The Coma Savants

It all started in the fall of 2001...

Your Mom SRO had been working on what would have been their third album when the band decided to call it quits. Very quickly, a new concept came forward and The Coma Savants came into being.

The first order of business was to head to Broken Horsey Studio with Ed Reardon and Jenny Hanson. Over the course of 5 days, The Savants recorded all the basic tracks for what would become their debut, Coma Savant.

The album, released on Uvulittle Records in April of 2002, showcases the group's irrepressible creativity and liberal interpretation of "music" + "performance."

The group played in the mid-west playing many 3-day weekend roadtrips and one 11 date tour.

They released an enhanced CD, Ç, in late 2003 which features music videos, a re-mix of an unreleased song and songs from their debut and one of Stephanie Rearick's solo albums.

They broke up in 2005.

Your Mom SRO

Because it conflicted with the moniker of some band in California, Madison's Your Mom recently had to change its name. Members came up with The Your Mom SRO, with SRO standing for "Standard Rock Outfit," but as anyone who has heard the group's music knows, that's not exactly truth in advertising.

Stephanie Rearick

Stephanie Rearick is a solo artist from Madison Wisconsin. She also plays drums and shares vocal duties in the guitar-pop band Ladyscissors. Previous bands include Your Mom SRO and The Coma Savants.

"Amanda Palmer gone psychedelic and retro -- one of the rawest, most original aesthetics we've heard in awhile." -- Keyboard Magazine

Rearick has issued 7 full-length solo releases plus recordings with Your Mom, Your Mom SRO and The Coma Savants, along with side work with musicians such as Eugene Chadbourne and The Crest.

Rearick's work is sometimes dark piano-based classical/cabaret/pop. In addition to piano, Rearick sings, plays trumpet, and builds pieces with various sound sources live on a Boss Loopstation. Lately Rearick has added Stephanie Rearick Jr. to her roster of musical acts, playing on Casio, loops, vox, trumpets, some beats... Meatier, beatier, bigger and bouncier Rearick. 2013's

More at http://stephanierearick.com
Music blog at http://www.uvulittle.com/blogs/stephanierearick
Work blog at http://blog.timeftw.org

MiLkBabY

MiLkBabY formed in late '97 and have released 5 CDs and scored several world premire dance and theatre pieces. MiLkBabY is famous for their trancendental live performances bringing the avant and immediate nature of improvisation to the tribal / electronic realm and have shared the stage with luminaries such as Kahil El Zabar, Fareed Haque, Paul Wertico, and The Frogs. MiLkBabY's music, though strange and unique, seems to be enjoyed and cherished by a wide range of fans whether they be young or old - rock, jam, gothic, organic, or techno.

Ed Anders Quartet

The Ed Anders Quartet is a contemporary jazz ensemble that blends elements of bebop, cool jazz, fusion and rock music. Co-founded by saxophonist Anders Svanoe and guitarist Ed Fila in 1994, the EAQ has recorded three albums of original music that showcase their imaginative group sound. Over the last 10 years the EAQ has built a strong reputation for putting on energetic performances throughout Southern Wisconsin.

Bugattitype 35

In September of '95, Smart Studios engineer Wendy Schneider formed Bugatti Type 35 as a vehicle for her songwriting efforts.

Ritt Deitz

Acoustic roots rock.

This is acoustic roots rock that Pike 27 leadman Dave Purcell calls both "gritty and intelligent" and "sweet, gentle and smoldering." The songs move seamlessly from single, lingering melodies to the train-like stomp riffs that fans know from Ritt's vibrant live shows. Like this Kentuckian when he's on stage, Ritt's recordings are the fruit of years of playing traditional music and rock and roll, in band after band, with pals, family and the occasional rival.

Andy Ewen

Andy is a mainstay of the Madison music scene. He has fronted the pycho-blues rock band, Honor Among Thieves for over 20 years. His solo work is dramatic and emotionally poignant.

Scott Fields

Composer, improvisor, band-leader, etc.. Scott Fields writes and records some of the most interesting and charged music going on today.

Honor Among Thieves

Honor Among Thieves is one of Madison Wisconsin's hottest bands. They play their own style of pumped up psycho-roots rock that has been compared to Tom Waits on cocaine. Perhaps more like the bastard love child of Captain Beefheart and Muddy Waters, hopped up on ether and hanging with Hunter Thompson....

Jack The Dog

Jack the Dog is an experimental music duo founded in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois by Carrie Biolo (percussion/composer) and Jeffrey Kowalkowski (piano/composer). Biolo and Kowalkowski have been creating music together for over 2 decades. The two met in college at DePaul University when Kowalkowski needed a percussionist for a premiere at the Green Mill. Becoming instant contemporaries, Kowalkowski started composing numerous percussion works specifically for Biolo to perform. Over time, Kowalkowski began performing, Biolo started composing and Jack the Dog was formed. Gradually, the traditional composer-performer relationship blurred and the process of composition and performance became collaborative.

