Snake on the Lake Fest - 2:30

It's about 30 minutes before the German Art Students and it's already getting too hot for comfort. The terrace isn't exactly packed for a Saturday afternoon, but it's getting there. Let's hope the students can split their time between the game and some music.

Of course, I know that probably won't happen.

Although, I am looking forward to hearing a few of the local bands, such as German Art Students (who were booked easily as Randy Balwahn, our fundraising director, is one of the members). I don't know much about local groups, but this should give a few primers to me and the other uninitiated viewers. Everyone is pretty lax out here now, but I anticipate that changing rather soon.

More updates throughout the day, pictures at the very end.

And such a long hiatus, a return!

But I'm back. It's been a hectic last two weeks putting together the Reg Issue of the Badger Herald, but it's out, and it's accompanying second edition, full of Badger's victory over Washington State, will be out on Tuesday. We go back to work on that same day, putting out our first regular issue on Wednesday.

However, some things to talk about before then, seeing I've been practically invisible since the Herald started...

-MU Bash is tonight, and it's about an hour before they start. I'll probably post a little round up of their performance, along with what the feeling was of MU Bash in general. I'm looking at the line-up now of activities now, but it seems quite sparse. Perhaps that will change once the Freshmen pack the hallways, but it does seem like there is a lot less to do here than in previous years...

-On a separate note, we had Trombone Shorty, a New Orleans based funk/jazz artist at the terrace last
night, and it was far better than expected. WUD sort of booked it on a whim, and there was talk of trying to get Band of Horses here instead, as they were available, but I doubt they would have energized the crowd more than Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews did. Although there were a few times I gave my usual musical snob snort -- such as when he played Lenny Kravitz tunes, "Runnin" and his cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman" -- I must admit, the crowd was on par with our Hip-Hop menagerie earlier in the summer. In the end, the crowd was feeling funky and they got down. In a show of how well he knew the crowd, he even inserted a little "Jump Around" to satisfy the sea of red that came over to enjoy a brisk summer night.

He was supposed to play two sets, one hour each. Instead, he played for about 2 and a half hours straight. "I don't think we've ever played a crowd this big, or with this much energy. It just makes me wanna keep going!" And they did. I actually heard the masses in front of the stage yell "encore" at the top of their lungs, the second they started to step off the stage. Now, THAT is impressive.

-Just saw ASM at a table where they gave me a little light-hearted jabbing over the Ed Board opinion on segregated fees. It looks like this will be an interesting year for campus politics, but I'm optimistic. Hopefully we'll be able to work together instead of against each other. After all, we're both, as Art Brut would say, "just talking to the kids," right? Maybe I should stop using kids though. I've been told I use that term a lot. That arrogant Smathers!

- So, another point of contention is this weekend's two competing festivals - SoCo festival with the Flaming Lips (21 and up, only) and WSUM's inaugural Snake on the Lake Fest with the 1900's and the Pony's. I'm torn, but having seen the Lips at Lollapalooza and taking part in their orgasmic visual spectacle, I think I'll catch WSUM's festival, especially since I probably owe a radio station that's given me the opportunity to do a show with all British music. Which leads me to....

-New Radio Show! Although we couldn't continue Muckrakers because of scheduling conflicts, I will have a new show this semester. With my friend musical encyclopedia, John Vanek, we'll be spinning through a different genre of music every week, Thursday's at 3pm at WSUM 91.7 fm. We're starting out with a salute to old Western music, then going through a spin of the origins of Rock N' Roll (circa 1953) the week after that. From there...British Invasion, 60's Psychedelia and forward. If you have any genre suggestions, send me an email at jsmathers@wisc.edu and I'll get on it.

Other than that, we have a busy week ahead of us at the Herald, but would enjoy it if the community voice could contribute with letters to the editor, guest editorials, etc. If you've got a desire to sound off on a local issue, speak on behalf of a community org, or just have a beef with us, send it along. We'll print it.

Send pieces, inquiries, etc to either jsmathers@badgerherald.com or agranias@badgerherald.com and we'll get on the case.

And I promise, I'll try and update much more often.

