Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of July 27-August 3, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the Spotify playlist!
Kevin Bozeman, Thursday, July 27, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm: Madison favorite Kevin Bozeman brings his lighthearted yet razor-sharp worldview back to the Comedy Club. The standup comic played basketball at UW-Whitewater and learned the ropes performing in Madison. Now he’s a veteran of nearly three decades who teaches a class on the art of standup at DePaul University. With Felonious Munk, Anthony Siraguse. ALSO: Friday and Saturday, July 28-29, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Brother Ali, Friday, July 28, 100 block of King Street, 7 pm: One of the pillars of Minneapolis' vibrant hip-hop scene, Brother Ali was actually born right here in Madison. Now, the celebrated rapper — with six acclaimed albums to his credit on influential label Rhymesayers — is coming home to headline Live on King. He has support from Fringe Character, a Madison-based melting pot of genres rooted in hip-hop, and Lucien Parker, an up-and-coming emcee from South Minneapolis who was part of UW’s First Wave program.
Zebras + Absolutely Not, Friday, July 28, High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm: Madison’s Zebras are always high-energy and aggressive, but their musical styles have varied over the last decade. The group will revisit its spazzy synth-punk origins with some past members’ participation at this show, which might also be the band’s last. Chicago post-punk trio Absolutely Not hits town the day its new album, Errors, is released, so expect an extra dose of bratty fun from them. A stellar lineup is completed by scene stalwarts The Hussy and a special reunion show by Forsake Ya to the Snakes.
In this Moment, Friday, July 28, Orpheum Theater, 7 pm: In a genre usually dominated by male artists and masculinity, In this Moment offers a breath of fresh air. The hard rock/metalcore band, fronted by vocalist Maria Brink, is just as edgy and coarse as its counterparts — but with a woman as the driver of the songs rather than as the object of the songwriter’s affections. Their biggest song “Whore,” for example, deals with the male gaze in a way that is so out-of-the-box it may just be one-of-a-kind. Vimic and Motionless in White open.
Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Friday, July 28, The Frequency, 9 pm: For some listeners, goth music is too dense, both in terms of sound and thematics. Slim Cessna's Auto Club, however, has the perfect solution: infusing the genre with Americana, thus lightening the load a little. The end result is like drinking a strong cider at the spookiest Halloween party ever. The unlikely genre combination has served the group well during the last two decades. The Denver band is touring in support of a vinyl reissue of the 2008 album Cipher. With Help Desk, The American Dead.
WiFEE & the HUZz BAND, Friday, July 28, Wisconsin Brewing Company, Verona, 6 pm: This Wisconsin band makes music that is emotionally laden and drenched in influences from the past. Songwriting duo, co-lead vocalists and very-much-a-couple Ruby James and Stephen Cooper craft songs with their big band that blend vintage rock 'n' roll and Motown, evoking nostalgia and longing for a musical era many listeners didn't experience in person.
AtwoodFest, Saturday-Sunday, July 29-30, 2000 block of Atwood Avenue, noon: The annual street festival has been growing in size and reputation the past few years — and this year the neighborhood might just explode. The rock stage (near Monty's Blue Plate, across from the Barrymore) has been christened the Clyde Stubblefield Stage, named after the dearly departed Funky Drummer. It’s fitting because Saturday's dance-heavy lineup includes positive vibes from Natty Nation (4:00 pm), disco-funk from VO5 (5:45 pm) and a closing set from the Clyde Stubblefield All-Stars (8:15 pm). But pace yourself, because Sunday's lineup includes Civil Engineers (12:15 pm), Beth Kille Band (5:45, Heritage Stage), perennial faves People Brothers Band (2 pm) Steely Dane (3:45) and Chicago jam band Mr. Blotto (5:45 pm). See atwoodfest.com for the full schedule.
Disability Pride Festival, Saturday, July 29, Tenney Park, 12-5 pm: Madison's fifth annual event celebrating the talents and contributions of people with disabilities boasts an impressive music lineup. Violinist and folk singer Gaelynn Lea, winner of NPR's 2016 Tiny Desk Contest, plays soulful Irish fiddle tunes, layering multiple parts using a looping pedal. Born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a condition that affects the limbs, Lea holds her instrument like a cello, which has led her to develop a unique sound and style.
