Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of Nov. 16-22, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist!
Gregory Porter, Thursday, Nov. 16, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: A rich baritone with a touch of grit, Gregory Porter nabbed Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammys for his first two Blue Note discs, helping him cross over to pop success — a rare feat in modern times. His latest, the just-released Nat “King” Cole & Me, draws from the catalog of the man who is perhaps the most legendary jazz-pop crossover of all time, to scintillating effect.
Kansas, Friday, Nov. 17, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 8 pm: Rarely do albums released more than 40 years into a band’s career rival some of that group’s best work. Yet, with 2016’s The Prelude Implicit, Kansas loaded its first record of new music in 16 years with sophisticated progressive rock that immediately sounds classic. The band is playing at least one song from that album on its current tour, but the majority of the setlist focuses on 1976’s Leftoverture — Kansas’ second-highest-charting album (and the one with “Carry On Wayward Son”). Don’t expect to see founding member and lead singer Steve Walsh, though; he retired from Kansas in 2014 and was replaced by Ronnie Platt, who admirably fills the void.
Louis the Child, Friday, Nov. 17, Orpheum Theater, 7 pm: Though Robby Hauldren and Freddy Kennett attended New Trier High in Winnetka, Illinois, at the same time, the pair now known as Louis the Child didn’t actually meet until their paths crossed at a show by French DJ Madeon. The prolific electronic producer/remixer team is one of the hottest acts in dance music, with their work appearing everywhere from the FIFA series of video games to a Taylor Swift playlist. Louis the Child’s latest EP, Love is Alive, was released in March, and their remix of Chance The Rapper’s “All Night” dropped in August. With Joey Purp, Win & Woo, Party Pupils.
Fox Face (album release), Friday, Nov. 17, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm: Milwaukee quartet Fox Face is one of the best new bands to emerge from Brew City in recent years. A blast of riot grrrl attitude and fuzzy guitars combines with catchy songcraft, creating a set of spiky anthems in support of feminism and rational thinking on the debut album, Spoil + Destroy. With No Hoax, Cool Building.
Rabit, Friday, Nov. 17, Art In, 8 pm: It’s highly unusual for this Texas-based producer to make an appearance in the Midwest, and, for fans of industrial grime, this performance is not to be missed. Rabit is hugely popular in the U.K. (the birthplace of grime) and recently produced a song for Bjork. Also on the bill is the fantastic Milwaukee-based rapper Zed Kenzo, plus a collaborative set between Madison synth-wranglers Noxroy (Andrew Fitzpatrick) and Auscultation (Joel Shanahan).
CANCELED: Jeff Garlin, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 17-18, Comedy Club on State, 8 & 10:30 pm: Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) is a bona fide comedy titan. He trained with the Second City, was roommates with Conan O’Brien, and is hands-down one of the smoothest improvisers around. You might as well buy tickets to all of his shows, since they will each have something new to offer; he’s said he makes up most of his stand-up in the moment because it helps him to relax.
Jim Lauderdale, Saturday, Nov. 18, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: If you’ve spent any time listening to country music the past few decades, you know Jim Lauderdale’s songs, covered by a who’s who of Nashville stars. In his own prolific recording career, Lauderdale has collaborated with artists as diverse as bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and jam band Donna the Buffalo. He remains the best interpreter of his songs, and an engaging performer who can convert a listener into a lifetime fan with just one show.
Fire Heads (album release), Saturday, Nov. 18, Crystal Corner, 9 pm: In January, the beloved Madison garage rock band formerly known as Fire Retarded officially changed their name to Fire Heads, because they are kind and decent people, in addition to being truly exceptional shredders. Come out and celebrate the release of their second full-length album, a 12-track, self-titled LP that’s been two years in the making. It features the same dudes and the same ’tudes, but a slightly denser, darker vibe than their 2014 debut, Scroggz Manor. With Vanishing Kids, Calliope, Dharma Dogs.