The duo has performed its own collaboratively-composed music in a variety of venues including concert halls, festivals, galleries, and clubs. It has toured Germany twice (1996 and 1998) and has been featured at the Cleveland International Performance Art Festival, In the Eye of the Ear Festival in Chicago, Guest Artists Concert Series at Pittsburgh State University, Landmarks II Festival in Germany, Rhinoceros Theatre Festival and endless others. Jack the Dog has worked with artists from a number of disciplines, including composer/performer Pauline Oliveros, Australian suspension artist Stelarc, and the Chicago-based theater company Curious Theater Branch.

Jindra

Ivan Klipstein

Around 1994, Ivan Klipstein of Madison, Wisconsin began recording and performing his unique brand of rock n' roll music. Over the course of three very different albums and several tours, he honed his ever-changing trademark style. Funky one moment, sad and lonesome the next, his music became increasingly impossible to pin-down. Always restless and up to something new, Ivan's stage perona (and name) began morphing by about 2002. Infrequent appearences under various pseudonyms (Elevenaire, Peachfuzz, Strumbuddy, etc.) followed, leaving some fans confused and even frustrated. Who knows what's next?

Erica Mather Trio

As a pianist, Mather has set herself apart with styles ranging from stright-ahead swing to funk to latin to pure art chamber music.

Matt Moran

Matt Moran is a percussionist in New York City who graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music and has worked in a number of interesting groups, including William Parker's big band. Good solid album with focused ensemble work and intense solos.

NoahJohn

From folkrock to indie to psychedelic, NoahJohn constantly re-invents themselves in new and surprising ways.

Nob Hill Boys

Traditional bluegrass music.

Pascal

The Nashville Rage says, "...sounds something like Will Oldham and Beck drunk on Robitussin (in other words, dark, weird, creepy and really cool)"
Sea of Tranquility says, "Take Violent Femmes frontman Gordon Gano, lock him in a cushioned cell with Beck and invite David Byrne circa the early-1980s for a visit, and you'll get some idea of what punk folkie balladeer Pascal is all about... Pascal's eclectic music, his distinct voice and bizarre stories will warm your ears while they chill your blood."

Prague 24

Lively traditional klezmer.

Elizabeth Schaefer

Singer and songwriter Elizabeth Schaefer is a talented and unique performer. Born in Waukegan, Illinois in '74 and presently a resident and active member of the music scene in Madison, Wisconsin, Schaefer has performed from Copenhagen to London to Greenwich Village to New Orleans to Chicago. In 1997 she won two Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) awards -- one for female vocalist of the year and one for best alternative band. She also won a WAMI for 'Alternative artist' in 1998 and 1999.

Aaron Scholz

Born and raised in Iowa, Aaron Scholz spent many years obsessing over his father's collection of Beatles, Who and Dylan records. He sang in the school choir and took some peripheral guitar lessons but never considered music as a way of life. After scratching his head through four years of college, Aaron was dared by some friends to play out at a local open mic and after a few appearances he was hooked. He moved up to Madison in 1996 to join the then steadily shrinking scene. After stints in a few bands (The Ultramaroons, Boba Fettish, and Hoedunk) Scholz released his solo debut Perfect Child in 1999, doing all of the recording and instrumentation himself. The record got local and national coverage.

Hanah Jon Taylor Artet

Avant-garde saxophone master, Taylor also plays wind-synth and flute.

Voted "Best Jazz Artist" in the 2006 Madison Area Music Awards.

Michael Brenneis' Tomato Box

Michael Brenneis is a percussionist and composer. His Tomato Box project highlights his skills alongside Saxophone, Clarinet, Marimba, Theremin and Bass. Great creative music!

Tormentula

The world's most wicked all-female punk metal band

Matt Turner

Matt Turner is regarded as one of the world's leading improvising cellists. Equally adept in many styles, Turner performs everything from jazz standards and twentieth century new music to alternative rock and improvised avant-garde.

Turner completed his undergraduate studies at Lawrence University and his Master of Music degree in Third Stream Studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Dave Holland, Geri Allen and Joe Maneri, and where he was the recipient of a Distinction in Performance Award.

Turner has performed at the International Cello Festival in Montreal, the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival, and with CUBE, Present Music, and Dadadah. He is featured on more than twenty recordings with such artists as Marilyn Crispell and Joseph Jarman. Turner appears on O.O. Discs, Asian Improv, Rastascan, Geode, Cadence, Music and Arts, Accurate, and other labels. Turner served on the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music faculty as a lecturer in jazz for three years.

Bob Westfall

Bob Westfall is a master of both mandolin and guitar. His catchy original tunes and stylish renditions of Gypsy Jazz set the heart soaring and the feet tapping.

His music sits firmly in the world of acoustic singer songriter with a nod to world traditions.

Yid Vicious

"...courses with the electricity of real life..."

Klezmer, klezmer, klezmer!!

This 7 piece traditional klezmer band adds just a hint of rock to create an instant party.

Various Artists - Compilations

This category is for collections by multiple artists.

