Alex Schaaf of Yellow Ostrich may have set-up shop in Brooklyn, but his roots are in Wisconsin. Orginally from Prairie Du Chien, Alex attended Lawrence University in Appleton and played in the Fox Valley-based Chairs band before the emergence of his solo-outing as Yellow Ostrich. Testing the waters of live performance with tape loops, one of the first Yellow Ostrich shows took place at the Gates of Heaven in Madison in May of 2010.
Arts and music incubator, The Project Lodge, has a Kickstarter fund raising campaign in progress to meet an $8,000 capital outlay goal for the non-profit DIY upstart. Known as a beacon for Madison's aspiring artists, musicians and all-around creative types, the Project Lodge has hosted a wide variety of events over the last four years in its East Johnson Street location.
One thing can be said for Madison's music scene in 2011. It was the emergence of the city as a bona fide lo-fi mecca. Maybe you had to have your ear to the ground of the indie music blogs, like we do, to see the numerous mentions of Madison artists like Peaking Lights, Julian Lynch, All Tiny Creatures, Dead Luke and Slow Loris across the country. Something is going on here. Can someone please tell the Madison Area Music Awards?
As 2011 draws to a close, we take a look back at our top live shows of the year. A mixture of local and festival-curated performances that became etched into our memory banks. Madison lived up to its reputation as an indie rock magnet, pulling in a steady stream of cutting edge shows while the big festival experience added fuel to the fire. Let's get to it. Rock of the Arts top ten indie shows of the year:
Tis the season for end-of-year album lists sprouting up around the Internet. Who thought you would see the day when Rolling Stone and Spin would try to out-indie Pitchfork? You know, it’s a sign of the times. Indie rock has crossed over into the mainstream generating big bucks and attracting a corporate crowd that passionate indie fans find nauseating.
Yes, the big independent music blogs that so adamantly defended the right to practice the DIY ethos are now becoming the very thing they hated. The old-school music industry has invited themselves to the party and have infiltrated the music blogosphere with all the crass commercialism they can muster.
If you like discovering new indie bands and keeping yourself sane in January, FRZN Fest might be just what the doctor ordered. The inaugural two-day indie music festival will take place Friday, January 13th and Saturday, January 14th at the High Noon Saloon in Madison.
With a cross-section of emerging artists from Sean Carey (of Bon Iver) and Polica (featuring members of Gayngs) to Class Actress (known as Brooklyn's Madonna), the multi-day festival will bring a much needed spark to a traditionally slow time of the year for live entertainment. According to Chairlift's Facebook invite, Active Child may also be added to the festival. The line-up so far: