Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of March 29-April 5, 2018. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.
Chris Duarte Group, Thursday, March 29, North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: Chris Duarte hit the blues scene like a rocket in 1994 with his first national album release, but he had already been playing for years — and listening to the sounds of fellow Texas guitar legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter, as well as free jazz sax behemoth John Coltrane. Their echoes resound in Duarte’s playing, but his style is all his own — and equally as distinctive.
The Tillers + Pert Near Sandstone, Thursday, March 29, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Call them recovering punk rockers. Call them modern folk storytellers. But don’t miss the Madison stop of this Cincinnati-based four piece. The Tillers make a stop in Madison following the release of their self-titled studio album and fourth LP, and it spans genres, including traditional folk, bluegrass, jazz and punk. Five-piece folk band Pert Near Sandstone joins before heading on its European spring tour. With Al Scorch.
A Concert for Richard,
Friday, March 30, UW Memorial Union-Great Hall, 7 pm: As most bass players will tell you, their instrument rarely gets a chance to bask in the spotlight. But for the last 25 years, young bassists from around the country have flocked to Madison on Easter weekend to participate in the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists annual conference. Envisioned as an opportunity to expose young musicians to the bass as a solo instrument, this concert featuring conference faculty will include unaccompanied works for solo bass as well as bass ensembles. Performers include Christian McBride, John Clayton, Peter Dominguez, Andy Raciti, Sandor Ostlund, Ben Ferris, Dan Chmielinski, David Murray, Donovan Stokes, Virginia Dixon, Diana Gannett and John Kennedy.
Dessa, Friday, March 30, Majestic, 8 pm: Dessa is a multi-talented musician and writer known for a rapping flow and wit reminiscent of Eminem, which she puts to good use in her solo projects and in the hip-hop collective Doomtree. She’s also appeared on the Hamilton mixtape, composed for vocal choirs, and performed with the Minnesota Orchestra. Dessa brings all these talents together to form her genre-bending sound. With support from MONAKR, which features Grammy-nominated singer Matthew Santos.
Distant Cuzins album release, Friday, March 30, High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm: Distant Cuzins celebrates the release of its second CD, Need a Light? The young band from Oregon, Wisconsin, which has already opened for artists as diverse as Kansas and Smash Mouth, recorded its eight-song album of catchy punk and rockabilly at Madison’s Blast House Studios. Joining them in a triple bill highlighting some of Madison’s finest artists are folk-pop-jazz upstarts Late Harvest and blues-rock veterans Honor Among Thieves.
Delinquents CD release, Friday, March 30, The Frequency, 8:30 pm: Get ready to open up the circle pit. Delinquents are a Madison hardcore band celebrating the release of a new full-length album, Quest for Truth, and they’ve lined up a killer show. Support comes from local headbangers Wits End and Mended, in addition to Janesville’s Bookburner.
Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers CD release, Friday, March 30, Wil-Mar Center, 7:30 pm: The Soldiers Grove-based hillbilly duo cruises into this small room with big momentum. Nikki Grossman and Joe Hart are fresh back from Austin’s South by Southwest conference (one of only eight Wisconsin bands selected for a showcase set), packing a brand new album. With a sound like Rawlings and Welch with an old-timey heart, Don’t Think About Tomorrow Night is the country music product of a couple that lives it: Grossman and Hart keep house in a little trailer in the hills of the Driftless region.
Ought, Saturday, March 31, High Noon Saloon, 9 pm: Recently signed to the legendary Merge label, Montreal-based Ought’s DIY post-punk sound has matured on their latest record Room Inside the World. Alongside their droning guitars and rock-steady rhythm section, there’s now a huge vocal choir, synthesizers, and a fresh emotional depth in the lyrics, as in the single “These 3 Things.” Lead singer Tim Darcy’s David-Byrne-esque vocals are still the centerpiece. DIY punks Flasher open.
The Low Anthem, Sunday, April 1, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Providence, Rhode Island, indie-folk ensemble The Low Anthem is known for using obscure instruments and experimental arrangements in Americana-influenced songs. On its latest album, The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea, the band mixes eerie electronic synths and modest percussion with their traditional acoustic instruments to tell the story of a car crash that almost ended their careers. The similarly intimate singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx opens.
April Verch Band, Tue., Apr. 3, North Street Cabaret, 7 pm: A rare triple-threat fiddler, stepdancer and vocalist, April Verch is a traditionalist unafraid to put her own spin on old-time sounds. Touring with her 2017 compilation The April Verch Anthology, Verch’s performances pack a powerful blend of regional Canadian music with American bluegrass and country. With Stanton is Real.
Les Misérables, Tuesday, April 3, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: The larger-than-life musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th-century novel lands in Madison. The story has been reproduced often in musical (and movie) form. But this iteration promises to bring added depth and detail to what is already a dazzling blend of history and narrative. This touring Broadway production created by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg uses details from Hugo’s own paintings to create the musical’s scenery. Still, what makes Les Miz one of the most popular musicals of all time is its timeless tale of love and grief in the time of the French Revolution, illustrated by classic songs, including “I Dreamed A Dream” and “One Day More.”
The English Beat, Wed., Apr. 4, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Dave Wakeling, the founding guitar-player and vocalist of the original English ska-band The Beat, has revitalized the British two-tone band for U.S. audiences, announcing a new crowd-sourced album Here We Go Love, due in 2018. Wakeling mixes in songs from his other ska band General Public, alongside classic hit singles like “Mirror in the Bathroom,” featuring his dub-inspired vocals and rhythmic, choppy guitar style. With DJ Renton.
Levitation Jones, Wednesday, April 4, Ruby Lounge, 10 pm: Rhode Island’s Levitation Jones’ music is simple but devastating. Jones, whose real name is Brian Gardner, composes sludgy EDM tracks with few components. For example, “New Kid” includes a slick cymbal pattern, bass lines and a few synth progressions. This approach allows space for songs to really seize the listeners rather than inundate them with too many moving parts. Jones’ music recalls drum and bass tracks of the early ‘00s, but chopped up and warped by time. With Parrotice, Star Monster.
Yung Gravy, Thursday, April 5, Majestic, 10 pm: Yung Gravy’s laid-back flow and tongue-in-cheek approach to lyrics make him stand out in the local jock rap scene. The Madison rapper features the city in his viral music videos, like on the Mr. Sandman-sampling “Mr. Clean,” which finds Gravy hanging around local laundromats and carwashes while he drops bawdy jokes about hygiene. His chillwave production draws on sample-heavy beat-producers like Jason Rich and Dollie. With Roy Purdy, Caleon Fox.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.