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.
Neil Young, Thursday, Jan. 24, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: As listeners following the various releases in the Neil Young Archives Series have learned, a solo Young show can be a delightfully unpredictable affair. Madison audiences will get a chance to experience the mercurial artist in person while enjoying the perfect acoustics of Overture Hall. Tickets went on sale a few weeks ago for members of his Archives website, but the show is now open to the general public.
Eric Johnson, Thursday, Jan. 24, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: Eric Johnson wrote “Cliffs of Dover,” one of the most memorable electric guitar instrumentals of all time (and it won a Grammy, too). Now, almost 30 years after its 1990 release, Johnson is performing the album on which it appears — Ah Via Musicom — in its entirety, backed by an electric band.
Davu Seru + Jamal Moore, Friday, Jan. 25, Art s + Literature Lab, 8 pm: This award-winning composer-improviser-drummer from St. Paul is also a professor of African American literature and the bandleader for the ensemble No Territory Band. In his release, Live in Minneapolis, Seru all but deconstructs his drum kit — careful control masquerading as reckless abandon. He’ll be joined by Baltimore multi-instrumentalist Jamal Moore, and the two artists will lead a discussion on black cultural praxis following their performances.
Betsy Ezell Quintet, Friday, Jan. 25, North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: Jazz newcomer Betsy Ezell blends elements of soul, gospel and Latin jazz on her debut album, Voices, which celebrates women’s perspectives and current cultural movements. This group features Madison jazz veterans Becca May Grant, Richard Hildner, Laurie Lang and Chris Sandoval.
Music for Good, Friday, Jan. 25, High Noon Saloon, 6 pm: For more than 40 years, NAMI Dane County has provided much-needed support to people with mental illness. This benefit concert for NAMI will feature performances by local Americana and rock artists, including The Whiskey Farm, Sam Grady, CC & the Sandburgers, Raine Stern, Shuffleplay, Wes Urbaniak and The N’achos.
The Exile Project: 1979, Saturday, Jan. 26, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Named for its first show (The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St.), the Exile Project has since taken on albums by the Beach Boys, The Beatles and Cheap Trick (Midwest represent!). This year, the collective of local performers — including Treemo, German Art Students, Anna Wang, Betsy Ezell, Ellie Erickson and many others — tackles the year that disco, new wave, dinosaur rock and pop fought it out for the airwaves.
Noname, Saturday, Jan. 26, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Hip-hop has a long history of transcendent debut albums; from Illmatic to The College Dropout, rap is all about first impressions. Room 25, the jazzy first album of Chicago’s Noname (following the 2016 mixtape Telefone), stands with the giants. It’s remarkably assured in its execution, delivering a modernized neo-soul that’s caustic at times but mostly warm and inviting. Even when Noname is exploring darker subject matter, she does so in a way that makes you want to share the pain with her. With fellow Chicagoan (and Fox Valley native) Elton.
Downlink, Saturday, Jan. 26, Liquid,10 pm: Canadian DJ and internationally touring musician Downlink stops through Madison on his “The Door System” tour. With production credits with the likes of Korn and multiple hits in the bass music scene, he’s known as an energetic and technically proficient provider of dance music with unexpected musical twists. With Al Ross, Ace, Lockvibe, C.A.M., FMJ.
Frostiball, Saturday, Jan. 26, Overture Center, 8:30 pm-2 am: This annual winter fete raises funds for Overture’s extensive free community programming. Enjoy dancing in the Main Lobby with the UpBeat Orchestra, or some casino-style gaming and entertainment by Doug Brown and Lo Marie, as well as Jerry Ensemble performers. Late-night beats are provided by DJ Pain 1 at the Isthmus After Party.
American Noise: Vol. 2 release party, Saturday, Jan. 26, Barrymore Theatre, 7 pm: Celebrate Madison’s role in the grunge evolution at this record release party/independent documentary film festival. American Noise: Vol. 2 features songs from non-local bands that recorded at Smart Studios (we’re looking at you, Crucifucks!) and is the second release in a limited-edition, vinyl-only series that began in 2016. Meanwhile, The Smart Studios Story, produced by local filmmaker Wendy Schneider, returns to the big screen, and L7: Pretend We’re Dead hits Madison for the first time. Vintage videos of local bands will play during intermission. “It’s a slice of Madison history,” says Butch Vig, who owned Smart with fellow Garbage man Steve Marker.
The Flop House, Saturday, Jan. 26, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 8 pm: In summer 2007, three guys decided to make a podcast called The Flop House. Since then, Dan McCoy (The Daily Show writer), Elliott Kalan (Mystery Science Theater 3000 head writer) and Stuart Wellington have torn apart hundreds of films for the amusement of listeners. The trio is embarking on a rare live tour, and stopping by the Union to mock the recent critical disappointment Venom. Watch the movie before you come; they don’t screen it!
Marcus King Band, Sunday, Jan. 27, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Have the blues about another work week kicking off? Burn off some of that angst with a show by the Marcus King Band, on tour behind the new album, Carolina Confessions. The sprawling, personal song cycle was penned by 22-year-old bandleader King, displaying songwriting chops to match his melodic and fiery guitar-slinging. The sextet is especially recommended for anyone who is a fan of the Allman Brothers Band or Black Crowes; catch them in a club before they blow up. With Lou Shields.
Gregory Alan Isakov, Sunday, Jan 27, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: Like the crops he grows on his three-acre Colorado farm, the indie-folk artist’s music nourishes the soul. On songs like “San Luis,” from last year’s Evening Machines, Isakov takes listeners on contemplative strolls through the sonic soundscapes he records in his own barn. With Danny Black of Good Old War.
Schubertiade, Sunday, Jan. 27, UW Humanities Building-Morphy Hall, 2 pm (lecture); Mills Hall, 3 pm (concert): World-renowned music expert and retired Notre Dame professor Susan Yoeuns will discuss the songs of 19th-century Austrian composer Franz Schubert. Events include a performance of Schubert’s “Swan Songs,” that includes pianists Martha Fischer and William Lutes, plus UW-Madison students and faculty.
King Tuff, Wednesday, Jan. 30, High Noon Saloon, 9 pm: King Tuff is a hard band to pin down. In their eclectic live sets, Kyle Thomas and his bandmates remind the listener of The Beach Boys and Black Sabbath. In fact, the Vermont-born garage rockers exist somewhere on the musical spectrum between those two bands. They have the warm psychedelics of the former and the overdriven gauze of the latter, and their new, tripped-out album The Other is mandatory listening. With Stonefield, Fire Heads.
Alison Wonderland + Dillon Francis, Thursday, Jan. 31, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Power duo DJs Dillon Francis and Australia’s Alison Wonderland team up for a co-headlining tour. Francis is based in L.A. and is known for fusing house music and reggaeton and producing huge Latin music releases. Alison Wonderland was No. 1 on the Billboard charts with her electro-pop, which earned her the highest-ever billing for a female DJ at Coachella. Florida-based DJ Diablo opens.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been corrected to include information about Noname's first mixtape.
