The Sets List: Death Blues, Fleetwood Mac, Riff Raff and more

Jon Mueller’s Death Blues 

8 p.m. Jan. 31 at Alverno College’s Pitman Theatre, Milwaukee. $25. alvernopresents.alverno.edu.

Percussionist Jon Mueller (Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Volcano Choir) rallies the troops yet again for his latest installment of Death Blues, a musical project he formed with San Fran composer William Ryan Fritch in 2012. The post-rock act is tough to describe — their mission statement is to “address the inevitability of death as impetus to become more present in each moment,” after all — so if you’re on the fence, google Death Blues’ latest release Ensemble and meditate on it for a bit. Just don’t wait too long; rumor has it this might be Death Blues’ own inevitable last performance.

Fleetwood Mac 

8 p.m. Feb. 12 at BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee. $60 to $196.
bmoharrisbradleycenter.com.

The reason Fleetwood Mac is the towering classic rock juggernaut it is today is because the band can’t get along worth a damn. So it’s not an understatement to say this is very possibly the last time the whole band will tour together. But here they are, showing up at the Bradley Center: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and (for the first time since 1998) Christine McVie. At this point, the only thing keeping you from the show should be the high ticket prices — and honestly, for a band like this, they might be a bargain.

Riff Raff

8 p.m. Feb. 6 at The Rave, Milwaukee. $22. therave.com.

Guys, be cool. Riff Raff is not just that guy who thought he was going to make a splash doing a Britney/Justin all-denim tribute with Katy Perry at this year’s VMAs, but ended up getting edged out by her awesome, impromptu best-friendship with Sam Smith. He’s also one of the strangest rappers in the business, an uber-tattooed, zigzag-bearded Vanilla Ice-devotee with tracks like “Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz.” Even if you don’t walk away from the Eagles Ballroom a Riff Raff fan, it’s certainly going to be an experience of some kind.

Wild Child 

9 p.m. Feb. 3 at Mad Planet, Milwaukee. $12, $10 in advance. mad-planet.com.

9 p.m. Feb. 4 at The Frequency, Madison. $15, $13 in advance. madisonfrequency.com.

You can count on Austin to churn out indie rock stars with some regularity, and Wild Child could be the latest. The six-piece has been touring like mad since releasing their self-recorded debut Pillow Talk in 2011 and signing a deal for sophomore record The Runaround in 2013, and they’ll be passing through Wisconsin this February. So give these traveling gypsies a try — especially since they’ve picked two of the region’s dance-friendliest venues to stop in at.

Yonder Mountain String Band 

8 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Barrymore Theatre, Madison. $30. barrymorelive.com.

YMSB is one of the biggest names in bluegrass, largely because they are not afraid to be something other than a bluegrass band. Touring for almost 15 years, the band has cultivated a passionate fanbase as well as critical acclaim, all while experimenting with the addition of rock ’n’ roll and folk influences to their sound. Indie folk artists Horse Feathers open.

Carnaval 2015 

8 p.m. Feb. 7 at Majestic Theatre, Madison. $15. majesticmadison.com.

Carnaval comes early in Madison this year, with the Majestic’s celebration of the Brazilian pre-Lenten party. Percussionists from across the city — including the Handphibians and Ótimo Madison Brazilian Dance — will show off three different styles of Brazilian rhythm and dance. Not that you’ll know that in the moment, with all the Carnaval-ing, but it’s nice info to make your friends jealous the morning after.