Mad Toast Live with Marty Finkel, Andrew Belle and Allan Stone; February 9, 2010; Brink Lounge

No matter how many times I see them do it, I’m still impressed every time Mad Toast Live hosts Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner pick up their instruments and play along with their guests. In the first hour they chose only a couple tracks on which to accompany Andrew Belle and Allen Stone, but during the second hour they played on nearly every one of Marty Finkel’s tunes. The second biggest snow storm of the winter kept most of their potential audience at home, resulting in an audience that consisted of Finkel’s family and me. You never would have guessed they were playing for a limited audience, either from the quality of the performance or the volume of the applause following. The folks who download the podcast are going to think the room was full.

As it should be. In a city full of singer-songwriters, Finkel is one of Madison’s under recognized talents. Granted he doesn’t go out of his way to change that perception, playing only a handful of shows a year. The Mad Toast Live experience is different than a regular gig, there’s always as much talking about music as there is playing it. Gaines and Wagoner are always curious to know about their guests’ songwriting habits, their influences, how they got started and whether they have a favorite chord. To the less gregarious this can be a daunting experience, but Finkel handled it all with a smile. I’ve seen him play many shows, solo and with a band, but this may have been even better. Wagoner wondered early in the hour how it was possible that they hadn’t met before, and by the end was wondering when they could do it again. His mandolin was a perfect accompaniment to the songs from the Good Life, Finkel’s “rockabilly” album, while Gaines’ cello lent just the right amount of low end. The graceful “Hallelujah” was absolutely beautiful with the strings, and poppier tunes like “Annabelle Lee” and “Come On, Come On” sounded great in the Brink’s space.

I’d expected Finkel to be the first guest on the show. Instead the order had been switched to allow Belle and Stone to get back on the road as early as possible. The two are on an ambitious college tour and were heading to Michigan after they finished here. I hadn’t heard of either of them before tonight, but that may be because I haven’t been listening. Andrew Belle won an MTV award last year for “Breakout Chicago Artist” and his music has been featured on a number of TV shows- Ghost Whisperer, 90210, The Real World, and Keeping Up With the Kardashians- though granted I’ve never actually seen any of those. But I’m convinced that if I had heard him I would have remembered. His voice hovers somewhere between David Gray and Chris Martin, and it is strikingly gorgeous. From opening song “All the Pretty Lights” to the last “I’ll Be Your Breeze” (the star of all those TV shows), he had me hooked. Though I’ll admit that if he ever gets really famous I’ll probably deny ever liking him.

Where Belle occasionally comes close to the kind of singer songwriter I dislike, the Jack Johnsons and John Mayers, Stone is fully in that camp. His backing vocals on Belle’s songs sounded great, but his own songs were full of the vocal tricks that make me switch radio stations. His Joe Cocker-isms, made him difficult to watch, while making me wish he would just stand still, something the podcast listeners won’t have to worry about. So for the night, I liked two out of three, which as they say, ain’t bad.

Andrew Belle & Allan Stone





Marty Finkel

The Midwest Beat/Eric & the Happy Thoughts/The Motorz; February 6, 2010; Crystal Corner Bar

The last time I saw the Midwest Beat was a disappointing show at the Frequency where they were mostly out of tune and just generally out of sync. Luckily the Hussy saved that show with another killer set of blink and you miss it garage rock. Tonight the Beat didn’t need saving, except maybe from cirrhosis. As the last band on a three band bill that didn’t start till ten, they all seemed a bit under the influence by the time they took the stage, but that didn’t keep them from playing a killer set. Usually the practitioners of less is more, they didn’t seem to want to leave the stage tonight. Bassist Logan Kayne squinted at the clock and declared they were just going to keep playing “since it is only 11:30.” The clock actually said 1:30, and the Crystal may be the only bar in town that actually keeps real time, so it was late. They played the bulk of last year’s stellar release “At the Gates,” in addition to a handful of the 60’s tunes that color their sound. Most importantly they proved that last train wreck of a show is not typical.

