Show Reviews
by Max Ink Staff Writers
Nikki Lane - High Noon Saloon Madison WI - photo by Dave Robbins
Nikki Lane with Jamie Wyatt
High Noon Saloon Madison WI December 15th, 2022
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Dec 2022
(2824) Page Views
Madison’s High Noon Saloon just needed a little sawdust on the dancefloor to turn Nikki Lane and Jamie Wyatt’s December 15th gig into a rhinestone-lined honky-tonk heaven. Cowboy hats, leather boots and faded denim filled the bar as the straight-shooting down-to-earth Nikki brought her sinful grins and twinkling side-eye along with a crackerjack band, an up-and-coming opener and of course her beautifully rootsy tunes; sassy, rockabilly vamps and country-punk blasts that scoot, woo and rumble in biographical passion and vintage kinship.
Kicking the night off with three songs from her 2017 album, “Highway Queen,” Lane vaped and sipped from a tin cup, prowling the stage and working up the gumption to let her hair down and talk about her latest album, “Denim and Diamonds.” Nikki bought the domain rights to Denim and Diamonds in a late-night impulse she did not remember until the paperwork came through the next day. Apparently Carrie Underwood used the phrase previously but Nikki informed the audience that Carrie was rich and didn’t need the money like she did.
An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt Capitol Theater, Madison, WI October 14th, 2022
An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt
Capitol Theater, Madison, WI October 14th, 2022
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Oct 2022
(2943) Page Views
While you were asked not to take pictures of the show, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett had you covered, painting pictures with their songs and in an acoustic evening sitting around trading stories, these two iconic songwriters colored their lyrical inspirations with rambling anecdotes, sly jokes, friendly teasing and open admiration. Emphasizing the homey nature of their show, the conversations often centered around the inspirations found in families. Marriage, children, love, all figured prominently in Hiatt’s, “Georgia Rae,” who then touched hearts by announcing the subject of the song, his baby daughter is about to have her own baby. Generations and traditions came across in Lovett’s, “12th of June,” whose own life arc had him waxing about being a first-time father late in life. Speaking of, “the irrefutable logic of a two-year old,” after performing, “Pants Are Overrated,” Lovett brought his dry wit and deadpan delivery in perfect harmony to the low-key atmosphere of musicians chatting, interviewing each other as fans as much as colleagues, calling each other their hero and praising albums, songs and the people who played on them.
Spoon July 13th The Sylvee Madison, WI - photo by Dave Robbins
Spoon with Bodega
July 13th The Sylvee Madison, WI
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Jul 2022
(1375) Page Views
For a band promoting a new album and the fifteen anniversary of another, Austin’s Spoon seemed equally psyched to dip into their deep catalog and play fan favorites. While, “Lucifer on the Sofa,” and, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga,”, had prominent roles on their July 13th setlist, tracks from “Gimme Fiction,” and, “They Want My Soul,” came up frequently, highlighting their ten album career with cuts from, “Girls Can Tell,” and, “Kill The Moonlight.” Meanwhile, the band’s influences made an appearance in their five-song encore, covering John Lennon’s heart-wrenching, “Isolation,” and, joined by opener Bodega, to crank out Wire’s ecstatic, “Mannequin,” for a show packed with frenzied chemistry.
The band threw themselves, sometimes literally, into the twenty-one song, hour and a half performance, a burlesque of ballistic blues, roadhouse honky-tonk and Memphis soul tuned to tasty Texas rock. There was little chit chat from frontman Britt Daniel beyond a passing remark about Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s anniversary and The Sylvee being a new space for them. The band has split its tours between Madison and Milwaukee for nearly two decades and seemed intent on filling the new, bigger venue with to the rafter passion. Based on the after-show conversations, they succeeded admirably.
Jenny Hval and band at Chicago's Constellation May 15th, 2022 - photo by Dave Robbins
Jenny Hval
May 15th 2022 - Constellation Chicago IL
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: May 2022
(1342) Page Views
On Jenny Hval’s bandcamp page there is a quote. “In 2020, like everyone else, I was just a private person. No artists were allowed to perform. I was reduced to ‘just me.’” For those who have experienced her previous theatrically crafted performances and followed her perceptive conceptual albums tackling imposed meaning, language games and sensual connections, the question, who exactly is Jenny Hval was hidden inside her electronic conjurings stalking her personal thoughts and fearless queries with evocative abstractions.
