Category Archives: SHOW “G”-Views

On certain Tuesdays at the Frequency here in Madison, there is a “BLUES TUESDAY” event that has been building itself quite a solid reputation, and this week it was friend of the show Seth Walker who was in town to show off his Americana Blues sound, his Willie Nelson impersonation and his fantastic ability to craft songs that make you want to listen. Seth writes songs that people have felt before, but the way he puts himself into is vocally makes the song still an unknown that you want to get to know better…..In our recent interview it was easy to tell that Seth Walker loves music, he was raised by parents who were trained classically and was playing the cello by four. I ‘ll let him tell you the rest of the story, hell..I bet he can sing it to you. He played a lot of things off his new album “Leap of Faith” and easily had captured the crowds feet, as the place got a good stomp-a-going….and sometimes even on rhythm. This venue allows all in attendance, (did I mention what a nice big crowd was there?) to feel like the artist is right in your living room, and I think Seth was feeling right at home with us and something tells me we’ll get a chance to see our old pal Seth Walker back here sometime in the near future….and if you happen to see that he is playing out where you can get to, take a chance and go feel good, be a part of that night’s story.

I have been listening to the ample selections that Yo La Tengo has put out over the years for quite some time now, sharing much on the radio show but this was my first chance to catch the trio from Hoboken. The crowd at the Barrymore was strong in numbers and there was a surplus of cool in the room as the band mixed their sometimes softer calming side (often accompanied with acoustic music) with a moment or two of punked out quickies and my favorite of their work are those psychedelic rock jams that get filled with space and last over seven minutes. So many tunes carry a heavy bass that a heartbeat and pulse formed from the stage……The trio often shows its flexibility as drummer Georgia sings and strums as well as kicking it behind the kit. Ira Kaplan keeps the vibe alive on keys and really sets you back some with his guitar jams and sound exploration while James McNew really was spot on with his bassin’. All three members carry steady harmonies and together, I would surely agree that They’ve got it. They ended the evening with two encores. The first a fine rendtion of a Fairport Convention tune and the final song was a beautifully haunting Velvet Underground sound. After the show had a quick chance to chat with Ira about, well…what else, you guessed it…baseball. So, when the time presents itself again, I will go…Yo La Tengo.

This evening is a time for classical change. Going to see the Emerson String Quartet this evening and here is the evening’s program:

IVES: Quartet No.1
DVORAK: String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 51
***INTERMISSION***
BEETHOVEN: Quartet in E-flat Major, Op.127

Really looking forward to the after intermission BEETHOVEN….more to share after.

What can you say about the line up other than stellar. The cold outside was no match for what was happening inside the Congress Theater in Chicago, as the 2nd Annual Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival was in full effect. Eddy Clearwater gave me what I was looking for in the way of that true original Chicago Blues styling, been waiting a long time to catch his act, well worth it. The Emmitt Nershi Band has my attention since I started slinging tracks off their new album, they left me with a down-home goodness feeling, that strings like theirs tend to do. I stomped my feet and felt a giant Yee Haw brewing up for most of their set…..reminded me of days by the barn as a youngin’. Dr. Dog was the act i had never seen that was tops on my list for getting a taste of, and i was not disappointed. I can certainly appreciate the direction that the music is taking and I must admit, at times it felt like the music was made entirely for the day that it was being played on. From the “I didn’t see that coming” file, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones with Tuvan Throat Singing group, The Alash Ensemble, doing tracks from their latest holiday release and man, this was something else…no really….the experience made me wonder how the decision was made to intersect these two styles into a holiday festival of it’s very own. The hearty earthy richness of Bela’s Banjo mixed with the soul drenching, hold me captive with that sound, Tuvan Throat singing is a match made for, well, my ears for certain. And well, you know the deal with those Flecktones…the unique spirit they conjure up is at times unexplainable and always worth being there for.

Remember the days of walking down the streets with the boombox position high upon your shoulder, pointing the tunes right into your ear….well here is something you’d like to do that with again,and they call themselves “BOOMBOX”. BoomBox is Producer/Engineer/DJ/Drummer Russ Randolph and Producer/DJ/Vocalist/Guitarist Zion Rock Godchaux. This pair of dynamic artists uses their rich musical history and their vision of music and popular culture to deliver a style of music distinctly different from anything heard or seen in music today. This signature sound and show brings live music to a new, elevated level. BoomBox evolved through the common visualization of two forward-thinking artists from diverse musical backgrounds. Raised by supportive and musically inclined parents, both Godchaux and Randolph had an obsession with music at very young ages. Godchaux, who grew up with deeply embedded rock and roll roots, began playing drums at the age of two, and played guitar and wrote his own songs as a teen. During the 90s, Godchaux was a well-received touring DJ based out of the San Francisco area. Randolph began as a young drummer, but it’s what was happening behind the scenes that attracted him most. As much producers as they are musicians, it is Randolph’s understanding of soundscape and Godchaux’s knack for songwriting that keeps BoomBox resonating at higher levels…and now, this grand duo is making a splash as they rock & roll electroland-like through the musical world of their own that they created….it might seem like the path less chosen until you get an ear full.