Saturday at High Noon: Redwalls, Robbers on High Street, Baby Teeth

The end of a tour is always a happy occasion, regardless of the outcome. If it's been a successful tour, a band can use it to fuel a jaunt into the studio. If it's been a horrible tour, at least they have more time to sleep. Yet, for the audience, a good tour means an even more stellar finale.

Baby Teeth, Robbers on High Street and The Redwalls ended their east coast tour in Madison, much to the audience's confusion. Not only did Madison seem a geographically incorrect ending for an east coast tour, but High Noon Saloon seemed a bit underwhelming for a band that has twice played Lollapalooza and opened for Oasis. Of course, ever since the Redwalls were dropped from Capitol records following their merger with Virgin, low-profile gigs have become a bit more common.

Baby Teeth started off the show with a sampling of new and old, switching between 70's style AOR-pop and dance-rock influences. With lead singer Abraham Levitan
(or Pearly Sweets, as he used to call himself) pivoting to the sound of his own prog-rock piano. The 70's pop inclination prevails with flourishes of three part harmonies, but is ripped out of convention with switching styles, mid-song tempo changes and tendencies to spin-off into prog-rock meditations. Songs off the latest album, "The Simp" were most represented here, with the danceable, but still over-the-top, "Swim Team" getting the best reception. "Diaghalev was Right" was another unusually bright spot in the show, with it's bastardized rockabilly refrain working well with against the obscure reference. The band did what is hardest for an opening band to do: get people to dance on an empty floor. The music was silly enough at times to warrant inching into the spotlight.

It's hard to pin down the band's musical style when they jumped around so much. Afterwards, I talked to Levitan about their approach. He said they started out trying to do a modern rendition of 70's era Hall and Oates, but tried a bit more of an experimental approach on their last album, where each band member wrote a song with the same title "Heather" and came together without anyone else in the band knowing what the other was crafting. The current album is an mixture of both those approaches. Levitan said he was a bit sleep deprived from the tour, but was planning on delaying rest a little further until Sunday night, as he planned on attending the last day of Pitchfork.

Robbers on High Street took the stage, attempting to follow up the diverse Baby Teeth but instead serve the purpose of tiding over the audience with Redwalls-lite. They were certainly not as pop-blues as Redwalls, channeling something closer to 60's era pop on songs like "Crown Victoria". However, songs like "The Fatalist" broke out of the 60's spin and moved with far more staccato guitar chops as to make it a candidate for an indie song best suited on a Spoon album. The instrumentation certainly should be nuanced to catch in the midst of a small crowd, as became obvious during a jam session when Jarvis Cocker lookalike Morgan King took out his trumpet only to fumble the first few notes.

Most of the audience wasn't concerned with Robbers on High Street. A young couple spent the entire show dancing in front of the band with drinks in hand and swinging them around to give everyone a taste. The spectacle of drunken dancing/groping forced upon a cringing audience was enough to distract from the show onstage.

The best was yet to come, however. Once the Baren brothers made their way to the stage, patrons filled the front of the stage with adoring looks. Justin Baren gave the audience similar smiles and winks, placing his bass as close to one starstruck fan girl's face as possible. His dapper three-piece suit was saturated with cologne intoxicating enough to draw in the most uninterested of spectators.

Enough about Justin's pheromones, though. The set mixed enough of the old favorites such as "Thank You" and "Build a Bridge" with new material off their upcoming LP to be released in October.


The new material sounds tighter and more refined than their previous efforts. "Modern Diet" acknowledges their British Invasion roots with a chorus that affirms it: "They say it's all been done before." It may have been, but the Redwalls are locked in such a perfectly layered pop-groove that who could notice?
Some songs definitely sound influenced by New York garage rock but they never subside into minimalist guitar instrumentation. "Put Us Down" has very much the steady guitar and metronome drumming of a Strokes song like "Last Nite," but the vocals are still Beatles-esque enough to keep it on the European end of the Atlantic Ocean rather than the American side.

Despite that slight difference in style, the Redwalls may have started to turn their style into something far less meandering than what they created on Universal Blues or De Nova. "In the Time of Machines" marches on with an instrumental precision unseen by the band, all while the drums and guitar kick into overdrive as Baren proclaims "All they want is you!" Certainly, there is a lot more metaphor and 50s futuristic leanings here as "They Are Among Us" shimmied and shook to what sounded like a soundtrack for a surf rock alien invasion. Yet, it never sounded like a joke, as the camp nature of the song was trumped by the urgency in Baren's vocals and guitar work.

By the time Build a Bridge came along, the audience was theirs. They came out for a three song encore which included a pleasantly surprising cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, followed by Thank You and Deep in the Heart.




to celebrate the end of this tour, Robbers on High Street (except for the lead singer) joined the Redwalls on stage for the encore, playing whatever they could find (as you can see in these pictures). While it may be uncertainty here on out for the Redwalls - given their tentative release of the new LP - tonight, they seamlessly blended their old favorites with new hits in a successful and energetic end to their tour.

Redwalls Setlist:
Hangman
Love Her
Holiday
Back Together
Put Us Down
What a Shame
Edge of the Night
Don't you Wanna Come Out
Game of Love
Song 1#
On My Way
Memories
They Are Among Us
Falling Down
Modern Diet
Build a Bridge
In the Time of Machines
-------------------------
Bizarre Love Triangle
Thank You
Deep in the Heart

Thursday Night Review: Awesome Car Funmaker with Cealed Kasket

In a stunning display of the diversity of audiences the Union Terrace can draw, Cork and Bottle String Band played their brand of Midwest bluegrass while the number of paper crown wearing, enthusiastic metal fans increased. "That's one hell of a mixture, isn't it?" one member said to me. "Bluegrass, then metal."

Except these fans weren't all metal fans. Some were just fans of comedic musical theatre. Not everyone there knew what Cealed Kasket was all about.

Around the set break, members of both bands arrived in a few cars with their backseats packed full of the standard materials for set-up: Guitar, Bass, Drums, fog machines, plastic swords, extra burger king crowns and an extra helping of wigs and makeup. They came looking for me. In a casual, unassuming and friendly manner, they gave me a few hand shakes and took off in search of Shwarma, although they came back with a disappointing substitute of Jimmy John's.

Certainly, band members with such a happy go-lucky nature couldn't be that volatile or insane on stage, could they? The man who shook my hand with a good natured grin couldn't turn into a blood-drinking, devil-worshipping, heavy metal monster in less than two hours, could he?

Sure he could. If he's a good actor. And theatrics was certainly the name of the game.

Awesome Car Funmaker was up first , although they took enough time getting there. The band showed a 7-minute recast of Scooby-Doo with ACF (quite similar to this video) in the role of those "meddling kids" and Cealed Kasket as the oft-uncovered "ghost." It was humorous in as much as it was cheesy and poorly produced (and the band knows it), but it did cause some groans when the bass of the movie's music shook the terrace every now and then.

Groans turned to cheering when finally ACF took the stage.



For those who have Awesome Car Funmaker enough times, the novelty seemed only to delay the main attraction. However, the vast majority went right to the front to partake in the pop-metal leanings of this band of Madison regulars. On studio recording, they sound like any other band of pop-rock purveyors with a sense of humor, such as OK Go. Their live sound is far more electric and comes off with more nods to over-the-top hard rock than a studio recording would suggest.
Their onstage personality comes close to that of the Hives - the band constantly trumpets their own name as if they were from the great nation of Awesome Car Funmaker, rather than just a band. Guitarist and Bassist leap between the stage with the agility and grace of ballet dancers during the start to their set. Needless to say, they have more energy to wear out a hyperactive child in minutes.

In this lovely picture, lead singer Ryan Corcoran explains to the audience, "In metal, this means "I love you." During over moments of crowd participation, ACF went into the audience with every mobile instrument possible during solos.

Even Brendan McCarty got into the act, as he makes his way through adoring fans while playing his miniature keyboard.

After an extra-suspenseful version of "Dirty" (made even more exciting by Bassist Justin Taylor getting his duct tape-covered nipples pinched several times and Corcoran seemingly humping the amp to coax enough feedback out of it) McCarty took front stage as ACF launched into a spirited and over-the-top cover of "Enter Sandman." The band ended their set by collapsing to the ground in a pile.
An opener with that much energy needs an appropriate act to fit the bill, and who more inappropriate than Cealed Kasket?



