Best of the Fest: Milwaukee Metal Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival, and Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
Metal Fans Unite! The Milwaukee Metal Fest is coming up on May 16 to May 18, with a pre-party kickoff on May 15. The event will take place at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Since its original announcement, the music festival has added S.O.D. Tribute (ft. Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Jamey Jasta), EYEHATEGOD, Pentagram, Toxic Holocaust, Bongzilla, Revocation, Ov Sulfur, Left To Die + The Lurking Corpses… now clocking in at over 60 bands on the lineup!
We’ve seen a few of these bands before, with GWAR as one of our most favorite, from Oct 2019: “You see, with each tour, there is a new storyline in the world of Gwar. Last year, the band killed Donald Trump, so this tour, the band is being impeached by the planet Earth. With a new storyline, that meant new songs (to fit with the them) and also delightful new dialogue from the band. Even if you don’t like metal music, you’ll still be very entertained by beheading (and the infamous blood squirts – so wear a raincoat to these shows!), puppets, and incredible costumes. Personally speaking, it’s the most entertaining show we’ve seen all year.”
The updated lineup is now as follows:
Friday, May 16
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Saturday, May 17
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Sunday, May 18
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The 45th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM), presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto, will be taking place in downtown Montreal, Canada, on June 26 to July 5, 2025. The festival will span over 350 concerts, with more than half are free of charge!
Ticket sales for paid concerts went on sale yesterday (April 17), with FIJM newsletter subscribers having early access the day before.
Maurin Auxéméry, Director of Programming, commented, “The FIJM team has once again brilliantly risen to the challenge of curating a lineup as bold as it is accessible. After 45 years, this event, a crossroads between the local and international scenes, still knows how to reinvent itself, keep up with the times and redefine what jazz is, here and now. It is a remedy to the challenges of our era, an opportunity to come together and celebrate the unifying power of music, beyond genres and borders.”
Lineup:
NAS, Ayra Starr, Thundercat, Ben Harper, Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Mon Laferte, Natalia Lafourcade, Violent Femmes, Allison Russell, Elisapie Esperanza Spalding, Mavis Staples, Men I Trust, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Avishai Cohen Trio With Symphony Orchestra, Chris Botti, Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Samara Joy, Bonobo, Lara Somogyi and Jean-Michel Blais, Clown Core, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Madlib, The Budos Band & Secret Chiefs 3, The Cat Empire, Kes, Isaiah Falls, Oscar Peterson 100: Canadiana Suite Featuring Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet, Arooj Aftab, Ash, Balthvs, Bilal, Bill Frisell Trio, Branford Marsalis, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Dhafer Youssef, Dianne Reeves, Django Festival Allstars, Dylan Sinclair, Endea Owens & The Cookout, Fantastic Negrito, Ghost-Note, Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge, Hanorah, Holly Cole, Jay-Jay Johanson, Kazy Lambist, Kid Koala, Los Bitchos, Madeleine Peyroux, Makaya Mccraven, Marcin, Mike Stern, Nai Palm, Nate Smith Feat. Lalah Hathaway, James Francies & Derrick Hodge, Nubya Garcia, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue, Rjd2, Sun Ra Arkestra, The Brooks, Tommy Emmanuel, Yasmin Williams, Série Invitation: Anomalie, Afrotonik Takeover, Ahi, Alan Braufman, Alexis Lombre, Allison Au With The Migrations Ensemble, Allysha Joy, Ambre Ciel, Mykalle, André Leroux, Andy Rubal & Son Del Sun, Angine De Poitrine, Annarella & Django, Anyma Ora, Ariane Racicot, Azymuth Balkan Paradise Orchestra, Benjamin Deschamps, Beth Mckenna, Bolduc Groove Quintet, Brandon Woody, Brekky Boy, Buddy Mcneil And The Magic Mirrors, Busty And The Bass, Caity Gyorgy, Camille Thurman And The Darrell Green Quartet, Carl Mayotte, Charlie Cunningham, Christine Jensen Quartet, Dawn Tyler Watson, Derrick Hodge, Dolphin Hyperspace, Elijah Fox, Empanadas Illegales, Fievel Is Glauque, Frank O’sullivan, Freedom Riders, Frente Cumbiero, Fulu Miziki Kolektiv, Gabi Hartmann, Gabriella Olivo, Gary Bartz, Geminicrab, Malika Tirolien & Caulder Nash, Hanging Hearts, Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few, Ivy Boxall, Jazzbois, Julien Fillion, Julius Rodriguez, Katie Tupper, Kelly Finnigan And The Atonements, Khun Narin, Kiefer, Kojo Melché, Roney Lecypherx, Léonie Gray, Linda May Han Oh, Lorraine Desmarais, Louis Matute Large Ensemble, Magi Merlin, Malia Laura, Marc Ribot, Matteo Mancuso, Meggie Lennon, Mike Shabb, Misc., Mohini Dey, Montreal Thanks Op, Moses Yoofee Trio, Maxx Bitota, New Jazz Underground, Nicola Sala Benevento Jazz Orchestra, No Cosmos, Nora Toutain, Nyota Parker, Pachyman, Papagroove, Paul Beaubrun, Paul Deslauriers & Annika Chambers, Peter Evans, Avec Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak Et Calvin Weston, Pypy, Rémi Cormier, Salami Rose, Joe Louis, Salin, Sax Machine, Snacktime, Sofie Royer, Sophye Soliveau, Stella Cole, Suuns, Taurey Butler, Thanya Iyer, The Compozers, The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio, The Sugar Darlings, Theon Cross, Tyreek Mcdole, Vibe Benders Takeover, Vijay Iyer & Wadada, Leo Smith
Kerrville Folk Festivalkerrvillefolkfestival.org
The Kerrville Folk Festival, taking place at Quiet Valley Ranch in Kerrville, Texas, from May 22 to June 5, have recently announced this year’s New Folk Finalists (see list below).
We’ve seen a few of these musicians before, including Betty Soo a few days ago, on April 15, 2025: “After taking the stage, Betty Soo asked what was on my mind as I walked to the Fine Line: “Everyone ok even though it’s freezing?”
Spring is taking its time, but that did not stop two singers/songwriters from Austin, TX from entertaining a pretty fervent fan base. Soo opened up the evening with a generous set wearing a navy blue Cub Scout uniform with its yellow bandanna around her neck. She started off with “Henry and Me”, a song about a family fishing trip where nothing was caught, and followed it with “Down to Goodbye”, a song that highlighted her voice with a nice touch on the acoustic guitar. Soo expressed a love of the Twin Cities, giving a shout-out to MPR and KFAI. She even talked about a stint at the Minnesota State fair where the state of Texas paid her to be an ambassador by playing on a fold-out stage on the back of a semi. A bonus for working all ten days: free cookies and bingo cards.”
Spring is taking its time, but that did not stop two singers/songwriters from Austin, TX from entertaining a pretty fervent fan base. Soo opened up the evening with a generous set wearing a navy blue Cub Scout uniform with its yellow bandanna around her neck. She started off with “Henry and Me”, a song about a family fishing trip where nothing was caught, and followed it with “Down to Goodbye”, a song that highlighted her voice with a nice touch on the acoustic guitar. Soo expressed a love of the Twin Cities, giving a shout-out to MPR and KFAI. She even talked about a stint at the Minnesota State fair where the state of Texas paid her to be an ambassador by playing on a fold-out stage on the back of a semi. A bonus for working all ten days: free cookies and bingo cards.”
Line up:
May 22 — May 25
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May 26 — May 29
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May 30 — June 1
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June 2 — June 5
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June 6 — June 8
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New Folk Finalists
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If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you.