Monday Feature: Revelry is Coming

Posted on April 29, 2013 by mackens

You know a weekend is going to be great when you’re already anticipating for the week to be over on Monday at one in the morning. Whether you’ll be attending the annual Mifflin Street Block Party, hitting up capitol square for the weekly fresh market, or kicking back and watching a Star Wars trilogy (preferably the original one), there is no shortage of funtivities available for Madison citizens this first weekend of May.

And while all of these funtivities are respectable means of entertainment in their own right, I want to highlight the weekend event I will be attending: Revelry Music and Arts Festival. DISCLAIMER: I am in no way being prompted to write this feature by any member of WUD Music. I chose to write this feature because it’s music related, it’s Madison news, I love music, live concerts are awesome, and I want to give those that are or may be going a small preview of what they can expect out of the musical talent at the festival. So let’s get to that. I am going to give my short, unarticulated opinion of the artists that were highlighted in the wonderfully crafted video below. Here goes nothing.

Toro y Moi - Contrary to what your initial reaction may be, Toro y Moi is actually one man. And he may be one of the chillest men I’ve ever heard on a track. For starters, he combined both the Spanish and French languages to create his stage name. It doesn’t matter as long as it translates to English easily (Bull and Me) and sounds cool, right? Beyond this, his calm vocals and looped electronic beats are combined to him consider him a part of the genre known as chillwave. It doesn’t get any more chill than that.

Hoodie Allen - One of my close friends has been a Hoodie fan well before the Revelry lineup was released, and since its release I have hopped on the bandwagon hard. His All American EP was only $5 on iTunes, and provides eight solid tracks that exemplify his catchy music and smart lyrics. In addition, his newest mixtape Crew Cuts is on his website for free! Outside of his music, the former Google employee and UPenn Sprint Football player has collaborated on comedy videos with CollegeHumor that are just too funny to only watch once.

Phox - This seven-piece band from Baraboo, Wisconsin utilizes instruments that run the gamut of sounds, resulting in songs that are most often whimsical, but can also be hectic and heavy. No songs particularly called out to me, but there’s no doubt that the band is unique.

The Mowgli’s - While the only music I could find of theirs was the five songs from their Love’s Not Dead EP, this pop-rock octet has an established pedigree with a recent performance at SXSW 2013 and a scheduled performance at Lollapalooza 2013. Their eight-person chorus is extremely catchy, and “San Francisco” is an irresistible summer jam.

Chance the Rapper - Chance the Rapper is definitely a different sounding hip-hop artist, with a significantly higher voice than your typical MC. His second mixtape, Acid Rap drops tomorrow, so hopefully Madison will be receptive to his new material come Saturday.

Delta Spirit - This band has a strong alternative rock sound, and many of the songs I listened to have the feel of a live show even though they’re master tracks. I trust that their live performance will be nothing short of a great display of musical talent. In addition, they have a song on the official first volume of The Walking Dead soundtrack, so I am sold.

Julian Lynch - Chill, instrumental, and articulate all at once, Julian Lynch’s music gives off good vibes. With a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology (!?) from UW-Madison, I think concert attendees will give the former city resident a warm reception.

Oh Land - Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Nanna Øland Fabricius serves as singer, songwriter, and producer, for her music. Pianos and an extensive palette of electronic sounds make for a plethora of experimental tunes for Oh Land to sing over. It will be interesting to see how her music translates to a live performance.

So there you have it: A preview of the biggest acts that Revelry has to offer. It would seem that there is a little something for everyone in the festival’s first installment, and I couldn’t be more excited. Here’s to the joys of live music, summer, and the continued success of this festival for years to come. Revel on.

Friday Night in the Sett: Dessa w/ First Wave Performers, Co-sponsored by the Campus Women’s Center

Posted on April 19, 2013 by toridexter

Guys, I have a confession to make. I am more than a little bit obsessed with the artist I’m currently writing about. Some have called it a Level 3 girl-crush…Whatever. Basically, THIS is the blog post that I’ve been waiting for. Friends, WUD-ians, countrymen, lend me your ears. I’m going to tell you a tale. A tale that begins far, far away in the land of Minneapolis.