There is only so much that can be explained in mortal words to describe this behemoth from "Bristol,England", so I invite you to explore for yourself at their myspace, which should get you caught up on who's mortal, who's a wizard and why you should "Drink and Drive."

They started their set by assailing the audience, as they usually do, and launched into "Break the Rules."

That they did, by being the best comedy act the Terrace has seen since they last came here, a year ago. With songs like "Sex Stained Lady," "Death Train" (with the wonderful chorus "the wheels on the train go, round and round, all the live long day)and "Sarsicus" - the tribute to their blistering wizard/guitarist of the same stage name - even a couple about the age of 45 were standing back laughing. Although the wife looked somewhat appalled, the husband went back into the fray, grey three-piece suit and all.

As this picture can attest, I've never seen so much crowd-surfing at the Terrace. This kid nearly hit his head on the stage lights. He certainly tried hanging from them enough times.

The high-point of the show came during "Backstage Slutting," where every female in a 40-foot radius made their way up on to the stage. This may have been the biggest onstage grind Madison has seen since Girl Talk came to town. However, whereas that one was inspired by beats hot enough to bring out the lustful side of a nun, this movement was inspired by pure drunken revelry. The beginning started with the men shouting "Penis" and the women shouting "vagina." It then turned into some really effective crowd participation. Here is some short, blurry, but entertaining video:



They then ended the song by shouting, "What are you doing? Get these ugly sluts off the fucking stage!"

The abuse is all part of the show, of course. Gold team won, whatever that means, after a point accumulation that included this stipulation: "How many members of the Gold team...are fucking members of the brown team?" A large hurrah went up from much of the crowd. Not that many responded when the brown team was commanded to throw panties on the stage. (although I did see a bra hanging from the lighting.)

My favorite part of the night had to be the song, "Chivalry and Honor" which started out in that seemingly normal refrain, but then sped into a decadent and silly chant of "Sex sex sex sex sex sex!" It then spun into an interlude that included brief metal covers of "Get Low" and "I Believe I Can Fly" with the substitution of the typical metal snarl: "I believe I can fly, I believe I can FUCK the sky!" An epic metal comedy if I've ever heard one.

The set ended after multiple false endings that got similar laughs, a "galloping" rendition of horse, that seemed to be accompanied by coconut shells of death and a final assault on the audience: "Fuck you! Buy Our Shit! Fuck You! Go to Hell!" With that, the band termed a "low-budget GWAR" left the stage, shouting curses at their fans and fans responding likewise.

Although WUD is often criticized for bringing back the same acts time and time again, you can't really argue with this move. AFC and Cealed Kasket are a sure bet for a beer-drinking crowd that needs some serious incentive to get on it's feet. Therefore, while we may have changes in our Union Terrace from year to year, save a seat and a few hundred plastic swords for ACF and Cealed Kasket, as this musical card has been knighted - as a new Madison tradition.

Dad would be proud.

The audience of around 500 people obviously didn't know what to expect. They awkwardly shifted in the theatre seats to the infectious beat pumping from the African Conga drums and Funk-filled bass riffs. The brass section flourished with jazz embellishments and solos, stretching the opening song into a 15-minute blur, with Showboy inserting his lyrics: attacks on Nigerian soldiers political use. No one really knew if they should sit or stand.

After a few minutes, four spectators in front of me jumped out of their chair and started dancing. Everyone gasped and gave looks at first, as if this outburst of youthful exuberance was a faux pas for this usually reserved Union Theatre crowd. They didn't sit down. Others jumped up. Loosened up and felt the beat. Eventually, the throbbing funk fusion rhythm proved too hard to resist. From the allure of the female dancers, to the full-force punch of the horns section to the two human metronomes that flanked the stage, it was designed for a continuous groove. The crowd started down the ramps and crowding the front of the stage.

Limbs were flailing, the crowd was swaying and Egypt 80 spun a web of sound bigger than the theatre that held it.

All this, without the main attraction.

It was understandable that Seun Kuti would take his time getting to the stage. After nearly being confined to his native Nigeria due to passport issues and political unrest caused by an oil strike, Seun arrived in Madison, by way of Montreal, by way of Paris. Seun got no sleep during the 3-day journey to Madison. Therefore, it was necessary to save up every bit of energy for the Afrobeat heir's first-ever US concert.

