Well, it’s almost Halloween and that means FreakFest! Prepare to enjoy Madison’s paramount weekend of spookiness, live music, and debauchery! And do it right.
Do it with work and midterms buried far in the depths of your cranium. Do it while wearing grandma and grandpa’s donations to Ragstock. Do it dressed up as your favorite Internet sensation of the past year… or maybe the past six months, to be safe.
Lastly, do it the Jonk Music way. In honor of what’s bound to be an insane weekend, we have compiled five must-see acts at FreakFest 2013:
Neon Indian (DJ Set)
11 PM-midnight, Capitol StageAlan Palomo is the synthesizer mastermind and general music nerd who goes by Neon Indian. Palomo has a slew of crowd friendly hits under his belt (“Polish Girl,” “Deadbeat Summer,” “Hex Girlfriend”) and there’s no reason to fret when you read the “DJ Set” provision. His live band may be absent, but Palomo’s already electronic sound should go unscathed. Palomo will surely play the blissed-out, retro synth jams he’s known for and hopefully some newer tracks/remixes as well.
F. Stokes
9:35-10:20 PM, Gilman StageF. Stokes (née Rodney Lucas) is a sharp, hardworking rapper from Chicago’s gritty South Side. After moving to Madison for his formative high school years, Lucas headed to N.Y.C. to pursue his rap dreams. With $30 in his pocket, he began a life/career in New York after working almost every minimum wage job imaginable. Fast-forward to 2013, and F. Stokes has spent 10 years there, played shows with Nas and Black Star, and toured the world. He will bring his intellectual, jazzy rap to FreakFest for a hometown show of sorts, one that’s not to be missed.
Fort Wilson Riot
8:15-8:55 PM, Capitol StageBased out of the Twin Cities, Fort Wilson Riot is the funk/soft rock/electro duo of Amy Hager and Jacob Mullis. They’ve toured their fun sound around the country and have played numerous Midwest gigs. Their sound is the kind of upbeat, energetic affair that’s well suited to a festival. They’re definitely worth checking out and they’ll be a solid precursor, a nice appetizer if you will, to a more rambunctious gig later in the night.
Matt and Kim
12:30 AM-1:30 AM, Capitol StageSpeaking of rambunctious gigs, here’s the one! Even if you have no clue who these people are, I can almost guarantee you’ve heard their signature track, “Daylight,” in a commercial or at, like, Target or something. Matt and Kim are venerable warriors of the indie pop universe, having released four albums, played countless festivals, and toured the world many times. They’re just starting to headline regional festivals like FreakFest and it won’t be surprising to see the crowd adore Matt and Kim. Their bombastic, high-octane electro anthems will bring nothing but good, fun-fueling vibes to State Street.
CRASHprez
8:30-9:30 PM, Gilman Stage with Lord of the FlyMichael Penn is a Madison-based rapper who goes by CRASHprez. The UW sophomore and journalism student has made waves for his brainy hip-hop, having opened for everyone from Danny Brown to Lil B. CRASHprez is poised to do great things with his music and in the meantime we can see him rock Madison on Saturday. Penn has collaborated with Lord of the Fly, who’s also on the bill.
Also appearing: 3LAU, Boy Blue, Chiddy Bang, Gabe Burdulis, Dirty Disco Kidz, DJ Hitmayng, The Living Statues, Lucius, Nom De Strip, The Royal, Sexy Ester, The Sharrows, Vic & Gab, and Watsky.