Monday, September 29: Neighbors with Clearance and Carpet City at Quarters Rock n’ Roll Palace, 9 p.m. ($5)
The Brooklyn-based bedroom synth-pop band Neighbors may not be reinventing the wheel with its burbling synthesizers, handclaps and sweetly crooned vocals, but nonetheless, the formula has proven to, um, synthesize those elements into a lush, melodic, catchy sound. The follow-up to 2012’s debut full length Good Luck, Kid finds Neighbors incorporating a polished sheen to its repertoire, due in part to the producing touch of Kyle ‘Slick’ Johnson, who’s worked with Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon and The Hives. (900 E. Center St.)
Also: Young Thug at The Eight Night Club, 9 p.m.
The Atlanta rapper Young Thug has released a series of weird but impressive mixtapes that are seeping with Auto-tune. Record label issues have seemed to slow his impending rise to the top of hip hop’s pyramid, which means Monday night offers a great opportunity to see a rising star before his giant breakthrough. (618 N. Water St., TheEightNightClub.com)
Photo by Damien Blue.
Tuesday: September 30: WebsterX with Soul Low and Bliss & Alice at Hotel Foster, 9 p.m. ($5)
As part of The Milwaukee Film Festival’s nightly post-movie parties, Hotel Foster hosts its most eclectic night of young local musicians on Tuesday. WebsterX and Bliss & Alice are two of Milwaukee’s most promising rappers—the former a heady, brooding rapper and the latter an outspoken, poetic wordsmith, whose debut mixtape, Poetry Volume One: The Shit Talker Tape, is sure to land on a few year-end best of lists. The bill also boasts upstart indie rockers, Soul Low.
(2028 E. North Ave., TheHotelFoster.com)
Wednesday, October 1: JJ Grey & Mofro with The London Souls at Turner Hall Ballroom, 6:30 p.m. ($22 advance; $25 door) (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Aluar Pearls with Bumbac Joe at Hotel Foster, 9 p.m. ($5) – (2028 E. North Ave., TheHotelFoster.com)
And: The Australian Pink Floyd Show at The Riverside Theater, 7 p.m. ($32.50) – (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)
Thursday, October 2: Myles Coyne with Wax Addicts at Hotel Foster, 9 p.m. ($5) – (2028 E. North Ave., TheHotelFoster.com)
Friday, October 3: Braid with Cloakroom and Midnight Reruns at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($15)
The emo revival is upon us. Not only have a new crop of young emo-influenced bands been routinely popping up the past couple years, the original ones have been reissuing their discographies in order to cash-in on the renewed interest, as well. Put down the Champaign, Ill.-based mid-‘90s second-wave emo band Braid as one of those now reaping the benefits. In July, the band released its first album in 16 years, titled No Coast. (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Also: Greatest Lakes (album release) with Paper Holland and Myles Coyne at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 9:30 p.m. ($6)
And: GGOOLLDD with Rio Turbo and Color Numbers at Hotel Foster, 9 p.m. ($5) – (2028 E. North Ave., TheHotelFoster.com)
And: Colony House with Knox Hamilton and Cheerleader at Club Garibaldi, 9 p.m.
Saturday, October 4: Warpaint at The Pabst Theater, 7 p.m. ($20)
It’s only been a few months since the Los Angeles-based art rockers Warpaint opened for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the Milwaukee Theatre. This Saturday the psychedelic four-piece returns to the cozier confines of the Pabst Theater, a venue that perhaps better fits the band’s hypnotic sound. The time between stops here may have been short, but the period between albums was not. The band took three years between debut record The Fool and 2014’s self-titled follow-up. It’s clear the time wasn’t spent lying around on the couch, as the dreamy sounds on Warpaint sound pristine and calculated. (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Grace Weber (album release) at Anodyne Walker’s Point, 8 p.m.
And: Shovels & Rope with John Fullbright at Turner Hall Ballroom, 6:30 p.m. ($20) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
And: The Hollowz at Cactus Club, 10 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Sunday, October 5: Erasure with All Hail The Silence at The Pabst Theater, 7 p.m. ($45.50-$75.50)
The legendary British synth-pop group Erasure evokes the production of another icon on their latest record. The disco styles of Giorgio Moroder—especially from his work with Donna Summer—bleeds into their 16th album, The Violent Flame. (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Mirah with Death Vessel at Turner Hall Ballroom, 7 p.m. ($12 advance, $14 door) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
And: Space Raft with Mark Waldoch at Hotel Foster, 9 p.m. ($5) – (2028 E. North Ave., TheHotelFoster.com)
