The free concert series is back for its 16th season with seven musical evenings that have a local, national and international flavor.
The performances takes place on Wednesday evenings (with the exception of the 4th of July) and begins June 15th. The concerts run through August 31st. Start times are 6:00 PM for opening acts with the headliners set to perform at 7:30.
“We try very hard to diversify the sounds we bring to the community,” says Brian Leahy, Co-Founder and President of Tosa Tonight. “The program is designed to be a diverse social gathering with great music.”
The music at the Rotary Pavilion begins June 15th with Masters of the Accordions. This act is made up of three international and nationally renowned artists that will be playing a variety of styles including classical and jazz.
Next up on June 22nd is local legend Greg Koch & Guests playing rock and blues with opening act Shonn Hinton & Shotgun. Shotgun’s style is rooted in rock with some soul and gospel influences.
The 4th of July will see 5 Card Studs taking the stage with their spin on popular music. The band has a large local following and is sure to get the crowd up and dancing. The opener that evening will be Radio Radio, who have defined themselves as a New Wave band that will take listeners back to ‘80s teen drama movies.
Next up is Milwaukee’s favorite musical son, Willy Porter, and his Band playing acoustic and electric guitars on July 13th. The opener that evening is also a local act playing rock n’ roll called Eagle Trace.
July 27th features Rockford, Illinois residents Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts playing a blend of folk, rock and Americana. They will follow opener Zach Pietrini Band, a 5-piece alt-country band playing songs from their own catalog.
The annual Irish Fest preview night takes place August 17 featuring Skerryvore with Jigjam as the opener. Skerryvore is an award winning Scottish Celtic Rock Group from Glasgow, Scotland.
The final part of the series takes place on August 31 as The Crane Wives take the stage. They are an Americana/Folk band from 
Grand Rapids , Michigan. Milwaukee’s own Trapper Schoepp is the opener on the final night, playing American rock music with his brother.
“Everybody involved in these events is aware there is a positive, upbeat vibe at these shows,” Leahy says. “We are looking to continually improve the experience for all of our attendees and fans. Every year I am blown away by how Tosa represents itself as a community and supports our events”
Tosa Tonight, Inc. is a non-profit organization of Wauwatosa residents and business owners who bring together these musicians for all of us to enjoy. The proceeds from the sale of food and beverages at the concerts go toward Hart Park improvements.
The Tosa Tonight Concert Series began in 1998 as the Wauwatosa Historical Society Concerts in the Park Series. In 2000 it became Tosa Tonight, and was staged at several parks around Wauwatosa until 2007. It found it’s permanent home in Hart Park in 2008 at the Rotary Pavilion.
Detailed information regarding the artists appearing at the Rotary Pavilion can be found at TosaTonight.com.
