Jon Langford & Skull Orchard/Sally Timms/Danbert Nobacon; October 15, 2010; The Frequency

As we traveled back toward Madison, the HHT boys asked if I was sure I didn’t want to keep going to Chicago with them. Of course I did, and the temptation was very very strong, but just as much I wanted to see Jon Langford and Skull Orchard at the Frequency tonight. I’d met Langford on several occasions over the years, but he never really remembered me until after he played the basement back in April. Since then he’d made a point of informing me about upcoming shows in town and saying he hoped to see me there. And I certainly don’t ever want to disappoint Langford. I always enjoy him, even more so when the amazing Sally Timms is also in attendance; their amusing exchange of quips and barbs is a guaranteed highlight. So despite the powerful lure of another HHT show, I said good-bye to them in Madison. Prior to this year, Langford’s appearances in Madison have been rare, but this marked his third trip up I-90 this year. “I just realized how close it is,” the 15 plus year Chicago resident confided.

Even rarer have been Skull Orchard CD releases. The terrific new “Old Devils” comes a short 14 years after its predecessor, their self-titled debut. Anyone who knows Langford knows he’s been busy with a host of other projects and multiple bands in the meantime, but it is nice to see him return to what might have been thought a forgotten band. This incarnation includes the Waco Brothers rhythm section of drummer Joe Camarillo and bassist Alan Doughty, in addition to another ex-pat Brit, the handsome and talented Jim Elkington from the Zincs, on guitar. “Old Devils” is a solid release and a definite contender for the top spot on my year-end list. I felt like I knew the songs after only a few listens; Langford’s swoon-worthy Welsh accent, so palpable in his singing voice, cementing them in my memory. A number of guests show up to help out on record, but only Sally was present tonight to reprise her role. She had been downstairs following her set, but ventured back up at the mention of her name. Since she wasn’t actually needed till later in the set, she waited patiently on the stage steps before joining the band for several songs, notably the forlorn “The Book of Your Life.” For the pacifist anthem “Strange Way to Win Wars” I had expected Timms to take Tawny Newsome’s backing vocal role from the record. Instead it took me a few moments to figure out it was Camarillo echoing Langford.

While Sally would have her own band the next night in Chicago for their hometown version of the Old Devil’s Ball, tonight Langford and Elkington joined her. It’s hard to say which city got the better set. She opened with Langford’s stunning composition “Horses.” A death row anthem covered memorably by Chris Mills on Vol.2 of the Executioner’s Last Songs, part of Langford’s musical campaign to fight the Illinois Death Penalty. She could have quit right there, but instead continued with a string of winners including two Handsome Family songs, the pitiful tale of “The Sad Milkman” and “Drunk by Noon” with its quote of the day, “If my life lasted only one day, I'd still be drunk by noon.” Sally usually just sings, which is just fine since she has one of the most perfect voices I’ve heard, but I have seen her play the occasional ukulele (at the Old Town School of Folk, borrowed from their store Different Strummer, played with the price tag still attached) and her instrument of choice tonight, an odd contraption decidedly of the accordion family that looks more like a briefcase than an instrument. It was featured on a song that was meant to be solemn until Langford made a series of haunted sounding noises only to be answered with a banshee like yodel from Sally. “Weren’t expecting that were you?” she deadpanned.

Opener Danbert Nobacon was in Chumbawumba, but that doesn’t even begin to explain his odd show. His songs might be good, but the fact that his voice and guitar playing are not prevented me from ever knowing. His musical performance was strange enough, but things really got bizarre when he reached into his bag and pulled out a ventriloquist dummy with a skull head. Thus were we introduced to Mr. Death. What followed was an uncomfortable but oddly entertaining exchange between him and Nobacon. His voice-throwing skills are on a par with his singing, so it was often hard to understand what Mr. Death was actually saying. Amusingly, Nobacon would question him with a “huh? I didn’t understand that.” While I don’t know if Chicago met Mr. Death, I do know they got Nobacon in a suit with pitchforks on it. While I was delighted with the show we got, I do wish I would have seen that.

Danbert Nobacon


Sally Timms


Jon Langford & Skull Orchard

Rocky Votolato/Ha Ha Tonka; October 14, 2010; The Triple Rock, Minneapolis

I find it funny how when Ha Ha Tonka is opening for a band I’m not a fan of, for instance Lucero or Murder By Death, they play Madison, but when they are opening for someone I really want to see, like Langhorne Slim and now Rocky Votolato, they skip right over my hometown, forcing me to travel. And honestly, I don’t mind at all. It’s no secret that I love those boys. Tonight’s journey started in front of Memorial Union at 4 PM where I boarded the Megabus on a $3 ticket. Yep, really. Well, actually $3.50 including the service charge. I’d heard about these ridiculous deals, but this was the first time I’d actually gotten one. My other trips were merely a good deal. What made it even better was that the band was heading to Chicago the next day and could drop me in Madison on the way back.