Tesla, Saturday, July 29, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: Tesla (the band, not the car or inventor) continues to thrive despite a few bumps along the way in their 30 years plus together. A hard rock band with funky tendencies, Tesla may bring the sound of yesteryear, but this doesn't mean their original charm hasn't endured. If anything, the Sacramento band has gotten better with age; their last album, 2014's Simplicity, is filled with shiny, powerful and to-the-point songs, track after track.
Joe Jenks + Kaia Fowler, Saturday, July 29, James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation (2146 E. Johnson St.), 7:30 pm: In the fine tradition of Phil Ochs and Woody Guthrie, Joe Jenks writes and performs folk music with a social conscience — served up with a rich tenor and sweet harmonies. The title of his latest album, Poets, Philosophers, Workers & Wanderers, pretty much sums up his target audience. Kaia Fowler is a Wisconsin-based troubadour whose latest album pays tribute to her husband, Scott Jaeger, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2013. Sales of her album, All the Way, benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: A Celebration of Women in Music, Saturday, July 29, Majestic Theater, 8 pm: There will be wigs. There will be makeup. There will be badass women paying tribute to other badass women. Come see some of Madison's finest local talents transform into some of music's biggest superstars, taking the audience on a journey through the decades in this revue-style performance benefiting Planned Parenthood. Madison's own eight-piece jazz-funk band The Big Payback will host and provide accompaniment, deftly tackling styles ranging from country to R&B to punk rock.
Bob Schneider, Sunday, July 30, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: There's a good chance Bob Schneider might be the funkiest white boy ever born in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He spent the '90s touring with his band The Ugly Americans alongside Dave Matthews and Big Head Todd. He has since gone on to a stellar solo career, releasing more than a dozen solo albums that blend elements of funk, rock, jazz, pop and country into an engaging sound that's all his own. With alt-country upstart Travis Linville.
Marcia Ball + Cindy Cashdollar, Wednesday, August 2, Central Park, 7:30 & 9 pm: Austin's firebrand pianist Marcia Ball and Cindy Cashdollar, a Grammy winning dobro player from Woodstock, New York, drop by Central Park Sessions for a night of rootsy Americana. Between the two of them, they've played with just about everyone, including Irma Thomas, Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams. They're playing two sets, so missing these two fabulous players is not an option.
Foxygen & Starpower, Thursday, Aug. 3, Central Park, 5 pm: Fans of '60s-style rock might've caught on to Los Angeles's Foxygen in the past, but this time the band is reloaded with lush orchestral arrangements by S-Town podcast composer Trey Pollard and Spacebomb Records founder Matthew E. White. Foxygen's live shows were already notoriously intense nostalgia spectacles, and now they're fueled by a more mature, consistent sound. This Central Park Sessions concert would be a great way to get acquainted with the park if you haven't been yet. Opening is zany Samantha Fish and 22-time MAMA winner Beth Kille.
Duckwrth, Thursday, August 3, Memorial Union Terrace, 9 pm: While many rappers choose to portray themselves as stoic, capital-S "serious" artists, Duckwrth is quite the opposite. With his loud fashion sense and vibrant, almost impish, fun-loving spirit, the emcee (born Jared Lee) takes his musical cues from the likes of The Roots and Outkast, creating a sonic palate that's funky, funny, and reflective, often in the same breath. His latest I'M UUGLY was released in September of last year. With Channel Tres.
Tony Hinchcliffe, Thursday, Aug. 3, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: One of the hottest pieces of comedy gold on the market right now, Tony Hinchcliffe boasts some of the best roasting skills out there. He was featured on the inaugural season of Comedy Central's Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle, when he roasted the legendary Snoop Dogg and lived to tell the tale. His dark and ruthless stand-up is only amplified by his aggressive, catty streak. Come get mean at the Majestic.
Eddie Ifft, Thursday, Aug. 3, Comedy Club on State, 6 pm: Any podcast fans out there? Well, strap in for Eddie Ifft's newest whirlwind, crowdfunded podcast: The Bingle Show. Eddie's bringing the Bingle Bus — a short bus converted into a mobile studio — to Madison as part of the “Bingle All The Way” tour. He'll be setting up shop and tearing targets down with no mercy on State Street for a once-in-a-lifetime recording session.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.