IAMSU! @ The Rave, April 16
Thursday, April 16
IAMSU! w/ Rome Fortune, Dave Steezy, IshDARR and That Dude Dres @ The Rave, [CANCELED]
Along with his frequent collaborators Problem and Sage the Gemini, IAMSU! is helping to spearhead a Cali-rap renaissance, updating the iconic thump of West Coast rap for a modern audience. Though he hasn’t had the commercial impact of some of his peers, especially YG, he’s shared singles with 2 Chainz, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa and E-40, and his wily delivery has made him a critical favorite. With DJ Mustard continuing to drum up demand for California rap, IAMSU! is well positioned for a big 2015. [UPDATE: This show has been canceled.]
Friday, April 17
Blue Man Group @ Marcus Center, 8 p.m.
Is the Blue Man Group—a performance art troupe that Homer Simpson once described, not quite accurately, as “a total rip-off of The Smurfs”—meant to be taken as existential commentary on man’s meaningless existence in a world increasingly dominated by technology? Or do these blue-painted entertainers aspire to do nothing more than play silly instruments and occasionally film Intel computer commercials? The troupe often makes it hard to tell, occasionally hinting at deeper ambitions but never letting their commentary get in the way of their visually innovative spectacles. (Multiple performances through Sunday, April 19.)
Roxi Copland @ The Jazz Estate, 9:30 p.m.
Milwaukee singer/songwriter/pianist Roxi Copland cooked up a leisurely blend of blues, soul and jazz on her latest album, Truth Be Told, which earned her some local radio play on WMSE and WUWM. And now she’s hitting the road behind the album. She’ll kick off her 2015 Radio Love Tour at the Jazz Estate with her band. Cover is $7.
The Steepwater Band w/ Dorian Taj @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Chicago’s Steepwater Band stumbled upon the jam scene a bit later than some of their peers. The trio began in the late ’90s as a fairly traditional blues-rock act, opening for Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal and playing regional blues festivals. Mid-2000s performances with Umphrey’s McGee and Yonder Mountain String Band, as well as a 2010 tour with Gov’t Mule, increased their following in the jam scene, though, and the group’s sound has shifted a bit to reflect the tastes of their new fanbase. They now draw as much from the leisurely, rootsy rock of the Allman Brothers Band as they do the searing blues of their hometown.
|
|
Saturday, April 18
Kenilworth Open Studios @ Kenilworth Square East, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Each year UWM’s Kenilworth Building opens its doors to the public, allowing them to explore six floors of music, theater, dance, film and art exhibitions. Arts and crafts will be on sale, along with food, wine, beer and coffee, at the building’s sixth floor marketplace, and there will be crafts activities for kids including button making and screen printing. The event is free.
Students Supporting Students @ South Milwaukee PAC, 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
Dozens of kids from the greater Milwaukee area will perform at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center’s Second Annual Students Supporting Students Extravaganza, which will feature 14 multicultural performances. Among the attractions this year are Irish, Chinese, Hmong and Bollywood dancers, a performance from South Milwaukee High School’s a cappella group, and jazz, classical and opera performances. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults.
Sunday, April 19
The 35th Annual WAMI Awards @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7 p.m.
Each year the Wisconsin Area Music Industry takes on the challenge of honoring the entire state’s music scene at its annual WAMI Awards. This year’s awards will pit acts including Field Report, Phox, Sam Llanas and GGOOLLDD against each other for the night’s highest honors, and will feature performances by The Delta Routine, Masonic Wonders, Consult the Briefcase, Rob DZ, The Pat Watters Band, Metal Men, The People Brothers Band and two acts that will be inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame, Sigmond Snopek III and Plasticland.
A Brief History of Jazz @ Serb Hall, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Serb Hall’s A Brief History of Jazz program doesn’t pretend to be as comprehensive as Ken Burns’ study of the subject, but it does offer three distinct perspectives on the genre courtesy of three local acts. The Rhythm Aces will play jazz as it’s celebrated in New Orleans, with a whole lot of swing, while The 4th Street Elevator will revisit the sounds of Gypsy jazz, the form heard in so many Woody Allen movies. The final band of the night, We Six, will look toward the more modern sounds of bebop, hard bop and bossa nova.
Tuesday, April 21
David Simon @ UW-Milwaukee Student Union, 7 p.m.
Few TV shows have inspired more discussion than David Simon’s HBO crime epic “The Wire.” Widely regarded as one of the best television shows of all time, the program explored the toll of the war on drugs and detailed political corruption with journalistic precision, drawing from Simon’s background as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun. Simon will touch on some of those same subjects at this Distinguished Lecture Series appearance at UW-Milwaukee titled “The Audacity of Despair: The Decline of the American Empire and What's in it for You...” Tickets are free for UWM students and $12 for the general public.
Todd Rundgren @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
To the masses, Todd Rundgren is best known for his catchy, irresistibly silly novelty hit “Bang the Drum All Day,” a song that in no way captures the depth and diversity of his body of work. He’s worked with artists as diverse as Janis Joplin, Badfinger, The Band, Hall & Oates, XTC, Patti Smith, The New York Dolls and The Cars—whom he briefly fronted during a reunion tour—but never let those outside projects get in the way of his own solo career. On his 2013 album, State (roughly his 20th studio album, depending on how you count), Rundgren continued to explore the electronic sonic textures that have been his hallmark since his 1972 breakthrough work, Something/Anything?
Wednesday, April 22
Joe Bonamassa @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
Bluesman Joe Bonamassa has had a long and storied career for a player who is still in his 30s, but he benefited from an early start. He began playing at age 8 and by 12 he was already opening for B.B. King. Though born and raised in Utica, N.Y., Bonamassa shreds through the blues more like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and other British guitarists than any of his American predecessors. Perhaps for that reason, his albums have fared better on the U.K. charts than in the United States. His latest album, Different Shades of Blue, is a guitar-lover’s album, recorded with 20 rare vintage guitars and 13 amps, all of which he lists in descriptive detail in the liner notes. It’s that intense attention to detail and history that has made Bonamassa such a favorite of blues purists.
