Thursday, Oct. 29
Type O Negative w/ Destrophy and Seventh Void @ The Rave, 8 p.m. By fusing the charcoaled riffs of Black Sabbath with the graveyard grumble of Sisters of Mercy, Type O Negative all but invented their own sub-genre of metal: gothic metal. The band was never above cheap shocks or blatant publicity efforts--they named their second album The Origin of the Feces, initially placing a photograph of an anus on the cover, and in the mid-’90s frontman Peter Steele posed naked for Playgirl magazine--but they were always more fascinating than many of their peers, in part because their obsession with death and mortality felt grounded more in real human insecurities than overplayed genre conventions. Their last album, Dead Again, which reflected longtime atheist Steele’s unlikely conversion to Catholicism, was the band’s highest-charting album yet.
The Spinners @ Potawatomi Bingo Casino, 8 p.m.
Though they were born of Detroit and initially signed to Motown, The Spinners were mostly ignored by the legendary Motor City label, even after the 1970 success of their Stevie Wonder-penned hit “It’s a Shame.” It was only after Atlantic Records and the visionary Philly soul producer Thom Bell adopted the group in the ’70s that The Spinners went on to record some of the biggest soul hits of their era, including “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair)” and “The Rubberband Man.” The group never stopped touring, even after their reign on the charts had ended by 1980, and although this decade they’ve suffered the deaths of several members, they still tour with original vocalists Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough.
CSI: Milwaukee @ Discovery World Crime-fighting forensics in real life aren’t quite as glamorous as they’re often depicted on television procedurals, but as this Discovery World exhibit illustrates from Oct. 29 through Oct. 31, they’re still pretty high-tech. Discovery World visitors can see for themselves, since the museum has set up a crime scene and a forensics lab where visitors can lift fingerprints and then try to identify them. Trained detectives will be speaking about the differences between real-world crime fighting and television crime fighting, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit and Bomb Squad will host demonstrations of their own.
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Friday, Oct. 30
Songwriter Showcase @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 9:30 p.m.
Milwaukee’s alt-country and roots music scene has boomed in recent years. For those looking for a gateway into the scene, tonight’s showcase at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn offers a great primer on some of its brightest songwriters. Among the performers are Allen Cote and Joe Crockett of The Championship, Juniper Tar’s Jason Mohr, The Vega Star’s Justin Rolbiecki, Chris DeMay, Cedarwell’s Erik Neave, On the Porch’s Scott Hanson and The Maze’s Rob Hansen.
Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
Singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Thompson saw the zenith during the singersongwriter boom of the 1970s, but remarkably, unlike many of their peers, they remained active and vital for the decades to come, never succumbing to guywith-guitar clichés or becoming stagnant.
Sharing a similar approach to songwriting and impressive guitar chops, the pair has recorded together in the past, with Thompson guesting on a few of Wainwright’s albums, and now, for the first time, they are touring together. Expect a convivial atmosphere as the old friends share the stage at the Pabst, since beyond being accomplished artists with vast back catalogs to draw on, they also share a sense of humor.
Saturday, Oct. 31
Made in Milwaukee/88Nine Halloween Bash @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 5 p.m.
Great Lake Swimmers, a Toronto group that on their latest album, Lost Channels, colors pretty, indie-folk tunes with washes of R.E.M. and Low, headlines a night of music, fashion and art as part of 88Nine Radio Milwaukee’s second annual Halloween party at the Turner Hall Ballroom. Among the local bands performing are The Championship, Will Phalen and the Stereo Addicts and rapper Kid Millions, who is celebrating the release of his new album, Recession Proof Rap. Meanwhile, 14 visual artists will display their work and create live installations, while a 9 p.m. fashion show with DJ Why B spotlights local designers.
