Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of Sept. 14-21, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the Spotify playlist!
Spoon, Thursday, Sept. 14, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: Hot off the release of their new record, Hot Thoughts, Spoon returns to Madison in support of the album and recent re-releases of such classics as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The Austin, Texas, indie darlings have changed their standard rock approach with some electronic tweaks that mix up their hooky, dense songwriting without turning away old fans. Chicago’s favorite young punks, Twin Peaks, provide opening support, delivering their reliably punchy garage jams with a folk twist.
Ron Funches, Thursday, Sept. 14, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm: The cuddly comic sometimes dubbed “Bunches of Funches” is coming to the party school capital of the world to wax poetic about being high at children’s birthday parties, or whatever else he comes up with that is socially uncouth and hilarious. Soon enough, crowds will be left powerless as the most adorable man in comedy has audiences rolling in aisles, aching for a snuggle. With Rich D’Amore. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Sept, 15-16, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 15-16, Art in the Barn, Fitchburg: It’s impossible to describe gypsy swing music without mentioning Django Reinhardt. Even though he died in 1953 at age 43, the Romani jazz guitarist made such an impact that festivals dedicated to his music and style continue to be held throughout the world. Fitchburg’s Art in the Barn will host a stunning lineup of international artists, featuring sets from the stage and campfire jam sessions. Don’t miss Joscho Stephan of Germany, one of the top gypsy jazz artists in the world, as well as Madison’s own Harmonious Wail. See the full schedule at midwestgypsyswingfest.com.
Strand of Oaks, Friday, Sept. 15, Live on King Street, 7 pm: Though folk rock tends to be on the quiet end of the spectrum, Timothy Showalter is unafraid of making it a little loud. As Strand of Oaks, Showalter has perfected a raucous hybrid of high-energy rock and roll with the emotional intimacy of indie folk, creating a sound that’s as built for a kegger as it is for a mixtape. Joining him will be Twin Cities’ poetic hip-hop firebrand Dessa (a member of acclaimed collective Doomtree) and Milwaukee rockers Fever Marlene.
Madison World Music Festival, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 15-16, Memorial Union Terrace and Willy Street Fair: From a Ho-Chunk choir to an all-female mariachi fusion band, this year’s festival offers a vibrant mix of musical sounds. Artists from Latin America, Senegal and Haiti will rock stages at the Memorial Union and Willy Street Fair on Friday and Saturday. And don’t miss the Skatalites, who will close out the festival Saturday night at the Union Terrace (8:30 pm). If you’ve heard much of anything that came out of Jamaica in the 20th century, you’ve almost certainly heard some incarnation of the Skatalites. They are to Jamaican music what the Funk Brothers were to Motown — everybody’s favorite session men. Don’t sleep on Madison’s own Immigré either; the 10-piece Afrobeat band opens the Willy Street Fair on Saturday (2:15 pm).
Henry Fong + Bad Royale, Friday, Sept. 15, Liquid, 10 pm: A seemingly unlikely duo of groove-masters teams up deliver a night jam-packed with jams. The two electronic acts share a genre, kind of, and a base of operations in Los Angeles, but that’s pretty much it. Henry Fong’s (pictured) dance music is positively laced with dancehall and grander Caribbean influences. Bad Royale’s resembles the music heard more often at Liquid, bringing funk to a tried-and-true nucleus of build-ups and drops. The contrast between the two styles will be a refreshing treat.
Prism Festival, Friday, Sept. 15, Robinia Courtyard, 8 pm; Saturday, Sept. 16, Common Gardens, 6389 Rimmel Court, Dane, 6 pm: Catch some of Madison’s best young bands at this two-day, DIY festival from Frameshift Collective. Friday night’s lineup features a mix of improvisational jazz from Wilder Deitz Group, chillwave from Norwei and island funk from Kainalu, plus live mural painting. On Saturday, teenage lo-fi rockers Disq join the hip-hop stylings of Bird’s Eye and the indie rock sounds of It’s All You, Cowboy. With DJ sets from Whodie Guthrie both nights.
Willy Street Fair, Saturday (2-9 pm) and Sunday (11 am-7 pm), Sept. 16-17, 800-1000 blocks of Williamson Street: Summer isn’t really over until the close of “Hippie High Holidays,” the Willy Street Fair. This year is the 40th anniversary of Madison’s groovy street festival, where all freak flags fly high. Wear comfortable shoes, because you’ve got lots of territory to cover; five stages feature live music from just about any genre you can name. Saturday’s all about world music, with a headlining set from Haitian-Canadian hip-hop wonder Vox Sandou (World Music Stage, 7:45 pm). Start off Sunday by watching or strolling in (your choice) the annual parade (which kicks off at 11 am by Plan B), a wondrous lovefest led by the Bubble Man in his Bubble Mobile. The day continues with an epic booty-shaking event featuring homegrown talent, with emcee/poet/singer Hiwot Adilow (Culture Stage, 5 pm) and “Black Gandalf” Mr. Jackson (Culture Stage, 6 pm), R&B from People Brothers Band (Main Stage, 4 pm) and 1970s hits by VO5 (Main Stage, 5:30 pm). Come as you are, and appreciate the diversity and creativity of Madison.
