The Replacements @ The Rave, May 2
Thursday, April 30
Whitehorse w/ Lindy Vopnfjord @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
The Canadian folk duo Whitehorse is the collaboration between singer-songwriters Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet, both veterans of alt-country label Six Shooter Records. Together the two make dreamy, lovelorn folk-pop, wringing a lot of mileage out of their dueling songwriting voices and easy chemistry—a chemistry that, as husband and wife, they also share off stage. In 2012 the couple released their second album, The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss, a slinky, playful collection of country tunes that radiate domestic bliss, and the twang keeps coming on their latest full-length, this year’s Leave No Bridge Unburned.
Friday, May 1
Chalice in the Palace Soundsystem @ Thurman’s 15, 10 p.m.
For a decade Milwaukee’s Chalice in the Palace have been Milwaukee’s most prolific team of reggae DJs, warming stages at many of the city’s biggest reggae shows and spinning an eclectic mix of rocksteady, dub and dancehall at venues all over the city. This year DJs Selector Max, Eltronix, Ric Vespa and DJ Avets present a new monthly spin at Thurman’s 15, where they’ll play an assortment of Jamaican music spanning more than 50 years the first Friday of each month.
Caroline Smith w/ Shane Leonard @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Back in the ’90s, hip-hop and R&B existed in an entirely separate world from alternative and indie-rock. Artists from each scene hardly acknowledged each other, let alone crossed paths. But over the last 10 years those divisions have melted, especially in the Minneapolis music scene, where rappers and soul singers routinely collaborate with indie rockers and singer-songwriters. Caroline Smith is a product of that collaboration, an indie kid who reinvented herself as a soul singer on her latest album, Half About Being a Woman. The album was recorded with members of the psych-pop band Cloud Cult and mixed by Mint Condition engineer Paul Marino, a dichotomy that tells you more or less everything you need to know about Smith’s ambitions.
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Will Hoge w/ Devil Met Contention @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Nashville songwriter Will Hoge set out to become a history teacher, but he left Western Kentucky University to pursue music. The rustic, soulful roots-rock sound of his independently released album Live at the Exit/In drew attention from Atlantic Records, which signed him in 2002 and produced his first studio album, Carousel. Though the stint with Atlantic was short-lived, Hoge went on to carve a niche in the Southern country-rock genre and release eight more records, including 2009’s The Wreckage, a record inspired by a car crash that nearly killed him in 2008. His latest, Small Town Dreams, arrived in April on Cumberland Recordings.
Saturday, May 2
The Replacements w/ Midnight Reruns @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
One of the most influential underground rock bands of the ’80s, The Replacements are now also a model for how a reunited band can carry on with dignity. Since singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson regrouped in 2012, they’ve carried on as if their celebrated reunion was no particularly big deal, ripping through sloppy-but-not-too-sloppy versions of fan favorites at big festival stages and releasing one low-key EP, Songs For Slim, as a benefit for their former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a severe stroke. There’s no whiff of pretension or of cashing in; they’re just two guys doing what they’ve always done, and after all these years they’re still an absolute, chaotic force on stage. All reunited bands should be lucky to come across as this revitalized.
Sunday, May 3
Crosby, Stills & Nash @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
After 40-plus years and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction together, Los Angeles legends Crosby, Stills & Nash are still taking on full-time tours. Though Neil Young may be done with the group, at least for the time being, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash remain committed to the road, where they revisit such hits as the country-infused ballad “Southern Cross,” the light and folksy “Marrakesh Express” and their gentle staple “Teach Your Children.” Though they look their age, all three can still hold pitch, and after all these years they have an easy chemistry that shows how much they enjoy each other’s company. This show will feature a mix of old songs and new songs from each member.
Milwaukee Museum Mile @ multiple locations, 11 a.m.
Milwaukee’s shoreline doesn’t just boast some of the city’s best views. It’s also home to many of the city’s most unique museums. Four years ago five museums all within a mile of each other—the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, The Charles Allis Art Museum, Museum of Wisconsin Art at St. John’s On The Lake, The Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and the North Point Lighthouse at Lake Park—teamed up to brand themselves the Milwaukee Museum Mile. This Sunday, they celebrate the fourth anniversary of that partnership by offering free or reduced admission from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as free docent-led tours and children’s activities. A free shuttle bus will make it extra easy for patrons to hop from one museum to the next.
Steve Kleiber Scholarship Concert @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7 p.m.
The Milwaukee music scene lost one of its fixtures last year when Steve Kleiber, a longtime bassist who studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory and backed Willy Porter for 18 years, died in a house fire. To remember him, some of his friends and bandmates have organized this benefit concert, proceeds of which will go to a scholarship in his name. The night will feature performances from Greg Koch, Sam Llanas and Willy Porter, along with the Wisconsin Conservatory Batterman Jazz Ensemble and guests including Dave Adler, Ethan Bender, John Calarco, Michael Henszey and Carmen Nickerson.
Monday, May 4
Death Cab For Cutie w/ The Antlers @ The Riverside Theater, 8:30 p.m.
When Death Cab For Cutie return to Milwaukee for this show they’ll look a bit different than fans are used to. Last year the band parted on good terms with Chris Walla, a founding member of the group and also the producer who shaped their sound. That makes their latest album, Kintsugi, bittersweet: It was their last recorded with Walla, marking the end of one of indie-rock’s most fruitful collaborations. As is always the case with this band, there’s no mistaking the record for anything other than a Death Cab For Cutie album. Even the brighter synth-rock tones that occasionally color this material can’t disguise the melancholy underneath.
