Well, I finally got out to see some live music last night! It had been way too long! I went to the Bristled Boar in Middleton WI to see and dance to the Shake Daddys with my new friend, Lynn. Lynn loves live music and dancing and I love her for it! “Gotta Get It Worked On” is a Delbert McClinton song which is one of the Shake Daddys’ favorites. I kinda dig it too.
I just returned from Buffalo NY where I watched my beloved Buffalo Bills beat the mighty Green Bay Packers! One takeaway: Who knew there were that many Packer fans from Canada?! They were there in droves! Anyway, before I left, I found time to catch The Revivalists show at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison WI. The Revivalists are from New Orleans and friends who live there told me they were not to be missed. Boy, were they right – these guys are great! And it’s only fitting that I feature a set from this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Enjoy!
Los Straightjackets played with Nick Lowe and his Quality Holiday Revue at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison WI last week. Los Straightjackets are a masked, instrumental surf rock band. But as you’ll see from this video, what they don’t have in vocals they make up for with strippers – the beautiful Pontani sisters! Eat your heart out, Dick Dale!
Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Revue played the Barrymore Theatre in Madison WI last night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all happiness as Nick’s good friend Ian McLagan (Small Faces) who was supposed to be on this Tour, passed away suddenly. Nick Lowe is backed up by masked surf rock band, Los Straightjackets. Who knew they were this good at Christmas music?! I was going to post Nick Lowe’s original Christmas song, “Christmas At The Airport” but I found this tribute he and Los Straightjackets did to Ian McLagan just yesterday.
Madison WI’s own Steely Dane – named after Dane County where we live – played last Thursday at the High Noon Saloon in Madison WI. Steely Dane is a collaboration of 16 – sometimes more – Madison area musicians who re-create the music of Steely Dan. Steely Dane shows need to be seen since they’re rare – the members all have other projects and it’s tough to coordinate schedules. Plus, musically they’re fantastic and they have so much fun playing both the Steely Dan classics and deep cuts. Here’s a great rendition of “Kid Charlemagne” from one of our outdoor festivals last summer.
Jake Shimabukuro played at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison WI on Monday night. Jake Shimabukuro is the best ukulele player in the world – let’s start with that. If you’ve never seen him, he’s amazing! He might be best known for his cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” – over 4,000,000 views on YouTube – but he did George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in his encore and I liked it better. Jake is also a great guy! He came out after the show and signed and talked and took pictures with fans until the last one left. Getting to meet and chat with Jake Shimabukuro was a great birthday present!
I’ve been looking for something I could use to feature Mojo Radio on Madison Area Blues & More. This is their official release video for “Bone Shaker.” I’ve seen Mojo Radio play 3 or 4 times and they always put on a high energy show!
Cowboy Winter was the headliner last Thursday at the Musicians For WORT event at the Crystal Corner Bar in Madison WI. Cowboy Winter features my good buddy, Kevin Willmott on lead vocals. I promised Kevin I’d feature Cowboy Winter on Madison Area Blues & More but the only video I could find on YouTube was this promo. If you like it, click here to hear the rest of “Meet Me Halfway There.” Thanks again to Cowboy Winter for supporting WORT!
Yesterday, I featured Modern Mod and mentioned that they seem to channel a little Blondie. Modern Mod even covered Blondie’s classic “Heart of Glass.” But that’s not my favorite Blondie song. So here’s Blondie’s latest take on “Rapture” which I’d have to say is probably my favorite. It’ll give you something to compare to Modern Mod who I hope make it just as big someday!
What’s up?! No, I wasn’t sick – just tied up with a couple of projects. Modern Mod played a Musicians For WORT event last Thursday at the Crystal Corner Bar in Madison WI. These kids are great! Listening to them play, I couldn’t help but feel like they were channeling a little Blondie. Then midway through their set they did a Blondie cover and that cinched it! “Monday Mornings” is Modern Mod’s debut music video from earlier this year. Thanks again to them for supporting WORT!
Madison Area Blues & More 