1 of 3
Photo credit: Kristy Benjamin
2 of 3
Photo credit: Kristina Pedersen
Milo
3 of 3
Photo credit: Todd Roeth
Joe Pug
Elton John brings his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour to Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum—a highlight of music events this week in Milwaukee.
Thursday, Feb. 14
Photo credit: Kristina Pedersen
Milo
Milo w/ Pink Navel and Sb the Moor @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.
Moving from Milwaukee to Maine did little to slow down Milo, one of the most critically acclaimed rappers ever to call Brew City their home. The poetic, philosophy-minded lyricist released a trio of excellent projects last year: a sensational album under his Scallops Hotel alias, a collab project with New York rapper Euclid under the moniker Nostrum Grocers, and best of all an album under his Milo moniker called budding ornithologists are weary of tired analogies, his most substantial record yet. Like its predecessors, ornithologists is unflinching in its examinations of race in America—Milo opens the record thinking about Amadou Diallo, and there are reminders of Black Lives Matter throughout—but by and large it's a lighter, freer record than its predecessors, a little less fraught and a good deal funnier, with some of his dreamiest beats yet. Milwaukee also looms large over the record, which features a couple of killer production cameos from Randal Bravery and Q The Sun, and a guest lecture from Milwaukee artist Reggie Baylor. Milo has billed his current shows as his final U.S. Tour, though it seems highly unlikely that an artist this in the zone would retire from music completely.
Trippie Redd w/ Lil Keed, Coi Leray and Lil Duke @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Atlanta rapper Trippie Redd parks his music at the intersection of several of the hottest sounds in rap music right now, touching on experimental SoundCloud beat, radio-minded trap and emo-inspired pop-rap, complete with guitars. That he blends them all with the showmanship and artistic sophistication of his sometimes tour mate Travis Scott makes it easy to see why the 19-year-old has so quickly become a star. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Redd also has a penchant for viral antics and headline-grabbing feuds, most prominently a heated beef with disgraced rapper 6ix9ine. Redd was one of too few rappers in the industry to denounce 6ix9ine for sexually exploiting a minor, but he shouldn’t be mistaken for a moral authority: He was arrested himself months later for allegedly pistol-whipping a woman. That controversy didn’t stop Redd's debut album Life’s a Trip from debuting at number four on the Billboard albums chart last summer.
|
|
Friday, Feb. 15
WAVY V w/ Warhola Cats and Soda Road @ Anodyne Coffee, 8 p.m.
The Milwaukee chamber-pop sextet WAVY V mine a highly specific era of psychedelic music, the window of the mid to late ’60s that yielded a riches of paisley-colored pop; lavish, British folk; and a variety of brilliant recordings from Van Dyke Parks. The group channeled their love of those ornate sounds into their debut EP W last year, and this month they're following it up with a new EP titled A. You can probably guess what their third EP might be titled. WAVY V will share this bill with the Milwaukee indie-pop quartet Warhola Cats and the indie-rock trio Soda Roda.
Photo credit: Todd Roeth
Joe Pug
Joe Pug w/ Michaela Anne @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Austin folk singer Joe Pug earned a name for himself (and plenty of requisite Bob Dylan comparisons) with his straightforward Americana of his self-released 2008 EP Nation of Heat and its full-length follow-up, 2010’s Messenger, but he’s not afraid to branch out. Recorded with Califone veteran Brian Deck, his 2012 record The Great Despiser, featured a richer instrumental palette (and a vocal assist from The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn on its title track), while his 2015 effort Windfall modernized his sound with more contemporary production.
Saturday, Feb. 16
Mama Tried Motorcycle Show @ The Rave, 10 p.m.
Nobody will mistake them for paintings or sculptures, but to motorcycle enthusiasts custom-built bikes are truly a thing of art. The Mama Tried Motorcycle Show treats them as such, displaying more than 100 vintage bikes and unique custom choppers built by some of the country’s finest craftsmen. The show runs for two days, Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17. As the event’s popularity has ballooned in recent years, so have the concerts and after parties around it. Satellite events this year include a kickoff party Thursday, Feb. 14, at Fuel Cafe with a Black Sabbath vs. Metallica spin from DJ Frank Straka, a '70s-inspired red carpet party at the Harley-Davidson Museum that same night, flat-track races at the UWM Panther Arena Friday evening, and a party with an AC/DC cover band at The Cooperage on Friday night. For the complete schedule, visit mamatriedshow.com.
Sunday, Feb. 17
Photo credit: Kristy Benjamin
Illuminati Hotties w/ CRLSS and Ako @ Cactus Club, 8:30 p.m.
Illuminati Hotties is the nom de plume of Los Angeles singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Sarah Tudzin, a one-woman hook factory whose nostalgic power-pop has earned her comparisons to Best Coast and Angel Olsen. She channeled her biting lyrics and punky pep into a debut album for Tiny Engines last year called Kiss Yr Frenemies that has all the hallmarks of a future cult classic. She’ll be supported by an inspired pair of Milwaukee acts on this bill: the electro-pop project CRLSS and the indie-pop group Ako, who like Illuminati Hotties have a gift for writing catchy songs with an edge.
Tuesday, Feb. 19
Elton John @ Fiserv Forum, 8 p.m.
The great stars of the Baby Boom generation have been slowly but surely aging their way out of the spotlight for some time now, but there are still some voices that it’s hard to imagine the world without. One of them is Elton John’s. He’s been such a fixture of rock ’n’ roll for a half century, and his film and Broadway compositions have only furthered his legacy. As exits go, though, John’s looks to be a soft one: The 71-year-old began his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour in September and says he expects it to last about three years. He also hasn’t ruled out future studio recordings—in fact, he signed a new agreement with Universal Music Group that will cover any new music he releases for the rest of his career. And to judge from his good-spirited most recent album, 2016’s Wonderful Crazy Night, John is still enjoying himself as much as ever in the studio. (Update: This show has been postponed until Satuday, Oct. 19)
Mass Appeal Presents: Fashawn, Stro, Eri, Cantrell and 070 Phi @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Since it was founded by Nas in 2014, Mass Appeal has developed a reputation as a rap lover’s rap label, with a roster of critical favorites young and old. This free concert, as part of the label’s “Starting 5 North American Tour,” presents five of its acts: Stro, Eri, Cantrell, 070 and, most prominently, Fawshawn, the Fresno rapper who’s been turning heads since his Exile-produced 2009 debut Boy Meets World. Nas executive-produced Fashawn's first album for Mass Appeal, 2015’s The Ecology.
