At a time when most bands are recording digitally, Poi Dog Pondering is moving in the opposite direction. The gregarious ensemble began in the ’80s in Hawaii before moving to Chicago, where they grew an enormous local fan base. Through the years the eclectic band immersed itself in different genres, spanning world beat, folk, alternative rock and, increasingly, electronica, but eventually recreating these electronic sounds...

Thursday, Feb. 12, Buckwheat Zydeco @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. Perhaps the most popular modern accordionist outside of Weird Al Yankovic, Stanley Dural Jr., better known as Buckwheat Zydeco, returns to Milwaukee to give the city an early taste of Mardi Gras. The Louisianan Creole blues master first cut his...

One-time Columbia recording artists Poi Dog Pondering return with their first studio effort in five years, seemingly entering a third stage of the group's 20-plus years on the road of rock ’n’ roll: Formed as a world-infused, folk-rock outfit in Hawaii, their following days in Austin, Texas, and Chicago yielded dance . . .

The Chicago-by-way-of-Hawaii jam/folk/pop/world music ensemble Poi Dog Pondering has kept a low profile in recent years, but this month they returned with a new album, 7, which adds a healthy dash of soul to their already eclectic sound. They’ll cover plenty of material from that album when they play an 8 p.m. . .