Switching to Tumblr

Hey folks,

I decided to switch my blog over to a tumblr blog.  I'm hoping that I can more easily find other really good music blogs and possibly this move will encourage me to start blogging more often on bands.  So please go to my new blog's link which can be found HERE.

I'm probably going to keep this blog up for the music venue links on the side and also keep updating the calendar.

Set List for Queery Music Show 11/03

Thanks for stopping by.  If you caught my show on WORT, let me know of some other music or bands you would like to hear on upcoming WORT music shows.

The background music you heard throughout the show was GOBBLE GOBBLE

Here are the other songs/bands that I played throughout the show.

1.  Throwing Shade - Abe Vigoda
2. Hey Rocky - Hunx and his Punx
3. Deformative - Black Eyes
4. Hello from Eau Claire - Xiu Xiu
5. The Power of Love - Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett

Pearl and the Beard

November 15

Frequency or Project Lodge



With Project Lodge being on the cover of the Isthmus last week, I'm guessing that it will be sticking around for another year.  This is great news for Madison, because they definitely are hitting a musical niche that isn't always fulfilled in other music venues.  Bands aren't expected to bring in close to 200 people to play the space.  Actually, if they bring over 30 people, it can get a bit crowded.  So with the ambiguity surrounding bands booked for November, I don't know quite where this band will play.  I saw a sign at the Frequency, so I'm going to shoot that this is where the band will play.

I have to admit that I only know a few songs from Pearl and the Beard, "Oh, Death!" being one of them.  But this song is definitely one of those songs that once you listen to it, you want to seek out more music from them.  And it isn't a fluke song.  There is a great deal of passion in their music and their voices are mesmerizing.

Pearl and The Beard is composed of 3 individuals, Jocelyn Mackenzie, Emily Hope Price, and Jeremy Styles, one cello, one glockenspiel and one accordian.  Their music reminds me of a touch of the old country/mountain music sound mix with some early soul music.  Extremely powerful vocals that carry each song and a minimum amount of music.   

God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson (listen to the full album)

A Hundred in the Hand

Wednesday, October 13 Turner Ballroom

It's been awhile since I wrote last.  Sorry about that.  I was going to try to update this blog daily, then it went to weekly, and then during the summer it dropped to monthly.  Well even though it's beautiful out now, I'm going to make an effort to get back into my daily or at least weekly routine of providing information of great bands coming to our area.  So if you are still with me, I hope you continue to.  If not, then I'm fine with writing to myself. 

   

     A Hundred in the Hand is a band from lovely New York, New York, which doesn't surprise me much.  They have incorporated a great duo balance that I love from other bands in that area, such as Sleigh Bells.  It's amazing to see how after one band is created using heavier music created by a male performer and beautiful vocals provided by a female performer, that other bands try to mimic that.  But unlike the heavy riffs that sleigh bells uses for their musical backing, A Hundred in the Hand uses a more funk/Disco sound.  The effect is equally enjoyable where as the latter made me want to mosh, the previous one makes me want to shakey shake it. 

They are the opening act for Temper Trap at Turner Hall, and I'm really excited to go see this show. 

The Hundred in the Hands

Pigeons (video)

Tom Tom

Stornoway

Saturday, November 27

Turner Hall, Milwaukee

Seen as one of the next greatest up and coming bands according to BBC, Stornoway is another British band composed of some adorable guys who sing very endearing songs.  This is a great chance to see this band and for the low low cost of $10, it's ridiculous to pass them up. If you could picture British folk, this would be it.   Their debut album Beachcomber's Windowsill is out and a must get.  

Watching Birds

Zorbing

Autolux

August 19 at The Annex

w/ This Will Destroy You

I definitely have been slacking when it comes to researching what some up and coming acts are playin in town.  I'm also doing a lot of work in preparing for Wisconsin Capitol Pride, Madison's LGBT Pridefest.  So I missed that Autolux was coming into town till I read it in the Isthmus.  Surprise, most of you who read this probably already know they are coming next week.  But for you who do not, take heart.  There is going to be a good show at the Annex. 
Autolux are mellow, shoegaze synth music without the need for heavy vocal distortions.  Soothing and fun, they are a good listen. 

Transit Transit (2010)

Transit Transit

Broken Spindles

August 16th at Project Lodge

w/ Touch People and Shane Shane

via Pitchfork

"Petersen further dissociates himself from the Faint on his third album, as a first listen reveals the lack of guitar and drum parts, with a second revealing there ain't much bass left either. Horror movie piano lines team with ubiquitous blips and bleeps to constitute most of the sonic landscape here, mirroring the Petersen's stark, dehumanized vocals. On instrumental opener "Inward", Petersen plays the role of musician gone mad a bit too convincingly, steering through unstable fugues and OCD key pounding. Brief vignettes "Desaturated" and "Valentine" follow suit, sounding like xeroxed continuations."

An interesting mix with Shane Shane, but hey, it's the guy from the Faint.  Up close and mopey".

"

New Band I Like: Humans

 Vancouver, B.C.

Not always extremely dancy, but always full electronic, Humans are hear for your listening pleasure.  If MGMT went more to their electronic roots then their conventional Psychedelic, this is probably what they would sound like.  Good thing Robbie and Peter did it instead.  Based in Vancouver, B.C., they have a unname CD out now whose songs have been popping up on my music radar a few times.  I also kind of like them for their use of puppets in their music video, featured below.  For an indepth article on them, check out ION's interview HERE.  Or just check out their music below.

Avec Mes Mecs

Fang Island - Redux

August 14 at Memorial Union Terrace

Free Show!!

