Fall music preview

Get your calendars ready. The rest of 2017 is jam packed with so much music we had a hard time choosing. We’ve got Inuit throat singing, feminist hip-hop, Americana, shoegaze, punk, ska, prog rock and just about every other genre you can think of. Game of Thrones can wait, people. See some live music!

German Art Students 20th anniversary

High Noon Saloon, Sept. 8

Born 20 years ago when the founders wanted to write songs “no one would want to hear,” German Art Students are at once funny and subversive. The group is also in roaring fine shape, thanks in large part to the return of original bassist Andrew Larson. This birthday party coincides with the re-release of their first album, What Did You Expect? Heartland Rock, which includes such GAS classics as “Shitty Directions” and the Mad Magazine-esque “Civil War Re-enactor.” (A.M.)

Foster the People

Orpheum Theater, Sept. 9

One could argue that L.A.’s Foster the People has outrun its own bullet. Nowadays, the hype that arrived with the breakthrough of “Pumped Up Kicks” feels like a welcome postcard from the pre-streaming era. Still, this doesn’t mean they don’t still produce quality releases. With two new band members in tow, founder Mark Foster has sprinkled the band’s third and latest release, Sacred Hearts Club, with equal doses of familiar electropop and (holy shades of experimentation!) hip-hop. (A.R.C)

Kidz Bop: “Best Time Ever” Tour

Orpheum Theater, Sept. 10

To those without children, the description “kid-friendly versions of today’s biggest pop music hits sung by kids for kids” probably sounds insufferable. For parents, it sounds like just another thing we’ll endure because our kids love it. Without a doubt, the kids with parents lucky enough to snag tickets for this insanely popular annual tour won’t hesitate to sing — or scream — along to child-proofed songs, including Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” And some parents will too. (S.P.)

Jay Som

Memorial Union Terrace, Sept. 12

Oakland’s Jay Som returns to Madison with their intricate, slick indie pop, after playing the Frequency in March of this year. Led by songwriter Melina Duterte, Jay Som’s music is jazzy yet accessible, catchy but thoughtful — and their dynamic live performances put their impressive recorded work to shame. Bringing some needed gender representation to the stage, the show is an all woman-led lineup, with Stef Chura (Detroit) and Soccer Mommy (NYC). (L.G.)

Madison World Music Festival

Memorial Union Terrace and Willy Street Fair, Sept. 15-16

From a Ho-Chunk choir to an all-female mariachi fusion band, this year’s festival offers a vibrant mix of musical sounds. Artists from Latin America, Senegal and Haiti will rock stages at the Memorial Union and Willy Street Fair on Friday and Saturday. And don’t miss the Skatalites, who will close out the festival Saturday night at the Union Terrace. If you’ve heard much of anything that came out of Jamaica in the 20th century, you’ve almost certainly heard some incarnation of the Skatalites. They are to Jamaican music what the Funk Brothers were to Motown — everybody’s favorite session men. Don’t sleep on Madison’s own Immigré either; the 10-piece afrobeat band opens the Willy Street Fair on Saturday. (K.M.)

Wood Chickens

Mickey’s Tavern, Sept. 16

Wood Chickens spit in the eye of country music in the same fashion as gloriously unrepentant Hank Williams III. This show brings the trio home after two weeks on the road touring with their new national release, Countrycide, on the Virginia label Big Neck Records. There will be broken glassware. (A.M.)

Claude Young

High Noon Saloon, Sept. 16

A legendary DJ and producer from Detroit, the city that invented techno, Claude Young remains one of the best in the business after more than two decades as an artist. His epic live sets contain multitudes of components — throbbing house beats, industrial rhythms, otherworldly ambient sounds and textures. Catch him here at the Willy Street Beats afterparty with local house and techno producer-DJ duo Chaz. (A.G.)

Vagabon

Memorial Union-Der Rathskeller, Sept. 18

Vagabon frontwoman Lætitia Tamko was raised in Cameroon and moved to New York City in her teens, but it wasn’t until after college that she got involved in the city’s DIY music scene. Alongside peers Frankie Cosmos, Crying and Told Slant, she found the voice that would come to define her unique brand of indie rock, one that’s ethereal, vulnerable and quite often triumphant. Opening is Chicago multi-instrumentalist Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, an experimental hip-hop artist who is as talented as he is strange. (A.G.)

