Ticket Giveaways

Click here to enter any of
our current ticket giveaways:
6/26 :  ZZ Ward
7/01 :  Caveman
7/16 :  Family of the Year
7/31 :  Foals
More to come later this summer!

Upcoming Shows

Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Anna Vogelzang
Dietrich Gosser

Memorial Union Terrace
8 PM; Free

Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Kelly Hogan
The Shitty Barn
Spring Green
7:15 PM; $15

Thursday, June 20, 2013
Adelyn Rose
Jonathan Sunde of
The Daredevil
Christopher Wright

Memorial Union Terrace
9:30 PM; Free

Friday, June 21, 2013
Jonk Music Presents
Jonk Music logo SOLSKINN

Julian Lynch, The Luyas,
Little Legend
, Icarus Himself,
Dietrich Gosser
, Double Ewes
Elvehjem Park
4:30-9 PM; Free

Friday, June 21, 2013
Maps & Atlases
Mutts, Midas Bison
High Noon Saloon
9:30 PM; $12/$14

Friday, June 21, 2013
Hello, Central
TL;DR

Old Sugar Distillery
9:30 PM; Free; 21+

Saturday, June 22, 2013
Parquet Courts
Cowboy Winter
Dharma Dogs

High Noon Saloon
9:30 PM; $10/$12

Monday, June 24, 2013
Andrew McMahon
Allen Stone
Majestic Theatre
7:30 PM; $25

Monday, June 24, 2013
Mount Moriah
Jesse Sykes
The Frequency
8:30 PM; $10

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Jonk Music logo ZZ Ward
Swear and Shake
Majestic Theatre
8 PM; $12/$14

Thursday, June 27, 2013
Field Report
John Mark Nelson
Memorial Union Terrace
9:30 PM; Free

Thursday, June 27, 2013
Cayucas
JBM
East Side Club
6 PM; $10/12

Friday, June 28, 2013
Mac DeMarco
Memorial Union Terrace
9:30 PM; Free

Monday, July 1, 2013
Jonk Music logo Caveman
Little Legend
High Noon Saloon
8 PM; $10/$12

Sunday, July 7, 2013
Land of Vandals
CD Release with:
El Valiente
, Adelyn Rose,
Cult & Leper
High Noon Saloon
8 PM; $5

Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Jonk Music logo The Lone Bellow
Majestic Theatre
Rescheduled: 11/7

Wednesday, July 10, 2013
PHOX
Wild Child

Memorial Union Terrace
8 PM; Free

Friday, July 12, 2013
Dawes
Shovels and Rope

Barrymore Theatre
8 PM; $20/$22

Saturday, July 13, 2013
Trapper Schoepp
and the Shades

Memorial Union Terrace
8 PM; Free

Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Jonk Music logo Family of the Year
Building on Buildings
The Frequency
8:30 PM; $12/$14

Friday, July 19, 2013
Jonk Music logo Live on King Street
Smith Westerns
Tapes 'N Tapes
Kopecky Family Band

Majestic Theatre
Gates at 5 PM, Free

Friday, July 19, 2013
Live on King Street
Afterparty

F. Stokes
Tapes 'N Tapes
Kopecky Family Band

Majestic Theatre
Doors at 10 PM, Free

Saturday, July 20, 2013
El-P, Killer Mike,
Despot
, Kool-AD
Memorial Union Terrace
8 PM; Free

Sunday, July 21, 2013
Daughn Gibson
Steve Gunn
Oedipus Tex
High Noon Saloon
8 PM; $10/$12

Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Pushmi-Pullyu
Icarus Himself

Memorial Union Terrace
8 PM; Free

Thursday, July 25, 2013
A Hack and a Hacksaw
Memorial Union Terrace
9:30 PM; Free

Friday, July 26, 2013
Jonk Music logo Live on King Street
Eric Hutchinson
Willy Porter
Alpha Rev

Majestic Theatre
Gates at 5 PM, Free

Friday, July 26, 2013
Live on King Street
Afterparty

J.C. Brooks &
the Uptown Sound
DJ Phil Money
Majestic Theatre
Doors at 10 PM, $5

Saturday, July 27, 2013
Gregory Alan Isakov
Jeffrey Foucault

The Frequency
9 PM, $15

Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Jonk Music logo Foals
Drowners
High Noon Saloon
8 PM; $18/$20