Here's what I had written about them before when they opened up for Red Sparowes in April.  This is going to be a great outdoor show! 

http://drunkenattraction.blogspot.com/2010/04/fang-island.html

The Books

New Album - The Way Out

I  just got this album and I had only listened to it once, but man, is it pretty great.  Along with some of their more classic cello narration of sampled audio, they have included some more fast paced electronic sounds to some of their other songs.  Like previous albums, the audio samples they have found take precedence and through those sounds, they try and create a musical story.   On the song "A Cold Freezin' Night" you hear multiple children recounting some strong feelings from "I wish I was a boy" to a child recounting how he's going to torture and kill some Meredith (not as gruesome as you would think from this description.  Children have an imaginative and less horrific attitude towards what "torturing" someone would be.  Another song, "I am who I am" you hear what sounds like a preacher bellowing out that he is who he is which to me has a resonance of someone coming out as being something different then the mainstream.  As if the preacher is justifying who he is by repeatedly saying "I am who I am".  This music, labeled "collage music" by one of the duo of The Books, leads one to think more on what the song is trying to say.  On songs where there actually is a singer, the lyrics are just as cryptic and haunting, such as on "We Bought the Flood" which starts, "I was born with a teacup on my head;Copper tin and lead, ash and dust".  

My recommendation, get this album.  If you are like me and have "found" most of The Books albums online because they were out of print, redeem your love for this band by buying this album.  You won't regret it.

The Books

A Cold Freezin Night

Chain of Missing Links

Bear in Heaven, Twin Sisters and Mountain Man

Monday, July 19th at High Noon Saloon

On July 19^th, The High Noon is hosting a showcase of some amazing up and coming indie rock bands. Containing elements of psychedelic tribal sounds for one band to a minimalist instrumentation with harmonizing vocals for another, these bands may seem very different from one another. But they all have some of the most innovative song writing and 2 of them at least have some amazing vocals which is easy to see then why these bands are touring with each other.

Mountain Man is actually the first act of this night that I had heard of. I've been a huge fan of the resurgence of “mountain music” since I listened to the “O Brother, Where art Thou?”'s soundtrack. Mountain Man would have sound at home beside Alison Krauss. Mountain Man is composed of Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Amelia Randall Meath. Three unique sounding voices provide the rhythm for every song these women sing with little to no instruments as support. The first song I heard by them was “Dog Song” which starts off with one voice and no music. Soon a second voice joins the first, sounding completely different even sometimes on a different key but still able to harmonize perfectly with the first. The third “voice” that makes this song is silence, which provides this sound of nothing that the voices keep diving in and out of. The second song that I have heard from them is “Animal Tracks” and this has been a more popular song on the music blogs out there. It adds only a banjo to their voices, keeping the song light and simple and also captivating at the same time. Hearing these women perform these songs live will be something that I'm sure will take your breath away.CHECK OUT THIS INTERVIEW OF THEM.

Twin Sister is an experimental chillwave band from Long Island. I have to admit, this is the only band I feel iffy about not liking although I really do love their music. And you can tell that they put a lot of time into their dreamy, trippy sounds. But when their lead singer comes in and her voice becomes the focus of the song, you lose me. I can understand that it is really hard to combine the perfect sounding vocals with such music, especially if you aren't distorting the vocals through a vocoder or with heavy reverb. The songs I heard without vocals or before the vocals started were amazing. I'm also going to give them leeway where I think they recorded the songs on their own and it could just be the vocals were not well balanced with the rest of the songs.

Bear in Heaven's first album, Red Bloom of the Boom is as experimental as you can get. With either a chord being played for an extended amount of time or just plain dead air in the middle of the song, I can see how it may be hard for many people to enjoy this album. The great thing about it is you can tell they really don't mind trying something different and don't mind changing the sound of a song 4 or 5 times before the song is over. With their latest release, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, they have been able to hone in that experimental sound into something that is really amazing to hear. Great vocals and a surreal yet familiar soundscape lends the listener to feel he or she is having a spirtual moment without feeling like it necessarily is caused by some Acid trip. The songs are beautifully created bringing pop, psychedelic and folk together all in one. 

Mountain Man - Animal Tracks 

Twin Sister - All Around and Away We Go

Bear in Heaven - Lovesick Teenagers
 

Blastoids

 Kids Hands Smell Like Glitter (2009)

According to Wikipedia, Blastoids are "an extinct type of stemmed echinoderm".  I have no idea how that correlates to this band, but I do know that these guys are no echinoderms.  Cause their extinct, of course.  Instead, these Blastoids are Tyler Walker, Joe Volmer and Charlie Hareford all part of some Tennessee cult/collective called the "Owlhead collective."  What other bands are a part of this collective of musicians?  I have no idea.  All I got for bands was one band called "Party Trash" and possibly another band called "Chomp Womp" which actually could be another collective of musicians.  So far what I've heard, there is some crazy good sounds being made in Tennessee.

Blastoids can be right away compared to Animal Collective.  Their vocals.  The setup of their songs.  The craziness of their music and samples they use throughout.  But the sound is all their own.  Being someone who gets bored easily with music, I love any music that is complex, multilayered, that changes completely throughout each song and that has some amazing percussion and vocals.  All I ask.  And this band does all of that.   And what is great is you can download their album for free off their Myspace page.  Hopefully they come up to Madison so we can repay them by rocking out to their show.      

