The weather may not have cooperated for the first Memorial Union Terrace show of the year, but that didn’t stop Surgeons in Heat from displaying an infectious indie hybrid of blue-eyed soul and R&B funkiness that kept the energetic Rathskeller crowd dancing indoors until midnight.
Lead Singer and songwriter Johnathon Mayer with essentially Madison’s Pioneer, Tyler Ditter, Kenny Monroe and Shawn Pierce, as a well-oiled accompaniment were wrapping up a string of 12 dates including a trek down the East Coast.
Madison's self-proclaimed trash-rock enthusiasts, The Hussy, are out on the road behind their second album "Weed Seizure." Bobby and Heather are garnering rave reviews for their new album and raucous live shows. We checked in with Bobby Hussy on a day off in Virginia to see how the road was treating the duo and what we can expect for their record release show at The Frequency.
Not Not Fun referring to Madison as Radison, Wisconsin reflects on this fertile eclectic ground for emerging artists like Samantha Glass:
"As far as sub-radar weirdo contempo-musico wormholes go, Radison, Wisconsin ranks respectably high on our list. Birthing bands as genius and utterly unrelated as Peaking Lights, Zola Jesus, Davenport, etc hints at a rare fiber woven through the general aesthetic-community fabric. Add another name to the roll call: Samantha Glass. Not a lady at all but one Beau Devereaux, who layers dubby echo keyboards over shuffling post-Suicide drum machines for a vibe that’s as much dreamy late night DIY art-goth as it is cassette-warped drug groove."
Have you heard the one about Bonnie Bear? The garbled interpretation that became the butt of many post-Grammy jokes about Justin Vernon and Bon Iver’s lack of name recognition from the masses.
Winning two Grammys certainly has strange repercussions. Justin Timberlake’s Saturday Night Live impersonation of a rumpled Justin Vernon falling asleep while singing one of his own songs to Beyonce and Jay-Z’s new baby is hipster satire at its best.
Treefort is the new lo-fi project from Wes Doyle of Slow Loris fame. Known for his DIY bedroom recording expertise, Wes has teamed up with partner Elsa Nekola to create their debut release Très Fort available now for free from their Bandcamp site.
