Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison this week. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.
Rachael & Vilray, Thursday, Feb. 14, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: Recreating big band hits and other pop music from 1930s and '40s radio, Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive) and Vilray share a microphone and create a world with just their voices and a single guitar. Harking back to a lost era of popular songwriting, the two friends share a passion for the music that helped put American artists on the world stage for the first time.
Mandolin Orange, Thursday, Feb. 14, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: On their sixth studio album, Tides of a Teardrop, this North Carolina duo crafts gentle, meditative folk music that explores grief, spirituality and bittersweet life lessons. Singer-songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz excel at creating cerebral, empathetic Americana — a refreshing departure from bands like Mumford & Sons. With Mapache. Sold out.
Kim/Kielson Duo, Thursday, Feb. 14, Chocolaterian Cafe, Middleton, 7 pm: Music from the dramatic, virtuosic Baroque period takes center stage at this performance from Kangwon Lee Kim (violin) and Lisette Kielson (recorder). The duo will perform popular songs from the era: canons and chaconnes composed by masters including Bach, Merula, Telemann and more. Considering the setting and the date, expect wine and chocolate, too. Name your own ticket price; $25-$30 is suggested.
Les Cougars, Thursday, Feb. 14, High Noon Saloon, 7 pm: This Madison-based neo-burlesque troupe presents a night of comedy, dance and sexiness for all. It includes local divas in their 30s and 40s, including Tulin Waters (aka La Bomba), Lindsay Evans (Sexy Ester), kombucha queen Vanessa Tortolano (Monkey Business Institute) and more fabulous women.
Midwinter Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest, Feb. 15-16, Brink Lounge, 7:30 pm: Four acts, two nights, one weekend of wildly exuberant music in the tradition of Django Reinhardt. Madison gypsy swing band Harmonious Wail hosts this annual event and will perform both nights alongside Le Maestrio, a guitar three-piece from France; Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan from Chicago; and violinist Tim Kliphuis from the Netherlands. Stick around for a monster jam session at the end of the night.
The Suffers, Friday, Feb. 15, High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm: Hailing from Houston, Texas, The Suffers’ music is built on a ’70s-style R&B base, which should inspire a dance party to unfreeze Madisonians suffering through winter’s depths. On the 2018 album Everything Here, the group sounds thoroughly fresh and modern, thanks to strong songwriting, dynamic frontwoman Kam Franklin’s expressive vocals, and judicious additions to their sonic palette (classical-styled strings, and what sounds like steel guitar, for just two examples). With Krystal Metcalfe.
Yipes! Friday, Feb. 15, Club Tavern, 8 pm: After playing only three shows in 36 years, the original lineup of Yipes! — the power pop/rock band that formed in Madison in the late ’70s and opened for everyone from B-52s to Triumph — is touring Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota in support of a new album, the retro yet fresh-sounding Yipes!!! These guys gigged all over Madison, including long-gone Headliners and Shuffle Inn, before releasing two albums on RCA/Millennium Records. Frontman Pat McCurdy says fans should expect two sets that mix and match new songs with classics from 1979’s self-titled debut and 1980’s A Bit Irrational.
Watsky, Friday, Feb. 15, Majestic Theatre, 9 pm: Hot off the January release of his new full-length album, Complaint, rapper Watsky brings his slam poetry-inspired hip-hop to the Majestic. On the single “Welcome to the Family,” he delivers clever wordplay and a sense of positivity over a slick, hi-hat heavy beat. Fellow rapper Grieves opens. Sold out.
MAMA Cares Winter Ball, Saturday, Feb. 16, High Noon Saloon, 7 pm: Like anyone living paycheck to paycheck, those who make art for a living are often caught short of funds in an emergency. The Madison Area Music Association’s MAMA Cares fund was established to help cover health care costs for local musicians in need. This fundraiser concert is always an all-star cross-section of local artists; this year should keep the crowd moving with sets by blues warriors Madtown Mannish Boys, Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Band and the mobile dance party that is VO5.
Gaines & Wagoner, Saturday, Feb. 16, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: It’s hard to overstate the musical pedigree of Mary Gaines (vocals, cello) and Chris Wagoner (vocals, fiddle). They’ve been playing around the world, teaching and collaborating for decades, committed to pushing into new territory with every new project. At this magnificent venue, they’ll be introducing a new electrified string trio, The Diddy Wah Diddies. The show has dramatic elements, too, with an opening monologue from the “ghost of the opera house.” They’ll also play music from their most recent release, LO-FI EP No. 1, a delectable and gritty illustration of their talents.