Islands

July 10th on Memorial Union Terrace

via Pitchfork

---

When Jamie Thompson and Nick Diamonds started their second post-Unicorns collaboration it made perfect sense that they should call it Islands. With breezy calypso rhythms, honeyed country-acoustic guitars, bubbly/silly synthesizer effects, and summery melodies, their debut, Return to the Sea, was a wonderful getaway soundtrack, obscuring its death-haunted lyrics with bright arrangements and rich, coconut-scented production

Vapors (2010)
 
Vapors

Caddywhompus

June 30th at Project Lodge

What would someone with ADD and a strong passion for life sound like musically? I’m guessing a lot like the band Caddywhompus. Combining high energy noise/math rock music and strong passionate vocals, Caddywhompus never sticks with one type of sound. Instead, they decide to take people through a range of music from loud, raucous punk to minimalist introspection and they accomplish this all within one song after another. It will be amazing to see them do this live at the Project Lodge this Wednesday, June 30th.

Caddywhompus is made up of Chris Rehm and Sean Hart from New Orleans. They had just released a new album this year. Their new album, Remainder has such an immense feeling and energy to it. At times, it feels like that emotional power has a youthful drive that knows what it eventually wants the listener to feel but doesn’t quite know how it’s going to get him or her there. You become so caught up in their furious pace that when a song does finally slow down and you can catch your breath you realized how much fun it all had been.

Check out my interview of them on Dane101.

You can get both of Caddywhompus’s albums, EPs and Remainder for FREE, if you register at Community Records, a DIY album distributor.

Songs I recommend

Let the Water Hit the Floor (Amazing song!)

... But Not Before a Show

Great New Music: Washed Out

Life of Leisure - Coming out July 6th

I've been listening to this guy's song, "You and I" nonstop since I got it.  Ernest Greene from South Carolina has a way with minimalistic syth sounds that provides the feeling of taking a very relaxing and amazing drug experience.  I mean, what I would guess would be equivalent to an awesome and relaxing drug experience.  You can hear similarities to the band Air in his songs especially with some similar synth sounds he shoots out. His voice is perfect for his music and it just enhances the journey his songs tend to lead you on.  I love when an artist is able to match his voice perfectly to the music, creating some beautiful songs.  I would be extremely happy if this guy makes a stop in our town but the way he seems to be blowing up, I might have to make a trip to Milwaukee to catch him.

Life of Leisure

You and I

Feel It All Around

Summerfest hopefuls

I can't tell you how difficult it has been wading through so many really crappy sounding bands that will be playing at Summerfest this year.  I don't mean crappy like they can't play their instruments or the guys voice isn't on pitch.  No, I mean if you can stand 11 days of forumlaic and boring music with whiney whispering/breathy male vocals , then you would be set.  I do have to say that I mainly checked out bands that I thought I would like, those that are playing the "emerging artists"/ indie/emo stage.  I'm not big into country and rap music has to be pretty damn good for me to care.  But the cover bands for some really great classical rock bands has got me interested and I am pretty excited that Rush is performing though I wonder if they are still as good as they were.  Either way, I compiled by day some bands I think you may like/already enjoy.  If you have other gems among dirt type of bands I might have missed, Please let me know in comments.

June 24th

Kool and the Gang (How can you go wrong there)
Tokyo Police Club
Passion Pit
Sheryl Crow (Not really my thing, but she is playing with General admissions.  And isn't she banging some   hot guy?)

Side Note:  The Cellular Stage where Passion Pit will be headlining will be the official bad emo stage.  Mechanical Kids really sounds and looks like a Justin Bieber led kind of band. LOL.  Looking at their band photo on their Myspace is good for a laugh.

June 25th
 Surgeons in Heat (Wisconsin Band you may see outside Summerfest, but seriously one of the better bands there)
Pink Floyd USA (I don't care if they are a cover band.  IT'S FUCKING PINK FLOYD!  'nough said)

June 26th

Hey, I really like the lineup on the Cellular Stage this day

Cage The Elephant - (Straight up Rock and Roll)
The London Souls (R N B, Rock N Roll)
The Ferocious Few - (Rockabilly, Old Country/Bob Dylan sounding)
Violent Soho - (90's Grunge) 

and for something different T

Thievery Corporation (Jazz/Electronic/DJ)
Hey Champ (Dance/Electronic/Indie)

June 27th

Civil Twilight (possibly good) Don't stick around for Neon Trees unless you like radio rock
B.B King - Come on, A LEGEND. 

 

Upcoming Shows

Hey all,

I created this list of upcoming shows that I want to see in Madison and thought I would share it to all you wonderful, music loving people.  Please comment of bands that I missed that I should probably, definitely go see.

6/26 Woodsman - Project Lodge
6/26  Zola Jesus w/ Dada Trash Collage - The Frequency
6/29 Thao and Mirah w/ The Most of All - High Noon
6/29 Chaos Revolution Theory (Madison band) - Frequency
6/30 Caddywhompus w/ Crane Your Swan Neck (Caddywhompus is amazing!!) - Project Lodge
7/1 Earl Greyhound - Memorial Terrace
7/7 The Ataris (LOL!)
7/10 Islands - Memorial Terrace
7/14 Liars w/ Fol Chen - High Noon Saloon
7/16 Fort Wilson Riot - Project Lodge
7/19 Bear in Heaven (Yeah!) w/ Twin Sister & Mountain Man (Yeah!) - High Noon Saloon (This is going to be an amazing show!)
7/24 Tapes N Tapes - Majestic Theater
7/28 Mahjongg (minimalist, experimental) - Memorial Terrace
8/11 Rooney - High Noon Saloon
8/21 Robbers - High Noon Saloon
9/21 Built to Spill - High Noon Saloon
9/24 Menomena (Yeah!) - High Noon Saloon
9/18 School of Seven Bells (Yeah!) - Majestic Theater

Menomena in Madison!

Friday September 24 at High Noon Saloon.

Thanks to the heads up from Muzzle of Bees about this.  I've been a huge fan of Menomena since my friend Ryan hooked me up with their music.  These guys are really amazing.  Their music is interesting and unique and they sound amazing whether they are harmonizing together or when one of them takes a vocal lead.  They utilize some interesting instruments including bells, a glockenspiel, saxophones and the now widely used loop machine. 

