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Photo credit: Jonathan Mannion
Trombone Shorty
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The B52s are Sunday's headliners for PrideFest (June 7-10, 2018)
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GBH
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Strand of Oaks
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Thursday, June 7
The B52s are Sunday's headliners for PrideFest (June 7-10, 2018)
PrideFest @ Summerfest Grounds
One of the largest pride celebrations in the Midwest, PrideFest has grown considerably over the last decade, and this year marks one of its biggest expansions yet, as the festival kicks off a night early with a massive party at its Dance Pavilion stage featuring a slew of DJs, dancers and drag performers. The family friendly LGBTQ festival can always be counted on to bring in some big headliners, and this year’s lineup doesn’t disappoint. On Friday, June 8, pop singer Daya, best known for her Chainsmokers collaboration “Don’t Let Me Down,” will headline the Miller Lite Main Stage, followed on Saturday, June 9 by singer/actor Jussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon on the Fox hit drama “Empire.” Then on Sunday, June 10 the festival closes with a headliner that’s been on its wish list for years: the legendary party rock band The B-52s.
Friday, June 8
Neal Brennan @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Though he isn’t a household name like some of his more famous collaborators, Neal Brennan has had a role in some of the most important comedy institutions of the new century. Along with Dave Chappelle, he co-created Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show,” writing many of its skits and directing some of its most iconic (including the Charlie Murphy-Prince one). In addition to appearing as a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” he’s also worked on standup specials from Chris Rock and Michelle Wolf, and starred in his own for Netflix, 2017’s 3 Mics. Read the Shepherd’s interview with Brennan, where he discusses his career and many collaborations, writing for “Saturday Night Live” and directing Ellen DeGeneres here.
Strand of Oaks
Strand of Oaks w/ Chris DeMay @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.
As Strand of Oaks, Timothy Showalter has been making vivid, compelling folk albums for years. But he’d never made one as loud as his 2014 reinvention Heal. For that record, Showalter looked back at his life growing up in Goshen, Ind., and listening to bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, and realized he needed to hit the reset button to get back to music he was supposed to make. “I love folk music and love the sounds and feeling you get when you play it but I was done with it,” Showalter told the Shepherd at the time. “I needed to embrace the inner head-bang kid that I was and just make that kind of record.” Some of that heaviness carries through his latest album, 2017’s Hard Love, a druggier, trippier record than its predecessor, but one that features some of his most personal songwriting yet (which is saying something). This winter he released a companion album, Harder Love, which features earlier, often even weirder versions of the songs on Hard Love, as well as some other unreleased material.
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‘Cheers to Milwaukee’ Secret Show @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
Last year Miller Brewing and The Riverside Theater sparked intrigue by presenting a free “Cheers to Milwaukee” concert featuring a secret headliner that turned out to be Chevy Metal, a cover band featuring members of Foo Fighters. Now the organizations are teaming up to do it again. We can only guess who will perform at this sequel show, but once again everybody who attends will receive a free ticket to Summerfest. To attend the show, guests must be 21 or older and pick up a complementary ticket from either the Summerfest or Pabst Theater box offices, or the Girl in the Moon Shop at the Miller Brewery. They’ll be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Saturday, June 9
GBH
GBH w/ Fireburn and Burning Sons @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
In the wake of the Sex Pistols, there were plenty of punk bands crowding the streets of England in the late ’70s, but few bands made the music sound quite as dangerous as GBH. Named for the grievous bodily harm charges against their then-bassist, the band honed a particularly brutal style of English street punk, singing of violence with nihilistic glee. Like a lot of bands from the era, they peaked on their debut, 1982’s City Baby Attacked by Rats, a landmark hardcore album that proved as influential in American punk circles as it did in the U.K., but unlike many of their peers the band continued recording steadily. Their most recent album for the Los Angeles ska/punk label Hellcat Records, 2017’s Momentum, shows that age hasn’t tamed them much.
Photo credit: Tin Pan
Leo Kottke w/ Shana Morrison @ Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m.
As one of the most celebrated acoustic guitar players of his time, Leo Kottke has long been revered in both folk and jazz circles, and thanks to a pair of collaborative albums with Phish’s Mike Gordon in the ’00s, he became an icon in the jam scene as well. Kottke, who holds a doctorate in music performance from the Peck School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has also kept close ties to Milwaukee, returning regularly for a guitar clinic at the school. He’ll share this show at the Marcus Center’s Wilson Theater with pop, jazz and blues singer Shana Morrison.
Sunday, June 10
Locust Street Festival of Music and Art @ Locust Street, 11 a.m.
“No dogs, no carry-ins, no drama” is the mantra at the Locust Street Festival, but beyond that, pretty much anything goes. Now in its 42nd year, the legendary street party remains one of the city’s largest, celebrating not only arts and music but the culture and character that makes Riverwest the creative center of Milwaukee. Expect to find more than 100 arts and craft vendors, clowns, balloons, puppets, drum circles and tons of food and drink options. And as always, the festival’s local music lineup remains unrivaled, with six stages of outdoor music with dozens of performers, including Whips, Ruth B8r Ginsburg, Sam Llanas, Taj Raiden, Paladino, The Tritonics, Tigernite and Chicken Wire Empire.
Tuesday, June 12
Poetry in the Park @ Juneau Park, 6:30 p.m.
Juneau Park invites guests to bring chairs, blankets, food, kids and dogs to its latest Poetry in the Park event. This one will feature four wordsmiths: Milwaukee’s Poet Laureate Roberto Harrison, Madison’s Poet Laureate Oscar Mirales, Racine’s former Poet Laureate Jessie Lynn McMains, and Mike Hauser, author of the new book Advanced Baby Syndrome.
Wednesday, June 13
NEWaukee Night Market @ Wisconsin Avenue, 5-10 p.m.
NEWaukee’s popular night markets are back for another year. Once a month through September, the organization closes off West Wisconsin Avenue between Second and Fourth Streets and fills every crevice with vendors, music, live art, crafts projects, family entertainment and food trucks. Attractions this year include a life-size chess board and a make-your-own s’mores station.
River Rhythms: The Huntertones @ Pere Marquette Park, 6:30 p.m.
Each summer the Westown Association’s River Rhythms concert series presents free live music against one of the most scenic backdrops in the city in Pere Marquette Park. This year’s series kicks off with a show from The Huntertones, an up-tempo, horn-drive funk, jazz and rock band and will continue through Aug. 29 with performers including Chicken Wire Empire, The Charles Walker Band, the Styx tribute Light Up, Five Card Studs and La Orquesta Salsa Power.
Photo credit: Jonathan Mannion
Trombone Shorty
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Like many young New Orleans musicians, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews marries his city’s heritage jazz with the youthful music of his own generation, creating a swampy, hip-hop-influenced jazz-funk fusion. Named for his city’s Sixth Ward and produced by Galactic’s Ben Ellman, his 2010 debut for Verve records, Backatown, was a major critical and commercial success, cementing his status as one of New Orleans’ brightest young talents. His 2011 follow-up, For True, was a flashier, more diverse expansion of that album, with guest appearances from Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Ledisi and, most surprisingly, Kid Rock, while 2013’s Raphael Saadiq-produced Say That to Say This stayed rooted in R&B and jazz. His most recent album, 2017’s Parking Lot Symphony, marks a major milestone for the jazz devotee: It’s his first for the legendary label Blue Note.
