Yes, it’s a tad blizzardly out today, and that’s good news because what sounds better than sitting in the Rath with friends drinking beer and listening to some great music? Exactly, nothing. Tonight we’re lucky to have two great bands serenading us, Lost Lander and Paper Thick Walls.

Portland, Oregon’s Lost Lander has been getting considerable love from all over the music scene including the blogosphere and some favorite music sources including Spin and Rolling Stone. Just to solidify those sentiments, they were just recently named Best Emerging Act of 2011 in the Best of Portland series.

Last month their debut LP, DRRT, premiered and it echoes beautiful yet sometimes mysterious places and emotions; together it’s resonant of a symphonic brilliance that proves what good music can do not only for your ears but for your soul as well.
Frontman Matt Sheehy, part lyricist and part forester, was inspired by the Pacific Northwest with sounds that some have been compared to Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes. Also having pride in his Alaskan roots it’s no surprise Lost Lander has an earthy, experimental feel to them (the physical cd actually folds into a mini planetarium, KOOL).

One of the standout tracks, ‘Afraid of Summer’, is graceful and unrestrained. Sheehy speaking with Rolling Stone described it as having a “spooky, mesmerizing” force that had him in a trance while working on it.

Also performing tonight is Chicago’s Paper Thick Walls who are sure to start the night on a good note with their unique mix of guitars, fiddle, mandolin, and bass. Their debut album ‘A Thousand Novels’ came out last year and has already been well received with orchestral melodies and compelling stories.

Tune in to 91.7fm WSUM online or over the air at 4pm today to hear Lost Lander perform live in studio and make sure to check out the show tonight, 9:30 at the Rath in Memorial Union.

Download Cold Feet by Lost Lander

It’s probably easy to forget where you come from when you move to New York City, but F. Stokes ain’t having it. There’s no greater evidence of that than “My Simple,” the lead single and video from his upcoming release, Love, Always, out March 6th. The song declares, “This is not New York and this is not L.A. – this is my small town in the U.S.A.” He says it with pride, not afraid to make distinction from his current home base. The video also bleeds Sconnie pride, showing off some of the places that make the Madison area great, from the Majestic to Strictly Discs to Mermaid Coffee to a cornfield.

So it’s fitting and admirable that F. Stokes will play a free concert on Saturday, recognizing the fans that supported him on the journey to where he is today. He tweeted last night, “This Saturday. Union South. Me & Radish. Free show. Madison, I’m so excited to finish my tour off in my hometown.” We’re so excited to be hosting an event that celebrates one of our own.

It’s probably safe to say that DJ Radish and Briar Rabbit are excited to be a part of it all as well, and you should look forward to seeing them. Getting us started will be Briar Rabbit, whose self-coined “thought pop” features some excellent grooves and deep subject-matter. The most recent example is his Black History Month-inspired ‘The Great Routine,’ where each Thursday of February he releases a free song on his site following the storyline of an African-American blackface minstrel. It’s both powerful and catchy. Following Briar Rabbit, DJ Radish will give you some serious homegrown beats to get your body jumping. You may have caught Radish playing all over Madison, including the Majestic and Segredo.

So get down to The Sett at 9 p.m. on Saturday to be a part of this homecoming. We may not be New York, and we may not be L.A., but we’ll definitely be doing some big city-caliber partying this weekend.

Download “My Simple” by F. Stokes

The Daily Cardinal showed us some love today by publishing an article highlighting what our February has in store. Today we’ve got more excellent February shows to announce, ensuring that whether you’re a Valentine’s Day hater or embracer (that doesn’t quite rhyme, but we’ll go with it), it’s going to be a good month. Minnesota’s Night Moves will hit the Sett on February 18th. They just signed with Domino Records, which is home to amazing acts like Arctic Monkeys, Cass McCombs, Dirty Projectors and Panda Bear, so you know they’re going to be a band to watch. Another band doing the Midwest proud is Milwaukee’s Junipar Tar, who just had their Daytrotter session posted. They’ll also be here on February 18th at Der Rathskeller.