Thursday, August 1, 2013
Jonk Music logo Reignwolf
Leogun
The Frequency
8 PM; $10/$12

Thursday, August 1, 2013
Heartless Bastards
High Noon Saloon
9 PM; $15

Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Frank Turner &
the Sleeping Souls
Off With Their Heads
Ben Marwood

Majestic Theatre
8 PM; $17/$20

Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Land of Vandals
Oedipus Tex

Memorial Union Terrace
8 PM; Free

Fri-Sun, August 9-11, 2013
Summer Set Music
& Camping Festival

Passion Pit,
Big Gigantic
,
Girl Talk
, and more
Somerset Amphitheater
Somerset, WI
3-Day Pass $100+

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Appleseed Cast
The Frequency
8 PM; $14

Friday, August 16, 2013
Jonk Music logo Live on King Street
Keller Williams
Steez
Evergreen Grass Band

Majestic Theatre
Gates at 5 PM, Free

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Ben Taylor
Grace Weber
The Frequency
9 PM; $15

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Daniel and the Lion
John Statz

High Noon Saloon
8 PM; $10

Friday, August 23, 2013
Jonk Music logo Live on King Street
Reverend Horton Heat
Wayne Hancock
White Iron Band

Majestic Theatre
Gates at 5 PM, Free

Monday, August 26, 2013
Jonk Music logo Bat for Lashes
Majestic Theatre
8 PM; $18/$20

Saturday, August 31, 2013
Jonk Music logo Bleeding Rainbow
The Frequency
9 PM; $10


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Episode 27: Jonk Music
September 11, 2012 

Tuesday
Jun182013

60 Seconds with Little Legend

LITTLE LEGEND

6:30 PM at Solskinn
Friday, June 21, 2013
Elvehjem Park; free ; all ages
RSVP via Facebook

Executive Producer: Jonk Music
Produced & Edited by: Justin Sprecher
Director and Interviewer: Aaron Martinenko
Camera: Logan Covelli
Sound: Bradley Giroux

Tuesday
Jun182013

Concert Preview: Adelyn Rose

Adelyn Rose
Photo by Jesse Johnson 

BY ANDREW BRANDT | Jonk Music

"First of all, I was borneded as a baby in Madison and so it has always felt a bit like home. I actually don't remember any of it except being held on the porch while my parents packed the U-Haul. There was fruit salad."
     — Addie Strei

Adelyn Rose, a four-piece out of the ever-blossoming Eau Claire music scene, is about to bloom. Having shifted through a series of lineups during their (relatively) short existence, AdRo has found stability in its current cast, swapping their acoustic guitars for synthesizers in the process. Fronted by the adept Adelyn Strei, the group will grace the stage at the Memorial Union Terrace this Thursday. I shot emails with Addie and their drummer, Dave, last week in preparation for their visit.

In their infancy, Adelyn Rose (from now on abbreviated here as AdRo) branded themselves with acoustic guitars and hushed vocals. Their first release, a self-titled EP in 2010, was a beautiful but brief offering put together by siblings Addie and Leo Strei. Its songs proceeded like a cautious journey into the unknown, each track a careful step stripped bare to avoid accidentally planting in the wrong place.

 

Thursday, June 20, 2013
Adelyn Rose
Jonathan Sunde of
The Daredevil Christopher Wright

Memorial Union Terrace
9:30 PM; Free

By 2012 the band had amassed beyond a brother/sister duo, harvesting Paul Brandt on keys and Dave Power on the sticks. In the spring they emerged with their full-length debut, Mezzanine, an imaginative album chock-full of child-like wonder and delivered effortlessly by Addie's enchanting vocals. Serving as a full-band expansion of the EP, Mezzanine's lyrics center around settings and seasons; Dave rightfully assigned the record as having an "organic/acoustic folk-rock feel." Alas, the tides turned again: Brandt departed and the band picked up Hannah Hebl, a sort of jack-of-all trades. And with the swap came another swerve in AdRo's sound — an "electric tinge," as Dave puts it.

Yet even in flux, the band has remained nothing if not diligent, as they released a tour-only EP last summer and are readying another full-length album for July that will harbor "added synths" and "more guitar pedals than before." The record should additionally mark a lyrical shift for the group, being inspired by things as vague as "places" and as uncommon as "the movie Alien." And while the songwriting process for the new tunes has essentially remained the same — "I [Addie] initially demo the songs with GarageBand, bring them to the band, and we hash them out and turn them into full band songs" — this time around AdRo treat yo-self'd themselves, recording at Justin Vernon's infamous and "very tranquil" April Base studio with Jaime Hanson.

