This Week in MKE Music: May 30-June 5, 2024

by

Outdoor music takes flight at Great Lakes Distillery and aboard the Vista King; Bay View hosts jazz and art, Ladybird plays a pair of shows, Julia Blair at Var, Andrew Bird, Festa Italiana and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, May 30

Driveway Thriftdwellers @ Harley Davidson Museum, 5 p.m.

Driveway Thriftdwellers sounded like old souls from the gitgo. With a recipe of hard country, honky tonk, a whiff of countrypolitan, songs with substance, just the right amount of twang and earnestness they get it right. The H-D weekly concert series continues Thursdays through Sept. 26: harley-davidson.com/us/en/museum/explore/events.html.

Crooked Teeth w/ Unturned @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Crooked Teeth wonderfully split the difference between the energy of emo angst and pop punk bliss. The California trio shares the bill with Minneapolis’ Unturned, the band that was formed in 2013 when Parker Toyne and Sam Kuchera focused on being the best songwriters they could be. By the time they were college students they navigated tours with the responsibilities of turning assignments in early. They both graduated.

Andrew Bird w/ Elizabeth Moen @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.

If you were lucky enough to catch Andrew Bird’s 2006 show at the Miramar Theatre, you caught a glimpse of artist who blurs boundaries. Touring on his new album Sunday Morning Put-On, is the latest chapter in a restless career that blends imaginative songwriting with violin, real-time looping and whistling.

Friday, May 31

“Waves of Change Fundraiser” for Riverwest Radio, Milwaukee Boat Line, 4:30 p.m.

Riverwest Radio continues to punch above its weight. Here’s a fundraiser launching the station’s new podcast network that includes a cruise on the Vista King, food and music by Wave Chapelle, Micah Emrich, Duwayne and Beanboi. For info visit mkeboat.com/special-events/2024/5/31/riverwest-radio-waves-of-change-boat-tour-gala.

Festa Italiana 

Festa Italiana returns to Henry Maier Festival Park with First Lady Jill Biden speaking at 6 p.m. Friday, fireworks on Saturday and local chefs including Dan Jacobs (DanDan) and Adam Pawlak (Egg and Flour) and more. Through Sunday. Info here: iccmilwaukee.com

Friends of the Shepherd

Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly magazine.

LEARN MORE

Bay View Jazz Fest and Gallery Night @ Various Locations

Bay View Jazz Fest, running on Friday night May 31 from 5 to 11 p.m., sprawls significantly beyond the ostensible main street. This year, South Kinnickinnic Avenue addresses will only host two of the fest’s seven venues. Humboldt Park Beer Garden might be the most appealing site, but don’t stop there to get your fullest jazz fixes. (shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/bay-view-jazz-festival-bursting-with-music)

This is live jazz to the absolute hilt, with 15 groups going at it. Other performance spaces include Twisted Path Distillery, Revel Bar, Rev Pop, Magnet Factory, Cache Cider and Morgan Park.  It’s Milwaukee’s largest free-admission jazz festival. Most probably the BVJF is annually the most prodigious one-night jazz event in the city’s history.

Gallery Night info here: bvgn.org.

Saturday, June 1

Them Coulee Boys w/ The MilBillies and Luke Callen - WMSE’s  Sippin’ & Strummin’ with The Chicken Shack @ Great Lakes Distillery & Tasting Room, 5 p.m.

The third annual event combines a signature rye whiskey, food trucks and a trio of bands that embody Americana music—from country to bluegrass to folk.

Still No Tomatoes @ The Asylum MKE, 8 p.m.

Milwaukee’s self-proclaimed (and only?) crafters of hodgepop, Still No tomatoes blend diverse musical enthusiasms with inventive instrumentation (guitar/ukulele, trombone, bass) from folk to rock to Jamaican roots one drop, this eclectic ensemble connects the dots between genres, illuminating and exploring the terrain between imagination and expectation. Ticket info here: theasylummke.org/still-no-tomatoes.

Ladybird w/Long Mama, 5 p.m. and Ladybird w/ Joseph Huber and Maximiano @ Cactus Club, 8:30 p.m.

Recalling the late great Goodnight Loving, Ladybird’s charm lies in not reinventing the wheel, just offering their own take. In their able hands, weeping pedal steel guitar and driving country tunes sound fresh. Ladybird celebrates an album release with a pair of shows and either choice offers up opening acts that are among the top of the local heap.

Julia Blair w/Mark Waldoch, Call Me Spinster and Chelsea Tadeyeske @ Var Gallery, 7 p.m.

Solo and with the band Dusk, songwriter Julia Blair has a timeless quality. It doesn’t hurt that the Appletonian has draws legit references to Carole King. On their self-titled EP, Call Me Spinster’s clever pop adds “trash percussion and glockenspiel to doo wop vocals.” Local songwriter Mark Waldoch has been sharing his heart-on-his-sleeve performances for over 25 years.

Sunday, June 2

Shepherd Express Bloodys & Brews @ Pilot Project Brewery Incubator + Restaurant, 11 a.m.

Join us in celebration of a Wisconsin favorite, the Bloody Mary with a beer chaser. Sip on Bloody Marys, with NEW Drink Wisconsinbly Vodka, from local bars and restaurants while enjoying music from The Cactus Bros., yard games, raffles to benefit Milwaukee Urban Stables, live art demo by Daniel Fleming, food samples and Donna’s Pickle Beer chasers from Pilot Project.

VIP ticket holders will also have access to a VIP area, private rooftop area, Shepherd Express tote bag, pint glass, Pilot Project brewery tours, presentation by local author Jeanette Hurt, and early access to the event. More info here: shepherdexpress.com/upcoming-events/bloodys-and-brews.

Wisconsin Bike Week

Patience is a virtue and while much of the country celebrates Bike Week in May, Wisconsinites stand by under gray and cold and wind to come out strong with great weather in early June, when the weather cooperates it makes Bike Week that much better. Through June 9; events here: wisconsinbikefed.org/events.

Wheelhouse @ Sugar Maple, 6 p.m.

Wind down the weekend with an early evening of improvised jazz. Sometimes melodic, almost romantic—other times, explosive and aggressive, Wheelhouse (Dave Rempis-saxophones, Jason Adasiewicz-vibes, Nate McBride-bass) was formed in 2005. By 2008 they started to pursue a free-improvised approach.

Wednesday, June 5

Tunic w/ Shoobie and The Nile Club @ X-Ray Arcade, 6 p.m.

Wake up your bad self with a midweek blast. For all the chaos and aggression in Tunic’s songs, the Winnipeg trio is haltingly perceptive and emotionally resonant. The punk band is responsible for bracingly intense full-lengths about the anxieties and insecurities of daily life. With their third album Wrong Dream they have written their most introspective and adventurous music yet. It’s a document of a band pushing themselves as far away from complacency as possible to make something intentional and compelling.