Dessa’s unique combination of musical talent and smart, biting lyricism first arose from participating in slam poetry competitions in college at the U of M. While living and working in Minneapolis after graduation, she befriended members of the Doomtree rap collective, and when they discovered her incredible talent for writing, they asked her to join the group. She has since gone on to basically conquer the world, releasing four albums with Doomtree, writing and publishing a book, developing her own lipstick color with The Elixery in Minneapolis, and releasing two solo albums with one more, Parts of Speech, on the way on June 25th. Parts of Speech is being hailed as Dessa’s best work yet, with a wealth of different genres, beats, and instruments weaving together into a beautifully cohesive album that has critics falling over with pure excitement. The first single, Warsaw, was described by one reviewer like this: “The track boasts a beat like Azealia Banks playing Pacman, which provides a background for our emcee’s confident, hypnotic flow.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. You can listen to that here .

Dessa’s style is truly exceptional. It’s rare to encounter a rapper who makes amazing music without conforming to the genre’s stereotypes, but she accomplishes it, refusing to be put exclusively into the box of “singer,” “rapper,” or “writer.” She’s not shy about calling out the sexism and hypocrisy present in the world of hip-hop, with lyrics like “I found your steel ladder/Now your ceilings don’t matter/Check me out now I got glass floors.” Dessa will make you think. She will grab you by the collar and make you listen to her lyrics. She will change how you think of women in rap music.

She is what I listen to when I’m blissfully happy, and what I listen to when I’m so angry that I want to punt strangers through the Camp Randall goalposts. Dessa is an incredible artist, and a role model for women everywhere. Not just those in the music industry, but all the women who deal with sexism and stereotyping in their lives and work.

Of course, this night would not be complete without the incredible talent of an all-female group of First Wave performers, in honor of this event’s co-sponsorship with the Campus Women’s Center. For those who don’t know, First Wave is a multicultural coalition of artists who are also students here on campus. They perform spoken word and hip-hop, polishing their skills and showcasing their talents all across campus, the city, and the country. Anyone who has seen First Wave in action before knows that they consistently put on an energetic and passionate show, and will be the perfect intro to a night full of strong women with mad talent.

And as a final quick plug, the Campus Women’s Center does amazing work on this campus, and we are very proud to be working with them to put on an incredible show that honors and promotes female artists and their accomplishments. This show is going to be ridiculously awesome. Get there.

Friday 4/19, The Sett, 9:00 PM

Here’s some videos, to get you pumped.

Freddie Gibbs FREE Ticket Distribution

Posted on April 17, 2013 by erinberge

In light of what happened at the Joey Bada$$ concert last weekend, we want to make sure our crowd has the best experience possible. So, for the upcoming Freddie Gibbs concert on April 27 in Union South: The Sett, we will have a free ticket distribution.

UW Madison students, faculty, staff and Union members will be able to pick up two tickets at the Vilas Hall Box Office, beginning on Thursday, April 18. You must show your ID, but you are allowed one guest with your tickets (meaning, of the two tickets you pick up, one can be for someone who is not a student, faculty or staff member).

Tickets will not be sold online or through phone calls, they must be picked up in person at the Vilas Hall Box Office. At the concert, you will exchange your ticket for a wristband upon gaining entrance to The Sett.

Vilas Hall Box Office hours:

Weekdays 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

GO GET ‘EM (…when they go on sale)

Just Announced: Behind the Beat, Dessa, & The UV Race

Posted on April 10, 2013 by erinberge

Do you have the summer itch? Ready to see those sunburst chairs placed on The Terrace? We do too.

Before our shows move to the outdoors though, we have a few left in Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller. We are proud to bring back Dessa, from the Minneapolis group Doomtree, who will perform with First Wave Performers and is presented also by the Campus Women’s Center. Dessa will soon release her full length album Parts of Speech on June 25th, so try to catch this live preview on April 19th in Der Rathskeller.

And besides the two new Behind the Beat shows that include Twisted Metal and UW Jazz Orchestra, we have The UV Race with Daylight Robbery in Der Rathskeller on May 11th.

4/19/13 Behind the Beat: Twisted Metal- Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller

4/19/13 Dessa w/ First Wave Performers- Union South: The Sett

5/10/13 Behind the Beat: UW Jazz Orchestra- Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller

5/11/13 The UV Race w/ Daylight Robbery- Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller

Check out our full WUD Music Calendar here.

