It seems like yesterday they were only knee-high, but Mama Digdown's Brass Band is turning 15. To celebrate, the Madison band that loves New Orleans jazz will march in their own parade, starting at the Harmony Bar at noon on Sunday, Sept. 7. The parade ends at R.P.'s Pasta (1133 E. Wilson St.), where a four-hour, spaghetti-saturated gig is planned for that afternoon. Mama Digdown's first public performance occurred at the 1993 Art Fair on the Square.
Someday someone will write a book about the famous people who played gigs in the basement of Kiki Schueler's modest east-side Madison home. (See "#1 Fan," 7/20/2007.) Maybe Kiki herself. On Friday, Sept. 12, Robbie Fulks "will be stopping by for an intimate little unplugged show," says Schueler. If you want to spend the evening at Kiki's house listening to her friend Robbie play his guitar, contact her at righteousmusicmgmt@gmail.com. She's arranging advance reservations.
Pacal Bayley, known to Madison as the hip-hop producer DJ Pain 1, sent me an email with an accomplishment he wanted to share. "I recently produced a song on one of hip-hop's most anticipated national releases this year - Young Jeezy's new album, The Recession," wrote Bayley. Jeezy is based out of Atlanta and has sold more than five million albums worldwide. DJ Pain 1 is half of the Madison hip-hop duo the Fall Guys. He co-hosts a Saturday night live mix show on 106.7FM, Madtown JAMZ. The Recession was released Sept. 2. Bayley's track is #15 on the 18-track disc and is titled "Don't Do It."
Club 770, the music venue inside Union South, kicks off its fall season this Friday, Sept. 5, with an appearance by the Brooklyn new-age rock band We Are Powers. Club 770 - a student cafeteria by day - compensates for its fashionless physique by hosting bands that are generally more experimental than what you'll find at the Memorial Union. The venue is named after a popular dance club that existed inside the Memorial Union decades ago, back when the Union's address was 770 Langdon St.
