Summer is taking a long time to get to Madison, and without summer in the mad city there is no open terrace on which to watch great local bands perform their stuff. The feeling of getting down to a solid beat under the moon while the lake and the hundreds of terrace-goers peek in on your universe is nothing short of serendipity.
No slouch itself, the Rathskellar has picked up the winter torch and continues to build on the reputation of great music offered at the Union. Replacing the open air with mood lighting and a bar within arm’s reach, the Rat offers the intimacy of a small venue while at the same time being in a very large, spacious, and alcohol-serving building.
Keeping in line with its ability to get some great acts to perform on its stage, the Rat will be welcoming Wisconsin band The Westfall and its funked-out acid jazz. Saturday evening, prepare to get your boogie shoes on.
With its roots in Milwaukee, one of the greatest cities for local bands, The Westfall has had a following since back in 1996. This four-piece band is known to get an audience member or two dancing like James Brown on an interstate car pursuit and has a funky experimental vibe to its music.
Coming across as part Modeski, Martin, and Wood and part ’70s cop show, the group’s sound easily appeases anyone with an interest in groovin’ jazz.
The song “Dixie Peach” brings back huge waves of MMW nostalgia with Kris Crow and his excellent keyboard accompaniment. Mix in some tenor saxophone that blasts more emotion in a three-second sound byte than 12,000 Justin Timberlake albums and a bass line that has plenty of soul to spare — you have yourself a nasty jam to shake your booty to.
Cheap comparisons aside, “Squirrel Magoo” keeps that saxophone blasting the strongest of impressions upon the audience while the keyboards and drum sets saturate the senses in an auditory hallucination. Reminding yourself that this is just a piece of music, you still can’t help but physically get up from your seat and start dancing like crazy (my feet at the moment are just about ready to do so).
The jams are kept at a longer length, so those with three-minute attention spans, please turn the page. Largely due to its ability to seemingly experiment with the music as it flows, The Westfall comes through with music that largely pays off and, in the worst case, has you wanting to hear the separate musicians go off on their tangents just to see who could keep up.
Saturday night, when the lights go down in the Rat and these talented musicians take the stage, remind yourself that to dance at this show is a must. Get out of that seat, put down the beer and head on to that dance floor to enjoy those moments while basking under a violet and orange glow.
The Westfall takes the stage Saturday at 9:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Rathskellar. Admission is free.
