H -°, L 55° | Tomorrow: 
H 85°, L 67°Many have seen the people ambling down streets with their hands in the air and glow sticks on their necks. Those witnesses have seen dubstep. During the past several months, Madison has seen big-hitting bass purveyors like Rusko and Bassnectar paint the town neon. Tonight, we have another contender for… Read more »
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Recently by Sam Berg
12th Planet to take stage at Majestic tonight
Group ‘Redefines’ vocal performance
In a world full of auto-tune and reverb, it is harder than ever to come by music in its least adulterated form. Yet concertgoers will have a chance to hear contemporary music without all the squeaky-clean production at the University of Wisconsin’s coed a cappella group Redefined’s spring show this Friday.… Read more »
Don’t peek into this ‘Keyhole’
“Keyhole” opens with a bullet-ridden credit sequence that suggests an intense story, but it never quite shows. The experimental film noir is Canadian director Guy Maddin’s first story in five years, but most audience members will struggle to find any clear narrative structure throughout the movie’s 93 minutes. While the film… Read more »
Savage penetrates television market
Podcast host and syndicated columnist Dan Savage recently added a new piece to his advice media empire with the premiere of his MTV series “Savage U.” The show follows Savage and his trusty producer Lauren Hutchinson as they travel across the United States answering college students’ romance questions. During a… Read more »
Bombastic Minaj reloads with ‘Roman Reloaded’
Nicki Minaj is back and as unhinged as ever in her latest release, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. While Reloaded contains its fair share of missteps into R&B vocalism, the album’s diverse beats and provocative lyrics deliver a product well worth a listen. The album’s namesake, Roman Zolanski, appears frequently on… Read more »
Local DJ looks to find his groove
Many students have seen Patrick Awesome around town flicking controls and blending beats in dark basements and sweaty frat houses. Some assume that all DJs succeed merely by buying a Macbook Pro and a flat-brimmed hat. But Patrick Mayer’s road to local DJ fame was a long one achieved through… Read more »
Preview: Tales From Planet Earth Film Festival
Students in want of a cheap date or some interesting talking points need look no further than this week’s Tales From Planet Earth Film Festival. Madison’s only annual environmental film festival has been growing rapidly since its inception in 2007, thanks in part to the popularity of its free movie… Read more »
GWAR descends on King tonight
Perhaps the best showmen on the planet will come pillaging through Madison tonight at the Majestic. In a performance sure to include spraying audience members with gallons of fake blood and costumes as epic as any Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers super villain, GWAR plans to bring unholy thrash to King… Read more »
Young author gives ‘Boomerang Generation’ voice
Leigh Stein published her debut novel this year, proving herself as a strong writer with a sharp awareness of contemporary youth culture. “The Fallback Plan” offers a realistic depiction of a girl forced to move back in with her parents and get a job babysitting in her first year out… Read more »
“Ma Rainey” brings big issues to small stage
Although she was one of the first blues singers to ever make recordings and was dubbed by some as “The Mother of the Blues,” to many, Ma Rainey is an obscure name. Except of course for those who have seen University Theatre’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” a play which showcases… Read more »
Small presence, big bass: Rusko plays Orpheum
This weekend, Leeds dub-stepper Rusko (Christopher Mercer) wobbled his way through a two-hour set at the Orpheum Theater. Although his music lacked diversity, Rusko proved he knows how to keep a crowd invested for an entire show of rib-shaking bass. Plenty of people showed up in their rave gear, some… Read more »
Sweat, samba and smiles at Carnaval
Carnaval came to Madison this weekend for a two-night party at the Majestic Theatre. The venue welcomed celebrants of the 2000-year-old festival that has achieved world recognition for its mind-blowing spectacle. Although the theater could not hope to contain the towering floats that parade through the streets of Rio every… Read more »
Words, wine at monthly event
While walking down West Johnson Street on a Thursday evening, you’d expect to find a couple early revelers, some buses and maybe a few pregame parties. But every month, something special takes place there, and people are starting to pay attention. An innocuous loft resides on the corner of Bassett… Read more »
‘The Grey’: Tense, empty, passable arctic thrill ride
Wolves are back, but it’s not another “Twilight” sequel. This winter, there is “The Grey,” an existential man-versus-beast flick with more violence than sense and more fun than substance. “The Grey” is rated R, presumably to keep out immature viewers. But its pudgy, cartoonish wolf monsters would barely convince a… Read more »
Blue Man Group enthralls, entertains Madison audience
Since beginning its act 20 years ago, Blue Man Group’s distinctive performance has become a global entertainment giant. The cast of blue men has grown from the three founders to an army of nearly 90 painted performers. Despite its globally franchised success, Blue Man Group made last week’s performances at… Read more »
Unseasoned musicians produce unconventional appeal
The High Noon Saloon hosted Jansport’s Unzipped Battle of the Bands Wednesday. The five competing bands reminded audience members of an unsigned indie scene that refuses to make “Indie” music. As such, the hipster population of Madison was refreshingly underrepresented at the show. The event brought together four local bands… Read more »
Girl in a Coma to liven High Noon
Girl in a Coma is part of a rare breed of music these days: the female punk band. With heavy bass lines and the deep vocal stylings of bassist/back-up vocalist Jenn Alva, the trio achieves a unique sound at once identifiable as punk, but distinctly original. The group is on… Read more »
Forward’s ‘Invention’ takes off
In Forward Theater Company’s production of “The Farnsworth Invention,” the audience meets Philo Farnsworth (Nicholas Harazin), a boy genius from Indian Creek, Utah, and follows him as he attempts to invent the electronic television. The play was written by Aaron Sorkin, and right off the bat its similarities to Sorkin’s screenplay… Read more »
Saget to bring ugly humor to ‘beautiful’ Orpheum theater
Whether you know him as the single dad from one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, “Full House,” or as a comedian famous for his raunchy style, Bob Saget has become an indelible part of American pop culture. The Badger Herald got a chance to talk to the… Read more »
Kreayshawn, Neon Indian have skills to upstage Freakfest with Union South performance
That’s right, folks: In an inspired programming move, WUD Music Committee booked both Neon Indian and Kreayshawn to perform tonight for free at The Sett in Union South. Despite a Freakfest lineup that merely demonstrates just how out of touch its organizers are with modern music, Madisonites can look forward… Read more »
Justice back with top-notch ‘Audio’
Since its debut Cross hit clubs and mixes across the planet in 2007, Justice has slowly been losing its previously constant place on college party playlists. The French electro duo’s infectious single “D.A.N.C.E.” had listeners humming for days after its first release. But will its second LP, Audio, Video, Disco,… Read more »
Grizzly Bear bandmember Chris Taylor bares all in interview
While most people have never heard the name Chris Taylor before now, Grizzly Bear definitely rings some bells in indie kids’ ears all over the country. Taylor gained prominence as bassist, back-up vocalist and producer of the hipster flagship’s last two records. Last month he released his debut solo album,… Read more »
Bjork employs modern techniques toward inorganic sound
4 out of 5 stars For an album named after a theory that claims humans have an instinctive bond to other organisms, Biophilia is surprisingly tied to modern technology. Rather than focusing on organic means of musical construction, Bjork’s eighth album was recorded partly with the use of an iPad… Read more »
Dennen show rides on ‘Loverboy’ acclaim
It’s easy to forget Brett Dennen has been making music for more than a decade when listening to him speak. His soft-spoken rasp calls to mind a recently retired altar boy more than a 31-year-old folk musician who’s put out four studio albums. The Badger Herald caught up to him… Read more »
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