Events (Vital's Picks)
A selection of the area's most interesting upcoming events.
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The MAD KINGS @ Milwaukee Gay Arts Center
Sat, Dec 27, 2008 – Sat, Dec 27, 2008
Madison's sexiest and most beloved Drag King Troupe returns to MGAC for an evening of hot songs and laughter. The MAD KINGS have been entertaining audiences throughout Wisconsin since 2005. They perform Rock to Country to Show Tunes and everything in between. Join us for their MGAC return~! Their fabulous stage presence and hot style will leave you panting for more. Make sure to bring your singles! 703 S 2nd St, Milwaukee. (414) 383-3727, milwaukeegayartscenter.org
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Milwaukee Air Guitar Showdown @ Stonefly Brewery
Sat, Dec 27, 2008 – Sat, Dec 27, 2008
Alright kids, it’s time to get ballsy and start practicing your best windmill strokes to get ready for the Milwaukee Air Guitar Showdown. Sure, it sounds like a lark, but Air Guitar has a worldwide cult following with tons of phantom rockers channeling their inner Slash or Pete Townsend to melt our faces off with their performances. Air Guitar enthusiasts view it as the ultimate in performance art, a chance to let go completely and see where the music takes you ... without actually knowing how to play the guitar. Entrants pay a small fee to rock out to a song of their choice in round one. In the second round, performers will play along with a pre-selected song to test how well they thrash on the fly. Whether you’re letting it all hang out on stage or just head banging in the audience, this is gonna be good. 414-264-3630 or stoneflybrewery.com
stoneflybrewery.com
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Lotusland 8 Year Anniversary Party @ Mad Planet
Sat, Dec 20, 2008 – Sat, Dec 20, 2008
Shuck, jive and groove your ass across the river for Lotusland's 8th anniversary party at Mad Planet, featuring DJ's Andy Noble and Kid Millions. It's gonna be hot! 533 E. Center Street, Milwaukee. mad-planet.net
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Iraq Moratorium @ Water and Wisconsin
Fri, Dec 19, 2008 – Fri, Dec 19, 2008
The Iraq Moratorium is a national grassroots movement uniting people and groups who act on the Third Friday of every month to end the war in Iraq. This month's demonstration is sponsored by Peace Action Wisconsin and Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace. Join them at the intersection of Water and Wisconsin Streets to show your support for the cause. 414-964-5158, iraqmoratorium.com
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Catesby, Audobon and the Discovery of a New World @ Milwaukee Art Museum
Thu, Dec 18, 2008 – Thu, Dec 18, 2008
In the mid-eighteenth century, English naturalist Mark Catesby traveled to the New World to study and subsequently document the flora and fauna of North America. During his travels, Catesby compiled over 200 etchings of birds, reptiles, fish and plants and published The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, the first known publication on the subject. Catesby’s work inspired many followers, most notably Haitian-born artist and entrepreneur John James Audubon, whose beautiful hand engravings of the birds of America are known worldwide and held in high esteem as a monument in American art. The Milwaukee Art Museum will house over 60 prints of the mammals, fish, plants and birds of North America for this very special exhibit, which runs through March 22, 2009. 414-224-3200
mam.org
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The Faint @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Sun, Dec 14, 2008 – Sun, Dec 14, 2008
The first time I listened to The Faint, I was driving from my hometown to Milwaukee with a friend and we popped in Blank-Wave Arcade for a little background music. Three tracks later and we were both bouncing around the car, throwing elbows and chair-dancing like crazy while trying to keep up with the lyrics for “Worked Up So Sexual” and, you know, NOT drive off the road. Nine years and three albums later, The Faint separated with guitarist Conor Oberst (can you imagine?), replaced him with death metal demi-god Dapose and came out of it with a decidedly different sound. The Faint have typically been characterized by heavy synth beats and punk-rock riffs, but recent albums seem to be highly influenced by techno and dance beats. Either way, I challenge you to take a listen try to keep yourself from dancing. These Omaha natives are bringing the heat to Milwaukee to promote their latest album Fasciinatiion, hopefully to give us the dance party that we need to break loose from these icy winter doldrums. 414-286-3663
pabsttheater.org
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Wisconsin Master Series: Richard Earl Thompson@ Charles Allis Art Museum
Sun, Dec 14, 2008 – Sun, Jan 25, 2009
The Charles Allis Art Museum is pleased to present the work of Richard Earl Thompson as a part of the Wisconsin Masters Series. Drawing from the personal collection of his sons Bruce and Dan Thompson, the exhibition runs December 14, 2008 – January 25, 2009. The exhibition consists of 40 of Thompson’s works as well as personal effects of the artist, including easel, paint brushes and photographs. From the waters of Lake Geneva to the changing seasons of rural Wisconsin farms, Richard Thompson’s work reflects an appreciation for the soft edges and fluctuations of the his surroundings. Referred to as an American Impressionist because of his loose, spontaneous style and his love of light, his work evokes the very spirit of the natural world. Artist's reception takes place on December 14 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. 1801 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee. cavtmuseums.org
