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.
Justin Hayward, Thursday, Aug. 30, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: Dubbed “the voice of the Moody Blues,” due to the fact that he wrote and sang most of the songs you will remember from the British art-rock group, Justin Hayward is trading on the acoustic approach to present simple, and perhaps more compelling, versions of classics like “Nights in White Satin,” “Question,” “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” and “Your Wildest Dreams,” the song he says is his personal favorite. This is a chance to get up close and personal with the backbone of one of the bands that changed the direction of rock music in the 1960s and ’70s. Hayward appears with finger-percussive style guitarist Mike Dawes. “Mike is worth the price of admission alone,” Hayward says. “I think people will walk away saying, ‘Wow, Dawes was great. And that other guy wasn’t too bad, either.’”
Woodrow, Thursday, Aug. 30, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Indie pop outfit Woodrow returns with their third EP, Ice Cream for Breakfast. The new release follows up 2017’s Buds & Thorns, and captures for posterity the tunes Woodrow wrote for 105.5’s Project M flash songwriting competition. Supporting acts include Sunday Night Records’ pop-country troubadour (and 2018 Project M winner) Chloe Louise, along with Americana twosome Wise Jennings.
Tunes on the Triangle, Thursday, Aug. 30, across from Schenk Elementary, 4:30-9:30 pm: This benefit for the Kids’ Weekend Nutrition Program features music from Acoustic Collective, Root of the Love Tree, Perfect Fifth, Oak Street Ramblers and Natty Nation. There will also be food carts, a homemade pie auction and a performance by Science Fusion Theatre. Last year, the organization provided 8,000 bags of food for kids in need. Help them fill them up, because no one should have to go hungry in our city.
Smokin’ With Superman, Friday, Aug. 31, High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm: For the first time in more than a decade, Madison neo-soul/funk septet Smokin’ with Superman is back. Featuring the complementary talents of rapper Mr. Parker and vocalist Joy Dragland, SWS is reminiscent of The Roots in their ability to seamlessly hop between genres. With the group back in action, we can only imagine it’s just a matter of time before Jimmy Fallon comes calling. Local Afrobeat collective Immigré opens.
Solid Freex, Friday, Aug. 31, Communication, 7:30 pm: Do you like the rock? If so, this is your show of the week. Solid Freex, a punk trio featuring Steve Coombs (Trin Tran) and his sons Josh and Evan, bring a frenetic energy to the stage that few Madison bands can match. One of those bands is also playing — Transformer Lootbag mixes clanging guitar, confounding drum patterns, and astonishing bass runs into thrillingly impossible-sounding constructions. Black metal masters Tubal Cain’s darkly melodic power duo jams are the perfect addition to this killer bill.
Charlie Parr, Friday, Aug. 31, Edgewater Plaza, 6 pm: While there are a ton of artists these days who call themselves “folk,” few embody the genre better than Charlie Parr. An amiable Minnesotan, Parr has spent the majority of his adult life making music, and it shows in his wise, world-weary songs. Along for the ride is Chicago Farmer, the nom de plume of Illinois troubadour Cody Diekhoff, an everyman in the tradition of his hero, John Prine ; and No Name String Band .
Meat Jelly, Friday, Aug. 31, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm; Local blues-punk outfit Meat Jelly is throwing a send-off show before they take their latest EP, Nevermind the Sandra Bullocks, Here’s the Blindside, on the road. With diverse punk influences, screeching guitar riffs and chaotic vocal energy, the band makes metal music funky enough to dance to. Midwestern metal acts DRUIDS and Deterioration open.
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Bongo Frontier, Friday, Aug. 31, Shitty Barn , Spring Green, 7 pm: The Shitty Barn departs from the usual mid-week concert series to host a night of experimental music. Whirm plays pretty, ambient music, sometimes under distorted found poetry. Wisconsin-based 17.2m creates minimalist electronic sounds made with live coding techniques. Bongo Frontier makes simple yet groovy digital techno music, and do in fact push bongo music to the edge. It’s the trippiest barn experience you’re likely to have all year.
Los Dells, Saturday-Sunday, Sep 1-2, Woodside Sports Complex, Mauston, noon-11 pm: The Los Dells festival packs a range of genres and experiences as far and wide as Latin America itself across two days. The second annual event features a lineup of globally renowned, genre-spanning performers, from top-billed reggaeton legends Wisin & Yandel to OG Buena Vista Social Club member Eliades Ochoa to indie pop romantic Cuco. Schedule.
