This Week in MKE Music: Oct. 17-23, 2024

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

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Yo La Tengo returns for a fundraiser, the annual Pumpkin Pavilion, Gallery Night MKE, Flannel Fest, a road trip for Tamboween, Ken Vandermark with Edition Redux and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, Oct. 17 

Yo La Tengo @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.

Last year musical omnivores Yo La Tengo played Milwaukee for the first time in a decade. This time the trio returns to play a fundraiser; 100% of ticket sales will go directly to the Harris Victory Fund.

Pumpkin Pavilion @ Humboldt Park through Sunday 

Join your neighbors to carve pumpkins at this annual event. Marvel at 1,000 pumpkins lit at once, enjoy music by Galaxis, the Quilz and Spidora. Food, magic and more at his free, family event at Humboldt Park brought to you by the Bay View Neighborhood Association.

Info here: bayviewneighborhood.org/page-1863562. 

Friday, Oct. 18 

Gallery Night MKE, also Saturday 

Gallery Night MKE, Milwaukee’s original gallery hop event, unites the city through art. Experience the vast creative culture while you discover local galleries, art, and artists. This free, two-day, quarterly event offers you the opportunity to buy original art, dine in outstanding restaurants, and shop in unique boutiques.

Info here: gallerynightmke.com.

Extra Crispy Brass Band @ Amorphic Beer, 5:30 p.m. 

Music on The Beerline may have concluded for the year, but this is a make-up date indoors presents Extra Crispy Brass Band’s performance. Food trucks, vendors and more.

Saturday, Oct. 19 

Flannel Fest @ Boone & Crockett, 2 p.m.

We come from hearty stock. Just because the temperatures dip doesn’t mean outdoor music stops. The annual Flannel Fest offer two stages of music from Brew City Soul, The Hallelujah Ward, Lauryl Sulfate and her Ladies of Leisure, Wire and Nail, WMSE Boogie Bang Gang (a live remote broadcast), B L O O D, Allison Mahal, Keshena Armon and Maximiano. Food trucks and vendors will be on hand; a portion of sales from the beer tent will benefit Courage MKE. You supply the flannel.

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NINETEEN THIRTEEN w/ Mike Mangione @ Vivarium, 8 p.m. 

Unpredictable trio NINETEEN THIRTEEN mates a 1913 cello with modern looping technology, an array of keyboard sounds and dynamic drumming. Listen to our chat with drummer Victor DeLorenzo here: shepherdexpress.com/podcasts/sonicrendezvous/victor-delorenzo.

Sunday, Oct. 20 

Edition Redux w/Dusk @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.

Chicago musician and composer Ken Vandermark is no stranger to Milwaukee. The world renowned, restless reed player brings Edition Redux to the Cactus stage for a set likely ripe with improvisational jazz. Oozing talent, Fox Valley six-piece Dusk boasts revolving songwriters sharing the spotlight. Without fanfare, the group actually delivers on the promise of calling a genre “Americana.” Like an older siblings record collection they pick and choose parts of Carol King, Neil Young and the Burritos, stirring up a gumbo that retains their own sprawling personality.

Tamboween @ Tambourine Lounge, (59 N. 2nd Ave., Sturgeon Bay), 7 p.m.

How about a road trip? With humble beginnings, Steel Bridge Creative Foundation and Holiday Music Motel have turned Sturgeon Bay into thriving hub for original music. The annual Steel Bridge Songfest has given way to a radio station, open mic nights and annual events like Tamboween.

The split-level concert event in the Lounge and the Lab will be broadcast live on Steel Bridge Radio in front of a small but amped up studio audience. Songs will be drawn from the vast Dark Songs catalog and new ones will be written by collaborative groups randomly formed. All proceeds will benefit Steel Bridge Creative Foundation. 

Then, on Oct. 31 WRiTERS' NiGHT combines with Tamboween on Halloween. In addition to a special Dark Songs edition of WRiTERS' NiGHT, Key of Evil and Wasted Pretty will perform in the Lab. 

Info here: steelbridgecreativefoundation.org/event/5753074/695544818/tamboween.

Monday, Oct. 21

Cat Ridgeway & The Tourists w/ Johnny Manchild & The Poor Bastards and Glitzy @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.

X-Ray Arcade moves the Sprinter Tour of ’24 over to Anodyne. Recently voted Orlando Florida's Best Rock Act and Best Singer/songwriter (2 years running), Cat Ridgeway is a powerhouse performer known for her soulful vocals, high energy, and magnetic stage presence.  

Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards, a multi-genre ensemble combines jazz idioms, grunge, alt-rock, world music and funk. The group has earned over 18 million streams, over four albums. Locals Glitzy started out jamming in a cramped 8-by-10-foot closet in Riverwest during the summer of 2022 and hasn’t stopped making music since.

Tuesday, Oct. 22 

Tony Moore @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Tony Moore was original member of Iron Maiden, played with Meatloaf and toured as a member of Cutting Crew (“I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight”). Moore plays Shank Hall with solo concept AWAKE, which has been described as a journey of self-discovery and a quest for truth, meaning, and love in a world that's gone mad. Moore has combined cutting-edge graphics for the project immersive video. 

Marie and Rosetta @ Milwaukee Rep (Stiemke Studio), through Dec. 15 

While gospel music is at the root of 1950s R&B and influenced Elvis, few gospel singers have been included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sister Rosetta Tharpe (inducted posthumously in 2018) deserves the honor. Unlike many gospel performers who kept blues and vernacular music at arm’s length, Tharpe embraced the electric guitar and the rhythms pouring from the rural South into Chicago’s South Side. Marie and Rosetta tells the story of Tharpe and her protégé, Marie Knight. They enjoyed a Top-10 R&B hit together in 1948, “Up Above My Head.” 

Wednesday, Oct. 23 

Up and Under Blues Night @ Nashville North, 7 p.m. 

Otis Rush, William Clarke, Evan Johns, H-Bomb Ferguson and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos are just a few names on the legendary roster of artists who played The Up and Under Pub. It was a key venue before closing in 2020 after four decades. Nashville North pays homage to its former incarnation with a night dedicated to blues music.