Category Archives: SHOW “G”-Views

Etran Finatawa was a blessing of an appearance at our final music festival of the summer season in Madison, the Willy Street Fair. Check out all the happenings here. Etran Finatawa’s musicians come from Niger which is one of the three poorest countries in the world, it is a landlocked country in West Africabordered by Mali, Algeria, Libya, Chad and Nigeria. In Niger there are eleven different ethnic groups most of whom are farmers or pastoralists, both sedentary and nomadic. Amongst them are the Tuareg and Wodaabe, many of whom are still nomadic.The group was formed at the time of the 2004 Festival in the Desert near Timbuctou. The literal meaning of their name is ‘the stars of tradition’. They are the first group to use the songs and music of the Wodaabe in a modern context. Starting as a group of ten musicians who wanted to unite these two nomadic cultures as a symbol of peace and reconciliaton. The touring and recording band consists of six players three of whom are Tuareg and three, Wodaabe-Fulani. In Niger the Wodaabe and the Tuareg live side by side on the desert’s fringes sharing pastures and water sources which sometimes leads to feuding. They work together to be strong and to give their culture a future in this changing world. The music of the two tribes is very different but the way it has been combined has produced a powerful and hypnotic sound and a new musical style of Nomad Blues.

Etran Finatawa in Madison 9/21/08

Also appearing that night was Berlin Germany’s 17 hippies and their mix of traditional music from Eastern Europe, France and America with the groups own Berlin background. They were an amazing act that recieved many wild acknowledgments from a pleased Willy Street Fair crowd.

Berlin’s 17 Hippies Madison 9/21/08

I am almost at a loss of words—Last night I saw and heard a great night of foreign music that I lost track of where I might actually be. Well…sort of. Gypsy Rock anyone? Well then Little Cow is for you. They write brilliant rock songs with hut spa and dance starting Hungarian rhythms that had the Annex crowd creating an interpretation of the sounds like no one was watching. Then the reason for ears, the Plastic People of the Universe emerged onto the stage and progressive rocked my avant ass into a psychedelic state of being, that I could see in Plastic for a moment in time. The history of this Czechoslovakian group inspired by Zappa and the attempts of their own government to shut them up and silence their lyrics and music (they often went against the grain of the Communist regime and due to its non-conformism often suffered serious problems such as arrests.) This was a rare event in Madison and I was not missing it. The Plastic People were funky with heavy rock and spiritually trancing jams with vocals that were as haunting as they were moving. If you have never heard of either act here, well, I hope you take some time to introduce yourself to their music and their lives as they exist outside of our united States and know that these people know how to make music…..real music.

Budapest’s LITTLE COW

Prague’s Plastic People of the Universe

Chicago’s Backyard Tire Fire brought its redneck rock along with finely crafted songs into Madison on Friday to the Annex. Opening was Missouri’s Ha HA Tonka. The show was plugged in and rip roaring. In support of the new album, The Places we Lived, Backyard Tire Fire featured many of their new tunes but also hit the crowd with many of their “let’s drink beer and have a party” style rock -n- roll, certainly enough force to make the Annex in Madison, a heavy hitter. Ha Ha Tonka was a nice surprise for me as well, they can jam, keep it simply sweet and man o’ man could those fellas sing. It is always nice to see artists matched up well in a live setting, and this was certainly the case. The windy city and the roaring Ozarks were representing proper on this night!

With opening act Greyhounds(who had Kofi on the flute for one tune), the Derek Trucks Band reminded me of what sound can sound like. From straight blues to the soul of the earth to a tweak and tuning adjustment of jazz to the slide of strings buttered with improvisational jams reinventing the very sounds we have come to know. The Kofi, Yonrico, Todd, Mike, Count M’Butu and Derek connection makes the stage into a exploration laboratory fit for musical mystery. With the opening group Greyhounds joining on stage for a wild rendition of the Lee Dorsey original Get out of my Life Woman ,featured trade offs galore between the entire collage of artists. There was a great crowd of energized music goers, each applauded the scene at various points for various personal interpretive moments in time that made them feel like, well…Its all about the music.