Why I love these guys?  Their music is never boring or repetitious.  I really don't care for a constant drum beat especially if it is an extremely simple sounding one.  Unless the song is meant to be low key and droning on purpose.  Menomena has a talent in utilizing silence in their songs.  In one song the percussion will suddenly pause, then a sax will spurt some notes out, then a guitar will play a riff and the percussion will come back in for a short time before pausing again.  Their vocals become the overarching element of the song that keeps it tight.  The vocals traverse over the cacophany of sound, forming a melody that the rest of the instruments just seem to emphasize without being overbearing.   Really interesting stuff.  Listening to a lot of music, to hear something that stands out and is unique like this is a real pleasure. Check out their stuff for yourself!

 Dirty Cartoons
Weird

Black Mountain

Wednesday, June 30 at High Noon Saloon

Black Mountain is a psychedelic rock band from British Columbia that is part of a sort of collective of musicians in Vancouver.  I'm guessing it's kind of like the Elephant Six collective from Athens, Georgia.  Here's a few of their songs off their newest album

In The Future (2008)

Tyrants

Stormy High

Bands at Sasquatch: The Heavy

Thursday, May 20 at Memorial Union ??

So since all I can really think about lately is my trip to the great NorthWest for Sasquatch, I decided to post some bands that I haven't heard of before but after listening to them I really enjoyed what I heard.  First up is British band, The Heavy.  While looking them up, I noticed that they say on their Myspace page that they are coming to the Memorial Union on May 20th.  Really?   I wonder why WUD didn't have this up on their site?  If this band is coming here, they need to publicize it tremendously so that they get the audience they deserve.   
The Heavy have been compared to James Brown and Curtis Mayfield with the style of their music and the similarities in vocals from Kelvin Swaby.  My feeling is they definitely are taking lessons from older R&B beats and sounds and Kelvin's voice definitely has a great blues sound to it.  If they are coming to the Union, I would hope the terrace will be as packed as it was for Janelle Monae, because these guys really are amazing.  And for Christ's sake they are coming from Britian.  That ain't cheap.  Check out some of their tunes here.

The House that Dirt Built (2009)

Sixteen (video)
How You Like Me Now? (video)

MC Frontalot

Monday May 17th at High Noon

I can't believe I forgot to mention MC Frontalot in my blog.  I'm sure Neil and Hannah would have been slightly upset that I didn't mention this very talented and very dorky rapper who is coming to the High Noon Saloon next week.  

MC Frontalot is one of the founders of a sub genre of rapping called Nerdcore.  MC Frontalot cointed the term in 2000.  It's pretty much just how it sounds, with rappers breaking it down on such hot topics as Star Wars, mathematical equations, shyness and isolation, and all that is reveled in the geek society.  I remember that a precursor to the Forward Music Festival two years ago, there was a huge group of Nerdcore rappers performing at the Cardinal.  And for me being someone who doesn't necessarily like rap, I really enjoyed myself.  I guess if you rap about more innocuous stuff like your love for Star Trek and how electronic media is overated then I guess I will like you.  So if you like rap, computers and or Science Fiction, then you should head out and see this Maestro at work.

Oh, and you can get a lot of free MP 3's on his website if you want to check him out before going out. 

Some Rhymes from MC Frontalot.  

Goth Girls 

I Hate Your Blog

CocoRosie

Saturday June 19 at Barrymore Theater

I actually just discovered CocoRosie after perusing a large mixtape that someone posted online.  The voices of these two sisters are really enchanting and unique.  Their songs have a mystical, exotic feel to them that both lulls the listener at the same time mesmerizes them.  I didn't know that they were famous enough to be at the Barrymore, but maybe that is just because I just heard of them.  Check out some of their songs below.

Beautiful Boyz 


Grey Oceans (2010)

Lemonade 

Smokey Taboo 

Yeasayer and Sleigh Bells at Majestic April 28

Yeasayer played to sold out show at the Majestic, and other then the extremely expensive drinks ($3 for water, come on) the show was great.  Openers were Sleigh bells who I thought had everything down except their stage show.  Sleigh Bells are so similar to Crystal Castles, that throughout the show I kept wanting them to turn on a fog machine and have crazy strobe lights flashing just to remind me of the Crystal Castles show I was at.  But just having her up on stage screaming and him bopping his guitar up and down seem to take away from the craziness and punk feeling of their songs. 

The crowd really loved her though and kept moshing towards her as she sauntered from one end of the stage to the other.  What made their songs more then anything was the bass beats that were laid down behind the guitar and her vocals.  Wow.  Those beats were fierce!!  Definitely wish I had earphones and was pressed against the speakers for them.   One big disappointment though was that they didn't seem to have any CD's for sale and didn't have anyone selling their stuff throughout the whole show.  Boo.  But I definitely recommend acquiring their music online if you can.

Yeasayer came on and the crowd was ready to start dancing.  This is the third time seeing them and I can definitely say they were right on with their songs and their stage presence.  And I got to see my lover who I think his name is Anand Wilder.  Correct me if I'm wrong though.

This guy isn't just beautiful, he has the best voice out of everyone in the band.  Swoon. 

I really like that this band now has two great albums behind them because I can only think of maybe one or two songs that I didn't like during this whole show.   But they played all their single hits and the crowd loved every moment of it.  Especially the guy beside us who kept screaming throughout the entire show while doing some kind of finger puppetry to every lyric within their songs.  Kind of adorable.  Kind of annoying.  We got a laugh out of it.  

And to top off the night, we got to drink with our new pal Bruce, who if you go see a show at the Majestic, you should look for sitting outside of Woof's across the street.  Bruce is great fun! 

