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.
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Thursday, Oct. 18, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 pm: What is there left to say about Bruce Hornsby’s legendary career? As a solo artist and with The Noisemakers and his other associated acts, Hornsby has continued to redefine his sound with each release. On his latest, 2016’s Rehab Reunion, Hornsby and company team up with Justin Vernon and Mavis Staples. On “Over the Rise” they invoke some of Vernon’s haunting minimalism, and on “Celestial Ride,” they harness Staples’ upbeat blues. With Phil Cook.
Bettye LaVette, Friday, Oct. 19, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: LaVette’s career spans from collaborations with Otis Redding…to making a record with Drive-By Truckers. She says she doesn’t do covers, which is a funny thing since her newest release, Things Have Changed, is a 12-track package of Bob Dylan songs. You’ll know why Dylan is one of her devoted fans when you hear her interpretations. Born in Detroit, LaVette cut her teeth in the 1960s cranking out boisterous R&B in Memphis and at Muscle Shoals. In 2007, backed by the Truckers, she cut the Grammy-nominated Scene of the Crime. The Dylan project is her first major label project in 50 years. LaVette is the best living soul interpreter in the world, and she crowns a fall that’s filled with great female artists making their way through Wisconsin.
Executive Tea Set + Brennan Connors & Stray Passage, Friday, Oct. 19, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 7:30 pm: This InDIGenous Jazz concert, presented by the Madison Music Collective, features some of Madison’s finest players. Executive Tea Set includes drummer Michael Brenneis, pianist Mark Thierfelder and bassist Bradley Townsend; the group has been together for a decade, but they’ve recently joined forces with trumpeter Paul Dietrich. Brennan Connors & Stray Passage plans to improvise based on their “mind states,” and also play from their 2017 album, Emergence.
Maria Bamford, Friday, Oct. 19, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 8 pm: Maria Bamford is truly a one-of-a-kind comedian, willing to put herself, her family, her neuroses and even her bipolar diagnosis up on stage for all to see. She’s able to switch seamlessly from character to character, embodying many of our worst fears and greatest hopes, while barely taking a breath. Pugs are often involved, and sometimes they talk. And Bamford has a special PSA for Madison: Check her out on YouTube. You’ll want to know what you’re getting yourself into; be prepared for fierce feminism and fart noises. “And thank you for even considering seeing a live show,” Bamford tells Isthmus readers.
Bon Iver, Saturday, Oct. 20, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Justin Vernon has been active in Wisconsin politics this year, first endorsing Democrat Kelda Roys for governor and now throwing his support behind U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s reelection campaign. This fundraising event is Bon Iver’s first Madison appearance in years. General admission tickets are sold out, but there are still pricey balcony seats available. Do it for Tammy. Do it for America. With Chris Rosenau.
Mori Mente, Saturday, Oct. 20, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm: Dark, spooky and wonderfully weird, this experimental electronic pop project from multi-talented Madison musician Courtney Jarman sounds like something out of an intergalactic jazz lounge. She’s celebrating the release of her latest EP, Comparison (the thief of joy), alongside Chicago synthwave act RONIN and Madison electronic act Tarek Sabaar. It’s gonna be a sci-fi synthwave soiree.
Giggles for Gilda, Saturday, Oct. 20, Comedy on State, 5:30 pm: Ryan Hamilton, with a huge smile and unassuming face that would be well-suited for a 1930s hair pomade tin, is stepping up to help Madisonians affected by the recent flooding. His clean comedy is going to clean up for cancer support organization Gilda’s Club, as all proceeds from this exceedingly hilarious show go directly to helping restore their clubhouse, damaged by flooding. The giggles in the title are guaranteed, thanks to Hamilton’s small-city-boy-doing-big-city-comedy routine. Note: Hamilton also performs Thursday (8:30 pm) and Friday-Saturday (8 & 10:30 pm), Oct. 18-20.
Field Day: Tribute to Field Stark, Sunday, Oct. 21, Brink Lounge, 12:30 pm: Field Stark, who died way too young from cancer last February, had a voice like an angel. The trained opera singer explored classic jazz in her later years, and lucky for us, she left behind a beautiful album, The Long Goodbye. She also left behind a large group of musical collaborators who are gathering in her honor in a benefit for MAMA Cares, which provides funds for musicians with medical needs. Performers include Cliff Frederiksen, Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner, Robert J, Dave Stoler, Jourdan Hines, Mary Wallin and Acoustic Collective.