Rose Polenzani

"As holy as a mystic, and profane as your perverted fantasies." This is how Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) described Rose Polenzani before signing her to Daemon Records in 1998. Soon after, Rose was sharing the stage with songwriters such as David Gray, Alejandro Escovedo, Kristin Hersh and Vic Chesnutt. In 2002 she toured the country with Erin McKeown, Jess Klein and Beth Amsel as part of Voices on the Verge [Rykodisc], a CD introducing four new and important songwriters. The record sold 30,000 copies in its first year and was featured on NPR.

The Washington Post, who called Rose "Haunting and magnificent" in a recent live review, declared that "there's a lovely, placid quality to [Rose's] singing and she uses it to disguise songs that are often dark and dire and wholly disconcerting. . . . Polenzani is staking a claim to intriguing material well beyond standard pop fare." August is Rose's fourth solo record. At times evoking early Liz Phair or Edie Brickell, the record was recorded and compiled at her apartment in Boston.

Amelia Royko

Drawing strongly on the inspirations from her past, Amelia pushes folk and rock arrangements in bold new directions with an edge that can only come from years of live performing. Her voice captures the ears of audiences and holds them fast while the soul of her music demands their hearts. Amelia Royko is making strides in a genre that demands nothing less than pure honesty and soul, precision and passion.

In other words, "a twinkly folk musician with a house-ridden rock 'n' roll air guitar show."

Nils Bultmann

Nils Bultmann is an exceptionally unique and eclectic musician who is extremely committed to finding and developing his own voice within the context of a wide variety of musical styles and art forms. Bultmann received his B.A. from the University of Madison-Wisconsin on a music scholarship, studying Viola Performance with Sally Chisholm as well as German Literature. He has attended master classes at the Banff and Domaine Forget festivals with Karen Tuttel, Paul Neubauer, and Roberto Diaz.

His orchestral experience include the National Repertory Orchestra, the Niedersaechsisches Jugendsinfonieorchester, the Jerusalem International Symphony, and principal for the New World Symphony. He is also an avid chamber musician, has been a member of the New World Symphony String Quartet, has studied chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of music and has participated in the Brevard, Hot Springs, and Kneisel Hall Chamber music programs.

More recent interest has developed for him in the realm of improvisation and composition. He has been active in collaborative projects of dance and film. Recent collaborations include performances with world musicians Sur Sudha from Nepal and multi-instrumentalist/instrument builder Ken Butler. In spring of 2003, he produced and recorded a CD compilation of his own compositions, Forgiveness, including a Solo Sonata for Viola which will be appearing in full score with review in the upcoming issue of Viola Journal. Nils has been the recipient of many awards including grants from the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission for recording projects and outreach in the Madison Public Schools, the Music Omi composers residency fellowship in upstate New York, and the Djerassi artist residency for September 2005. In September 2004 he was a guest at the International Symposium for Improvised music in Munich Germany to perform two new works by jazz Saxophonistsí Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker, which was recorded and will be released by ECM records.

Pablo Jones

Pablo is a Minneapolis based singer-songwriter. He has performed throughout the U.S. and has released two full-length CD's: Vulgar Modalities (1998 Spiderbone Records) and Bitches and Machines (2001 Sursumcorda). Pablo has been described as a folk artist with a post-punk sensibility, a poet whose influences range from Lenny Bruce to Walt Whitman, an unnervingly honest crafter of obscene and eloquent anti-tunes. In 1999 he was voted "Best Acoustic Performer" by City Pages in their Annual Best of the Twin Cities issue.

"It takes a certain knack to sing raw folk songs about sex and violence without sounding merely provocative or exhibitionist. Pablo has it, and he use his startling range to play out the drama of his street-level stories." - City Pages

"Sparse, profane, abrasive - a perverse amalgam of G.G Alin and Woody Guthrie. He shocks the listener with Lenny Bruce-like obscenity, and then follows up with touching insight." - Pulse

Richard Wiegel

Richard Wiegel has been a fixture on the Wisconsin music scene for more than 30 years. In groups like the The Midwesterners, Johnny and the Hawaiians, Out of the West, The Swing Crew, Clicker and the Bowery Boys, Richard's guitar playing has always been exciting and stirring.

Now he has added solo acoustic performance to his credentials. Combining several genres of music, from rock to ragtime, blues to jug band music, jazz to rockabilly, Richard blends them semlessly into an entertaining show.

Taking a cue from Chet Atkins, Doc Watson, and Mississippi John Hurt, Richard plays in the finger-picking style pioneered by these giants. And now his new CD, "Out Of The Blue", pays tribute to these men. It's a collection of some of the greatest songs in this genre in the last century, from St. Louis Blues and Deep Water Blues, to La Vie En Rose and A Good Girl Is Hard To Find, and even a finger-picking version of a Chuck Berry song, The Thirteen Question Method. The guitar and vocals were all done live in the studio, adding a measure of immediacy to the performances. Recorded at DNA Studios and mixed at Smart Studios in Madison by Mark Haines, top quality was assured.

The Midwesterners

The Midwesterners released their first CD in 1991 and have been performing in the Madison area ever since. Their music runs the gamut from rock to twang to rockabilly and all points between.