The Vagabond Opera.

The Barrymore Theatre has been my one time a week stop, this time for more twang and stringed instrumentation. Old Crow Medicine Show gave the sold out crowd a “humdinger” of two sets. Raucous Bluegrass and country rock, jams into fiddle psychedelia lead the evening into a that feeling I had when first drinking beers in the back woods where only the four-wheel drive equipped vehicles could get you in and out. The music of this night gave me a sense of my youth as it is still being tamed by my adult (some would say) life. I have been spinning these guys on my show since I began some 6 years ago and would easily bump several acts in the similar vein to the side over if they were around playing. The gig is more than a gig, it is a hoe-down party built for overalls and smiles, flannel shirts and tie dyed skirts……It was nice to hear the variety in their on stage “twangings” and the variety in the crowd.

Charlie Cheney & Delaney Davidson

It has been many years since I was told I should check out Railroad Earth doing their thing live and each time something either came up or it just never worked out….well, this time I made sure to make sure I was there and I was not disappointed. There is something to their “jamgrass rock” that really gets me feelin’ more than alright. While I missed the opening act of Vince Herman’s Great American Taxi this time around to watch baseball, I am sure that the billing of there two acts made so much sense (after all I caught G.A.T’s set last time around), and drew the right kind of crowd for each set…certainly I couldn’t get enough of that down home feeling I was getting from the people in attendance. I love the fiddle, I love the mandolin and I love rockin’….so put those three things together and you got such a trip on the Railroad Earth that you don’t care to know where or when your stop arrives. For their part, RRE kicked it into overdrive towards the end of their first set and the explosiveness continued when they returned to the stage, leaving me to ask myself, “What took you so long to get to one of their shows?” And I am now able to say simply…FINALLY.

JULIAN MARLEY & THE UPRISING featuring STEPHEN MARLEY “AWAKE” NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2009 hit Madison at the Barrymore and was there a feeling of unity inside the walls. The conscious awareness of the music made it easy to get immersed in the positive vibe Julian brings around with him, and shares in the message of his lyrics and the island rhythms of the band. The crowd was diverse and never divided as we were always under the guide of the Rastafarian spirit as it too was AWAKE with this night’s uprising. Featuring many tracks off the new album, the songs were traveling throughout the hall on the wings of smoke and gladly they collided with a couple of Bob Marley classics~because after all, why not start from the beginnings. With a few songs left for the night, Stephen joined on stage and the electricity of that collaboration took off with more power than any man made facility could conjure up, the attitude & altitude of the performance was on the rise..

…the bouncing, the smiling and the IRIE feelings were the bond that kept this night’s unity alive and breathing. It was a time when Reggae music came to life as Autumn has been ready to change to Winter, and this show helped keep a little summer time in my mind.

Had a chance to catch the action as the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company was at the Memorial union for a night of whirling, stepping and happy times. I made sure to have some German Wheat Beer and spoke in my best Slavic accent all evening. It was just the type of event I needed to throw me back into the world of culture and differences i enjoy celebrating….just wish I had my clogs on.

It’s always nice to get to hang out with good people…and that is exactly what happened on this night. On a cool drizzly evening at the Memorial union got the chance to hang out with some of the gang of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band before the show and during the opening acts set…It was a blast to chill with the real people of the music world, talking about times and music with guys who have seen it all and been doing it so long. Efrem, Kevin and Jermal were all cool to chill with and then the set that followed brought it all home. The brass was solid and heavy sounding for most of the show and there were moments and dance, scream and even space out. The march-ability of the music made for some serious dancing and groovin’ from many a head & body bobber and fan of that sweet N’Orleans flava, that only the DDBB can stir into a gravy of sound. The funk was in the air, and the soul of the band fits here in Madtown perfectly and I am guessing the band will like to head on back..maybe even get some outside summer terrace time?

Jermal/misterG/Efrem b4 the Dirty Dozen Brass band show

Efrem/Jermal/Kevin

With the release of the new album, One day in Brooklyn (actually put together in one day…in Brooklyn) I was so looking forward to see what the boys from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey would have going on this time in a live setting. As the crowd started to grow with each stroke on the keys, Brian Haas and gang really had the sound thumping in a strut that was walking all over me. Doing tracks off of the new album as well as some Brian informed us in our chat Saturday morning, some that were written during the traveling on this tour. He wasn’t kidding at all when he said ‘there was a lot of creativity going on in the group right now’. The hour long set was a journey of emotional music, rockin’ slides and percussion 7 bass that has your head nodding in approval the whole time. There was even time to throw in a well crafted rendition of an old Beatles classic.

