Photo Caption: Musician and Funk's Pub owner, Jeff Funk
Funk's Pub
5956 Executive Drive
Fitchburg, WI 53719
Telephone: (608) 442-9500
an interview with musician and pub owner Jeff Funk
Photo Caption: Babes Restaurant & Cocktails
Babes Restaraurant & Cocktails
5614 Schroeder Road
Madison, WI 53711
Telephone: (608) 274-7300
Named after one of baseball’s immortal athletes (the ever-colorful 1920’s home run superstar (whose reputation even survived a cheesy 1990’s biography with John Goodman), Babe Ruth) and in their third decade of business, Babe’s Bar and Grill on Madison’s near West Side has turned started adding live entertainment into the mix on weekends in addition to their traditional sports bar offerings. Originally conceived in 1988 by owner Lynn Haker
Photo Caption: The Argus Bar and Grille in Madison, WI - photo by Rokker
Argus Bar and Grille
121 E. Main Street
Madison, WI 53703
Telephone: (608) 256-414
Madison’s Argus Bar and Grille endeavors to be something a little different on Madison’s Capitol Square. It’s not only the oldest commercial building in downtown Madison (built in 1847, but no haunted stories yet!) but also also create an affordable bar and grill in an area of the city not known for being welcoming to the budget-conscious. The bar has been called The Argus (a Greek word meaning “vigilant guardian”) since 1990 and it’s namesake was a newspaper, The Wisconsin Argus, that was run out of the building in the early 1900’s. Current owner, Rick Brahmer, took over the place two years ago
Photo Caption: Scatz in Middleton
Scatz
2248 Deming Way
Middleton, WI 53562
Telephone: (608) 203-825
The far west side of Madison is the fastest growing area in the city. There are new ways to see live bands and party out there in places that were previously just cornfields and open space. Which is good for an expanding population where people don’t necessarily want to take the risk of driving downtown when they’re drinking or the expense of a pricey cab ride home.
Enter Scatz, a big new sports bar and live music venue in Middleton that opened in November. And according to the owner, Pat McCulloch, opening a new nightclub “is the most exciting thing to do besides play shortstop for the Brewers…
Photo Caption: Club Inferno
Inferno
1718 Commercial Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
Telephone: (608) 245-958
Inferno Nightclub in the Madison suburb of Maple Bluff has been a mainstay of the area’s goth, punk, and DJ scene for over a decade now and this December celebrates its twelfth anniversary. Apollo Marquez, the owner of the club, has been a constant and steadfast supporter of live entertainment in the area and has shown his commitment to putting on as diverse a selection of events as you’re likely to get anywhere. That’s the kind of club he was inspired to create, as Apollo says, “I used to live in Denver and got a lot of ideas from going out to clubs there. I started going to punk rock shows when I was 15 in places like The Loft in Madison, and always roadied and helped out friends that played guitar or drums. My parents had bought the building and said that if I’d help them out, we’d see where it went
Photo Caption: Project Lodge in Madison
Project Lodge
817 E Johnson Street
Madison, WI 53703
Filling an important gap in Madison music venues, serving a crowd hungry for all-ages shows and concerts outside of bars, is The Project Lodge on 817 E. Johnson St. It was founded by recent Madison immigrants (via Portland, Oregon), Christopher Buckingham (a multi-instrumentalist that played music in Portland who also performs locally) and Kendra Larson. The Lodge opened in February and has been hosting at least one show a week since.
Buckingham explains the idea behind the founding, “In Portland we put on shows in our house, music shows and art shows, moved all the furniture into one room and put up artwork and let someone play for a night. I’ve been involved with art for awhile and wanted to get something going in Madison too that would involve the music and art scene.”
Photo Caption: Darwin Sampson playing bass with the Skintones in 2003 - photo by Dustin J. Williston
The Frequency
121 W. Main Street
Madison, WI 53703
Telephone: (608) 819-877
Darwin Sampson has been a fixture in Madison music through bands during much of the Nineties and aught in bands like Uncle Eddie, The Skintones, and Helliphant. He used to book The Anchor Inn, but his most recent stint was booking The Annex. Now he’s set to open his own place. We talked with him for a few minutes about the new club.
Photo Caption: Madison's Cafe Montmarte has been the epicenter of the city's hipster cult since it began in 1992
Cafe Montmartre
1227 E. Mifflin Street
Madison, WI 53703
Telephone: (608)255-5900
Madison’s Cafe Montmarte (or The Momo as it has been affectionately nicknamed) has been the epicenter of the city’s hipster culture for years. Named after a hill in the north of Paris (and meaning “Mount of the Martyr” because France’s patron saint was decapitated there in 250 A.D.), the Cafe is one of Madison’s great survivors (since 1992 which is a virtual eternity as a music venue) and for good reason. They label it as a “wine bar and jazz cafe” but that’s really selling the place short
Partners: Rökker Vodka
