GWAR @ The Rave, Nov. 21
Thursday, Nov. 20
Christkindlmarket @ Best Place at Historic Pabst Brewery, 4 p.m.
Christkindlmarkets, outdoor markets timed to the holiday season, have been popular in Germany for centuries, and recently they’ve taken root in American cities as well, so it was only a matter of time before Milwaukee embraced this German tradition. The Best Place’s Christkindlmarket will feature more than a dozen vendors selling figurines, Christmas ornaments, steins, spices and Advent calendars, as well as edible gifts including chocolate, cheese, candies and gingerbread. In addition to German music and dancers, there will also be vendors offering German favorites including bratwursts, strudel, schnitzel, pretzels, potato pancakes, beer and spiced wine. Father Christmas will make several appearances. (Through Sunday, Nov. 23.)
‘Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody’ @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Known as the sexually charged Twilight of the middle-aged mom world, Fifty Shades of Grey has taken women everywhere by storm over the last couple of years. Playing on the newfound popularity of light bondage toys and BDSM, SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody promises to retain the steamy mood of the original novel. SPANK! delivers a performance inspired by the bestselling book but also twisting the original plot with real-world comedy. The result is a sassy parody that will undoubtedly be the most popular girls’-night-out event in town this weekend. The production does multiple shows at the Turner Hall Ballroom through Saturday, Nov. 22.
Tech N9ne w/ Krizz Kaliko and Stevie Stone @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Until his double-disc eighth album, Killer, went platinum in 2008, Kansas City hardcore rapper Tech N9ne struggled for recognition outside of underground circles, even as he claimed the kind of loyal cult following that many bigger-name acts could only dream about. N9ne’s commercial success only further catalyzed the already prolific rapper’s output, and he now records and releases albums at a near maniacal clip. His recent works have been collaboration-heavy, with 2013’s Something Else giving time to features from Kendrick Lamar, B.o.B, T-Pain, CeeLo Green, Wiz Khalifa, Serj Tankian from System of a Down and, oddly enough, The Doors. His latest album, Strangeulation, his fourteenth, downplays big name guests in favor of rappers from Tech N9ne’s Strange Music circle, including the label’s recent signee Murs.
|
|
Friday, Nov. 21
GWAR w/ Corrosion Of Conformity and American Sharks @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Over the decades GWAR has become less a parody of metal excesses than of themselves, doubling down on obscene comedy. The group’s latest record, 2013’s Battle Maximus, is among their most ridiculous yet, spinning a ridiculous space-opera yarn over tracks like “Madness at the Core of Time” and “Raped at Birth.” The album is a bittersweet one for the band. While it’s their first with Cannabis Corpse guitarist Brent Purgason in the fold, it’s their last with singer Dave Brockie, who died of a heroin overdose this spring.
Broadminded: Thank You @ Arcade Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Together at Broadminded, comedians Stacy Babl, Anne Graff LaDisa, Melissa Kingston and Megan McGee wring big laughs out of everyday situations, blending sharp writing with absurdist twists and turns. The troupe’s sketch comedy programs are organized around loose themes, and for their latest they’ve turned to the holidays. Thank You: Gifts, Favors, Moderate Competence and Other Things We Are Thankful For finds the girls in an appreciative mood, at least on paper. (Also Nov. 22, 28 and 29.)
Mike Doughty @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Mike Doughty has a love/hate relationship with his ’90s alt-rock band Soul Coughing. On the one hand, the group gave him his first taste of fame, thanks to hits like “Super Bon Bon” and “Circles,” and laid the groundwork for the low-key solo career he now sustains. On the other hand, that brush with fame led to a heroin addiction that nearly killed him, and he doesn’t have many kind words for his former bandmates. Doughty dished about his Soul Coughing years in his 2012 memoir, The Book of Drugs. In the past, Doughty has answered audience questions at Q&A shows. For this tour with cellist Andrew “Scrap” Livingston, he takes the idea one step further, inviting audiences to submit questions in a jar.
Saturday, Nov. 22
Sam Llanas @ Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, 7:30 p.m.
Sam Llanas will always be best known as one half of the BoDeans, but since splitting from that Milwaukee roots-rock institution several years ago he’s carried on as an eager solo artist, touring aggressively. This month he releases his first album since parting from the BoDeans, The Whole Night Thru, a lean, nine-song record that draws deeply from the songwriter’s love of classic soul and blues music. Llanas recorded it with longtime producer Gary Tanin and a small band featuring guitarist Sean Williamson, bassist Matt Turner and drummer Ryan Schiedermayer.
Holiday Floral Show @ Mitchell Park Domes
Every holiday season, the Mitchell Park Domes go decoration-crazy, reinventing their floors as a holiday wonderland with a sprawling floral show. Offering winter-weary Milwaukeeans a break from the usual snowy displays, this year’s show is Hawaiian themed. A tiki garden will be filled with thousands of tropical flowers, including poinsettias, orchids and hibiscus, and the centerpiece will be a nearly 30-foot-tall Norfolk pine tree, adorned with colored sand. That’ll be in addition to pineapple plants, a coconut palm and the requisite tiki statues. Consider this your respite from whatever winter might throw at us this year. (Through Jan. 4, 2015.)
Wednesday, Nov. 26
The Summertime Dudes w/ Hand of Doom @ Club Garibaldi, 9 p.m.
Made up of past and present members of punk-leaning Milwaukee bands including Call Me Lightning, Space Raft, Whips, Temper Temper and The Mistreaters, The Summertime Dudes pay homage to ’70s and ’80s hard rock in all of its ridiculous, hairy glory, donning wigs and costumes as they rip through hedonistic hits about good times and loose girls. They typically only play a show or two a year (and usually, as their name implies, in the summer), but they’ll play this rare November gig as a fundraiser for former Mistreater Christian Houtman, who is trying to pay down some imposing medical bills. They’ll be joined on the bill by the Black Sabbath tribute act Hand of Doom.
Flosstradamus w/ GTA, Curtis Williams and Two-9 @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
The Chicago EDM duo Flosstradamus was one of the first groups to realize how well electronic music pairs with heavy, trap-style rap. While similar producers have limited themselves to remixes, adding loud dubstep drops to existing rap hits, Flosstradamus has spent the last couple of years emphasizing original material, recording big, rowdy bangers with Atlanta royalty like Travis Porter, Waka Flocka Flame and Casino. Those recent singles are guaranteed to send crowds into an absolute frenzy in the club.
