The 1975 @ The Rave, Nov. 7
Thursday, Nov. 6
Shane Mauss @ Comedy Café, 8 p.m.
With his droll frat-boy persona, La Crosse, Wis., native Shane Mauss has worked his way out of Wisconsin and onto the national comedy scene, thanks to some support from Comedy Central, which hosted his comedy special in 2010 and released his first album, Jokes To Make My Parents Proud. He’s since become a recurring guest on “Conan,” where he’s riffed on racist co-workers, kinky sex and the many things that people say that don’t make much sense when you really think about them. Like every comedian, he also has his own podcast: the often very funny podcast, “Double Date,” where Mauss riffs on relationships and philosophy (sometimes while stoned). (Also Friday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 8 at 10:15 p.m.)
Bikes & Beats @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 5:30 p.m.
As part of its efforts to remind Wisconsinites that biking is a year-round activity, the Wisconsin Bike Fed hosts this celebration of cycling culture. 88Nine Radio Milwaukee DJ Marcus Doucette kicks the event off with music starting at 5:30 p.m., warming the stage for headliner Peter Mulvey, a singer-songwriter who prides himself on biking to his gigs. There will also be food from the Lowlands Group restaurants and Asian International Markets, a live auction and displays from local bike shops including Bublr Bikes, Wheel & Sprocket and South Shore Cyclery. The best way to get there? By riding, of course. The Lowlands Grand Cafes will be routing group rides.
Friday, Nov. 7
The 1975 w/ Cruisr and Young Rising Sons @ The Rave, 7:30 p.m.
A Manchester four-piece that found fame quickly thanks to a whole lot of attention from the British music press’ eager hype machine, The 1975 first built a fanbase with a series of four EPs, one of which included the buzzy single “Sex,” a shimmery slab of British post-punk crossed with hints of Fall Out Boy’s high-drama emo. Last fall they followed up those EPs with their self-titled debut full-length. Recorded with Arctic Monkeys and Foals producer Mike Crossey, it’s a remarkably slick affair that splits the difference between synth-heavy dance songs and direct guitar pop.
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David Allan Coe w/ Confederate Railroad @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Grizzled country legend David Allan Coe is one of outlaw country’s more truly rebellious figures, having actually served hard time in prison, unlike peers like Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings who only sang about it. He’s penned his share of jukebox staples, including the hits “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and “Take This Job and Shove It.” At 75 years old, he continues to tour aggressively, with a small band that includes his wife on backup vocals. He’ll share this show with Confederate Railroad, an outlaw country band that got its start as Coe’s backing band in the late ’80s.
La Santa Cecilia w/ Latino Arts Strings Program and Mariachi Juvenil @ Latino Arts,
7:30 p.m.
Each year Latino Arts goes all out for its annual Day of the Dead ofrendas exhibition, compiling colorful works culled from both regional and international artists, so it only makes sense that the gallery would go all out for the exhibit’s opening reception as well. Following this year’s opening reception from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Latino Arts will host a concert from La Santa Cecilia, the 2013 Grammy winners for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. On their debut album Treinta Días (30 Days), the six-piece group fuses together a wide array of sounds, including rock, jazz, tango, bolero, rumba, cumbia and bossa nova. That album also featured an appearance from Elvis Costello on the track “Losing Game.” The night will begin with a short performance from the Latino Arts String Program and Mariachi Juvenil.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Miltown Beatdown Finals @ Miramar Theatre, 9 p.m.
For nearly a decade, Milwaukee’s Miltown Beatdown has been bringing producers from the local hip-hop scene together—then pitting them against each other in beat battles judged before a live crowd. Eight producers from both the local rap and electronic scenes will face off against each other in the Beatdown’s 2014 finals, which will feature performances from two former Milwaukee DJs who have since set up camp in Los Angeles: Salva and DJ Kid Cut Up. Salva is the bigger name nationally. Since turning heads with a monster remix of Kanye West’s “Mercy” in 2012, Salva has gone on to work with artists like Diplo, Schoolboy Q and Shlomo. He’s also the owner of the esteemed Frite Nite label, which has put out releases from Ana Sia and Eprom. Kid Cut Up, meanwhile, may be more familiar to Milwaukee clubgoers. For years he was one of the anchors of the city’s No Request crew, spinning both classic and contemporary hip-hop at clubs across the city.
‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’ @ Next Act Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
War is a terrible thing. On that almost everybody can agree, but wars also have had a tremendous cultural impact on our country, inspiring countless great works of art, from films and novels to songs. For its production of Keep the Home Fires Burning, Milwaukee Metropolitan Voices’ choral group In Good Company has partnered with actors Brittany Curran and Joe Picchetti to explore the effects of war on the American psyche and examine how ordinary people cope with war from the home front. The production promises to draw from 100 years of American music. (Also Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m.)
Capital Cities w/ Cherub and Night Terrors of 1927 @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
The Los Angeles electro-pop duo Capital Cities owe much of their success to their euphoric hit “Safe and Sound,” which, as you read this, is being broadcast on television in a commercial trying to sell you some beverage, electronic gadget or what have you, but that song was hardly a fluke. The group’s debut album In a Tidal Wave of Mystery is loaded with similarly infectious, synth-happy songs that summon the electronics-minded spirit of ’80s New Wave. Modern alternative albums don’t get much catchier than this.
Monday, Nov. 10
David Bazan and The Passenger String Quartet w/ David Dondero @ Turner Hall
Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Singer-songwriter David Bazan is best known for his work with the indie-rock project Pedro The Lion, where he offered nervy confessions about sins of the flesh and his conflicted relationship with God that made him a controversial but undeniable force in Christian songwriting circles. On his 2009 solo debut Curse Your Branches, Bazan’s faith was more battered than ever before, as the singer embraced his new role as a fallen evangelical. Bazan’s newest record Strange Negotiations still focuses on his fall from the church, but it also touches on more secular issues like government and corporate greed—themes that dovetail with the Occupy Wall Street movement. For this show he’ll perform with The Passenger String Quartet, an ensemble that has backed artists as diverse as Macklemore, Suzanne Vega and Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch.
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Best of Milwaukee Awards Party @ Milwaukee Art Museum, 6 p.m.
The readers have spoken. Thousands voted in the Shepherd Express’s 2014 Best of Milwaukee readers’ choice awards, and some of the winners may surprise you. We’ll reveal them at this award ceremony and party at Milwaukee Art Museum, which will feature a pop art theme, Lakefront beer and complimentary food from local restaurants. The event is open to the public and proceeds benefit the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative.
Dave Davies w/ Sam Llanas @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.
Along with his brother Ray, Dave Davies was the co-founder of one of the most pioneering rock bands of the ’60s, The Kinks, influencing generations of young bands with his infectiously scuzzy guitar riffs on songs like “You Really Got Me.” Since The Kinks split up in 1996, Davies has concentrated on a solo career, recording occasional albums, including this fall’s Rippin’ Up Time, which was timed for a release in conjunction with The Kinks’ 50th anniversary. For this show, he’ll be joined by an opening act who understands what it’s like to be one-half the leadership of an important band: Sam Llanas, the former BoDeans singer/guitarist who later this month will release his first solo album since departing from the BoDeans, The Whole Night Thru.
Wednesday, Nov. 12
Burnhearts/Three Floyds’ Punk House Kegger Party @ Burnhearts, 6 p.m.
There are few things aging punks reminisce about more nostalgically than an old-fashioned basement show, where fans herd around a leaky keg and damage their eardrums listening to whatever bands had enough gas money to make it to the show. Burnhearts will pay homage to those shows with this Punk House Kegger Party, featuring the noisy, sludgy, punky sounds of Milwaukee bands Volunteer and Soup Moat. Instead of the requisite keg of stale Old Milwaukee or suspiciously discounted off-brand beer, however, this show will feature genuinely good beer from Three Floyds Brewing. Try your best not to spill any on the pool table.
