Cowboy Junkies at Majestic Theatre, 11.28.2007

Perfect band at a perfect venue with a perfect audience. For 250 or so lucky (or smart?) folks - the show of the year.

For more photos, go to madisonmusicreview.com

Chautauqua - Speak your mind on our forum

We like the idea of learning from one another. . .

Chautauqua was an adult education movement that was highly popular in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In fact, President Theodore Roosevelt is quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America." It brought entertainment and culture for the whole community - with speakers, teachers, musicians,entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day.

So please, share what you know!

Check out the Chautauqua!

Join the Chautauqua!.

Coming Soon - Cowboy Junkies!Majestic TheatreNovember 28th, 2007

I like the Cowboy Junkies a lot, but have not had the chance to see them before. So I'm excited about their upcoming appearance at the Majestic Theatre.

The name fits the band, I think. And no, they are not cowboys or junkies - but their beautiful, well-crafted songs could be placed in the alt-country genre (although I wouldn't do that) and their trademark slow-core sound has a dark, woozy, narcotic feel with full-on psychedelic touches. This will be a very intimate, seated performance - only 300 tickets will be sold. (And have you heard the sound in the Majestic yet? It's great!) Amazingly, there are still tickets available. So I would highly recommend buying a ticket now! [...more]

Lotus at Majestic Theatre on October 25, 2007

Lotus and Unwed Sailor played a great show at the Majestic. The sound was superb and the main floor was throbbing with fans dancing to the chill grooves laid down by Lotus. They never disappoint. . . See more photos [here].

Photos from Global Drum Project at Overture Hall on October 26, 2007

An incredible performance by rhythm masters! . . . See more great photos [here].

Project/Object - Surge for Zappa Music Tour@ Majestic Theatre, 10.23.2007

I'm a fan of Frank Zappa. A small "f" fan - but one with a real appreciation of his brilliance. . . On the other hand, my old friend Paul Schroeder in Chicago is a FAN! He introduced me to Zappa back when we shared the same dorm floor as college freshmen. And he now has the most complete collection of FZ recordings you could imagine - both audio and video. . . We saw a lot of great shows together. So when Paul recommends a band performing the music of Frank Zappa - as he did with Project/Object - I take notice. [. . . more]

Spoon performs in the Current studio

 

 

Check this news out from Al-X: 

Fresh from their Saturday Night Live performance on Oct. 6, 2007 and the day after their first of two shows at the world-famous First Ave night club in downtown Minneapolis, Spoon stopped by the Current studios in downtown St. Paul to show some love and chat with Mary Lucia.

Songs performed: "Don't You Evah," "Beast and Dragon ," and "Black Like Me."

LINK:  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/11/spoon/

 

Drive-By Truckers w/ Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses @ The Barrymore Theater, October 20, 2007

The Drive-By Truckers brought their “Dirt Underneath” Tour to Madison (sans Spooner Oldham) on Saturday night. The show opener was Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses from Austin, TX. Every once in a while you are lucky enough... [more]

Drive By Truckers Patterson Hood
transforming from man to beast with
a little help from Jack D.

More pictures from the show here

Dave Mason and John Mayall Rock the HouseNorthern Lights Theatre, 10.19.2007

It was definitely a strange and different scene walking through the Potowatami Casino to get to the Northern Lights Theater where Dave Mason with opening act John Mayall and the Blues Breakers were set to perform. But the theater itself is a wonderful room to see a show. It has a nice large stage, the acoustics are great, and I don't believe there is bad seat in the house. And on this night there was a full house of appreciative listeners on hand. [. . . more]

CHROME DREAMS II "RIVERBOAT" PREVIEWS

NY Times, August 27, 2007

Chrome Dreams II will feature several Riverboat previews as bonus CDs at selected retail outlets. Each outlet will have a different track. "The Riverboat" is disc 1 of the NYA Performance Series and is included in the Archives Volume 1 release scheduled for early 2008. When the Archives Volume 1 is released, The NYA Performance series will total three released discs including "Crazy Horse at the Fillmore East", "Massey Hall", and "The Riverboat."
      "The Riverboat" was a coffee house on Yorkville Avenue in Toronto where NY played soon after the break-up of the Buffalo Springfield. It is one NY's earliest known live recordings.

Photos - Fiery Furnaces at The Annex, 10.11.2007

Here's some photos from the amazing performance put on by the Fiery Furnaces last night at The Annex. It was quite a display of talent by all four band members. Catch this band live whenever you have the chance!