Check out my recent conversation with Derek here.

and a past chat here.

Also appearing at Real Art Ways was Dave Smith/The Perfect Man. A trombone fronted avant jazz rock sensation that makes enough sound to knock your spirit into a questioning mode. With lyrics for the moment and an intense artistry that feels as much as it sounds, I can easily say that those with their minds open will certainly dig catching this act. Their sets split the night with Secretary feat. Big Boss and the Perfect Man walked off the stage and a new day began.

I did get out while away. Back to some old stomping grounds like Real Art Ways in Hartford. I hooked up with friend and one of the coolest people I know, Paula Henderson. This was a reunion of timely proportions as it just so happened that her and Luqman (Big Boss) would be in my old neck of the woods the same time I was visiting. Who knew. The show, Secretary featuring Big Boss was sound-a-licious, with many of the newest freshest tracks spilling out of Paula’s mouthpiece and into the thirsty ears of many unexpected guests. Big Boss kept the whole thing running, coz he runs things you see. The first set was slightly more of a mind expander while the second set just plain out rocked my socks off. Take some time to check out this act as they are something worth heading to the office for.

“Moist” Paula & me RAW AUG ’08

On Tuesday night, Church Basement Ladies opened in the beautiful Capitol Theater and let me tell you, it was laugh after laugh. The four women who take on the “life” of the basement are as warm and fun as a good Lutheran side dish. Bill Christoper (Father Mulchay on M*A*S*H*) is the charming Pastor Gunderson, who keeps everything rolling with candor and an ease of adding a little fuel for the all ready over cooking kitchen chatter. The combination on stage is like a bouncing ball of eye rolling, knee slapping true Mid-western slapstick musical humor. The soundtrack is filled with down to earth and easy to relate to tunes for people of all creeds. So fear not, those who believe they don’t know these ladies under the “House of God”, they are a lot more realistic than you might imagine. This is most certainly true!

Hear my conversation with Bill Christopher here.

At the Overture until Sunday August 31st.

What a perfect evening for a really rootsy funky rockin’ show. I arrived to see the John Butler Trio hit the stage and had an overpriced beer in my hand while this trio torn the stage up. They were electrifying and so on, that the sunset failed in comparison to the spectacular force, energy and warmth radiating off the scene. I tell you this much: They certainly made a name for themselves with the crowd on hand at Willow Park. After there was a settling down some, G Love & the Special Sauce took over. Garret was funky, and fresh right from the get go. He featured many tracks off the latest release on Brushfire titled, Superhero Brother. Get it if you don’t have it…you’ll want it. I have had a couple of conversation with Garret in the past, and while this time I decided to let the music speak to me for him and I was not let down. There were riffs of great recognizable tune written by some of the greats in the past, there were classic G Love tracks and at the end, not only was there time for the John Butler Trio to join in on an amazing (A M A Z I N G) version of “Symphony for the Devil” but Tristan Prettyman who played earlier that afternoon, “slipped into something more comfortable” joined Garret for a sparkling version of “Beautiful“.

Man was this just a hot show PERIOD.

My plan was to get to the festival to catch some of Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys, and man am I glad I went early enough to catch the entire set. The proof that not all Zydeco music sounds the same was right there in front of me. With some funk and rootsy blues sounds, Rosie made the stage a place of appreciation and zest that was easy on the eyes, ears and dancing feet. Anytime Rosie and the Playboys come to town near you, make it a point to bring your smile and dancing shoes, cuz you ain’t gonna be able to control your inside urges. But for me, the cumulation of the entire weekend came when Ivan Neville brought out his Dumpstaphunk and kept it downright D.I.R.T.Y. funk and some seriously bona-fide NOLA goodness. Spinning the tunes on the show doesn’t compare to being a part of the sounds and scene Dumpstaphunk creates, withstands and ad-libs with…when they invited about 10 women onto the stage, apparently the crowd lost count and their ended up being about 60 people up there rocking the wavy stage with the FUNK. You can feel your bones dancing inside your skin with some of those nasty beats. Nick Daniels, Ian Neville, Ray Ray Weber, Tony Hall & Ivan Neville together make up a talent pool that on stage works so well together it becomes a fluid Funkenstein monster getting down with the people like the original Funk-Masters. Take in this scene whenever it can be seen, heard and most importantly felt.

