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Photo courtesy of Abby Jeane
Abby Jeane
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Photo courtesy of Jesse Lirola
Cloud Nothings
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Photo courtesy of Andrew Nordstrum
Vince Clortho
Starting with ¡paLABra!, Jefferson Starship and Abby Jeanne, there are many opportunities to go out this week in Milwaukee.
Friday, Jan. 10
¡paLABra! @ Twisted Path Distillery, 8 p.m.
¡paLABra! perform adaptations of vintage Cuban standards with a rock edge, Allen Coté and company continue work on a debut album.
Here is a video of the band playing the oldest known Cuban tune, circa 1562, Teodora Ginés’ “El Son de la Má Teodora”:
Jefferson Starship @ Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m.
Jefferson Starship rose from the ashes of legendary San Francisco band Jefferson Airplane. Founder Paul Kantner (who died in January 2016 at age 74) knew that combining powerful creative forces, personalities and talents could create something far greater than the sum of its parts.
Today’s Jefferson Starship remains dedicated to breathing new life into the catalog of the Jeffersonian legacy, featuring original and historic members David Freiberg (also a founder of San Francisco luminaries Quicksilver Messenger Service) and drummer Donny Baldwin, along with Cathy Richardson anchoring the female lead vocal spot made famous by the inimitable Grace Slick.
Saturday, Jan. 11
Photo courtesy of Abby Jeane
Abby Jeane
Abby Jeanne w/ Retoro @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
Back in October, when Abby Jeanne returned to Milwaukee from her New York City work hideout, it was for the release of her cassette, “Get You High.” While she continues woodshedding for her next project, she makes a stop here to play new material for a hometown audience. Retoro’s spikey, angular sounds should provide for a kinetic pairing.
Steve Forbert @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert has recently released a memoir, Big City Cat, My Life in Folk-Rock, and a new studio album, The Magic Tree. Late in 2019, his label, Blue Rose Music, announced the reissue of a 40th-anniversary vinyl edition of Jackrabbit Slim. Forbert is also in the studio working on a collection of his favorite covers that he will release at a later date.
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Photo courtesy of Andrew Nordstrum
Vince Clortho
Vinz Clortho w/ Devil's Teeth and Kendra Amalie @ Company Brewing, 9:30 p.m.
Vinz Clortho is not afraid of reverb. The band’s moody surf-noir sound conjures Chris Isaak and Suicide while begging for movies to be played inside your head. On the day of the show, Vinz Clortho will be digitally releasing a single from their upcoming EP due out later this winter. Devil’s Teeth’s careening garage-surf-punk sounds and Kendra Amalie’s experimental psych sounds round out the evening.
Penny, Dave and Josh Fox CD w/ Lil' Rev @ The Coffee House, 8 p.m.
Individually and together, the Fox family (Dave, Penny and Josh) bring powerful guitar, bass, washboard and vocal renditions of a wide array of great blues and traditional folk. This evening's performance is a celebration of the release of their new CD.
Sunday, Jan. 12
Photo courtesy of Jesse Lirola
Cloud Nothings
Cloud Nothings w/ Flat Teeth @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Ohio-based indie rock band Cloud Nothings pulled itself out of a period of musical depression with its 2018 release, Last Building Burning. This album has a darker tone than the previous Life Without Sound but pushes burning energy throughout the whole record without sacrificing the band’s emotional touch. The melancholy lyrics speak about heavy topics, while the final song, “Another Way of Life,” explores change and moving on. All of this is delivered through noisy guitars, crashing drums and vocalist-guitarist Dylan Baldi’s raw-throated vocals. Like in that last song, the band is pushing itself in another direction.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Keys for a Cause: A Rick Wakeman Tribute w/ Joey Leal @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
This benefit to support Hunger Task Force's Homeless Assistance Fund features keyboardists Twila Jean, Mike Frayer, Carter Hunnicutt and Terry Michaels in a tribute to the music of progressive rock keyboardist Rick Wakeman. “When I was a music major undergrad dreaming of becoming a classical pianist but loving rock ’n’ roll most of all, I used to sit around my dorm room listening to Rick Wakeman all night long when I should have been studying,” Jean says.
According to Hunnicutt, the influence of Wakeman snuck into his own music with Those XCleavers and Xposed 4heads. “The style is obviously quite different,” he says, “but I often try to make melody float or roil the way he does, and I love to play the controls of a synth like Wakeman. And he wears a cape, so you know he has superpowers!”
