This Week in MKE Music: April 10-16, 2025

Here are the Milwaukee shows we are looking forward to coming up this week

by

Corky Siegel, two nights of Spoof Fest!, Mount Eerie & Alan Sparhawk, Record Store Day, saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, James McMurtry w/ BettySoo and more—This Week in Milwaukee Music!

Thursday, April 10

Pinkshift w/ VIAL and Rat Bath @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.

The Basement Collective, Riot Fest and X-Ray Arcade Present this all-ages show. Baltimore’s Pink Shift are joined by Minneapolis trio Vial and Milwaukee post everything rat-core ravers Rat Bath. Want to kick start your weekend with a blast of energy? Look no further.

Friday, April 11

Corky Siegel @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.

Corky Siegel’s reputation has long been set, reaching back to the 1966 LP, The Siegel-Schwall Band. He is known internationally as one of the world’s great blues harmonica players, blues pianist, singer-songwriter, creator of chamber blues and the sole pioneer/composer of award-winning revolutionary works that weave blues and classical forms together.

Co-founder of the Siegel-Schwall Band and Blues Hall of Fame Inductee, his catalogue includes recordings on RCA, Vanguard, Alligator and million selling blues/classical recordings on the classical label Deutsche Grammophon. His close associations with the blues masters in the earlier days of Chicago blues, his essential part in the blues rock revolution, and his surprising success in bringing together blues and classical audiences make him a pivotal (though inconspicuous) figure in modern music history.

Spoof Fest @ Club Garibaldi’s, 7 p.m. Also Saturday.

Need to lighten things up a bit? Saturated with the news of the day? Here’s the Rx. As the name implies, here’s two days chock full of Milwaukee musicians playing tribute, mocking and just plain testifying, while digging into the songbooks of heroes and guilty pleasures alike. Friday’s lineup includes spoofs on Talking Heads, Guns n Roses, Jeff Beck Group and Better than Ezra. Saturday the festing continues with White Zombie, Steve Griller Band, Pixies and more.

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Mount Eerie & Alan Sparhawk @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.

Mount Eerie, the musical alter ego of  Phil Elverum, has been releasing records since 2003 “on a fake record label, stubbornly still DIY to the bone.” Musically, heavy sonic textures blend with Walt Whitman-esque lyric observations. Alan Sparhawk is no stranger to Milwaukee; his visits with Low were always incredible performances made intimate. Last summer, Sparhawk’s show with Tired Eyes was a rare glimpse, a heavy night of music drawing from Neil Young’s darkest chapters.

Lakecia Benjamin @ Marcus Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

With her deep jazz roots, electric presence, and fiery sax work, Lakecia Benjamin fuses traditional concepts of jazz, hip hop and soul to create a fresh new sound Benjamin has shared stages with many legendary artists, including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Christian McBride, Gregory Porter and The Roots.

For her MPAC debut, Benjamin features the quartet from her 2023 release, Phoenix, an album that featured cameos by some of Benjamin’s heroes including Wayne Shorter, Angela Davis, Dianne Reeves and Patrice Rushen.

Saturday, April 12

Record Store Day @ Record Stores, All Day

While picking an arbitrary date on a calendar is silly, Record Store Day continues to recognize the scientific and spiritual fact that music sounds better on vinyl. Duh.

Some diehards will wait in line and some sharpies will try to flip limited pressings, yet the record hounds and mavens among us know the real magic lives the in the grooves—from sizzling bacon to immaculate audiophile pressings. Last May we took a trip to Milwaukee’s finest cathedrals of vinyl.

Blue J Way @ The Cavern (716 Clinton St., Waukesha), 7 p. m.

Milwaukee music veterans Mike Jarvis and Jason Klagstad have decades of history with band like The Blow Pops, Semi Twang and The Bill Camplin band. Together they currently play with Elephonic. The side project Blue J Way finds the duo diving into their mutual appreciation for the Beatles, at this, their debut show.

Veterans for Peace Benefit featuring Tom Neilson @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 7 p.m.

An evening of music, satire, and social commentary with Tom Neilson, a Massachusetts singer-songwriter and activist, to benefit Veterans for Peace Milwaukee. Neilson provides a voice for those who believe in the power of folk music to effect change.

Phat Phunktion & Mama Digdown's Brass Band @ Vivarium, 7 p.m.

Grooves galore. In fact, more grooves than you can shake a stick at. Get on the good foot as these sprawling, good-time groups take over Vivarium.

Sunday, April 13

James McMurtry w/ BettySoo @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

McMurtry’s songs cut to the bone, character-driven with people often in circumstances that will define their lives. Likewise, lyrics might depict the details of the day-to-day existence of working and underclass folks. In fact, it might be a worthwhile project to try to connect the dots from characters in his songs beginning with his 1989 debut Too Long in the Wasteland.

Monday, April 14

Patrick Martin w/ Lunde @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.

Patrick Martin has returned to his roots in Wisconsin, where he’s been immersed in writing his next project deep in the woods, spending over one-hundred days crafting new music. Martin’s music balances introspective storytelling with infectious hooks. His singles showcase this dynamic blend: “Dandelion Eyes” bursts with kaleidoscopic vocals and propulsive beats, and the anthemic, heartbreaking ballad “Lean In” soars across choral harmonies and psychedelic guitar riffs.

Lunde’s first record Living Strange highlights concise, engaging songwriting and Beach Boys-esque harmonies wrapped in a raw indie sound; 2025 brings the band’s newest album which they call, in tongue in cheek fashion, Wisconsin’s First Band. On this record, the band confronts some of the feelings that make us most human: happiness, anger, loneliness and everything in between.

Tuesday, April 15

Peter Frampton @ The Riverside Theater, 6 p.m.

Framed by his golden locks, Peter Frampton’s image on his 1976 album Frampton Comes Alive has become part of the fabric of music history with songs like “Baby, I Love Your Way,” “Show Me the Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do.” Before his multi-platinum success Frampton played with The Herd and Humble Pie; after, he toured as David Bowie—who had been a student of Frampton’s father, an art teacher.

Wednesday, April 16

The Last Five Years @ Milwaukee Rep - Stackner Cabaret, through May 18

What’s fascinating about The Milwaukee Rep’s current production of The Last Five Years is that it is as conventional as it is unconventional. The musical, playing in the Stackner Cabaret, tells the story of a couple in their 20s, Jamie, a writer and Cathy, an aspiring actress. Set against the backdrop of New York City, the two fall in and out of their relationship, and love, over the course of five years.

However, here’s the catch: Jamie tells his story moving forward chronologically. Cathy, however, tells her story in reverse; from the end of the relationship to the very start of it. Read more from our review here.