Rhiannon Giddens

Overture Center-Capitol Theater, Sept. 19

Together with Dom Flemons, Giddens formed the Carolina Chocolate Drops and breathed new life into African American string band music. Genuine Negro Jig won the band a Grammy in 2010 and awakened the country to a nearly lost music form. Solo, Giddens is almost a band unto herself. The winner of the 2016 Steve Martin Prize for Banjo, she’s also an articulate fiddler and guitarist. Her spirit draws equally from Africa, Appalachia and Ireland. Her singing voice, a fearless, soaring instrument itself, will have the audience on its feet long before the curtain falls. Bonus: there will be flat-footin’. (A.M.)

Thundercat

Majestic Theatre, Sept. 19

Virtuosic bassist Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner has contributed a pantheon of under-the-radar grooves for funk, soul and jazz heavies over the last decade. He’s touring in support of his 2017 release Drunk, a 23-track landslide of smooth funk cuts featuring collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Opening set from Saco&Uno. (K.M.)

Diane Cluck

Art In, Sept. 20

A veteran of New York City’s “anti-folk” scene of the early 2000s, Diane Cluck describes her style as “intuitive folk” — earthy, ethereal and a little bit freaky. Her intriguing voice is a hybrid of Joanna Newsom and Joni Mitchell, and her unique approach to guitar is elegant and almost harp-like. With Madison experimental indie pop band Glassmen and TS Foss, the singer-songwriter project of Fire Heads/Proud Parents guitarist Tyler Fassnacht. (A.G.)

Open Mike Eagle

High Noon Saloon, Sept. 20

To say Open Mike Eagle is abstract doesn’t quite scratch the surface of this Chicago emcee’s style. On tour pushing his new album Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, Eagle has an uncanny knack for calmly rapping about heavy topics like race and celebrity worship over beats that sound like slow-tempo EDM. This isn’t surprising for a guy who calls his music “art rap.” Openers include Philadelphia-based feminist beatmaker/lyricist Sammus and Jewish recovered drug addict-turned-emcee Kosha Dillz. (S.P.)

The Mascot Theory

High Noon Saloon, Sept. 21

Check out the local band that cleaned up at the 2017 Madison Area Music Awards. Winners in seven categories — including “Artist of the Year,” “Folk/Americana Album of the Year” for Trust and Bones, “Country/Bluegrass Song of the Year” for “Your Eyes Give You Away” and “Video of the Year” for “Over the Horizon,” The Mascot Theory mixes more Southern rock into its rootsy sound and four-part harmonies than many of its peers. That helps gives these four Madison musicians a fresh, broad Midwestern appeal. (M.P.)

Lizzo

Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, Sept. 23

She got famous in Minneapolis, and now she’s in Los Angeles and on the fast track to divadom. The singer-rapper, real name Melissa Jefferson, is beloved as a sassy, brassy, body-positive icon, and her 2016 major label debut EP Coconut Oil vaulted her to national acclaim. Soulful, gospel-tinged vocals, ultra-catchy hooks, EDM-inspired production and empowering lyrics are the key ingredients in her deliciously fun and feminist brand of alternative hip-hop. (A.G.)

Andrew Cyrille and Bill McHenry

Arts + Literature Laboratory, Sept. 24

At age 77, legendary avant-garde jazz drummer Andrew Cyrille shows no signs of slowing down. In the last two years he has released three albums, including Proximity, a collection of duets with saxophonist Bill McHenry. Cyrille’s surgically precise approach to free-form percussion lends both structure and nuance while McHenry’s rich and deliberate phrasing carry the tunes. (A.G.)

Antibalas

High Noon Saloon, Sept. 27

If you don’t know this Brooklyn-based afrobeat band by name, you definitely know the sound of their horn section, which was featured on Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars’ mega-hit “Uptown Funk.” Together, the dozen or so touring members of Antibalas sounds like a caravan of elephants rumbling through some funky jungle. They’ll hit Madison with new material, Where the Gods are in Peace, their first full-length album in five years, which comes out on Sept. 15. With Black Market Brass. (K.M.)

MadeinTYO

Majestic Theatre, Sept. 27

With a laid-back, almost sleepy rap style set upon bass-heavy beats, this Atlanta-born emcee has already earned a platinum plaque for his hit “Uber Everywhere.” He’s also teamed up with superstars like 2 Chainz (“I Want”) and Big Sean (“Skateboard P” remix). Lyrically, he’s fully tapped into today’s popular rap formula of boasting about his sexual exploits and tales of earning and spending piles of money. His name, by the way, stands for Made in Tokyo, where the rapper attended high school. Openers include his brother 24hrs and K Swisha. (S.P.)