Saturday Night in the Sett: K.Flay w/ MyrihaB

Posted on February 22, 2013 by toridexter

In the kingdom of indie rap, K.Flay is one of the queens. I’d like to imagine that if she ever saw this blog, she’d roll her eyes at such a cliché and write a song sarcastically making fun of it, which I would then download onto my iPod and listen to while walking to class and fighting the urge to break into embarrassing white-girl-at-a-rap-show dancing.

This is probably why we here at WUD Music are so excited to have K.Flay performing at the Sett on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. K.Flay (Kristine Flaherty) hails from San Francisco and is a Stanford alumnus (I know, I know, but let’s try and put our injured pride from the Rose Bowl behind us). She’s whip-smart and it shows in her spitfire lyrics backed by throbbing and dance-ready beats. Her eclectic style has been bolstered by touring with such diverse artists as Passion Pit, 3OH3! and Wallpaper, and she’s recently had songs featured on the season two premiere of Girls (“So Fast, So Maybe”) and the most recent episode of Pretty Little Liars (“Easy Fix“). On top of all this, she just dropped her brand new mixtape, West Ghost on February 21st (clearly I don’t joke around when I say brand-spanking-new). You can download the whole mix-tape FO FREE right here: http://www.kflay.com/

Of her most recent EP, Eyes Shut, she writes: “There are no love songs. It’s really about a mindset, a perspective. A lot of the people I know are pretty apathetic and disillusioned. They’d rather check out than engage in something. I’m drawn to that myself at times and at other times I’m repelled by it.”

Opening for K.Flay is MyrihaB, one of UW Madison’s own. She’s a super unique and multi-faceted artist and knows how to start a high-energy night off right. Her debut project dropped in December and you can find it on her Bandcamp page right here: http://myrihab.bandcamp.com/album/life-of-a-struggling-student

Hope you guys are ready to get your collective minds blown by one of the most kickass, in-your-face rappers on the scene these days. DON’T MISS THIS.

As if you needed it, here’s a little more incentive to show up:

2/23/2013 K.Flay w/ MyriahB – Union South: The Sett, 9:30

Friday in The Sett: WHY? w/ Astronautalis and Dream Tiger

Posted on February 21, 2013 by erinberge

For all of you who were counting down the days until WHY?, Astronautalis and Dream Tiger would be in The Sett, put down your school work and call up every single person you know because the day is finally here. Tomorrow night, The Sett breaks down heavy beats to welcome these three one-of-a-kind artists.

What began as a solo project in 2003, Yoni Wolf decided to retire his stage name Why? only to continue performing with other band members under the same name in the year 2004. Since then, this truly unique combination of indie rock and rap band released four albums, including Elephant Eyelash, Alopecia, Eskimo Snow, and their latest, Mumps, Etc.

Their song, “Sod in the Seed” from Mumps, Etc., happily sucks you in with their care-free indie sound, but anchors you down with Yoni Wolf’s steady string of philosophical lyrics. His voice is even comparable with a rap-version of Cake. Their live performances do not disappoint and for a band as unique as they are, WHY? is a must-see.

Also a must-see performance is Astronautalis, one of the supporting acts for the night. Astronautalis is known as Andy Bothwell, an indie rapper that holds back no emotion when on stage performing. Bothwell has performed in The Sett before, around this time last year, and enticed the crowd with his incredibly fast pulse of hip hop and free-styling ability. It’s true, Bothwell picked topics out of the crowd and had everyone dancing, jumping and laughing.

In addition to the support of Astronautalis, we also have Dream Tiger. This young female artist focuses more on interpretation of electronic beats than actual hip hop, but will still have you begging for more waves of her pop creations. Listen to her EP here.

Check out the videos below if you still need more convincing of attending:

WHY?:

Astronautalis:

Monday Feature: Beat-dropping “A-ha” moment

Posted on February 18, 2013 by erinberge

By: Nicholas Pjevach

When I first truly started listening to hip-hop/rap, I struggled to equate it to the traditional model of music making I was familiar with. Growing up, I listened to lots of classic rock (thanks dad), and did not understand how a single MC could perform without a backing band, as any lead singer would. Sure there was an instrumental, but that was merely coming from a computer… right?

