“Thao & the Get Down Stay Down‘s latest album, We the Common, reveals the San Francisco artist to be as adept an arranger as she is a songwriter. But to see the mastermind Thao Nguyen sans bells and whistles is to realize what an incredible player she is as well.” – Spin
You’re probably used to hearing the ever-so-talented Thao Nguyen play with the support of her band, The Get Down Stay Down (with whom she’ll be performing when she opens our October 28 Head & The Heart show), however, solo acoustic Thao is every bit as sonically arresting. Just take a listen to this lovely performance of “Kindness Be Conceived” courtesy of the folks at Spin if you need proof!
These United States will kick off tonight’s Thao and Mirah show at The High Noon Saloon, and they’ve generously offered a free download from their latest album, What Lasts, to our blog readers as a preview. If you like what you hear, we hope you’ll be able to make it out to see them perform live later this evening.
The show will get rolling around 8:30pm tonight (June 29th), followed by a collaborative set by Thao & Mirah with The Most Of All. Tickets are still available here, and at the door.
(P.S. 77 Square‘s Jessica Gressa recently chatted with the two fabulous headlining ladies. Read her full interview here.)
As if hearing the announcement that Stars, Citizen Cope and The Walkmen will all be playing in Madison later this year wasn’t enough to start your week out on the right foot, how about some free tickets to see Melvins or Thao and Mirah with The Most Of All? Yup, we’re giving away a pair for each show, so read on to find out how to get your sweet little tune lovin’ paws on ’em…
What’s been going on in the world of music lately? Read on to get the scoop on your favorite artists, and start some discussion about current music-related events!
What’s been going on in the world of music lately? Read on to get the scoop on your favorite artists, and start some discussion about current music-related events!
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You want weird? We’ve got weird. Bet you never thought you’d see the names James Iha, Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger and Bun E. Carlos in the same sentence, did you? Now what if we told you they were all members of a brand new supergroup called Tinted Windows? Yeah. Seriously.
The members of Tinted Windows
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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are heading back to the studio to record the follow-up to their award-winning album, Raising Sand.
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Hey Anglophiles! Want full coverage of the BRIT awards? Point that mouse riiiiight here for photos, vids, results and more!
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Kings of Leon‘s Only By The Night album was a massive hit with fans and critics alike last year. Eagerly anticipating new tunes from the Followill brothers? The good news: the songs are indeed on their way. The bad news: you’ll have to wait another year to hear them.
Kings of Leon
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For a long time, if you wanted to make money being a musician, you had to set pen to paper and WRITE! A new bill called The Performance Rights Act would ensure that studio musicians, band members and songwriters would all receive compensation in the form of radio airplay royalties for their work.
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Naomi Klein, author of the brilliant book No Logo, is undoubtedly cringing at this latest perversion of art by the folks at Bacardi. First SoCo, now this? There was, however, an artistic victory worth noting regarding the estate of Jimi Hendrix and its battle with Hendrix Electric Vodka. Baby steps…
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Want to get schooled in the fine art of maximizing sound quality from your headphones? Look no further.
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Thao Nguyen will hit the road with Samantha Crain! Click here for the tour dates plus a video from the always amazing Miss Nguyen herself!
Dane101’s Steve Furay pays tribute to the late legendary hip hop producer J Dilla.
J Dilla
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The Grammy Awards are hardly relevant in the eyes of many music fans, but the increased presence of indie artists taking home awards this year has got to be a good thing, right?
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Fans of Noah and the Whale will want to check out this video (part 1 of a series) filmed for La Blogotheque. Also, in case you missed our review of their gorgeous debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, you can read it here.
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The individual accused of threatening to kill Men At Work frontman Colin Hay was arrested in Los Angeles last week. Who can it beeeee now? The band’s own guitarist, Ronald Strykert!
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Calexico‘s Joey Burns recently took the time to participate in an interview for MOG TV.
Calexico
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On March 7th, alt-country singer-songwriter Haley Bonar will roll into Madison. Get a preview of what’ll be in store at the show here, and while you’re at it, you can head over here to grab your tickets in advance!
What’s been going on in the world of music lately? Read on to get the scoop on your favorite artists, and start some discussion about current music-related events!
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NME is already placing bets for who they think the biggest artists of 2009 are going to be. New York indie dance band The Virgins (who will play Madison Feb. 3rd) made the cut–see who else they are predicting good things for this year!
The Virgins
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Deadheads, get ready to hit the road this spring! The surviving members of the Grateful Dead are planning to head out on their first tour in nearly five years. The specific gigs haven’t been announced yet, but will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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A new bill is expected to be passed in Brazil, protecting fans of funk music from legal discrimination. Some critics of the genre claim that the music encourages drug use, underage sex and other criminal actvity, and would like to see funk parties banned. Under the new bill, discrimination against such events featuring the music would be made illegal.
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Check out Bruce Springsteen‘s brand spanking new video for “Life Itself,” the single off his upcoming album, Working on a Dream.
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It’s being reported that Prince will independently release not one, not two, but an ambitious three new albums this year.
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Dirty on Purpose, who gave an impressive opening performance at The Wedding Present‘s show at the Annex last year, have called it quits, but fans can look forward to its members’ side projects.
Dirty On Purpose
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Wisconsin’s own Bon Iver created one of the most beloved albums of 2008 withhis deeply moving For Emma, Forever Ago. Fans curious to hear what beautiful music he’ll make next are getting a sneak peak, with his new EP, Blood Bank.
