About Milwaukee City Lights

Milwaukee's underground music guide.

Milwaukee Record, OnMilwaukee, Radio Milwaukee - they all do a great job covering everything happening in this city. We cover the stuff they don't have time for.

The Monday night metal show at Cactus Club. The Tuesday bill at Bremen Cafe that only got posted on a Facebook flyer. The album release party at Sugar Maple that 40 people will talk about for years.

Every Thursday, "This Week in Milwaukee" drops in your inbox with the week's best underground shows - curated from venue calendars, Facebook pages, and the flyers stapled to telephone poles in Riverwest.

The Venues We Cover

Cactus Club / Bremen Cafe / MKE Ultra / X-Ray Arcade / Sugar Maple / Linneman's / Anodyne Walker's Point / Mad Planet / Falcon Bowl / The Jazz Estate / Cooperage / Uptowner / Veggas Pub / Puddler's Hall / The Argo / Sabbatic / Last Rites / Shank Hall / Quarters Rock 'n Roll Palace

We also selectively cover shows at Vivarium, Pabst Theatre, and Turner Hall when the act fits the underground vibe.

Who's Behind This

Greg Smith - Milwaukee-based media producer, the guy who's been going to shows at small clubs long enough to know that the best nights in this city don't happen at Fiserv Forum.

Coming Soon: The MCL Podcast

Sit-down conversations with the club owners, bands, record shop owners, and small businesses that make Milwaukee's creative underground tick.

Advertise With Us

If you're a local record shop, tattoo parlor, screen printer, craft brewery, or vintage store and want to reach Milwaukee's most engaged underground music audience, let's talk: [email protected]