“It’s opening day to a long season,” Field Report frontman Chris Porterfield quipped during a Pabst Theater performance last year. The band’s sophomore record, Marigolden, had just been released a few weeks prior and they were kicking off a tour behind the album. Porterfield was referencing some minor technical issues onstage, but the crowd let the tension pass with ease. Really, only a catastrophic event could kill the joyous mood. Earlier in the day, Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed Oct. 22, 2014 officially as “Field Report Day” and the audience was ready to celebrate this rare occasion with the Milwaukee natives.
After a year spent touring, Porterfield returns to that same Pabst Theater stage on Thursday night. This time Field Report should be in a more comfortable mid-season form, with those kinks long worked out on the road. That’s great news for fans of Marigolden, a buoyant and vibrant album that goes well with the crisp fall air. It was one of the best albums of 2014, and continues to hold its sheen a year later. While there’s less excitement for the homecoming, it will perhaps end up being the better show. Local singer-songwriter Joseph Huber opens.
While Field Report says hello again, the sisterly duo of Victoriah and Hannah Gabriela Banuelos waves goodbye for the time being. On Saturday night at Turner Hall Ballroom, Vic and Gab plays the final show under its current moniker. But this performance really isn’t an ending for the sisters. Rather, it’s a new start, as the two have big plans for the future—a future that includes a new album, written during a recent trip to Los Angeles, and a name change.
Originally from El Paso, Texas, the two cut their teeth in the Milwaukee music scene over the last few years and were an inescapable presence at local shows. They were awarded some early success when their song “So Long So Tired” was slotted in an episode of the MTV show, Skins. Their debut full-length, 2013’s Love of Mine, showed the sisters’ immaculate knack for pop melodies and catchy guitar hooks. But while that effort made noise here—earning significant radio presence on 88.9 FM RadioMilwaukee and 91.7 FM WMSE—the response was underwhelming out of town. The two seemed destined for a larger stage, so a recharge certainly makes sense. Betty Blexrud-Strigens, who curated last year’s Patti Smith Uncovered event for Alverno Presents, and her group Testa Rosa opens the Halloween evening show.
Stream of the Week
The debut record from Ladders, 2014’s Suha, marked the first physical release from the Breadking Collective. It was a promising effort that straddled the line between ethereal crypticism and well-tread folk traditions, but sometimes faltered down familiar paths. The band’s follow-up, Saye Lonnie, which was released last week, finds much more confident footing than its predecessor, and at 13 tracks, covers far more ground.
Halloween Jam
While always looking to mix things up, jam bands really go all out for Halloween, taking this rare opportunity to give fans an even more unusual experience. Umphrey’s McGee celebrates the holiday in Milwaukee with a three-night run at the Riverside Theater (Tickets to Thursday and Friday shows are still available; Saturday night’s show is sold-out). When the band came through Milwaukee on Halloween last in 2013, their get-ups included mash-ups of celebrities, like Heisenbert Reynolds, Silent Bob Seger, Uncle Jesse Pinkman, Dr. Phil Spector, Batman & Robin Thicke and even a Wisconsin nod of Paul Ryan Braun. Expect similarly inspired costumes.
This Week in Live Music
Tuesday, October 27: Langhorne Slim & The Law with Fort Frances at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($14 advance; $16 door) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Matisyahu at The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. ($29.50) – (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Thursday, October 29: Field Report with Joseph Huber at The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. ($12 advance; $15 door) – (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Fruit Bats with Joan Shelley at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($15) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at Club Garibaldi, 9 p.m. (SOLD OUT) – (2501 S. Superior St., ClubGaribaldis.com)
Friday, October 30: Piles with Towers and Summertime Dudes at Club Garibaldi, 8:30 p.m. – (2501 S. Superior St., ClubGaribaldis.com)
Saturday, October 31: Doomtree with Lizzo and Rusty P’s & The LMNtlyst at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($20) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Sunday, November 1: Norah Jones with Adriel Denae at The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m. ($35-$65) – (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)
