From perennial standbys like cream puffs and cheese curds to new items like the deep-fried old fashioned and the root beer float cake, empty calories pervade the Wisconsin State Fair, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis, starting on Thursday, August 4. In contrast to those fatty foods, you can find a balanced musical meal at the State Fair Main Stage this week. Here’s what you can expect:
Thursday, August 4: Teen Pop
Opening night features teen pop superstar Shawn Mendes, who became a viral sensation by posting six-second cover songs on Vine. The 17-year old’s record Handwritten debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, thanks in large part to his dedicated social media following. Sophomore album Illuminate, due out September 23, will prove whether the singer has any staying power or whether his six seconds of fame are up. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and James TW opens.
Friday, August 5: Alt-Metal
No band has stuck it out quite like Halestorm. The hard rockers started all the way back in 1997 when siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale were only young teens. Their dad even played bass until 2004. The family band didn’t break out until 2009 with the release of a self-titled major label debut. Now three albums in and Halestorm is leading a new generation of alt-metal. The show starts at 8 p.m. with an opening set from We Are Harlot.
Saturday, August 6: Pop Country
Turn on a country radio station in America and soon enough you’ll be listening to a Rascal Flatts song. The Columbus natives have been a mainstay in pop country since “Pray for Daylight” on 2000’s self-titled debut. Over the years the band has also scored hits with “What Hurts the Most,” “What Hurts the Most” and a cover of Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is a Highway” for the Cars soundtrack. Opener Kelsea Ballerini kicks things off at 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 7: ‘60s Psychedelic Pop
There are few songs that instantly conjure the flower power era to people who never lived through it quite like The Turtles’ “Happy Together.” That gleaming track seemed to soundtrack every ‘60s montage over the past couple decades. The Happy Together Tour aims straight at hippie nostalgia with performances by The Turtles and also Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Mark Lindsay (former lead singer Paul Revere & The Raiders), Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Cowsills and The Spencer Davis Group. It all starts at 7 p.m.
Stream of the Week
“Too much of life is mood,” repeats Scallops Hotel (a side-project of poet/rapper milo) on the introduction to his new album under the moniker. The record is an entrancing, all-encompassing work. It’s a throwback vinyl record in the digital age. The 40 minutes aren’t broken into separate tracks; instead listeners must swim through the murky waters that Scallops Hotel inhabits in order to reach the end.
This Week in Live Music
Monday, August 1: Shellshag with SIN BAD, Dream Vacation, Future Plans and DJ Andy Junk at Cactus Club, 8 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Tuesday, August 2: Wye Oak with Tuskha at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($15) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Siamese, Nightgown and Marielle Allschwang at Company Brewing, 9:30 p.m. ($5) – (735 E. Center St., CompanyBrewing.com)
And: Planning For Burial with Apollo Vermouth and Disassociations at Quarters Rock ‘n Roll Palace, 9 p.m. ($5)
Wednesday, August 3: Mark Sultan with The Pukes, High School Pizza at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($10) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Thursday, August 4: Hidden Ritual with Aluminum Knot Eye, Diagonal and Dancing Silks at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($5) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Also: Those Darn Accordions with Zydeco Voodoo at Shank Hall, 8 p.m. ($15) – (1434 N. Farwell Ave., ShankHall.com)
Friday, August 5: White Lung with Greys at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($10) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Grace Potter with Brynn Elliott at The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. ($35.50) – (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Saturday, August 6: Deerhoof with Blank Spell and The Blisters at Mad Planet, 9 p.m. ($13 advance; $15 door) – (533 E. Center St, Mad-Planet.net)
Also: Center Street Daze featuring Foreign Goods, WORK, Extra Crispy Brass Band, Tigernite, Slow Walker and more, 12 p.m. (FREE) – (Center Street between Holton and Humboldt avenues, CenterStreetDazeFestival.com)
And: Jackal with Tombz, WolfBiteR, AciEL at The Miramar Theatre at 9 p.m. ($20-$25) – (2844 N. Oakland Ave., TheMiramarTheatre.com)
And: Mocha T with Kyndal J, Stancil Boy, Auti Marie, Tay2Cold, Cochise, Cree Myles, Lotus Valentine, Sabo, DJ Markus X at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($7) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Sunday, August 7: Jay Farrar (Trio) at The Pabst Theater, 7:30 p.m. ($25) – (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Tommy Stinson at Walker’s Point Anodyne Coffee, 7 p.m. ($10) – (224 W. Bruce St., AnodyneCoffee.com)
And: Tapebenders with North by North, Faux Fiction and Midwest Death Rattle at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: Sean Hayes with Derik Hultquist at The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee, 8 p.m. ($20) – (2211 N. Prospect Ave., PabstTheater.org)
