Tag Archives: Acoustic

Juana Molina – 2/21/09 – Der Rathskeller

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This Saturday, February 21st, Buenos Aires’ own Juana Molina will bring her unique blend of folk and ambient music to Der Rathskeller for a WUD Music free show.  Molina began her career as a performer in 1988 when she started acting on the popular show La Noticia Rebelde in Argentina.  In 1996, she put her acting career on hold and began pursuing music full-time.  She realeased her first album Rara that same year and has had 4 more critically acclaimed releases to date, most notably Tres Cosas which was named one of the top ten records of 2004 by the New York Times.  Later in 2004, just when you thought her acting career was over, she surprised the world by doing some dynamite voice acting in the Argentine dub of The Incredibles where she can be heard as the voice of Elastigirl.  Following her return to the lime-light, she released two albums, Son and Un Dia, the latter of which received a very respectable 7.5/10 on the popular music review website Pitchfork, in October of 2008.

While it may seem that today’s music scene is packed full of unoriginal and for lack of a better word crappy artists who lack diversity (exhibit A, exhibit B), Juana Molina is certainly a breath of fresh air.  She sings in Rioplatense Spanish (her native language) and features a variety of instruments including acoustic guitar, symbols, Argentinean drums, and the wood block.  Additionally, Molina puts a spin on the typical singer-songwriter/folk genre by adding electronic and ambient elements to her pieces.  Doing such has drawn her numerous comparisons to Bjork and Lisa Germano among others.  This past summer, she opened for Feist and is currently on a U.S. tour.

All in all, this show is not to be missed by anyone who appreciates music.  To recap, the show is this Saturday, February 21st at Der Rathskeller in the University of Wisconsin’s Memorial Union.  The show will begin at 9:00 with performances by Rafter and Rubblebucket Orchestra prior to Juana Molina taking the stage.  Remember, as always, this show is absolutely free, so come early, bring your friends, and get ready to enjoy a truly unique show.

“Juana Molina sounds like if Animal Collective was a woman who sang in Spanish” – Patrick Tilley

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WUD Music Presents…

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Mason Jennings @ the Majestic Theater, April 17

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Mason Jennings is a Minnesota-based pop-folk singer-songwriter. He is well known for his simple yet catchy melodies, intimate lyrics, literary and historical themes, and distinct voice. He has been playing music for over 10 years and his sound is reminiscent of artists such as Guster, Ben Kweller and Ben Folds. His latest album In the Ever was released in May 2008 on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records label. Some of his other accomplishments include touring with Jack Johnson, Guster and Modest Mouse among others. Jennings also had 2 covers appear on the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There” that came out in November 2007.

Jennings last played in Madison for the Forward Music Festival in late September at the Majestic Theater. Don’t miss him this time around.

For ticketing information click here.

Five Times August Review

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Five Times August capped off a weekend of interesting experiments in Der Rathskeller. On Friday night for Los Campesinos! we tried to see how many people we could fit in Der Rathskeller and how sweaty, noisy, chaotic one mass of people could get.

credit Ed Oliver from Muzzle of Bees

credit Ed Oliver from Muzzle of Bees

On Saturday, Brad Skistimas, mastermind behind Five Times August, represented the converse (or maybe the control): a quiet singer-songwriter wooing a small subdued crowd of pre-twenty-somethings, who just kind of sat there. Der Rathskeller went from a steaming, ebbing and flowing fun house to a quaint sort of living room overnight. (see: German beer hall turned nursery)

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Highlights of the night:

My introduction of Skistimas written by the band’s manager which included references to MTV’s The Hills and Lifetime’s Army Wives: dramatic pauses after the announcement of both television shows (per committee member Scott Janowiak’s advice) resounded in applause and roar, the most energy from the crowd all night.

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At one point in the night, after Skistimas played his seemingly “big hit,” a group of people sitting front row and center, got up to leave with about 30 minutes left in the set, prompting Skistimas to call them “douche bags” and advising them to “have a few drinks and then drive home.” It was refreshing to see such grit from such a laid back performer who presented himself with no frills.

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Maybe Der Rathskeller would have been more crowded if Jessica Simpson and Rascal Flatts weren’t playing at the Kohl Center at the same time.

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Here are some more photos from the show courtesy of committee member Brigid Hogan:

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Brandon Clementi rockin’ the mic and tearin’ up the dance floor (no jokes):

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Five Times August

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Five Times August
Der Rathskeller
10pm
Free

It’s very possible that you have heard Brad Skistimas’ voice crooning and wooing you on any number of your favorite television shows in the past few years. Skistimas, the man behind the moniker Five Times August, may be seen as a pop culture whore by non-believers for his songs frequent appearances in television shows from MTV’s The Hills to VH1’s A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. But one thing you cannot argue against is his savvy as a businessman. “After selling over 100,000 digital downloads without a record label, getting 40 song placements from one album on various popular television programs, and becoming the first unsigned act sold in Wal-Mart stores nationwide,” he has certainly made a name for himself. Fans of Dashboard Confessional and Secondhand Serenade will really enjoy the emotive musings of this acoustic troubadour. You’ve heard him on TV, now hear him live at Der Rathskeller.