10 things to see at Arte Para Todos, a Milwaukee music festival benefitting local schools

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Fox Face is one of 97 acts performing at 26 venues April 26 to 29 for Arte Para Todos. All proceeds from the fourth annual festival will benefit art programs in Milwaukee schools.

Through Arte Para Todos, Milwaukee bands are coming full circle and paying it forward.

Many local musicians found their calling or honed their craft through arts classes and programs at area elementary and high schools.

Arte — a four-day festival returning April 26 to 29 — is their way to say thanks, with every cent earned benefiting arts education at Milwaukee schools.

Created by Josh Evert, the singer and keyboardist for local psychedelic rock group the Fatty Acids, Arte has raised more than $60,000 since the first fest in 2015. Last year, $21,400 was raised and used to support musicals at two schools, buy equipment for a digital arts workshop at Milwaukee High School of the Arts and more.

With 97 acts performing at 26 venues, in addition to other activities, there's an overwhelming amount of stuff to check out. Here are 10 highlights, with much more information at arteparatodos.me.

1. Milwaukee's newest venue debuts

Boone & Crockett closed its Bay View location April 16 and moved to Walker's Point, where it's one of multiple businesses taking over 818 S. Water St. (along with food truck Taco Moto, Milwaukee Pedal Tavern, Milwaukee Paddle Tavern and Brew City Kayak). But one of the key features of the building is a 300-capacity space for weddings and live music called the Cooperage, a reference to the building's past life as a barrel manufacturer. Boone will be open for business for Arte, and the Cooperage will host its first concert Thursday at 8:30 p.m., with jazz groups Match Stick and Strangelander; rapper YL64; and Latin jam band De La Buena.

The Cooperage, the building housing Boone & Crockett on S. Water St. in the Harbor District, has a venue for weddings and other events. Weddings already are being booked into 2019.

2. See local music legends

Milwaukee jazz guitar great Manty Ellis will join the Eric Schoor Trio at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Transfer Pizza (101 W. Mitchell St.), while the hip-hop scene's longest-running group, the Rusty Pelicans, closes out Company Brewing (735 E. Center St.) with a 1:30 a.m. show Saturday.

3. The kids are all right

Milwaukee kids are the primary benefactors of Arte's endeavors, but festival organizers always make sure to open some stages to under-age artists. All-female teen garage rock group Slimabean kicks off the weekend with a live radio broadcast performance at 6:30 p.m. Thursday on WMSE-FM (91.7). And Negative/Positive, featuring former participants of Girls Rock Milwaukee, kicks off the Anodyne show (at 224 W. Bruce St.) at 8 p.m. Thursday.

4. The best Milwaukee music, back to back

Two acts who made the Journal Sentinel's best Milwaukee albums of 2017 list are playing back-to-back. Fox Face, recently called one of the best bands to play South by Southwest by Rolling Stone, will perform at 12:30 a.m. Saturday at Timbuktu (520 E. Center St.); expect to hear blistering feminist punk songs from debut album "Spoil & Destroy." Abby Jeanne, one of the Journal Sentinel's Wisconsin Bands to Watch for 2018, will perform at Mad Planet at 1 a.m. Saturday.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had the wrong venue for Abby Jeanne's performance Saturday.

5. Veteran musicians, new projects

Arte's traditionally been a great place to see fresh projects from proven talent and that's especially the case this year. Keyboardist Quinten Farr, who'll be backing his wife B~Free at 10:30 p.m. Sunday at Good City Brewing (2108 N. Farwell Ave.), performs in his new groups For the Culture (1 a.m. Friday, Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave.) and No Seatbelts (11:30 p.m. Sunday, Good City Brewing). Graham Hunt of power pop rock band Midnight Reruns and ambient artist of Alisa Rodriguez of Apollo Vermouth combine their styles in Sundial Mottos (midnight Friday, Puddler's Hall, 2461 S. Clair St.) And Dramatic Lovers features members from some of the more accomplished local rock bands in recent years: the Promise Ring, Decibully and Maritime (11:30 p.m. Thursday, Gibraltar, 538 W. National Ave.).

6. Welcome the out-of-towners

Arte has become the largest festival primarily featuring local music in Milwaukee, but a couple acts from beyond the city limits are on the bill, including New York guitarist Yazan (10 p.m. Friday, Puddler's Hall) and piano-powered indie rock Battlerat from Minneapolis (8 p.m. Saturday, Linneman's Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust St.).

7. Beer on the house

The first 50 people to pick up or buy a festival wristband beginning at 5 p.m. Friday at Enlightened Brewing Company (2018 S. 1st St.) get a free beer. The same deal applies Saturday, starting at 4 p.m., at Black Husky Brewing (909 E. Locust St.).

8. Find some old band swag

Black Husky also will host a "Broken Up Band Bazaar" from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday featuring old CDs, records, shirts and other merch from departed Milwaukee groups, with proceeds supporting local school arts programs.

Black Husky Brewing will give free beer to the first 50 people who pick up their Arte Para Todos wristbands Saturday, starting at 4 p.m. It will also host a "Broken Up Band Bazaar" from 4 to 7 p.m.

9. Get jamming

The Urban Ecology Center (1500 E. Park Place) will host a free, all-ages jam session from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Instruments provided, but feel free to bring your own.

The Urban Ecology Center hosts a free open jam as part of Arte Para Todos, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

10. Art abounds

Given its purpose and name (roughly translated from Latin as "Art for everyone") Arte Para Todos has plenty of live art happening this weekend from dwellephant, Jenny Jo and others, Company Brewing hosts an Arte Para Todos 2018 poster showcase Saturday, and art and music supplies can be donated at Enlightened and Black Husky.

Editor's Note: Due to a scheduling conflict a Radio Milwaukee performance Thursday previously mentioned in this article was canceled. In its place, WMSE-FM (91.7) will have a live radio broadcast performance of teen rock group Slimabean. The story has been updated with the new information.

IF YOU GO

What: Arte Para Todos

When: April 26-29

Where: Multiple locations. Full schedule, venue locations and more at arteparatodos.me.

How much?: $8 per show at the door. $13 for day pass, $20 for four-day pass, at any venue and the Arte 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).