Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of Sept. 7-14, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the Spotify playlist!
JD McPherson + The Modern Sounds + Hometown Sweethearts, Thursday, Sept. 7, Central Park, 5 pm: This Central Park Sessions concert is a boon for fans of retro-leaning, hard-driving musical treats. Singer/guitarist JD McPherson brings a punk edge to songs influenced heavily by ‘50s rockers and R&B; his highly-anticipated third album Undivided Heart and Soul emerges in October. The Modern Sounds, a trio led by guitarist Joel Paterson, whips up a mix of vintage blues, jazz, western swing and rockabilly influences into a sound wholly their own. Opening are the Hometown Sweethearts, kicking off a final weekend of shows before the departure of bassist Chris Boeger for Australia; and the Handphibians, celebrating their twentieth anniversary.
Monica LaPlante + Heavy Looks, Thursday, Sept. 7, The Frequency, 8:30 pm: A singer-songwriter from Minneapolis, Monica LaPlante sets her songs alight with crunchy pop-garage music that fits well with the at-times spiky and sexy lyrics. Madison’s Heavy Looks plays similarly sharp-edged power pop; both acts on one bill makes this show a no-brainer for fans of catchy guitar rock. With Andy Cook.
Nightmares on Wax DJ set, Thursday, Sept. 7, Majestic Theatre, 9 pm: George Evelyn, the man behind Nightmares on Wax, is a testament to the far-reaching and transcultural powers of music. Born a Brit, Evelyn was brought up on American soul music before eventually getting into hip-hop as a teen, which is also around the time he began DJ-ing. From there, he and his collaborators continued to fold new genres into the mix, to create something that’s both a sum of its parts and something completely new. With DJ Nick Nice.
Hometown Sweethearts, Friday, Sept. 8, High Noon Saloon (5:30 pm) & Crystal Corner Bar (9:30 pm): The dynamic trio of Chris Boeger (bass), Scott Beardsley (drums) and Nate Palan/”Waylan Daniel” (guitar/vocals) came together as a low-key covers gig about 15 years ago. But the band’s fun approach to widely varied material and on-stage chemistry quickly made the Sweethearts one of the region’s favorite acts. While they weathered the move of Palan to the East Coast, the upcoming departure of Boeger and his family for Australia means the trio’s shows this weekend will be your last chance to hit the dance floor to their inimitable sounds.
Strollin’ Middleton, Friday, Sept. 8, various venues, 5-9:30 pm: Reports are that last year’s Strollin’ Middleton crushed it, so you don’t want to miss this year’s opportunity to jazz it up at venues packed with talented artists and good neighbors. There’s Panchromatic Steel Band (Middleton Library, 7 pm), jazz combos from Edgewood and Middleton high schools (University Avenue at Parmenter Street, 5 and 6 pm), the dulcet-voiced Lo Marie with Cliff Frederiksen (Barriques, 6 pm) and so much more. It’s a project of the excellent Greater Madison Jazz Consortium, which knows how to throw a stroll.
Raven, Friday, September 8, The Frequency, 8 pm: New Wave of British Heavy Metal survivors Raven are still going strong after more than 40 years. Brothers John and Mark Gallagher founded the speed/thrash metal band in 1975 and gave Metallica and Anthrax their first touring opportunities. The brothers are the only original remaining members, but drummer Joe Hasselvander (ex-Pentagram) has been with them since 1987. Raven’s latest album, 2015’s Extermination, was crowdfunded via a Kickstarter campaign and hailed as a return to the band’s aggressive early days. For a trio, these guys sure make a hell of a lot of noise. With Connecticut-based headbangers Dead by Wednesday, and Wisconsin’s own Squidhammer Metal and Cast in Fire.
German Art Students 20th anniversary, Friday, Sept. 8, High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm: Born 20 years ago when the founders wanted to write songs “no one would want to hear,” German Art Students are at once funny and subversive. The group is also in roaring fine shape, thanks in large part to the return of original bassist Andrew Larson. This birthday party coincides with the re-release of their first album, What Did You Expect? Heartland Rock, which includes such GAS classics as “Shitty Directions” and the Mad Magazine-esque “Civil War Re-enactor.” They are giving us a gift at their own party by packing the show with heavy hitters of the underground, including ‘90s Madison-to-Austin, Texas, rockers The Coolhand Band, which is reuniting to mark their own 25th anniversary year. Pamphleteers includes more ‘90s Madison ex-pats from bands such as The Returnables and Rhoda (and the much-missed Chicago popsters, The Dials). Proud Parents is a garage-pop supergroup in their own right, featuring members familiar from The Hussy, Fire Heads and Disembodied Monks.
