This Month in Milwaukee

13 THINGS TO DO IN JULY

BY STEVE COHEN, ALLEN HALAS, ELIZABETH LINTONN, DAVID LUHRSSEN, MICHAEL MUCKIAN, AND BLAINE SCHULTZ

JULY 1 Blue Öyster Cult Summerfest Uline Warehouse Stage

In 1976, Blue Öyster Cult reached the mainstream with their spine-tingling hit, “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” The band had been active since the ‘70s began, emerging out of biker bars with a post-psychedelic, post-Quicksilver, post-Steppenwolf sound. They collaborated with interesting lyricists, including their mythopoetic manager-producer Sandy Pearlman, literate rock critic Richard Meltzer, British fantasy author Michael Moorcock and poet-rock star Patti Smith. BOC spent the late ‘80s/early ‘90s on tour without releasing an album of new material. In 2020 they issued their fifteenth studio album, the critically acclaimed The Symbol Remains.

JULY 6-24 Write Me a Murder Peninsula Players, Fish Creek

In this Edgar Allan Poe award winner by British playwright Frederick Knott, a perfect crime is devised on a stately English estate. The author is a mystery writer who may not realize where the plot is headed. According to the New York Times, Write Me a Murder builds steadily, amusingly and suspensefully and reaches a swift and convincing climax.” Knott’s work was adapted for several classic films, including Dial M for Murder and Wait Until Dark. (David Luhrssen)

JULY 6 & 7 Misery Signals, Comeback Kid, End X-Ray Arcade

Metalcore band Misery Signals formed in the Milwaukee area nearly two decades ago, before breaking out to the national hardcore scene in the early years of the millennium. While the lineup had shifted in the years that followed, the original members reunited in 2014, and have been active ever since. The band haven’t played Milwaukee, however, since their first reunion run. That changes on July 6 and 7, when they’ll play a pair of dates at X-Ray Arcade. It isn’t the first time playing that venue, though. Misery Signals played the former Vnuk’s Lounge last in 2004.

JULY 7 Ali J, Mas Verde, Jacob

Slade, Ben Mulwana q

Cactus Club

Hosted by the Mr. Nice Guy podcast, four up and coming artists will play a showcase at Bay View’s Cactus Club. The night is headlined by singer/songwriter Ben Mulwana, the Ugandan-born artist who now resides in Milwaukee and delivers a top-notch combination of soul, blues and rock. The diverse lineup is part of a monthly event series that raises funds for a different local non-profit organization in addition to delivering great music.

BEN MULWANA

Marnie's Favorite, 2009. Acrylic on paper, 40 x 40 in.Lent by the family of Marion Coffey. Image courtesy of Museum of Wisconsin Art and the family of Marion Coffey.

THROUGH JULY 10

“Marion Coffey: The Art of Color” p

Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend

Milwaukee native Marion Coffey always planned to be an illustrator, artist and printmaker, and her sea of accomplishments is testament to her extensive talent, intellectual curiosity, and expressive nature. The one thing Coffey never accomplished during her lifetime was being honored with her own dedicated exhibition. The Museum of Wisconsin Art has rectified that shortfall. “The Art of Color” is a showcase of vibrant colors, natural scenery and visual chronicles of her travels to Europe and Africa. Coffey, who passed away in 2011 at age 87, once said, that she painted images “not exactly how they may look, but how I see them.”

JULY 13

Roman Street p

Animal Crackers Concert Series, Racine Zoo

Roman Street blends an improvisational fusion of classical, gypsy and contemporary jazz, Latin, and nuevo flamenco. The Wednesday concert series continues though August 24 with Marion Meadows, Steely Dane and Down to the Bone. With approximately 75 different species and over 300 individual animals from Wisconsin and around the world, the Racine Zoo’s lakeside setting is home to some of the world's most remarkable and endangered wildlife. The walk is easy for kids and seniors, making the Racine Zoo a great way to enjoy the outdoors with the family.

