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Photo credit: David McClister
WilliamBell
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Photo credit: Matthew Bushey
Willy Porter
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Young Dolph
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Mozes and the Firstborn
Two great Milwaukee punk bands team up for a split, while Interpol comes to town and Styx plays an Admirals game.
Thursday, Feb. 7
Mozes and the Firstborn
Mozes and the Firstborn w/ The Parrots and Surgeons in Heat @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.
With their loopy combination of psych-pop and oddball Guided by Voices rock, the Dutch quartet Mozes and the Firstborn fit right at home on the California label Burger Records, long a hub for zippy guitar bands. The label released their self-titled debut album in 2014, and they’ve been touring aggressively ever since. In January, they released their third record for their label, a typically loose, unstructured set called Dadcore, which they recorded with Beach House/Slowdive producer Chris Coady. The band has said they modeled the album like a mixtape.
Friday, Feb. 8
Interpol w/ Sunflower Bean @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
Of the hundreds of bands that mined the chilly, angular sounds of British post punk around the turn of the century, Interpol were the very best, and their debut albums Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics remain some of the most evocative indie rock of their time, instantly summoning feelings of post-9/11 dread. But, even the biggest fans of the band admit that the group overreached on its 2007 major-label debut Our Love to Admire, a jumbled album that made many question what they even saw in the band to begin with. Their most recent album, 2018’s Marauder, was touted as a return to form, a boast that might have carried more weight if the two records before it hadn’t also been marketed as return to forms. Still, there’s no denying it gets the job done. This band’s days of being on the vanguard may be over, but they’re still able to scratch this one, highly specific, highly stylish itch in a way no other act can.
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John Mellencamp @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
Like that other small-town-romanticizing heartland-rocker, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp balances pop prowess with big-hearted, populist ambitions. Even his flag-waving, Chevrolet-selling love letter to the working class, “Our Country,” was anchored by a progressive message of tolerance. If that 2007 hit, with its triumphant accompaniment from country titans Little Big Town, felt a bit like a bid for the radio, there’s nothing particularly commercial about the album he’s released over the last decade. Roots traditionalist T Bone Burnett produced 2010’s No Better Than This and 2014’s aptly titled Plain Spoken, two of the most straightforward folk albums he’s ever recorded, and Mellencamp self-produced 2017’s Sad Clowns & Hillbillies. His most recent release is the low-key covers album Other People’s Stuff, which features takes on Robert Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers and Stevie Wonder tunes.
Photo credit: David McClister
WilliamBell
William Bell @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 8 p.m.
Memphis soul singer William Bell is a true journeyman whose music has transcended genres and eras. His nearly 60-year career began with his 1961 debut “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” which was covered Otis Redding, The Byrds and Peter Tosh. While Bell is best remembered for his long stint on Stax Records, his best-known song might be the blues standard “Born Under a Bad Sign,” which he co-wrote with Booker T. Jones. It would go on to be covered by Cream, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Etta James, Jimi Hendrix and countless others. Bell also included a version of the song on his first major new album in 30 years, 2016’s This Is Where I Live, which won him a Grammy for Best Americana Album.
Photo credit: Matthew Bushey
Willy Porter
Willy Porter @ Cedarburg Cultural Center, 8 p.m.
In the quarter century since Mequon songwriter Willy Porter released his breakthrough record Dog-Eared Dream, which scored the hit “Angry Words” and landed him tours with Tori Amos and The Cranberries, Porter has remained one of Wisconsin’s most prominent songwriters. He’ll perform his solo show for Cedarburg Cultural Center’s annual Advocates of Ozaukee benefit concert supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
The Milwaukee Admirals w/ Styx @ UWM Panther Arena, 7 p.m.
The art-rock band Styx scored some of the biggest—and longest—hits of the ’70s and ’80s, including stadium staples like “Lady,” “Too Much Time on My Hands” and their signature epic, “Come Sail Away.” After more than four decades together, the group is still touring, albeit without original singer Dennis DeYoung, who left to pursue a solo career in 1999. DeYoung’s absence might explain why they play after so many hockey games. For this concert, the group will again join the Milwaukee Admirals, who take the ice against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Bad Wig/Sin Bad w/ Large Print and Rio Turbo @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.
Bad Wig and Sin Bad have been two of the more efficient hook-delivery systems in Milwaukee’s punk scene, Bad Wig with their lo-fi, SST Records throwbacks, and Sin Bad with their sprightly, peppier spin on punk. And, given the overlap in their band names, it only made sense for them to release a split record together (SIN BAD WIG, as the cover art bills it). The two bands will share this joint release show for their 12-inch split on Madison’s Kitschy Spirit Records, joined by Milwaukee alt-rock enthusiasts Large Print and party-starters Rio Turbo.
Runa @ Irish Cultural & Heritage Center, 7:30 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Celtic band Runa don’t limit themselves to just traditional Celtic sounds. Instead, they mix Irish and Scottish styles with jazz, bluegrass, blues and folk, forming an Irish-American fusion heavily influenced by acts like The Chieftains, Solas and Nickel Creek. The group is led by singer and step-dancer Shannon Lambert-Ryan, who’s joined by Dublin-born guitarist Fionán de Barra, Canadian percussionist Cheryl Prashker and others. On this tour, the band is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Sunday, Feb. 10
Young Dolph
Young Dolph w/ Kap G @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.
Few Memphis rappers wear their Tennessee drawl quite as proudly as Young Dolph, who even before his 2016 commercial debut King of Memphis had emerged as one of the city’s biggest rappers, thanks to a steady output of impressive releases and his frequent collaborations with Gucci Mane (the two rappers released a collaborative mixtape called East Atlanta Memphis in 2013). Dolph only garnered more attention in 2017 after surviving multiple gunshot wounds in an incident some speculated stemmed from his widely publicized rivalry with rapper Yo Gotti, though no charges were filed. The brush with death did little to slow Dolph down. In September, Dolph he released his fifth album, Role Model.