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Aude Nyhlen photography & Rehorst tasting @ Alliance Francaise
Sat, Dec 13, 2008 – Sat, Dec 13, 2008
French artist and photographer Aude Nyhlen grew up in Labroye, a rural community in the north of France. Nyhlen spent most of her early years studying foreign languages and traveling before she discovered her passion for photography. Nyhlen’s images of France will be on display at the Alliance Francaise for a special open house this month. This event is free and open to the public to help AF kick off a new semester of classes. There will be free French lessons, door prizes and Rehorst Vodka and Gin tastings, courtesy of Great Lakes Distillery. 414-964-3855
afmilwaukee.org
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17th Annual Food Pantry & Series Benefit Concert @ Mequon Unitarian Church
Sat, Dec 13, 2008 – Sat, Dec 13, 2008
The Wisconsin Singer/Songwriter Series will present the 17th Annual Food Pantry & Series Benefit Concert featuring Mustard's Retreat on Saturday, December 13 at 7:30 pm. Special guests include Patty Stevenson & Craig Siemsen, Colin O'Brien and a few suprises. It will be the first concert at its new home at the Unitarian Church - North, located at 13800 North Port Washington Road in Mequon, just south of Pioneer Road. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., music begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $10 for young adults 13-17 and children under 12 are free. Discounts of $1 per donated food items ( up to a maximum of 3 ) will be given at the door. Coffee, soft drinks and snacks will be available. For more information call (262) 284-9777 or visit wsss.org.
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Student Film & Video Festival @ UWM Union Theatre
Mon, Dec 08, 2008 – Mon, Dec 08, 2008
The young artists and aspiring filmmakers in the UWM Film Department are pushing limits and, it seems, expanding their reach more and more each year. Whether it’s a collaboration with Woodland Pattern to bring us intriguing experimental films, sponsoring the annual LGBT Film Festival or working with the Community Media Project to feature avant-garde films from the African Diaspora and provide outreach to Milwaukee’s under-serviced communities, these students and instructors are finding ways to explore their creative impulses and share them with the community. The annual Student Film & Video Festival is a juried showcase of some of the best films produced by the talented juniors and seniors in the UWM Film Department. All screenings are free and open to the public.
arts.uwm.edu
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Alex Chilton @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Sun, Dec 07, 2008 – Sun, Dec 07, 2008
Alex Chilton is best known for his work with the 1970’s-era Big Star, the seminal American power-pop band. In Big Star’s day, singer-songwriters and disco reigned supreme, but Big Star split from the pack with lyrically layered, melodic pop songs and, unfortunately, sold few records. At 15, Chilton was a member of the “blue-eyed soul” (i.e., R&B music by white guys) group The Box Tops. As a guitarist and songwriter Chilton has established a strong indie following, and many of his compositions have been performed by artists like Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Wilco and Elliott Smith. We’ve been lucky to have so many legendary artists visit Milwaukee of late, and we can add this truly rare performance to that list. 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org
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Watercolor Wisconsin @ Racine Art Museum
Sun, Dec 07, 2008 – Sat, Apr 25, 2009
RAM's Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine, WI is pleased announce the 42nd Annual Wisconsin Watercolor 2008 exhibition. As one of the museum's most popular annual shows, this exhibition brings together the works of artists from throughout the state.Pieces created by these watercolor artists have been chosen from a selection of an unprecedented 317 pieces submitted for entry in the following juried show. For more information and a full listing of the selected to participate in this year's show, please visit ramart.org.
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Free Introductory Yoga Class @ Riverwest YogaShala
Sun, Dec 07, 2008 – Sun, Dec 07, 2008
The Riverwest Yogashala offers FREE introductory yoga classes on the first Sunday of every month. For more information, visit riverwestyogashala.com
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Suzanne Grzanna CD Release @ Hotel Metro
Sat, Dec 06, 2008 – Sat, Dec 06, 2008
Join Suzanne Grzanna at the Hotel Metro for the release of her new holiday CD "Christmas Night". 411 East Mason Street, Milwaukee. (414) 272-1937
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TOLD: A night of storytelling @ The Borg Ward
Sat, Dec 06, 2008 – Sat, Dec 06, 2008
Storytelling is an activity shared across the world as a means of entertainment, education and the preservation of culture, allowing the narrator to pass history along to future generations. In fact, the art of telling a good story is as old as time itself. This winter, Peter Woods and the rest of the gang at Experimental Milwaukee bring us an evening dedicated to this timeless tradition. Various artists, writers and thinkers come to the Borg Ward to tell us their stories about anything and everything under the sun, breathing some DIY life back into this fading art form. Settle in with a free (woo!) cup of coffee or hot chocolate and relax while these folks spin their best yarns. myspace.com/theborgward, experimentalmilwaukee.com