FEEL IT!!!

Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk 2008

Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys 2008

The next day of action for me started off with the soothing sounds of Brazzaville, featuring David Brown former Saxophone player of BECK. This group from Barcelona clamped down on the exotic sound hybrid of indie pop, lounge jazz, world music, and noir-ish atmosphere, and was most often likened to Tom Waits or Morphine and created the “atmosphere”. This group has seen some line up changes but one thing for sure is they are always a talented bunch making really cool music. After an intermission that lasted a few shared moments “passing” the time away, the highly anticipated moment arrived. Dengue Fever unleashed a sound that made me feel as if all of the worlds psychedelic rock had been held captive and put into an amazing rock-n-roll trance. With a female Cambodian bona fide pop star lead singer who has a beautiful voice that certainly was like the Sirens tempting Ulysses and his men, I too felt captive. They are raw and exciting to watch but most of all they are so damn something solidly different yet reminiscent of the times gone bye with their take on what music can sound like. I invite you to look into Dengue Fever if you aren’t aware and put them on your “MUST SEE” list if you like to find treats not so easy to find on earth. To close off the night was Fallou Dieng and his 12-piece orchestra who are up and coming stars on the afro-beat scene who had the park jumping to their infectious Mbalax beats. This drum-laden dance music was transcendent under the stars, and kept the nights groove bouncing.

Dengue Fever—go get it!

Fallou Dieng

Brazzaville

…After the acts on Friday at La Fete de Marquete, I made my way over to the Terrace and caught Cornmeal. This jamgrass band from Chicago puts a new meaning into the phrase JAM GRASS…..a constant foot stomping tap tap tappin’ and fingers snap snap snappin’ good time. Cornmeal is: Wavy Dave Burlingame-Banjo,Vocals, Kris Nowak-Guitar,Vocals, Chris Gangi-String Bass, Vocals, JP Nowak-Drums, Vocals, Allie Kral-Fiddle, Vocals and the grass they have grown is certainly overflowing with some incredible jams. I mean there were moments of such gratifying sounds that I believe the band made the sky open up momentarily just to cool us all off. While obviously stepping in the history of bluegrass, Cornmeal takes their music to new levels and offers a middle finger of sorts to the boundaries of genres and adds some ole time favorites in all styles to their set. On this night, there were dashes of the talking Heads and some “Franklin’s Tower” riffs bounding in the air, and man that air was feeling and smelling right! This act really caught my attention and I look forward to the return visit from our neighbors.

CORNMEAL..winners of the 2008 New Groove Jammy.

2008 La Fête de Marquette: Thursday – Sunday, July 10th – 13th and at this years new location, the event was filled with fantastic music acts from around the globe. La Fête de Marquette coincides with Bastille Day, the French national holiday. The celebration will provide many opportunities to become immersed in French culture with food, arts, crafts and – especially – music. The event will host musicians from the French-speaking world including performers from West Africa, Cambodia, Quebec and France throughout the weekend and performers with New Orleans/Cajun/Zydeco roots primarily on Sunday. Event organizers anticipate attracting thousands to this one of a kind, free-to-all community event. There was so much happening and I was able to see ALL the acts I truly wanted to check out or re-visit. On Friday I got to witness Les Breastfeeders, a band I have featured on the show numerous times. This is a “DO NOT MISS” show if you are ready for some serious rock and roll Montreal style. This band is steaming hot and will make you butter your bread and ROCK your Roll. You’ll be in store for the sweaty jumps and the wailing chords and HI-boots will be-a-shakin’, when you spend a little time with Les Breastfeeders. I was pumped up for the entire night after that show, and consider my socks knocked off! I also caught the quintessential New Orleans party band, The Iguanas, and how could you ever go wrong with that!!!

