by pitchfork. they just posted a video of real estate performing live. and guess who’s playing at the union tomorrow. that’s right real estate. they’ve been heralded as a band to watch. and you can do just that tomorrow at 9:30 for free in the union. how awesome for you.
rock on folks,
margaret kaye
yes i realize it’s a tuesday morning, but that doesn’t change the way i feel. unfortunately a dance party just isn’t going to happen right now since i’m in a poli sci class. but there is a dance party on the way. as you may have heard, steve aoki is coming to the majestic on december 12th. tickets are on sale now. did you get your’s yet? if not, what’s your excuse? exams don’t start until wednesday this year so you won’t be studying. we all know that no one will really start hitting the books until tuesday night anyways. here’s a sample of what’s to come on the 12th.
rock on folks,
margaret kaye
Woah. Fresh blood has livened up the blog a bit, have you noticed?
In any case, we have some really fab shows coming up…
This Friday, Peter Truby’s last stand: Sugar and Gold:
Ghetto Division Saturday. Have you had enough Rob Threezy in the last few months? The Cardinal this summer… Forward in September… Can you have too much of a good thing?
And a week from Friday — October 23 — something I have personally been anticipating since, oh, June, maybe?
Great Lake Swimmers. If you saw them last spring at the High Noon, you know their live show is excellent. And if you haven’t – here’s your chance.
Get yourselves ready, kids.
-brigid hogan
sian alice group with jeremy messersmith and we all have hooks for hands at memorial union at 8:30. both groups are definitely worth checking out. sian alice group just released an album in august (troubled, shaken, etc.). below is a video of a song off of their 2008 album 59.59. it was filmed in dallas after sxsw in 2008.
we all have hooks for hands, a folk pop band out of south dakota, has a new album coming out this month. the shape of energy is set to be released october 23rd. this video is a live performance of the man trying to outfox us all.
plan on checking out the show? i definitely am.
rock on folks,
margaretkaye
I want to sound cool and say that Blank Dogs performance at the Good Style Shop on East Washington yesterday was some what of a secret show…but it was publicized via the Good Style Shop’s Myspace. I saw a bulletin from the Good Style Shop late Tuesday night, reaffirming why I still have a Myspace account (my name is “For the Workforce, Drowning“). I put out a call to the Music Committee and newly selected Summer Coordinator Ryan “Beligeront” Vergeront heeded it. We ventured from the Union at 5:30pm down to the Good Style Shop. When we showed up the band was just setting up and no one was around yet. When things finally got going at 6:30pm, the alts and punks hanging on the street corner sneaking swigs of Pabst crammed into the very tiny vintage clothing store for the Blank Dogs mid-evening set. From the first few chords and grumbles into the reverb-soaked mic I knew the performance would be anti-climactic. Ryan remarked to me as we walked away from the shop about a song and a half in that he was skeptical of too many indie bands washing their vocals in reverb. It’s a valid remark. I think it comes down to how well it is used. Many Slumberland recording artists use it to their advantage. Some bands abuse it to make up for their lack of singing ability. I know I would too. Don’t write them off too soon as Blank Dogs are at least worth a cursory listen. Maybe a fitting soundtrack to a drunken binge or an overdose (not that I’d reccommend it).
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Teenage Cool Kids: Kind of sound like Pavement or Oxford Collapse (at times). Denton, TX knows how to rock.
Bad Sports: Sound like No Age without the pretense. Found them via Teenage Cook Kids’ myspace. Church.
-Patrick
Wow! Have I ever been happier to see a weekend come to its conclusion!
Initially, I was looking forward to the weekend of shows we had: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, WAVVES and Heiruspecs. Not bad for a bunch of college “kids” I’d say.
On Friday at Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin I told Sam I was actually going to stand in front and enjoy myself at the show and he was cool with it. Everything was going really well until a few songs into Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s set, two obviously drunk and obviously underage kids decided to jump up on stage and become part of the performance (I’m sorry I don’t have pictures). It resulted in me conferring with Sam and running up to the office to get my badge to show my authority and a few seconds deliberation with the band leading to a quick stifling of the two drunk underagers’ antics. Both Sam and I had to pull them off stage multiple times. By the end of the show we decided to send one of them packing which compelled him to call me an “ass” and give both of us the gooney bird. By the way, this was on Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s twitter: “driving to Dekalb. Last two shows have been like Girl Talk shows , but with way better music.”
On Saturday at WAVVES, Brandon, John and I must have turned away at least 50-75 people from The Project Lodge (capacity of 75). That was to be expected but you don’t expect when telling someone “sorry, we’re at capacity and not letting anyone in right now” that it is up for discussion. Do people in Madison have a sense of entitlement or is that just the frame of mind that free shows create? I don’t know how many times I had to argue with people about why they couldn’t come in.
“Dude, I have a ticket. You’re letting in people without tickets.”
“Well, if you would have read what was on the ticket, you would have realized that it was only good until 7:30pm and it is now 8:30pm.”
“I guess I didn’t realize…”
“Well, that’s why you aren’t getting into the show right now.”
What drives me nuts is that if a show was sold out at the High Noon Saloon, you wouldn’t be arguing with the doorman about what that means and that you should get to go in anyways.
There were also some local Madison musicians who thought they could subvert the system and either sneak in the back door (Zola Jesus, Burial Hex) or bum rush the front door (Deep Shit) at 10pm when WAVVES went on even though everyone else who got into the show had been waiting since 7pm to see WAVVES. Is there an unwritten code about shitty local bands thinking the world owes them something? I encourage you though to listen to “Sea Talk” by Zola Jesus. It is a really good song.
The real kicker of the night was WAVVES’ Nathan Williams only leaving his van for the 25 minutes it took him to play his set, then ducking into the alley to smoke a joint and then back into the van. He didn’t even help load-in, albeit he was sick. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. People seemed to have fun and walked away pleased.
How was Heiruspecs? I couldn’t make it. Too exhausted. At least I made it out of the weekend in one piece.
-Patrick
Blues music in Madison only seems to rear its head very seldom at most and is relegated to our Behind the Beat Series at Memorial Union and the Brink Lounge on West Washington. With that, it is very rare to see a Blues artist headlining our Weekend Music series, but Bobby Bryan and his band The Uptown Allstars are good. I mean, really good. The guy can play and he has that deep, wounded soul required of any good Blues musician. Just look at the song titles: “You Treat Me Like A Wife” and “Can’t Find Love in This City.” It’s domesticated blues, tamed for the 21st century, but still very pertinent and hitting close to home. Mr. Bryan is smooth and if I were a woman I would fear walking into Der Rathskeller on Friday night for Mr. Bryan is sure to take a woman or two home with him when it is all said and done. If that is not enough to convince you consider this: “I know how to wash my clothes / I can sew a button on my shirt.” Expect Bobby and his band to shift deftly from hard ripping blues to slow burners. Get on up!
Committee member Scott Janowiak enjoys the Blues and you should too. He'll be in attendance.
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
RSVP on the Facebook Event Page
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.