(Sandy) Alex G

High Noon Saloon, Sept. 28

Philadelphia multi-instrumentalist Alex Giannascoli launched himself from the DIY community of Bandcamp to a major label record deal. His 2015 debut on Domino, Beach Music, was weird and wonderful lo-fi indie rock, and his 2017 followup, Rocket, expands his songwriting into new territory — country, noise rock, even jazz. Best of all, his bedroom-pop roots translate perfectly to the stage with a full band. With Hovvdy, a minimalist rock duo from Austin, and Crumb, a dreamy, psych-rock band from New York City. (A.G.)

Against Me!

Live on King Street, Sept. 29

Another electrifying year of outdoor Friday night concerts in front of the Majestic Theatre concludes with a heavy lineup featuring Against Me!— a 20-year-old band that merits your attention not only for its aggressive, accessible punk songs but also for its bold lead singer, Laura Jane Grace. Born Thomas James Gabel in 1980, she publicly came out as a transgender woman in 2012. Earlier this year, Against Me! received its highest praise yet, when NPR named 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues one of the 150 Best Albums Made by Women. (M.P.)

Frankie Cosmos

High Noon Saloon, Oct. 1

Greta Kline is more than just a girl with famous parents (Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates). A prolific songwriter who has released hundreds of tracks on Bandcamp under various monikers since she was a teenager, the project (and semi-persona) Frankie Cosmos gained critical acclaim after her 2014 debut album Zentropy. And on 2016’s Next Thing, Kline further proves herself a master at composing short-but-impactful songs with charmingly offbeat lyrics, almost like lo-fi musical daydreams. With Brooklyn-based band IAN SWEET and Nice Try. (A.G.)

Future Islands

Orpheum Theater, Oct. 3

Future Islands have been making darkly groovy dance tunes and getting audiences moving since 2006, but the band is enjoying more mainstream attention since the 2013 release of their breakout album, Singles. If you’ve ever enjoyed anything about the ’80s, or just want to see one of the most emphatic performances around today (if you don’t know, YouTube their Letterman performance), this is not a show to miss. With Jenny Besetz. (L.G.)

Japanese Breakfast

Union South-The Sett, Oct. 3

This solo project from Michelle Zauner (of the excellent Philadelphia indie-rock band Little Big League) is an example of beautiful music born from incredible pain. She wrote her 2016 debut album, Psychopomp, in the weeks after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She intended to quit music after that, but the driving, shimmery, experimental pop release gained critical acclaim. So she kept at it, and in 2017 released Soft Sounds from Another Planet, which travels into atmospheric, folk-influenced electropop territory. With fellow Philly rockers Mannequin Pussy and Spirit of the Beehive. (A.G.)

Thievery Corporation

Orpheum Theater, Oct. 5

For 20 years, Washington D.C. club owners Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have been using Thievery Corporation as a vehicle to bring together eclectic artists and their own love of reggae, dub and bossa nova. Their recordings spin together acid jazz, trip-hop and progressive politics for audiences all over the musical spectrum. Somehow the Thieves have been selling millions of albums through their own label and playing huge stages at Lollapalooza and Coachella without trying to land a radio hit. No matter who shows up to play with the group in Madison, it will surely be a unique concoction in support of their 2017 release, The Temple of I & I. (K.M.)

Songhoy Blues

Union South-The Sett, Oct. 6

Five years ago, a jihadist group seized political control of northern Mali. The group banned cigarettes, alcohol and music, forcing guitarist Garba Touré to move south to the capital city of Bamako. He formed a band with two other musicians of Songhoy ethnicity. Their purpose was to play the music of the north as a form of comfort and resistance for their fellow refugees. The desert blues of Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré is certainly part of their musical heritage, but the members of Songhoy Blues grew up listening to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and John Lee Hooker. Their high-energy 2017 release Resistance is powered by hard-driving guitar work that will appeal to fans of blues, punk, rock and funk. (K.M.)

GoldLink

Majestic Theatre, Oct. 7

Though he hails from the Washington, D.C. area, this 24-year-old’s rapid-rapping style is reminiscent of Chicago emcees. On tour promoting his debut major label release, GoldLink is known for bouncing between rapping and soulful crooning, all while making you dance to abstract, electronic beats. With content revolving around bad relationships and broken hearts, he is one of the leading emcees of new-age rap. VIP tickets, which include a meet-and-greet event and some souvenir swag, are available. (S.P.)

Tanya Tagaq

Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, Oct. 7

If the idea of Inuk throat singing seems foreign or unappealing to you, take a moment and listen to Animism, the award-winning 2014 album from Canadian vocalist Tanya Tagaq, an indigenous artist who has hunted seals and lived in igloos. Dark, intense, guttural and sometimes downright terrifying, the music is like nothing else out there — it draws you in and holds you in its spell. Known for her collaborations with Bjork, Tagaq is often compared to the experimental Icelandic singer. But Tagaq is on a whole other level. And she’ll perform with a local choir. (A.G.)