Animal Collective has a new ablum (Merriweather Post Pavillion) out this month. Fans of the band will be ravenously devouring the new sounds from what is already being praised as a remarkable album, but they might also want to take a listen to some live gems from their ’05 Lexington, KY show.
True Endeavors is bringing fans a cornucopia of variety with this week’s shows! Everything from Americana to hip hop to opera is represented by this diverse group of artists about to grace our town with their talents. This is not the first time in Madison for many of these artists, so if you missed them that time around, be sure to snag your tickets early before they’re all gone!
Also, check out how, by treating yourself to The Hotel Cafe Tour this Friday, you will be supporting The Keep Wisconsin Warm Fund!
Friday, November 7
AMOS LEE
“Amos Lee is a young singer-songwriter with an adorable look and an adorable voice and some adorable songs. Lee is a soul singer, but his songs are mostly more like AAA-format folk-rock, which makes for an interesting tension.” -PopMatters.com
Genre: Folk, Blues, Soul
Similar to: Norah Jones, Ray LaMontagne, Brett Dennen
with special guest PRISCILLA AHN
8pm Barrymore Theatre 608.241.8864 $25 adv – all ages
-To win 2 guest list spots to the show be the first to comment specifically requesting this artist-
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BRIGHTON MA
“Falling somewhere between a drunken Bob Dylan and The Flaming Lips, the band cultivates a crossbreed of psychedelia and folk music that is utterly dynamic.” – SkopeMag.com
Genre: Indie, Rock, Americana
Similar to: Wilco, Sean Hayes, The Kinks, Bob Dylan
with THE SAPS
9:30pm Cafe Montmartre 608.255.5900 $8 – 21+
BUY TICKETS NOW! -To win 2 guest list spots to the show be the first to comment specifically requesting this artist-
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Hotel Cafe Tour 2008
RACHAEL YAMAGATA, MEIKO, THAO NGUYEN, JAYMAY, ALICE RUSSELL
“The website for the tour casually summarizes the venture as ‘one bus, one band and a bunch of friends on the road.’ Be glad if they’re coming your way, this ridiculously talented bunch will give you plenty of reasons to love them.” -PasteMagazine.com
Genre: Singer-songwriter, Indie, Pop
Similar to: Fiona Apple, A Fine Frenzy, Regina Spektor, KT Tunstall
9:00 pm (8:00 doors) High Noon Saloon 608.268.1122 $21 adv – 18+
$1.00 per ticket to benefit The Keep Wisconsin Warm Fund
BUY TICKETS NOW! -To win 2 guest list spots to the show be the first to comment specifically requesting this artist-
“The Chicago-based bluegrass band formed as an outlet for area jam band musicians in the late ’90s, including members of Uncle John’s Band, Rebecca’s Statue, and the Dime Store String Band.”- NBCChicago.com
Genre: Bluegrass, Jam band
Similar to: The Big Wu, Fat Maw Rooney, Railroad Earth
with special guests 56 HOPE ROAD
9:30 pm High Noon Saloon 608.268.1122 $10 adv $12 dos — 18+
“Like a magnifying lens to her mind, these songs reveal something of the vast spectrum of music that inspired her to create something monumental, music that elicited the same joy in her as her music brings to us.” -Daytrotter.com
Genre: Indie, Opera, Chamber music, Rock
Similar to: Emily Wells, Des Ark, Dresden Dolls, Bat For Lashes
with special guests CLARE & THE REASONS and MARLA HANSEN
9pm Orpheum Stage Door $12 adv – $14 dos — all ages
BUY TICKETS NOW! -To win 2 guest list spots to the show be the first to comment specifically requesting this artist-
“Since his days as a member of the Beatnigs while in his early twenties, Michael Franti grew from an angry young hip-hopper with a political, socially conscious bent (the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Spearhead) to a man who channeled his seriousness, social unease, and desire for change and merged them with his love for music, particularly old-school R&B, soul, and hip-hop.” -Billboard.com
Similar to: State Radio, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Umphrey’s McGee, The Coup
with SOLILLAQUISTS OF SOUND
7:30 pm Barrymore Theatre 608.241.8864 $25 – all ages
“Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme are essentially a comedy act, sending up and celebrating that high-Seventies hybrid of garage, glam and ZZ Top: scuzz rock. On their third album, the duo are as danceable as ever, but they’ve tiptoed away from straight musical pastiche, crudding up their blues boogie with low-fi fuzziness and oddball percussion.” -RollingStone.com
Genre: Rock, Pop, Garage
Similar to: The Hives, White Stripes, The Stooges
with THE DUKE SPIRIT
9pm High Noon Saloon 608.268.1122 $18 adv $20 dos — 18+
“First with his Houston hip-hop group, Odd Squad, and then by himself he has released a string of great albums devoted to marijuana, sex and — well, that just about covers it. And he only grows more lovable with age, the way shameless rascals often do.” -NYTimes.com
Genre: Rap, Hip Hop
Similar to: Nas, Warren G, Big Moe, Three 6 Mafia
9pm High Noon Saloon 608.268.1122 $15 adv $17 dos – 18+
“The sextet take glitchy electronics, nerdy psychedelic rock and various forms of hip-hop to create a completely over-the-top concept album–and it works perfectly.” -Alternative Press
Genre: Hip Hop, Experimental, Indie
Similar to: Busdriver, Why?, Anticon, Aesop Rock
with special guests ZACH HILL & PEER PRESSURE performing NECROMANCER!
9pm High Noon Saloon 608.268.1122 $10 adv $12 dos — 18+