Want to see more photos? Click [here]

Interview w/ Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers

I recently had the opportunity to interview Patterson Hood and asked about the upcoming DBT release as well as some in depth personal questions. [MORE...]

Live Review: EOTO / Future Rock at High Noon Saloon

As you probably know, I was really excited by the Future Rock / EOTO bill at the High Noon. I've just been listening seriously to electronic music for a couple years now, and really enjoying it. And earlier this year, Ankur initiated me into great dance scene at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival - which plays host to some of the world's best DJs and production artists each Memorial Day weekend.

I have come to really love watching electronic artists perform - because what they do is apparently so simple (Just creating a beat, right?), but is in reality quite technically complex (Have you ever tried using this equipment and software? . . . It's damn difficult). And the best part is that good DJs/PAs are magicians at finding the energy of a crowd and then moving it. So it makes a great tribal community experience. . . which is something we need more often.

EOTO started the night out with a great groove and kept it rollin' for an hour and a half. I've seen Michael Travis and Jason Hann perform with String Cheese Incident several times, so I knew that these percussionists were excellent. But I was amazed by their live performance and really grateful to be able to see them in such an intimate show venue - the High Noon is one of my faves.

It also wonderful to be able to socialize with the musicians before or after the set. I always appreciate musicians like Travis and Jason who despite a long career on the road still remain very open to their fans. . . I've been listening to their 2006 release - elephants only talk occasionally. It sounds great, and if you weren't there it would give you a good idea what you missed.

Future Rock followed - and turned up the heat. Luckily, Felix has got that shirt! You will be hearing a lot more about this Chicago area band, who we want to see play in Madison often!! Their new release - GEARS - is also quite good, and recommended.

http://www.futurerock.net/
www.myspace.com/eotomusic

Photos of Deerhoof at The Union Terrace, Madison, WI (10/01/07)

Deerhoof tore it up at the Union Terrace last evening...

To visit the full photo page at Madison Music Review's site click here

Michael Franti and Spearhead @ The Orpheum - September 30, 2007

Fire! Fire! Fire! Light up ya lighter. Fire! Fire! Fire! While I had heard Spearhead's music on radio before (courtesy my favorite local radio station WORT 89.9 FM), I really had no clue as to what to expect at their live show. Blending a mix of hip-hop, funk, reggae, rock, R &B, and folk with introspective yet highly-charged lyrics, Michael Franti and Spearhead had the sparse-for-Sunday-night Madison crowd (and plenty of out-of-towners) jumping and chanting through a sweat-soaked, squishy-footed night of dancing and fabulous music!

Blue King Brown from Australia started off the night's party at the Orpheum. Lead singer and frontwoman Natalie Paapaa's fiery vocals andpolitically-themed lyrics coupled with the afro-beat, Latin, reggae and worldbeat sound of BKB got the crowd dancing by the stage. The band is passionate about world issues and have been invited to perform in celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Australia in 2007. My highlight of BKB's set was a Santanaesqe drums and guitar jam that had me dreadlocks flying through the air.



Mr. Bill picked up a copy of the band's debut studio album Stand Up so look out for a review soon.

On to Michael Franti & Spearhead. The group is comprised of lead singer and songwriter Michael Franti, Carl Young (Bass), Dave Shul (Guitar) and Manas Itene (Drums). I found the band to be exceptionally tight sounding with fine guitar playing, super funky bass lines and a double drum set-up complementing Franti's lyrics and on-stage charisma. The crowd was in spectacular dancing form and had come prepared with lighters for the ubiquitous Light Up Ya Lighter song. Even the venue (and security) turned out to be perfect last night.

Some pictures from the show that hopefully capture the mood from last night.... malliman

Deerhoof at UW Rathskeller (10/1) Free Show!

Deerhoof w/Trin-Tran - October 1st at UW Rathskeller

Deerhoof's distinctive sound made it through Madison a while back when they opened for Wilco at the Orpheum. This Monday night witness their unconventional song structures; raw improvisation and indie rock creative restlessness at the UW Rathskeller (free show). Madison Music Review will be there - check back here for images of the show.

-fS

Ryan Adams' meltdown @ State Theatre (MN)

Friday, September 28th, 2007 by Jon Bream

Oops….he did it again. The super-talented, semi-stable Ryan Adams lost it at the State Theatre on Thurs night. He was frustrated with the sound monitors onstage. He kept talking to the sound engineer on the side of the stage; near the end of the show, Ryan even picked up and moved two monitors, his mike stand and his guitar pedals.

“We have a new sound engineer,” he said midway through the 70-minute set. “Thank you for your patience.”

