Guide to Arte Para Todos, a Milwaukee music festival benefiting local schools

Nearly 100 musical acts are coming together to raise money for arts programs at Milwaukee schools.

The third annual Arte Para Todos — or "Art for Everyone" in English — takes place across 25 different venues April 27 to 30, featuring rappers, rockers, jazz musicians, singer-songwriters and everything in between. In its first two years, Arte raised about $40,000 to support arts programs at seven Milwaukee schools.

From the beneficiaries to the big acts, here's everything you need to know about this year's installment.

A good cause: All proceeds will be donated to the Roosevelt Creative Arts Middle School, the Digital Arts Workshop at Milwaukee High School of the Arts and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School for use toward their arts programs. In past years, money from Arte was used for a mural project and blacksmith lab installation at Tamarack Waldorf High School, while La Escuela Fratney used its donations to fund group art projects for students.

Check out the kids: It's only fitting that a festival that's supporting Milwaukee kids would invite young artists to participate. Among the teen acts playing Arte are MHSA senior Sam Guyton (6:30 p.m. Thursday, Var Gallery, 643 S. 2nd St.); PhatNerdz (6:15 p.m. Thursday, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee Studios, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave.), featuring students from youth-oriented hip-hop arts education nonprofit True Skool; and all-female alt-rock group Gas Station Sushi (8 p.m. Thursday, Anodyne Roasting Coffee Company, 224 W. Bruce St.).

Humboldt Park School students are also designing the stage Sunday at the Back Room at Colectivo Coffee, 2211 N. Prospect Ave., for the festival's final show with alternative soul singer Lex Allen and synthpop group Reyna.

Out-of-towners get involved: Considering the community focus, Arte understandably has featured an exclusively local lineup at past festivals. But this year, some touring artists are involved, too, including dreamy electronic pop act Suzie from Minneapolis (9 p.m. Thursday, Anodyne); Heartland rock act Crystal City from Iowa City (11 p.m. Thursday, the Local, 807 S. 5th St.); and hard-partying Denver rock group Dirty Few (Midnight Saturday, Mad Planet,, 533 E. Center St.).

Must-see shows: Arte continues the winning tradition of mixing up genres at individual shows. Tonic Tavern, 2335 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., has one of the most diverse, and exciting, bills, with psychedelic Middle Eastern rock act Painted Caves; brooding, experimental rapper Lorde Fredd33; and dreamy, chillwave artist Luxi.

Arte will again bring bands to neighborhoods that don't get a lot of local music action. Three venues in the Harambee neighborhood will host shows Saturday, including fest highlights like livewire funky jam band Foreign Goods (4:30 p.m., Best Friendz, 2722 N. King Drive) and Jaill frontman Vincent Kircher (2:30 p.m., Lux, 2712 N. King Drive), who will be playing songs from his new solo album. 

Milwaukee artists Kristina Rolander and WC Tank will present a special visual design for the Anodyne show Thursday, headlined by New Wave group NO/NO. Local underground dance music label Close Up of the Serene takes over High Dive, 701 E. Center St., Saturday to showcase its roster. Also Saturday, Midnight Reruns will play the official release show for its superb new power-pop album "Spectator Sports" (1 a.m., Mad Planet).

Special deals: Advance tickets and passes are being sold at Brenner Brewing, 706 S. 5th St., from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday; Enlightened Brewing, 2018 S. 1st St., 5 to 7 p.m. Friday; and Black Husky Brewing, 909 E. Locust St., 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday. The first 50 people at each brewery to buy tickets get a free beer (for those 21 and older only). Beans & Barley, 1901 E. North Ave., is donating 5% of its brunch sales from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday to Arte, and Black Husky will host a "Broken Up Band Bazaar" featuring music, memorabilia and more from defunct Milwaukee artists and labels. And teachers, students and staff with valid school IDs get $3 off each show and daily pass.

IF YOU GO

What: Arte Para Todos
When: April 27 to 30
How much?: $8 per show at each venue. $13 for single-day passes at venues and arteparatodos.me. Four-day passes for $20 (online only). For more information, including venue locations and the schedule, visit the Arte Para Todos website.

More on Music

Find out about the week's must-see shows, concert tickets and more in the newsletter "Piet Levy's Music Picks." Subscribe at jsonline.com/newsletters.

Piet talks about concerts, local music and more on "TAP'd In" with Jordan Lee, 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9).