Definitive Cuts 1990-2025. Third, tucked inside the record gatefold will be a 45 RPM single featuring two brand new songs produced by Tim Patalan.

Musical Mondays - Buckets of Prine: The Songs of John Prine @ Lake Park, 6:30 p.m.

With its pitch-perfect harmonies and varied orchestrations, this Door County supergroup— Katie Dahl, Eric Lewis, Chris Irwin, Jeanne Kuhns, Craig McClelland, Rich Higdon—has created a unique concert experience. The group began performing Bob Dylan’s songs to full houses since 2011, the group is now also covering the songs of legendary songwriter John Prine and the songs of Brandi Carlile.

Tuesday, August 4

Chill on the Hill – Bo Randall Band w/ Valley Fox @ Humboldt Park Bandshell, 6 p.m.

Bluegrass is best consumed out-of-doors. Here’s a chance to catch a pair of acts in the friendly confines of Humboldt Park. Pack a picnic or stop by the food trucks and local brew stations.

Of Monsters and Men - The Mouse Parade Tour w/ Gordi @ The Riverside Theater, 7 p.m.

From Reykjavík to the global stage, Of Monsters and Men (OMAM) first captured the world’s attention with their 2011 debut My Head Is an Animal, transforming from Icelandic indie favorites into a band known and loved worldwide.

Breakout single “Little Talks” became a generational anthem and led to a 2013 “Saturday Night Live” debut. Over the past 15 years, OMAM have continuously explored, evolved, and built a world of music defined by growth and imagination—from the cinematic expansiveness of Beneath the Skin to the dreamlike textures of Fever Dream (2019).

Along the way, OMAM’s cinematic sound has been featured in The Hunger Games, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and festival sets at Coachella, Glastonbury and Lollapalooza.

After pursuing solo and side projects, the band now reunites with All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, a tapestry of stories, moments and conversations.

Wednesday, August 5

Animal Crackers Presents: Brass Queens @ Racine Zoo, 5:30 p.m.

Brass Queens is a female-led, New York-based brass band that has been dominating the brass band scene since 2019. Finding that they shared similar frustrations about the emerging brass band scene in New York City, co-founders Alex Harris and Ally Chapel came together to form a group dedicated to showcasing the talents of female musicians in a landscape that was dominated by male musicians and bandleaders.

After debuting in March 2019, Brass Queens grew to be a fixture in the local music scene and was dubbed “the hardest working band in town” by their peers. The Queens gained a dedicated following through outdoor performances on the streets of Brooklyn and playing pop-up events in their community through the pandemic. Now, a core value of the band is to play for as many audiences as possible to increase the visibility of female musicians.

The Animal Crackers series continues Aug. 19 with Grace Kelly. More info here racinezoo.org/animal-crackers

Triptides w/ Wisconsin Space Program and Shadeseeker @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.

Free your mind a bit with this mid-week psychstravaganza.

Over the last 14 years and dozens of albums and singles, cosmic Los Angeles rockers Triptides have traversed a kaleidoscopic musical landscape of psychedelic rock, Laurel Canyon folk, and spaced out jazz pop—but each track can be traced back to group leader’s Glenn Brigman’s unique ability to craft and explore a seemingly infinite number of dimensional melodies and harmonies.