This Thursday, those newly-recorded tracks — and a couple aged ones — are sure to be on full display. If you're into gorgeous female windpipes, tight-knit indie rock, and free(!) shows, then you've got a friend in Adelyn Rose at the Memorial Union Terrace this Thursday night. Fruit salad is optional.

Monday
Jun172013

60 Seconds with Dietrich Gosser

DIETRICH GOSSER

5:15 PM at Solskinn
Friday, June 21, 2013
Elvehjem Park; free ; all ages
RSVP via Facebook

Executive Producer: Jonk Music
Produced & Edited by: Justin Sprecher
Director and Interviewer: Aaron Martinenko
Camera: Logan Covelli
Sound: Bradley Giroux

Friday
Jun142013

Concert Preview: The Cave Singers


Photo by Kyle Johnson 

BY MEGAN THILMONY | Jonk Music

Folky Seattle band The Cave Singers has a strange origin story. All original members were associated with punk and new wave acts (Pretty Girls Make Graves, Hint Hint, etc.), the sonic opposite of the breezy acoustic jams they now craft. What remains constant is the dark lyrical undercurrent exposing the more unseemly aspects of love, loss, and human interaction.

 

Friday, June 14, 2013
The Cave Singers
Blessed Feathers
High Noon Saloon
9:30 PM; $12

MP3:
The Cave Singers
"Swim Club"
"Black Leaf"

After being regular players in the diverse Seattle scene, members Pete Quirk, Derek Fudesco, and Marty Lund teamed up in 2007, releasing Invitation Songs and in 2009, Welcome Joy, via Matador before jumping to Jagjaguwar for No Witch in 2010. No Witch reflected the uneasiness of the era, with heavier lyricism and a more rock-oriented sound, trading away much of the lighthearted easiness of previous releases.

Building upon this diversification of sound, newest release Naomi utilizes the same lyrical depth, but more effectively expounds upon this newfound darkness by creating dynamism through thematic and sonic contrast. Breezier and poppier than ever, plus the helpful addition of bassist Morgan Henderson, repeated listens of Naomi reveal a sepia-toned but lonely core of love lost and missed.

Despite the buildup of seeming gloom, the Cave Singers live show promises to uplift and delight. Their brand of bluesy-folksy jam-bandiness was specifically made to be enjoyed live. Quirk's raspy yelp, plus Fudesco's intricate guitar work conjure the warm inclusiveness of your very talented friends leading an electrifying campfire sing-along. Being touring veterans, the night will be chock-full of stories, jokes, and love among brothers. Things will kick off with West Bend folk-savants Blessed Feathers, showcasing their starry-eyed coed interplay and priming the audience with their open, joyous performance.

Thursday
Jun132013

60 Seconds with Double Ewes

 

DOUBLE EWES

4:30 PM at Solskinn
Friday, June 21, 2013
Elvehjem Park; free ; all ages
RSVP via Facebook

Executive Producer: Jonk Music
Produced & Edited by: Justin Sprecher
Director and Interviewer: Aaron Martinenko
Camera: Logan Covelli
Sound: Bradley Giroux

Wednesday
Jun122013

Solskinn Preview: 5 Questions with Julian Lynch

Julian Lynch

BY RYAN THOMAS | Jonk Music

 

Friday, June 21, 2013
Jonk Music logo Solskinn
Julian Lynch, The Luyas,
Little Legend, Icarus Himself
Dietrich Gosser, Double Ewes

Elvehjem Park
4:30-9 PM; Free

Madison resident and UW Ph.D. student Julian Lynch plays a captivating and exploratory take on bedroom pop. But though the Wisconsin-via-New Jersey artist has been putting out records for half a decade, don't call him a full-time musician. Lynch deliberately puts his studies over his music, and not even a "Best New Music" from Pitchfork will sway his priorities. Lynch garnered the holy grail of attention-depraved Internet buzz after 2010's Mare and has received steady acclaim since. With the release of 2011's Terra and 2013's Lines, Lynch's knack for experimental pop (in addition to his knack for economical album titles) has grown considerably.

In advance of his headlining set at Solskinn on June 21, Jonk Music was fortunate enough to speak with a van-confined Lynch on his way to Washington, D.C.

