Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison during the week of May 10-17, 2018. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.
Har Mar Superstar, Friday, May 11, Majestic Theatre, 9 pm:
Har Mar Superstar began as a one-man dance party/soul-singing alter ego for Sean Na Na leader Sean Tillmann, and the years since have proven the Superstar portion of the name was well-chosen. This full-band show features Tillmann’s tribute to the music of Sam Cooke, as well as songs inspired by the soul pioneer from his own catalog. With Brahmulus.
Harmonious Wail, Friday, May 11, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: The mellifluous trio has traveled the world as Madison’s representatives of the gypsy jazz genre. But they are super (ahem) jazzed about harmonizing in the magnificent Stoughton Opera House. Playing music popularized by Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, the wife-and-husband team of Maggie and Sims Delaney-Potthoff joins with longtime bassist Jeff Weiss for a night of original and classic music that makes your heart sing.
Richard Hildner Armacanqui & Friends, Friday, May 11, Central Library, 7:30 pm: A Madison-born Peruvian American guitarist leads an octet of talented Latin jazz players for the final spring InDIGenous Jazz concert. With saxophonist Tony Barba, trombonist Nat McIntosh, pianist Edu Campos, bassist Nick Moran, vocalist-percussionist Juan Tomás “Juancho” Martinez and percussionists Yorel Lashley and Aaron Gochberg. Prepare to dance.
One Night Stand, Friday, May 11, Art In Gallery, 2 pm: Come check out the work of Wisconsin screen print studios — including Firecracker, Seed of Design, Black Cat and SISU Press — creating concert posters, T-shirts and more. Stick around for music firing it up at 9 pm, with WSUM’s DJ Renton spinning tunes. Tribute bands Paid to Cum (Bad Brains) and Pee Pee the Sailor (Butthole Surfers) feature all-star lineups drawn from bands such as The Gomers, Negative Example, Brainerd and The Arge.
Gentle Brontosaurus album release, Saturday, May 12, Crystal Corner, 9 pm: Sweet, sunny and just a little bit twee, this indie pop quintet will make you want to dance and hug your friends. Gentle Brontosaurus is celebrating the release of their second album, Bees of the Invisible. With folk and jangle-pop influences, this 12-track effort features smart lyrics, thoughtful instrumentation and enchanting songwriting. Local dream-pop cuties Dash Hounds and melodic punk outfit Cats on Leashes open.
Kitten Forever, Saturday, May 12, High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm: Who needs guitars? Minneapolis trio Kitten Forever plays sassy, brassy, in-your-face punk rock, making more noise with drums, bass and vocals than bigger bands could even dream of. This special showcase from local advocacy group Half-Stack Sessions has a killer lineup, including Chicago jazz-punks Blacker Face, plus local favorites No Hoax and Gender Confetti, an outstanding new pop-punk duo that wants to bring forth the queer revolution (see story at isthmus.com/music). A fundraiser for the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Citizen + Basement, Saturday, May 12, Majestic Theatre, 7:30 pm: Basement is an emo band from England that revives 1990s hardcore punk and the screaming vocals of bands like Fall Out Boy. They co-headline the show with Midwesterners Citizen, who make indie-influenced punk music that’s similarly emotionally heavy. Brooklyn-based solo musician pronoun opens, with lo-fi bedroom pop that glitters with bright guitars and booming percussion, reminiscent of artists like Mitski or Tegan and Sara. Souvenirs starts the night.
John O’Conor, Saturday, May 12, Farley’s House of Pianos, 7:30 pm: The internationally renowned Irish pianist John O’Conor will play a salon concert in the style of popular 18th-century performances. The Salon Piano Series replicates these events with fine pianos in intimate spaces. O’Conor is known for his renditions of Beethoven and his collaborations with the Irish composer John Field. He will also play a Haydn sonata, along with Schubert’s Four Impromptus.
Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sunday, May 13, Majestic, 8 pm: If you get past the name (which combines a horrific mass suicide/murder with a member of the Rolling Stones), you’ll find an ever-evolving band led by Anton Newcombe, who helped establish the alternative sound in the early 1990s. On the band’s 16th album, Don’t Get Lost, Newcombe has a new list of collaborators as he explores quiet psychedelic themes, from classic rock to shoegaze. The single “Dropping Bombs on the Sun (UFO Paycheck)” has droning synths and a vocal that lulls you into a rock and roll trance. With Chatham Rise.
