Eclectic Vibes - February 2011
CD/DVD Micro Reviews by Andrew Frey
SPANKS FOR EVERYTHING!
Our old friends Asylum Street Spankers are passing thru for the final time on 2/20 at the High Noon Saloon as part of their Spanks For Everything! tour. Founded by Christina Marrs and Wammo this Austin based entourage has been kicking out their distinct brand of twisted alt folk jams for over 14 years now and due to a variety of reasons including kids, the economy and lineup changes this will be the end of the road for the Spankers. Better get there early! Asylum Street Spankers
The Eighth Day Of The Year
Saturday 1/8 was a fine day to be out and about in Madison. Earlier in the day we decided to start our new years out right and took the new sprout (my 11 month old son) out to see the Madgadders. They were appearing as part of the ‘Kids in the Rotunda’ series at Madison’s 200 million dollar art palace aka The Overture Center. We managed to catch their 1pm show which was the finale of 3 shows that day.
The Madgadders are a colorful family fun oriented band that includes members of VO5. On this outing they played selections from the Beatles and Queen as well as a School House Rock song and others. It turned out to be a lively show and a great place to see a free event with a lot of other kids (if you made it in before the 400 person capacity was reached).
Continuing on with our musical escapades, later in the evening we found ourselves at Mr. Roberts (sans child of course). We didn’t go there to see any particular band, mostly just to get out. We knew Mr. Roberts has music every night with no cover, but we were pleasantly surprised with our findings. They now have their stage in the back room (in case you haven’t been there in a while) and even though the stage area is just an area and not an actual raised stage, it’s still a billion times better than when the bands were crammed up in the front corner. The Combustible Trio (formerly the Oncken Jazz Expression) was the entertainment for the evening and all was jumpin’ and jiggy once they started their set. The lone bartender on this evening was bustling up a storm to keep up as thirsty patrons emptied their cups again and again while the band played on.
The stage area was lit in classic Wisconsin style; two neon beer signs proudly blazing their logo while dimly illuminating the musicians. The trio blasted out jazzed up classic rock covers from the 60s and 70s as well as a few choice originals and we had a great time out in the Mad City on the eighth day of the year.
Rob Zombie
Halloween IIRecord Label: Universal Music
Review published: October 2009
Rating: 7
In case you are unaware, horror specialist Rob Zombie is at the helm of the new Halloween II movie and this is the Soundtrack. We find a mixture of scary movie sound bites, cool classic rock entries and a smattering of new themed songs but not the original theme music. Rob himself will also be touring this fall coincidentally.
Reader Votes: 0
ZU
CarboniferousRecord Label: Ipecac Recordings
Review published: December 2008
Rating: 9
Cantankerous jazzy punk and experi-metal rife with overtones, harmonics and indifferent dissonance. This non-vocal trio from Rome breathes new visions of inspired avante art rock with every song penned and every blurry bass note they fondle.
Reader Votes: 0
Natalia Zukerman
Brand New FrameRecord Label: Weasel Records
Review published: August 2008
Rating: 8
It is a bit of a conundrum how the daughter of a flutist and a violinist manages to find herself producing tantalizing bluesy guitar rock driven by her husky vocals. Her Americana attitude intermingles with a country and folk backbone while being complimented by the Willy Porter production.
Reader Votes: 0
