Each morning we get up progressively later and slide on down to the hotel breakfast buffet before it closes. Today we notice members of Frightened Rabbit contemplating what kind of omelet they want to have while we try not to look too disheveled. But hell everybody in the hotel at this time of the morning looks disheveled!
At this point, people start to get a little crazy from lack of sleep and overall shock of seeing hundreds of bands. You’ve got bands in bars, bands on the street, bands in churches, bands in peoples’ backyards. Literally everywhere you look is a band or artist. The streets are clogged with more band tour buses, vans and trailers than Madison on UW moving day. SXSW brings in more money to the city of Austin annually than any other event. Local cab drivers and pedicycle operators estimate about 100 – 150,000 additional people in the city for the music festival.
You gotta love Holy Fuck, the critically acclaimed four-piece progressive electronic band from Toronto, Canada. With little hope of ever getting the band’s name in the mainstream media, they’ve focused on what matters most; the music.
We saw Holy Fuck’s improvisational show at the BrooklynVegan showcase in Austin, TX during South by Southwest. When a Midwestern date opened up on their tour schedule, we thought a Madison show would materialize, but alas, Milwaukee got the gig. At the last minute, the Milwaukee show was moved from the cavernous Turner Hall to the more intimate Mad Planet club.
Madison's Icarus Himself have evolved into a trio and just released a new EP "Mexico." Nick Whetro and Karl Christenson of National Beekeeper's Society along with new percussionist Brad Kolberg have matured the Icarus Himself sound into a cohesive identity as evidenced by the five songs on the new EP. We've been listening to the new material and especially like the textured build of "Digging Holes" and fuzz-soaked "Half Ton Load."
Icarus Himself
Icarus Himself - Digging Holes
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Icarus Himself - Half Ton Load
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Madison has always had the good fortune of excellent musicians taking refuge at the university to pursue academic endeavors. From Steve Miller and Butch Vig to Richard Davis and Jim Schwall, the list of musicians who called UW-Madison home at one time or another has become urban legend.
Julian Lynch, a Madison transplant by way of New Jersey, has taken residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue a PhD in ethnomusicology. The multi-instrumentalist, who is a virtuoso on guitar and saxophone, will be a familiar face on the local music scene for the foreseeable future. Lynch has connections from his Ridgewood, New Jersey music roots to such diverse artists as Real Estate and Titus Andronicus. He’s recorded for the infamous Underwater Peoples record label collective and has just finished a new album entitled “Mare” that will be out this year.
Julian Lynch bathed in blue light at the Project Lodge
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We caught Julian's live show earlier this year when he played with Zola Jesus at the Project Lodge and made it a point to watch for any of his upcoming shows. Julian Lynch’s low-fi recording approach meshes nicely with his spacey, layered soundscapes that take listeners to a different place. We had the opportunity to ask Julian a few a questions before his Summer Tour kick-off at the Gates of Heaven Synagogue in James Madison Park.
Daytrotter’s Barnstormer III tour rolled through five Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois locations last week. Barnstormer III featuring Delta Spirit, Ra Ra Riot, Nathaniel Rateliff, Free Energy and Pearly Gate Music along with a wedding at the final show in Maquoketa, Iowa. We made it to two of the gatherings, including the Elkhorn, WI and Maquoketa shows.
The Lake Geneva, WI stop on the Barnstormer tour ran into some legal troubles on the day of the show. The Sheriffs’ department decided the concert could not go on as planned threatening to levee a $600 per person fine to the owners of the barn if they did not cancel the event. The show was initially moved to Hebron, Illinois and later switched to the Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn, WI, all on the same day. Kind of like a big scavenger hunt.
My mother always told me not to see Black Lips on Good Friday. Sorry Mom. Black Lips took over the High Noon Saloon as only they can with a riotous good time. Spreading the love via their brand of "Flower Punk." Whatever that is.
Based out of Atlanta, Georgia, the band seemed to have a genuinely good time in Madison. The fact that is was Good Friday made it even more interesting as the crowd surfing ensued with security escorting or pushing people off the stage when appropriate. There was even some kissing among band members to get a charge out of the audience. Just your basic Black Lips show which seemed like one big party from start to finish. We had a good time and have the video to prove it.
Delta Spirit