What’s your favorite Kinks song? All Day and All of the Night? Lola? Come Dancing? Sunny Afternoon? I’m Not Like Everybody Else?

Chances are, Ray Davies will sing it for you Sunday November 6th when he plays the Barrymore Theatre.

I’ve never been lucky enough to see the Kinks, but I have had the opportunity to see Ray Davies live three times, and he does not disappoint. The guy can still sing and entertain..demonstrating that he’s still got what it takes to be a fantastic frontman.

The first time I saw him was probably more than a decade ago when he was on his Storyteller tour. That show was also at the Barrymore. The small but devoted audience got to hear all the great Kinks songs..and the stories that went with them. How did his brother Dave Davies get that signature tone on “You Really Got Me?” He stuck a knife in his amplifier. And all the stories were told with wit and passion.

I got to see Ray again  when he played the Barrymore to start off a 2006 U.S. tour, and then later in the tour at Summerfest. Mike and I sat right next to the soundboard at the Barrymore show, so we could see the setlist..and it was a great one! He included lots of hits, some chestnuts for hardcore fans, as well as songs from his new album…and those were great too!

He’s funny, he’s a talented songwriter and performer..and he has more charisma than the average Well Respected Man. If you’re a Kinks fan and have never seen him before..make sure you see this show. If you have seen him before, chances are you’ve already bought your tickets.

–Previewed by Kitty Dunn

You may have noticed some construction barrels and “Do Not Enter” and “One Way” signs on Willy Street this summer..and may have worried what that would mean for the Willy Street Fair. Well worry no more!  The fair is on this Saturday and Sunday! Bob Queen with the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Association says you won’t have to wear your hard hat..but white shoes might be the worse for wear afterwards.

If you’ve never been to the Willy Street Fair, you’ve really got to check it out. It’s a bittersweet thing, because it means the end of summer. But it’s a party like no other.  There will be entertainment on ten stages over two days, plus food and beverage vendors, street performances, and a parade that could only happen on Willy Street!

For the 3rd year, the Willy Street Fair teams up with the Wisconsin Union Theatre and the World Music Festival to bring acts from around the world to Madison on Saturday.  New this year..free Greyhound bus shuttles from campus to the fair on Saturday.

Here’s the entertainment lineup for 2011:

Saturday, September 17 / 1:45 pm to 9:00 pm, 900/1000 block of Williamson Street

Main Stage
1:45 Luisa Maita
3:30 Marco Calliari
5:30 Sergent Garcia
7:30 Bomba Estereo

3:00 & 5:00 pm Dragon Knights Grounds Parade

Folk stage
2:00 Blake Thomas and Josh Harty
3:30 Eric Schwartz
5:30 Cris Plata

Madcat Electronic/DJ Stage
2:00-7:00 Local/Regional Electronic/DJ Performers
7:00 East Coast/West Coast Legend, Dr. Dunks

Sunday, September 18 / 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, 800, 900 and 1000 blocks of williamson street
Willy street fair parade: 11:00 am

Main stage
1:00 Emmettville
2:30 the Midwesterners
4:00 Bumpus
5:45 the Kissers

Kid’s Stage
1:00 Mad Rollin’ Dolls Demonstration
2:00 Wil-Mar Teen Fashion Show
3:00 Madgadders
4:00 EMCC BreakDancers
5:00 Truly Remarkable Loon
6:30 Willy Street Fair Raffle

Culture Stage
11:45 Yid Vicious
1:00 Cajun Strangers
2:00 Sadira and the Riad Dance Company
2:45 An Blas Quartet
3:50 Xtring
4:55 Atimevu Drum and Dance
6:00 Charanga Agosa

WORT Underground Stage
12:00 Whitney Mann (& Band)
1:10 Roboman
2:20 the Shabelles
3:30 Venus In Furs
4:40 Weapons of Mass DeFunktion
5:50 (From Toronto, Canada) The Sadies

Folk Stage
12:00 Small Potatoes
2:00 Bret & Frisk
3:30 Bill & Kate isles
5:00 Moonhouse

Queenie & The Blue Cats

What are you doing on Sunday afternoon? Head to the High Noon Saloon to catch some great live music, and support the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Dane County.

Here’s an interesting twist–each of the bands performing at the Rock ‘n Blues concert has one member who works in the Meriter Hospital Adults Psychiatry Unit.

Here’s the lineup:

1pm Mud Room, a rock band featuring Dr. Tyler Rickers singing and playing lead guitar

1:30pm Queenie & The Blue Cats, blues and funk featuring Bill Cheadle, a Meriter Adult Psychiatry Clinical Specialist on drums.

4pm Bonobo Secret Handshake, socially motivated rock funk and blues, with Meriter Adult Psychiatry Mental Health Specialist Teresa Nyholt as singer. Two doctors add to the mix as well, David Melnick and Scott Meskin.

5:30pm:  Jam session!

It’s just $7 for tickets if you buy them in advance, or $10 at the door.

More info here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness, and was founded right here in Dane County. NAMI Dane County provides free support meetings, educational meetings, a resource library and more.

Most Summerfest headliners don’t go on until 8pm or 10pm, a lot of people like to get their Summerfest on early. Kitty, who hasn’t missed a Summerfest in nearly 20 years, looked over the schedule to find some not-to-miss shows that will happen while the sun’s still out.

Wed. June 29:
The Nod 3pm at the Cascio Music Stage. Garage rock from Madison. Find out why Rob Thomas of 77 Square says their music is smart and jangly pop reminiscent of Cake or Spoon.

Thurs. June 30
Mighty Short Bus noon at the Briggs & Stratton Stage. See Project M champ Frank Busch in his natural element..on stage with his band.

The Jimmy’s, 2pm at the Briggs & Stratton Stage. A great blues band featuring our favorite rock n roll farmer, Jimmy Voegeli

Bascom Hill, 5pm at the Miller Oasis. More great Madison music!

Friday July 1:
Big Bob & the Ballroom Blitz with Greg Koch, 4pm at the Harley Davidson Stage. Greg Koch just might be the best guitar player in  WI.             Check this show out and experience real gristle!

Saturday July 2
M & I Employee Party, Noon at the Classic Rock Stage. What? That’s not a band name?

Sunday July 3
De La Buena 6pm at the Harley Davidson Stage.  Danceable Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz. Say hi to Jeremy, the drummer. He used to work at Triple M!

Monday July 4
Summerfest is closed. What’s up with that?

Tuesday July 5
Elusive Parallelograms 6pm at the Cascio Music Stage. That just might be the coolest band name ever! They play alternative experimental pop rock.

Wednesday July 6
Mike Droho & The Compass Rose, 6pm at the Cascio Music Stage. Hey  it’s Season One Project M winner Mike Droho! Woo hoo!

Thursday July 7
Locksley, 3pm at the Rock Stage. Little Steven loves ‘em, they’re on tons of commercials..and they’re from Madison!

Friday July 8
Sue DeBaco & The Double Down 6pm at the Potawatomi Stage. How about a little blues for your evening listening pleasure?

Saturday July 9
Pat McCurdy 5pm at the Briggs and Stratton Stage. How about a little Sex & Beer everybody?

Sunday July 10
Daniel & The Lion, 4:30 at the Cascio Music Stage.  Featuring another Project M winner, Jimmie Linville. It’s a Summerfest Trifecta!

AVETT BROTHERS JULY 9 CONCERT FROM RED ROCKS TO BE SIMULCAST ON THE WORLD’S LARGEST HDTV AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY!\

The Avett Brothers sold-out show at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 9th will be broadcast live via satellite to the band’s hometown of Concord, NC on the planets largest HDTV screen.  AEG Network LIVE is responsible for producing and shooting the entire event in HD & delivering it via iClips to Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Charlotte Motor Speedway, home to the massive 80′ x 200′ Panasonic HDTV, will host Avett Brothers fans from near and far for a chance to be part of this exciting show as it happens live.  Fans who can’t make it to Colorado or North Carolina on July 9 will be able to stream the show on iclips.net.

The live simulcast will give the Avett Brothers’ rabid local fan base the opportunity to view their historical show from Red Rocks on the speedway’s massive HD video board.  Tickets for this one-of-a-kind concert venue experience are on sale now and can be purchased at the speedway ticket office or by calling 1-800-455-FANS(3276).  Tickets are only $10 until July 1, when they will increase to $15 until July 8.  If purchased the day of the event, they will cost $20.

If you’re a fan, you don’t want to miss the energetic performance that the Avett Brothers will surely deliver with no less than a true fan would expect.

You’ve gotta hand it to the folks with the Marquette Neighborhood Association..they’ve put together a great lineup for this weekend’s Waterfront Festival.

I’m particularly exited about two of the acts–Robbie Fulks, who plays Sunday afternoon at 2:45, and the Bottle Rockets later on at 6:15.