Ugochi, Saturday, Feb. 16, Cafe Coda, 8 pm: Ugochi’s latest album, Love Shot, is an uplifting, spellbinding blend of African rhythms, jazz and soul, highlighted by Ugochi’s exquisite voice and poetic, evocative lyrics. This show will be a wonderful opportunity to see this brilliant, world-renowned artist in an intimate setting — as well as a chance to simply dance your cares away.
John Harbison celebration, Sunday, Feb. 17, UW Humanities Building-Mills Hall, 7:30 pm: Part-time Madisonian and full-time classical music superstar John Harbison celebrates his 80th year with a commission written for UW-Madison violist Sally Chisolm. The Pro Arte Quartet will perform Haydn’s “Sunrise” string quartet and Harbison’s “Four Encores for Stan,” an homage to Polish composer Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. And the world premiere of Harbison’s new “Sonata for viola and Piano” — which will also be played in London and Berlin — will finish out the memorable concert.
Bryce Vine, Tuesday, Feb. 19, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Hailing from New York City, Bryce Vine makes music about the tumult and impetuousness of millennial life and romance. His hit song “Drew Barrymore” has Vine (alongside D.C. legend Wale) rapping and singing about himself and his romantic partner over a trap snare pattern and synths. With Kid Quill, 7715.
Real Feels, Wednesday, Feb. 20, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 8 pm: Guitar, drums and ... flugelhorn? Minnesota native John Raymond showcases the mellow, trumpet-adjacent brass instrument in this genre-bending trio. Raymond’s compositions are rooted in jazz but influenced by indie rock, folk and electronic music — think shreddy guitar solos, lush yet nimble post-rock percussion, and smooth, soaring horn melodies.
Dropkick Murphys, Wednesday, Feb. 20, The Sylvee, 6:45 pm: A merging of hardcore punk and Celtic folk might seem like a bridge to nowhere, but the beloved Boston outfit Dropkick Murphys has been proving that assumption wrong for more than two decades. They visit Madison on their traditional winter/St. Patrick’s Day-vicinity tour, along with snotty international export Booze & Glory, longtime Boston performer Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One, and folk-metal mixer Amigo The Devil.
Daniel Champagne, Wednesday, Feb. 20, Art In Gallery, 9 pm: At first, Australian native Daniel Champagne might appear to be another entrant in the sensitive-singer-songwriter sweepstakes. But those listening deeper — or seeing a video — will quickly be hooked by his singular style and dazzling technique on guitar. Now based in Nashville, he’s swinging north for a few shows; here’s your chance to see him in person, in the homey confines of Art In. With Paul Creswell. (NOTE: Tonight's show is canceled due to the weather.)
Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, Thursday, Feb. 21, Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm: If Waylon Jennings had decided to go in a hard rock direction in the latter half of the ’70s (rather than adding a disco backbeat), it may have come out sounding something like Hard Times and White Lines, the new album from Whitey Morgan & the 78's. A song cycle on the downsides of mid-life drinking, drugging and dead-end jobs, the hard country arrangements match well with Morgan’s tales of lost souls. With Alex Williams.
A Bowie Celebration, Thursday, Feb. 21, Orpheum, 7:30 pm: The Thin White Duke lives on thanks to this critically acclaimed act headed up by David Bowie’s longest-serving sideman — keyboardist and band leader Mike Garson — along with talented alumni of Bowie’s bands from across the decades. These guys play all the hits, plus new Bowie songs fans haven’t heard before.
Into the Woods, Thursday, Feb. 21, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 pm: Stephen Sondheim Month continues, after Madison Opera’s acclaimed production of A Little Night Music (Feb. 8-10, see review, page XX). Now it’s all hands on deck for a joint production from University Opera and University Theatre. Into the Woods is Sondheim’s intertwining of classic fairy tales, with Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and more. This production will fill the stage with 20 singer-actors and 70 musicians and backstage personnel, putting Madison’s deeply talented stage artisans through their paces. ALSO: Friday (7:30 pm), Saturday (2 & 7:30 pm) and Sunday (2 pm), Feb. 22-24.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