Maria Bamford, Friday, Sept. 8, Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm: The crazy cat woman of comedy is coming to the Barrymore! Maria Bamford is coming in hot off the success of both her sitcom Lady Dynamite and newest stand-up special, Old Baby. Known for her insane voices and ability to bring characters to life through real-life stories, Bamford’s standup stands out among the crowd. Come for the stories about spending time in a mental hospital, stay for the voice of Baby Satan.
Foster the People, Saturday, Sept. 9, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: One could argue that L.A.’s Foster the People has outrun its own bullet. Nowadays, the hype that arrived with the breakthrough of “Pumped Up Kicks” feels like a welcome postcard from the pre-streaming era. Still, this doesn’t mean they don’t still produce quality releases. With two new band members in tow, founder Mark Foster has sprinkled the band’s third and latest release, Sacred Hearts Club, with equal doses of familiar electropop and (holy shades of experimentation!) hip-hop.
The Earthlings, Saturday, Sept. 9, North Street Cabaret, 9 pm: It’s difficult to categorize The Earthlings, a Madison-based sextet. They combine influences from a wide array of genres, from funk and soul to country and gospel to metal and punk. And their musical gumbo is working — the group won a MAMA in 2016 for Best World Song. Now, The Earthlings are celebrating the release of their newest album, Akashic Record, the first in a series of spacey, amorphic, Incubus-ian rock. With Invisible Cartoons.
AJJ, Sunday, Sept. 10, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: AJJ brings a level of mania to folk, a genre usually thought to be serene or escapist. Instead of searching for some hidden pasture, they embrace the madness of the world and its peculiarities head-on. On their latest release, Back in the Jazz Coffin, they address philosophically a wealth of topics ranging from capitalism to love. And, we might add, they do it a lot less pretentiously than Father John Misty. With Homeless Gospel Choir.
JVN Festival: Kickback Concert, Sunday, Sept. 10, UW Memorial Union Terrace, 7 pm: In 2012, rapper and UW First Wave scholar John Vietnam Nguyen died while saving a friend from drowning. Now, for three days, Nguyen’s friends and colleagues will host the fifth annual JVN Day Festival, a celebration of Nguyen’s life and local hip-hop culture. Events include workshops and open mics spread over three days, culminating in Sunday’s Kickback Concert, a showcase that includes a packed lineup of local and regional emcees, including Lucien Parker and CRASHprez.
Profligate, Monday, Sept. 11, Art In, 8 pm: Art In really knows where to find ‘em, huh? Headlining this unusual bill is Profligate, a solo project of Philadelphia’s Noah Anthony. His music feels like something that would be played at an illegal rave set in an over-industrialized dystopian society. Local act Golden Donna will perform as well; his synthy, dance music is a bit lighter, but perhaps only in comparison. With Colin Gorman Weiland, Nothing Natural, DJ Jared Perez.
Jay Som, Tuesday, Sept. 12, UW Memorial Union Terrace, 8 pm: Oakland’s Jay Som returns to Madison with their intricate, slick indie pop, after playing the Frequency in March of this year. Led by songwriter Melina Duterte, Jay Som's music is jazzy yet accessible, catchy but thoughtful — and their dynamic live performances put their impressive recorded work to shame. Bringing some needed gender representation to the stage, the show is an all woman-led lineup, with Stef Chura (Detroit) and Soccer Mommy (NYC).
Ben Sollee & Kentucky Native, Wednesday, Sept. 13, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: As a master cellist, Ben Sollee has spent his entire career redefining what that instrument can do. The Kentucky native and his band, Kentucky Native, use it to augment a host of genres, most recently bluegrass and classic Celtic sounds. And then there’s Sollee’s actual cello playing — an animated experience that includes Sollee beating, slapping and strumming his instrument to draw unorthodox sounds from it. Don’t miss an opportunity to see him in action.
Boom Forest, Wednesday, Sept. 13, Shitty Barn, 7 pm:
When you think experimental, you usually think of artists mixing together genres (or tearing them apart) with wanton abandon. Not so with Boom Forest, who weaves together genres with utmost care. And each song is different. A song like “We Are All One,” which sounds like a robot choir, will jump to “Stay” a soulful, dance track. The music the Nashvillians make is just as its name describes, a rich ecosystem of sounds, with surprises waiting around every corner. With Frankie Lee.
Gavin DeGraw, Thursday, Sept. 14, Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm: Cue Chad Michael Murray bouncing that basketball, One Tree Hill fans. Gavin DeGraw returns to Madison for the fourth straight year. On the Gavin DeGraw Raw Tour, the Grammy-nominated performer (who has toured with Billy Joel) plays songs from his entire catalogue for the first time. His fifth studio album, Something Worth Saving, was released in September 2016 and features his latest single, “She Sets The City On Fire.” (NOTE: This show has now been canceled.)
Spoon, Thursday, September 14, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: Hot off the release of their new record, Hot Thoughts, Spoon returns to Madison on tour in support of the album and recent re-releases of classics such 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.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.