Feb. 7 - Feb. 13
This Week in Milwaukee
Thursday, Feb. 7
Daniel Johnston @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Equal
parts visionary and maniac, Daniel Johnston has seen his fame skyrocket
since the 2005 release of The Devil and Daniel Johnston, a documentary
detailing his struggles with mental illness.
2006 saw the
proper release of Welcome To My World, Johnston’s 37th self-recorded
album. Concertgoers who are unfamiliar with his work will likely hear
something they’ve heard covered in the past few years by notable
followers such as M. Ward, Sufjan Stevens and Beck. A 2004 tribute
double-album titled The Late Great Daniel Johnston showcased many of
these choice covers on one disc and featured Johnston himself hammering
away on the other.
Iris DeMent w/ Jason Wilber @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
After
a long career as a country chanteuse, Iris DeMent has found a rather
cozy niche in her collaborations with country-folk legend John Prine.
During this tour with members of Prine’s band, DeMent will play
material from her solo works as well as a number of tracks from the
sublime In Spite Of Ourselves, the 1999 duet covers record she cut with
Prine.

Marilyn Manson @ The Eagles Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Although
he has seen much of his relevance dwindle since his heyday in the
late-’90s, Marilyn Manson remains a visible figure, albeit more for his
romances with teenage actresses and the occasional burlesque performer
than his recent musical forays. Despite a clever lead single,
“Heart-Shaped Glasses,” and a sensational accompanying music video,
Manson’s 2007 release, Eat Me, Drink Me, met with mixed reviews and
general indifference. But this tour comes with a hook to lure back in
Manson’s longtime supporters: It reunites the shock-rocker with his
estranged guitarist, Twiggy Ramirez.

Friday, Feb. 8
Louis C.K. w/ Todd Barry @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
Although
some of his creations have found cult notoriety, Louis C.K.’s rsum is
filled with commercial flops like “The Dana Carvey Show,” Pootie Tang
and, most recently, “Lucky Louie,” the HBO sitcom that, despite its
conventionality, viewers could never figure out. The stand-up comedy
circuit has a way of rewarding those who stick with it long enough,
though, and these setbacks have only furthered C.K.’s profile. Opening
act Todd Barry is arguably funnier than the headliner, but hasn’t been
as ambitious.
He’s a dry but subversive stand-up who consistently steals the scene with any meager television role he’s offered.

Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
The
longevity of Pink Floyd laser shows like this one, which has been
touring for more than two decades, suggests that there’s still an
untapped market for other Pink Floyd spinoffs. With so much money to be
made, it’s only a matter of time until we see touring acts like “The
Wall on Ice” or a crowd-pleasing, romantic jukebox musical based
loosely around Dark Side of the Moon.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Six Organs of Admittance w/ Mick Turner @ Mad Planet, 9 p.m.
Early
in their career, Six Organs of Admittance’s psychedelic songs were
unstructured and largely instrumental. On recent releases, however,
bandleader Ben Chasny has honed his songwriting and played up his
vocals, adding a beating heart to his hypnotic, droning ragas. The
group’s latest, 2007’s Shelter From The Ash, darts between acoustic and
electronic textures as Chasny anchors another set of serene songs that
unfold slowly but pay off beautifully. Opening is Six Organs’ Drag City
Records peer Mick Turner, the guitarist whose solo career is
consistently overshadowed by his work with critical favorites Dirty
Three. Fans of Dirty Three know what to expect: wistful, earthy
instrumentals that reward patience.

Diplo @ The Moct, 8 p.m.
The
hipster remix master of choice these days, Philadelphia-based Diplo
favors the party-anthem over the increasingly ethereal approach
employed by so many DJs. After his 2004 solo debut Florida, he began to
focus on altering the works of others, like Bloc Party and Kanye West,
turning their already familiar hits into club staples. But history may
remember him best as the man who introduced the world to current
critical icon M.I.A., exposing the electro/dancehall singer on his
smash 2004 mixtape, Piracy Funds Terrorism, Vol. 1. (Also Feb. 8.)

Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour @ The U.S. Cellular Arena, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Disney
may have a lock on tween culture right now, but the corporate giants
know that even their biggest brand names have a limited shelf life, so
they’ve been quick to capitalize on the success of High School Musical.
In the brief two years since the popular made-for-TV production
premiered, Disney has churned out a sequel, a concert tour, a stage
musical and, most recently, an ice show that is blitzing the country
through multiple, quickly assembled touring troupes. This particular
production bombards the U.S. Cellular Arena with seven performances
from Feb. 7 through Feb. 10.
Sunday, Feb. 10
Tea Leaf Green w/ Moonalice @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
More
melodically inclined than their jam-rock counterparts, Tea Leaf Green
have steadily increased their fan base through incessant touring and a
few endorsements from heavy-hitters like Trey Anastasio. 2005’s Taught
To Be Proud is their most recent studio work, but their 2006 live album
Rock ’n’ Roll Band showcases the group in the ragged and
improvisational setting in which they’ve come to be adored.

Wednesday, Feb. 13
All That Remains w/ Chimaira @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Like
so many modern popular metal bands, Massachusetts’ All That Remains
fuse the heavy extremes of death metal with clean, melodic hooks. They
somewhat separate themselves from the masses with knowingly glum lyrics
worthy of Morrissey. Chimaira, meanwhile, is an Ohio metalcore outfit
that seems to get thrashier and more ferocious with each passing year.
Their sound is bleak but their future is bright: Their most recent
album, last year’s Resurrection, is their highest charting and most
critically acclaimed disc yet.



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