Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of May 3-9, 2018. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.
Johannes Wallmann “Love Wins” Project, Thursday, May 3, North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: When Johannes Wallmann marked the album release of his jazz suite Love Wins, the powerful performance was missing one thing — the album, which had been delayed by the record company. So Wallmann, a pianist and the director of jazz studies at UW-Madison, and an ensemble will once again perform the work that celebrates the fight for marriage equality. Joining Wallmann will be his collaborator on the project, hip-hop artist Rob Dz. It was the long road to the legalization of gay marriage that inspired the work, but Wallmann’s composition moves beyond the history to simply celebrate love. Spoiler alert: It wins.
Black Violin, Thursday, May 3, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: You know those annoying covers of hip-hop songs where people rearrange them into generic folk-pop tracks? Yeah, Black Violin is pretty much the opposite: Instead of taking a black art form and watering it down, Wil B (viola) and Kev Marcus (violin) imbue a white art form (classical music) with the spirit and ethos of hip-hop. Instead of dilution, they create something completely new, combining the airiness and beauty of classical music with the gritty defiance of hip-hop. And string instruments sound great over syncopated snare beats.
ALL Jazz Fest, Friday, May 4, Schenk’s Corners, 5-11:30 pm: Fifteen excellent jazz acts from around the Midwest are coming together for an evening of free concerts at five locations around Schenk’s Corners. Enjoy music from local favorites like Tony Barba, Ted Keys, Brennan Connors, Paul Dietrich and Tony Castaneda plus Milwaukee acid jazz duo Mrs. Fun, Chicago saxophonist Greg Ward II and headliner Russ Johnson, a trumpeter who recently relocated to Milwaukee after 23 years of playing jazz in New York City. With styles ranging from Latin to avant-garde to jazz standards, there’s something here for everyone. This event coincides with Spring Gallery Night, so get out there and enjoy the culture.
Half Waif, Friday, May 4, Frequency, 8:30 pm: If anyone has earned themselves a break, it’s Half Waif. The indie crew — the brainchild of Pinegrove associate Nandi Rose Plunkett — has spent the better part of the last year on the road, working out their folky emo tunes on bills with Mitski, Julien Baker, and Iron and Wine. Their latest LP, Lavender, a tribute to Plunkett’s late grandmother, was released in April. With Hovvdy, Alej Perez.
WUDstock, Friday, May 4, UW Memorial Union-Terrace (8:30 pm) & Union South-The Sett (9 pm): The Wisconsin Union Directorate Music Committee is cooking up quite a menu to celebrate the end of another school year. The Terrace hosts underground legend Lavender Country, who in the early 1970s released what is considered the first openly gay country album, followed by Minneapolis funk band Pho (local jazz duo Goodie Two Shoes also plays an early show at 5 pm). The Sett features Chicago soul singer (and Chance the Rapper collaborator) Jamila Woods along with Madison’s own Trapo and Huizit.
HellMuff + Birthday Suits + When Particles Collide + German Art Students, Friday, May 4, Mickey’s, 10 pm: Gear up for a night of Midwestern punk. HellMuff is a hardcore outfit with screaming vocals and ripping guitar riffs. Fellow Madisonians German Art Students infuse their catchy riffage with grooves reminiscent of ‘90s alternative music. Birthday Suits is a duo that mixes minimal but powerful songwriting with quirky vocal styles, and When Particles Collide throws in sugary lyrics to warp heavy guitar parts into sweet pop songs.
Growing album release, Friday, May 4, High Noon Saloon, 9 pm: Local melodic metalcore band Growing is releasing the new full-length album, The Gauntlet. Their first EP, Temples, mixes intense rhythms, screeching vocals and fast-paced guitar work that quickly jumps from intricate melodies to heavily distorted strumming. The single “Game of Games” from the latest album shows the band maturing, with better production and even more haunting guitar work. Openers include metal bands Archers and Pangea from Madison, Cleveland-based Contra and hardcore punks Garland Greene from New Jersey.
McKay & Leigh, Saturday, May 5, Threshold, 7:30 pm: An Americana duo based in Austin, Texas (and occasionally Nashville, Tennessee), Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay play gorgeous duets that hark back to the golden age of country music — two guitars, two voices, one beautiful sound. This is the first event in a folk series organized by Madison’s Josh Harty, who will debut his new acoustic blues collaboration with Cedric Baetche of Mal-O-Dua.
New Budapest Orpheum Society, Sunday, May 6, Beth Israel Center, 7 pm: The New Budapest Orpheum Society’s Yiddish Cabaret presents songs once heard in cafes and nightclubs in Vienna, Berlin, Warsaw and Budapest — commemorating tragedy and triumph alike. The group of eight classically trained musicians is the current ensemble-in-residence at the University of Chicago’s Humanities Department, and has toured the world with their transformative songs.
Grendel, Wednesday, May 9, Frequency, 8 pm: The Danish electro-industrial group is touring in support of their latest album, Age of the Disposable Body, five years after their last full album. Their aggressive drum-machine rhythms and intense, piercing synthesizer tones undergird grumbling vocals that address a myriad of hot-button topics, including control of mass media and government corruption. The group has also produced a number of electronic dance collaborations and industrial club remixes. With Ghostfeeder, Peter Turns Pirate, Caustic, Conformco, DJ Psych0tron.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
