A.J. Love builds a Chicago blues revival at the Frequency True-blue believer Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 07/03/2009, (3) Recommendations Local blues guitarist A.J. Love doesn't just like Chicago blues; he lives it and loves it. Though he has family and work responsibilities here in town, he drifts down to the Windy City a few times a week simply to listen to its stars and learn from them. >More
Lucie Blue Tremblay's affirmations are bilingual The languages of love Rich Albertoni on Friday 07/03/2009 The opening line of one of Lucie Blue Tremblay's most popular songs, "So Lucky," gets poetic about the unity of love. "When one voice leads another in a way of harmony," she begins. The words could just as easily be a synopsis of Tremblay's own bilingual singing style. Since she released her first album on the seminal women's music label Olivia Records in 1986, Tremblay has been noted for getting lyrical in both French and English. >More
MadTracks -- 'Hypnogogic' by Sunspot Jessica Steinhoff on Wednesday 06/10/2009 3:00 pm, (18) Recommendations The boundary between sleep and wakefulness has intrigued artists and thinkers for centuries, from Aristotle to Edgar Allan Poe to Richard Linklater in his popular 2001 film Waking Life. Most recently, the three musicians in Sunspot have been exploring hypnagogia, the mysterious bridge from "awake" to "asleep." >MoreMadTracks -- 'Siamese Babies' by Amy Curl and Dan Kennedy Jessica Steinhoff on Monday 06/08/2009 2:00 pm, (1) Comment, (8) Recommendations Almost everybody knows at least one couple so enamored with each other that it's a wonder they can function for five seconds when separated. Madison recording artists Amy Curl and Dan Kennedy jokingly call these folks Siamese twins and have even written a song about this condition called "Siamese Babies." >More
Sonic Youth: The Eternal (Matador) Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 07/03/2009 The "eternal" in the title of Sonic Youth's new album references a number of things: memories of creative luminaries, social problems that never seem to die and those things that make us human, like lust and rage. It also seems to be a statement about the eternal youth of the band, which has been making innovative noise for nearly 30 years yet sounds remarkably current with almost every new release — especially this one. >MoreMos Def: The Ecstatic (Downtown) Rich Albertoni on Friday 06/26/2009 After recent stumbles, The Ecstatic returns Mos Def to the high standards he set early in his career. >More
Forward Music Festival 2009 has Andrew Bird in hand, and Low as a high point Josh Wimmer on Tuesday 06/30/2009 4:06 pm, (6) Recommendations Madison music fans, get ready to raise the roof and dance your asses off -- or, OK, maybe just sway in place and clap occasionally -- following today's announcement of headliner Andrew Bird for the second annual Forward Music Fest. >MoreCafe Montmartre is closing Kenneth Burns on Tuesday 06/30/2009 11:46 am, (1) Comment, (2) Recommendations Cafe Montmartre owners Craig and Kevin Spaulding have confirmed that the restaurant, bar and music space, a downtown fixture for almost 17 years, is closing. >MoreVinyl Cave: Moonwalking into sunlight with Michael Jackson and Sky Saxon Bob Koch on Saturday 06/27/2009 8:00 am, (11) Recommendations I've owned several copies of Thriller which have ended up being given away to friends who were more interested in listening to it at the time than I was, so I wasn't sure I would find a copy in the stacks when I made my trip to the past. But MJ was there, still looking as cool as ever with his baby tiger in the gatefold's picture. >MoreRhapsodic Russians open Concerts on the Square 2009 season John W. Barker on Thursday 06/25/2009 10:59 am Madison's Concerts on the Square are a far cry from the small-town concerts at the village bandstand of a century ago. But they have become an institution, now in its 26th season. >MoreMadTracks -- 'Porter House 650' by Aaron Williams & the Hoodoo Jessica Steinhoff on Wednesday 06/24/2009 3:00 pm, (6) Recommendations When most people think of a porterhouse, they imagine a thick, juicy slab of meat and perhaps a cattle rancher or two. Madison blues-rock band Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo don't think about the steak or the farm as much as the saucy lady who served the meal. >MoreArts & Crafts stands out among high school bands to win Launchpad 2009 finals Finalists rock out in Wisconsin Union Theater, get ready for Summerfest gigs Joe Shaffer on Sunday 06/21/2009 12:00 pm, (13) Recommendations As a 12-year-old in a rock band with high hopes for my own career in the Launchpad competition, I was excited to check out the statewide finals on Saturday, June 20, at the Wisconsin Union Theater. I'm not yet eligible for Launchpad, but as I sat through the 12 finalists I definitely got an idea of what to do and what not to do. >More
The Tennessee Three resurrect Johnny Cash's spirit in Madison Bob Wootton rolls an otherworldly freight train from the Duck Pond to the Essen Haus Jessica Steinhoff on Saturday 06/13/2009 7:36 pm, (1) Comment, (13) Recommendations Legends are rarely built without the help of some clever friends and a convincing storyteller. In the case of Johnny Cash, at least a few of these partners in crime belonged to The Tennessee Three, his backing band of more than 40 years. Friday night at the Madison Mallards baseball game and later at the Essen Haus, the current lineup of the band gave fans a glimpse into how such legends are made. >More
Vinyl Cave: In Search of the Lost Chord by The Moody Blues Bob Koch on Saturday 06/20/2009 10:00 am, (5) Recommendations I recently had a chance to do some overseas traveling, including a few days in London. Since there were far more exciting sights to see than racks of records -- and little space to transport anything home, anyway -- only a small stack of vinyl made the trip back. >More
Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society seeks Haydn John W. Barker on Monday 06/15/2009 12:00 pm, (2) Recommendations Every season of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society has a punning theme to unite its programs. This year's is "Haydn Seek," combining the idea of children's games with marking the 200th anniversary of the great 18th-century Austrian master's death. Each program will contain a chamber work of his. >More
Log in