Mike Gordon did what I would expect Mike Gordon to do….played 2 long sets into the early hours with all the jamband sounds that any kitchen cupboard could hold. The Barrymore Theatre pond was filled with many a Phish-head and the scene was as much fun to watch as was the band for me. A ripping guitarist (Scott Murawski) was the real treat for me during the sets….

It is not very often that I feel like a band is becoming like family here in Madison, but Marseilles’ Watcha Clan sure is more than just another group visiting. Since they came here this summer for Le Fete de Marquette, they seem to have a second home right here at anytime. On this night, the Crystal Corner was the location that was fortunate to hold the sounds of Watcha Clan’s immense soul….there was spirit in the air~not just beats or lyrics but a conscious being formed with the music. Between the on stage musicians there is more chemistry than in a high school science class, like they were meant to make this happen. It is so easy to become part of the essence of this act. I find myself memorized by the grooves, the heavy and the softened down…..the true nature of this scene is something to behold and hold on tightly too. There is more to this band then genre or style…as they defeat and deflect the two of those like an unknown superhero of “eclecticity”…..it is the “real” that is behind the artists and the “strength” around their art that is such a temptress~that I look forward to the next time I find Watcha Clan is back for one more time. This band means a lot to the part of me that transcends the sound….with them come nostalgia.

For me, I feel like the Luminescent Orchestrii are old friends. I have been spinning their music on my show since way back in my WHUS days after we reached out to each other on one of the social networking sites. I finally got to experience them live and it was all that I hoped for. Witty ways on stage coupled with well crafted songs of a gypsy decent……makes for such an entertaining start to the evening. Luckily we here in Madison have a way of dancing our way through it all…and this was certainly the case at the High Noon Saloon. The rawness of the songs feel good on your skin and with an edge of sass, the music makes its way to your spine…and from there it’s up to you what the rest of you does.

On this night, the pairing of bands was stellar. Fishtank Ensemble took over the stage shortly after and wowed the crowd with bass stands, opera singing saw-stress and a violin that was hauntingly mesmerizing. The sounds were often as wild as the night is dark but on occasion I felt the “where it’s at” of the tune….and that moment is always something else. The dancing continued and the music from start to finish on this night was like the mighty rivers—fluid and strong.

This year I was all over the place during the Willy Street Fair. The day itself was a beauty and the food, drink(s) and times had were fun-filled. There is always more to look at then what is on a stage when it comes to this street fair and this year was no different.

friends of the program: the Hussy rawkkkk the WORT underground stage.

The Takebacks making some righteous music

Talk about pieces to a puzzle…..Hanggai Band from Mongolia and Cheb i Sabbah from the mixed up world of sound smashing….I started my afternoon off with some homegrown beer and a musical group from Inner Mongolia…..Don’t let the traditional clothes worn fool you, this band shows off many Western influences in a set that rocked with sound as it did with amazement. Seeing the faces of those not so familiar with throat singing was a highlight for me, the jaws dropping as sounds coming from deep within form and appear almost without recognition of who or where they come from. The vocalizing added to the two string lute (tabshuur) gave this act at the World Stage of the Willy Street Fair that something different people around here seek.

After wandering some around the fair streets, I decided to chill before going out to see Cheb i Sabbah later in the evening. That was a smart idea as I grooved and got down until the wee hours with some serious mixes from a master. Cheb had crowds surrounding him on the stage, belly dancers moving in a serpentine-like fashion around the dance floor and stage areas-it was as it should be….WILD. The crowd was deep in movement and size as the Terrace was in a complete zone of electronica-hoopee madness, one that I sure hope returns again sometime soon. It was worth the wait to be a part of a Cheb i Sabbah created soundscape.

This past Friday I had the pleasure of hanging out a little backstage with Rekha before the show and we did a little interview thing (more on that to come). I am not one for the on the scene interviews but when that is all that works I am down for sure. DJ Rekha is serious about what she is doing, and how she portraits her seriousness is with some killer Bhangra beats that explore not only the inner regions of the ears, but it certainly filters through my brain simultaneously. Watching her work the segues and slam the hefty beats that “speakerbang” and erupt the dancefloor with unique blends of movement that causes me to get my notepad out. Opening the night was DJ Phil Money, who highlighted my night with some sweet “Pimps of Joytime” with a middle mix of some of Jah’s music….it was a night that lasted long~like you hope for.