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Jazz in the Park returns, jazz in a grocery store, troubadour Eli Lev, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Locust Street celebrates, Wilco and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!
Thursday, June 6
Jazz in the Park - featuring Brian Lynch @ Cathedral Square Park, 5 p.m.
World class trumpeter Brian Lynch joins the Bonifas Electric Band as Jazz in the Park returns. Pack a picnic basket Thursdays through Aug. 29 with a De La Buena finale. See the full lineup here: easttownassociation.ticketspice.com/jazz-in-the-park-side-stage-experience.
Friday, June 7
Mrs. Fun w/ Russ Johnson @ Metro Market Shorewood, 4 p.m.
Two birds, one stone. Get your shopping done without piped in Muzak. Real live jazz in a grocery store. Long running duo Mrs. Fun will be joined by trumpeter Russ Johnson, whose work on last year’s album Dave Bayles Trio – Live At The Uptowner, was fantastic and inventive.
Flood Brothers Band - Summer Sessions @ Hoyt Park Beer Garden, 5 p.m.
Back in 1939 Milwaukee County operated the Hoyt Park Pool. In 2006 a grassroots group of volunteers formed Friends of Hoyt Park to revitalize the park and bring back swimming. Kick off the weekend in the beer garden with music from the Flood Brothers Band.
Saturday, June 8
Rap J @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
“SALT” by Rap J
“Put a glass ceiling above me, I will break through it.” Rap J returns to Shank Hall for a Saturday night show. At age six he began freestyling and discovered his passion for hip hop. Born with cerebral palsy, the Milwaukee artist refuses to let the condition define him.
Collections of Colonies of Bees w/ Immortal Girlfriend and Exit Statements @Vivarium, 8 p.m.
“Harms” by Collections of Colonies of Bees
With sonic breadcrumbs leading back to Pele and Volcano Choir, Collections of Colonies of Bees has been a restless group of musicians. Never content to paint the soundscape twice, the previously instrumental Bees now come outfitted with vocalist Marielle Allschwang, finding the Wisconsin-based ensemble harvesting the fertile intersection between experimental and pop to maximum effect.
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Peter J. Woods w/ Nosse Noos Nase and Matthies/Suchy Duo @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 8 p.m.
Pulling from the worlds of harsh noise and absurdist theatre, Peter J. Woods builds a sense of terror from simple imagery, muted text and an unpredictable barrage of silence and sound. Woods utilizes these approaches to challenge oppressive formations embedded within the musical contexts he finds himself in. Nosse Noos Nase is the duo of Ryan Dunn (Instinct Control) and J. Soliday from Chicago. Improvised electronic textures filtered through the best of free-improv and harsh noise. Local duo Wilhelm Matthies and Karel Suchy round out the bill.
Eli Lev @ Art Bar, 8 p.m.
“Be Your Someone” by Eli Lev
With one foot in the traditions of conscious folk music and another foot in modern pop production, Eli Lev stands firmly on his own ground. His earnest, enlightened, and invigorating folk-pop has garnered favorable comparisons to Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan, Jack Johnson, and John Denver. The troubadour’s tour takes him across the country to the East Coast and Canada. Next year Lev is booked throughout Europe and the UK.
Sunday, June 9
Locust Street Festival of Music and Art, 11:30 a.m.
“If You Want Me To” by Sugar Stems
Who says you can’t fight City Hall? With six stages of live music, local vendors, artists, food and beer, Locust Street Festival of Music and Art celebrates 45 years—in 1977 the neighborhood first celebrated a win over the City of Milwaukee in a battle to widen Locust Street. The annual Beer Run kicks things off. The impressive free-range live music list includes Bourbon Jockeys, The Erotic Adventures of The Static Chicken, Robot Witch, Bellends, Bluegrass All-Stars, Lovanova, Sugar Stems and a super-secret headliner at the Tracks stage. Full lineup here: locuststreetfestival.org/music.
Tuesday, June 11
Chill on the Hill – Chris Haise Band w/ Dak Dubois, 6:30 p.m.
“When It Rains” by Chris Haise Band
Songwriter Chris Haise’s music navigates life writ large—from juggling family to thoughtfully navigating the changes in society around him—buoyed by catchy hooks. With a talented band providing interesting arrangements, consider this an unofficial album release for the new album Busy People. dak duBois is the solo project of Milwaukee-based artist Dak Wright. His self-titled album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered in his apartment-turned-studio and he performs live shows with a rotating cast of local musicians (dak duBois &co), where sets bring funk-driven jammy overtones and memory-worthy experiences filled with high-level crowd engagement.
Wednesday, June 12
Wilco w/ Cut Worms @ Riverside Theater, 7:30 p.m.
Having just returned from a tour of the United Kingdom and Europe, guitarist Nels Cline was preparing for an unusual undertaking for his band, Wilco, when he called for a recent interview. “We are actually going to do something very uncharacteristic, which is we’re going to rehearse for the tour,” the guitarist revealed (shepherdexpress.com/music/music-feature/wilco-on-their-way-to-milwaukees-riverside-theater). Cline and his bandmates also needed to get up to speed with playing the songs from Cousin because the members weren’t together for the bulk of the recording. With fellow artist Cate Le Bon brought in to produce the album—the first time Wilco had used an outside producer for an album since the 2007 album Sky Blue Sky—the plan wasn’t to record live as a band in Wilco’s Chicago studio space, the Loft. All six band members—singer/guitarist/band leader Jeff Tweedy, Cline, keyboardist/guitarist Pat Sansone, drummer Glenn Kotche, bassist John Stirratt and keyboardist Mike Jorgensen—only convened for a short initial session before the real work on the album commenced.
