If there was any doubt that Bon Iver might not be able to live up to past accomplishments, the sold-out crowd of 2,500 people at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee would beg to differ. The second gig of a two night stand at the Riverside cemented Bon Iver’s reputation as a tour de force in both live performance and studio recordings.
Bobby Hussy, the outspoken guitarist for Madison’s premier garage/punk duo The Hussy, is as enthusiastic about his new label Kind Turkey Records, as he is telling road stories about his DIY adventures across the country. Living in San Francisco right now, Bobby will be returning to the Midwest for a string of dates with the Hussy including a stop at Mickey's Tavern in Madison on February 24th.
Also on the bill will be The Honey Slides, Milwaukee’s Trent Fox and the Tenants and the Orange Iguanas from Appleton. We caught up with Bobby to ask him a few questions about his new label, the Madison music scene and the possibility that he may return to Wisconsin.
Madison's Nellie Wilson and the Hellbound Honeys put a new twist on nasty underground country. The title of their new album “Taking the “O” Out Of Country” may raise a few eyebrows, but the lyrics are what set them apart from the dreaded manufactured Nashville sound. Nellie and her band came of age playing in various punk bands and that DIY vibe comes through in their performance.
At the band's recent CD release party, Nellie dressed in a purple hoop skirt and freshly cut hairdo, using her sweet powerful voice to keep the audience transfixed, while the Hellbound Honeys kept the old-school country sound intact. A sonic combination that creates authenticity few Madison bands can muster.
Over the last four months Julian Lynch has received accolades from the indie music blogosphere for his ethereal work. Pitchfork gave his latest album “Mare” 8.5 out of 10 on their infamous rating scale, praising Julian’s creative growth from his previous release. And just when you think it couldn't get any better, Stereogum listed Julian Lynch along with former Madison resident, Nika Roza Danilova (aka Zola Jesus), as the best new artists of 2010.
Lynch is already talking about releasing a third album called “Terra” in the coming months and has planned a listening party at The Project Lodge in Madison for fans to preview his latest work. As someone who is helping put a national spotlight on the Madison indie music scene, we wanted to check in with Julian and find out more about this listening party and what it’s like to suddenly be buzz-worthy.
Julian Lynch (photo by Erez Avissar)
We see a lot of bands and consider Madison to be one of the best cities in the Midwest for live music.
After attending South by Southwest in Austin, along with Pitchfork and Lollapalooza in Chicago earlier this year, we’ve grown to appreciate the diverse mix of indie rock acts that come through Madison on a regular basis.
We thought it would be nice to share our list of preferred Madison indie rock establishments that we like to frequent. Keep in mind there are numerous other clubs, coffee houses and restaurants in town that feature music, adding to the Madison live music mystique. Many of our preferred venues have matinee shows earlier in the evening for those of us who need our beauty sleep for that day gig or early morning class.
Our favorite indie music venues:
