Happy almost Halloween from the caption contest. I was afraid I had chosen a poor photo for captioning, but once again, you folks proved to be as clever as can be.

Here are this week’s Honorable Mentions:    

  Greg with a straight forward response:

 “Metropolis’ new “neighborhood transit watch” program has been very successful since the new guys joined…”

 Mary must be a parent:

  It’s always more difficult when my son brings his friends along…

 Jason had a great one:

  The guys might have misunderstood what ‘themed costume party’ meant at Mr. Hefner’s mansion on Halloween.

Di went practical:

 Could you guys all move down?  I don’t have much room here!

 This week’s runner up, a VERY CLOSE second is Amy!

    It was the most boring ride the drunk bus had seen to date.

                                 And this week’s winner of the Halloween inspired prize package is Amanda!

    Ticket to Comic-Con: $30

Authentic Marvel Comics costume: $200

Having to ride the subway because Mom has the minivan tonight: Priceless

Thanks everyone. Have a safe and happy Halloween and let’s do this again next week.

The Lennon legend still reins. John Lennon’s son, Sean, has formed a new band named The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. Together with partner/girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Sean shines with a 60’s folk pop sound. While some may write off the band because of Lennon’s incredibly famous parents and Kemp Muhl’s teen model and actress status, the two have proved themselves to be gifted musicians and songwriters. While Lennon covers lead vocals, Kemp Muhl delicately backs him up and adds a whimsical appeal with a plethora of different instruments. Their debut album, Acoustic Sessions, is full of tracks with almost eerie melodies that would seem at home in an Alice in Wonderland scenario. These two artists complement each other in just the right way and that chemistry has enabled Sean to produce his best work yet.

Click here for a free .mp3 of the track “Jardin du Luxembourg”

Check out the viedo for “Brittany Jean” below

David Grohl is excited about the next Foo Fighters record.  Several tracks have already been laid down on analog in David’s garage.  Grohl describes the album as their heaviest yet saying, “Each song is full on, the whole record is full on.  In the 14 songs, there’s not one acoustic guitar.”

David has reached back into his Nirvana past and invited some old friends to help out on the album.  Former band-mate Krist Novoselic lends his stellar bass playing on at least one track.  What is most exciting is that Wisconsin bred Butch Vig will be producing this album which will mark the first time these two powerhouses have worked together since the successful Nevermind.  Vig has spent much of his career here in Madison and even set up his own recording studio, Smart Studios, right on East Wash.  Sadly the studio closed in May of this year after playing host to a number of famous records including Nevermind itself.  Vig attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study film direction and founded and participated in many bands during his years here.  These include Spooners, Firetown and Garbage.  It will be interesting to see what these two seasoned rockers come up with together!

Dar Williams

Barrymore Theater,  Barrymore Theater, Oct. 27th, more info at trueendeavors.com
Dar Williams definitely has a stage presence.  A commanding one.  And she is in her element in Madison, WI amongst the, shall we say, far-left crowd.  She even said that on her calendar, the Madison, WI date of the tour is always circled and starred.

The opener Madison native Tracy Jane Comer was very good,  ranging from songs about coping with loss to an Elton John cover.  She was really good.

Then out came the Dar…

And Dar William started out the night with her song “Spring Street” and it is indicative of her strong songwriting ability.  Dar Williams was subtle and poignant and incredibly funny.  She speaks very fast and it’s kind of like listening to Hunter Thompson, if you can follow her, it’s brilliant.

The crowd was very much into the music and she received rapturous applause after every song.

This is a group who is so familiar with her career, that they began shouting out song choices for her.  The obvious one was “The Christians and Pagans” which Dar described as a kind of pickup line for Wiccans.  Here it is below:

Dar Williams had the audience singing along and even some people in the audience began dancing in the aisles of the Barrymore.  The last song of the night was “The One Who Knows” and my favorite song of the night.  I just love the lyrics:

“You’ll fly away
but take my hand until that day
So when they ask how far love goes
When my job’s done, you’ll be the one who knows.”

Very elegant and beautiful lyrics.

The “who carries that around in their pocket?” moment of the night:

When Dar broke her guitar pick, there was  someone in the audience who had an extra one and brought it up to her.

Overall:

Dar Williams gave a great performance that is true to her form.  She is a skilled songwriter and has a presence with the audience.  She has many stories behind her music and the quick wits to banter with the audience.  It was an interesting night to see a woman who is well-known throughout the folk movement.

Keefe Klug and the Surgical Precision

CD Release Party: The Annex, Nov. 5th, 10PM, $7 advance/$10, more info here.

Debut Album: “What You Do To Me”

Musical Influences: Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Tom Petty and Sublime

Check out this local band that is a fuse of pop, funk and blues with lead singer/guitarist Keefe Klug, bassist/vocalist Thomas Johannsen and drummer Sam Legg.

Here is a free download of their song “Two Wrongs.”
 http://wmmm.radiotown.com/TwoWrongs.mp3

Keefe Klug started performing at open mics in Iowa City, IA and has been traveling around the country since.  Klug was a part of the rock band Dyne in Nashville, TN. but is now playing with his new group Keefe Klug and the Surgical Precision.  Keefe Klug was also a contestant on Triple M’s “Project M” and made it to the final 3.  You can look at his Triple M page here or check him out on MySpace.

Here’s a video of him performing the song “Beautiful You” at Triple M:

Keefe Klug has a high energy sound and will definitely be someone to watch out for.

If you get a chance, you should head over to The Annex on November 5th to check out the release party with opener J.T. Roach.    It will be a fun show.

You can buy tickets for the show here for $7.

I’d like to take you back to a time, long before Madison officials decided to fence off State Street for Halloween, and long before riots and vandalism caused such an uproar.

The drinking age was 18, and the bars and streets were filled with ghouls and creatures of all shapes and sizes.

Check out this cool video…actually Super 8 film…that a guy named Joel Fletcher made back in 1979 on State Street.

Click the link to watch.

HALLOWEEN STATE STREET 1979 from Joel Fletcher on Vimeo.

These New Orleans natives new EP Trust will be out on November 16th.  Check out their song “Trust” via MFR.com below:
 http://www.minneapolisfuckingrocks.com/m…

Where’s the best burger in Madison?  I’m starvin’!  Help me out and come grab one with me.  I’m buyin!

Leave a comment below and I’ll pick one at random to win.

So there’s a video floating around of a woman supposedly talking on a cell phone.  Check out the video from the premiere of a Charlie Chaplin film called “The Circus”.   It was discovered by a filmmaker named George Clarke.  Look at the woman dressed in black who is following the man in the suit.  Watch the video and then I’ll give you my thoughts.

It is interesting, but it’s got to be bogus.  Right?  First of all, you think a woman who’s dressed so nicely would have a bluetooth or at least some sort of earpiece.  Secondly, how did she get such good coverage back in 1928?  I would have to think there were some serious roaming charges back then too.

If she is a time traveler, I’m hoping she’ll see this blog and call my show soon.  I’d like to know when or if the Cubs will ever win a World Series.

The Weepies

The High Noon Saloon, October 28th, 8pm, $18 in advance, $20 day of show, must be 18 years of age or older, more info at trueendeavors.com

Who are The Weepies?

The Weepies are an American band that could be described as indie-pop or folk-pop.  The two members, Steve Tannen and Deb Talan, both began their careers as solo sing-songwriters and met during one of Tannen’s shows in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The pair quickly discovered their musical chemistry and began playing together.  Soon after they realized that chemistry extended to more than just music and Steve and Deb were eventually married.  They now reside in California with their son.  The Weepies career has experienced a lot of success.  Their work has been featured in a list of TV shows including; Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Riches, How I Met Your Mother, and Greek.  Not to mention a performance on Dirty Sexy Money.  They have also been a part of a JC Penny and Old Navy commercial, Sex and the City 2, and one of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign ads.  There’s no doubt this group has been busy.

What do they sound like?

The Weepies is one big give and take relationship.  Steve and Deb switch off lead and backing vocals while they match subtle acoustic guitar with caressing electric leads.  Their past albums have had more of a feeling of longing and a little bit of frustration.  This was no doubt due to the couple’s attempts to get pregnant.  Their new album Be My Thrillwhich was released this past August is a whole different story.  This album is a bit more chipper with obvious contentment in their family life with their son.  Their tunes now have a sunnier but still gentle, wistful appeal.  I could compare them to a more upbeat Ray Lamontagne or William Fitzsimmons.  A lot of sweetness and sugary melodies.

Want to sample The Weepies a little more?  Click here to stream their newly released album Be My Thrill in full!

Best Tracks:

World Spins Madly On

Somebody Loved

Why should you go see them?

This will be the first time The Weepies have toured since 2006.  It will be great to see them back on the road and see how they’ve progressed during their baby break. 

So tonight grab a date and head over to the High Noon Saloon to check them out tonight!