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

Neil Young - The Last American Hero

In my (as yet) futile search to get a pair of good tickets for the upcoming Neil Young Chrome Dreams II tour I came across these two phenomenal interview/articles from Rolling Stone Magazine [RS 193, August 14, 1975] & [RS 284, February 8, 1979]. These are a MUST READ for fans and followers of the legend and talk about his early years, getting to L.A./the Buffalo Springfield years, how Rust Never Sleeps got it's name, the story behind Tonight's The Night and other seminal Young albums from the 60's and 70's ... a few excerpts from the 1979 article:

"Punk music, New Wave. You call it what you want. It's rock & roll to me, it's still the basis of what's going on." - NY

"The music business is so big these days, I feel dwarfed by it. I mean, I put out a record and, you know, it does okay. Somebody like Foreigner or Boston, they come out with a record and sell ten times as many as I do. I think that's great. But I still feel like this . . . little guy." - NY

Neil's words from almost 30 years ago still hold their meaning!

Chrome Dreams II, to be released in October this year is a collection of eight new and two classic Young songs. Recorded in the summer of 2006 in Northern California, musicians include Ben Keith (pedal steel guitar, dobro and other instruments), Ralph Molina (drums) and Rick Rosas (bass), who will all be performing in concert with Young. Neil plays two back-to-back nights at the Chicago Theater November 12 and 13.

Let's hope all the Indian gods and spirits are on my side in my quest to see Neil Young in Chicago! - malliman

Tonight @ 9pm - Toubab Krewe at High Noon Saloon

"Blending Malian, American and "Dirty South" influences into a sound all its own, Toubab Krewe has been credited with bridging the gap between West African and American music unlike any group before them, quickly winning a diverse and devoted following at top venues such as the Bonnaroo and Vegoose festivals to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Their live shows and self-titled debut album have won international acclaim from the New York Times, Global Rhythm, fRoots, NPR and more." - from the band website.

I have seen the band perform twice at the High Noon Saloon and more recently at the 10,000 lakes festival. Toubab Krewe rocks! If you dig Afrobeat, blues, drums and guitars and are looking to shake your stuff, Hign Noon Saloon is the place to be! See you there - malliman

The Sea and Cake at High Noon Saloon

The Zincs kicked off the night with a tight set

The Sea and Cake take the stage



(Top to Bottom: Sam Prekop; John McEntire; Archer Prewitt; Eric Claridge)

Sam's lyrics sheets

The Set list

Cheers... malliman

Photos from The Sea and Cake

A great show last night. More words to follow, as well as photos from malliman. But in the meantime, you can see some of my other shots here.

Chicago Afrobeat Project @ High Noon Saloon, September 13, 2007

Chicago Afrobeat Project performed at the High Noon Saloon this past Thursday (9.13.07). The show was sparsely attended - maybe because it was the start of the weekend long Madison World Music Festival or the frigid wind and cold rain - but that did not stop the 7 person band from dishing out an infectious blend of jazz, soul and funky grooves. The band is planning to release their debut studio album in October so keep an eye out for it. MMR will also be reviewing the album to keep you (and your ears) well informed! In case you missed the band this time around, CAbP plans to become a regular fixture in town and will be playing the first Thursday of every month at Cafe Montmartre.

Cheers! - malliman

Interview with Sam Prekop of The Sea and Cake - by Ankur Malhotra (aka malliman)

Madison Music Review got the opportunity to interview Sam Prekop, vocals and guitarist for The Sea and Cake - the Chicago-based indie band that has been a long time underground favorite. [READ FULL INTERVIEW].

Check them out live at the High Noon Saloon this Saturday, September 15, 2007. This is going to be the first time I see them live and I am pumped... - malliman

Wilco @ Overture Hall, September 11, 2007

Wilco rolled into town last night and Madison Music Review was there to witness the show at the Overture center. [READ FULL REVIEW]

Cold War Kids and The Flaming Lips Wow Willow Island

SoCo Music Experience – Madison 9/08/2007


All the hype was there with Southern Comfort wristbands, banners, booths, DJs, laptops, and VIP areas to brand, promote and drive sales for the alcohol industry giant. This was the only price an attendee had to pay to see some great music by artists Cold War Kids and The Flaming Lips. . . It was a great deal!
The festival started at 3pm with lesser known bands that kept the limited early crowd well entertained. [READ FULL REVIEW]

The Flaming Lips @ SoCo Music Experience, September 8, 2007, Madison WI

Well folks... this was my second Flaming Lips show (the first was a spectacular show at the Barrymore back in '99 when Wayne and Co. were doing the Soft Bulletin tour) and all the pre-show excitement, hype and expectations leading up to yesterday's concert was well founded ... maybe it was hanging out in the 'pit' for the majority of the show, or being enthralled by the spectacular sound and visual effects, or listening to some of my favorite Lips songs being performed live. Some pictures from the party that The Flaming Lips threw in Madison last night...

More picture coming soon... Cheers - Ankur