The Delta Routine @ Linneman's Riverwest Inn, Saturday, Dec. 26
Saturday, Dec. 26
Time Lords’ Ball @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7 p.m.
Whatever stigma science fiction once held has long since disappeared as nerd culture has gone mainstream over the last decade or two, and no Milwaukee institution better represents that cultural shift than the 42 Lounge, a Downtown club that caters to the N64 and Star Wars set. The club presents this “Doctor Who”-themed dance party at Turner Hall Ballroom, which will feature music from Milwaukee DJs Bounce the DJ, DJ Khek and DJ Tony-Wan Kenobi, lasers and video projections, themed cocktails, a photo booth and lots of costumed super fans.
Liquid Stranger w/ special guest Santa Claus @ The Miramar Theatre, 9 p.m.
Most people don’t really think of dubstep as world music, but it can be. Liquid Stranger, the electronic music project of Swedish producer Martin Stääf, peppers his big, drop-laden dubstep with an array of globe-spanning influences, from the rhythms of Latin and Asian America to American jazz and Jamaican reggae.
The Delta Routine w/ The New Seven @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 9 p.m.
It’s been a big year for Milwaukee rockers Delta Routine, who released a new album, You and Your Lion. It’s their first with Semi-Twang guitarist Mike Hoffmann as an official member, and he makes his presence known on some of the band’s catchiest, most mature songs yet. The band will bid farewell to 2016 at this holiday show that pairs them with The New Seven, a folky rock quartet that met as music majors at UW-Milwaukee. They released their debut album Look Closer, Say Something this spring.
AR Wesley w/ Cool Tay, DeLikeDay, MasonHighLife and Vato @ Cactus Club, 10 p.m.
It’s a good problem to have, but the Milwaukee hip-hop scene now has so much talent that some of it is falling between the cracks. While local and national media outlets spent the year heaping praise on rappers like Milo, WebsterX, IshDARR and Vonny Del Fresco, other deserving ones were overlooked through no fault of their own, including AR Wesley, a local with a fresh, jazzy sound that falls somewhere between Wiz Khalifa’s blunted hip-hop and A$AP Rocky’s druggy fantasias. He’ll headline this bill backed by some similarly underrated Milwaukee talent.
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Tuesday, Dec. 29
Jim Gaffigan @ The Pabst Theater, 7 p.m.
Nobody would ever accuse Jim Gaffigan of pretentiousness. The comedian’s stand-up routine makes it clear that he’s a simple man, preoccupied with simple things, mostly of a gastrointestinal nature. Gaffigan is probably as surprised as anybody, then, that he’s published not one but two books. His first was his 2013 parenthood memoir Dad Is Fat, which was followed the next year by Food: A Love Story, a collection of essays about the many unhealthy things he can’t resist putting in his body. This year publishing took a backseat, however, to his latest project: “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” a warm sitcom for TV Land that plays like a kinder, less edgy counterpart to Louis C.K.’s “Louie.” It’s been renewed for a second season, but Gaffigan won’t let his filming schedule interfere with his annual run of pre-New Year shows at the Pabst Theater. (Multiple shows through Thursday, Dec. 31.)
Wednesday, Dec. 30
Blood, Sweat and Tears @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 7 p.m.
The one constant in Blood, Sweat and Tears has been the group’s love of jazz. Since the late ’60s, the group has been lacing their soulful rock ’n’ roll with jazz traditions, but their lineup has changed considerably from decade to decade. Founder Al Kooper left long ago, and now there’s a much younger man at the front of the stage: Bo Bice, the singer who helped introduce “American Idol” to rock music during its fourth season (he was the guy who came close to beating Carrie Underwood). He covered the band’s “Spinning Wheel” on the show, and now he leads the touring version of the group. (Also Thursday, Dec. 31.)
