I went into the Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers concert at
the Majestic Theater in Madison last Friday night (Oct. 1) unsure of what their
genre even was; I came out even more confused. They came on to a Lady Gaga song
blaring, of all things, had a few bluegrass romps for the roots enthusiasts,
rocked it out in a unique way that only the SK6ers can, and threw a Run DMC
cover in at the end (not to mention they had a fully crowd-satisfying three-song
encore, an indulgence we concert-goers wish more well-known bands would apply
to their performances).

The set list was one of the best I have seen, as far as the
diversity, blend and flow of the songs, and showmanship. One high-energy number
(though none were lacking there) used every obscure instrument the band had
brought with them to Madison, the climax of which included the use of a
“keytar”–a musical object that looks like it is comprised of the head and neck
of a guitar, with the a keyboard for the body.

Their style wasn’t bad either, with the Sixers in black
vests and ties with sneakers, and Kellogg in simple yet more overstated dress,
backed by drawings of whimsical woodland creatures on their
instruments–indicative of their mix of indie-rock with a more down-home sound.
The band includes Kit “The Goose” Karlson (not to be confused with Kit Carson,
American frontiersman) on keyboard, bass guitar, accordion, tuba and backup
vocals, Brian “Boots” Factor playing drums, mandolin, banjo and backup vocals,
and Sam “Steamer” Getts on electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass and
backing vocals. Unfortunately, the Majestic show did not reveal the origins of
these nicknames, and I’m not a big enough SK6ers fan to know these secrets just
yet. The band was opened by Sara Watkins from Nickel Creek and a band for slightly
older audiences, Roy Jay. Each of these opening performances progressed in
their own way to the talents of Stephen Kellogg’s raw, sensual rocker’s vocals
and his three-piece band.

One of the most riotous, gasp inspiring moments of the show
did not come from anything that Stephen Kellogg or any of the Sixers did
musically. It was at one soft, slow point in one of their numbers. Kellogg made
a comment about how they needed a couple to come onstage to give them some
inspiration to play the song. It seemed a little cheesy, and then I became
incredulous of what was going on because they had a couple already onstage
within a few seconds. But all confusion was put to rest as soon as I saw what
the man had in his hand; it was small and black, and had something very sparkly
inside–it was a diamond ring, visible to me all the way up in the Majestic’s
historic balcony seating. In front of her family and the entire crowd at the
SK6ers concert, of course, she did say yes.