Jonsi at Pabst April 26

Hands down, I think this is going to be the best show I see all year.  I believe I can say that even though I'm planning on going to Sasquatch this year, which will be exciting in itself.  But seeing Jonsi's concert at the Pabst was one of the most visual and aural experiences I've ever been a part of.  And you did feel like you were a part of the show by the end. 

Before I get to the main act, I definitely have to mention the opener.  It takes a lot for a man and a guitar to go up on stage and entertain me.  I've seen acts similar to this and most people know that this guy either has to be an amazing guitar player or has to have an interesting and amazing voice.  Luckily for us, both of these applied to Death Vessel.  Unfortunately, I don't think the songs on his myspace capture how amazing this guy was.  His falsetto voice and his choice in words just complimented each other so well.  Both Tree and I were swooning to this guy by the end.

Now on to Jonsi.  First off, there was this giant "cloth" hanging at the back of the stage.  I had read up on this show and I know that he said there was this huge theatrical component to the show that they were having to lug behind them when they were touring the US.  So I was a little disappointed when all I saw was this huge cloth hanging from the back of the stage.  But that changed right from the first song.  The sheet became a backdrop for the beginning of Jonsi's nature motif that would carry on throughout his show. Here's a pic from the first song. 

The image of the cave drawings "burned" up by the second or third song and all that was left was this giant burned out structure.  It's hard to describe it and I wish I had a better picture of it, but it was huge and there as a lot of other elements a part of it that created this multi-texture look.  Through out the show, different drawings and art danced across this backdrop, from ants scurrying across dragging bits of garbage, to what looked like the whole back of the stage filling up with water, to then at the climax of the song to "burst" forth.  The coordination between his songs and this art and also just the beauty of the art itself astounded everyone that was in attendance at this show.  Again, best show I will see all year.  If you are lucky enough to have Jonsi come even remotely close to where you live, I would encourage you to pay the $30 or so to see him.  Amazing.

Janelle Monae in Concert

 

I didn't know how the turnout for this show would be.  The air was chill.  There was more then a slight hint of moisture in the air. As far as I know, I was sure the show was going to be moved inside.  And that would have been awful.  To see a crowded show inside the Rathskellar is unbearable not to mention uncomfortable.  In one sense, I was glad then to see them doing a sound check outside.  In another sense, I hope they still would get the crowd they deserved even with the weather.

I didn't have to worry for long.  Although there was no one there at 8pm, by 9pm the terrace was packed full of people.  Luckily I found myself in the gay friendly section which apparently for those newbies to the terrace is at the left corner of the stage.  Who knew?  I was glad that a large number of my friends were also excited to see this Diva in action.  Including these very attractive men. 

The show opened up with a beatbox guy from Minneapolis who I think was called Heatboxx(?) which at first glanced looked like a skinny version of Fred Durst.  I wasn't really that interested.  He was definitely no Janelle Monae.  But when he started looping his beatboxing and rapping over the top, I knew this guy was a helluva lot better then Mr. Durst.  I couldn't get any good pictures of him, but I can say there were a number of songs that he really impressed me with especially since the only "musical accompaniment"  behind his rapping was his own beatboxing.  It also gave me fond memories of TuNe-YaRdS when she played here.

And then she came.  Or at least I was pretty sure it was Janelle Monae even though they came out wearing these devil worshipping cloaks.  Not that I know exactly what kind of cloaks devil worshippers wear.

  But it wasn't long before the cloaks were off.   She asked the audience if they were ready for the Archandroid Experience (the name of her newest and as of yet, not released album).  With the approval of the audience, She began to sing quite a few songs that were off her new album.  I can say right now, it's definitely an album you don't want to miss.  The songs were amazing.  Some songs are just as dancy and fun as the ones off of her debut album, Metropolis.  Others she slowed down, cooing to the audience with that amazing voice of hers.  She did sing a few songs from her first album, Sincerely Jane, Violet Moons...etc.  And these of course made the audience go crazy though by going crazy just means a few people jumped up and down and danced.  I mean come on, college students can't blow their cool with too much craziness.

By the end, although the temperature was cold outside, I was definitely hot and sweating.  I also couldn't hear anything since we were right up against the speakers.  But I had a great time and I would love to see this woman again if she comes back to Wisconsin.  

Coming Soon. Recaps of Janelle Monae, Jonsi, and Yeasayer

I've been really busy attending shows and hadn't had a good amount of time checking out shows in the future.  I'm planning on posting some comments on the last few shows I have seen with pics in the upcoming days.  Any good shows you know of that are coming up in May, comment them below!!

Generationals

May 3rd at Turner Hall Ballroom

w/ Apples In Stereo

   I really had only heard one song from them, the song that I'm going to put below, and instantly fell in love with them.  You know, I was wondering, I wish there were more groups that would sound like that old, motown sound.  You know, kind of like Sharon Jones.  And then I got this mix from the interwebs and I heard The Generationals.  At first I was picturing another beautiful black female doing the vocals and some stylish black men accompanying her on some guitars and drums.  Then I saw their picture and I was like, wait, this music is coming from them.  Totally throwed me off.  But I love the music and I love what this band has to offer.  And it probably will decide for me to see Apples in Stereo in Milwaukee

Con Law (2009)

When They Fight, They Fight 

Faces In the Dark

Nite Jewel

May 13th at Project Lodge

w/ Rory Kane (AKA I AUTOTUNE the shit out of all my songs)

First Project Lodge brought White Hinterland, which I should check the local blogs to see how that show went.  Now they are bringing another up and coming "Space pop" band to Madison and this one I'm equally excited about.
Nite Jewel is composed of three people.  They produce ambient music, with a little more uptempo beat and throw in occasionally some great pop girl vocals.  Maybe like a strip down Ladytron.  Or even better, a stripped down Goldfrapp.  But not as dancey.  If that makes sense.  Check out some of their songs and then correct my interpretation of their sound in the comment section.  They seem to have gotten a lot of attention for their remix of the Caribou song, Odessa, which was pretty awesome to begin with.  So I'll include that on here.  