The bus ride went smoothly and I arrived at the venue at 9 PM, start time, only to find the Ludo show had just ended and doors for the next show were to be 10 PM. Looks like a late night, at least I had the next day off. I returned at 10:30 after two tasty beverages down the street at the Nomad, to find Ha Ha Tonka already on stage. Luckily, it was only the first song, but it was one of their new ones “Made Example Of,” and I was bummed to have missed even part of the show. I was even more bummed when they played my absolute favorite song “Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart” next as I was waiting at the bar for a beer. They hadn’t played a show since Iowa City nearly a month earlier, and this was the first time I had seen them a little off their game. The rust showed during one of Brett Anderson’s songs, “We sort of lost our way in the middle of that one,” lead singer Brian Roberts laughingly apologized at the end. Still there was no shortage of the energy that makes HHT one of my favorite live bands.

Even after having seen them an admittedly ridiculous 15 times already this year, they can still surprise me (which is why I keep going to the shows). Tonight it was during “Hangman,” the old traditional that they do a stunning a canella version of. I’ve heard them do it probably two dozen times, but tonight bassist Luke Long sprinted off stage during the opening verse, returning with a fresh beer which he popped in perfect time during a moment of pin drop silence. The audience and the rest of the band cracked up, but they were soon able to finish the song. The other surprise was the gorgeously meditative “Thoreau in the Woods,” one of the final tracks on their terrific 2009 release Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South. Seldom played live, someone had requested it tonight and got their wish. It made me happy too.

When HHT’s booking agent first told me that he had been contacted by Rocky Votolato about the band opening the tour I was surprised. I have Votolato’s last three records, and would never have paired the quiet, contemplative singer-songwriter with a high-energy rock band. It worked better than I would have imagined. Votolato played several songs by himself before inviting drummer Lennon Bone out to join him. Despite the fact that they had only met that day, those songs went very well, and they were already planning to practice more together the next day. Votolato’s fans are obviously very devoted and there was no shortage of requests shouted between every song. Much of the set came from his new True Devotion, a CD which didn’t make much of an impression on my initial listens, but had grown on me in recent weeks as I crammed in preparation for this show. My favorite of his is still Makers, which probably not coincidentally was the first one I’d heard. The title refers to Makers Mark, and the titular track reflects longingly on “filling and refilling the glass with Makers.” I was delighted when he introduced the record’s most light-hearted number “Aliens,” which recalls Joaquin Phoenix’s memorable scene in the movie Signs, “He reminded me that the only way to keep aliens from reading your mind is to wear a tinfoil hat and wear it all the time.”

The only disappointment with his entertaining set was that I didn’t get to hear my favorite song from that record, the arch and aching “She Was Only in It for the Rain,” despite making my request both to Lennon and in response to a Votolato Twitter post. Oh well, I guess he just doesn’t like that song. Despite the frustrations of the night, it was still worth the effort and the $3.50 bus ticket to see the opening night of the tour. Now I only wish I could see a show further along the tour, when they’ve gotten more comfortable as tour mates.

Ha Ha Tonka





Rocky Votolato

Paul Thorn/The Rowdy Prairie Dogs; October 13, 2010; High Noon Saloon

When people ask me what Paul Thorn is like, the best description I can give them is that the first time I saw him he was opening for John Prine. While it doesn’t seem like much of a description, most people nod their heads like that makes perfect sense to them. The iconic folk singer with the down-home sense of humor and stinging honesty tends to bring similar younger artists on the road with him. While last month’s opener Pieta Brown may not have the same edge, Todd Snider- who opened more than one tour- is a perfect example. I’ve seen Thorn several times since then, Beale Street Festival in Memphis, Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn and at Summerfest, but this is the first time I remember him coming to Madison.

It was one of those different shows at the High Noon, where it’s crowded, but I don’t know anyone. Instead of the backward hat wearing frat boys that packed the place for Lucero, this was definitely a more senior crowd even though Thorn can’t be any older than me. It was also a mostly seated crowd and I felt a little odd standing up front for his set until I was joined by another enthusiastic fan. It was also comforting to get reassuring smiles from his amazing band (notably the guitar player who had two pedal boards taller than me) and Thorn himself who seemed grateful to have someone to focus his energies on. Even though it had been a decade or more since the first time I saw him, he still does many of the same songs, including the charmingly naïve “Mood Ring.” Thinking it would be the key to figuring out women he summarizes the mood rings indicators, “If it turns red, she liked what I said. If it turns black I should turn back.” Of course, he eventually realizes it doesn’t work at all.

