Monday, December 8: Dillon Francis with Trippy Turtle and Hoodboi at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($25)
The highly-anticipated debut from moombahton producer Dillon Francis, Money Sucks, Friends Rule, bridges the gap between glitchy EDM and pop music. The album features a laundry list of guest stars, including Twista, Major Lazer, Panic at the Disco’s Brandon Urie, DJ Snake, and Martin Garrix, and positions Francis to become EDM’s next big thing. Say you caught him in the intimate confines of Turner Hall when he eventually headlines Coachella. (1032 N. Fourth St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Metal Monday with Anicon, Yellow Eyes, Emblazoned and Subjugation at Frank’s Power Plant, 8 p.m. (FREE) – (2800 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., FranksPowerPlant.com)
Tuesday, December 9: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at The Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m. ($35-$45)
A swing resurgence threw dancers in a tizzy throughout the ‘90s, but the revival didn’t have much of a shelf life, flaming out almost instantly. It’s fitting then that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy closed out the decade with some swing during the biggest music event of the year, Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, where the California-group played their hit “Go Daddy-O,” alongside Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan and, inexplicably, E.T.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy have been one of the few swing revivalists left standing or, um, swinging since finding work on various television programs like Dancing With The Stars and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. They even wrote the theme song for Third Rock from the Sun. (1721 W. Canal St., PaysBig.com)
Wednesday, December 10: Thistledown Thunders at Bremen Cafe, 9:30 p.m. (FREE) – (901 E. Clarke St., BremenCafe.com)
Also: Evan Christian at the Jazz Estate, 9 p.m. ($5) – (2423 N. Murray Ave., JazzEstate.com)
Thursday, December 11: Blue October at The Rave, 7:30 p.m. ($24-$94)
The Houston-based alt-rockers struck gold in 2006 with its hit album, Foiled. But things were far from rosy for lead singer Justin Furstenfeld. He chronicled his struggles with addictions and the toil it took on his family on the record’s breakout single, “Hate Me.” But those issues didn’t remain in the past. He eventually got clean, but experienced a massive mental breakdown in 2009 brought on by a pending divorce that prompted the band to cancel its tour. Last year, the band’s seventh album, 2013’s Sway, sounds like Furstenfeld’s attempt to write down his feelings on paper, put the paper in a bottle and throw the bottle into the ocean. (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)
Also: Martina McBride at The Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m. ($60-$75) – (1721 W. Canal St., PaysBig.com)
Friday, December 12: Canopies with The Fatty Acids at The Polish Falcon, 9 p.m. ($8)
We previewed the band’s new album here, and the album itself is currently streaming over at Spin. (803 E. Clarke St.)
Also: Hugh Bob and the Hustle with Frankie Lee at Cactus Club, 10 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: Direct Hit! with Pears and Foreign Lawns at Borg Ward, 8 p.m. ($10) – (823 W. National Ave.)
And: Myles Coyne with Jaems Murphy’s Vedic Eden and King Courteen at Frank’s Power Plant, 9:30 p.m. ($5) – (2800 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., FranksPowerPlant.com)
And: Martina McBride at The Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m. ($60-$75) – (1721 W. Canal St., PaysBig.com)
Saturday, December 13: Korn with King 810 at the Rave, 8 p.m. ($35-$119)
Before dubstep, there was nu metal. Both were big selling genres despised by the majority of critics and praised by a few loud, devoted contrarians that christened the new sound as music’s saving grace. Nu metal progenies Korn blends the two similar music fads together on its tenth studio album, 2011’a The Path of Totality. Unfortunately, the fusion doesn’t fit the 21-year-old band well, and rather underscored Korn’s growing irrelevancy. Take note, Skrillex. (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)
Also: The Sea and Cake at Cactus Club, 9:30 p.m. ($15) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: Milwaukee Symphony performs the music of Led Zeppelin at The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m. ($37.50-$45.50) – (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)
And: The Whiskeybelles with Chickenwire Empire and Doghouse Flowers at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 9 p.m. ($7) – (1001 E. Locust St., Linnemans.com)
And: Like Like The The The Death with Tyranny Is Tyranny, Body Futures and Young Indian at Riverwest Public House, 9 p.m. ($5) – (815 E. Locust St., RiverwestPublicHouse.WordPress.com)
And: Vortis with Dead Morticians and The Ornerys at Circle A Café, 7 p.m. – (932 E. Chambers St., Circle-A-Café.org)
Sunday, December 14: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis at The Riverside Theater, 7:30 p.m. ($39.50-$75) – (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)