JULY 17

Armenian Fest u

7825 W. Layton Ave.

Armenia is among the world’s longest surviving civilizations and Armenians have a long history in the Milwaukee area. Since the 1930s, the local community gathered every summer for a picnic featuring traditional Mediterranean dishes made from old family recipes. That informal picnic has grown into Armenian Fest, a popular attraction for Milwaukee festivalgoers seeking good food at reasonable prices in a warm, welcoming setting. This year’s event features live music by Racine’s Mid-East Beat, an Armenian Bazaar, church tours and performances by Chicago’s Sardarabad Dancers.

JULY 23-24, JULY 30-31

Granville Blues Fest p With two CDs out on the well-known Delmark label, and a band that has been together since 2014, Mike Wheeler has taken his place in an ever-expanding performance circuit that includes much steady work in Chicago. He comes to Milwaukee with his band to play his brand of Chicago blues at the Granville Blues Festival. Likewise, Granville headliner Calvin Vino Louden is an excellent example of a Chicago based singer and guitarist who’s made his living and his name playing a distinctive brand of blues music. Many other blues and old-school R&B acts fill the roster of this four-day outdoor event on the city’s far North Side.

RACINE ZOO

Photo courtesy of Racine Zoo.

SONIA DOWNS BAND GRANVILLE BLUES FEST

Photo courtesy of the Granville Business Improvement District.

ARMENIAN FEST

JULY 23 Ayre in the Square Catalano Square

The third installment of the 2022 Ayre in the Square concert series takes place on July 23 in the Historic Third Ward at Catalano Square, providing a free community show for music lovers of all ages. Headlining the night is Cullah, a multi-genre sonic explorer that has released an album every year on his birthday for over half of his life. The night will also feature a new project from singer/songwriter Eoin McCarthy and Camden drummer Biju Zimmerman, as well as music from Madison’s Silk Stranger.

JULY 24 Bikini Kill The Riverside Theater

Originally scheduled for 2020, riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill will finally come to the Riverside Theater. The band reunited in 2019 after largely being inactive for the better part of 22 years. With the original lineup together once again, this will be one of the band’s first shows in the Midwest since headlining the closing night of Riot Fest 2019 in Chicago. Don’t miss your chance to see the band that influenced an entire generation of alternative rock when they get to town.

JULY 26 Patricia Skalka Boswell Books

In the height of the summer season, nothing compliments leisure time quite like a good book. At Boswell Book Company, Wisconsin author Patricia Skalka will host a book talk about her new Door County based murder mystery, Death Casts a Shadow. A mystery is the perfect complement to the muggy moments of July, and Skalka’s skillful writing coupled with the beautiful scenery of Milwaukee’s East Side leads to a perfect evening of literary fun.

THROUGH SEPT. 25

t “Beyond Borders: The Art of

Siona Benjamin” Jewish Museum Milwaukee

Colorful and drawing from pop art as well as East Indian traditions, the art of Siona Benjamin is as multifaceted as her life. The Indian-American-Jewish artist was raised in largely Hindu and Muslim Mumbai, where she attended Roman Catholic and Parsi schools before coming to the U.S. Through transcultural images she seeks to navigate “feelings of inclusion and exclusion and the notion of ‘home’” as well as fostering “dialogue about cultural and racial differences between religions and within Judaism.”

THROUGH OCT. 26 “Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret" Milwaukee Art Museum

As one of the pioneering poster artists of the late 19th century, Jules Chéret was quick to realize not only the aesthetic but the also the commercial potential of his medium caused by changes in technology and society. In 2020 James and Susee Wiechmann donated some 600 Chéret posters to the Milwaukee Art Museum, the largest collection of the artist’s work outside France. More than 100 are on display in the Art Museum’s new exhibit.

Eddna Samuel (Akshikar), Fulbright Series #5, 2012 -13 © Siona Benjamin, courtesy of Jewish Museum Milwaukee.