Embarking on her North American, a six-city tour with five fellow musicians, Jenny stepped out from behind her art to reveal the artist, a direct, sweet and funny person. Gone was the large intestine feather boa, the miming clowns, couture costumes and computer accompaniment. Jenny’s co-vocalist, percussionist and supplementary keyboard player Jenny Berger Myhre said the band felt somewhat naked playing without all the theatrical trappings and apparently, a large orange tent was abandoned for her stage design due to its musty smell. Instead, Jenny presented her latest album, “Classic Objects,” as an opportunity to connect to her fans on a personal level.
The Weather Station - High Noon Saloon February 24th 2022 - photo by Dave Robbins
The Weather Station with Helena Deland
High Noon Saloon Madison WI February 24th 2022
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Feb 2022
(1116) Page Views
As a light snow fell on ice-covered streets, a warm and level-headed The Weather Station provided a safe haven under a steadily heady session of beautiful tunes wrapping thoughtful lyrics inside teasing keyboards, ghostly guitar and subtle percussive touches. In a set list favoring last year’s, “Ignorance,” with a smattering of cuts from the previous two albums, the storm outside and the news of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict proved a suitable backdrop for the band to highlight an album concerned with environmental issues and our responsibility as caretakers. Singer-songwriter and frontperson Tamara Lindeman delivers fascinating compassion with cultivated urgency and she let her strong songs carry her narrative at Madison’s High Noon Saloon with barely a sentence between songs beyond a thanks for wearing masks so she and her bandmates could safely return to their native Canada.
In a flawless hour plus performance, The Weather Station impressed with their creative adventurousness and expressive sentiments, a telepathic galaxy summoned from restless tenets and nurtured worries. Occasionally crouching and frequently pacing between synthesizers, claves and guitar, Tamara’s black suit and tie hid a bright spirit, a firefly lighting moonless skies in formal attire, as her serious subjects betrayed a comforting optimism in their common sense and practical magic keeping the storm outside at bay.
CHAI Cactus Club Milwaukee WI - photo by Dave Robbins
CHAI with Su Lee
Cactus Club - Milwaukee, Wisconsin February 5th, 2022
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Feb 2022
(1357) Page Views
Only the second stop on their North American WINK TOGETHER tour, CHAI’s Milwaukee debut couldn’t have been more dazzling. Dressed in silver Lycra ponchos and fluffy pink taffeta, the four-piece pep rally filled the cramped Cactus Club stage busting moves, posing and voguing while strapping on guitars and shuffling between drums and synths. Between crowd-rousing party-funk and swooning bedroom-pop ballads, the band’s non-stop bop never let up for over a dozen songs in the packed hour set.
OHMME & Alex Grelle present Full Bush - photo by Dave Robbins
Full Bush
OHMME & Alex Grelle's celebration of Kate Bush - December 11th, 2021 - Co-Prosperity Sphere Chicago, IL
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Dec 2021
(1574) Page Views
Theater. Adding a magnifying glass to life’s conflicted head-trips. A manufactured illusion to infuse a universal feeling, a shared experience with shining lights and added colors.
In choosing Kate Bush as their muse, OHMME and Alex Grelle’s The Full Bush overflows in impressive expressions, presenting a tribute saluting not only Bush’s extraordinary songs but her sensual independence and ever-curious spirit.
Video projections, costume changes, choreographed theatrics, Full Bush revealed a musical mentor inside Bush’s vibrant insights on identity and creativity. Beginning with, “Wow,” the live performance stated its case early. The human spirit can fill rooms, priming the senses and ignite imaginations. Caressing the restless existential, “Big Sky,” “Deeper Understanding,” “Cloudbusting” and. “Running Up That Hill,” the dynamic staging transported Co-Prosperity’s art-gallery space into epic dimensions; visceral, physical drama sparking spectacles exemplified by melodic heights, outstretched limbs and breathless messages.
Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker at Madison's High Noon Saloon - photo by Dave Robbins
Adrianne Lenker
High Noon Saloon Madison WI November 19th, 2021
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Nov 2021
(1458) Page Views
Possessing a voice that holds both child-like wonder and secretive meanings, Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker’s enigmatic presence radiates a disarming charm through honest modesty, timid contradictions and beguiling shyness. Known as a talented lyricist, her solo performance at Madison’s High Noon Saloon highlighted an incredible guitarist whose classical flourishes danced beneath sophisticated folk licks. “Tuning is a big part of my show,” Adrianne offered as a sort of apology to her frequent breaks between songs before she put her acoustic guitar through its paces with sharp finger-picking styles that moved with fluid grace and laser focus.
Wood Brothers at Stoughton Opera House - photo by Tony Mueller Phine Art Photography
The Wood Brothers
Live at The Stoughton Opera House
Show Review By Tony Mueller
Posted: Nov 2021
(1588) Page Views
The Wood Brothers brought their talents back to the beautiful Stoughton Opera House for a very warming performance on a cold November night.
Fred Wesley & The New JBs - photo by Michael Sherer
Fred Wesley & The New JBs at BRIC Fest - Brooklyn, NYC, 10.23.21
Show Review By Michael Sherer
Posted: Oct 2021
(1502) Page Views
Trombonist Fred Wesley got his big time start playing with James Brown’s group in ‘69, and remained through ‘75. This was a golden era for Brown, but more importantly for Soul and Funk music at large. Wesley’s precise, powerful and tasteful playing and solos have always been a distinguished and recognizable part of the sound of the many artists he’s played with, ranging from Count Basie to Parliament-Funkadelic.
Jay Cocks & Steven Van Zandt - photo by Rod Morata/Michael Priest Photography
Steven Van Zandt in conversation with Jay Cocks - 92Y, NYC, 9.29.21
Show Review By Michael Sherer
Posted: Oct 2021
(1108) Page Views
Steven Van Zandt has a brand new memoir entitled ‘Unrequited Infatuations,’ and to accompany it a discussion was had between him and an old close friend, screenwriter Jay Cocks. It was a very relaxed, down-to-earth and engaging one, as they’ve known each other for 46 years.
Their association is an interesting one: In ‘75, when Cocks was a cultural critic for Time magazine, he found out that Newsweek magazine’s counterpart Maureen Orth was doing a piece about Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, which Van Zandt had joined that year. Cocks then convinced his editor that they were about to be beaten out to the story by their main competitor. The unprecedented result was that both weekly magazines featured Springsteen on their covers on the same day of October 27th. This was the first time that a musician had achieved that. It stemmed from the breakthrough success of Springsteen’s third record ‘Born to Run,’ which had been released two months earlier and had rocketed to number 3 on the Billboard top 200 chart, after his first two records had hardly made any splash at all.
Heartless Bastards Majestic Theater September 23rd 2021 - photo by Dave Robbins
Heartless Bastards with Tela Novella
Majestic Theater - September 23rd, 2021
Show Review By John Noyd
Posted: Sep 2021
(1172) Page Views
Dressed in cowboy boots and a black rainbow-trimmed jump-suit, singer-songwriter and moving force behind Heartless Bastards, Erika Wennerstrom embodied the band’s power-roots love-in ethos, leading the crowd down that rocky road to the Promised Land with unrepentant strength and six-string wisdom. Playing the title cut to their latest album, “A Beautiful Life,” Wennerstrom sort of shrugged her shoulder as explanation of the song’s positive outlook and asked, “what’s ya gonna do?” The crowd knew; enjoy the moment. Delivering rousing tunes with big rhythms and sizzling solos, the Bastards encourage living in the present with double-barreled renditions of “Got to Have Rock and Roll,” “Doesn’t Matter Now,” and, “Revolution,” which reminded everyone, “the revolution is in your mind.”
The band felt right at home despite the fact they hadn’t played Madison since opening up for The Decemberists at the Orpheum Theater in 2009. Accustomed to life on the road as detailed by the slinky mid-show banger, “Went Around the World,” Ohio-bred Texas transplant Wasserstrom recounted spending time in Appleton at a monastery run by some friends while writing songs for the new album. She also professed her love for West Texas desert before launching into the haunted tumbleweed waltz, “The Arrow Killed the Beast.” A restless curious spirit, it made her band’s visit to the Majestic all that more special. A somewhat rare treat to be relished and cherished.
View More
Viewing Page 1 - of 14