"likeable roots rock... ...brainy honky tonk." - The Isthmus

"rollicking Americana" - The Onion

"A subtle, easy glide style of slide guitar that is more a God given talent rather than something that is learned. One of the better songwriters in this genre." - RockzillaWorld

In 2004 The Midwesterners were nominated for best country band at the MAMAs, (The Madison Area Music Awards). The band has released two CDs of original roots rock and are busy on a third to be released in the spring of 2005.

In performance the band combines their own material with honky tonk classics by the likes of Buck Owens and Johnny Cash, that keep the dance floor full and jumpin. The band consists of Richard Wiegel, guitars and vocals; Mark Haines, drums; Ernie Conner, guitars and vocals; and Tom McCarty, upright bass.

Sara Pace

Having parents who kept more records on their shelves than anything else, Sara Pace spent hours of her childhood curled up on the couch listening to albums -- reading lyric jackets as if they were books.

By the time she was teenager just listening to music was not enough. Influenced by three older brothers who all played instruments, Sara learned to play the guitar at age fourteen and not long after she started writing songs.

In the late 1990's Sara performed regularly in Iowa where she shared the stage with such local and national artists as: Bo Ramsey, David Zollo and Stuart Davis.

After she relocated to Madison, Wisconsin in 2001, Sara received critical acclaim as a songwriter from the national songwriting competition Songs Inspired By Literature , where her "Ballad of Calamity Jane" was chosen as a semi-finalist.

In 2003 Sara released her debut album entitled, Sara Pace: Self-Titled. 'Self-Titled' has been hailed as "Understated and absolutely gorgeous…a mesmerizing foray into windswept Midwestern folk." -- Performing Songwriter Magazine

It was selected as one of Performing Songwriter's Top 12 DIY (Do-It-Yourself) releases for the June 2003 issue.

Self-Titled also made the Top 20 Best Sellers list on the Miles of Music website in August of 2003.

Draped in simplicity and pure acoustic arrangements, Sara Pace: Self-Titled is a lyrical heavy-hitter within a modern Americana arena. Incorporating both fictional storytelling and poetic personal reckonings, 'self-titled' gracefully tips its hat to topics such as growing better (not older), politeness, and the carousel ride of love.

The Toronto Star, describes Pace as a, "Lilith Fair type singer but with more balls."

Her songwriting has been lauded by many and compared to that of John Prine, Greg Brown, and Gillian Welch.

Pace currently tours and performs in the Midwest with guitarist, Doug Milks and pedal-steel guitarist, Adam Davis. This unique trio was honored at the 2004 Madison Area Music Awards where Sara was awarded Best Acoustic Artist. She was nominated in four categories including Best Acoustic Artist, Best Acoustic Album, Best New Artist, and Best Female Vocalist.

Bob Manor

If you like rockin Americana with a touch of alt country twang you very well might fall in love with this band. Gritty enough to be authentic, Bob Manor writes honest - from the hip - songs and The Getaway Drivers bring them to life as each requires - be it a hard driving rock tune or a tender ballad.

Bob Manor is Bob Manor. He plays guitar, writes the songs and sings.

The Getaway Drivers are Ellie Erickson (lap steel, mandolin), Steve Pingry (cello), Ken Keeley (bass), Maggie Forrestal (viola and vocals), and Peter Fee (drums).

Jerry Alexander

Jerry performed for years with Paul Black in The Alexander/Black Blues Band (later known as "Kings of the World") one of the truly legendary bands in Madison's music history.

The blues is at the heart of Jerry's music -- but it would be a mistake to place him inside any one category. The spirit of unique American artists like Thelonious Monk, Hank Williams, and Howlin' Wolf is in the air here; quirky, courageous, irascible. Jerry's defining quality, like theirs, is a refusal to compromise.

Jerry's playing was also featured in the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed film "Hoop Dreams".

His CD, "Radiator" is "bare bones brilliant". Recorded live in the studio, it features Jerry performing on guitar, harmonica, percussion and vocals - all at once. No gimmick, Jerry's music is powerfully soulful and poetic.

Jerry won the "Best Blues Artist 2006" award in the Madison Area Music Awards.

Active Percussion Duo

Michael Brenneis & Geoff Brady present a suite of compositions and improvisations for percussion duet.
The duo perform on a multitude of instruments, including: marimbas, drum kits, prepared drum kit, vessels,
pipes, tongue drum, sheet metal, plastics, pans, bells, keg, lids, crank arms, tubes, metal stock, sprocket, cutlery.

Makeshift Ego

Makeshift Ego is an acoustic rock duo. Kari and Shane both began as solo artists playing completely different styles of music. In the fall of 2004, they met and decided to become an official band.

Kari is the lyric-ist, vocal-ist, rhythm guitar-ist, and sometimes the percussion-ist. Her first appearance was at an open mic in Madison at age sixteen. She started playing out with makeshift bands and booked a few shows in local coffeehouses over the course of two years.

Enter Shane. He moved to Madison from Upper Michigan two years ago to follow his dream of becoming a musician. Shane plays a form of lead guitar and has written some of the music.