Les Breastfeeders

The Baobab is a strong tree…..Orchestra Baobab brought their high-powered world rhythm and afro beats to the Barrymore on Sunday night. The sweat was pouring down the dancers and the sounds from the stage were electrifying. Orchestra Baobab has fused Afro-Cuban rhythm and Portuguese Creole melody with Congolese rumba, high life and a whole gamut of local styles for over 30 years – kickstarting a musical renaissance in their native Senegal, which turned the capital Dakar into one of the world’s most vibrant musical cities. Thats exactly what the Barrymore theater resembled as the crowd rewarded the Orchestra is so many ways, from moneys and watches to smiles and laughter, the fusion of art-artists and audience transcended into a ‘High Life’ scene that is only understood when experienced. Warm, rich lyrical content was splashed over the crowd with elegant precision while percussions led the feet on a march through the deepest landscapes of melody. With dueling saxophone and guitars throughout the set Orchestra Baobab is still challenging themselves to put on a true embodiment of their work. A strong tree indeed.

Friday night brought out a chance to remind myself of my rock -n- roll roots, a chance to have some punk in my rock at the same time. A two piece from Madison calling themselves “the Hussy” made themselves known at the Frequency and man, it didn’t take long to have the beats beating a pulp of real raw rawkkkkk! Armed with a vexing guitar and a banger of earthshaking booms on drums, the Hussy brought back the short catchy hard hitting feeling I first remember when trying out heavy sounding underground sounds. I felt like I was back at CBGB’s getting a taste of what the others have been trying to make happen. While this duo have been involved in music around the Madison scene for some time now, the work of the Hussy should latch on like the mosquitoes biting at your being when you next step outside. Be careful, the Hussy are contagious.

Man can the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey really put the groove on. Oh, in case you didn’t know, JFJO has a new album out…“Lil Tae Rides Again” out on both Hyena Records and 1320 Records. They do in fact play this whole album as their set, which is totally fine with me. The story of a day in the life of an elementary school child translates into music that is essentially a part of all of us. While in Madison, the backdrop was a beautiful lake scene mixing night clouds with the slipping sunset. With a Pink Floyd flavor at times, I found myself memorized with the animal scenes trampling in the backdrop of a movie screen and the obvious innovative spirit that oozed out from under the Spinal Tapped cloaks….this was everything and more than I was expecting and would highly recommend this show to fans of the jams, a good interpretation of our classical whereabouts and the memory of childhood times. The show and the album prove to me that after several years and albums under their belt, JFJO still has what it takes to redefine themselves while never shaking the importance of their music and what it can do to a fresh set of ears.

Check out my conversation with Brian Haas, founder/pianist of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey here.

The Vagabond Opera did get a chance to strut its Gypsy music, opera, klezmer and cabaret come-ons into Madison after all. As they almost made it to the stage at the Marquette Waterfront Festival before the tornado sirens sounded, this time they made it!! IN a very intimate hall at the Wil-Mar on Jenifer Street, the Old World Yiddish Theater was set to amaze. Based in the Pacific Northwest, yet encompassing the world, Vagabond Opera delivers passionate offerings of Bohemian cabaret. Paris hotJazz, gut bucket swing, Tangos, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, Klezmer and vigorous originals meet a world of riverboat gambling queens, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera–lusty (trained) voices singing in 13 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge. This is Opera liberated and reinvented for everyone. A perfect enticement for folks here in Madison, as hoots and hollers echoed the skill on stage. The band’s lineup features trained operatic tenor and soprano vocals, accordion, tenor and alto saxophones, cello, stand-up bass, drums, and, when the mood is right, a burlesque hoola-hooping fire performer. What in that arrangement isn’t tempting? This is a show amongst shows, a place where more than music shall be revealed, you become a sound-circus listener……open up!