GGOOLLDD

The Frequency, Oct. 14

Things keep turning to — well, you know — for Milwaukee’s favorite synth-pop outfit. Hard work, frequent gigs and a steady stream of new EP material such as “Secrets,” a bouncy, guitar-driven vehicle for Margaret Butler’s vocals, have kept GGOOLLDD front and center in our music consciousness. Which is right where they belong. With Sleeping Jesus and The Mighty Deerlick. (A.R.C.)

Cousin Stizz

High Noon Saloon, Oct. 18

Riding beats full of smooth grooves, this Boston-area emcee’s tales from the streets speak directly to those who think it’s easy to come up in the rap game. With an almost hypnotic flow, Stizz also lets you know on boom-bap tracks like the car-centric “500 Horses” and “Lambo” that the struggles he’s been through are beginning to pay off. Through these highs and lows, you can still hear the hunger that started it all. With Swoosh, Big Leano. (S.P.)

Every Time I Die

High Noon Saloon, Oct. 20

Every Time I Die has been crushing ear drums with a unique blend of Southern-fried metalcore and snarkily poetic lyricism since 1998, and the band’s newest release, Low Teens, continues the tradition. Simultaneously smarter, harder, and rawer than most in the business, Every Time I Die puts on shows that are a spectacle of gleeful noise. With Knocked Loose and Hollow Earth. (L.G.)

Tera Melos & Speedy Ortiz

High Noon Saloon, Oct. 24

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 beat wizard. (A.G.)

Tori Amos

Orpheum Theater, Oct. 26

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 her or you 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, which drops Sept. 8. Her 15th studio release and her first since 2014, it’s a politically charged exploration of humanity’s often destructive relationship with nature. (A.G.)

D.R.A.M.

Freakfest Mountain Dew Stage, Oct. 28

Okay, so broccoli isn’t typically the kind of thing Halloween trick-or-treaters are craving in their pillowcase treat bags, but when it’s laid down by the Bey-blessed, Gilligan-loving rapper from Virginia, we’ll embrace it. This year’s Freakfest headliner has cha-cha-ed his way to the top of the rap-cult consciousness with a steady stream of tracks that not only sport a persistent giddy vibe, but have a line of performers looking to feat. on his productions. And dude, that’s why we gotta stare. With George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. (A.R.C)

EX NUNS

Mickey’s Tavern, Nov. 2

This four-piece post-punk act from Minneapolis somehow manages to be humble and hair-raising at the same time. It’s hard to imagine their legendarily huge amps will even fit into Mickey’s. When leader Ian Littleson screams the title line to “What’s On My Face?” you get the feeling that deep down he doesn’t want to know the answer. (A.M.)

Funk Out Cancer

Majestic Theatre, Nov. 4

Once again, the good folks (pholks?) of Phat Phunktion are back for their annual UW Carbone Cancer Center fundraiser and this year, they brought along some friends (phriends?), Mama Digdown’s Brass Band and special guest Jimmy Voegeli of The Jimmys. For this funk fest, expect the number of high-energy jams to hit capacity early on and last through the night. Soul, rock, R&B, jazz and much more will all be represented. (S.P.)

Slowdive

Barrymore Theatre, Nov. 4

After a more than two-decade hiatus, this legendary shoegaze band is back — and finally getting the respect and critical recognition they deserved back in the ’90s. The English group reunited in 2014 and spent the last three years rediscovering their sound; the resulting 2017 self-titled album is nothing short of magnificent. It’s a nod to the dreamy ’90 sound they helped define, but it also feels fresh, intense, and dare we say, relevant. (A.G.)

Bully

High Noon Saloon, Nov. 6

Alicia Bognanno’s doing a helluva lot more than just tryin’ these days. Her band, last seen locally haunting the confines of Spring Green’s Shitty Barn, will be riding the rough-rock waves of their second release, Losing, when they hit the High Noon. If the brisk lead single, “Feel the Same,” is any indication — and we‘re more than willing to bet that it is — we’re in for a night of killer grunge. With Big Ups. (A.R.C)

Foo Fighters

Kohl Center, Nov. 7

You know you’re musically secure when you can unleash an overtly political album into politically charged times, and by all accounts, that’s exactly what Dave Grohl and company’s forthcoming 9th album, Concrete and Gold, is. Fresh on the heels of both a physical (Grohl broke a leg performing in 2015) and creative recuperation, Grohl’s ready to rage against the American machine. And even if none of the album’s reported panoply of musical guest stars (Paul McCartney! Allison Mosshart! Boyz II Men!) tags along for the Madison show, this is the must-see concert of the fall. (A.R.C.)