In 2008, my brother became obsessed with Lil Wayne— as all teenage boys had—thanks to a little album known as Tha Carter III, which merely sold over one million copies in its first week in the United States. His favorite song was the hit single “A Milli,” which we listened to obsessively. Despite knowing the song word for word, my brother Tommy was unable to tell me what that distorted voice at the beginning was saying, before the beat dropped. Then one day it finally hit me, I had heard that voice before! Instead of cursing my friends, I could only thank them for loving “What’s Your Fantasy” by Ludacris so much. It was the key to solving my puzzle; the two songs were related through Bangladesh, who had produced both songs. It was he who had acted as guitar player, drummer, keyboardist, creator of this music to rap over.

Whether you are now listening to Araabmuzik or Young Chop [is] on the beat, producers are exerting themselves as dominate players in the rap game by tagging their work with their own personal drops. By doing this, this are stepping out from behind the soundboard and are making sure listeners know their name, even if they don’t read the linear notes. This was how Mike Will Made It made sure everyone knew he was responsible for three of the biggest tracks of 2012: “Bandz A Make Her Dance” by Juicy J, “Turn On The Lights” by Future, and “No Lie” by 2 Chainz. Others, such as Clams Casino, have gone the other route, by releasing free mix-tapes of their instrumentals. It has become clear whose beat it is almost matters as much as the person rapping over it. So in this new year, when you hear La musica de Harry Fraud incessantly, don’t be surprised; he is just the next in a long line of former anonymous producers making a name for him/herself.

Get familiar with famous drops here, thanks to Complex Magazine:

http://www.complex.com/music/2012/10/hip-hop-producer-drops-soundboard

Saturday Around Campus: Lushlife + Defcee and Sparetime Bluegrass Band

Posted on September 22, 2012 by frostedweidies

Tonight features a contrast of styles between The Terrace and The Sett. The Terrace features Hip-Hop in Lushlife and Madison’s own Defcee, while The Sett features another local Madison band, the Sparetime Bluegrass Band.

The Sparetime Bluegrass Band is an energetic four-piece outfit who play a variety traditional bluegrass covers; however, their repertoire digs into more mainstream music such as covers of The Rolling Stones, and many more. The band, made up of Bob Batyko on Guitar, Jim Robarts on Banjo, Dale Ward on Mandolin, and Lorie Docken on Bass, have been staples on the Madison music scene for the past few years, and always crowd favorites.

Lushlife, a Philadelphia born and raised Hip-Hop artist whose latest album, Plateau Vision, was met with incredibly high praise will be at The Terrace. The New York Times raved that his lyrics featured “rhymes with audacious, gorgeous production…” while Stereogum called his mixtape No More Golden Days the “Mixtape of the Week.” His sound is a unique blend of influences ranging from De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest to The Pixies and Phil Spector.

Opening up the night at The Terrace is Adam Levin, known as Defcee. This Hip-Hop artist from River Forest, Illinois is a current student at UW-Madison where he is a member of the First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Community. Throughout his tenure as an emerging artist, he has shared the stage with titans of the Hip-Hop world including Wale, Brother Ali, and many more. Check out his song “The Tempest” below, which he wrote at only 19.

Whether it’s Bluegrass or Hip-Hop you are pining for, we have you covered on Saturday night.

The Sparetime Bluegrass Band:

Lushlife:

Defcee:

Saturday: Sidewalk Chalk w/ Phonetic ONE, K. Raydio

Posted on August 3, 2012 by T.J.

The Olympics are great, but you need to pace yourselves – they’re more than two weeks long. You need to get away from the television for awhile, but, as a side effect of long-term exposure to constant displays of national pride, you may find yourself searching for a way you can use the time to do something active but still satisfy the Patriotic flame that arises from within. It’s simple: Head to the prime Wisconsin summer setting of the Terrace to hang with your peers, feast on some good ole American cuisine (and libations if you’re of age), and jump around to the upbeat hip-hop of three acts hailing from various parts of the wonderful Midwestern US of A. Chicago’s Sidewalk Chalk, UW-Madison rapper Phonetic ONE, and Minnesota-stationed Badger alumnus K. Raydio will take your mind off medal counts and difficulty scores for a few hours.

Sidewalk Chalk is a Chicago octet that creates organic hip-hop featuring the vocals of singer Maggie Vagle and emcee Rico Sisney. Though the brass duo of Sam Trump on trumpet and David Ben-Porat on trombone are also features rarely seen anymore in popular music of today, the most unique aspect of the group is the full-time tap-dancing role of Jumaane “The Bearded Hoofer” Taylor.