Moved inside, the final 3 scheduled acts started and finished the weekends events at the Crystal Corner. I was able to catch the youthful enthusiasm of Lafayette, Louisiana’s Feufollet, and the seasoned aplomb of Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans making their first appearance on an MNA stage. Feufollet (the name refers to the ghostly, luminescent marsh gases, once believed to be specters haunting the bayous) formed in 1995 when accordionist/singer Chris Stafford was 8 and fiddler Chris Segura was 11. They quickly became known as one of the most exciting Cajun bands in Acadiana, not because of their youth but because of their obvious musical ability and the vivacity with which they approached the traditional music of the area. This group has been a band of young prodigies for so long, it can be hard to talk about them as just a band. But that’s just what they are: a band of extremely talented and seasoned musicians who continue to explore the vital music of their culture and region. They also stole the show at last year’s La Fête de Marquette. Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans have been playing their particular brand of funk, soul and jazz in Wisconsin and around the country for more than 20 years. Everyone knows what a terrific band they are. Many thanks to all who made it out to support the live music, the Marquette Neighborhood Association and to tasty pints of local beer.

If there is a place called “Right up my Alley”, well last night at the Barrymore I think I took a walk down it. That 1 Guy opened up for Buckethead and how proud the misfit toys must have been for their own. The sounds from both artists were as innovative as the night is arousing and I found myself being in great anticipation for the forthcoming collaboration right in front of my eyes…but first, That 1 Guy peppered the audience with rhythms and grooves on his magic pipe, an instrument or source of sound imagination created by the man himself….(you can learn a little more about it in our conversation). Ahhh, he also played on a Magic Boot, and featured “Somewhere over the Rainbow” on the Magic Saw..YUP..who SAW that coming? The new track, Buttmachine is one to watch out for as it’ll have you cheek to cheek—just cuz its cracked don’t mean that it’s broke you know! Representing the robotic misfit toys was guitar wizard Buckethead. While masked and dawning that inverted bucket upon his noggin, this man shredded up the room with electric rips that at times stung my skin while mixing in precise melodic mysteries like Alfred Hitchcock was operating the remote for a bit. And when these two forces finally got together to close out the show..it was misfit magic, truly raw and radical, this was one epic clash of sound, almost didn’t feel man made. This was a show that is not easily written about to share with others as a point of view, it is one that should be see with your own two ears and drank up by those thirsty ear-holes. This was certainly a show for me, a misfit too.

On Saturday night, there was a feel of graduation in the air here at the University of Wisconsin andthe Fareed Haque Group was in the Rathskeller making the time stand still with a world beat fusion transforming moments into more. The tabla rang most true to me this evening, while Fareed certainly was exploring sounds as his virtuosity allows, I found the skin of the tabla drum to insight my senses. To make things even more appealing, one of my favorite summer style beers was on tap and had its own seat at our table most of the evening, and the pitchers of a tasty wiess bier were flowing like a golden stream of delicious.

I had the privilege of being invited to the unveiling of the 2008-2009 season at the Overture Center for the Arts today and was treated to time spent appreciating the arts and talking about multicultural diversity. While the upcoming season is going to once again fulfill the sense of diversity, it is clear that the Overture plans on making sure they are in the front of the line when it comes to being an entry point to appreciating, teaching and recognizing the importance of other cultures as it mingles within Madison. The “O.C” is the biggest on-going classroom around, acting as a front porch for kids, parents….everyone to find out something they might not otherwise have found. Speaking of the new season…early highlights for me are: KODO, the Neville Brothers and Dr. John, Porter/Batiste/Stoltz, the Song & Dance Ensemble of West Africa, Afro-Cuban All Stars, The Assad Brothers, Cab Calloway Orchestra, Avenue Q, Cirque Eloize, Stomp, The Spencers Theatre of Illusion…..you get the point! I want to thank Abi and all the fine folks of the Overture Center for the Arts, for the invitation, the acknowledgment and for understanding the importance of keeping the Arts as the Center of potential new ideas.

Madison’s Home of the Arts