5. Veteran musicians, new projects 10 things to check out at Arte Para Todos
Through Arte Para Todos, Milwaukee bands are coming full circle and paying it forward.
Many local musicians found their calling or honed their craft through arts classes and programs at area elementary and high schools.
Arte — a four-day festival returning April 26 to 29 — is their way to say thanks, with every cent earned benefiting arts education at Milwaukee schools.
Created by Josh Evert, the singer and keyboardist for local psychedelic rock group the Fatty Acids, Arte has raised more than $60,000 since the first fest in 2015. Last year, $21,400 was raised and used to support musicals at two schools, buy equipment for a digital arts workshop at Milwaukee High School of the Arts and more.
With 97 acts performing at 26 venues, in addition to other activities, there’s an overwhelming amount of stuff to check out. Here are 10 highlights, with much more information at
1. Milwaukee’s newest venue debuts
Boone & Crockett closed its Bay View location April 16 and moved to Walker’s Point, where it’s one of multiple businesses taking over 818 S. Water St. But one of the key features of the building is a 300-capacity space for weddings and live music called the Cooperage, a reference to the building’s past life as a barrel manufacturer. Boone will be open for business for Arte, and the Cooperage will host its first concert Thursday at 8:30 p.m., with jazz groups Match Stick and Strangelander; rapper YL64; and Latin jam band De La Buena.
2. See local music legends
Milwaukee jazz guitar great Manty Ellis will join the Eric Schoor Trio at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Transfer Pizza (101 W. Mitchell St.), while the hip-hop scene’s longest-running group, the Rusty Pelicans, closes out Company Brewing (735 E. Center St.) with a 1:30 a.m. show Saturday.
3. The kids are all right
Milwaukee kids are the primary benefactors of Arte’s endeavors, but festival organizers always make sure to open some stages to under-age artists. Allfemale teen garage rock group Gas Station Sushi kicks off the weekend with a free performance at 5:30 p.m. Thursday for this week’s episode of “414 Live” at the Radio Milwaukee studios, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. (You also can listen live on 88.9 FM.) And Negative/Positive, featuring former participants of Girls Rock Milwaukee, kicks off the Anodyne show (at 224 W. Bruce St.) at 8 p.m. Thursday.
4. The best Milwaukee music, back to back
Two acts who made the Journal Sentinel’s best Milwaukee albums of 2017 list are playing back-to-back. Fox Face, recently called one of the best bands to play South by Southwest by Rolling Stone, will perform at 12:30 a.m. Saturday at Timbuktu (520 E. Center St.); expect to hear blistering feminist punk songs from debut album “Spoil & Destroy.” Abby Jeanne, one of the Journal Sentinel’s Wisconsin Bands to Watch for 2018,
7. Beer on the house 9. Get jamming 10. Art abounds
will perform at Company Brewing at 1 a.m. Saturday.
Keyboardist Quinten Farr, who’ll be backing his wife B~Free at 10:30 p.m. Sunday at Good City Brewing (2108 N. Farwell Ave.), performs in his new groups For the Culture (1 a.m. Friday, Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave.) and No Seatbelts (11:30 p.m. Sunday, Good City Brewing). Graham Hunt of power pop rock band Midnight Reruns and ambient artist of Alisa Rodriguez of Apollo Vermouth combine their styles in Sundial Mottos (midnight Friday, Puddler’s Hall, 2461 S. Clair St.) And Dramatic Lovers features members from some of the more accomplished local rock bands in recent years: the Promise Ring, Decibully and Maritime (11:30 p.m. Thursday, Gibraltar, 538 W. National Ave.).
6. Welcome the out-of-towners
Arte has become the largest festival primarily featuring local music in Milwaukee, but a couple acts from beyond the city limits are on the bill, including New York guitarist Yazan (10 p.m. Friday, Puddler’s Hall) and piano-powered indie rock Battlerat from Minneapolis (8 p.m. Saturday, Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust St.).
The first 50 people to pick up or buy a festival wristband beginning at 5 p.m. Friday at Enlightened Brewing Company (2018 S. 1st St.) get a free beer. The same deal applies Saturday, starting at 4 p.m., at Black Husky Brewing (909 E. Locust St.).
8. Find some old band swag
Black Husky also will host a “Broken Up Band Bazaar” from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday featuring old CDs, records, shirts and other merch from departed Milwaukee groups, with proceeds supporting local school arts programs.
The Urban Ecology Center (1500 E. Park Place) will host a free, all-ages jam session from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Instruments provided, but feel free to bring your own.
Given its purpose and name (roughly translated from Latin as “Art for everyone”) Arte Para Todos has plenty of live art happening this weekend from dwellephant, Jenny Jo and others, Company Brewing hosts an Arte Para Todos 2018 poster showcase Saturday, and art and music supplies can be donated at Enlightened and Black Husky.