Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of Dec. 7-14, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist!
Wood Chickens, Thursday, Dec. 7, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Inject some edgy energy into your Thursday evening with the punkin’ country sounds of Wood Chickens, heading up a solid bill of southern Wisconsin bands. Madison entrants include the melody vs. noise blasts of Twelves and the snarky-sassy-fuzzy Cats on Leashes. Visiting from Milwaukee is prolific noisemaker Slush, with six (!) uncategorizable releases on Bandcamp over the last two years.
Don’t Mess with Cupid, Thursday, Dec. 7, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Although he was born in the South, Otis Redding will, sadly, be forever tied to Madison. When his plane crashed into Lake Monona 50 years ago, Redding became a part of our history, and Madisonians are eager to celebrate him. Don’t Mess With Cupid is a tribute to Redding’s music featuring vocals by the dynamic Kevin Willmott II (Cowboy Winter), so be sure to bring your dancing shoes. Joining them will be DJ Phil Money and a rare reunion of 1980s rockers Electro Lovekit, whose members went on to record with Sheryl Crow, Timbuk3, Tracy Chapman, Blink 182 and Bonnie Raitt.
Joe Pug, Thursday, Dec. 7, UW Memorial Union-Fredric March Play Circle, 8 pm: One of contemporary Americana’s most talented songwriters, it’s no wonder Joe Pug often gets compared to Bob Dylan. After taking a brief hiatus from touring in 2013, Pug is back on the road and working on a new album. Known for minimalist guitar picking, rich vocals and brilliant lyrics, Pug’s performances are filled with intimate storytelling and charmingly earnest folk vibes. With Dead Horses (Juanita Stein had to cancel her opening appearance due to a family emergency).
Joey’s Song, Friday, Dec. 8, Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm; This rock ‘n’ roll reunion brings some of Madison’s most famous stars home for the holidays for a great cause. Garbage members Butch Vig and Duke Erikson combine with Freedy Johnston to form the core of the band. The setlist will include songs from the artists’ current catalogues as well as from past bands and projects, including Vig and Erikson’s legendary Madison rock band Spooner (playing a reunion set). The show raises money and awareness for epilepsy research via the Joey’s Song Foundation. This year’s lineup also includes a reunion by Electro Lovekit, plus Chaser, The Mascot Theory, Cory Chisel, Syd Straw and Dan Navarro.
Basi & Bhairav, Friday, Dec. 8, The Frequency, 9:30 pm: Basi & Bhairav, an emcee/producer duo made up of two UW-Madison students, heads a list of some of Madison’s finest hip-hop artists. On their first collaborative project, Son of the Moon, they exhibit a natural chemistry, yielding a fantastic first result. “Zeitgeist” showcases Basi’s airtight flows and witty wordplay, along with Bhairav’s ability to wrangle diverse sonic influences and make the vocals really pop. Basi (pictured), an Oakland native, and Jersey boy Bhairav form an ideal coastal match made in the Midwest. With 3rd Dimension, Kennyhoopla, Hiwot, Son and DJ Knowsthetime.
Kris Delmhorst & Jeffrey Foucault, Friday, Dec. 8, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: Masterful songwriters Delmhorst and Foucault (a Whitewater, Wisconsin, native) have been married for well over a decade, but hadn’t collaborated musically until Delmhorst’s 2017 album The Wild. The musical family is now on the road for a duo tour, with a full band, and playing songs both from The Wild and their solo works.
The Claudettes, Friday, Dec. 8, North Street Cabaret, 9 pm: The Claudettes are your new favorite party band. The Chicago quartet is rooted in “Windy City piano blues,” but their sound also includes elements of rockabilly, punk, burlesque and vaudeville, resulting in a band you’d be likely to hear at the speakeasy version of CBGB. The band released it first live album, Pull Closer to Me: Live at the Piano Room, in February. But to get the true Claudettes experience, you have to see them in person.
November Criminals, Friday, Dec. 8, The Wisco, 9 pm: The concept is as ridiculous in theory as it is hilariously amazing in practice — a hip-hop polka band. Based in Milwaukee (which makes total sense if you think about it), November Criminals specializes in sick rhymes over percussive beats and acrobatic accordion runs, promising a fun, energetic — and unique — live music experience. With The Periodicals and Swill.
Michael W. Smith & Amy Grant, Saturday, Dec. 9, Alliant Energy Center Coliseum, 7:30 pm: Two of the biggest names in Christian music history celebrate the reason for the season with accompaniment by the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Between the two of them, Smith and Grant have released at least eight Christmas albums, which they mine to create a holiday-themed setlist. Additionally, the tour will help support Operation Christmas Child, which has distributed more than 135 million shoeboxes full of fun gifts to children in need in 150 countries. Jordan Smith, winner of Season Nine of NBC’s The Voice, will also perform.
Richard Wiegel, Sunday, Dec. 10, Harmony Bar, 5 pm: Guitar master Richard Wiegel has been a mainstay of the Midwest music scene for five decades, from the late 1960s with The Bowery Boys (which morphed into Baby Grand and Clicker) and in more recent years with roots rockers The Midwesterners. During the past couple years Wiegel has cut back on his live dates greatly, so this matinee show celebrating the release of a new acoustic guitar album, Magic Wind, is not to be missed.
WORT-FM Birthday Party, Sunday, Dec. 10, High Noon Saloon, 6-9 pm: Madison's community radio station, WORT-FM, celebrates its birthday with music by steel drum band Panchromatic Steel and the Afro-Peruvian sounds of Golpe Tierra. Enjoy dinner from New Orleans Takeout and birthday cake, while raising money to help keep WORT on the air (tickets are $20 at the door, or $15 advance).
Erika Wennerstrom, Wednesday, Dec. 13, High Noon Saloon, 7:30 pm: Best known as the frontwoman of the critically acclaimed blues-country-rock band The Heartless Bastards, Erika Wennerstrom is working on a new solo album and touring in support of the project. There’s not much online about her new work, but for fans of the band, Wennerstrom’s new music will be worth checking out — her powerful voice and skillful songwriting were the driving forces behind the band’s success. With Christopher Gold.
Dead Horses, Thursday, Dec. 14, Majestic Theatre, 7:30 pm: Since forming in 2010, this Milwaukee-based band has quickly become one of Wisconsin’s best-loved Americana outfits. Blending influences from folk, bluegrass and Bible hymns, vocalist and frontwoman Sarah Vos creates a sound that’s rich, authentic and thoroughly modern. With Minneapolis bluegrass trio The Last Revel.
Mutts, Thursday, Dec. 14, The Frequency, 8 pm : Hailing from Chicago, Mutts lives up to its name with a rugged, shaggy blend of Americana and alt-rock. The guitars are mangy, the vocals tenacious and the drums punchy. They will be joined by another dog-themed band: campdoggz, also from Chicago and leaning Americana, but much closer to conventional folk than their canine peers. Their new album Riders in the Hils of Dying Heaven, inspired very much by the 2016 election, doggedly searches for meaning in the wake of something terrible. With Wetmouth.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