Whoa there, kids. Don’t think that we’re one-month wonders over here. The action keeps rolling into March, April, and beyond, here. As announced a few weeks ago, Doomtree will be here on March 9th. Well, the party doesn’t stop after their performance, as Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger will spin tracks in our DMF Afterparty. We’ve got New Yorkers Caveman on April 13th, whose debut LP CoCo Beware has gotten a ton of buzz, which probably had something to do with them getting signed to a little label called Fat Possum last month. On April 27th, Blackbird Blackbird, an electronic/dream pop act that was so nice they named it twice, will make the trip out from their hometown of Oakland (after making a stop at SXSW, of course) to make pleasing sounds for your ears.

That’s not even all, so check out the listings below for more concerts and more details on those listed above. Go ahead, don’t be shy.

2/10 DMF: DJ Goof – The Sett: Union South

2/18 Juniper Tar w/ Chaperone – Der Rath: Memorial Union

2/18 Night Moves w/ Kane Place Record Club – The Sett: Union South

2/24 Advance Base – Der Rath: Memorial Union

3/9 DMF: Doomtree Afterparty feat. Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger – The Sett: Union South

4/13 Caveman w/ TBA – The Sett: Union South

4/27 Blackbird Blackbird w/ TBA – The Sett: Union South

Dancer at Chrissy Murderbot. All photos by T.J. Matzen

Yeah, that happened – A guy pretty much stood on his head at Chrissy Murderbot. Check out some photos from the Tom Ryan Jazz Combo, Chrissy Murderbot with DJ Diamond and DJ Roc, Deleted Scenes with A Lull, and Radar Eyes.

More after the jump, click to enlarge.

Friday, February 4th
Behind The Beat – Der Rathskeller @ Memorial Union
Tom Ryan Jazz Combo

Friday, February 4th
The Sett @ Union South
Chrissy Murderbot with DJ Diamond and DJ Roc

Chrissy Murderbot

DJ Diamond and DJ Roc

Saturday, February 5
The Sett at Union South
Deleted Scenes w/ A Lull

Deleted Scenes

A Lull

February 5
Der Rathskeller @ Memorial Union
Radar Eyes w/ Bad Omens

I maintain that you can’t be call yourself a music fan if you live in the Midwest and don’t know what Daytrotter is. Until recently, each day Daytrotter would post songs free for download that the best indie bands would record when they stopped by their studio, the Horseshack, in Rock Island, IL. The songs are still there, but now a month’s membership costs $2 (They made the decision to turn to the fans for support rather than corporate ads). One of the great things that came along with that decision was that they began to film bands in the studio as they recorded them.

Daytrotter’s position in Illinois means that UW-Madison often sees the bands that record their sessions shortly before or after they visit the studio; Star Slinger, Shlohmo, and Shigeto, all visited the studio the day after playing a triple bill at the Sett. In the next two weeks, you can see two bands playing at UW-Madison venues record sessions shortly before appearing here: Deleted Scenes and Lost Lander. Deleted Scenes will record this Saturday at Noon CST before their 9:00 p.m. show the same night at The Sett. Next week, you can watch Lost Lander do the same at 2 p.m. CST on Thursday, the day before they take the stage at Der Rath. This could be a great way of familiarizing yourself with the bands before you see them in person! Check out Daytrotter’s schedule for more upcoming sessions.

As A.V. Club Madison said in their blurb on tomorrow’s show, “Chrissy Murderbot is about to be kind of a big deal.” Murderbot’s latest, Women’s Studies, is especially connectable with our demographic, as his love for things like Nintendo and All That, which triggers our nostalgia-senses, shines through in his art and presentation. DJ Diamond is no slouch either, and fires on many of the same cylinders as Murderbot with speedy, infectious beats. Oh, yeah, and Diamond’s Flight Musik was Tiny Mix Tapes’ fifth-best album of 2011. No big deal, right? His beats are so in demand, in fact, that rumor has it some of the best practitioners of the Chicago-originating dance of “juke” will reportedly make their way up I-90 West tomorrow just to move their feet at lightning fast speeds to his and Murderbot’s spinning.

