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(11/13/14 5:00am)
While driving on the road to their next show, Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci of Garfunkel and Oates described their busy lives, including a new TV show on IFC, working on a new album and the beginning of a nationwide tour.
(11/11/14 7:30am)
A day after launching his podcast “Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period” on the Earwolf Podcast Network, W. Kamau Bell told me about his time on his FX show “Totally Biased” and how he gauges audience laughter during his stand-up sets.
(10/22/14 3:42am)
This last weekend, Pete Holmes performed two sold-out stand up sets at the Majestic Theater and recorded his podcast "You Made It Weird" for the Madison Comedy Festival. Attending both the stand up and podcast recording as an avid fan of Holmes, I noticed how the crowds were drawn to his presence just as much as the self-proclaimed super fan.
(10/21/14 4:45am)
In support of the first annual Madison Comedy Festival on his “Under No Influence” tour, comic Chris D’Elia performed in front of a packed crowd of college-aged fans who eagerly anticipated his material. D’Elia’s set pandered mainly to the Dane Cook repertoire of sex jokes, gender and race observations and wild movement.
(10/17/14 1:50pm)
Known for his cutting-edge political commentary on “The Daily Show,” John Hodgman will be performing an intellectual comedy set this weekend at the Madison Comedy Festival. Hodgman has an easily recognizable face, either from his Mac vs. PC commercials for Apple, or his various appearances on popular TV shows like “Bored to Death,” “Community,” “Flight of the Concords” and “Battlestar Galactica.”
(10/17/14 4:15am)
Jet-lagged on a Wednesday morning, professional actor and comedian Chris D’Elia was kind enough to take some time to speak with me about his upcoming performance at the Madison Comedy Festival and his current industry projects.
(10/16/14 4:59am)
This week Madison has the privilege of showcasing some of the country’s best active comedians for the new and annual Comedy Festival. Before you scramble to buy tickets to each show or even snag one of the prized VIP packages that includes tickets to each show, VIP access to a Saturday night after party, front-of-the-line access and a swag bag full of awesome gifts, take a moment to get to know these hilarious performers.
(09/30/14 3:37am)
Outside the Barrymore Theater on Saturday night, a long line of avid Tim and Eric fans excitedly anticipated the comedy duo’s performance with special guest Dr. Brule (played by the iconic actor John C. Reilly). As I entered the venue, hoards of fans purchased merchandise from the duo’s Adult Swim comedy show, some already in costume of their favorite characters. It was clear at that moment this crowd knew exactly what they were getting into and were happy to be a part of it.
(09/24/14 1:39am)
Professional comedian and television star Judah Friedlander performed at the Comedy Club on State Sept. 18, joined by host David Fisher and “Last Comic Standing” semi-finalist Tommy Ryman.
(09/16/14 6:39pm)
Instead of going to my Intro to Television class on Tuesday morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing professional comedian and "30 Rock" star Judah Friedlander. He’s one of the most iconic comedians of his time; partly for the trademark trucker-hat-vibrant-glasses combo he dons regularly and mainly for his killer comedy persona.
(05/02/14 3:38am)
Punk music usually revolves around protest, rebellion and fast-paced, mosh-inciting style. Therefore, the scene can sometimes be written off as off-putting and relentless. However, Ex-Cult’s sophomore release, Midnight Passenger, shows clear signs of maturity and musical depth in the youthful neo-punk act’s career. The gang somehow found time between touring the States relentlessly to write some new material. Instead of lazily recreating their first release, the band decided to expand their sound, experimenting with new genres, guitar effects and musical depth. Unlike most punk bands that strive to embody the most powerful, brutal and noisy sound, Ex-Cult looks to refine their sound in a way that shows they aren’t a one-dimensional band.
(04/29/14 3:29am)
When a prolific musician dies, it sends a ripple throughout the entire music community. Jason Molina, a true modern blues artist active during the end of the 20th century and early 21st century, passed away in 2013, leaving behind a legacy that will thrive for years. He poured his heart out with such acts as Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co. as well as under his own name. Themes of despair, isolation and struggle circulated in and out of his work, always earnestly and unfiltered. He paved the way for the many blues-inspired indie artists and maintained the gritty realism so perfectly encapsulated in those genres.
(04/14/14 2:48am)
What do you get when you combine a modest indie pop star and a pop-less alternative punk star? Aimee Mann and Ted Leo’s The Both comes to mind. The two music veterans joined forces in the last couple of years to find the right harmony between their starkly different voices and make an album reflecting the results. The self-titled debut album combines the gritty, distorted punk sound Leo is all too familiar with, and the niche feel-good acoustic pop sound Mann has grown to master. While some of the songs blend into one another, the album as a whole sounds refined, polished and what one would expect from two people who have been writing music their whole lives. However, their age might be catching up with them, as this album offers nothing new. It’s a safe, easy-sounding record that differs from their individual work, which embodied traits of painstaking effort and all-out emotional commitment.
(04/08/14 3:20am)
Avey Tare, a member of the indie-fodder, electro-psychedelic group Animal Collective, along with former Dirty Projectors’ bassist Angel Deradoorian and ex-Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman, have created an experimental, horror-film inspired hipster super group named Slasher Flicks. The final product, Enter the Slasher House, is a fun, wild and eclectic pop album that digs deep into the finer details of psychedelic music.
(04/03/14 2:35am)
"The Rite of Spring" is one of the most influential musical compositions of the twentieth century. Created by a young, Russian man named Sergei Diaghilev in 1913, it tells the story of primitive celebrations of the solstice followed by a sacrifice of a young girl who dances herself to death. The exciting piece has been adapted to more modern music styles and was even used in Disney’s "Fantasia." The Bad Plus uses their keen sense of jazz to try and recreate this classical piece as literally as possible.
(03/11/14 4:48am)
Max Cooper has a Ph.D. in computational biology and has conducted extensive research on gene regulatory networks and evolution. He then suddenly shifted his attention to making music.
(03/03/14 10:44pm)
There’s a reason why Real Estate haven't hit the mainstream since their 2009 debut. The sound they have grown to master denies the characteristics of popular music, instead embodying subtlety mixed with ease and a dash of somberness. With Atlas, their third album, Real Estate continue this refined subtlety and add distinctive craftsmanship to make Atlas their strongest.
(02/22/14 8:09pm)
Certain albums complement different days of the week. A lazy Sunday, filled with a melancholy for the following workweek, needs the perfect album to fill it with comfort, peace and a beautiful aesthetic. William Fitzsimmons’ Lions accomplishes all three in a grandstanding fashion. A cross between Iron & Wine and Death Cab for Cutie, Lions demonstrates how necessary raw emotion and vulnerability are in order to create a masterful modern folk album.
(02/18/14 6:09am)
How do people interested in working in the entertainment business catch their big break? Who better to answer such a complex question than the talented and accomplished comedian, actor and writer Hannibal Buress?
(02/04/14 6:48am)
Broken Bells’ After the Disco is fun and enjoyable. However, people will lose interest once more daring, impressive works come out later in the year. The Shins’ frontman, James Mercer, employs his usual melodramatic lyrics and folk-twang while Danger Mouse produces more modern percussion and synths in order to give the album its own original, pop vibe. The album feels similar to the first Broken Bells album, but with a more polished and upbeat sound. A safe, enjoyable effort, After the Disco instills Mercer or Danger Mouse’s ability to make music that satisfies their existing fan base.