The Claudettes, Saturday, Sept. 1, North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: What’s better than jazz, blues or rock ‘n roll? How about a band that fuses all three? The much-acclaimed Claudettes are coming to Madison, bringing their multifarious sound with them in the form of songs from the new album, Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium! It’s produced by Grammy-winning producer Mark Neil (Black Keys, Old 97’s), and their old-school sound is getting universal raves. Guaranteed to rock the house.
Koch Marshall Trio, Saturday, Sept. 1, Edgewater Plaza, 4 pm: The guitarists all know Greg Koch; the Milwaukee native is renowned both as an incendiary player in many genres and as an author of instructional manuals (and literally thousands of YouTube videos). His latest musical endeavor is an instrumental trio with his son, Dylan, on drums, and Hammond B3 player Toby Lee Marshall. The Edgewater’s Feed the Blues Fest also includes sets by veteran Missouri blues-rock trio The Bel Airs and local stalwarts Madtown Mannish Boys.
Taste of Madison, Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 1-2, Capitol Square: The People’s Smorgasbord returns with some 80 restaurants and food carts dishing up delicacies, from chicken fried pork belly (Bob’s BBQ Emporium) to the legendary steak burger (JD’s), most from $1-$5. If you can’t eat yourself into a stupor, you’re not trying hard enough. T he music will wake you back up, from hard rock (Wayland, 7:30 pm Saturday) to country (Madison County, 3:15 pm Sunday) to ‘90s alt rock covers (Foo Foo Dolls, playing both days). Schedule.
Metallica, Sunday, Sep. 2, Kohl Center, 7:30 pm: Thrash-metal gods Metallica are still hot off their tenth studio album, 2016’s Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, which was heralded as a return to form of their golden-age of Master of Puppets. With recent fast-paced head-bangers like the single “Hardwired,” the legendary band is also known to play the hits from their decades-long career, which Madison hasn’t heard live since 2004.
Frandutopia, Sunday, Sept. 2, Bos Meadery, 7 pm: If you’ve been to an open mic in Madison, chances are you’ve met Francisco Rodriguez, aka Frandu. This diminutive, possibly genius performer specializes in a unique mashup of comedy, spoken word and storytelling — it’s bizarre, frenetic, existential and always unique. His recurring one-man show, Frandutopia, extends his open mic set into a free-form, wide-ranging journey that will leave you saying, “What the freaking frack?”
Bryce Vine, Monday, Sept. 3, Liquid, 8 pm: Hailing from New York City, Bryce Vine makes music about the tumult and impetuousness of millennial life and romance. His hit song “Drew Barrymore” has Vine (alongside D.C.-legend Wale) rapping and singing about himself and his romantic partner, and the world at large, over a trap snare pattern and synths. With Kainalu.
LaborFest, Monday, Sept. 3, Madison Labor Temple, noon-5:30 pm: The South Central Federation of Labor hosts a festival in celebration of worker’s rights victories of the past and future. The family-friendly event includes a magic show by Scott the Great, a collection of items for homeless students, and performances by the party band Red Hot Horn Dawgs (noon) and the blues-players The Jimmys (3 pm).
Geoffrey Keezer & Gillian Margot, Wednesday, Sept. 5, Top of State Street, 4 pm: Pianist Keezer, an Eau Claire native, is a direct connection to mid-20th century legends who helped bring jazz to a wider audience; he played in the bands of Art Blakey, Art Farmer and Ray Brown early in his career, while concurrently building a reputation as a band leader in his own right. His new release, On My Way to You, features collaborations with distinctive jazz singer Gillian Margot, who joins Keezer’s trio for this Jazz at Five concert. With Waunakee Big Band, Middleton High School’s 7 O’Clock Saxes.
Car Seat Headrest: Thursday, Sept. 6, Majestic, 8:30 pm: For many musicians, the thought of early home recordings being released to the entire world is a bit mortifying — unless, of course, you’re Will Toledo. Best known as Car Seat Headrest, Toledo’s first lo-fi songs were recorded in the back seat of his car, hence his unusual moniker. Now Toledo is signed to indie mainstay Matador Records, where he’s been updating many of his old albums with the slicker production that the label status affords him. It’s a testament to Toledo’s craftsmanship that he can take an album that’s already beloved — like 2011’s Twin Fantasy, which he re-recorded and re-released earlier this year — and update it without losing any of its ragged spirit. With Naked Giants. Sold out.
Brooks Wheelan, Thursday, Sept. 6, Comedy on State, 8:30 pm: Born in Iowa, Wheelan rose up through festivals like SXSW and Just For Laughs to appearances on Conan and Late Night with Seth Meyers. The former SNL cast member mixes sassy asides and pop-culture references with confessional stories, like about the time he tried to marry a hippie. You might get to hear him talk dirt on his old employer too. With Matt Ryan, Adam McShane. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Sept. 7-8, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.