Mayhem

Majestic Theatre, Nov. 7

Norwegian black-metal pioneers Mayhem — notorious for their live performances, links to church burnings, and the suicide of one member and the murder of another — are still raising hell after almost 35 years. This may be metal’s most evil-sounding band. Sharing the bill will be two veteran extreme-metal bands from New York, Immolation and Black Anvil, which both released new albums this year. (M.P.)

Kamasi Washington

Majestic Theatre, Nov. 8

Tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington grew up in Inglewood, California. Though his parents were music educators, he said he was only interested in thug life until he heard a tape of legendary hard bop drummer Art Blakey. From that point forward, Washington dedicated himself to jazz music and has quickly become one of contemporary jazz’s towering figures. Though he’s been a mainstay for a decade for artists like Kendrick Lamar (that’s his saxophone on “To Pimp a Butterfly”), his major-label debut was in 2015. The Epic was a three-disc opus that quickly drew the attention of the jazz world, and Washington is about to drop his second album, Harmony of Difference. Check out Jazz Night in America’s two-hour documentary about the recording of The Epic to gain a good understanding of what Washington is all about. (K.M.)

The Hotelier

High Noon Saloon, Nov. 15

With last year’s Goodness, lead singer Christian Holden and the rest of his Massachusetts-based outfit took the first step of moving beyond the raw anguish of their 2014 emo masterpiece Home, Like No Place There Is, toward something resembling hope and redemption. Slimmed down to three members again, they’ll bring a more rock-centric vibe. With Oso Oso and Alex Napping. (A.R.C.)

Kansas

Overture Center, Nov. 17

Rarely do albums released more than 40 years into a band’s career rival some of that group’s best work. Yet, with 2016’s The Prelude Implicit, Kansas loaded its first record of new music in 16 years with sophisticated progressive rock that immediately sounds classic. The band is playing at least one song from that album on its current tour, but the majority of the setlist focuses on 1976’s Leftoverture — Kansas’ second-highest-charting album (and the one with “Carry On Wayward Son”). Don’t expect to see founding member and lead singer Steve Walsh, though; he retired from Kansas in 2014 and was replaced by Ronnie Platt, who admirably fills the void. (M.P.)

Fire Heads

Crystal Corner, Nov. 18

In January, the beloved Madison garage rock band formerly known as Fire Retarded officially changed their name to Fire Heads, because they are kind and decent people, in addition to being truly exceptional shredders. Come out and celebrate the release of their second full-length album, a 12-track, self-titled LP that’s been two years in the making. It features the same dudes and the same ’tudes, but a slightly denser, darker vibe than their 2014 debut, Scroggz Manor. (A.G.)

Bruce Cockburn

Barrymore Theatre, Nov. 21

Canadian Music Hall of Famer Cockburn was playing world music 25 years before the term even existed. A gentle soul, an assassin of a guitar player, his latest album, Bone on Bone, will be released this month amid great anticipation. It’s been six years since his last release. Expect the new songs together with favorites from his five-decade, 25-album output. (A.M.)

Whitney

Majestic Theater, Nov. 29

It’s always golden days when Julien Ehrlich, one half of Chicago-based Americana rockers Whitney, launches his melancholy falsetto from behind his drum set. Last seen in Madtown opening for The Head and the Heart earlier this year, Ehrlich and guitarist Max Kakacek will lean on last year’s Light on the Lake, and a three-pack of gorgeous new songs released last spring. With Ne-Hi. (A.R.C.)

The Know-It-All Boyfriends

Barrymore Theater, Dec. 8

This rock ‘n’ roll reunion brings some of Madison’s most famous stars home for the holidays for a great cause. Garbage members Butch Vig and Duke Erikson combine with Freedy Johnston to form the core of the band. The setlist will pick the pockets of the artists’ current catalogues as well as from past bands and projects including Vig and Erikson’s first Madison pop project, Spooner. The show raises money and awareness for epilepsy research via the Joey’s Song Foundation. (A.M.)

Christmas with Michael W. Smith & Amy Grant

Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center, Dec. 9

Two of the biggest names in Christian music history celebrate the reason for the season with accompaniment by the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Between the two of them, Smith and Grant have released at least eight Christmas albums, which they mine to create a holiday-themed setlist. Additionally, the tour will help support Operation Christmas Child, which has distributed more than 135 million shoeboxes full of fun gifts to children in need in 150 countries. Jordan Smith, winner of Season Nine of NBC’s The Voice, will also perform. (M.P.)