He, however, was the impatient one. He announced a “last song,” played it and didn’t return for an encore. When the lights came up, many people booed.

“It was an hour and 10 minutes of the Grateful Dead and the Flying Burritos Brothers,” muttered a baby-boomer sitting behind me. 

Sonically, he was right. Actually, the sound at times was beautiful, though Ryan’s vocals were sometimes obliterated by his band. And it was nearly impossible to see his face in the narcoleptic lighting.

One could argue with the set list. It didn’t have as much from the new “Easy Tiger” as expected. His June show at the Cedar Cultural Center, which was heavy on “Easy Tiger,” was artful, understated and wonderful.

A friend and I ran into Cardinals guitarist Neal Casal in the lobby of the State after the concert. We asked what happened. He said, “I don’t know what the story was. I just play guitar.” Then he asked for directions to Palomino.

Patrick and I decided to head to Palomino, where we encountered Cardinals pedal steel guitarist Jon Graboff. He was as vague as Casal. “What can I say?” Graboff said. “I’m not the monitor guy. Ryan’s the boss.” 

While this unsatisfying show wasn’t as frustrating as Ryan’s notorious drunken meltdown at First Avenue in 2003, Ryan’s lack of concern for his fans at the State Theatre seemed unprofessional. How bout dealing with your issues during sound check, not during the show?

What did you think about Adams breakdown?

SET LIST:

1. Two
2. Goodnight Rose
3. Beautiful Sorta
4. Rescue Blues
5. Let It Ride
6. Dear Chicago
7. Peaceful Valley
8. Nightbirds
9. Dear John
10. Wild Flowers
11. Shakedown On 9th Street
12. Cold Roses
13. The End
14. Please Do Not Let Me Go
15. A Kiss Before I Go

COMING SOON! Michael Franti and Spearhead @ The Orpheum, Sunday, September 30, 2007 8 p.m.

Six foot six above sea level I grab the mic because I take you to another mental level low power frequency radio modulation the big sound from the underground another pirate radio station we bring the truth to places truth is never heard before we bring the sound communication of our tribal war dark vision fly by helicopters in the night attempt triangulation of our station in the fight straight from the bass the deep down low precision high crime treason we broadcastin' sedission like the wall street mornin' afternoon edition commandeering airwaves from unknown positions ...

These words should be familiar to listeners of WORT 89.9 FM, Madison's listener supported station. These are the lyrics from the song 'Lsitener Supported' from Michael Franti and Spearhead's 2001 album Stay Human. Often played as a filler between shows, the song reminds me how lucky we are to be in Madison to have community radio and so much great music to listen to.

Well, Michael Franti and Spearhead are going to be rockin' the house this Sunday with their blend of reggae, hip hop, funk and rock. Bill and I will be there and we hope to see you there as well. For those of you not familiar with Franti/Spearhead, here's some background:

Inspired by a recent trip to the Mideast, Franti's new album Yell Fire makes a pointed statement about the war, poverty and social injustice around the world. He has reggae greats Chris Blackwell and Sly & Robbie contributing to the recording that was made in Kingston, Jamaica and Franti's hometown of San Francisco, California. 'The thing that I found when I was in war zones was that nobody wants to hear songs about war. They want to hear songs about connection to people, and songs about love and life, songs that make them dance.'

Listen to the man (here's a link)! Don't miss this show and buy your tickets now! General admission tickets are $23 in advance and $26 day of the show (plus applicable fees) and will be available at the Orpheum box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. Peace - malliman

Review: Martin Dosh and Andrew Bird

Martin Dosh

Mike Lewis

Jeremy Ylvisaker

Jeremy got dressed up for the Andrew Bird set. Martin removed his hat.

This was a really great performance. A full house at the Memorial Union Theater was enraptured by Martin Dosh and Andrew Bird. See my full review [here].

Pictures from Toubab Krewe @ High Noon Saloon, Sunday - September 15, 2007

Wrapping up last week's full dose of live music were Toubab Krewe at the High Noon Saloon. Again! - 3 nights in a row at HNS made me a semi- permanent fixture there :) . Then again, Toubab themselves aren't strangers to the place. I have seen them perform at High Noon twice before (including their debut Madison show in early 2006) and more recently at the 10,000 Lakes Festival. Their blend of Malian rhythms, funk, southern fried rock, Latin and jam grooves (with some surprise surf rock thrown in!) had a relatively-large-for-late-Sunday-evening crowd swinging, grooving and hula-hooping into the new week. Here are a few pictures from Sunday night:

The Madison set list

Keep on dancing till the next time the Toubab Krewe bus rolls around!

Cheers, malliman