Good Evening (May 19)

Odessa (Nite Jewel Remix) 
Weak For Me



 

The Show is the Rainbow, The Shakes & Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt

I will start off this show review by saying that I haven't been able to figure out how to write show review.  I mean I can type fine, but whenever I reread what I wrote about a show, I tend to focus a lot on the details and less on the overall feel.  I also tend to not use descriptive terms like "Screaming guitars" or "viscous animalistic vocals".  They never are really screaming and I haven't heard any vocals in my life that I would equate with animals, unless  they were intentionally so.  With this disclaimer being said, here's my effort in doing it. 


     I got to the Union in the middle of The Show Is The Rainbow's (TSITR) set.  I wish I got some pictures of him because he looks very different then he does in the current pictures he has up on his Myspace page.  The first thing I noticed was a slightly larger guy with long red hair, a big red beard and a pretty hairy torso dancing in front of the stage.  Man, he certainly looked like he was having fun.  Shane Shane was there with some other peeps from Screamin Cyn Cyn and the Pons and a handful of other people. TSITR was actually pretty awesome.  He had great beats playing off of his laptop (He even thanked the person who created these majestic beats..himself).  He had probably 10x's more energy then everyone else in that room combined which led him to climb over chairs, headbang whipping his long hair around, and doing some pretty cool tribal dance moves.   His music is actually well written and though sometimes I feel someone singing to a laptop takes away from the show, I can appreciate the time and effort he put into creating the music.  I got to talk to Darren afterwards for a short time and he said that he tries to make it to Wisconsin 2 or 3 times a year (he resides in Nebraska currently).  If you see this guy performing in town again, I definitely recommend everyone to see him.  

Second up was a member of the headlining band doing his solo thing.  His name was Jesse.  He seemed to hate to perform in front of the microphone and instead tried to get the audience as much as possible to get into his performance space with him.  We couldn't hear him so well when he sang without the mike, but what we could make out sounded great.  He had great vocals.  His music was more in his voice then his guitar, the solo instrument with him.  He had a folky sound to him when he was singing and in between some of those songs he would interject a few songs that he would rap.  He actually reminded me a lot of Why? because of this but with a lot simpler musical setup.  

Third up was The Shakes.  I wasn't really prepared for this band.  Everyone else was dancy, great lyrics and vocals, fun dancy music.  The Shakes were pure out punk music.  And as my friend said, they definitely looked the part. I actually appreciate punk and have been in quite a few mosh pits in my time.  But either it was because I saw this band out of a punk scene context or maybe it was because I just didn't care for them, but I thought they were not very good.  I did enjoy the guys who had some crazy dance moves happening in front of the stage during their performance.  I was really curious where these guys came from until I saw that they were in the headlining band.  ahhhh.   Well at least they rocked out to a good time.  I kind of sat down and had some beer instead.  Which would have been ok except they kept saying they wanted their vocals higher.  And higher.  No, sir, your vocals don't need to be higher.  Your music needs to be softer.  They were able to empty out a large number of the Union before the headlining act came on.

Last was Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt.  What?  While most bands take a large amount of time to set up their equipment and do sound check, TPDR took more time decorating the Union.  There were blow up lawn ornaments.  There was a glowing Snowman.  They had long chains of teddy bears that they threw around people's necks and around speakers.  They also had a giant costume box which they pulled out multiple outfits for people to wear during their show.  It was crazy, but I do love the simple way they were turning their performance space into a party space.  And everyone who showed up was digging it.  A larger crowd came up to the stage and many don different forms of dresses, wigs and other crazy outfits.  Others closed in tight around the two singers of TPDR who, one was only in his boxers while the other one had a giant red cape on.  We couldn't hear their songs to well (except their last song which was about something to do with a heart) but the crowd was loving every minute of their set.  We were more enjoying the two people who found each other drunkenly and proceeded to grind and makeout throughout the whole set.  They seriously were paying less attention to the performance then we were.  It's a good thing that people I was with tried to help them at least move to the beat, but alas, it didn't work out well.  
Anyway, that was the show.  Next show I probably will review will be

The Antlers w/ Phantogram This Sunday, April 18th at High Noon Saloon.    

Dear Madison, Please Bring this Band! GOBBLE GOBBLE

These guys are amazing.  Fun.  Unique.   Weird.  I love them!  Book them, ole ye Promoters of the Gods!
Gobble Gobble

Powerman 5000, Lollapoolza, and other randomness

Not that I like this band at all, but I think it's kind of funny that they are playing at the Annex.  And not for a very high ticket cost.  Was it just me or didn't these guys get big at some point?  Anyway, if you are interested, check out their show on June 12. 

The Lollapalooza lineup is up and I can say I am actually kind of tempted to go to this festival this year.  I always said if there is any well known band that I want to see before I die that I haven't seen yet it would be Tina Turner's reunion tour, and Arcade Fire.   And fuck if Arcade Fire isn't playing this year.   There's also Cut Copy, Hot Chip and some chick named Lady Gaga.   Very impressive lineup.  To see all of the bands playing, check out their website Lollapalooza.

My roommate's sister's band is playing tonight at the Wisco.  Victoria Echeverria is an amazing performer and I hope Wisco can handle all of that awesomeness tonight.  Check out Venus in Furs tonight!!

Let's Wrestle!

