Scott Gordon
Hamell on Trial finds an eager new audience for his irreverent tunes
This year Ed Hamell is finding a younger audience for his improbably loud acoustic guitar and impishly profane rant-songs. The Uncluded, a duo composed of singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson and rapper Aesop Rock, picked his one-man act Hamell on Trial to support their current tour. Hamell's delivery tends toward the frantic and nasal, so he'll sound at home opening for the deceptively jolly-voiced Dawson and the cryptic, thick-voiced Aesop when they visit the High Noon Saloon on June 29. Read more
Michelle DuVall plus eight
Madison has a lot of jazz vocalists for a town its size, but Michelle DuVall is the only one with a residency on the Mickey's Tavern patio. At those gigs, which take place the second and fourth Thursday of each month, she usually forms a stripped-down trio with guitarist Doug Brown and bassist Nick Moran. She'll change things up at Isthmus Jazz Fest, where she'll front the eight-piece band Get Down, Mr. Cat! at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. Read more
Souls of Mischief celebrate a West Coast hip-hop classic
East Bay hip-hop foursome Souls of Mischief will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut, '93 Til Infinity, by performing the entire album at the Majestic Theatre on June 19. Its production still feels funky and warm, and MCs Opio, A-Plus, Phesto and Tajai still come off as both thoughtful and happily obnoxious. Read more
Carolyn Fath
Mystery to Me opens on Monroe Street
Madison's buy-local ethos will face a curious test when Mystery to Me opens at 1863 Monroe St. on June 15. Joanne Berg retired from a long career in higher education to open the bookshop, something she's wanted to do for a long time. She bought the inventory and shelving from Booked for Murder, a long-running store specializing in mystery novels. But she would have gone with plan B -- "retire and maybe do some consulting" -- had she not noticed a For Lease sign on Monroe Street while walking to Trader Joe's from her nearby home. Read more
Sharon Vanorny
Hot hangouts, cool retreats: Embrace or escape summer's swelter at these Madison haunts
The sun doesn't set until almost 9 p.m. right now, which means nightlife takes place in the light and the dark. For some, this means more time to work on a tan while sipping a cocktail at a rooftop cafe. For others, this means 100-degree days are just around the bend, along with the urge to crawl into in a cool, shady cave. For most of us, it's a bit of both. Read more
Stoughton Opera House booker Christina Dollhausen makes herself part of the show
Stoughton Opera House boasts many traditions: historic preservation, intimate musical performances, and seats so hard that elderly patrons know to bring cushions. Plus, the venue's booker, Christina Dollhausen, has created a new tradition over the past year: introducing performers with short songs of her own. Read more
Hip-hop, house and local acts spice up Memorial Union Terrace's summer 2013 music lineup
This summer's characteristically diverse music slate at Memorial Union Terrace will feature stellar rappers El-P and Killer Mike, electronic musician Maxmillion Dunbar, and even a respectable showing from Madison-based acts. Read more
Why you should care about Capital Newspapers' changes to its arts coverage
Andy Downing arrived at "The Capital Times" a music writer in 2011. He left last week as a "features reporter with music emphasis." His departure only deepens the uncertainty about what Capital Newspapers hopes to accomplish with its changing approac Read more
Pondamonium won't return to Duck Pond in 2013
The Pondamonium music festival won't return to the Duck Pond in 2013, according to Madison Mallards president Vern Stenman. The event's website indicates that "more information on Pondomonium 2013 [is] to be released in January," but that clearly hasn't happened. Read more
UW Union ends WUD-organized concerts early, frustrating bookers
Madison's Dharma Dogs were one of the first bands to play the Memorial Union Terrace this year. They opened for touring bands Pleasure Leftists and Heavy Times in late April. As they delivered their spirited take on grunge and punk, abrasive sounds almost felt normal at UW venues. Read more
Barn Owl: "V"
On their fifth album, Bay Area instrumental duo Barn Owl cement their place between the slow-moving guitars of Earth and the abstract drones of experimental standouts Daniel Lopatin and Tim Hecker. Read more
Booked for Murder gets a new owner, new location and new name, Mystery To Me
The long-running mystery-centric bookstore Booked for Murder has found a buyer. With Booked for Murder owner Sara Barnes moving back to her hometown in Minnesota, UW-Madison Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Joanne Berg has purchased the business and will reopen it June 15 under the name Mystery to Me. Read more
MadTracks: 'Skin' by Stephanie Rearick Jr.
In her Casio-driven solo project Stephanie Rearick Jr., Madison musician Stephanie Rearick pares down her music to disarming effect. This is especially true on her new album, "Dreamworld". Read more
The Dillinger Escape Plan's complex tunes will make your head spin
The Dillinger Escape Plan are a band of dizzying possibilities, one of which is morphing into a pile of musical gibberish. With their heady fusion of metal and hardcore punk, the New Jersey group consistently set a high bar for technical accomplishment and merciless anger. Read more
Cowboy Winter combine Detroit's soul and garage-rock traditions
Cowboy Winter take a novel approach to soul and R&B on their debut album, "Magic or Tragic". Instead of polishing their Motown influences like a session band would, the local group give them the bare immediacy of garage-rock. Lead vocalist Kevin Willmott declaims songs like "The Difficult One" with both achy sincerity and theatrical screams. Read more
Luna Mortis are back in action
Madison metal band Luna Mortis recently announced that they'll reunite after nearly three years of silence. Read more
Ian MacKaye takes fans behind the scenes of the early hardcore punk movement at UW talk
Before giving a talk Tuesday night at the UW's Red Gym, Ian MacKaye chatted with Robin Davies, bassist of Tar Babies, a Madison hardcore band from the 1980s. The group crossed paths with MacKaye's band Minor Threat in the early '80s. During two hours of Q&A with the audience, MacKaye's most entertaining remarks drew on other relationships he's formed during his years touring with Minor Threat and Fugazi and running the estimable Dischord Records. Read more
Jake Naughton
Great Dane's Bradley Czachor to take over Harmony Bar
If Harmony Bar owner Keith Daniels were to write a job description for his successor, he would likely call for the person best equipped to bring about the least change possible. Daniels, 61, decided several years ago that he'd eventually sell the Atwood Avenue restaurant and music venue to Bradley Czachor, who worked at the Harmony for nearly 10 years and currently manages the Great Dane's Hilldale brewpub. Read more
"Colias 1" gathers ambient music from Madison and beyond
"Colias 1", a new album from Madison's Mine All Mine Records, is proof of how focused yet ragtag our city's electronic musicians can be. The double-disc compilation will be released at Bright Red Studios at a show on Friday, April 26. Read more
Pissed Jeans make noise-rock about stupid people and crummy jobs
Pissed Jeans seem to idealize the power of noise-rock while regarding it as the dumbest possible style of music. The band offer a lean and powerful update on the likes of Flipper and the Jesus Lizard that's not as self-consciously ambitious as, say, fellow Sub Pop noise-rockers Metz. Read more