I can barely remember the last show the Motorz played. And not because I was drunk (surprisingly), but because it was so long ago. Their leader Kyle Motor is always happier playing in someone else’s band, so for the last year he had shelved his primary project to focus on the August Teens and to play drums with Brown Derby. Tonight’s set was split between their original songs and covers, many of which were so obscure you wouldn’t even know it wasn’t theirs if they weren’t so adamant about giving credit where credit was due. The most surprising of these was Davíd Garza’s “Kinder” from his ’98 release “This Euphoria.” It took me a moment to identify it even though I was singing along from the first verse. The one everyone did know was Cheap Trick’s iconic “Surrender;” perhaps the most obvious influence on their music. One surprise was one of Kyle’s songs from the God Damns, “Juliet” appeared among the usual girls (“Denise,” “Charlene” etc). The fans around me kept wishing for more Motorz and less covers. Even though I agreed, I told them they should be happy they were getting any Motorz, sounding much like the curmudgeonly Kyle.

That last show over a year ago hadn’t really looked like the Motorz I knew and loved. The five piece line-up featured regular drummer Josh Motor on guitar, a new guy on drums, and one of several fill-in bass players taking Dan Motor’s place. Tonight everything was back to normal with the original line-up. I didn’t remember Dan Motor talking much previously, but tonight he provided most of the banter. Even though most of it consisted of insults hurled at a friendly heckler, he was obviously having a very good time, and it was great to see him (and his awesome flame tattoo) back in the band.

The infectious power pop from Indiana’s Eric & the Happy Thoughts was a nice compliment to the local bands that played on either side of them. Their lead singer/guitarist had a magnetic stage presence and a great voice, while the surprisingly tall bass player bounced around happily for the entire set. Perhaps the most impressive aspect was that their Stephen Wright look-alike drummer was seated behind the most minimal drum kit I’ve ever seen. Even though it consisted of only a snare, a bass and two cymbals, you would never guess by listening. They were celebrating the release of an unlikely split cassette with the Midwest Beat, so it seems likely they will be back. Along with the return of the Motorz (who already have another show scheduled!), that is good news for Madison fans of power pop.

The Motorz








Eric & the Happy Thoughts




The Midwest Beat

Nick Oliveri/Droids Attack/Helen Money; February 2, 2010; The Frequency

Nick Oliveri is probably best known for being the guy who got kicked out of Queens of the Stone Age. After seeing his show at the Frequency, the question was no longer why he got kicked out, but why Josh Homme even started another band with him after they were bandmates in Kyuss. Oliveri is easily the most offensive and inappropriate person I have ever seen on a stage. I lost count of his distasteful comments only a few minutes into his set. His extended rant about finding the Facts of Life character with cerebral palsy the most attractive “because she couldn’t get away” was easily the most cringe-inducing “banter” I have ever heard. The fact that he seemed proud of not remembering anything about the last QotSA show he had played in Madison was bewildering and embarrassing.

All of which may have been tolerable if his music had actually been good. It wasn’t. I can’t imagine what thought process led him to the decision that a solo acoustic record was a good way to follow up his tenure as the bass player in a very loud, very electric band. His rapid strum guitar playing was adequate, but a band might have at least disguised the fact that he can’t sing, at all. He completely destroyed a cover of the Ramones’ “Endless Vacation,” despite the fact that they may be the only band that wrote songs with fewer words than his songs. The best part of his set was when he brought his Australian girlfriend up to sing a song. While it was shocking that he has a girlfriend, it was a pleasant surprise that she could actually sing. Her deep, melodious voice was refreshing after his guttural screams. After she finished, an audience member asked, “why are you singing at all Nick?” Good question. Luckily he persuaded her to sing another. As she left the stage, someone else yelled “I’ve Got You Babe.” There was a pause and then everyone laughed when they realized how apt it was.

At this point you have to be wondering why I was even at this show. You know, sometimes it is fun to see a train wreck, which I was pretty sure this was going to be. It may have awful, but it was hilariously awful. As terrible as Oliveri was, the openers were well worth the ticket price. Helen Money is the stage name for Chicago-based cellist Alison Chelsey. Under this name she creates musical soundscapes with her cello using an array of pedals an electric guitarist would covet. It wasn’t necessarily my thing, or something I would listen to at home, but it was absolutely fascinating to watch her create them live. It also marks the first time I have seen a cellist stand up to play.