Thorn was born in Wisconsin, but raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, which explains his southern charm, as well as his delightful drawl and somewhat amusingly red-neck point of view. “Burn Down the Trailer Park” is his unique tale of revenge on a cheating lover. Problem is, he doesn’t know which trailer his betrayer is in, so he has to burn down the whole park. Another familiar tune was “Mission Temple Fireworks Stand” which tells the interesting story of an enterprising minister whose tent does double duty. Before he was a musician Thorn had an unlikely previous occupation as a boxer, which should be obvious from looking at his arms. His most memorable story from previous shows which I missed this time was about the time he fought Roberto Duran, and “like most people who fought Roberto Duran… I lost.” His set also included a number of selections from his new CD Pimps and Preachers. He informed us that he had spoken to his father, a Pentecostal preacher, before the show, and he told him that God had spoken to him and told him that unless we bought a copy of the new CD we were all damned. I felt a little guilty not buying the CD, especially when after the show he went around to the few people standing up front and thanked them, giving me a big hug (oh yeah, I swooned a little), but with the crowd around the table after the show it would have taken forever. I promise to pick it up soon.

Robert J of opening band The Rowdy Prairie Dogs was certainly enamored and he enthusiastically, and maybe a little drunkenly, took the stage to rally the crowd for an encore, even as Thorn was already returning. Hopefully the enthusiasm and size of the crowd will convince Thorn to play Madison a little more often. And if he’s looking for a more intimate venue, I have the perfect place for him.

Rowdy Prairie Dogs


Paul Thorn

Invincible HiFi; October 10, 2010; The Project Lodge

Bobby Bare Jr./Blue Giant; October 8, 2010; The Frequency

“Is there another Bobby Bare Jr.?” one of the members of Ha Ha Tonka asked after spotting a poster on the wall of the Frequency following their show last month. “No,” I answered, not really sure what he was asking. “I can’t believe he’s playing here,” he replied, gesturing to the 99 capacity room. The reason is pretty simple actually- Bobby Bare Jr. just doesn’t play Madison. I’ve seen him many many times over the years, but never in Madison. Other than the Bloodshot sponsored Beer B Que last summer, he had only been here once before, opening for Robert Randolph at Luther’s Blues, back when Luther’s Blues was the place to see a show and Randolph was still playing clubs. That fact hasn’t escaped Bare, “I think this is my first headlining gig in Madison,” he commented during his set. It wasn’t sold out, but a decent amount of folks had shown up. They had to be pleased when he announced later in is his show that he would be back next month opening for Jay Farrar at the Majestic.

Over the years his band has changed from show to show but Deanna Varagona (Lambchop) has been the one constant member for as long as I can remember, so it was strange to see Bare onstage without her and her baritone sax. Instead he was joined by some of the members of Blue Giant, the Portland- based band that had opened the show. They had been on tour with Bare for the better part of two months, “when someone asks you to go on tour with them for two months tell them they’re crazy,” lead singer Kevin Robinson smiled. I’ve always thought Bare might be a little special, his child-like glee, demonstrated by clapping excitedly for himself after every song, seemed at odds with his profanity-prone songs, but he seemed a bit more serious tonight. Blue Giant’s guitarist/backing vocalist/wife Anita Robinson filled the part of Varragona, and they did well as a backing band.

After three releases on Chicago-based Bloodshot Records, Bare released his most recent record himself. Unfortunately, and perhaps unsurprisingly, I don’t have it yet, so there was a chunk of the set that was not familiar to me. I would have bought it after the show, but this was a night where fifteen dollars felt like too much to pay even if the money did go to feed his children. Had it been ten or twelve I’d have it now. There were other favorites from his previous releases though, “Flat Chested Girl from Maynardville,” which he claimed was about one of the members of Blue Giant, and the sweet and honest “Valentine.” Probably my favorite moment of the night was when Bare returned for a solo encore to play “Come and Visit Me in Music City,” a song extolling the virtues of living in Nashville where Bare has been a lifelong resident, the best of these being “The cops all carry capos in case you want to change your key.”

Blue Giant’s opening set was likeable enough, though for some reason I liked the first half of it better than the last. It seemed like the songs sounded less unique as the show went along; I went from wanting to buy a CD to not really caring. It was odd to hear Robinson l refer to the audience with a familiar “y’all.” “People from Portland don’t say y’all,” a friend from there griped, looking disgusted. Agreed. Coincidentally, Blue Giant will also be returning to town soon to play an opening set at the Majestic. I’m not sure I’ll make it to either of these shows, but it’s nice to know that Madison is on both bands’ radar. Maybe now Bare will play here a little more regularly.