Robbie Fulks is a gifted singer-songwriter who is just twisted enough to keep it interesting.  I’ve never seen him live, so I’m really looking forward to it.

I’d say the Bottle Rockets are going to end the festival with a bang (because of their name)…but that sounds a bit trite. So I’ll just say this is rock and roll…wait here’s a line I can steal that sums them up perfectly. The Spartanburg Herald says “If Uncle Tupelo is the Beatles of the alt-country movement, the Bottle Rockets are certainly the Rolling Stones. Featuring a brash, in-your-face sound with as much of a Lynyrd Skynyrd influence as Gram Parsons.” I’m not sure where Spartanburg is, but I love the quote! I saw the Bottle Rockets twice..once they opened for John Fogerty in Milwaukee..and the second time I saw them at the Annex in Madison and I’m a big fan.

The Marquette Waterfront Festival is this Saturday and Sunday (June 11th &12th) at Yahara Place Park, on the shore of Lake Monona where it meets the Yahara River..just a couple blocks off Williamson Street. It’s the first of a lot of great Eastside festivals..with plenty of food and beverage vendors. They depend on sales of beer to break even or hopefully make a profit..so don’t bring in your own beer. That’s just lame.

See the full schedule here.

On this Thursday, April 28th, G Love and Special Sauce will be bringing some ice cold, refreshingly thirst quenching music to The Majestic.  On their 2nd release for Brushfire Records, the Philly boys offer up “Lemonade”, a series of soul drenched tracks pouring out their blues infused hip-hop.  A trademark that has left them instantly recognizable and delicious to listen to.

“The whole thing about lemonade for me was when I first set out from Philly to make it in the music world I went up to Boston, and I would just sit on the front porch of my place after playing the streets or practicing and make myself a big pitcher of lemonade.  It just symbolized old time porch loungin’ for that’s where I did a lot of my shedding and writing.  It was so simple and great, I said, if I ever get a record deal I’m going to get Lemonade tattooed on my arm.”

Here’s another chance for you to enjoy some great music, and help somebody at the same time.

You may have heard that Donna Linderman,  the wife of blues harmonica player Westside Andy, is going through a major health battle..and although they do have insurance, costs are mounting. Local musicians are holding another benefit this Sunday at the Harmony Bar.

Suggested donation is $10..which is a steal to see these great bands: Cash Box Kings, the Midwesterners, Frankie Lee, Mel Ford, Billy Flynn and Glenn Davis. The music goes from 3-9pm.

To get you fired up for the show..check out this great performance from Cash Box Kings at the House of Blues.

Madison’s very own “Funky Drummer” Clyde Stubblefield will lead a stellar lineup of musicians for an event called “Funk For Japan” this Sunday at High Noon Saloon.

The idea to put the benefit together came from Stubblefield, who traveled the world with James Brown, making friends in countries around the world, including Japan. He has friends who live in Sendai, a city which suffered severe damage to its coastal areas when the quake and tsunami hit March 11th.

That band that you hear every Friday at around 7:40 on 105.5 Triple M, the Gomers, will  be lending their considerable musical talent to the event, by hosting a special edition of Rock Star Gomeroke. Singers from Emmettville, The Tony Casteneda Latin Jazz Band, Primative Culture, Phat Phunktion, and Chick Singer have all agreed to sing a song or two..or perhaps three.  The Madison funk band The Mustache has also been added to the bill.

All proceeds will go the American Red Cross, Badger Chapter. Suggested donation: $10. This is a 21+ show.

Here’s the schedule:

6:00pm: The Funky Gomeroke Allstars

7:30pm: Clyde Stubblefield Band

9:00pm  The Mustache

More info here.

Middle Brother with Dawes and Deer Tick

Majestic Theatre, March 13th, 8:30 PM, $16/$18, $45 opera seats,

Musical Style:  Rock

Middles Brothers is coming to town with Dawes and Deer Tick on March 13th to put on a rock-your-socks off concert at the Majestic.  Middle Brothers is made up of Deer Tick’s John McCauley, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, and Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez.  This will be an energetic show that you don’t want to miss.  The Majestic is an awesome venue that is conducive to rocking out.  So, if you’re of age, grab a few drinks and enjoy the show on Sunday at 8:30PM.  Here is Middle Brothers’ song “Me Me Me” below:

Middle Brother released their self-titled debut album on March 1st and is definitely something to check out.

Why should you see the show?

1. Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit is so much fun to see live.
2. Sunday is the perfect night to do something fun before the start of the work week.
3. Have you been to the Majestic Theater?  Now is your chance.