This Month in Milwaukee

EIGHT THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER

BY ALLEN HALAS, DAVID LUHRSSEN AND TYLER NELSON

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Mr. Nice Guy Presents Cactus Club

Prior to the pandemic, the Mr. Nice Guy podcast had featured a variety of up-andcoming acts in a monthly showcase. Now relocated to Cactus Club, the series returns in September with a bill featuring avantgarde singer/songwriter Kyle Kenowski, indie rock band Weird Storm, soulful act Fressure Point and quirky rockers Anson Obvious and The Uncomfortable Moments. If you’re into discovering new music, this is a concert series to keep your eye on.

SEPTEMBER 6-12 Cultures & Communities Festival Oriental Theatre

The recently reopened (and renovated) theater will be the site of Milwaukee Film’s Cultures & Communities Festival, a week of screenings and events focused on the lives of marginalized communities. Included are some 20 films plus workshops, panel discussions and Q&As.

SEPTEMBER 10 Sad Summer Festival The Rave

When the Vans Warped Tour stopped its annual run in 2018, it left a hole in the schedule of pop punk and emo fans nationwide. In the wake of the travelling festival emerged Sad Summer Festival, bringing the all-day affair into a more condensed show at The Rave. The six-act bill starts at 4 p.m. and is headlined by pop punk powerhouses All Time Low. The Story So Far, Movements, The Maine, Greyscale and Destroy Boys also perform.

SEPTEMBER 11 Home: Cultural Plant Walk with Angela Kingswan Lynden Sculpture Garden

Native American herbalist and artistin-residence Angela Kingsawan leads a series of guided tours of the Lynden’s “narrative gardens,” which tell stories of specific cultures and moments in history. The fun and informative outing is a learning experience about the plants that hold significance as food, medicine and tradition within the exchange and migration of refugee, immigrant and indigenous communities. Free but register ahead at lyndensculpturegarden.org.

SEPTEMBER 25 23rd Louie’s Last Regatta on Milwaukee Bay

Back by popular demand, Louie’s Last Regatta is a memorable boat race and scavenger hunt that’s raised money for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for over 22 years. There is a skipper’s meeting and party from 5 to 8 p.m. the night before at the Milwaukee Ale House and the scavenger hunt runs all of September leading up to the race. Check out the event on Facebook or on Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s website. Since 1999, Milwaukee sailors have raised over $1.2 million for Children’s Hospital.

SEPTEMBER 25 SunSquabi The Miramar Theatre

The Miramar Theatre has long been a hub for underground music events, but the recently remodeled club will host a popular jam band hybrid when SunSquabi comes to Milwaukee. Bringing a funky mix of EDM, live instrumentation and modern psychedelia, the group has developed a sizeable internet following by putting on extravagant live shows, and Milwaukee is sure to be a trip in its own right.

SEPTEMBER 25 Man Random, The Raging Nathans, The Smart Shoppers, and Brat Sounds X-Ray Arcade

A four-pack of regional power pop will converge on Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade when Milwaukee’s Man Random and Brat Sounds are joined by Dayton, Ohio’s The Raging Nathans and Green Bay act The Smart Shoppers. The all-ages show will be an intersection of alternative music, nearly guaranteed to send fans moshing onto Packard Avenue.

SEPTEMBER 30 Jon M. Sweeney Boswell Book Company

They say that St. Francis of Assisi talked to the animals, and even if this isn’t literally true, the lesson of the story is clear: there is spiritual wisdom to be found in nature and the other creatures with whom we share our world. Milwaukee writer Jon M. Sweeney discusses the spiritual practices of St. Francis and their application to the 21st century in a live talk (welcome back authors!). Register in advance at boswellbooks.com.