Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of April 27-May 4, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the Spotify playlist!
Hari Kondabolu, Thursday, April 27, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm: Hari Kondabolu has always been funny, but since Donald Trump took office, he’s taken on new importance. Armed with a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a razor-sharp wit, the Queens-raised Kondabolu frequently tackles touchy subjects like race, identity and gender, and it has turned him into your favorite comic’s favorite comic. Sure, many standups get political onstage, but few offer solutions the way Kondabolu does. With May Wilkerson, Greg Bach. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, April 28-29, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Zakir Hussain + Rahul Sharma, Thursday, April 27, Wisconsin Union Theater-Shannon Hall, 8 pm: Two Indian masters join forces to bring some global sounds to Madison. Zakir Hussain, a celebrated tabla virtuoso, has collaborated with Yo Yo Ma, Van Morrison and Mickey Hart. Now he teams up with fellow countryman Rahul Sharma, who apprenticed at the Kashmiri santoor (hammered dulcimer) with his famous father, Shvkumar Sharma. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear some of India’s finest musicians playing together.
The Jayhawks + Wesley Stace, Friday, April 28, Majestic Theatre, 9 pm: The Jayhawks started as a proto-alt-country band in the mid-1980s, gradually morphing into shimmering pop and other sounds. No matter the genre tag, rock-solid songcraft has remained the group’s true north, whether the principal writer is Gary Louris, former member Mark Olson or the pair in collaboration. Wesley Stace is perhaps still better known in the music world by his former nom de rock, John Wesley Harding, but is a well-regarded novelist under his real name. He’s backed by the Jayhawks on his most recent LP, Wesley Stace’s John Wesley Harding.
The Chainsmokers, Friday, April 28, Alliant Energy Center Coliseum, 7 pm: Grammy award-winning electronic pop duo the Chainsmokers will make their first stop in Madison. The one-time American Idol auditioners Alex Pall and Drew Taggart are blazing across the country on their largest tour to date, named after their debut album, Memories...Do Not Open. You may remember the group’s 2015 “#SELFIE” (with 4.6 million YouTube views) or their unstoppable current Top-40 track, “Paris” (with more than 214 million YouTube views). With Kiiara, Shaun Frank, Emily Warren.
MadHatters 20th Anniversary, Friday, April 28, Overture Hall, 7 pm: Madison’s answer to Glee is the MadHatters, a critically acclaimed a cappella group that has performed at the White House (twice), on the PGA tour and at Lambeau Field. This 20th anniversary show is a great chance to catch these adorable crooners in red blazers on their home turf.
Hanah Jon Taylor Quartet, Friday, April 28, Cafe CODA, 8 pm: A world-class improviser who regularly tours Europe and Asia, Taylor is able to transport audiences with his otherworldly sounds on saxophone, flute and wind synthesizer. He also lends his talents and knowledge to Madison’s up-and-coming jazz artists as artistic director of Kuumba Renaissance. He’s joined at this show by Chicago pianist Kirk Brown (who’s played with Wynton Marsalis and Phil Upchurch), bassist John Christensen, and percussionist Jacob Bicknase Bonus: Taylor co-founded Cafe CODA, Madison’s happening new jazz venue...so artist and audience will both feel right at home.
Marc Maron,Friday, April 28, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm:
Operating a podcast out of his garage that has attracted everyone from celebs to President Barack Obama, Marc Maron has stayed true to his standup roots.
Itzhak Perlman, Saturday, April 29, Overture Hall, 8 pm: One of the most celebrated and beloved violinists of a generation, Itzhak Perlman has been performing for nearly six decades. Now 71, his effortlessly beautiful music has graced stages around the world, from Sesame Street to Carnegie Hall. Along the way he’s been honored with 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor. He’ll be accompanied by pianist Rohan De Silva.
Lucinda Williams, Saturday, April 29, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 8 pm: If alt-country were ever to coronate a queen, it would undoubtedly be Lucinda Williams. With a four-decade career that’s produced 13 albums (most recently, 2016’s Ghosts of Highway 20) and three Grammy awards, Williams is a hard-living demigod with a ceaseless output and immeasurable influence on the modern scene. No wonder Time magazine named her “America’s Best Songwriter” in 2002. Long live the queen.
Hurray for the Riff Raff, Saturday, April 29, High Noon Saloon, 9 pm: Hurray for the Riff Raff frontwoman Alynda Lee Segarra is a powerhouse, earning raves from critics and audiences alike for her melding of American roots tradition with world music sounds. She’s not likely to play in intimate venues like High Noon for long, so catch the wonders up close.