Sleep deprived or not, Seun was - to say the least - explosive.

Sauntering onto the stage with his tenor sax and fitting 70's style attire, Seun shouted a "Yah Yah!" to his audience, something that would take some practice before being returned. From there, Kuti performed one of his father's songs with as much power and showmanship as Fela. As soon as Seun puts down his Sax, he shakes and twists about the stage with a dancing style reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger. He knows how to work the crowd and isn't afraid to strut.

What's more is the passion with which he performs. Every syllable of his lyrics are pounded into the senses as he shakes, twists and bends backwards with his mic gripped tightly. His internal struggle is visible as he runs about the stage with such urgency, but always moving to the beat. Clearly, he doesn't just sing the plight of Africa, he lives it. He wants you to, as well.

"After the Kososvo War, they gave them 600 dollars for each person in aid," Seun mused to the audience. "In Africa, in Darfur, we can't even get 10 dollars a person."

He then raises a middle finger. "That is for the G8 leaders."

It wouldn't be Afrobeat without the blunt infusion of a distinct political message. With songs such as "Think Africa", "Many Things", and "Na Oil," the thunderous African groove is fueled as much by the message as the 20 person band.

That message was one of awareness and need for reform. Starvation, Malaria and AIDS were all topics for awareness during song intros. During one introduction, Seun decried a bridge constructed in Nigeria as a sign of progress. "The bridge is only a connection of servants to their masters."

Yet, Seun understands why Africa isn't able to stop the vicious cycle. "Africans don't have room in their lives to think about all these problems. They only think about how to survive." As he insisted with his song, perhaps his music will force others to "Think Africa."

This blitz of high energy big-band African funk and impassioned political pleas awed the crowd. It fueled the dancing frenzy for nearly two straight hours. Audience participation was in such abundance throughout that Seun invited four Madison women onstage to compare dance skills with Seun's sister, Moturayo. Despite their best attempts to match her skill, it must be said bluntly: She knows how to shake it. Even Shakira should take notes.

As for Seun, his brand of Afrobeat activism was a landmark event for Madison. There were only 500 people to see Seun's American debut. Tomorrow, Chicago shares the pleasure of his company with 15,000 people at Millennium Park. Looking at his schedule, it is obvious - this performance was a rare musical coup for Madison.

He'll be coming out with an album in the next week or so and his myspace offers a few singles, but don't rely on recordings. Youtube might provide a glimpse at his amazing stage performance, but only the real thing will do. If you're in Chicago tomorrow - GO SEE THIS MAN. You owe it yourself to see a 24-year old legend in the making.

Party in the...err...Terrace?

After a meeting with WUD music committee, it looks like WSUM might be closing down shop at James Madison Park and holding their annual music festival at the Terrace. This comes a week after Pepsi decided to pull out of the event because they didn't feel their product was being pushed enough. I'm not sure what they wanted, but that loss of a sponsor may have actually given the event some wings, for once.

The good news about this arrangement - if it happens - is that the headliner for the revamped concert would be MUCH bigger than last year's Drazy Hoops since WSUM wouldn't have to spend an absurd amount of money on operations costs and could devote more funds to talent.

I think it's a fantastic idea. Frankly, I love anything that involves the terrace and it would certainly give WSUM some solid publicity and draw in the Freshmen like no other location would. It also would be nice to have a decent headliner. Let us not forget, PITP once hosted the likes of Andrew WK, Trail of Dead and the White Stripes (although I have a bone to pick with their new album. More on that later.)

The tentative date is Sept. 8th. Anyone know some good bands coming through the Milwaukee/Chicago area during that time?

If you're up for some music tonight...

Why not jet down to the Union Theatre? Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 are coming from Nigeria to wallop Madison with a torrent of political afrobeat. It should be a good show. Reviews to follow afterwards.

And while we're on the subject of Afrobeat, I just noticed that another one of Fela's sons, Femi Kuti, will be performing opposite LCD Soundsystem at Lollapalooza. That might be one of the harder decisions of the festival, for me. More on that when we come to it.