Dane of My Existence

Here's a heads-up on an experimental jazz show happening tonight (a good warm-up to the Madison Music Collective show this Saturday with JoAnne Pow!ers, Tim Daisy, Hans Sturm and Jane Reynolds): the Resistance Blue Duo plays at 8 p.m. at the Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson St. With Jeremy Starpoli on trombone and Ben Karetnick on percussion, the duo plays free-form music that blends jazz, experimental and hip-hop and sometimes covers the work of Sun Ra and MF Doom. Both musicians hail from the northeast but Karetnick now lives in Madison. Last fall, they released a self-titled album of all original music. You can hear some of the songs at their Myspace page (linked above) or order the record ... READ MORE

You've probably seen JoAnne Pow!ers performing her self-described "frenetic saxophone abuse" on State St. at night. She usually plays solo in front of what's now Ben & Jerry's. Pow!ers moved to Madison from her hometown Racine after high school, and has been here 17 years. I've heard her solo playing many a night walking up and down State St., but I can find no better way to explain what it sounds like than this, her own description: "a tone that has been known to alternately peel the paint off of walls and lull angry babies to sleep." She takes inspiration from late-period John... READ MORE

Tickets go on sale today (Monday, August 18) for Josh Harty's CD release party at Cafe Montmartre on September 5. Why, you ask, should I bother buying tickets this early for a show that's more than two weeks away? Well, there's free beer involved. That's right: Furthermore Beer of Spring Green is providing free brewskis in a pre-party for anyone who buys their tickets in advance online. Tickets cost $7 ($8.17 including the service fee). Originally from North Dakota and now a Madisonian, Josh Harty writes and plays rolling country-blues music. You can check out his music ... READ MORE