Perhaps even more impressive was the third band on this all-acoustic bill, local punk metal band Droids Attack. They obviously worked very hard converting their sludgy rock to acoustic instruments, and it was pretty cool. At times Brad Van’s screams would overwhelm his borrowed acoustic guitar which never seemed to be loud enough. The look on his face was priceless when he announced “listen to this,” as he held the guitar in front of the amp producing the slightest hum. “Feedback!” he declared, “I didn’t think it was possible.” Their drummer Tony Brungraber got off easy. Nate Bush looked slightly uncomfortable for most of their set, a wristband pulled up to mid-arm where it hit the edge of the much wider acoustic bass, but it sounded really cool. I applaud them for taking this gig so seriously, where the headliner obviously did not.

Helen Money


Droids Attack





Nick Oliveri

AA Bondy/Willy Mason; February 1, 2010; High Noon Saloon

Much is made of how different Bondy’s current music is from his output with his former band the blues-y rockers Verbena. I knew them in name only and I only became aware of his quiet, sad-eyed debut American Hearts months after all the hipsters were on to it. They were definitely out in full force tonight, and the High Noon was comfortably crowded for a Monday night. “Where are all the people we know?” the one person I knew in the crowd asked me, “this guy must be on their radar, isn’t he?” Truth is, I didn’t know, since I’m the one who’s a sucker for the singer-songwriter types. Just as I had marveled at the Pines show on Friday, sometimes mellow music is amazing, and sometimes it is just sleepy.

Since last time he has tempered his oddly angular face with a mustache and thin soul patch, and his music seemed to have mellowed as well. Bondy’s set was even quieter this time around, but certainly not boring. Everything had slowed; even the relatively upbeat “Vice Rag” had become dirge-y, yet still hypnotic. There isn’t anything remarkable about his voice, yet it has a strange sort of power, pulling you in, tugging at your emotions. He gave his talented band a break to play a couple songs solo. The second of those, standard “My Funny Valentine,” was haunted and the longing nearly palpable. His backing band consisted of only two guys, but both pulled double duty. The drummer occasionally would switch seats to a pedal steel, and the bass player also played keyboards.

Most of the show was stellar but they did lose me occasionally. At times it got a little jammy as they concentrated more on making noise than on making music. I found it a little strange when Bondy, who had seemed a little out of it most of the night, excused himself to go refill his whiskey glass in the green room. Aren’t there people for that? Still, these are minor complaints and I had a smile on my face for his entire set. I was happy to stop at the merch stand on my way out to pick up the new CD and an awesome horse skeleton T-shirt.

Whereas Bondy had many things going for him, his voice, smart songs and engaging melodies, opener Willy Mason has only his voice. It’s a remarkable voice to be sure, a less bass Dave Alvin comes to mind, and I was awed by it when he first opened his mouth. But it wasn’t long before I realized that he wasn’t actually saying anything. In fact I was pretty sure he was making songs up on the spot, “Choppin’ Broccoli” I like to call that. Of course the reality is that couldn’t be true since a few fans were calling for them by name. His set was short enough, and the most memorable part was when Bondy and band joined him for his last song. Obviously, it was Bondy who left the lasting impression.

Willy Mason



AA Bondy

Time Since Western; January 31, 2010; The Frequency

Before opening for Micah Schnabel at the House of Righteous Music, Andy Brawner’s Time Since Western hadn’t played a gig since a full band show at Summerfest. Yet, here he was just three weeks later playing another solo show. Even if he doesn’t believe me, I do prefer the one man band version, which makes good use of a looping pedal. Like Anders Parker, he’s better without the band. I will only begrudgingly admit it, but he sounded even better tonight than he did in the basement. In fact, when one of his co-workers who had been at both shows suggested that to me mid-set, I responded with a hurt “come on!” Unfortunately, Brawner took that to mean that he was taking too long to tune between songs, and replied that he was trying. Oops, sorry Andy.

He was taking a little long, but I’ve certainly seen worse, and besides, tuning means you care. He seemed comfortable on stage tonight and didn’t feel the need to fill the space with practiced banter, opting instead for a relaxed, one-sided conversation with the audience. The new songs he’d played at the house went smoother tonight and those from A Sun Goes Down as good as or better than the CD version. The one-two punch of “Feathers” and “Bottom of the Sea” to end the set were damn near perfect. It’s good news for music fans in Madison (where he works) and Milwaukee (where he lives) that he has decided to continue as a solo artist after being orphaned by his band earlier this year. He’s been recording new songs with some of the work being done at the now-closed legendary Smart Studios. Hopefully we’ll see a new Time Since Western record soon. Until then, I just hope he keeps playing shows.