The Selfish Gene revives the B-side But wait, there's more Jessica Steinhoff on Thursday 08/26/2010 The members of local rock band the Selfish Gene are experts at changing course. Case in point: When they were just starting their engines in 2005, they chose the name Long Story Short, only to receive a cease-and-desist letter from another group with the same moniker. "They were already playing all the top bowling alleys in Baltimore, so we let them keep the name," jokes bassist and vocalist Eric Andraska. >MoreJoel Pingitore finds his musical playground northwest of I-43 Goodbye Kenosha, hello Madison Rich Albertoni on Thursday 08/19/2010 When Joel Pingitore discovered the guitar at age 9, he was desperate to have one of his own. Before his parents agreed to buy him a six-string, Joel took matters into his own hands. "I got some boards and bought some strings and tried to make one," says Pingitore. "It never really worked as an instrument. It was just a toy to play with." >More
Wanda Jackson gives credit to the King Elvis Presley's girl Rich Albertoni on Thursday 08/26/2010 Wanda Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. That might never have happened if she hadn't met Elvis Presley in 1955, when she was 17. Until then, Jackson was making waves in country music. Hank Thompson invited her to sing with his band, the Brazos Valley Boys. >More
Vinyl Cave: Here Come the Hardy Boys and Wheels by The Hardy Boys Bob Koch on Saturday 08/14/2010 8:00 am, (1) Comment, (1) Like During the last half of the 1960s, enterprising production companies attempted many hybrids between the world of fictional characters and rock music, in the wake of The Monkees television series and accompanying records, which followed the success of The Beatles films and the still-continuing cross-media success of the Chipmunks franchise. >MoreVinyl Cave: The Good Old-Fashioned Way by Hamper McBee Bob Koch on Saturday 08/07/2010 8:00 am, (1) Like Hamper McBee was a Tennessee mountain man, born in Emory Gap and living in Monteagle at the time these recordings were made. After serving a hitch in the Army in the '50s, he returned to a life in Tennessee working various jobs, the most picaresque being brewing moonshine and working in carnivals -- stories of which enliven The Good Old-Fashioned Way. >More
Madison Savoyards stages pleasing and zany H.M.S. Pinafore John W. Barker on Sunday 07/25/2010 9:11 am For its 2010 production, Madison Savoyards turned to one of the most popular of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, H.M.S. Pinafore. As presented its first weekend, July 24-26, at Music Hall on the UW campus, it proved a well-planned crowd-pleaser. >MoreSinging draws record crowd to Opera in the Park, and the weather holds Sandy Tabachnick on Sunday 07/18/2010 9:35 am, (2) Likes Opera in the Park 2010 could not have happened on a better evening. Although ominous clouds settled over Garner Park just before the show started, Mother Nature cooperated and held off the rain until after an estimated 14,000 opera fans and newcomers (the largest crowd ever) took up their picnic baskets and headed home. >More
Gogol Bordello: Trans-Continental Hustle (American) Jessica Steinhoff on Thursday 08/26/2010 Globetrotting gypsy-punks Gogol Bordello tend to exude eclecticism and eccentricity in equal measure, fusing fiery flamencos and raucous Romany folk music with punk-rock flair and a smattering of old-country instruments. >MoreFambly Fun: As It Always Was Rich Albertoni on Thursday 08/19/2010 Fambly Fun call themselves a hip-hop act, but electronic rock takes no back seat on this 10-song local release. Even the most overt rap track, "Crack Money," is awash in catchy synth lines reminiscent of the Limousines. >More
2010 Token Creek Chamber Music Festival commences with wonderful all-Beethoven program John W. Barker on Sunday 08/29/2010 9:24 am Under a bit of a cloud of uncertainty over its future, the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival opened its 2010 season on Aug. 28 with a wonderful all-Beethoven program, anchored by a favorite visitor, pianist Robert Levin. The concert took place at the Token Creek Festival Barn, in DeForest. >MoreVinyl Cave: Early tunes by Don Gibson Bob Koch on Saturday 08/28/2010 8:00 am, (1) Like Singer/songwriter Don Gibson made his first huge splash with "Oh Lonesome Me" in 1958, a crossover hit on both the country (No. 1 for eight weeks) and pop charts. Unbeknownst to country music fans outside his Tennessee stomping grounds, and probably some folks in his native North Carolina, he had actually been recording fairly prolifically since 1949. >MoreMadTracks: 'Reconnaissance' by Mirrors