2014/15 MadCity Sessions Lineup is All New
It’s time again to announce the year’s MadCity Sessions lineup, and it’s a good one — we have six free after-work concerts on tap, all by local artists who haven’t played MCS before.
All concerts start at 6 pm in the fabulous Overture Hall Lobby. Food and drink is available for purchase, but the shows are always free.
Here’s what we have booked:
Thursday, September 25, 2014 | Beth Kille
Beth Kille is a 19-time Madison Area Music Association (MAMA) award winning artist from Madison, Wisconsin who has been cranking out her unique blend of rock, country, folk and blues since 2000. Kille fronted the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award-winning band, Clear Blue Betty, from 2002-2008 before launching her solo career. In 2011 she was named “Artist of the Year” by MAMA. Heralded by the Americana Gazette (2008) as a “Master Songwriter,” Kille has penned hundreds of tunes, won the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Song Showdown in 2009, and received an honorable mention among 2,000 applicants in the 2013 NSAI/CMT Song Contest for her song “End of the Line.”
Thursday, October 23, 2014 | The Mascot Theory
The music of The Mascot Theory has been called “a full-fat, high-energy dose of Americana-tinged, folk-country rock,” with lyrics and melodies laced with “passion, depth, reflection and accusation working across a spread of influences.” If you prefer to look on the bright side of the dark side, come on over – you’re gonna like it here.
Thursday, November 20, 2014 | Tani Diakite and the Afrofunkstars
Tani is a musical force who has inspired an entire community of artists. Backed by one of the hottest rhythm sections around, Tani Diakite’s Kamale n’goni (a West African ancestor to the banjo) and plaintive voice groove so hard that audiences can’t stay still – the urge to get up and move is too powerful. And, when you hear the blues played by Tani Diakite and the Afrofunkstars, you’ll understand why it is often said that Mali is the birthplace of the blues.
Thursday, January 8, 2015 | Orquesta de Kache
Made up of musicians from Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the USA, Orquesta De Kache is one of the top-booking Latin bands in the greater Madison area. Founded in the summer of 2011, Orquesta De Kache’s music includes salsa, merengue, cha-cha-cha, and cumbia, so make sure to bring your dancing shoes and favorite dance partner. Their music is so hot, you’ll forget how cold it is outside. Come early for a free salsa lesson!
Thursday, February 19, 2015 | The Madpolecats
The Madpolecats is a Madison based reggae/bluegrass family band that has been playing together for over 10 years and is currently the #1 reggae band on ReverbNation.com in Madison, WI. The Madpolecats’ fusion of traditional bluegrass instruments with reggae/ska/punk influences has created a unique sound that’s lovingly referred to as rastabilly or skunkgrass.
Thursday, April 16, 2015 | Anna Laube & Ida Jo
Anna Laube is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer from Madison, Wisconsin whose music has been featured on NPR, C|Net/Download.com, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Wisconsin Public Television, and XM/Sirius Satellite Radio. She has toured internationally and her songs have received radio airplay worldwide.
A violinist since the age of seven and an avid yogini, Ida Jo’s music is expressive and groove-oriented, bearing the marks of the southern rock and folk that influenced her. By combining her “innovative violin work and her soulful vocals” (AV Club)—“Her voice has the vibrancy of Adele with the soul of Joss Stone” (Relate Magazine)—with a healthy dose of individuality and a stubborn indie spirit, Ida Jo has earned the title of 2013 WAMI Female Vocalist of the Year, presented at TEDx, and been published in the Huffington Post.
MadCity Sessions is sponsored by WISC-TV, and recorded and broadcast by 105.5 Triple M Radio. Additional funding provided by the Arts Access Fund, component fund of the Madison Community Foundation, and contributions to Overture Center for the Arts.