Sheer Mag, Saturday, Sept. 16, Frequency, 9 pm: From 2014 to 2016, Sheer Mag pulled off a nifty trick: The Philly quintet kept a low profile while simultaneously blowing up into America’s Next Great Rock ‘n Roll Hope. They self-released three EPs with grainy cover art. They didn’t tour much and did few interviews. But their gritty garage-rock was so great, hype piled up anyway. So anticipation for Sheer Mag’s debut album was heavy, and the band delivered with Need To Feel Your Love, a thrilling collision of brick-thick guitar riffs, streetwise politics and Tina Halladay’s distinctive old-soul vocals. Sheer Mag is a leather boot to the throat, in the very best way. With Flesh World, Fire Heads.
The Evil Twins, Saturday, Sept. 16, Funk’s Pub, Fitchburg, 8 pm: Legendary Madison singer-songwriter Marques Bovre, who died in 2013, began playing with The Evil Twins in 1987. To mark the anniversary, the band — Eric Dummer, Doug Meihsner, CJ Summerfield and Linus — is convening once again to celebrate Bovre’s songs and the music they made together.
Claude Young, Saturday, Sept. 16, High Noon Saloon, 10 pm: A legendary DJ and producer from Detroit, the city that invented techno, Claude Young remains one of the best in the business after more than two decades as an artist. His epic live sets contain multitudes of components — throbbing house beats, industrial rhythms, otherworldly ambient sounds and textures. Catch him here at the Willy Street Beats afterparty with local house and techno producer-DJ duo Chaz.
San Fermin, Sunday, Sept. 17, High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm: Touring in support of their 2017 LP Belong, San Fermin is still thoroughly tapped into a rich vein of indie pop music. The new project from the Brooklyn-based band is filled to the brim with gems like “Bride,” which refracts a rainbow of musical light in every direction. Opening will be Portland-based singer/songwriter Briana Marela, who will play songs from her recently released album Call It Love. That project is notable for its shimmering synth riffs combined with Marela’s spritely vocals.
John Raymond & Real Feels, Sunday, Sept. 17, Brink Lounge, 3:30 pm: The New York Times calls John Raymond “a prepossessing young trumpet player.” Enjoy the work of this horn savant with his acclaimed Real Feels trio at a laid-back Jazz on a Sunday event, sponsored by the Madison Music Collective — the perfect way to top off a weekend. Madison brass players: You’ll want to head over for a free workshop by Raymond, a noted music educator, at 2 pm.
Vagabon, Monday, Sept. 18, Memorial Union-Der Rathskeller, 8 pm: Vagabon frontwoman Lætitia Tamko moved from Cameroon to New York City when she was in her teens, but it wasn’t until after college that she got involved in the city’s DIY music scene. Alongside peers Frankie Cosmos, Crying and Told Slant, she found the voice that would come to define her unique brand of indie rock, one that’s ethereal, vulnerable and quite often triumphant. Opening is Chicago multi-instrumentalist Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, an experimental hip-hop artist who is as talented as he is strange.
Rhiannon Giddens, Tuesday, Sept. 19, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: Together with Dom Flemons, Giddens formed the Carolina Chocolate Drops and breathed new life into African American string band music. Genuine Negro Jig won the band a Grammy in 2010 and awakened the country to a nearly lost music form. Solo, the multi-instrumentalist Giddens is almost a band unto herself. The winner of the 2016 Steve Martin Prize for Banjo, she’s also an articulate fiddler and guitarist. Her spirit draws equally from Africa, Appalachia and Ireland. Her singing voice, a fearless, soaring instrument itself, will have the audience on its feet long before the curtain falls.
Thundercat, Tuesday, Sept. 19, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Virtuosic bassist Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner has contributed a pantheon of under-the-radar grooves for funk, soul and jazz heavies over the last decade. He’s touring in support of his 2017 release Drunk, a 23-track landslide of smooth funk cuts featuring collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Opening set from DJ PBDY.
Diane Cluck, Wednesday, Sept. 20, Art In, 8 pm: A veteran of New York City’s “anti-folk” scene of the early 2000s, Diane Cluck describes her style as “intuitive folk” — earthy, ethereal and a little bit freaky. Her intriguing voice is a hybrid of Joanna Newsom and Joni Mitchell, and her approach to guitar is elegant and almost harp-like. With Madison experimental indie pop band Glassmen and TS Foss, the singer-songwriter project of Fire Heads/Proud Parents guitarist Tyler Fassnacht.
Open Mike Eagle, Wednesday, Sept. 20, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: To say Open Mike Eagle is abstract doesn’t quite scratch the surface of this Chicago emcee’s style. On tour pushing his new album, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, Eagle has an uncanny knack for calmly rapping about heavy topics like race and celebrity worship over beats that sound like slow-tempo EDM. This isn’t surprising for a guy who calls his music “art rap.” Openers include Philadelphia-based feminist beatmaker/lyricist Sammus and Jewish recovered drug addict-turned-emcee Kosha Dillz.
The Mascot Theory, Thursday, Sept. 21, High Noon Saloon, 6 pm: Check out the local band that cleaned up at the 2017 Madison Area Music Awards. Winners in seven categories — including “Artist of the Year,” “Folk/Americana Album of the Year” for Trust and Bones, “Country/Bluegrass Song of the Year” for “Your Eyes Give You Away” and “Video of the Year” for “Over the Horizon,” The Mascot Theory mixes more Southern rock into its rootsy sound and four-part harmonies than many of its peers. That helps gives these four Madison musicians a fresh, broad Midwestern appeal.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
