Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of Nov. 9-16, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist!
VO5 + Better Yeti, Thursday, Nov. 9, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: MadCity Sessions kicks off its season of free concerts with a dance party guaranteed to warm up a fall evening — but also end early enough so you won’t be asleep at your desk Friday morning. Better Yeti has an elaborate backstory about Martians in Tibet, though astute clubgoers may recognize some Madison musicians on stage; no matter the band members’ origins, a funky good time is guaranteed. And the disco grooves of VO5 are always sure to send even non-dancers into a wiggle meltdown.
Beth Stelling, Thursday, Nov. 9, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm: Beth Stelling tours the country drinking white wine. She may have a few kids hidden around the country, too, but who has time to remember stuff like that? Certainly not Stelling, who keeps busy writing for friend Pete Holmes’ HBO series Crashing and appearing on multiple podcasts regularly. Her acerbic wit is amplified by her conversational delivery, making each standup set seem like she is just joking around with you at a low-key party. With Alex Dragicevich. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Nov. 10-11, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Odesza, Friday, Nov. 10, Alliant Energy Center, 7:30 pm: The superstar EDM duo returns to Madison, this time for their biggest show yet. Already well on the path to stardom by the time of their 2015 Orpheum show, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight this week visit the Alliant Center with an entire album’s worth of new material. A Moment Apart, released in September, shows signs of artistic maturity. They don't forget to create an upbeat jam such as “Boy,” but are also content to take things slower, as with “Just A Memory,” made whole by haunting vocals from none other than Regina Spektor. With Sofi Tukker, Kasbo.
Carrie Newcomer + Parker J. Palmer, Friday, Nov. 10, First United Methodist Church, 7:30 pm: Grammy-winning folk artist Carrie Newcomer and activist Parker J. Palmer weave together song and spoken word poetry, exploring themes of living hopefully and mindfully in troubling times. It’s a lofty ambition, but if anyone is to accomplish it, it’s Newcomer. Throughout 25 years of performing, the Michigan-born songwriter has always worn her optimism on her sleeve. The event itself has a good cause as well, with all the proceeds going to Madison-Dane County Courage to Teach, which offers retreats to teachers seeking to reconnect with their passions.
Aaron Lewis + Blackberry Smoke, Friday, Nov. 10, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: Nu metal juggernaut Staind may be on an indefinite hiatus, but Aaron Lewis is hardly resting on his laurels. The former frontman is now an accomplished country singer, and the “Sinners and Sanctified” tour finds Lewis co-headlining with Blackberry Smoke, a band of Atlanta-based southern rock road warriors whose latest album, Like an Arrow, charted high on both the U.S. country and rock charts. With upstart outlaw throwback Alex Williams.
Richard Thompson, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 10-11, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: Do you like stellar guitar playing, expressive singing, ace songwriting and a sharp wit to match? Then you likely are familiar with Thompson, a founder of British folk rock legends Fairport Convention, who has crafted an incandescent songbook as a solo artist (and with former musical and life partner Linda Thompson) since the early ‘70s. Sold out.
Armistice Day benefit for The Progressive, Saturday, Nov. 11, Barrymore Theatre, 7 pm: The Progressive magazine celebrates 108 years of being a voice of reason and justice with a peace activist’s dream bill. Longtime labor and civil rights activist and songwriter Si Kahn headlines, and he’s joined by Mad City Funk. The event also features music from former combat vets: singer-songwriter Jim Walktendonk and the Gospelaires (Will Williams and his wife, Dot).
Fall Gospel Fest, Saturday, Nov. 11, High Point Church, 7 pm: Some of the most powerful voices in gospel will be in Madison for this celebration of faith, community and music. Highlights include Grammy-nominated singers VaShawn Mitchell and Anita Wilson, plus the up-and-coming Koryn Hawthorne, who was a contestant on NBC’s The Voice. Also performing is local songwriter/producer Richard Jones, known as Odd Man OWT, and the Fall Gospel Fest mass choir.
The Great Give Back, Saturday, Nov. 11, Mr. Robert’s, 6 pm: The Jacy Ray Fund was founded in 2015 by the Madison Area Music Association to provide funds for musicians and their families in emergencies, medical or otherwise. The Lower 5th, Sam Ness and Fund founder Robert J will play, and there will also be a sale of art by Chris Murphy (open at noon) and 50/50 raffle.
The Love Czars, Saturday, Nov. 11, High Noon Saloon, 9 pm: Members of The Low Czars, an undersung and prodigiously talented rock cover band, are putting together a special show to commemorate the release of Love’s Forever Changes. As the Love Czars, they have convened on special occasions to revive the ‘60s Los Angeles band’s classics, and this show promises to be one of the most ambitious efforts yet, with the addition of Chris Vance (Grotto) on vocals, plus horn and string players. The Congregation, an energetic rock and soul band from Chicago, will open and include a tribute to Daptone star Charles Bradley, who died on Sept. 23.
Jai Wolf, Sunday, Nov. 12, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Jai Wolf has only been making music for the past six years, but the artist born Sajeeb Saha has made the most of it. In that short time, he’s collaborated with Skrillex, The Chainsmokers, and Melanie Martinez, and his debut 2016 EP Kindred Spirits peaked at number 10 on the Billboard dance charts. He’ll be joined by a pair of Angeleno synthpoppers Elohim and DJ AOBeats.
Hallow Point, Monday, Nov. 13, The Frequency, 8 pm: Metal can take many forms, as this four-band bill proves. Headliner Hallow Point, hailing from St. Louis and taking inspiration from the likes of Avenged Sevenfold and Lamb of God, makes its Madison debut in support of a five-track EP, Beyond Our Name. Three area bands also will take the stage. Janesville’s Living Inside Fearless Entropy plays metalcore (extreme metal blurred with hardcore punk), while Waunakee’s Waiting for Reason leans toward the melodic hard rock end of the metal spectrum. Desolate features former members of Casket Robbery, Sledgehammer Solution and Black With Envy. Your ears might bleed before this is all over, but it will feel so good.
The Hotelier, Wednesday, Nov. 15, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: With last year’s Goodness, lead singer Christian Holden and the rest of his Massachusetts-based outfit took the first step of moving beyond the raw anguish of their 2014 emo masterpiece Home, Like No Place There Is, and toward something resembling hope and redemption. Slimmed down to three members again, they’ll bring a more rock-centric vibe. With Oso Oso, Alex Napping.
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 albums, helping make him a rare jazz singer in modern times to cross over to pop success. 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.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
