True Endeavors Presents…

a music zine full of the stuff we love! We’ve got live concert photos, lots of free tickets, totally legal downloads, artist interviews, tour news, and oh yeah, shows all over this Mad City. Pull up a chair and hit us up with your musings- we’re glad you stopped by.

This Week’s Nightlife and Giveaways: “This is a song for my simplest love…”

“This is intoxicating psych-indie for heady days in unbroken sunshine.” — The Observer

There’s just one show coming up this week, but it’s a big ‘un!  The sounds of California’s quirky, utopian musical collective of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are more infectious than the swine flu, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  They’re heading to Madison for a show at the High Noon Saloon on Saturday, the 28th and we want you to be there.  Read on find out more about the group who put out one of the best records of 2009 and enter to win a pair of tickets to the show.

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Just Announced Madison Concert: The Expendables (1.20.10)

THE EXPENDABLES

with special guests Iration, Passafire, Pour Habit, Roots Down Below

Wednesday, January 20 @ The Annex

7pm show, 18+

$13 adv $15 dos

Just Announced Madison Concert: A.A. Bondy (2.1.10)

A.A. BONDY

Mon. Feb 1 @ High Noon Saloon

8pm show, ages:18+

$10 adv and dos


 

DJ/rupture On The Ethics Of Free Music

It’s always interesting to hear different perspectives on the evolution of music to its current state–especially when those perspectives are articulated by musicians themselves.  This recent essay by Jace Clayton (aka DJ/rupture) posted on NPR’s website is well-worth a read:

“…I grew up in the ’90s. Toward the end of that decade, I upgraded to a PC with a CD burner — amazing! But, as a DJ, I still coveted vinyl LPs, not because they sounded “warmer” or “better” to my ears, but because I could literally get hands-on with them and use the slabs of wax as raw material in a mix session. Pre-MP3 smorgasbord, I would haunt the record shops and tape the radio, getting cassettes via mail order. I learned obscure paths through music — pre-Google, pre-Blogosphere, before Ms. Internet and Mr. MP3 got married and made us all their children…”

Check out the full legth article here.

Can you relate?  What do you think about what DJ/rupture had to say?  Let’s start some discussion…post your comments below.

A Letter From Mason Jennings

Mason Jennings with Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel Tonight- 11.21.09, Majestic Theatre , 9pm, $20 – all ages

A letter from Mason:

It all kinda started at Christmas when my sons and I were hanging ornaments on the tree.  We have an ornament that is a little electric guitar and my six-year-old son was looking at it and asked, “What’s this Dad?”

I said, “What??? It’s an electric guitar.”

To which he replied, “What’s that?”

Well, I was kinda horrified so I ran downstairs and..

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Tonight’s Concert (11.20.09): Free MP3s From Haley Bonar

“She wrote the most fetching, poetic and sophisticated songs of her career for Big Star, and her lamb-to-lion vocal talents rose to the occasion.” –Minneapolis Star-Tribune

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Tonight’s Concert Details: BROTHER ALI 11.19.09 Madison WI

Doors: 8pm

Toki Wright: 9pm

DJ BK ONE: 9:30pm

Evidence: 9:45pm

DJ BK ONE: 10:30pm

Brother Ali: 10:45pm

Minneapolis rapper grabs listeners by the throat, a crazy-man gleam in his eyes, and angrily demands to be heard. On Us, his deeply humane new album, that mad-prophet intensity can be exhausting, exhilarating, and downright transcendent.” - The Onion

Tickets are going fast! They are still available The Barrymore Box Office (608-241-8864). With a line-up this dynamic, how could it not be an amazing show?

Make The Holidays Merrier At Colbie Caillat’s Madison Concert (12.5.09)

Planning on heading out to catch Miss Caillat’s show on December 5th?  Why not participate in the season of giving while you’re enjoying the tunes?  Toys For Tots will be collecting donations of new, unwrapped toys at the show.  Your donations will make the holidays a bit brighter as they will later be distributed to needy kids in the area.

Get tickets to Colbie Caillat’s show here.


Just Announced: 2010 New Years Eve Dance Party With KID SISTER

We bring to you TEN, the all-night dance party featuring hip hop songstress Kid Sister, December 31st, New Year’s Eve at the Orpheum, Madison WI.

Remember Pro Nails with Kanye West?  Well she just dropped Ultraviolet, her first full-length with Downtown Records…check out the newest vid here.

Doors open at 9pm.  Free champagne toast at midnight and free prizes throughout the evening.

Tickets $20 adv $25.  On sale this Saturday, November 21 at 12 noon, all ages.

Tickets will be available on our music calendar and at the Orpheum Box Office.

Stay tuned for more announcements regarding MCs and DJs being added to the show, as well as sponsors, prizes, and other juicy details.

It will be the party of the year.  Cheers.


Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ Tiny Desk Concert On NPR

Get a preview of the upcoming Madison show from Edward Sharpe and Co. (November 28th at the High Noon Saloon) with the latest addition to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.  How could you not want to see these guys?  So fun! Get your tickets now, ‘cus they won’t be around for long!

 

Brother Ali Ticket Giveaway Inspires Deep Thoughts

It’s no secret that some of the most intelligent, discerning music fans in the area routinely read and comment on our blog, and for this, we feel incredibly fortunate.  One of our goals in creating this blog was to provide a forum for discussion of a variety of topics that resonate with music lovers.  Naturally, it’s very exciting when such discussion breaks out.  This has been most recently evident when reading the comments posted in response to our recent Brother Ali ticket contest.

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This Week’s Nightlife and Giveaways: Get Surveyed

Haley Bonar

Hey guys.  It’s Monday, so that means it’s time for our weekly ticket giveaways, but this week we’re doing something a little different.  Instead of entering to win by posting comments (which have been awesome lately, by the way), you can win tickets by filling out a short, simple survey.  Your participation could land you on the guest list for Haley Bonar, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit or Ari Hest.   Easy right?  Read on to get started!

Read more »

Last Call: Brother Ali Ticket Giveaway Ends Tomorrow! (concert in Madison 11.19.09)

Brother Ali

Just a reminder for all you hip hop fans thinking about throwing your hat into the ring to win Brother Ali tickets:  a contest is currently underway for his upcoming show at the Barrymore, but will be closing tomorrow (Sunday, 11.15.09).  There’s already quite a buzz surrounding the show, and we’re loving all the creative, well-thought-out entries we’ve received so far.

Click here to get the scoop.  Good luck!

Reading this after the contest is over?  You can still buy tickets to his Madison performance of the Fresh Air Tour here.

Free MP3 Download From Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (concert in Madison 11.21.09)

Jason Isbell

Yup, just like the title says…

Check out this tune from Jason, and then click here to grab tickets to his show next Saturday with Juniper Tar at The High Noon Saloon.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “Seven Mile Island”