So get ready for a full night of dancing to infectious beats, as DJ Diamond hits the stage at 10 pm and Chrissy Murderbot takes over at midnight. Check out some tracks below, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

I’m sure it needs no introduction, but Behind the Beat is our jazz and blues series that takes place at 5 pm at Der Rathskeller every Friday. It’s a perfect atmosphere to have a pitcher and listen to some music while you kick back with some buds after class. It features some of the best acts of their genres, local and otherwise. Pull up a chair!

Want to get a taste? Check out the Tom Ryan Jazz Combo tomorrow. You know Tom as the orange-jumpsuit-wearing piccolo legend that you can often catch playing tunes on State Street. Check out the full schedule below, and make sure to come out to TRJC tomorrow.

1/27/2012 Chris Greene Quartet
2/3/2012 The Tom Ryan Jazz Combo
2/10/2012 Louka Patenaude
2/17/2012 Boo Bradley
2/24/2012  TBA
3/2/2012 Alison Margaret Quartet
3/9/2012 Green Means Go
3/16/2012 TBA
3/23/2012 Sons of Daughters
3/30/2012 N/A Spring Break
4/6/2012 N/A Spring Break
4/13/2012 Luke Polipnick
4/20/2012 Threefifty Duo
4/27/2012 Badger Bone Choir
5/4/2012 TBA
5/11/2012 UW Jazz Orchestra

Three words: Innovative. Exciting. Fresh. If you grace us with your presence at the Sett this Saturday night, you will get to experience these three words in motion. Deleted Scenes, a band hailing from Washington, DC, will blow your mind with their fusion of pop and electronic sound, while throwing in rhythms from surf rock to R&B. Chicago’s A Lull takes experimental music to a whole new level while concurrently providing beautiful vocal melodies. Who WOULDN’T want to have this experience? Moral of the story: You will not be let down by these two phenomenal talents. 9:00 pm. The Sett. Union South. See you there.

A few awesome shows to announce this week. Milwaukee slacker-rockers Sat. Nite Duets will visit Der Rath with fellow MKE quirk-poppers The Fatty Acids and Iowa’s Poison Control Center. Ezra Furman may or may not take off his sunglasses when he plays Der Rath in April. Finally, The Dear Hunter will bring their experimental sound to The Sett the next day. See below for dates and some added support announcements.

2/25/2012 SAT. NITE DUETS w/ Poison Control Center and The Fatty Acids – Der Rath

4/27/2012 EZRA FURMAN w/ Coo Woo – Der Rath

4/28/2012 THE DEAR HUNTER – The Sett

Added Support

DJ Radish and Briar Rabbit added to 2/11 F. STOKES – The Sett

1, 2, 3 added to 3/9 LOWER DENS w/ Yellow Ostrich and Grace Weber Band – Der Rath

Apache Dropout and Population added to 3/24 BALACLAVAS – Der Rath

Bhi Bhiman added to 3/24 ROSIE THOMAS – The Sett

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik

Well done, Badgers. This weekend’s show was easily the most well-attended event The Sett’s ever seen. Bored in class? Want to play a version of “Where’s Waldo?” where ‘Waldo’ is you? Try to find yourself in these pictures that also contain famous people. Click to enlarge. More after the jump.

Parenthetical Girls. Photo by Molly Palzkill.

Parenthetical Girls. Photo by Molly Palzkill.

Parenthetical Girls. Photo by Molly Palzkill.

Parenthetical Girls. Photo by Molly Palzkill

Parenthetical Girls. Photo by Molly Palzkill.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Kevin Pasternak

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Azaria Posik.

Los Campesinos! Photo by Kevin Pasternak