Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of June 21-28, 2018. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.
Make Music Madison, Thursday, June 21, all over Madison: You’d have to try hard to not encounter something surprising at this citywide celebration of music involving 300 performances at 100 locations. If you are so inclined, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. The first 100 people to get to the Madison Children’s Museum at noon get a free harmonica for a lesson and group performance. Jarius King is doing a breakdancing workshop at 1:30 pm at Alumni Park, and the park will have a public piano out from 11 am-4 pm. Multiple jams are taking place at city parks, and a giant celebration of brass and drums is planned at Breese Stevens Field starting at 5 pm, topped off with a full dress rehearsal with the award-winning Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. Grab the insert from last week’s Isthmus or find the schedule at makemusicmadison.org. Get out there!
Permasonic Records launch party, Thursday, June 21, Art In, 9 pm: Though he is still planning on moving to New York, emcee/producer/sound engineer Chris LaBella is far from ending his involvement in Madison’s local scene. His latest contribution is Permasonic Records, a collective consisting of LaBella and local artists, including Ra’Shaun, Red The Bully, D.E.M.I and Javar Notes. Accompanied by a local art display, each of the artists will be performing at this event as well as LaBella’s longtime producing partner, Norwei.
REO Speedwagon, Friday, June 22, Breese Stevens Field, 5:30 pm: The summer’s most improbable concert lineup helps tee up American Family Insurance Championship weekend (golfing is Friday-Sunday at University Ridge). REO Speedwagon currently features three members from the classic lineup that recorded “Keep on Loving You,” “Take It on the Run” and “Roll With the Changes.” The rock band, founded in Champaign, Illinois, will be joined by 2006’s Academy of Country Music Top Female Vocalist Sara Evans, and country rockers A Thousand Horses — both of whom released new records last year. In between sets, none other than retired 15-time NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal (who had a brief music career in the ’90s) will deejay. What more do you need?
Shake the Lake, Saturday, June 23, along John Nolen Drive (by Monona Terrace), 5-11 pm: The biggest shakes are, of course, the 10 pm fireworks, but there will be plenty of other vibrations provided by this year’s musical guests at the 2018 edition of Festival Foods Shake the Lake. The rock stage features a pair of bands that made their biggest splash in the ‘90s but have continued releasing vital new music ever since: Minnesota legends The Jayhawks (here just ahead of July’s new release Back Roads and Abandoned Motels) and The Verve Pipe. Country stage headliners LOCASH also have been working on a new album, so expect to hear some new music along with the booms. With Michael Ray, Devin Dawson, Smithfield, The Mascot Theory, Driveway Thriftdwellers.
Roscoe Mitchell + Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, Saturday, June 23, Trinity Lutheran church, 7:30 pm: This jazz explosion is sure to blow the roof off Trinity Lutheran. The show, programmed by the Arts + Literature Laboratory, features the return of the prodigal avant-garde saxophone visionary Roscoe Mitchell. Mitchell, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), will play with a trio, a quartet and as a soloist. But wait! This bill also includes Norway’s Large Unit, led by drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, and Anders Svanoe Trio.
Willy Porter + Trace Bundy, Saturday, June 23, Art in the Barn, Fitchburg, 7 pm: This benefit for Haiti Allies features Madison native Willy Porter, now living in Milwaukee, who has since toured the world and dedicated his life to the creation of fine guitar-driven roots rock. He’s joined by acoustic wizard Trace Bundy, a YouTube and international sensation dubbed the “acoustic ninja.” Beautiful strings, gorgeous scenery — and it all benefits the people of Haiti.
The Hussy, Saturday, June 23, Crystal Corner Bar, 10 pm: The Hussy, a trash-punk duo turned trio, celebrates a decade of local rock with a live EP release show that doubles as a showcase of other bands on the Big Neck label. The Hussy jam together super-catchy riffage with lo-fi droning and fast-paced percussion, while drummer Heather Sawyer and guitar player Bobby Hussy trade off on vocals. While they’ve subsumed tons of genres into their DIY approach, they always do it with the same scuzzy sensibility. Big Neck labelmates Sweet Knives, Gallery Night and Wood Chickens open; The Real Jaguar and DJ 45 Freakout spin between sets.
Langhorne Slim & the Lost at Last Band, Saturday, June 23, High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm: With a voice and cross-genre songwriting ambition akin to Paul Simon, Nashville’s Langhorne Slim arrives in Madison on the heels of his sixth album Lost at Last Vol 1. The single “Life is Confusing” deftly captures the new album’s theme of enjoying your life as it is, along with pleasant, trilling strings. Langhorne’s popular approach to Americana, with fiddles and harmonies galore, is supported by the Lost at Last band, featuring members of The Avett Brothers and The Law. With Sleepy Gaucho.
Something To Do, Saturday, June 23, Frequency, 10 pm: The Milwaukee-based (with some Madison roots) ska-punk aficionados Something to Do are releasing a new politically charged record that lambasts neo-Nazi Richard Spencer while also providing horn-section infused tunes to dance to. The single “I’ve Made a Huge Mistake” turns the criticism inward, as the band bops along with a catchy anthem about fighting your own inactivity. The band is also known for giving the ska treatment to such hits as Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” Local pop-punks Schmoolio and Not Dead Yet open.
Warrior Songs: Women at War, Sunday June 24, Bos Meadery, 6 pm: Jason Moon, head of the nonprofit Warrior Songs, is celebrating the pending November release of the group’s CD Women at War: Warrior Songs Vol. 2 with a spring and summer Midwestern tour. Moon, a former Madison resident who recently relocated to Chandler, Arizona, will appear with several of the disc’s singer/songwriters, including performances by Lisa Johnson, Beth Kille, Shawndell Marks and The Getaway Drivers. Performance proceeds support the CD’s release. Warrior Songs supports the emotional healing of both male and female military vets suffering from PTSD and other issues through music and the arts.
The Posies, Sunday, June 24, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Back in the early 1990s when grunge ruled, there was also a particular type of grungy pop. (Think the sweet side of Nirvana, without the heavy metal choruses.) Bellingham’s The Posies did it best. And just as grunge was an antidote to the bloat of heavy metal then, The Posies will blow in to the High Noon Saloon ready to blow away the enforced boredom of today’s manicured pop with their Big-Star-influenced harmonies and sweet — yeah, grungy — guitar work. With Heavy Looks.
Petal, Wednesday, June 27, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Petal, led by Kiley Lotz, blends influences new and old, refusing to stick to one genre on their just-released record, Magic Gone. Hear the difference between the LP’s leading tracks: “Better Than You” is up-tempo and alt-rocky, followed immediately by “Magic Gone,” which is slower and veering into Americana territory. What unifies the tracks in the stellar project are Lotz’s full and cascading vocals, providing a strong base for the songwriting and evoking a sense of longing.
Men I Trust, Thursday, June 28, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Hailing from Montreal, Men I Trust is a band that makes smooth indie pop. Sweet melodies, featuring the tender vocals of Emma Vernache, blend with slick drums for a sound that is entrancing with enough catchiness in the melodies and bounce in the rhythm section to make songs like “Tailwhip” quite danceable as well. With Pearl Sugar, Anna Wang.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
