Autolux
Live music is the winning ticket around Madison this late summer week. The calendar includes: Broken Spindles, Chaos Revolution Theory, 500 Miles to Memphis, Secondhand Serenade, Lower Dens, Jazz at Five, Call Me Lightning, Autolux with This Will Destroy You, and Clovis Mann with The Mustache.
Monday 8.16
NOTEWORTHY: Elvis dies at Graceland, 1977.
BIRTHDAYS: Actress Angela Bassett & pop-chart queen Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, 1958.
Project Lodge, 7:30 pm
Joel Peterson, bassist for the Faint, has been running a solo side project for the past nine years, dabbling in electronica, piano sketches, film soundtracks and catchy guitar-pop. Find out what he's been up to lately and catch the live versions of several songs from his 2009 release, Kiss/Kick. With Touch People and Shane Shane.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The local rock trio will release a new album, Counter Culture Redux, after returning from a stint in Seattle, the city many of their influences call home. Learn more about the group and download a track from the new album from a MadTracks review. With Venice Gas House Trolley, 4 Aspirin Morning and comedian Nick Hart.
Tuesday 8.17
NOTEWORTHY: Swimmer Michael Phelps becomes first athlete to win eight gold medals at one Olympics, 2008.
BIRTHDAYS: Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle, 1958.
High Noon Saloon, 6 pm
You may know this Cincy five-piece from Rock Band, which features their single "All My Friends Are Crazy," or you may have encountered their music on MTV's Nitro Circus. No matter where you discovered them, you're likely to appreciate their creative and impassioned fusion of country and punk. With Ghost Town Council.
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
The emo-tinged acoustic rock band -- a.k.a. singer-songwriter John Vesely -- made a big splash on the Billboard charts in 2008 with the singles "Fall for You" and "Your Call." Preview Vesely's forthcoming album, Hear Me Now, at this show and predict how it will fare on the charts later this year. With the White Tie Affair, Runner Runner and Camera Can't Lie.
Project Lodge, 7:30 pm
Though they're less than two years old, Baltimore quartet Lower Dens sound more seasoned than most. On their new album, Twin-Hand Movement, Jana Hunter's haunting vocals are swathed in lush layers of guitar fuzz and dark-and-lovely melodies that unearth memories of Cat Power concerts and long autumn drives with Mazzy Star drifting from the speakers. See if the songs have the same effect when performed on a small stage at the indie art space on East Johnson. With His & Her Vanities and Les Lilas.
Wednesday 8.18
NOTEWORTHY: 19th Amendment ratified, 1920.
BIRTHDAYS: Filmmaker Robert Redford, 1937; singer Nona Hendryx, 1945.
100 Block of State Street, 5 pm
The free outdoor series continues with pianist Dan Trudell's straight-ahead trio, followed by local vocalist Gerri DiMaggio, who brings an elegant touch to jazz standards and Latin tunes.
Thursday 8.19
BIRTHDAYS: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, 1946; actress Kyra Sedgwick, 1965.
Project Lodge, 6 pm
The Milwaukee indie rockers were featured in Spin back in 2007, the last time they released a full-length album. Tonight they'll introduce the next chapter in their discography -- When I Am Gone My Blood Will Be Free -- and their quest for rock 'n' roll fame. Read a review of the album. With Zebras, the Transgressions and the Hussy.
Autolux, This Will Destroy You
Annex, 9 pm
Autolux's arty, shoegaze-laced rock has attracted many famous fans, including Trent Reznor, the White Stripes, Shellac and Beck. However, it's everyday fans like those here in Madison who'll decide whether their well-reviewed sophomore album, Transit Transit, will sink or swim. This Will Destroy You, an instrumental post-rock quartet from Texas, will open the show with tunes from their self-titled 2008 release and their forthcoming album, Tunnel Blanket.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
This week's free SummerJam performance will celebrate the release of a new album, Metamorphic, by rootsy, bluesy hometown rockers Clovis Mann. Opening act the Mustache claims to be from the Northwest Territory and the 19th century, but they're actually a bunch of funny funkmeisters from modern-day Stevens Point.
