This Week in MKE Music: June 13-19, 2024

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Outdoor music takes over with Lakefront Festival of Art, a benefit for The Turf, Summer Soulstice, Metro Jam, Riverwest Radio, Brewtown Rumble and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, June 13

Jazz in the Park - Septeto Charambo featuring Salsasobritas @ Cathedral Square Park, 5 p.m.

Septeto Charambó, the modern version of the popular 80’s salsa band Conjunto Charambó combines charanga and bomba rhythms from the Caribbean, the band was reinvented in 2022 and now delivers their unique salsa dura sound, keeping the rich traditions of Milwaukee salsa alive.

Friday, June 14

Granville Blues Fest @ 8633 W. Brown Deer Rd., Friday through Sunday

The annual music celebration Granville Blues Fest returns with three day of music, food and vendors.  The festival creates a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere, where people from all walks of life come together to appreciate the power and beauty of the blues. Whether you’re a seasoned blues enthusiast or simply looking to immerse yourself in a weekend of fantastic music and community spirit, the Granville Blues Fest promises an unforgettable experience for all who attend. Headliners include Sheryl Youngblood, Carlos Johnson, and Mike Wheeler. See the full lineup here: granvillebusiness.org/granville-blues-fest-2024.

Lakefront Festival of Art @ Milwaukee Art Museum, Through Sunday

Rain or shine, 120 artists from across the nation-- shop paintings, ceramics, fiber, metalwork, jewelry, and more. Sample Milwaukee flavor from local restaurants, lounge in the sunshine in the beer and wine gardens and make art in the outdoor Kohl’s Art Studio. Museum admission is included with ticket. 

Live music and dance from Peter J. Thomas, Vincent Van Great, Grey Genius, Danceworks, *aya and more. Info here: mam.org/events/lfoa.

Wobblyhead’s 25 Year Anniversary Showcase: Def Harmonic, Signaldrift, Casino Versus Japan, One.F, Rob Sevier and Old Man Malcolm @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.

Space was the place and imagination was the destination when the Wobblyhead collective emerged 25 years ago. DIY, minimalist and lo-fi by design as well as choice, the label is re-assembling the crew for a one-night-only showcase. Old Man Malcolm took time for a deep dive on our Sonic Rendezvous podcast here: shepherdexpress.com/podcasts/sonicrendezvous/malcolm-michiles.

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Metro Jam – Washington Park, Manitowoc, through Saturday

Itching for a road trip? A short drive north gets you the 45th annual Metro Jam. This year’s free festival includes headliners Drivin N Cryin, The Pretty Flowers, The Mommyheads, Rose Cora Perry & The Truth Untold, The Exotics and Combustor. More info here: metrojam.org.

Saturday, June 15

Benefit Concert and Skate Jam for The Turf Skatepark, Konkel Park, Noon

The grassroots resurrection of The Turf, Greenfield’s skatepark, gets a push with a one-day music festival with an overflow lineup headlined by Convert, The Crosses and Agent Orange. 

Opened in 1979, The Turf was closed in 1996 with the bowls filled in with gravel and covered with soil. 

In 2010, while digging to construct an off ramp, contractors exposed a corner of one of the bowls. News of the discovery quickly spread through the skateboarding community. People who had spent years of their youth skating the Turf rushed to the site. Using hand shovels and buckets they dug out tons of gravel from the bowls.

Opportunity presented itself in 2019 when, after extensive negotiations with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Mayor Michael Neitzke purchased the land for $1, on the condition it will forever be a public park. In the spring of 2020, in what was essentially an archeological dig site of skateboarding history and culture, Greenfield Public Works excavated and inspected all 5 of the original bowls. Although damaged, it was determined that they can be restored to their original condition.

Full music lineup here: theturf.org.

Summer Soulstice @ Between Kenilworth Place, Ivanhoe Place, Farwell Avenue, Prospect Avenue, Murray Avenue, and Kind Oasis, Noon

The annual East Side street festival welcomes over 25 performers on six stages. Grab your sunscreen. Rat Bath, Twan Mack, Dak DuBois, Asher Gray and Greyhound, Elephonic, Mark Waldoch, Chicken Wire Empire and more. More info here: summersoulsticemke.com/line-up.

WXWR Alley Concert Series @ 824 E. Center St., 2 p.m.

Riverwest Radio is the little station that thinks big. Broadcasting as WXRW-LP, 104.1 FM, the 100-watt station can also be heard via podcast: shepherdexpress.com/news/community-news/riverwest-radio-makes-waves.

Saturday’s Alley Concert event features an afternoon set of comedy and music from Darrin Alston Jr., Secondhand Souls, Fezee, Hot Science, and Mystik Music. A 6:30 p.m. evening set presents Ching Suru,  Wavefiler and Monaco 74.

Snoop Dogg @ Potawatomi Amplified, 7:30 p.m.

Live music returns to Potawatomi with Snoop Dogg, serial entrepreneur, the rapper has also dabbled in cannabis industries. The first of three concerts, to take place in the former Cargill lot just west of the casino, the outdoor venue has a capacity of 4,800. Amenities include 40 picnic tables, double-decker VIP tents, food trucks, beer trucks and free parking.

Chuck Prophet w/deerfrance @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Rock and roll as a tent show revival; Chuck Prophet’s performances are high energy testimonials. Prophet began his career as guitar slinger in Green on Red and his 30-plus year solo career has included ingredients from pop, psychedelic, Americana and classic Brill Building sounds. A great collaborator, he has worked with his longtime foil Stephanie Finch, Jim Dickinson, Alejandro Escovedo, Kelly Willis and Peter Mulvey.

The prize in the crackerjacks here is the opener, deerfrance who has emerged with a new album the sad electronic NOW and a band with Milwaukee connections: shepherdexpress.com/music/music-feature/deerfrance-comes-to-milwaukee. The songwriter and vocalist who collaborated with John Cale and Tom Verlaine. She also plays an early show, 4 p.m. Sunday at Linnemann’s, which includes a reunion set by Crime Family and Barry Patton.

Sunday, June, 16

Brewtown Rumble ’24 @ Boone & Crockett, 11 a.m.

The annual Brewtown Rumble is a non-denominational celebration of vintage motorcycles and their riders. All makes. All models. Any condition. All people. All that matters is that you love riding it. Everyone is welcome at the Rumble, riders and motorcycle enthusiasts alike.

All proceeds from the Rumble support the BUILD MOTO Mentor Program – the program mentors and trains local Milwaukee high school students through motorcycle fabrication. The program has raised over $45,000 in the first five years for the program. Live music from DJ Paul H, Lack of Reason and The Exotics.

Monday, June 17

Mr. Joe Jackson Presents: Joe Jackson Solo And The Music Of Max Champion @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.

Billed as “Mr. Joe Jackson Presents: Joe Jackson Solo And The Music Of Max Champion,” Jackson performs a set and returns for a second as alter ego Max Champion, the obscure Music Hall songwriter whose sheet music was “found” and resurrected—after he was lost in World War I. Originally branded one of New Wave’s “angry young men,” Jackson continues his imaginative, restless trajectory.

Tuesday, June 18

Glazed w/Bottom Bracket, Static Palms and Superglue @ X-Ray Arcade, 6 p.m.

A night of emo via Florida, Chicago and Milwaukee along with Superglue’s grunge.