Josh Cole

After appearing with Wilco, Patty Griffin and Chuck Prophet on Paste magazine's first-ever CD sampler, Josh Cole ventured out as a wandering philosopher, a singing vagabond, a guitar-toting gourmet cook. Along the way he invaded the households of kind strangers, swapping songs for a roof over his head, and even worked on an organic goat cheese farm in the Oregon Coastal Mountains.

Now, out of gratitude for all the warmth and hospitality he found while roaming the earth, Josh Cole and The Household bring you Hypocriticool, with dust-choked vocals and barbed-wire guitar corralling 13 punchy, teary-eyed, mystic songs into one righteous abode.

Painted Saints

Painted Saints hail from Denver, Colorado and subscribe themselves to a spaghetti western/gypsy/chamber country/sad bastard school of music.

They write tin can and twine romances in a color of rust with backdrops of long wind swept open roads framed by tangled barbed wire and naked telephone poles. Their songs are of ashtray broken hearts and lansdscapes of beauty and sorrow borrowing harmonies from old eastern europe, the desert southwest and the sentiments of working class rust belt americana.

Paul Fonfara is the brains behind the operation. He plays guitars, clarinet, bandoneon squeezebox, viola, a fair share of whistling all aided by fancy looping pedals and he even sings.

After growing up in the wilds of Wellington Colorado, Paul went to the University of Colorado to get degrees in music and philosophy (aka the unemployment special) and then decided to play many instruments and make a career out of being a touring instrumentalist with folks like Jim White, Woven Hand (16 horsepower), Devotchka, Denver Gentlemen and Reverend Glasseye.

Over the last few years, Paul has had the pleasure of playing a former nazi bomb factory in Hamburg, an 18th century canon factory/hippie commune in Copenhagen, a hockey arena in Belgium, New York's Central Park Summerstage, a bar in Montana guaranteed to have at least one convicted murderer in attendance at any given time and Royal Albert Hall along with live broadcasts on Swedish National Radio and NPR's world cafe. After shaking hands with lots of namedroppable folks, Paul decided to sing his own songs.

Geoffrey Brady

Geoffrey Brady has performed in many varied groups over the years: from the manic klezmer-punk band Yid Vicious, to the laundromat-touring prog-rock/jazz collective Yammer, to the hedonistic sonic terrorists The Disposable Art Ensemble, to the straight-laced Madison Symphony Orchestra.

He plays vibraphone, keyboards, theremin, and drumset.

The Lonelyhearts

Chilling storytellers. Haunting music with one foot in the pop world and the other sad sad music of all types.

Andre Perry (vox, keyboards) and John Lindenbaum (vox,guitar).

Katie Todd

Piano-centric pop. Katie Todd rocks.

Thousands of fans and three releases into her career, Katie Todd continues to shine. Having shared the stage with such music scene luminaries as Juliana Hatfield, Pete Yorn, Steve Winwood, and The Wallflowers, the Chicago Arts and Entertainment Magazine has recognized Katie Todd a breath of fresh air that the Chicago music scene has been waiting for.

Lauded by iTunes.com as one of the top buzzes in the country, Katie Todd recently claimed a spot as the website's Artist of the Week, earning over 200,000 downloads of her latest single Face Down. On her fourth and most recent release, Make Some Time For Wasting, Katie Todds captivating voice and signature percussive keys-playing are showcased alongside Travis Dow on guitar, Evan Cantor on bass, and Mark Cameron on drums.

Katie Todd began playing the piano at the age of 5. After graduating from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, Katie began experimenting with rock music and formed her first band at the end of 2001. That powerfully talented lineup, including Travis Dow on guitar and vocals, Mark Cameron on drums, and Evan Cantor on bass, drives the Katie Todd to create a fresh and edgy brand of pop-rock music.

Katie Todd continues to record in Chicago and perform throughout the United States.

db pedersen

A break from the traditional Tuvans, db built his singing style on the farm in Wisconsin. db is a self taught throat singer, nature mimic, and multi voiced performance artist who has recorded an album of compositions loosely based on the archetypal journey of childhood and adolescence. Playing bass, bansuri flute, and percussion he creates menageries of animal worlds with minimal looping effects and expressive feats of multi tonal singing. db's vocal skills will leave you both impressed and amazed.

Sunshine For The Blind

Sunshine For The Blind plays edgy guitar rock that features emotional vocals, vintage guitar sounds, driving, minimalistic drums beats and some of the tighteset basslines you've ever heard. The songs are catchy and accessable, combining classic rock sounds with a unique, modern sensibilty.

The band evolved from singer and guitarist Brian Daly's efforts to put a band together to play his songs. In 2003 Daly met drummer Daphna Ron who had just moved to Madison from La Crosse WI. where she was the drummer the for the alt country band Shot to Hell. Daly and Ron struck up a collaboration and found common ground in their love for riffy guitar rock. After a year of working on the basic sound of the band, providence smiled on the pair in the form of master bass player Ken Stevenson. Stevenson is a veteran player who honed his chops playing on the road with the popular Wisconsin bands Otis and the Aligators and the Stelectrics.