You're currently on the road with Canadian indie pop group The Luyas for a three-week stint. Since you're an academic by day and you can't tour for most of the year, do you get excited to do it when you can?
JULIAN LYNCH: "I definitely get excited when I have the chance to do it. It's a different kind of schedule than what I'm accustomed to, but it's a fun break. Though I play, more or less, throughout the year, it's fun to play music every day."

Is it something you could do all year, like some of your friends out east (e.g. Real Estate or Big Troubles)?
LYNCH: "I don't think I could do it for a year straight. I would max out around a month and a half. Anything less than that is great; this current stretch is the longest one I've done since [Europe in] 2011."

You have quite a synergetic setup with The Luyas — for the tour, they're in your band and you're in theirs. How has it been to play with them?
LYNCH: "Musically it's been going extremely well. I couldn't be happier with how my songs are sounding. I showed up in Montreal for rehearsals and they already sounded great playing my material and putting their own spin on it. Also, it's cool to play with brass players and with another guitar player. We've been able to work more guitar interplay into the set, which I usually can't do. Socially, they're all great people and they're easy to travel with. Playing in their band is really cool and I hope I'm not bringing them down." (laughs)

Lines, your newest album on Underwater Peoples, features much of the ornate arrangements found on Terra and Mare. How does translating these things to a live band work? Do you ever think about the live act while you're recording?
LYNCH: "I never consider it!" (laughs) "Maybe I should consider the translation more often because I do tour to some extent. Though I think of myself first as a 'recording artist' — which is a weird term." (laughs) "As for the arrangements, I do it based on the band that I'm playing with. The songs can vary pretty greatly depending on the group. For example, with The Luyas it was different because they had parts down by the time I got there. Playing with them, as opposed to my band in Madison, presents different opportunities because of the instrumental differences. Regardless, both groups are fantastic to play with."

You study anthropology and ethnomusicology as a Ph.D. student [not a "candidate," per the ever discerning Lynch] at UW-Madison. Can you comment on Madison as a city and perhaps how it has changed you over the years?
LYNCH:
"I've learned that I like living in a city that size. No offense to D.C., where I lived before Madison, but it's not quite for me. It's shocking to me that a city of Madison's size has so much stuff going on, musically and culturally. Also, I've tried a lot of different beers there." (laughs)

Tuesday
Jun112013

Solskinn Preview: 5 Questions with The Luyas’ Jessie Stein

The Luyas, photo by Richmond Lam

BY RYAN THOMAS | Jonk Music

 

Friday, June 21, 2013
Jonk Music logo Solskinn
Julian Lynch, The Luyas,
Little Legend, Icarus Himself
Dietrich Gosser, Double Ewes

Elvehjem Park
4:30-9 PM; Free

Montreal's The Luyas make dark and atmospheric indie pop. In the vein of Broadcast and Blonde Redhead, they fuse haunting instrumentation with sweet female vocals.

The band signed to Dead Oceans for their 2011 record, Too Beautiful to Work, and released a follow-up, Animator, last year. Their third LP and a darker fare than its predecessor, Animator was purportedly influenced by the death of a band friend. But that's not to say it's a cheerless listen — Animator is filled with plenty of the fantastic pop songs that first brought attention to The Luyas.

The Luyas visit Madison's Elvehjem Park on June 21 at 7:15PM for Jonk Music's free Solskinn event. We chatted via e-mail with singer Jessie Stein yesterday while The Luyas and Julian Lynch were tour-stopped in Philadelphia.

One of many fascinating elements to The Luyas' sound is the use of unconventional instruments (ex. French horn, lap steel, Moodswinger). How has playing these instruments shaped your sound and your approach to writing songs?
JESSIE STEIN: "The truth is that mostly we are all playing our primary instruments so really it's a very natural thing, and these sounds have been a part of the band's sonic identity from the start. The Luyas has always been about responding to each other's musical inclinations more so than attempting to have a specific sound, so all of our quote-unquote weird instruments are digested naturally as a normal part of how we have been playing music together for the last decade or so."

