Arielle Smith
Milwaukee Musicians Honor Big Star
Tribute shows are a dime a dozen on just about any concert calendar, but they usually don’t offer much in the way of variety, mostly sticking to big, marketable musical brands—your Elvises, Beatles and Pink Read more
Photos courtesy Pabst Theater
Belle and Sebastian w/ Courtney Barnett @ The Pabst Theater
Veteran indie-rockers Belle and Sebastian and relative newcomer Courtney Barnett brought their separate skillsets to the Pabst Theater Friday. Read more
Photo credit: Ben Popjoy
Single Mothers @ Cocoon Room
Canadian punks Single Mothers brought the heat on a bill that doubled as a release show for Milwaukee's Midwives. Read more
King Tuff w/ Cassie Ramone and Whips @ Cactus Club
King Tuff's Kyle Thomas is a mystical sort—a scruffy, talented sweetheart who crafts garage pop with an ear so good, it must be magic. Armed with an infectious catalogue of songs, and fresh off t,Concert Reviews Read more
The Hold Steady @ U.S. Cellular Connection Stage, Summerfest
The Hold Steady have spent much of their career described as the America’s best bar band, and while this description may give you some associative insight into how they sound, it doesn't do justi,Concert Reviews Read more
Ludacris @ Miller Lite Oasis, Summerfest
It’s easier, and perhaps more fitting, to describe Ludacris as an entertainer rather than a rapper, given his acting career, his entrepreneurial interests and his frequent collaborations with othe,Concert Reviews Read more
Radioactivity w/ Bad Sports, Tenement and Chinese Telephones @ Cactus Club
Punk, as a genre descriptor, has seen better days. Becoming a catch-all term for anyone who can play fast chords and style themselves outside the mainstream, punk has been divided into subgenres and,Concert Reviews Read more
Phylums w/ The Hussy, No Bueno and Towers @ Cactus Club
It was an evening in two acts at the Cactus Club on Saturday night. With four bands on the bill, there was a clear divide in crowd attention, though not in musical quality. As the premiere show for,Concert Reviews Read more
Photo credit: Alexander Stafford
Against Me! w/ Tony Molina and Big Eyes @ The Rave
For a band whose very name indicates opposition and struggle, Against Me!’s live performance is characterized by exuberance and fulfillment, an expression of a band that’s landed exactly where t,Concert Reviews Read more
The Men w/ Absolutely and Midnight Reruns @ Cactus Club
The Men’s approach to music favors growth and movement, reflecting an aversion to the stagnation that could so easily trouble a lesser band. The band’s early releases offer a post-punk squall,,Concert Reviews Read more
Diarrhea Planet w/ Heavy Hand and Midwives @ Cactus Club
Let’s cut right to the chase: Diarrhea Planet is a very, very good band, and their live show is as memorable as it is unmistakably their own. With a name like “Diarrhea Planet,” it’s hard t,Concert Reviews Read more
Photo credit: Melissa Miller
Sheryl Crow @ The Riverside Theater
Chances are, if you’ve been conscious during the last 15 years or so, you’ve heard a Sheryl Crow song. In fact, you’ve probably heard more than one—Crow is the Grammy-winning writer of such,Concert Reviews Read more
Metric Stays In the Moment
“It ought to be like a setlist,” Metric’s lead singer Emily Haines says of creating an album, and if you’re familiar with Metric’s catalogue, it’s easy to see how they’ve lived out that idea. Formed in 1998, the Canadian-American band ha... Read more
Photo credit: Sara Bill
Neko Case w/ Thao & The Get Down Stay Down @ The Riverside Theater
Neko Case held the Riverside in the palm of her hand on Friday, drawing from a full catalogue of arresting, image-filled songs; letting loose her impossibly beautiful, devastatingly present voice;,Concert Reviews Read more
Photo credit: Benjamin Wick
The Zombies w/ Et Tu Bruce @ The Pabst Theater
Formerly relegated to small venues and county fair-type events, 1960s British pop band The Zombies reunited—or, more to the point, returned—after a lengthy dormancy. Despite the almost universa,Concert Reviews Read more
Photo credit: Melissa Miller
Diana Ross @ The Riverside Theater
At her nearly sold-out show on Tuesday night at the Riverside Theater, Diana Ross powered through the hits, spanning decades, genres and styles in her hour-and-a-half long set. Famous for her work,Concert Reviews Read more