April 16th at the Annex

w/ Quasi

I might have a soft spot for British bands, this I admit.  Especially when they come from the great big isle across the ocean to play in our landlock state of Wisconsin.  I also haven't been disappointed yet from seeing a show from a band from the UK.  It's true.  

I admit that I knew that Quasi was playing at the Annex but of the few songs I heard from them, nothing really stuck out as being amazing.  I do have to admit having Janet Weiss, the drummer of Sleater Kinney, performing in your band really kind of bumps it up a notch.  The music doesn't have to be that spectacular to get me to buy a ticket to see the beautiful and amazing Janet banging away at lightening speeds on her drums.  But I still wasn't sold on this show.  Hey, I'm a poor guy who needs to make sure his money can be spread out for all the shows he wants to see in the Spring and Summer.  Already I've spent close to $400 including Sasquatch.  So I'm picky.  

But then I saw that Let's Wrestle is playing at this show.  I will say that their music doesn't stand out all that much for me.  But I've seen their band pop up on quite a few mixtapes that I have come across to the point where I'm really curious to see them now.  Let's Wrestle are three dudes singing some basic rock music.  Sometimes there is some more performance additions other then the guitar riffs and drums, such as looping and distortion.  But all in all, these guys are primarily the straight up rock sound with of course a lead singer with a British Accent.  OK, I'm sold! 

Let's Wrestle

We are Men You'll Grow to Love Soon

Check out this Review of the Titus Andronicus show at Project Lodge

From the blog, Muzzle of Bees:


By Tyler Fassnacht
Ever since I saw Titus Andronicus open for No Age back in 2008, they have been in the running for my favorite live band. Each time I have seen them grace a stage with their energy and stage presence, it has been better than the last, and this concert was no exception. When it was announced that they would be playing the Project Lodge, one of my favorite intimate venues, I bought my ticket immediately, especially because this would be my first time seeing them as a headliner.
Local Madison group His and Her Vanities opened and started the evening off a great foot. They are able to mix jangly and catchy with dissonance and elements of math-rock, into their art-rock sound. Their set did a good job of getting everyone excited for the headliners, but was also memorable in their own right. Since this band doesn’t play too many shows, I would suggest seeing them if you ever get the chance, or just pick up last year’s awesome The Mighty Lunge.
Titus Andronicus came out on a stage covered in American flags, to a cheering, completely packed audience and jumped into the opening track from their near perfect new album, The Monitor. As soon as the song began, the front of the crowd went crazy and continued throughout the rest of the show. It had been a while since I left a concert so sweaty. Something that makes this band so great live is that in almost every song there is opportunity to dance, pump your fist or shout along with big choruses and memorable lines (I have never heard so many people shout “FUCK YOU” in unison). Playing mostly tracks from their new album, they tore through all the epic songs, even the magnum opus, fourteen minute long, “the Battle of Hampton Roads.” They also threw in a handful of tracks from their amazing debut album; so older fans were made happy as well.
There was some trouble with the mics turning off at some points, but they were fixed pretty quickly. My one complaint with the sound, however, was how the vocals seemed a little muddy, but with front man Patrick Stickles growls and yelps, it wasn’t too noticeable.
After more than an hour of playing, they put down their instruments and left the stage. The audience applauded and chanted “one more song!” until Stickles came out to say that they actually didn’t know how to play any more songs. That was the sad realization that the night was over. Though after the comical banter, the moshing, the raging guitar solos and the scream a longs, I was completely satisfied. Yet again, Titus Andronicus blew me away with their live show, which is something I think everyone should experience at least once in their life.

Janelle Monae!!! Forget the last post. See this Woman!

April 23 at the Union Terrace

   I love this woman.   I saw her at Bonnaroo last year and she was one of the best acts that I saw.  This woman has amazing, fun beats.  She has great lyrics and has one of the best voices I've heard in a long time.  At the show I saw at Bonnaroo, she demonstrated how she was musically trained in opera, wowing the crowd with a short operatic piece.  She also proceeded to do a painting on stage while singing another one of her songs where at the end, she threw it into the audience (glad no one got their eye knocked off).  All in all, this may be one of my big highlights of the season, and a GREAT way of kicking of my three large concerts in under a week.   Check out her music and videos and see you at the Union!!

Metropolis: The Chase part 1

Many Moons (Video)

The Archandroid (May 18th)

Tightrope (Video)

Surgeons in Heat

 

April 23 at The Frequency

I saw these guys open up for Woodhands and can say that I have another local Wisconsin band that I enjoy. Again, as some of you know, I have a soft spot for a male lead singer that sings in falsetto. I also have a soft spot for local talented bands.  So they have two for two there.  As they took the stage before Woodhands, the guitarist of Surgeons in Heat admitted that he was "Really fucked up" and the lead singer also seemed overly intoxicated.  He could barely open his eyes as he held on tight to the microphone.  And as they performed theirs songs, what was supposed to sound more like pop rock turned into more of a mellow rock.  But as "fucked up" as he was, the lead singer was still able to hit that falsetto and belt out some great songs.  Here's another "local" band I'd recommend you checking out.  

Fang Island

April 22nd at High Noon Saloon

w/ Red Sparowes & Caspian

Another Brooklyn band trying to break out, I think this band has a good chance to do just that.  Although I don't find their songs that complex, there definitely is a sense of experimentation and fun.  There's a little Animal Collective.  There's a little Black Lips.   There's a lot of just one word or one sound choruses.  But it works and it's fun.  Here's what Pitchfork has to say of their new album:

"Fang Island's self-titled second album is joyous despite its general lack of verses or choruses. It's fractured like any post-punk record while also speaking the language of classic rock, yet often feels like an intricate collage pieced together from elements that make songs memorable-- palm-muted power chords following wide-open intros, blistering solos, double-time outros. Pretty much all of that is crammed into the deleriously infectious "Daisy", an emphatic crossbreed of the Go! Team and the Promise Ring's "Is This Thing On?" The dance routine in the song's video feels like the only natural reaction to hearing it."

