The week between Christmas and New Year’s is, to be honest, not exactly a banner week for checking out bands in area clubs. Fortunately for us, that lull crashes into chaos on Friday night. So here’s our rundown of the top five shows to check out this New Year’s Eve.
Editor’s Note: Ryan Seacrest appears nowhere on this list.
MUSIC NOTES SHOW OF THE WEEK
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| Jaill |
1. The Hold Steady and Jaill at The Riverside Theater, 9 p.m. ($29.50)
Brooklyn-based indie-classic rocker standbys The Hold Steady will be ringing in the New Year with special guests Jaill, Milwaukee’s own band-du-jour of 2010 (and possibly 2011). It promises to be a fitting end to a year of serious progress for Jaill, and the beginning of a year that could lead to so much more. After the show, your ticket stub gets you into the popular The Get Down Dance Party at Turner Hall. (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., pabsttheater.org)
2. KingHellBastard at The Cactus Club, 10 p.m.
The Cactus Club is a fitting setting for taking in one of Milwaukee’s hardest working — and hardest partying — rap groups. The members of KingHellBastard have made a name for themselves with funky beats, incredible on-stage intensity and a fierce loyalty to the city they call home. (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., cactusclubmilwaukee.com)
3. Conrad Plymouth, Laarks and Ian Olvera & The Sleepwalkers at Linneman’s, 9:30 p.m. ($6)
Milwaukee-based Conrad Plymouth carries the headlining role here, but perhaps the most intriguing band on this bill is Eau Claire-based Laarks. The band’s innocent-sounding ’90s-era indie throwback vibe is infectious. And like I’ve always said, a New Year’s Eve that you don’t get infected with something is an absolute waste of time.
Words to live by. (1001 E. Locust Ave., linnemans.com)
4. Dead Man’s Carnival at Miramar Theatre, 9 p.m. ($15)
OK, so here’s my pitch: A night filled with live music, fire breathers, burlesque skits, jugglers, break dancers and an 1880s medicine man. I don’t know what the hell that last one means, but I know I want to see it! (2844 N. Oakland Ave., themiramartheatre.com)
5. Girl Talk, Green Velvet, DJ Funk, DJ Rozz and DJ JSlay at The Rave, 8 p.m. ($37)
As annoying as it can be to listen to some guy half-assedly mash songs other people have written together on a laptop and call it art, it’s actually pretty bad ass to listen to someone do the same, but well. Girl Talk’s mash-ups are innovative, interesting and, above all else, fun. It’s good not to think too much on New Year’s Eve, and this is the place for that! (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., therave.com)