Blue Giant





Bobby Bare Jr

The August Teens/Hum Machine; October 8, 2010; High Noon Saloon

The name was familiar, but I was pretty sure I hadn’t heard it in awhile. It seems like maybe I used to see them at O’Cayz Corral or the King Club or some other bar that doesn’t exist anymore. Anyway if it was them, where have they been? I confirmed that it was indeed the same band by asking some of the folks that I knew had been around Madison as long as I had. “Didn’t I used to see them at O’Cayz?” I asked more than one person. Turns out they had been on hiatus for a good chunk of that time, playing in other bands like Shazy Hade, Shinky’s post-New Recruits band, until the urge to play the old songs hit them again. I guess they have played some shows recently, but I must have missed them all. Their fans certainly remember them, and there was a good-sized crowd gathered for this happy hour show. Their power pop is undeniably infectious and there was more than one person singing along. The band certainly seemed to be having a great time, they bounced around the stage like those O’Cayz shows were only yesterday.

Too bad a lot of people left after they were through, because the August Teens are every bit their equal when it comes to writing catchy hooks and killer riffs. The Teens have been around a decent amount of time themselves, but have maintained a much lower profile, thanks to playing only sporadically and just recently releasing their first CD. With the rate at which lead singer/guitarist Dan Hardgrove writes songs, four in a weekend I hear (“that only happened once” he demurred), there must be a huge backlog, and we got to hear some of them tonight. After one listen, they seem more mature than the batch that make up A Kiss in Wisconsin (though granted the terminally silly “Pizza in Your Heart” does bring down the average). I wish I knew the names of some of them so I could ask for them next time. In particular a rootsy/country tune caught my ear. Sadly, though I certainly enjoyed them, Hum Machine had used up a good chunk of the time slot, so it seemed the Teens just got going when they were out of time.

I’ve had some bad luck catching August Teens shows; they only seem to play when I am doing something I can’t get out of. So it was great to see them again tonight. Hopefully they will play again soon.

Hum Machine



The August Teens

Peter Mulvey/Brianna Lane; October 3, 2010; High Noon Saloon

Peter Mulvey is a seasoned performer. He’s played all over the US, Canada and the UK, from large halls to more intimate venues. At every show, he’s very witty and he’s always entertaining. In other words, he’s a professional, but every so often he gets silly. The last time I saw him this uncharacteristically goofy was last summer on State St. Then I attributed it to the herbal beer he’d had across the street before he played. This time I can only guess the high came from biking from Milwaukee to Madison. It was the last stop of his annual Wisconsin bike tour and one of the longer rides. He’d been joined on the tour again this year by Brianna Lane, who was also the opening act, and a handful of friends. I wish I’d been writing down all the things he said that alternately cracked me up and had me saying “huh?” but the truth is they came so fast I’m not sure I would have been able to. Perhaps the best example is when after telling a joke that apparently no one got (I sure didn’t), he likened it to Dennis Miller’s one season hosting Monday Night Football, while waving his hand over his head with a whooshing sound.

When he wasn’t cracking us or himself up, he was playing songs, which is something he also does quite well. As with his sense of humor, there are winners (“Knuckleball Suite,” “The Girl in the High Tops”) and losers (“Mailman”). But like the comedy, there are always more of the former than the latter. A great songwriter himself, he always peppers his sets with well-chosen covers. He likes to start with something classic, like Hoagy Carmichael or the Gershwins, before moving into more recent times. Tonight there were even a couple I hadn’t heard him do before. The first was “a song I learned from Paul Cebar,” which turned out to be the Magnetic Fields’ “Book of Love.” Since Cebar recorded it for his new solo acoustic record, I guess that makes Peter’s version a cover of a cover. Even after further review, “The Book of Love” isn’t any better than the tenth best song on 69 Love Songs, even as it continues to be the cover of choice. The other was a song from the Jayhawks’ Mark Olson’s “Bicycle.” Even though its chorus of “It’s hard to ride at night on your bicycle, with no lights to guide/Just take a chance and ride,” isn’t safe, it was very appropriate.

He was joined on both of those songs by Lane. She pulled out the ukulele for “Book of Love.” If you’ve seen the Magnetic Fields, you know that is the way it is supposed to be done. I’m not a fan of girl singers, but her opening set was likeable enough. And it was impossible not to enjoy her infectious delight with everything. She didn’t seem to realize until she got on stage that the outfit she had pulled out of her bag after showering post-ride was rather ridiculous. She grinned, “I feel like a kid,” and hopped up and down with delight. This was her second year on the bike tour and she begged Peter to keep doing it and take her along next year. I don’t think she needs to worry; this is now part of Peter’s life. And honestly, if it makes everyone involved this silly happy, I might have to ride along next year.

Brianna Lane


Peter Mulvey