Fang Island


Daisy
Life Coach (Video)

Laarks...Part Deux.

April 20 at The Frequency

Just saw a poster at the Frequency that the Laarks will be coming back to town next month.  Highly recommend you see this show.  They were amazing at the Project Lodge!!

My Gold Mask

Headlining Lakeshorepalooza 

Friday, April 30 at Union Terrace

I first heard this band from my friend Joe in Chicago.  He put something up on his facebook of  My Gold Mask doing a cover of Bette Davis Eyes and I seriously listened to the song 5 times consecutively.  It was amazing.  And I didn't even know it was a cover until later, but it isn't just the lyrics.  The vocals hit my pleasure sensors just right.  

Gretta Rochelle has that female voice that I love.  When you hear her voice, you are just waiting for it to explode into the air.  It's full of power and full of beauty.  And I love that she is using for this type of music.

Jack Armondo is labeled on their Myspace as being only on guitars but there is much more to the music then a guitar.  By the picture above it actually looks like Gretta also does the percussion in their songs.  Something about front singing women singing and beating on something at the same time wows me.  Anyway, this is a GREAT headlining act for this small music fest and with the venue of the Terrace, it should create an awesome night. 

Violet Eyes

Your Coo Ka Choo

Video

Bette Davis Eyes

Sleigh Bells

April 28 at Majestic Theater

w/ Yeasayer

Have you ever been to one of those shows where you know the headlining act and you are super excited to check them out.  You show up early, try to scout out a good location that is close to the bar but also close to the stage.  Then all of a sudden the opening act comes on and you think "Whoa...what the fuck?  Who is this awesome band?".  

Yeah, if you know about Yeasayer and you are going to this show, be prepared to have that reaction to the opener, Sleigh Bells. What seems like an unlikely union of music turns out to be one of the best sounding things out there right now.   Derek Miller was on a quest to find a female singer for a new project of his.  He was known for performing in hardcore bands previously.  Luckily, a persistent mother in a restaurant recommended her daughter.  Alexis met Derek and they hit it off.  Alexis was used to performing in girl pop groups, so Derek's hard edge presented an interesting diversion.   As Derek put it, why not extend a great hardcore riff for an entire song and have some beautiful female vocals over it.  And that is how Sleigh Bells came about.  And that is how this amazing band, without an album and only a few songs, became well known and performing in Madison.

A/B Machines  

Crown On The Ground  

R.I.P. Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse :(

I learned about Sparklehorse through Danger Mouse's collaboration with them for the album, Dark Night of the Soul.  It's always really sad when a talented singer takes his own life.  Here's the Pitchfork article on it.   

http://pitchfork.com/news/38114-rip-sparklehorses-mark-linkous/

Laarks

Thursday, March 11 at Project Lodge

Hey look!  It's an Eau Claire band!  It's always great to get a hold of some good music that is from Wisconsin.  Hell, I didn't hear about Bon Iver until after the rest of the world had.  You're in my state, Bon Iver.  At least play a few shows before you explode into fame.  With that said, I'm glad that the Project Lodge is providing a space for these guys.  Cause if they are going to blow up to Bon Iver status, I can at least say I saw them before they got big.  

Laarks reminded me of Ben Folds with some of their playful sounding lyrics sung by Ian Jacoby.  But thankfully, there isn't a piano central to their sound.  No offense to pianos, but I already have enough bands in my repertoire that bang on that instrument.  Their music sounds more what you would expect from other Indie Rock bands.  Drums, guitars with slight distortion, vocals with slight echo.  The thing is that with this band, you won't keep saying to yourself, "eh, they are alright, but they just aren't there yet".  No, I think this band is nailing a solid sound pretty well and finding a great balance between vocals and music.  My biggest peeve is people who can't figure out that vocals should go with the music, not against it.  Ian's voice is great.  The music is great.If I wasn't working,  I would totally check them out.  And hey, so should you.  

An Exaltation of Larks  (2009) 

All the Words

New Music Overload!!

 

Fight Softly - The Ruby Suns

Reminds me a little bit of Animal Collective.  Trippy and danceable with multiple layers of sounds and rhythms. Like a hippy dance party if hippies used more electronic instruments.

Cranberry

 

The Besnard Lakes are The Roaring Night -

Besnard Lakes

Also slightly trippy.  This album is filled with instrumental rock reminiscent of Pink Floyd.  So expect some more trippy sounds with mellow and interesting rock undertones and some falsetto male and exquisite female vocals. 

Albatross

Black Light - Groove Armada

With a name like Groove Armada, it isn't hard to figure out the type of music that they play.  Electronic dance music that isn't just a thumping beat to repetitive high pitch robot sounds.  This is some great club music in the vein of Justice but with more vocals.

Paper Romance

Plastic Beach - Gorillaz

The only sad thing about this release is that it wasn't produced by Dangermouse.  And sometimes you can tell within the album.  

Broken

 

Hidden - These New Puritans

These guys have shot up the UK charts and I hope they get equal amount of love here in the States.   Definitely an art rock type of group, there is more experimentation that occurs then your basic guitar/drum combo.  Sometimes dark, sometimes electronic, but always with a rock groove to it. 

We Want War

 

Synchronize EP - Solid Gold

Minneapolis favorites, they are diverging just slightly on their new EP going from the more simple danceable songs to some great electronic sounding indie rock.  

Synchronize (White Sea remix)

  

Total Life Forever - Foals (Coming May 2010)