2007 kicked off with a burst of attention for Sunshine for the Blind with the release of their debut album See the River Rise.

Jim Schwall

Jim Schwall, Guitar, Mandolin, singer-songwriter - is the co-leader of the Siegel-Schwall Band, "one of the best acts in America", - Billboard Magazine.

After playing drums and accordion in elementary school, Jim Schwall found the guitar in high school and has never put it down for long. In college, Jim met piano/harmonica player Corky Siegel and formed the Siegel-Schwall Band. Siegel-Schwall toured full-time for about ten years, releasing over a dozen albums on Vanguard and Wooden Nickel Records. Siegel-Schwall starting playing occasional reunion gigs in the late '80's and currently have two recent CD's in the Alligator Records catalog.

For well over 40 years, Jim has also played with various other bands, releasing recordings with many of these, including two versions of the Jim Schwall Band. He has also played solo acoustic gigs for over 40 years but, aside from acetates cut in high school, never made a solo acoustic recording until 2007's "Getting Old," on Madison WI's Uvulittle Records. Currently he lives in Madison, is a member of SoDangYang along with singer/songwriter Marques Bovre, plays solo, works in visual arts, and is recently retired from social service work.

Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble

Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble is an instrumental group based out of Madison, Wisconsin. They are primarily influenced by the legendary Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. The ensemble is also influenced by jazz, swing, traditional Latin, Parisian waltzes, and other vintage-jazz sources.

"Original, energetic and really talented... I love their sound!"
Jonathan Overby, Host of WPR's Higher Ground Radio Show

Jenny Magnus

"Everything a performance artist should be: subversive, personal, stimulating, a little scary and simply amazing.." - Chicago Tribune

Jenny Magnus is a Chicago-based performer, writer, director, producer and teacher.

Founding member of the Maestro Subgum and the Whole, Magnus' voice is front and center on Songs From Shows.

Magnus has contributed to cultural life in Chicago for 13 years as a founding member of The Curious Theatre Branch, The Lunar Cabaret and the Curious School. Magnus produces her original work, produces and contributes to the annual Rhino Theater Festival, and tours her work internationally. She has performed recently at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Cultural Center and in Jeff Ryner's American Parade at the Lunar Cabaret.

Jack Sayre

At an early age Jack Sayre became intrigued with odd music through exploring his father's massive and eclectic record collection. The collection was chalked full of kitschy pop, early synthesizer experiments, quadraphonic demos, as well as, jazz, classical, country, rock, and others.

He went on to study music and became degreed in piano performance and music composition. From that early age to the present his work has been to create music that he did not yet "like."

Describing this music would entail words and phrases like: non-cyclical, odd metered, linear harmony, contrapuntal, composed, structured, grooving, song, and finally -- enjoy!

The There Was A Mans

Slightly left-of-kilter rock outfit based around the keyboard stylings of Stephanie Rearick (The Coma Savants, Your Mom SRO, Ladyscissors..) Using a Casio Tone, trumpet and her very own voice, Rearick constructs elaborate soundscapes with a Boss Loopstation. Guitarist Jon Hain (Coma Savants, Your Mom SRO) scribbles all over that with jangly, feedbacky, bursts of sound as David Fawcett (Your Mom, Mary Beautifuls) taps out a beat on his electronic drum pads. Rock and roll.

Grape Juice Plus / Barry Bennett

BARRY BENNETT BIO:
Barry is a jeff nominated maker of theatrical music and sound with over 40 world premieres, a multitude of albums under his own name and as a band leader -- with the seminal trance outfit, MiLkBabY and the retro future space prog group, Grape Juice plus.

Barry is a proud associate artist with 16th Street Theater, Winifred Haun & Dancers, and director of Impending Behavior Orchestra.

Other companies he has worked with since coming to Chicagoland in 1993 would include:
The Goodman,, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists (former associate artist), Mordine and Company, Something Marvelous, Writers’ Theatre, The Aardvark, Steppenwolf, The Art Institute, Emerald City, National Pastime, Cindy Brandle Dance Company, PROP THTR, Chicago Moving Company (former composer in residence), Estrogen Fest, Asimina Chremos, Breakbone Dance, and others.

By day Barry is a modern dance accompanist and plays percussion with a wide variety of groups pn stages in the region. Some notable stints behind the kit include: PEEP, Apartment, Pointy Teeth, C.I.A, Planet Claire, BombBone, Strangers & Saints, and Black Dot.

He is married to director, Ann Filmer, and along with their daughter Hannah make their home in Berwyn.

Barry has no interest in Adulthood. Barry is the luckiest boy in the world.

GRAPE JUICE PLUS BIO:

GRAPE JUICE PLUS!?!?!

What is it? A haunted liquid to stimulate the auditory nerves? Ape Astronaut Zira’s favorite libation? The latest group situation for music making to filter through the webbing of BarryBennettSounds?

all of the above…

GRAPE JUICE PLUS…

Barry Bennett: drums, vox, pads

Eric Klotz: guitar

Born out of a series of Monday morning sessions, both musicians were looking be pushed to new areas of their improvisational sand boxes. Bennett, a fixture of Chicago’s free rock sene dating back to the classic band, MiLkBabY. Klotz, emerging from the world of jazz and fusion. Well, they found some new sand. this one populated by apes on horseback.