The Struts, Monday, May 14, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Hot out of Derby, England, The Struts are glam-rock revivalists with an arena-sized sound that lands somewhere between Queen and My Chemical Romance. On their latest single, “One Night Only,” lead singer Luke Spiller uses his huge vocal range to sing about the joys of his extravagant theatrical performances. Songs from their debut album Everybody Wants are full of sing-along anthems brimming with the crowd-pleasing energy the band is known to bring to live performances. Blues-rock band The Glorious Sons and Spirit Animal open.
P.O.S, Tuesday, May 15, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Though he may be best known as one of the seven members of the Minneapolis rap collective Doomtree, P.O.S is far from just another voice in the crowd. With his defiant rhymes and punk sneer, the emcee born Stefon Alexander is a rocker’s answer to hip-hop, posturing himself above the genre’s occasional superficiality with lyrics about political riots and old-school video games. With Minneapolis turntablist DJ Rowsheen, plus Serengeti and CRASHprez.
On Your Feet! Tuesday, May 15, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: Gloria and Emilio Estefan are Latin/pop music royalty, and this Broadway show charts their lives and musical careers with an infectious score and breathtaking dance numbers. At its heart is a compelling story of a couple rising from humble origins in Cuba to multi-platinum status. Many of the performers in the only Wisconsin tour stop are direct from Broadway, and the orchestra features original members of the Miami Sound Machine. You’ll have trouble staying in your seats, for sure. ALSO: Wednesday-Thursday, May 16-17, 7:30 pm. Through May 20.
David Byrne, Wednesday, May 16, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: Musical polymath David Byrne says his current tour is “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.” That’s the Talking Heads tour immortalized on film by Jonathan Demme (and, yes, the one with the gigantic suit), so you know Byrne has big plans for his current 12-piece band. They are on the road with his latest album, American Utopia, but will play music from all phases of his musical history. With Benjamin Clementine.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Wednesday, May 16, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: San Francisco’s BRMC has been revitalizing rock & roll for two decades, reaching massive mainstream success with the brooding single “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo.” On their eighth studio album, Wrong Creature, the band continues to deliver heavy blues-rock bangers, including the song “Little Thing Gone Wild,” which uses screeching guitars and a driving rhythm section to forge yet another BRMC anthem. With Pete International Airport.
Nooky Jones, Wednesday, May 16, Shitty Barn, Spring Green, 7 pm: Nooky Jones is a Minneapolis funk band that mixes in soul, R&B and hip-hop to forge a bridge between old-school and contemporary dance music. On their self-titled debut album, a heap of romantic love songs are delivered by front-man Cameron Kinghorn, who switches between rapping verses and sweetly serenading choruses. The jazz-influenced backing delivers solid, groovy jams underneath his seductive and raunchy stories. Mr. Jackson opens. Sold out.
Joyann Parker, Thursday, May 17, The Brink Lounge, 8 pm: Independent blues singer and multi-instrumentalist Joyann Parker brings her solo music down from Minneapolis. Parker plays swinging blues guitar while making great use of her powerful voice, which can hit those sad, bluesy lows and still croon skyward. Her 2018 album Hard to Love is full of jealous lovers and romantic howling, and Parker’s songwriting is backed by a great jazz band. With Shelley Faith , H2.
Negative Example, Thursday, May 17, Art In Gallery, 7 pm: As a member of punk-based experimenters Tar Babies, guitarist-singer Bucky Pope is one of Madison’s direct connections to the 1980s DIY scene that sprung up as an antidote to corporate rock and disco in the ’70s (and eventually exploded into the mainstream as “alternative rock” and grunge in the ’90s). Pope currently leads Negative Example, which marries his one-of-a-kind guitar playing (by turns loping or incendiary) and catholic approach to songwriting to a band full of musical ringers (including Stephanie Rearick and Tim Sullivan). This all-star local bill also features Squarewave and Anna Wang.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.