Noah Gundersen unplugged his guitar from his amp and then his sister, Abby, followed suit with her violin as everyone in the crowd quieted each other with scattered “shh”s. In the next moment, Gundersen’s unsettling and earnest voice broke the silence …

When asked to describe Cloud Cult, I always seem to be at a loss for words, because I feel words are not enough to truly capture the essence of their art. With their (figurative and literal) roots buried …

This past weekend I saw a play on campus called “Jungle Kings” written and directed by Rain Wilson and staring ten extremely talented Badgers. While the story takes place in a prison, the characters are anything but predictable …

Paper Diamond’s first album, Levitate, produced under the Pretty Lights Record Label includes songs with unique beats  that flow well together, without any of the louder and obnoxious trappings largely associated with trap music. Since the release of …

Broken Bells, made up of producer-extraordinaire Danger Mouse and Shins songwriter/leading man James Mercer, return with a new album After the Disco, which improves on the sound of their 2010 self-titled collaboration. The album makes better use of …

Mr. Jackson (Ethan Jackson) a Madison eastsider, is doing some super funky stuff, creating hypnotic and smooth R&B, his latest video clip for “The Golden Treatment” drizzles in sweetness. A fellow Madison eastsider, Michael Doyle Olson, directed the …

The Majestic brought some feel-good reggae vibes to warm up Madison, with an excellent show by Iration, The Movement, Natural Vibrations, and Micah Brown! DJ Trichrome, a local reggae master, was on the 1’s and 2’s spinning rootsy …

As a connoisseur of catchy pop songs, I have been enamored with Real Estate since the first time I heard a needle drop on the single “It’s Real”. The song has been getting heavy play on all my …

Imagine, you’re sitting in the warm climates of Isla Vista, southern California, a stone’s throw away from UC-Santa Barbara. Friends are grilling out and the speakers are bumping a feel-good, reggae rock playlist. Nice thought, eh? This is …

Hannibal Buress is back on tour, with Madison, Wisconsin as his first destination. With two full-length albums, Buress is a veteran to the comedy scene, also known for writing for NBC’s Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. After a successful …

“It’s not so bad bein’ trendy/ Everyone who looks like me is my friend.” – Trendy Being trendy might not be so bad, but Reel Big Fish (RBF) hasn’t been trendy since the late 90’s. Of course, singer/bandleader …

On Thursday February 13th, the electronic duo Big Gigantic invaded the Orpheum with their sax and bass heavy music. Teknicolor opened the show, but it was Manic Focus that really got the night going. Manic Focus came out …