Over the past week, I've been to a couple music events in Madison that were pretty fun. I love living in a town where all the great venues, bars, and other attractions are all in one small area. A town large enough to foster, nurture, and bring in some amazing talent. Yet, small enough that I can get anywhere in 30 minutes at most. ^_^ Especially when it's January and the weather is horrible.
Dustin Zahn @ High Noon // Jan 15th
Last weekend, we caught word of some amazing music at the High Noon and stopped there for the evening. The air was filled with an amazing energy of raw techno, house and a little electro. Dustin Zahn kept the crowd moving all night long. It was one of the best nights I've had in Madison.
Rez!
Dustin Zahn hails from Minneapolis, which explains a lot. The whole night gave off the vibe of a mid-90s rave. The kind that were prevalent in niche corners of the USA, and especially in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis rave scene gave birth to the amazing talent and fans that surge in Minneapolis today. Last weekend was a glimpse into that pure energy.
Holy F*ck @ Majestic // Jan 22nd
This weekend, Madison played host to Toronto's "must-see live act" Holy Fuck. Apparently, these guys have "redefined" what it means to give a live performance by using their raw common-sense genius to build up new songs and sounds that make every one of their shows unique.
Unfortunately... they conducted a DJ set.
They played some pretty awesome songs. And after hearing what I recorded, some of the other songs sound pretty good too. But, they came at the tail end of a horrible performance by a DJ duo known as the Fun Cartel.
The Fun Cartel are two guys with opposing musical tastes and skill. The skinny afro guy was pretty cool. But his sidekick would throw in tracks that completely ruined the vibe. In addition, they failed almost each one of their transitions. In the end, their set felt like a 3 year old's finger painting. "Let's just throw in all of our favorite songs. Orange mixes with Blue, right?!" Ugh..
Also, our dinner plans for the evening didn't go so hot either.
Erebus @ The Annex // Jan 23rd
Erebus is not in my realm of music. They are Metal. And while their music is definitely different than mine, metal fans could not love their music more. Metal fans are born to rock, congregate, and mosh together. Erebus does an amazing job of channeling that passion, energy and fandom into something that anyone with a strong passion for music can love.
Examples:
Even though there were probably 30 people or less in attendance, Erebus performed with such enthusiasm and attention that everything they did on stage was clearly meant for us. We were the reason they were on stage. The songs they chose, the monologues spoken.. it was all for us. And the true fans reciprocated by doing what Metal fans do: Hopping off the stage, slamming into each other, head bangin', and truly rockin' out.
I've seen them a couple times before, but this was truly their best night, in my opinion. Though, I might be semi-biased. Erebus' lead members are Dave and Gage. Gage is one of my good friends in Madison. We met at Widen back when we were both interns. I first saw them perform live almost exactly 3 years ago, when they first performed live themselves (here).
Anyways, Madison is pretty amazing. Great music at a small scale. Daedelus is coming to town in 3 weeks! King Cannibal in 2.