Monday, January 19: Jukebox the Ghost with Twin Forks and Secret Someones at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($10)
While Jukebox the Ghost says its moniker derives from a Captain Beefheart lyric and Vladimir Nabokov passage, the power pop band sounds nowhere near that source material. Cheery and hook-laden, the three-piece’s piano-driven material feels like it should dominate alternative radio (or even just NPR) and not the counterculture. You’ve probably heard their 2012 single, “Somebody,” but you’re not sure from where. (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Tuesday, January 20: Reel Big Fish with Less Than Jake and Authority Zero at The Rave, 7:30 p.m. ($21.50-$119)
No one ruined ‘90s ska punk music quite like pep bands. A once lively genre was turned into incessantly played timeout music. But if you’re not sick of every high school and college band running ska into the ground, you can catch two of the era’s biggest bands, Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake, at The Rave on Tuesday night. (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)
Wednesday, January 21: The Soil & The Sun with Animals in Human Attire and The Sharrows at Turner Hall Ballroom, 7:30 p.m. ($10)
The Soil & The Sun embarks on the type of hushed, serene folk music that feels as expansive as the plains of Illinois, from where the band originally hails. Now located in Grand Rapids, Mich., the eight-piece recently released its debut record, Meridian, in August. Local folkies Animals in Human Attire open the show, who released their own debut full-length in 2014, as well. (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Thursday, January 22: Soul Low with Whips, The Fatty Acids and Jamaican Queens at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m. ($6)
Back from a tour out west, indie-rock three-piece Soul Low returns home with a show at Linneman’s with fellow Milwaukeeans Whips and The Fatty Acids and the glitchy, electro pop of Detroit’s Jamaican Queens. It’s a solid bill and marks Soul Low’s first show since the release of its impressive four-song Kind Spirit EP. (1001 E. Locust St., Linnemans.com)
Also: Myles Coyne with Thriftones and The New Red Moons at Boone & Crockett, 9 p.m. (FREE) – (2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., BooneAndCrockettMKE.com)
And: Cowboy Mouth with Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts at Potawatomi’s Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m. ($15) – (1721 W. Canal St., PaysBig.com)
MUSIC NOTES SHOW OF THE WEEK
Friday, January 23: Riverwest FemFest with City Pines, Shelly Schauer, Poncho People, Flag Signals, Caley Conway And The Lucy Cukes, The Grasping At Straws, and New Boyz Club at Cocoon Room, 7 p.m. ($7)
The city has been very active in cultivating and supporting its female musicians lately and that inspiring trend continues this weekend with the two-night Riverwest Femfest at the clothing-store-by-day, DIY-rock-club-by-night Cocoon Room. Proceeds from the inaugural festival benefit the Milwaukee Women’s Center. (820 E. Locust St.)
Also: The Hollowz with The Electra Colorat Cactus Club, 10 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Saturday, January 24: Seether with Papa Roach, Kyng and Islander at The Rave, 6:30 p.m. ($30-$144)
There was a time in the early 2000s when nu-metal/post-grunge titans Papa Roach and Seether dominated alternative radio with crunchy guitars and cringe-inducing lyrics. Those songs haven’t aged well with time, but years of radio play earned the bands an enduring fan base. Papa Roach would actually attempt to branch out from its nu-metal leanings in favor of a more accessible sound on 2005’s “Scars,” which happened to be its biggest single to date, out performing breakthrough hit, “Last Resort,” but the new direction felt forced and thusly failed to catapult the group into pop’s upper echelon. Both bands continue to slowly march on—Seether released a new full-length, Isolate and Medicate, in July and Papa Roach releases its eighth studio album, F.E.A.R. later this month—but don’t see the same success as its post-Y2K heyday. (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)
Also: Riverwest FemFest with Toby Pansy, Fox Face, Appleseeds, Fuck Of Seagulls, and Sin Bad at Cocoon Room, 7 p.m. ($7) – (820 E. Locust St.)
And: Riverwest Femfest After Party featuring Temple and Venus in Furs at Riverwest Public House, 11 p.m. ($7)
And: Outmar Sagna and Sindoolaa at Club Garibaldi, 10 p.m. ($10) – (2501 S. Superior St., ClubGaribaldis.com)
