Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of July 13-20, 2017. For more information on these shows, read on under the Spotify playlist!
La Fête de Marquette, Thursday-Sunday, July 13-16, Central Park: Big numbers at this year’s La Fête de Marquette. The annual French-flavored party produced by the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center features 30-plus bands on three stages spread over Central Park’s five acres. An expanded “Family Fete” area offers games and activities beneath the spinning shadow of the “Big Eli” antique Ferris wheel. Starting with Zydeco legend Terrance Simien on Thursday night and concluding with Prague’s electro-swing band Mydy Rabycan on Sunday night, the line-up has few soft spots. More highlights: Multiple Grammy nominee Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars bring their Cajun-country to the Ingersoll stage on Friday night; the Brearly Street “Moon Stage” is home to the annual Musique Electronique on Saturday, featuring Kevin Saunderson (who, with his partners in the Belleville Three, is considered one of the originators of “Detroit Techno”); and Feufollet, young Cajun rock innovators from Lafayette, Louisiana, roll into town for a Sunday night set.
Angelica Garcia, Thursday, July 13, East Side Club, 6 pm: The songs on Medicine for Birds, Angelica Garcia’s arresting 2016 debut album, spin out like cotton candy — but beware the occasional razorblade. Guitars caress and scrape, strings sweep, percussion clatters and booms, all in service of Garcia’s shimmering, multi-layered vocal arrangements. If you have to put a genre label on this music, it’s Americana; recall Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball, and you’re in the neighborhood. Opening is Hope Simulator Pro, the re-emergence of genre-mixing musical seeker Jeremiah Nelson with a clutch of new electronic explorations.
Bad Bad Hats, Thursday, July 13, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: The members of Bad Bad Hats met while attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, so it would be easy to describe their sound as “college rock.” But the trio — led by vocalist and guitarist Kerry Alexander — has a lot more going on than meets the eye. From ‘90s power pop aesthetics to Alexander’s emotionally intense lyrics, Bad Bad Hats put the “party” back in “pity party.” With Heavy Looks, Disq.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Friday, July 14, 100 block of King Street, 7 pm: Preservation Hall Jazz band, the headliner for Live on King Street, isn’t just a band; it’s an institution. For the last 50-plus years, the Dixieland jazz masters have served as the house band for the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans, one of the first venues to be desegregated during Jim Crow. In the time since, the band has mastered complementing the classic New Orleans jazz sound with the energy of rock and roll, and its latest album — So It Is, released in April — was produced in part by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek. With Mama Digdown’s Brass Band, the Handphibians.
Road trip: Midway thrills, Through July 16, Jefferson County Fair Park, Jefferson; and Sauk County Fairgrounds, Baraboo: It's county fair time for Dane County's neighbors to the east and west, with the expected carnival, fair food and farm animal exhibits. Jefferson County Fair doubles down on country music with main stage headliners Charlie Daniels Band (Friday) and Brothers Osborne (Saturday, with an opening set by Madison County). Sauk County Fair features regional music headliners including interactive genre-smashers Swing Crew (Thursday) and polka band Mississippi Valley Dutchmen (Sunday), along with Nashville headliner Keith Anderson (Saturday).
Lovely Socialite (EP release) + Left Field Quartet (album release), Saturday, July 15, Art In, 8 pm: Fans of musical exploration will surely want to find out what Lovely Socialite is up to currently, whether it be madly free jazzing, delivering a prog meltdown or revisiting “Chupacabracadabra.” They’ll release a new EP, DoubleShark, at this show. Also debuting is Please Take Us Seriously, a new album by Madison jazz outfit Left Field Quartet, another team that’s apt to deal musical curveballs right at your dome. With And Illusions.
Krause Family Band CD release, Saturday, July 15, Come Back In, 8 pm: The Krause Family Band is anchored by dad Rick and daughters Katie and Ruthie, who bring the special sound of harmonies sung by close relations to original Americana and gospel songs as well as wide-ranging cover choices. They celebrate the release of the new CD A Letter to Mother at this show. Opening are singer-songwriters Teddy Davenport and Rick Harris.
Tig Notaro, Saturday, July 15, Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm: In 2012, when Tig Notaro took the stage at Largo in Los Angeles a mere four days after being diagnosed with cancer in both breasts, she delivered a now-legendary set that’s become a benchmark for the cathartic nature of comedy. One double mastectomy later, and Notaro is one of the most revered comics in the game, working tirelessly on new material and creating, writing and starring in the autobiographical Amazon series One Mississippi. With Charlie Kojis. Sold out.
Future Thieves, Tuesday, July 18, The Frequency, 8 pm: Nashville quartet Future Thieves returned in March with a new single, “Sucker,” adding a synth-pop sheen to the arena-friendly roots rock sound found on their 2015 debut album Horizon Line. It’s like the reincarnation of an ‘80s hit you didn’t want stuck in your head but secretly enjoy. Fans can find out ahead of the band’s fall album release if the single is a harbinger of things to come by visiting the Freq for this show. With Guthrie, The Begowatts (replacing Indigo Trip).
Your Pest Band, Tuesday, July 18, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm: This is a show that will certainly make going to work Wednesday morning very problematic. Your Pest Band hails from Japan, and are on tour with an excellent new earworm-laden double LP, Old Springhead, giving the sounds of ‘60s garage pop and ‘70s power pop a punk edge. Also on the bill are new Milwaukee punkers Habitat for Insanity, and Madison rock ‘n rollers Dumb Vision and Clean Room.
Waxahatchee,Thursday, July 20, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Ten years ago, Katie Crutchfield was a teenager in Alabama, playing alongside her twin sister Allison in the bookish indie punk act P.S. Eliot. Fast forward a decade, and Crutchfield is on the roster at revered label Merge Records — home of Arcade Fire and Dinosaur Jr. — with her current project, Waxahatchee, an intimate, emotionally bare outlet with whom she’s released four albums, the most recent being this year’s Out in the Storm. With Cayetana, Snail Mail.
Bent Knee, Thursday, July 20, The Frequency, 8:30 pm: Explosive art-rock collective Bent Knee brings their intense pop experiments to Madison in support of their critically acclaimed new album, Land Animal. The songs jump from soft-spoken indie musings to hardcore breakdowns, from jazzy interludes to arena-rock levels of noise — all bound together with expertise born from nearly a decade in the avant-garde. Lead singer Courtney Swain’s vocals cut through these complex compositions to deliver ruminations on survival, providing a hopeful light in dark times.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