GRAPE JUICE PLUS, they say...
“The Simian Syndrome is the debut album from Chicago duo Grape Juice Plus. Featuring Barry Bennett on drums, keys and vocals, and Eric Klotz on guitar, these guys are not the usual guitar drum rock duo like Black Keys or Japandroids. What you get is a highly original, experimental band that pushes the limits everywhere. This is an album of edgy, discordant, improvisational music, with plenty of depth, ranging from rock cliches to African tribal rhythms. This is one of the most creative albums so far this year and will challenge listeners at all levels. A definite must have.” — Floorshime Zipperboots

take a drink. see what happens…

The Crooked Mouth

The Crooked Mouth is Beau O'Reilly and Jenny Magnus (Maestro Subgum & The Whole) are joined by Ryan Wright (guitar, mandolin, and vocals), Troy Martin (guitar, banjo, uke, backup vocals) and Vicki Walden (bass, backup vocals, shaky egg.)

The result is a string band cabaret that is folksy, honest and, at times, brutally beautiful. Based in Chicago, please welcome The Crooked Mouth.

Notes on The CROOKed MOUTH.
ME: I am at my most joyful on stage, in a band, singin raw or sweet. When I started to work with Matt and Troy in the CROOKED MOUTH STRING BAND, I felt this huge bear lift up inside me. I had had 5 or 6 bands before CROOKED MOUTH, but it had been several years since anything had gone from the maybe stage. With Troy and Matt we would often play without talkin, moving from song to song that I mostly already knew how to sing—Troy and Matt choosing their instruments, playing off of each other with a look of bad garlic in the mouth or the yes face. We started to add new stuff, Matt songs, stuff i was writing. Jenny, my longtime cohort in MAESTRO SUBGUM & THE WHOLE, heard us and declared that we needed a drummer and agreed to sit in. She never left, bringing with her a passel of new songs. Troy wrote a pile of new stuff. Our friend Vicki decided she would join us, and as we already knew that things go better with Vicki, she was in. Somewhere along the way, we lost the string band part and recorded a pile of songs. Here’s the first bunch. Some of them I started singing thirty years ago, some Lena wrote when she was seven.Tears Of Women was recorded before, in a duo that I had with Mr. Greenberg. Deathrag was on the last MAESTRO album. -- Beau O’rEilly

From Barrie Cole, playwright:
"Okay, The Crooked Mouth is just...I mean...Really, there is just no other band like The Crooked Mouth. The only other bands anything like The Crooked mouth are with people who are already in the Crooked Mouth or existed with people in The Crooked Mouth before there was a Crooked Mouth. What a mouth is this Crooked Mouth. Yes. The truth is, this Crooked mouth is probably crooked not for lack of orthodontia or criminal activity, but is probably that way from stretching so far in the singing of songs. What other band has songs about belonging and not showing up, the heartbreak of professionalism, and having interesting middle-age problems? Furthermore, there are stories in between about enunciation and Bruce Willis, not to mention dynamic air-cane playing, acoustic guitar played in an insane electric way among other silky, stringed things and drums to piano and back and forth and back again with a percussion in the percussion of percussion."

Ladyscissors

Channeling the jangly garage rock vibe from Velvet Underground to Beat Happening, Ladyscissors mixes in a healthy dose of doo-wop vocals to create their debut album, Glitterbox.

Lorrie Hurckes - guitar, vox
Brent George - guitar
Anne Bull - bass, vox
Stephanie Rearick - drums, vox

Stephanie Rearick Jr.

Stephanie Rearick Jr. -- Stephanie Rearick's latest project features her with her casio, trumpet and loop pedal. Some will be familiar to her fans but bunches of new, too and it is different enough to require its own name.

Maestro Subgum and the Whole

Music with Teeth for People with Gums..

This fantastically creative rock/cabaret band out of Chicago is long gone, releasing their last album in 1995. Their eight studio albums have been out of print for way too long.

To remedy that, Uvulittle Records has re-mastered and has re-released all the original albums plus previously un-available live and studio material.

MAESTRO SUBGUM AND THE WHOLE : A Brief History

Maestro Subgum and the Whole is the brainchild of Beau O’Reilly, who founded the band in Madison, Wisconsin, in the late 70s, then brought it to its creative peak in Chicago in the 80s and 90s. The band’s innovative sound – music with teeth for people with gums – was always a cabaret of rock, folk, and stage musical songs, strong on melody and intelligent lyrics. The songs were usually topical, though they never shied away from the personal politics of love and life.

Originally centered on strong trio vocals and a full piano sound (provided by first Kit Keasey, then Joe Huppert, then Michael Greenberg), the band has ranged from primarily acoustic to driving electric to the best known Maestro era featuring as many as 7 singers and a horn section. While quite an array of musicians have contributed to the Maestro legacy, Beau has always kept the focus on the vocals, although many a gig ended with everybody shaking the proverbial leg. The band has also been closely associated with the Chicago Theatre scene, especially the Curious Theatre Branch and the Rhinoceros Theatre Festival.

