This Week in MKE Music: March 20-26, 2025

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

by

Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar slide into Shank Hall, Lee Bains plays solo, Dwight Yoakam, Claudia Schmidt, improvisation at Jazz Gallery, WMSE’s annual Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, March 20

Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Sonny Landreth & Cindy Cashdollar - Live At Caffe Lena

Here’s a rare slide guitar summit with a pair of masters. Louisiana slide guitar wizard Sonny Landreth’s trademark bottleneck chops and Cindy Cashdollar's dobro and steel string talents culminate in world renowned showcases of guitar virtuosity. Landreth has collaborated with many legendary performers including John Hiatt, Jimmy Buffett, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton.

Cashdollar has worked with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart and Ryan Adams. With the western swing group Asleep At The Wheel, she garnered five Grammy awards and was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2011.

Friday, March 21

Lee Bains w/ Peter Arndt @ Var Gallery, 7:30 p.m.

“God's A-Working, Man” by Lee Bains

Stopping in Milwaukee with his “Done Playing Dead 2025” tour, Lee Bains leaves no doubt where he’s coming. He recently posted on Facebook, “regardless of what these fascists and billionaires claim or try to make true, ultimate political power is with the People. here's to awakening ourselves and each other to that fact. I'm stoked to get out into America…”

Dwight Yoakam w/ The Mavericks and Noah Rinker @ Miller High Live Theatre, 7 p.m.

“That California sound from the Dust Bowl to the Hollywood Bowl,” as Dwight Yoakam says of his sound. The singer-songwriter’s career has found touches of honky-tonk country and Beatles pop hooks on his albums. Touring on his recent record Brighter Days, Yoakum shares the bill with The Mavericks. That group tosses rock & roll, country and R&B, Tex-Mex twang, Cuban rhythms, Jamaican ska, and other Latin influences into a blender. Recording in Nashville, New Mexico and Louisiana, their recent album Moon and Stars features collaborations with Sierra Farrell, Nicole Adkins and Maggie Rose.

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Bell Monks, Tontine Ensemble and Russell / Blair / Smith @ The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 7 pm. 

“Watching the Snow Fall” by Bell Monks

Expect an ear-opening event at the Jazz Gallery for the Arts. Bell Monks and Tim Russell/Matt Blair/Ari Smith from Madison will be joined by Milwaukee improvising string quartet Tontine Ensemble for an evening of music.

Saturday, March 22

Claudia Schmidt @ Unitarian Church North (13800 N. Port Washington Road., Mequon)

Singer-songwriter Claudia Schmidt “takes her audiences into her world as easily as the child who discovers the endless universes that exist in a cardboard box.” Honing her craft for nearly four decades, “Schmidt weaves her way through her concert in much the same manner as a jester. She enjoys her talent to entertain as much as the audience enjoys being entertained.” (Door County Advocate)

The Dead Bolts w/ The Keystones and Well + Good @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.

 “Promised Land” by The Dead Bolts

In a manner some would regard as premature, having only practiced twice, The Dead Bolts found themselves booked solid ​in watering holes and Irish pubs around their native south side Chicago neighborhoods. It was tucked into the corners of these establishments ​playing extremely loud and not very well for over four hours a night, where the band would cut their teeth among swells of underaged college kids, ​just like them, that had flooded in to drink and scream the lyrics of the same set of songs every weekend.

When they each finally wrapped up their academic careers in 2020, they got to work on putting together their first full length album.

Sunday, March 23

WMSE’s Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser @ Kern Center, 11 a.m.

For some it is the unofficial waving of winter’s white flag—no mas! Put some spice in your spring and turn up the heat with WMSE’s 23rd annual Rockabilly Chili fundraiser. Join thousands of chili lovers and taste over 40 different chilis from restaurants, cafes and caterers from all over Milwaukee. DJ’s, voting for best: Meat, Heat, Veggie, and Unique chili and hottest display.

Participating restaurants include: Aperitivo, Bakehouse 23, Beans & Barley, BelAir Cantina, Belle Starr BBQ, Blue’s Egg + Bakery, Braise Restaurant & Culinary School, Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club, Cafe Corazon, Camino, Caulfield’s, Colonel Hart’s, Comet Café, Crafty Cow, Dairyland Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard & Hamburgers, Experts Only MKE, Foxtown Heritage Meats, Freshchef Meal Prep, Glorioso’s Italian Market, Grassroots Salad Company, Hometown Grub and Pub, Honeypie Café, Hue Asian Kitchen, Kettle Range Meat Company, Lakefront Brewery, Layman Brewing, LuLu Café & Bar, Maxie’s, MOTOR Bar & Restaurant, MPS School to Work Program, Nessun Dorma, Plant Joy, Red Maple, Riverwest Co-op, Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare, SALA, Semolina, Story Hill BKC, Tavern at Park / Hilton Garden Inn, The Old German Beer Hall, The Social American Tavern, Twisted Plants, Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern Downtown, Von Trier Tavern and X-Ray Arcade. More info here https://wmse.org/chili/

Tuesday, March 25

Parachute Day w/ Buena Cara, In Shining Armour and Oogwé @ X-Ray Arcade, 6 p.m.

The Basement Collective and X-Ray Arcade present live music on the floor for this all-ages show. Four bands, the square root of which adds up to a good percentage of math rock, if my calculations are correct.

Chicago’s Parachute Day play shiny and nostalgic math rock. Milwaukee’s emo tr io Buena Cara, In Shining Armour (featuring members of Bug Moment) and emo/math rock rockers Oogwé round out the bill.

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical @  Marcus Performing Arts Center, through March 30

“A Beautiful Noise”

When he eventually tired of rattling his sabre, Neil Diamond lay down his sword and picked up a guitar. The rest is history. A Beautiful Noise is the story of Diamond’s journey from the Brill Building writing hit songs for The Monkees to performing his own classics like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Holly Holy” and ballpark singalong “Sweet Caroline.”

Wednesday, March 26

Burton Cummings - 60th Anniversary Hits Tour @ The Pabst Theater, 7 p.m.

“Clap for the Wolfman” by  The Guess Who

If there was ever such a thing as a “Canadian Invasion,” The Guess Who would have surely led the charge. Lead singer Burton Cumming’s was a key part of the band’s sound over a stretch that straddled FM radio credibility and hit singles with songs like “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “No Time,” “American Woman,” “Share the Land,” “Hand Me Down World,” “Albert Flasher,” “Star Baby,” “Clap for The Wolfman” and “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.”

In 1976 Cummings went solo. If not overdrive, he’s continued releasing music, played in Ringo’s All Starr Band and collaborated again with Randy Bachman.