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Illustration credit: Melissa Lee Johnson
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Photo credit: Giovanni Duca
Stephen Malkmus
Jazz in The Park and Chill on the Hill return for the summer, while Riverwest FemFest continues and Bay View hosts its enormous Gallery Night and Jazz Fest.
Thursday, May 31
Jazz in the Park: The Jazz Orgy @ Cathedral Square Park, 5 p.m.
Milwaukee is lucky to host several weekly summer concert series at parks throughout the county, but few are as admired or anticipated at Cathedral Square’s signature Jazz in the Park series, now in its 27th year. This year’s Thursday night series runs through Thursday, Aug. 30, with an array of regional jazz, blues and funk bands and kicks off its season with Oshkosh’s The Jazz Orgy, a jammy combo featuring keyboardist Mark Martin, bassist Andy Mertens, drummer Mike Underwood and singer-saxophonist Steve Cooper.
Riverwest FemFest @ multiple venues
Riverwest FemFest continues its marathon, eight-day 2018 lineup with a bevy of shows at venues spread across the neighborhood. On Thursday, Club Timbuktu hosts a bill featuring Rocket Paloma, Sweet Lala, Luxi and others, while Mad Planet hosts a lineup of music and burlesque headlined by Miss Sunshine Ramel and featuring DJ Alien Dance and DJ Jen Dub. Friday features three shows, one at the Back Room at Colectivo featuring Sista Strings and LASKA; one at the Public House featuring Plague Walker, Zed Kenzo, Fox Face and others; and a huge eight-act showcase at High Dive rounded out by Iron Pizza, Lauryl Sulfate and Sypher Lady X. Saturday is highlighted by a maker’s market and day-long, two-stage lineup of music at Company Brewing, featuring Nickel & Rose, Faux Fiction, Heavy Looks, Shle Berry, Kia Rap Princess and Kaylee Crossfire and many others, including lots of DJs. And then the festival wraps up a very eventful eight days on Sunday with another two-stage showcase at Company—featuring RuthB8r Ginsberg, Gas Station Sushi, The Glacial Speed, Amanda Huff, Winter Bear and many others—and an after party at High Dive starting at 10 p.m., featuring the No Stress Dance Collective and Queen Tut.
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Friday, June 1
Bay View Gallery Night/Jazz Fest @ multiple venues
Bay View wasn’t the first Milwaukee neighborhood to host its own gallery night, but its gallery night is easily one of the biggest in the city, with literally dozens of bars, cafes, shops and businesses participating—even barber shops, salons, pet shops and skin care businesses get in on the action. The event begins at 5 p.m., and you’ll want to arrive early because it features more art than any person could ever take in on a single night. Adding to an already busy schedule, the gallery night coincides with a Food Truck Friday event in Morgan Park featuring a small army of food trucks and festive music from Bembemke and Samba da Vida, as well as the neighborhood’s Jazz Fest, which is hosting shows at venues as diverse as Tonic Tavern, The Highbury Pub, D14 Brewery and Pub, Sam’s Tap and Voyageur Books. Performers include the Kevin Hayden Band, KASE, Funky Chemists, the Jeannine Rivers Quartet, the Brett Westfahl Quartet and many others. To check out the massive lineup, visit bvgn.org.
Saturday, June 2
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/ Lithics @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Save for an enjoyable but low-stakes reunion with Pavement, one of the most beloved and influential indie-rock bands of the ’90s, Stephen Malkmus has never been one to look back. Each of his solo albums with his band the Jicks marched to the beat of its own drum, and that’s especially true of his latest album for Matador Records, Sparkle Hard, his first since 2014’s Wig Out at Jagbags. As tuneful and seemingly effortless as his best records with Pavement, Sparkle Hard finds the eternally youthful musician taking big risks and making them seem like no big deal, incorporating strings, singing about Black Lives Matter, duetting with Kim Gordon and even playing around with Auto-Tune on a couple of tracks. It’s a reminder that, even after all these decades, Malkmus is still one of indie rock’s great.
FAT Fest @ Crafty Cow/Hot Head Chicken, noon
The “FAT” in FAT Fest isn’t a reference to weight, but rather an acronym for “Food Art Tunes,” and there will be plenty of all three at this inaugural street festival hosted on South Lenox Street and South Kinnickinnic Avenue by the Bay View restaurants Craft Cow and Hot Head Chicken. They’ll both be serving food, as will Batches Milwaukee and The Vanguard. On the tunes side, there will be music from Whiskey & The Devil, Thompson Springs, Vincent VanGREAT, Chicken Wire Empire, No No Yeah Okay and Madison’s KOI, and on the art side there will be a variety of vendors and live demos. Once the festival winds down around 8 p.m., there will be an afterparty inside featuring Klassik.
Prismatic Flame Summer Kickoff Event @ Kadish Park, noon-10 p.m.
Regulars at Milwaukee festivals like the Bay View Bash and PrideFest may have been lucky enough to catch a set from Prismatic Flame, a truly daring Milwaukee fire performance troupe. The troupe will share some of the secrets of their live show at this event, which will feature live music, food and art vendors, as well as seven hours’ worth of free workshops covering dance, juggling, yoga and circus arts. The day culminates in a 7:30 p.m. fire performance at the park’s amphitheater. See this issue’s Off the Cuff for an interview with Ananda Walker, coleader and fire safety manager of Prismatic Flame.
Sunday, June 3
Brewtown Rumble @ Fuel Café Walker’s Point, 11 a.m.
Harley-Davidson still looms large over Milwaukee motorcycle culture, but Harley’s annual gathering is no longer the only big motorcycle event in town. Now in its fourth year—and at a new location in Walker’s Point—the Brewtown Rumble pairs a ride-in vintage motorcycle show with food trucks, a pin-up show and music from God’s Outlaw and RadioRadio. Is your bike in awful shape? It really doesn’t matter. All makes and models of motorcycles are welcome here. Looking to get the party started early? There will be several pre-parties in the days leading up to the event, including one presented by sponsor Royal Enfield on June 2 at 2 p.m. at the Iron Horse Hotel.
UPAF Ride for the Arts @ Summerfest Grounds
Since 1981, riders have raised millions of dollars for the United Performing Art Fund as part of the Ride for the Arts, one of the nation’s largest recreational bike rides. All riders are welcome. Routes start at an easy five miles and go up to 70 miles for more serious riders, but all of them are plenty scenic, making good use of the city’s lakefront. The day ends with a big party at the finish line featuring music, snacks (including free hot dogs), ice cream, a beer sampling and family entertainment. Proceeds will benefit a litany of performing arts groups.
Tuesday, June 5
Chill on the Hill: Lex Allen @ Humboldt Park, 6 p.m.
Ask any Bay View resident with a dog, a child or a picnic basket what their favorite summer event is, and there’s a good chance they’ll answer with Chill on the Hill, the neighborhood’s popular Tuesday night concert series at the Humboldt Park bandshell. This year’s series kicks off on a high note with a performance from one of Milwaukee’s great showmen, Lex Allen, a body-positive soul, R&B and hip-hop singer with a sensuous voice and a very glamorous live show. He’ll perform after the Parkside Drum Line warms the stage.