Beau always pontificated between songs as Lefty Fizzle, the Chaplin-moustached, cane-wielding conscience of the group, and he also assigned stage names to the other band members (Jenny the Magnifire, Joe Tech, Miki da Lip, Red Ned the Flaming Messenger of Love). At its most ambitious, the group toured regionally (particularly to Madison) and even abroad, but its core audience has always been Chicago, in theatres and in clubs such as Lower Links, Phyllis’ Musical Inn, and The Lunar Cabaret.

Songs in the Maestro canon are mostly original, often written in collaboration, and largely by Beau O’Reilly, Jenny Magnus, and Michael Greenberg. The cover songs usually did not ape their originals, but instead brought fresh sounds and interpretations to tunes by Greg Brown, Michael Smith, Jonathan Richman, and even back to Vaudeville and Music Hall writers. Recordings, released on various independent labels, were mostly made during the late 80s and 90s when Beau and Jenny were the primarily singers, and Miki directed the musicians.

Mary Bue

“There is a curious power in the ability to view one’s life with an unjaundiced eye. It’s not about being fearless, although that doesn’t hurt, it’s about the ferocity of spirit required to accept the world as it is and move forward from there. Singer/songwriter Mary Bue’s songs crackle with this power, mixing piano and guitar, folk and pop, and redolent with private tragedy and shared elation. Her voice, described as “marvelously sultry and cool,” lends her vivid, sometimes existential lyrics a texture that is both intimate and expansive. Mary Bue This intimacy is Mary’s calling card. Her lyrics invite you in and you’re right there with her as she sings, barefoot in the sand or walking along the Mississippi, heart pounding from your chest, letting go, hanging on, vibrant, alive. She brings you into her adventures, trials, and triumphs through her lyrics, and keeps you engaged with melodies you’ll find yourself humming to yourself long after the music has ended.” – Aaron Richner

“Mary describes her own work as ‘the retellings of adventures, mishaps, and pains-in-the-ass.’ Which is simply to say that through her experiences touring the country, studying yoga from 2008 to 2011 in Seattle, attaining a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and falling in and out of love, she has a lot of wisdom to retell. The songs are a map she has drawn through the depths of the ocean of human experience; and even though the lyrics are often pulled from secret, dark places, Mary’s presence is a positive one, full of laughter and light.” – Amy Clark, KAXE
An accomplished recording artist and touring musician, Mary’s 4 studio albums manage to capture her electrifying stage presence. Mary’s last album, Apple in the Ocean, was 100% fan-funded via Kickstarter. She has been awarded the “Escape to Create” Artist in Residence in Seaside, FL, and the Big Cypress Nature Preserve Artist in Residence in Ochopee, FL. Over 16 years, 38 states, hundreds of thousands of miles and countless venues from tiny coffee shops to large outdoor festivals, Mary has shared the stage with many talented musicians, including Erin McKeown, Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde), Emm Gryner, Kathleen Edwards, Alan Sparhawk from Low, Marissa Nadler, Rose Polenzani, Jess Klein, Sarah Borges, Mason Jennings, Haley Bonar, Jack Johnson, Vetiver, Cory Chisel, Nicole Atkins, Jeremy Messersmith, Anaïs Mitchell, Audra Kubat, Vandaveer, Chris Bathgate and too many more to list here.

In 2014, Mary was awarded a career development grant from Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC) with the proposal to stretch & challenge her skills and release an album on her second instrument, the guitar (piano being her first instrument). This album will be electric, more rockin’ and available in early 2015. Mary recently stepped down from 3.5 years as Music Director at Duluth’s legendary folk venue Amazing Grace Cafe to pursue her musical dreams full time. In her local scene, she currently sits as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival. Recent benefit/activist performances include Safe Haven Women & Children’s Shelter annual fundraising luncheon, “Blessing of the Farm Animals” to bring awareness to the detriment of factory farming and The Arrowhead Story’s environmental plea to stop the threat of sulfide mining in northern Minnesota.

Susan & Richard Thomas

In those feverish days of the 1970s contemporary folk music was vital. As an earnest young songwriter, I lived and breathed my songs, striving for lyrics and melodies to shake up people or soothe their souls, not always succeeding, but always feeling that it was worth the effort. Richard and I rehearsed relentlessly, fine-tuning the shapes of our chords and voices to bring emotions and messages to life. The coffee house circuit was serious business, because for the most part, audiences really listened. At Juicy John Pink’s—a place where listening was elevated to an art form—our hard work paid off. There, musicians and music lovers were in tune with each other. There was electricity in the air. Acoustic music, no matter how heavy the message, floated on currents of simple joy, giving and taking and renewing. Juicy John Pink’s dedicated staff made it happen. And now that legacy comes to life again…recreated in ways we couldn’t have imagined back then. Thank you for still listening!
- Susan (Thomas) Gallion