Byron Keulemans
trevor-noah-gq-select-1
Comedian Trevor Noah was born in South Africa during apartheid -- "born a crime," as he says.
Playboi Carti and Trevor Noah swing through town.
Friday, Dec. 28
Whips w/ New Age Narcissism and Devil’s Teeth @ The Cooperage, 8 p.m.
Members of Whips have done time in bands like Red Knife Lottery, Space Raft, Call Me Lightning and Hot Coffin, which gives you a sense of what they sound like: rock ’n’ roll in its fiercest, more pure distillation. And the group more than lives up to its impressive pedigree. Their 2017 album The Ride was one of the city’s meatiest, most fulfilling rock records in years. At this cross-genre bill Whips will be joined by two Milwaukee acts that seem to come from completely different worlds: New Age Narcissism, the ambitious hip-hop collective with a love of all things profound, and Devils Teeth, a surfy, cowpunk-inspired rock band with a ripping live show.
Keith Pulvermacher w/ Zach Pietrini @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Milwaukee heartland rocker Keith Pulvermacher headed down to Nashville to record his latest album, 45 Story, a collection that updates the classic rock of acts like Tom Petty and the Allman Brothers with the contemporary spirit of guys like Dierks Bentley and John Mayer. On stage, Pulvermacher’s known to toughen up the adult-alternative radio sensibilities of his studio albums, leading his band through driving, guitar-drenched jam sessions. Fellow Milwaukee singer/songwriter Zach Pietrini shares the bill with him at this album release show.
The Delta Routine @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m.
For years Milwaukeeans never had to wait too long between shows from The Delta Routine, a band that specialized in raw, rootsy rock ’n’ roll tailored to fans who always preferred The Rolling Stones to The Beatles. They were one of the city’s most prolific live bands. But it’s been two years since the group last played together, which lends an air of excitement to this comeback show. The band has promised two sets covering material from all four of their albums.
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Saturday, Dec. 29
The Gufs w/ Brian Vander Ark @ The Pabst Theater, 7 p.m.
During the great alternative-rock boom of the ’90s, when major labels were snatching up unsigned bands at an unprecedented clip, success suddenly seemed within reach for many Milwaukee bands, but only a few actually made it to the majors. One was The Gufs, a pop-leaning alternative quartet who parlayed their local popularity and a trio of solid independent albums into a stint on Atlantic Records. The label released their 1996 commercial breakthrough, which was drenched in the buzzy, distorted guitars of the era and yielded the radio hits “Smile” and “Crash (Into Me).” The band broke up a few years later, after the release of their second Atlantic album, 1999’s Holiday From You, but since reuniting in 2006 they’ve played to adoring crowds, especially around Milwaukee, and they should find particularly enthusiastic ones this weekend at this pair of shows commemorating the band’s 30th anniversary. They’ll be joined at each show by Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe. (Also Sunday, Dec. 30.)
Playboi Carti w/ Reggie Bonds, Lucien Parker and DJay Mando @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
A twitchy little thing, Playboi Carti’s self-titled 2017 debut showcased the Atlanta rapper’s minimalist approach to rapping (he doesn’t have “verses” in the traditional sense) and his gift for weird, sticky beats that worm their way into your head whether you’d like them to or not. It contained one of that summer’s most memorable rap hits, “Magnolia,” a song that spawned countless freestyles and viral videos. But even that record seems tame compared to Carti’s audacious 2018 follow-up Die Lit, a more extreme record with production that sounds piped in from an experimental cartoon world. Pitchfork called it “music that fundamentally recalibrates the brain’s reward centers,” and sure enough, there’s something oddly addictive about all those loopy synthesizers and repetitive hooks. To focus too much on Carti’s mumbly, unlyrical flow is to miss the point—he’s one of only a small handful of rappers in his commercial sphere who’s doing something truly new.
Sunday, Dec. 30
Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ Fiserv Forum, 3 and 8 p.m.
We can’t pretend to understand the mindset of the many Trans-Siberian Orchestra fans who see the group every time they tour through the city each year, but it must be at least a little bit of a bummer for them when the band comes after Christmas instead of before the holiday. Consider these shows, the group’s first at the new Fiserv Forum, one last concentrated dose of Christmas cheer before the New Year arrives. Even though Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder and composer Paul O’Neill died last year, the band’s progged-out, pyrotechnics-heavy interpretations of holiday classics remain enormously popular.
Saturday, Jan. 5
Trevor Noah @ The Riverside Theater, 7:30 and 10 p.m.
Taking over “The Daily Show” from Jon Stewart, who pioneered the brand of smart, loaded political comedy that now dominates late night, was never going to be easy for anybody. And, sure enough, the show has lost some of its cultural clout since it was taken over by South African comedian Trevor Noah in 2015. Each night, it can be counted on to give, at best, the third or fourth funniest take on the latest political outrage, but if nothing else Noah has proven a charismatic host, and he’s given the show a global perspective it lacked during the Stewart years. Noah rescheduled a pair of shows planned at the Riverside in November due to illness, but with Donald Trump entering the most shambolic phase of his presidency yet, Noah should have no shortage of timely topics to weigh in on when he performs these makeup shows.
Locate Your Lips Listening Party @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Kenny Baldwin was a jazz drummer by training, but he always felt comfortable in the world of rock, too. He owned the legendary Downtown club The Starship that served as the home base for the city’s punk scene in the ’80s, and along with bassist Andy Cavaluzzi and guitarist Jim Eannelli, he also had his own band Locate Your Lips, an unusual project that drew from the sounds of punk, new wave and prog-rock. After Baldwin died in 2015, Eannelli began piecing together a new Locate Your Lips album, working from recordings from a live radio broadcast and a previously unreleased album. There was so much material to the project ballooned into a double CD. At this free listening party, the band will play the album and share memories of Baldwin.