for Windows Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 08/27/2010 1:00 pm, (2) Likes Madison indie-rock trio Mirrors for Windows has been around for about a year, waiting for the perfect moment to pierce the public consciousness. It looks like the band is ready, armed with a sharp new track named "Reconnaissance" and a debut EP named Avoidance Conditioning. >MoreVinyl Cave: Milwaukee conquers the world with Kings Go Forth, The Goodnight Loving, and Jaill Bob Koch on Sunday 08/22/2010 8:00 am Over the last several months, a trio of Milwaukee bands have made the leap from the underground with albums on well-known indie labels Dirtnap, Sub Pop, and Luaka Bop, these releases now available and (hopefully) being purchased in record stores around the country. The previous albums by two of the bands -- a self-titled album by The Goodnight Loving and There's No Sky (Oh My My) by Jaill -- were easily the two discs I listened to the most over the past year or so; Kings Go Forth will certainly join that duo's new platters for my most-spun discs in 2010. >MoreMadTracks: 'Tennessee Whiskey' by The Eugene Smiles Project Bob Koch on Friday 08/20/2010 1:00 pm The most Southern rock-sounding band in the Madison area may be The Eugene Smiles Project, who likewise released a new album in May. The title my american radio is apt, as the release showcases a winning combination of rock, blues and a bit of country. >MoreMadison is invested in the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and vice-versa A response to Wall Street Journal arts critic Terry Teachout John DeMain on Thursday 08/19/2010 3:00 pm, (3) Likes You don't just have an orchestra for civic pride. You have it because of what it brings to the community, and I'm not talking about going to concerts now. I really believe it's not just concert attendance that creates the case for regional orchestras. The Madison Symphony Orchestra thrives because the community has a great investment in it. >More
Bingo for barflies at the Frequency Jessica Steinhoff on Thursday 07/29/2010 Sunday nights are notoriously slow for many Madison bars, especially during the summer. So Darwin Sampson, owner of the Frequency, 121 W. Main St., has been using a senior center staple -- bingo -- to get folks off their porches and to his downtown club. He calls it Band Bingo. >MoreSteve Martin proves a banjo powerhouse at Overture Hall Andy Moore on Wednesday 07/28/2010 9:39 am, (9) Likes Actor/comedian/writer/wise guy Steve Martin unpacked his Grammy award-winning package of original banjo songs called The Crow Tuesday night to a nearly-sold-out Overture Hall. What The Crow delivers is proof that Martin is a certifiable banjo picking machine. >More
Mark Healey: Madison native, Badfinger bassist After years on the road, musician releases a solo album Jessica Steinhoff on Thursday 07/01/2010, (2) Likes You may not know Mark Healey by name, but chances are you've heard his band's music. As Badfinger's bassist, he sets the mood in the live versions of "Day After Day" and "No Matter What." The Madison native can hardly recall when he didn't know every word and note of these tunes. >MoreZola Jesus has the buzz Local goth star is Wisconsin's next big thing Rich Albertoni on Thursday 06/24/2010 Before last week, I'd never sent an email to a national publicist to line up an interview with a Madison musician. But that's what I had to do to ask a few questions of Nika Danilova, who performs as Zola Jesus. The 20-year-old goth singer-songwriter has become a phenomenon in the national alternative music press. Danilova is so frequently on tour out of state or overseas, I wasn't even sure if she still considered Madison home. >More
MadTracks: 'The Way It Goes' by Chaos Revolution Theory Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 08/13/2010 10:00 am, (2) Likes "Not to be a bummer, but we are all gonna die," says Nick Stanecki, guitar player and vox man for Madison rock trio Chaos Revolution Theory. It's a true statement, but one many people would rather avoid dwelling upon. After all, thinking about death leads to big questions, and that can be stressful -- even overwhelming -- for some. >MoreMadTracks: 'Follow Me Gone' by The Selfish Gene Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 08/06/2010 11:00 am, (6) Likes Sometimes breaking up is a good thing. For local rock band The Selfish Gene, a breakup in 2008 led to a smaller group with a revised sound and a renewed sense of purpose. With the help of some dedicated fans, the trio won the Isthmus Band to Band Combat competition in 2009, less than a year after re-forming. >More
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