Tim and Eric w/ Dr. Steve Brule @ The Pabst Theater, Sept. 25
Thursday, Sept. 25
Tim and Eric w/ Dr. Steve Brule @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim aren’t cartoons, but they are the stars on the Cartoon Network, filling late-night airtime with “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,” a surreal sketch comedy show. With the poorly lit sets and sad production values of late-night public access shows, the duo (and their bounty of celebrity guests) act out prolonged, deliberately uncomfortable skits about social outcasts and grotesque entertainers. For their latest tour, they’re bringing along a special guest: Dr. Steve Brule, the alter ego of acclaimed actor (and occasional cave-playing bluegrass musician) John C. Reilly. He’s the host of Tim and Eric’s late-night Cartoon Network spinoff “Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule,” a deeply uncomfortable 11 minutes of crap production values and sordid revelations, and he’ll join Tim and Eric on stage for an evening that promises comedy, song and dance.
Movits! w/ The O’Mys @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
Like the pundits he lampoons, Stephen Colbert often boasts of his own power, priding himself for a phenomenon he calls “The Colbert Bump,” the increased interest in a person or product after it is mentioned on his program. One of the most memorable recipients of that bump has been Movits!, a Swedish hip-hop band featured on the show. The response was great enough that Comedy Central Records released the group’s debut album, Äppelknyckarjazz. Don’t let the group’s affiliation with Comedy Central mislead you into thinking they are a novelty act, though. As novel as the group’s fusion of old-fashioned swing and modern rap music (recited entirely in Swedish) may be, the band is clever enough to resist playing it as a shtick.
Freeman @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
The band Freeman might not sound familiar, nor will the man behind it, Aaron Freeman, but Freeman’s former alter ego may ring a bell: Gene Ween. Under that stage name, Freeman was one of the guiding members of the cult rock band Ween, which for decades produced a slew of oddball psychedelic rock music. In 2012 after a long spell of inactivity Freeman announced he was disbanding the group, not out of any personal animosity between him and the band’s co-leader Dean Ween, but out of a desire to remain sober. The good news is that with Freeman he’s continued writing songs in the same unusual spirit of Ween. Released this summer, the band’s self-titled debut is a disarmingly personal album about bottoming out and recovering.
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Friday, Sept. 26
Lorde w/ Majical Cloudz @ BMO Harris Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.
If you know one thing about Lorde, it’s probably that she’s young. The New Zealand singer-songwriter’s Grammy-nominated debut album Pure Heroine was recorded when she was just 16 years old, but that didn’t stop its hip-hop-inspired lead single “Royals” from becoming an international hit and making Lorde the youngest act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Tiffany in 1987. That’s a big burden for an artist so young, but so far the songwriter has seemed comfortable in the spotlight, eagerly speaking out about her feminist values and how pop music doesn’t have to be limited to frivolous songs about sex.
Shannon Curfman @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
In 1999, at age 15, guitarist/songwriter Shannon Curfman burst onto the blues and roots rock scene with her major-label debut, Loud Guitars, Big Suspicion, under the direction of Clive Davis and Arista Records. The record garnered rave reviews and tons of airplay, particularly within college radio, and before long, Curfman was sharing the stage with countless blues legends. Rather than rush a follow-up, however, she took her time crafting her subsequent albums, 2007’s Fast Lane Addiction and 2010’s What You’re Getting Into, which features collaborations with Joe Bonamassa, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow. These days Curfman spends much of her time on the road as a member of Kid Rock’s band.
Afrojack w/ Dillon Francis and Itch @ The Rave, 9 p.m.
A decade ago Dutch DJ and producer Afrojack’s celebrity would have been limited to dance-music circles, but in the EDM-obsessed landscape of today’s Top 40 music, there’s no ceiling on his stardom. Following the crossover success of his 2010 hit “Take Over Control,” this year Afrojack released an album of grandiose electronic pop in the same mold, Forget The World, a radio-minded record featuring collaborations with Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Spree Wilson and, perhaps most unexpectedly, Sting.
Harvest Fair @ Wisconsin State Fair Park
Wisconsin State Fair Park will be bustling this weekend as it hosts its 18th annual Harvest Fair, a celebration of all things seasonal, with pumpkin carving, pumpkin bowling, scarecrow making, pony and camel rides and contests, live music, a farmers’ market and a pumpkin patch. This year’s event features an expanded children’s entertainment lineup; an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on Saturday and Sunday; and a couple of prime oldies acts on Saturday sponsored by Oldies 95.7: The Buckinghams (at 4 p.m.) and The Grass Roots (at 8 p.m.). (Through Sunday, Sept. 28.)
Saturday, Sept. 27
Maker Faire @ State Fair Park, 9 a.m.
Maker culture is on the rise right now, both nationally and locally. It’s a sign of how far the movement is spreading that the White House held a huge Maker Faire of its own this summer, and this year the Wisconsin State Fair grounds follows suit by hosting its own Maker Faire this weekend during its annual Harvest Fair. The free event will gather crafters, inventors, builders, tinkerers, hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers of all stripes, and will include “hands-on instructional workshops, competitions and activity areas for visitors of all ages and interests.” It’s sponsored by MAKE Magazine and Brady Corporation and, according to organizers, will feature innovators specializing in “3D printing, microcomputers, robotics, lasers, alternative energy, blacksmithing and indie craft.” (Also Sunday, Sept. 28.)
Barktoberfest @ Estabrook Park, 1-6 p.m.
For those who find that Milwaukee’s other Oktoberfest celebrations don’t include enough canines, Estrabrook Park hosts an alternative: Barktoberfest, a pup-friendly event built around two of life’s great pleasures: dogs and beer. The event will feature an agility course, a dog costume contest, a demonstration from the Milwaukee County Correctional Institution K-9 Unit, and live music from The Talisman, as well as abundant refreshments from Estrabrook’s beer garden. Event organizers Residents for Off-Leash Milwaukee Parks will be selling $10 commemorative beer mugs that are good for $1 off refills at the Estabrook beer garden through next September.
Wednesday, Oct. 1
JJ Grey & Mofro w/ The London Souls @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
From their humble, late-’90s beginnings in the swamplands of northern Florida, the blues-funk group Mofro quickly rose through word of mouth in the receptive jam band circuit. The band’s 2001 Fog City debut, Blackwater, paid homage to bandleader JJ Grey’s blues and rock influences, including Muddy Waters and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Subsequent albums have been funkier, broadening Mofro’s audience and opening new doors, allowing Grey to share stages with one of his icons, Booker T. Jones. The group’s latest record, This River, is its sixth for the blues label Alligator Records.