Ancient Future: Heavy Psych and Doom Fest, Saturday, April 29, Frequency, 3 pm-close: Taking its name from a defunct Willy Street crystal healing shop, Ancient Future is poised to be one of the region’s top showcases for heavy music. Featuring 11 different bands of the psych and doom rock genres, the all-day event will include sets from Cincinnati-based shredders Electric Citizen, globetrotting Madisonians Jex Thoth and fellow capitol city riff experts Vanishing Kids.
Peter Mulvey, Sunday, April 30, Brink Lounge, 6 pm: Acclaimed Milwaukee folk singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey marks his 25th anniversary as a recording artist with a new album, Are You Listening?, released in March and produced by his friend Ani DiFranco in her New Orleans studio. The album is as lovely as it is topical, featuring soulful and well-crafted songs that explore topics like bullying, police violence and society’s dwindling attention spans.
Frank Iero & the Patience, Sunday, April 30, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: With My Chemical Romance, Frank Iero’s guitar playing became the soundtrack to a generation of angsty kids with a penchant for theatrics. But even without the spectacle, Iero is no slouch as a musician. With his band the Patience, Iero goes punk, and his debut Parachutes, released last year, is an energetic, ramshackle triumph. It’s more than okay, we promise. With former Loved Ones frontman Dave Hause and his band, the Mermaid.
A Toast to You: Cathy’s Thank You Party, Sunday, April 30, High Noon Saloon, 5:30 pm: Any Madison music scene performer or observer will know that the “Cathy” of the headline is Cathy Dethmers, founder and owner of the High Noon Saloon. Dethmers recently sold the venue, and her last day is Sunday. Come out to help celebrate at this free show — and don’t forget to show your appreciation for all her hard work to help keep the local scene vibrant at the Noon and its legendary antecedent, O’Cayz Corral. True to the venue’s always eclectic schedule, the show includes metal (Bereft), country (Pupy Costello & the New Hiram Kings) and garage punk (the Hussy)...then mixes ’em all up with a special Gomeroke featuring an all-star cast of singers, and the genre-exploding turntable work of the Real Jaguar.
Aimee Mann, Tuesday, May 2, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: Both a celebrated musician and occasional actor (her Portlandia appearances are mandatory viewing), Aimee Mann has enjoyed almost four decades in the music industry. Now Mann is coming off the release of her ninth studio album, Mental Illness, a collection of musically lush songs about the depressing tendencies of life, featuring contributions from her the Both bandmate Ted Leo. With Jonathan Coulton.
White Reaper, Tuesday, May 2, Frequency, 8 pm: Close your eyes and imagine a crowded basement where Thin Lizzy, the Replacements and Green Day are all jamming together. Now go ahead and open them — the band you just imagined is White Reaper. The precocious Louisville-based punks just put out The World’s Best American Band, their second LP, a beer-soaked blitzkrieg that will undoubtedly serve as the soundtrack to your next party. See you in the pit. With No Parents, Clean Room.
Lewis Del Mar, Tuesday, May 2, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: The last time Rockaway Beach, N.Y., experimental folk-pop duo Lewis Del Mar played in Madison was as the headline act of a crowded Live on King St. on July 15. They return to Madison behind their self-titled full length, out last October through Columbia Records. With Anna Wise.
Acid Mothers Temple, Wednesday, May 3, Frequency, 7:30 pm: Japanese guitarist and vocalist Kawabata Makoto has been experimenting with the outer limits of music in a dizzying array of different groups for nearly four decades. Makoto and compatriots in the long-running collective Acid Mothers Temple (on this Hallelujah Mystic Tour, “and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.” incarnation, for those who are experienced) will illuminate the Frequency’s darkest corners with a set of iridescent psych trips. With Babylon, Vanishing Kids.
James Adomian, Thursday, May 4, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm: James Adomian had quite the 2016. A well-known impressionist, his Bernie Sanders hit a chord with mainstream audiences as he made appearances on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast, Comedy Central’s @Midnight, and toured the country as a duo act with fellow comedian Anthony Atamanuik in “Trump vs Bernie’s Debate Tour 2016.” Now Adomian is coming to Madison as himself to share his lighthearted observations about politics (perhaps) or Dr. Pepper commercials (probably). And who knows, maybe Jesse “The Mind” Ventura will make a special guest appearance. With Zach Martina, Anthony Siraguse. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, May 5-6, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
