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Brian McKnight
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Garrett “G. Love” Dutton
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Photo credit: Paul Natkin
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials
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Total Chaos
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Photo credit: Erin Brown
William Fitzsimmons
Thursday, Jan. 10
Brian McKnight
The Brian McKnight 4 @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 8 p.m.
Though, like most R&B singers of his generation, Brian McKnight has periodically flirted with hip-hop, he’s never strayed far from the soft, sophisticated soul music that’s been his hallmark since his self-titled album in 1992. More than a quarter century and a dozen albums later, McKnight’s sound hasn’t changed much: On his most recent release, 2017’s Genesis, he’s still making music for candlelit dinners and intimate nights in the bedroom. Along the way, he’s sold millions of albums yet he’s never won a Grammy—despite being nominated 16 times, most recently in 2005 for his song “What We Do Here.”
Total Chaos
Total Chaos w/ The DUIs @ Cactus Club, 8:30 p.m.
Street-punk legends U.S. Bombs dropped off of this bill, a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, but the night still features one legendary punk institution: Total Chaos, the California hardcore band founded by SOS Records co-owner Rob Chaos. For more than a quarter century, the group has been recording fierce, politically charged records, including their latest, 2015’s World of Insanity. They’re joined on this bill by Milwaukee hardcore greats The DUIs.
Garrett “G. Love” Dutton
G. Love and Special Sauce w/ Ron Artis II and The Truth @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
G. Love and Special Sauce scored a hit early in their career with the cheeky single “My Baby’s Got Sauce” from their self-titled 1994 debut, but rather than fall into obscurity along with so many other novelty bands from the era, their blend of blues, folk and hip-hop found a welcoming audience in the jam scene. Garrett “G. Love” Dutton spent much of the ’00s as a solo act, recording a trio of albums on his own for Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, and Special Sauce suffered a blow in 2009 when bassist Jimi “Jazz” Prescott quit the group. To the relief of fans, though, Dutton announced Prescott had rejoined the band in early 2014, a reunion that resulted in a pair of new records, that year’s Sugar and 2015’s Love Saves The Day.
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Friday, Jan. 11
Photo credit: Paul Natkin
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials specialize in a particularly wide-ranging style of Chicago blues, leaning hard on the boogie. That band had been kicking around the city’s blues scene for years before they were signed by the famed Chicago blues label Alligator Records, which released their debut Roughhousin’ in 1986. More than three decades later, the regional blues festival staples are still on the label, which released the band’s ninth and most recent album The Big Sound Of… in 2016.
Yule Ball 2019 @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7 p.m.
The gamers and fantasy enthusiasts at Oak & Shield Pub struck a nerve with their annual Harry Potter-themed Yule Ball, which proved so popular that this year it’s expanded to two nights. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their favorite robes, wizard apparel or cosplay outfits. Doors open at 7 p.m., but for an extra $10 there’s a Waltz Package that gets attendees early 6 p.m. entry and waltz lessons with professional dancers to prepare them for the night’s Champion’s Waltz. (Also Saturday, Jan. 12.)
Winter is Coming: A Pop Up Bar Experience @ City Lounge, 3 p.m.
The six-episode final season of HBO’s smash hit “Game of Thrones” is still several months away—it’ll air in April—but City Lounge is helping fans pass the time with this high-concept pop-up bar. To judge from a brief teaser video the Cudahy bar posted on its Facebook page, it looks pretty elaborate. It’ll run daily for three weeks, from Jan. 11 to Feb. 3, and feature a special drink menu and indoor and outdoor bars. There’s no cover, and costumes are encouraged but not required. Might we suggest a mock version of one of Rob Stark’s wolfskin coats?
Jeff Dunham @ Fiserv Forum, 7 p.m.
While much of the country was surprised by Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, at least one comedian called it: Jeff Dunham. The Comedy Central mainstay says he knew Trump would win, based on how much support he saw for the billionaire at his live shows. Of course, that says as much about Dunham’s audience as it does the state of politics in America. Dunham became one of the country’s top touring comedians not only because of his unusual medium (he’s a ventriloquist), but also for his unapologetically conservative world view. He’s the Fox News Channel of the comedy world, channeling the anger of red-blooded Americans who feel under attack by cashiers who say “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas.” Some of Dunham’s puppets include José, a talking jalapeno pepper who wears a sombrero, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist, a sort of skeleton version of Osama Bin Laden. Ugh.
Saturday, Jan. 12
Seth Meyers @ The Pabst Theater, 8:15 p.m.
After joining the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 2001, Seth Meyers has worked his way up the show’s ranks, becoming head writer in 2006 and a “Weekend Update” anchor shortly afterward. At a time when the pointed politics of comedy programs like “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” had begun to make “Saturday Night Live” and its softer strain of humor feel toothless in comparison, Meyers revitalized the program with his astute sketches about the 2008 presidential campaign, which featured Tina Fey’s candidate-defining Sarah Palin impersonation. Meyers left “SNL” in 2014 to take over for Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s “Late Night,” distinguishing the program from its predecessors with more politically minded content, including its signature “A Closer Look” segments, which dives deeper into current events than the typical late-night comedy show. He returns to the Pabst Theater to headline this Laugh It Up Milwaukee benefit event for the JCC and the youth organization Running Rebels.
Sunday, Jan. 13
Photo credit: Erin Brown
William Fitzsimmons
William Fitzsimmons @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville songwriter William Fitzsimmons specializes in hushed, vulnerable indie-folk in the spirit of Iron & Wine and Elliott Smith. Like so many similarly styled songwriters in the late ’00s, he gained exposure through song placements in TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” and he doesn’t shy away from personal subject matter. His breakout 2006 album Goodnight was inspired by his parents’ divorce, and his most recent record, 2018’s Mission Bell, chronicles the collapse of his own marriage in often blunt terms.