In March, after a steady rise to popularity in the Chicago area, Sidewalk Chalk released their debut record, Corner Store. The socially-conscious subject-matter of the LP addresses various issues in American culture, such as poverty and materialism, but maintains an air of positivity and hope, even in tackling such subjects. Through bright instrumentation and determined, unwavering vocals, virtually every track makes you want to get stuff done, even if it’s as simple as expressing yourself through movement or connecting with the people around you.

As a result, their live show is endlessly enjoyable for crowds, which has been a big part of landing them gigs with acts like ?uestlove, Company of Thieves, Action Bronson, De La Soul, and The Budos Band (They’ve also received plugs from a rapper called Lupe Fiasco). To paraphrase a recent Epitonic article that pins Sidewalk Chalk as one of the Chicago acts to watch, the nation’s eyes have recently become fixed on the Chicago hip-hop scene, so take every chance to see stand-outs like Sidewalk Chalk “before they hit the big time.” Check out some of their tunes at the official Sidewalk Chalk website, and be sure to scroll to the bottom of this preview to download an mp3 and watch a music video from the Windy City group.

Leading in for Sidewalk Chalk will be UW-Madison’s own Phonetic ONE, a.k.a. Andrew Thomas, a Minnesota-raised rhymer who got his own taste of national success recently when he made it to the finals of the Chegg College Battle of the Bands. Boasting a list of previous contestants who have been propelled into the national spotlight in recent years, including Local Natives and Mike Posner, the Chegg College Battle of the Bands picks the best college-age acts in each region of the country to compete finals in the Los Angeles-hosted finals. Phonetic ONE, representing UW-Madison, was victorious in the Midwest regional and punched his ticket out to the West Coast as one of five finalists. As a member of UW-Madison’s First Wave program for gifted spoken word and hip-hop artists, Phonetic ONE has released various party-starting, hook-filled tunes and albums to the delight of his fellow classmates. Sample his tracks at his YouTube channel for evidence of his skillful flow.

K. Raydio, kicking off the show at 9, also has roots in Minnesota and attended UW-Madison. After graduating with a degree in Communicative Arts in 2010, Krysta Rayford decided to take a leap of faith and pursue a career in music. The decision has paid off, as she’s released two successful EP’s, Signifact (Other): Parts 1 & 2, both available for free download at her bandcamp. Her music contains catchy melodies and clever lyrics, most notably in the aptly named “Catchy Hook,” where Rayford explains in the song’s lyrics that its infectiousness was designed to get stuck in her head so as to push out thoughts of a failed relationship (The song also has an awesome 3D-like music video). K. Raydio has established herself as a staple in the Twin Cities and Madison hip-hop scenes, sharing the stage and tracks with many of its major players (See: Doomtree members, F. Stokes, Man Mantis, JDante, etc.) and making featured appearances on songs for prominent national artists – notably singing the chorus on Time’s “5th Horseman.” Oh, and she’s been known to collaborate with Phonetic ONE, so don’t be surprised if they share the stage at some point Saturday.

OK, so you may be all info’d out by now. Let me sum this up for you: Come to the Terrace Saturday night for danceable hip-hop that will lift your mood. No matter how you get there – whether you run like Usain Bolt, do flips down the sidewalk like Gabby Douglas, swim across Lake Mendota like Missy Franklin, or bike like… some Olympic biker – just make sure you’re there for the 9 p.m. start of the show. You won’t want to miss a second!

Download “Ten Seconds (feat. Psalm One)” from Sidewalk Chalk’s Corner Store, below, and check out the colorful video for the same album’s “Water Song.”

Download >> Sidewalk Chalk – “Ten Seconds (feat. Psalm One)” from Corner Store.

Just Announced: BADBADNOTGOOD

Posted on April 17, 2012 by T.J.

BADBADNOTGOOD are officially listed as a jazz trio, but simply describing them that way doesn’t reflect their hip-hop side, creating music worthy of sample by the most popular rappers. Exhibit A: Tyler, the Creator loved their Odd Future cover sessions so much, he got together with them and created a series of collaborative videos. BBNG released their second album, BBNG2 two weeks ago, currently available at their bandcamp for free download. You can see them live on the Terrace on May 11th. Check out a video of the Tyler the Creator / BBNG sessions below and get excited (but try not to be terrified by the pig mask).

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Category Archives: Hip-hop