CANCELED: Yaeji, Thursday, Nov. 18, UW Memorial Union-Der Rathskeller, 9 pm: This New York City-based singer, rapper, producer and DJ released her debut EP last spring to widespread critical acclaim. With crisp, driving beats, throbbing bass and breathy talk-singing vocals that seamlessly blend Korean and English, Yaeji is equal parts rap and techno. Her follow-up EP dropped Nov. 3, a continuation of her quest to create unconventional house music.
Dirty Heads, Saturday, Nov. 18, Orpheum Theater, 7 pm: Though Sublime singer Bradley Nowell died in 1996, his spirit lives on through bands like Dirty Heads. With a breezy ska-fusion sound honed over six albums (the most recent being this year’s Swim Team), Dirty Heads are helping preserve Nowell’s distinctly Southern Californian legacy. With The Unlikely Candidates, Tyrone’s Jacket.
Cut Copy, Saturday, Nov. 18, Majestic Theatre, 9 pm: Since 2001, this Australian synth-pop band has been putting out some of the catchiest, most danceable electronic indie music around. With breakout singles like “Lights & Music” and “Hearts on Fire,” the group achieved mainstream success. Their latest album, Haiku From Zero, released in 2017, juxtaposes tropical rhythms over melancholy vocals with a heavy dose of nostalgia. With Palmbomen.
Gel Set, Saturday, Nov. 18, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm: Dreamy, woozy and just a little bit crunchy, this electronic synth pop project from Los Angeles-based artist and musician Laura Callier is as interesting as it is weird. Her latest album, Body Copy, was recorded the bedroom of her Koreatown apartment and features psychedelic melodies and hypnotic vocals. With Spa Moans, an experimental electronic pop group from Chicago, and Legalize It, the DJ project from Madison’s Evan Woodward and Ian Adcock.
Trexgiving. Saturday Nov. 18, Frequency, 8 pm: What better way to ring in the holiday season than with an earsplitting evening of local and regional metal? The bill includes blackened doomsters Bereft, female-fronted atmospheric death metal band Avé Imperator and extremist headbangers Disgunt (all from Madison); Towering Abomination, a technical death metal outfit out of Milwaukee; deathcore specialists Disclaimer, boasting at least one member from Wisconsin; and Reaping Asmodeia, a progressive/technical death metal band from Minneapolis. Prepare to bleed.
Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Sunday, Nov. 19, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: Chris Robinson Brotherhood picks up the Cosmic American Music mantle left behind by Gram Parsons and spins it into a crazy quilt of rootsy, jam-friendly rock (with a bit of Pink Floyd tossed in for good measure). The band is on tour behind Barefoot in the Head, their fifth studio album since 2012 and an excellent introduction to their rock-solid musicianship and free-flowing songwriting partnership.
Noname, Monday, Nov. 20, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: In the past few years, Chance the Rapper has skyrocketed in popularity, taking many of the local Chicago artists who featured on his watershed mixtape Acid Rap with him. Among those is Noname, a 26-year-old Windy City rapper and poet whose 2016 debut mixtape Telefone landed on a countless amount of year-end best-ofs; her jazzy aesthetic is influenced as much by Nina Simone as it is by Missy Elliott. With Arima Ederra.
Bruce Cockburn, Tuesday, Nov. 21, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: Canadian Music Hall of Famer Cockburn was playing world music 25 years before the term even existed. A gentle soul and an assassin of a guitar player, Cockburn just released Bone on Bone, his first album in six years. We’re excited to hear the new songs, along with favorites from his five-decade, 25-album output.
Kevin Bozeman’s Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 22, Comedy Club on State, 8 pm: Here to give thanks at the club that started it all, Kevin Bozeman returns for his 13th annual stand-up showcase. The Wisconsin native leads a comedic cavalry through a night of heavy drinking and jokes about dysfunctional families. The show boasts yet another impressive roster, featuring Chad Daniels, Robert Hawkins, Erica Nicole Clark and other undisclosed special guests. Past mystery guests have included stand-up superstar Hannibal Buress and Chris Redd (now an SNL cast member), so you never know who might show up! Come stuff your face in a veritable comedy buffet before stuffing your face with, well, stuffing.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