Leslie Damaso, Sunday, Oct. 21, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 3 pm: Kundiman, the traditional folk music of the Philippines, was developed as a means to covertly resist Spanish colonial rule. Sweet melodies and lyrics about love conveyed messages about the desire for freedom. Philippine-born, Mineral Point singer Leslie Damaso will perform alongside pianist Jason Kutz and percussionist Michael Koszewski.
Joyce Manor, Monday, Oct. 22, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: For years, Joyce Manor mastered the art of short, punchy punk songs, with their first three albums clocking in at less than an hour combined. Then came 2016’s Cody, an ambitious effort that wasn’t just longer, but richer than anything the California punks had done before. The influence of everyone from Elvis Costello to Elliott Smith is audibly present, specifically in Barry Johnson’s wry, self-deprecating songwriting. Now Joyce Manor is gearing up to release their fifth LP, Million Dollars to Kill Me, and if its title track is any indication, the band isn’t done growing quite yet. With Vundabar, Peach Kelli Pop.
They Might Be Giants, Tuesday, Oct. 23, Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm: Over the last three-and-a-half decades, the band helmed by the Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) has more than lived up to its moniker and become a musical institution. On this tour, TMBG will play songs from throughout their extensive discography — now at 20 studio albums chock full of whimsy and classic pop songs — as well as from farther-flung sources (perhaps some Dial-a-Song numbers?). Note: While the band is well-known among the junior set, this tour is intended for ages 14 and up.
Slothrust, Tuesday, Oct. 23, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: It’s no secret that contemporary indie rock has been throwing it back to the 1990s for the last few years. But few bands sound as authentically of that time as Slothrust. The L.A.-via-Boston trio is awash in reverb, catering in the same fuzzy riffing and esoteric songwriting that made artists like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement so vital during their heyday. And the band appears to be hitting its stride. They recently released The Pact, their fourth LP, and its lead single “Birthday Cake” is a crisp, spunky song that will make you want to throw on a pair of Airwalk sneakers and party like it’s 1995. With Mannequin Pussy, Heavy Looks.
Paul Jacobs, Tuesday, Oct. 23, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: The first and only organist to ever win a Grammy Award, Paul Jacobs is considered one of the greatest musicians of our generation. He’s also famous for playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete organ works in an 18-hour marathon on the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. This concert won’t be as long, but it’s all Bach, baby. Jacobs has chosen his favorite vignettes from the master composer’s catalogue.
Tyler Childers, Wednesday, Oct. 24, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Tyler Childers is from the same area of eastern Kentucky as country icons Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson. At age 27, he’s the youngest and hottest of them all, thanks to his first major release, the Simpson-produced Purgatory, in 2017. Childers sounds like a country Kurt Cobain with the wit of Steve Earle, and Purgatory is a sensational concept album that’s gritty, fun and full of Appalachian honky tonk. Most shows of this tour have sold out, including this one (at first). The show was slated for the Majestic but moved to The Sylvee due to higher demand. With Ona.
Dom Flemons, Thursday, Oct. 25, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: Dom Flemons may be best known for his work as a co-founder of Carolina Chocolate Drops, the popular stringband featuring Rhiannon Giddens that played Orton Park Festival in 2010. In his solo career, Flemons is a performer and keeper of African American music forms, a status reflected in his performance at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. He’ll play from a deep songbook, including 2018’s Black Cowboy. With Nickel & Rose.
Far Out Folk, Thursday, Oct. 25, Gates of Heaven, 7:30 pm: Cellist/composer/arranger Fred Katz had a wide-ranging career, from pioneering “chamber jazz” with the 1950s Chico Hamilton Quintet to scoring various Roger Corman films to three decades as an ethnomusicologist at California universities. At this concert, Madison composer Geoffrey Brady pays tribute to Katz’ 1958 album Folk Songs for Far Out Folk by incorporating traditional and other music from around the world into extended frameworks for Yid Vicious to do their thing.
Michelle Wolf, Thursday, Oct. 25, Comedy on State, 8 pm: Michelle Wolf has had an eventful year. After giving Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders the business at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and the short run of her Netflix show The Break, Wolf returns to the stand-up circuit with new material. The former Daily Show correspondent takes a sly approach to comedy, attacking the topics of the day with biting wit and ironic enthusiasm. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Oct. 26-27, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
