Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of Oct. 19-26, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist!
Deer Tick, Thursday, Oct. 19, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Deer Tick’s songs have always been as ready for a campfire as they are for a kegger, and their latest album release exemplifies that: two records, one acoustic and one electric. The tour will follow suit, with unplugged tunes before a brief intermission, then a typically rocking, booze-soaked party for the closer. With Chris Crofton.
Sonic Voyage Fest, Friday, Oct. 20, The Frequency, 9 pm: A night of adventurous yet accessible progressive music for 10 bucks? We’re in! This aptly named showcase features Stratospheerius, a New York-based band anchored by Joe Deninzon, who’s been called “the Jimi Hendrix of the electric violin.” The group’s new album, Guilty of Innocence, might be the freshest rock-jazz-funk-jam hybrid you’ve heard all year. Arrive early to experience the thick grooves of Chicago’s post-instrumental rockers Zaius, the fusion-infused Los Angeles power trio King Llama and Madison’s own nutcases White Bush Unicorn, a crazy collective that wrote a song called “Bernie Sanders” and rhymes “no money” with “Pablo Honey.”
Halloween Scene, Friday, Oct. 20, Union South-The Sett, 9 pm: Are you a freak? Would you like to be transported into another plane of existence? If the answer is yes, come rave the night away with Chicago-based industrial electronic artist Beau Wanzer — as a DJ, he’s known for spinning gritty industrial dance cuts and bizarro tracks that explore the creepy side of techno. He’s joined by Madison’s own high-crested synth prince Golden Donna, who will perform a special live set. DJ Lauden of TV Dinner opens up the night with his signature mix of house, synth pop and rap jams.
Julien Baker, Friday, Oct. 20, Majestic Theatre, 9 pm: As a queer, Christian singer-songwriter who grew up in Memphis, Julien Baker brings an intriguing mix of intersecting identities to her ethereal, folk-inflected music. Minimalist, hushed and almost prayer-like, her songs are intimate portraits of huge emotions. Joining the bill is Half Waif, the acclaimed synth pop project from Nandi Rose Plunkett of the indie rock band Pinegrove; and Petal.
Joe Policastro Trio, Friday, Oct. 20, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 8 pm: This versatile, Chicago-based jazz trio uses the classic instrumentation of bass, guitar and drums to explore musical stylings from rock to funk to Brazilian. For their latest release, Screen Sounds, the trio has reimagined music from classic television shows and movies. Themes from Twin Peaks, The Godfather, Blade Runner and Midnight Cowboy are among the works to get the Policastro treatment.
S’notfest, Saturday, Oct. 21, Knuckle Down Saloon, 1 pm-1 am: For a crash course on the upper Midwest punk scene in 2017, plan to spend the day at the Knuckle Down Saloon: 18 bands will hit the stage as part of a jam-packed lineup. Be sure to catch visitors such as Chicago’s Shitizen (5:45 pm), who, judging by their recordings, always keep their no-nonsense aggro blasts under two minutes, and Milwaukee glam-punk trio Indonesian Junk (9:15 pm), who just released their third LP, Stars in the Night. Madison is well represented by the office-terror-themed MAMA Award winners Help Desk (2:15 pm) and hooky, anthemic Deal Breakers (11:35 pm). Full schedule.
Hayward Williams, Saturday, Oct. 21, Crescendo Espresso Bar, 7 pm: Often dark, always honest and in the groove, Williams continues to break new ground in new-traditional folk rock. There’s a ghostly spirit that floats through the songs on his new album, Pretenders. Williams is a wary caretaker of those spirits. His songs brim with the smoke-and-mirror lyricism of Leonard Cohen — and the rocker’s heart of Neil Young. With Paul Otteson.
Cats on Leashes CD release, Saturday, Oct. 21, The Frequency, 10 pm: Madison four-piece Cats on Leashes unveils their debut CD, Give to Get Got, 11 tracks of fuzzed-out rock mixed with equal doses of dark snark and riot grrrl sass (provided by singer/guitarist Jeri Casper, whose day job is as an Isthmus advertising assistant). The band brings emotional resonance to tales of relationships going (or gone) wrong, but also can turn a phrase to set you laughing moments later. With High School Pizza, Black Cat.
John Harmon Trio, Sunday, Oct. 22, Brink Lounge, 3 pm: This Oshkosh-born pianist is a big name in jazz. The Lawrence University grad moved on to New York City and Europe to study with legends Oscar Peterson and Henri Pousseur. He returned to his alma mater in 1971 where he founded the college’s jazz studies program. He also was a pioneer of the jazz fusion movement, incorporating funk, rock and blues into the genre. See him at this laid-back Jazz on a Sunday event, sponsored by the Madison Music Collective. Learn from the master by sticking around for the post-concert improv workshop.
Violent Femmes: Tuesday, Oct. 24, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: Whether it be clanking folk-punk, catchy pop or spirituals, Milwaukee natives Violent Femmes have always followed their own musical path since forming in the early ‘80s. After a long hiatus from recording, they returned last year with We Can Do Anything, and this summer delivered a live album appropriately subtitled Unplugged & Unhinged In America, proving they remain one of the state’s most vital bands. With Wisconsin’s globe-trotting rock troubadour, Brett Newski.
Tera Melos + Speedy Ortiz, Tuesday, Oct. 24, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Members of the California math rock trio Tera Melos are experts in creating music through the power of expansion and contraction, layering atmospheric electronics and frenetic guitar noodling over wild polyphonic rhythms. The band has been on hiatus for a few years while members pursued other projects, but 2017 brought a new LP, Trash Generator — exactly the kind of tight, dense, exuberant album that fans have been waiting for. They’re touring with the excellent Massachusetts indie quartet Speedy Ortiz, a group that channels the quirky, Pavement-inspired slacker-rock vibe of the ’90s. With The Goat Wizard.
Cults, Wednesday, Oct. 25, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Cults has never been afraid of letting their freak flag fly high. The New York indie pop duo of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion used footage from the Jonestown massacre in their first video, showing a certain amount of fearlessness. And they just released a new album, Offering, which takes some of its influence from ’80s power poppers like The Cars and The Motels — helping grow Cults’ sound into a more anthemic direction. With Cullen Omori (ex-Smith Westerns) and Hideout.
Tori Amos, Thursday, Oct. 26, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: People tend to have strong, polarized reactions to Tori Amos. She’s either a divine pagan goddess or a pig-suckling weirdo. But whether you love or hate her, you can’t deny that she’s a groundbreaking artist with immense musical talent and commercial success to match. She’s touring in support of her new album, Native Invader. Her 15th studio release and her first since 2014, it’s a politically charged exploration of personal pain and shared national trauma. In many ways, the new album is classic Tori — lyrically gorgeous with bright, airy vocals over sparkling clean piano and fuzzed out guitar. The world might be going to hell in a handbasket, but at least the protest songs are good.
Bumper Jacksons, Thursday, Oct. 26, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: The winners of the Washington (D.C.) Area Music Awards are promising Madison some raucous fun. The female-fronted roots act blends jazz, swing and blues with pedal steel guitar and New Orleans-style brass. Sounds like a dance party is in the works.
Super Doppler, Thursday, Oct. 26, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: Blending Beatlesque pop with Stax-y horns and a dash of Southern rock grit, Super Doppler leans in retro direction, but keeps it fresh with sharp songwriting and plenty of hooks. Their 2017 release Moonlight Anthems could be the great lost rock record of 1970, if it wasn’t brand new.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
