This Week in MKE Music: May 1-7, 2025

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

by

This Week in MKE Music

Newski, Brian Lynch and the last waltz with Salford Lads Club in Riverwest, a tribute to Mike Hoffman in West Allis, two nights of 69 Love Songs downtown and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, May 1

Frail Talk w/ Blacktop and Maximiano @ Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., 7 p.m.

Formed in the foothills of Northern Colorado in early 2020, Alex Woodchek and Cor Wright of Frail Talk’s songs spring up from the dirt with folk roots, soft pop colors and burgeoning lyricism. Blacktop is the Milwaukee-based writing and recording project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Austin Wood. Resting between the genres of folk, surf rock and dream pop, Blacktop’s sound is adorned with soft-spoken vocals, washed-out guitars and synthesizers, acoustic percussion and field recordings.

The Real Truth by Maximiano (aka Maximiano Janairo) finds its center in the soaring “You Have a Heart in Me,” with Ellie Jackson’s vocals urging the song even higher. Will Hansen’s pedal and lap steel guitars enrich the atmosphere of Janairo’s journal-like songs throughout the album.

Friday, May 2

Newski CD release w/ The Dreaded Laramie @ Falcon Bowl, 7 p.m.

Ever restless in genres and shifting projects, Brett Newski shares his life experiences and artistic challenges at will. He remains DIY to his core.

On their newest album, ameriCONa Pt 1: Educate Freeloaders to Buy Art, Brett Newski & The Bad Inventions (aka Steve Vorass and Sean Anderson) take on what Newski describes as “the wild times in American politics and economics.”

Who decides what music is worth? And who then gets to benefit from such an assessment? At the dawn of the 21st century the digital era was meant to “revolutionize” music, offering new ways for both musicians and fans alike to create and share art. What we got, some 25 years later, is Spotify CEO Daniel Ek earning approximately $345 million a year, while artists on his service make less than a penny per stream. At the same time, algorithms steer listeners in safe and predictable directions, making sure that only a handful of artists truly benefit from these technologies. We were promised democratization; what we got was a long con.

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Newski’s willingness to poke fun at his genre—and at himself —affords the singer-songwriter a sort of attractive vulnerability throughout ameriCONa. The sound of the record only serves to heighten this feeling, as the album sounds anything but slick. Newski notes that the band recorded ameriCONa on an old cassette machine from the early 1990s that he bought for $350.

Salford Lads Club w/ Pretend and DJ Paul H @ Mad Planet, 8 p.m.

Peter Pan never grew old, so it’s fitting that as the Lads turn 18 they will vanish—at Mad Planet where it all started. Fronted by Marc Solheim, the Smiths-inspired Salford Lads Club was on a mission from day one, playing a benefit for 1-800-SUICIDE and generously pitching in with other benefit shows like The Pablove Foundation.

One of the good guys, Solheim was long a familiar face on the East Side hustling flyers and producing shows independently before joining the Pabst Theater Group. Not too long ago he moved on to a position with Riot Fest.

Saturday, May 3

ROCKHOFFMANOFF @ OPE Brewing, 4 p.m.

When multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Hoffmann died suddenly in 2021 it sent shock waves through the Milwaukee music community.

Among his many credits, Hoffmann produced, performed and recorded with: melaniejane, Semi-Twang, Carnival Strippers, The Holy Ranger, Victor DeLorenzo, Nineteen Thirteen, The Spanic Boys, Arms, Legs and Feet, The Carolinas, Mike Fredrickson, Blue in the Face, Ward and His Troubles and the Yell Leaders. Most recently he was collaborating with The Delta Routine, mood vertigo and Sam Llanas.

ROCKHOFFMANOFF is a full day of music celebrating the legacy of Hoffmann. A stellar lineup of former bandmates local talent assembles to salute his legacy.

Scheduled to perform are John & Pete Strand, Non Sequiturs, The Pinwheels, a break for the Kentucky Derby, then music resumes with Bristlehead, Mood Vertigo, The Carolinas, Semi-Twang and The Delta Routine.

Carl Verheyen @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

A member of British rock group Supertramp since 1985, Carl Verheyen is also the creative force behind the Carl Verheyen Band. Additionally, he performs with drummer Stewart Copeland in his “Police Deranged for Orchestra” concerts with symphony orchestras all over North America.

A noted music educator, Verheyen was named “One of the Top 10 Guitar Players in the World” by Guitar Magazine and “One of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” by Classic Rock Magazine.

Brian Lynch @ Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, 8 p.m.

Renowned trumpeter Brain Lynch got his start in Milwaukee and lately he’s been hanging around his old home. Here is a chance to catch world-class talent in the friendly confines of Riverwest’s Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts. Shepherd Express wrote about his recent album 7X7BY7

Sunday, May 4

Arm's Length w/ Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Riley! and Bike Routes  @ Vivarium, 7 p.m.

Songwriter Allen Steinberg of Ontario, Canada emo band Arm’s Length said, “I write everything as a way to process my own grief.” In that interview on the Dork website, he added, “I think this record is written with more ‘acceptance’, and that’s palpable in the tone of voice and is evident in the ways the songs are written. There is a sense that I’m going to actually have to deal with these aforementioned traumas in one way or another rather than just being entangled in them.”

Monday, May 5

TRSH w/ Doan, Summerbruise and Dear Maryanne @ X-Ray Arcade, 6 p.m.

The Basement Collective, Kickstand Productions and X-Ray Arcade present four acts to usher in the week. TRSH, Doan, Summerbruise and Dear Maryanne all have youth on their side. Will any of them be the Next Big Thing? Keep in mind that Nirvana played a show at the Unicorn in 1990.

Tuesday, May 6

The Magnetic Fields – two nights @ Pabst Theater, 7 p.m. (also Wednesday)

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of 69 Love Songs, the Magnetic Fields are continuing their two-night performance of the album in its entirety. The full concert runs over the course of two nights.

Originally released in 1999 on Merge Records, 69 Love Songs is a beloved three-disc masterwork that marked a significant breakthrough for the American band. This tour brings the full record live on tour for the first time in over two decades.

Written and recorded entirely by Stephin Merritt, 69 Love Songs garnered universal acclaim at its 1999 release, landing on best of year-end lists in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, SPIN and the Washington Post, and received notable praise from Pitchfork, The Guardian, Stereogum and much more.

Wednesday, May 7

Luke Callen w/ Clare Doyle and Dandy L. Freling @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.

Americana calling: Sure, fans of John Prine, The Band, or Randy Newman will undoubtedly hear traces of Luke Callen’s biggest influences, but there’s a modern assessment within the music that is the distinct voice of an artist coming into his own and sharing stages with fellow pickers and balladeers like Charlie Parr and Margo Cilker.

Initially inspired to write by heroes like Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, now Clare Doyle incorporates both classic and contemporary sensibilities into her songs. She draws on a range of influences to write candidly about loving, losing, hurting and making a hot mess of things.

A highway-kind traveler combining a touch of the high and lonesome hollers of the Appalachian hill people with the low-down, dusty grooves of the cosmic cowboys, Dandy L. Freling has created a unique songwriter banquet sure to satisfy the hunger of any weary passerby. A boot stompin’ finger picker with remnant hollers of the greats of our past.