 

MP3s:
The Luyas
"Fifty Fifty"
"Your Name's
Mostly Water"

Animator has a noticeably darker tone than Too Beautiful to Workand it may sound more cohesive. You've said it was recorded in a swift, sleepless manner and I think this brevity translated to a more streamlined recorded, sonically and lyrically. How was the process different than recording Too Beautiful to Work?
STEIN: "To Beautiful to Work was our first real album and it took us a long time to make. We hadn't toured a whole ton yet at the time that we made it, and we were working a lot with the excitement of discovering for the first time a working aesthetic balance between our sounds. By the time we made Animator, we had played more than 100 shows. We made the record in a couple of months from writing to mastering, so it was more of a fell swoop. We had developed a lot of togetherness and some of that psychic stuff that bands get about each other after a while."

You've embarked on an early summer tour with Julian Lynch and I'm told (per Lynch) that you have quite a synergetic setup — with he as a Luya for your sets and you guys as backing band for his. How has this arrangement affected the tour? Does adding a new person to the mix help keep things feeling fresh?
STEIN: "Yes, of course! We love playing music with people. It's really fun having Julian."

You guys are from Montreal and people like to draw conclusions to some sort of a "scene" happening there. What are the most exciting parts to being a musician in Montreal today?
STEIN: (laughs) "I just moved to Brooklyn."

Though you've never played Madison, you have certainly toured the States. As Canadians, what are your favorite and least favorite elements of a U.S. tour?
STEIN: "I am in love with the geographical changes that happen so dramatically as you drive across this country. And the weird polarized culture. The gross gas stations and national parks. The accents. Spending more time in the U.S.A. has made me think about a lot of things I took for granted in Canada, like free health care and cheap-ish education. But I am here for a reason. There is a very interesting vigor here — a rich diversity and vigor and even solidarity at times — and there are long expanses of road upon which to grapple with what it means to be American and Canadian and a person in the world living in a position of privilege."

Monday
Jun102013

Premiere: Little Legend “Bailout”


"Bailout"
from the EP No Way to Tell
July 2, 2013

Restless about life direction and dissatisfied with the wages of his boyish ambitions, Brandy Tudor stepped out from the mobile homes and seedy nightclubs of Bozeman, Montana and drove east. Little did he know this decision would help him solidify his current creative role — singer and songwriter for Little Legend, a rock 'n' roll band with a rapidly growing fan base across the Midwest.

 

Friday, June 21, 2013
Jonk Music logo Solskinn
Julian Lynch, The Luyas,
Little Legend, Icarus Himself
Dietrich Gosser, Double Ewes

Elvehjem Park
4:30-9 PM; Free

Monday, July 1, 2013
Caveman
Little Legend
High Noon Saloon
8 PM; $10/$12

When Tudor arrived in Wisconsin, he settled down in Madison and signed on with an interdenominational missions organization. It was there that he fell in love with poetry and fiction, particularly the work of Flannery O'Connor. His newfound faith, passion for writing, and an ever-present admiration for music soon became his lifeblood.

"So I got a regular job and started writing songs," he says. Tudor and fellow guitarist friend Joseph Copeland decided to "make a real go of things" after a train trip out to Montana. "We drank whiskey and talked about music while America's backyards flew by," says Tudor. "At the end of the trip we looked at each other and said, 'Let's start a band.'"

That was the beginning of Little Legend. After adding drummer Robby Schiller and bassist Daniel Jin to create a rock-solid rhythm section, they started working on Tudor's songs. Like Springsteen and Dylan and other great songwriters, Tudor's characters are often damaged and complex, doing the best they can with their circumstances, rising above their flaws and patterns to find meaning (and even joy) in their lives. In his song "Lonely," Tudor doesn't dwell on the lack of perfection, or not having enough, but offers up an acceptance of life and making it work:

"I ain't exactly what you've been dreaming of
And you ain't as pretty as you once was
But the magic don't just belong to the young
And two hearts are still better than one."

Tudor likes to write about characters in conflict and how they resolve their challenges. "Unless I feel like a song has a dramatic element to it," he says, "something that pulls at the heart string and tells us of the complexity of human existence, it just feels like noise to me." Little Legend's reach is expanding as they tour the Midwest and venture out further every chance they get. Their latest EP, and dirtiest, No Way to Tell, is set for release July 2 on The Record Machine, bringing with it all the embedded grit and garage-rock small town America has to offer.

Gleaning mostly from the stories of his father's generation, the record in its entirety paints a picture of the lowly dirtbag. It sings his praises and pities his condition. Still, Tudor does not exclude his own likeness in the portrait. The lead single, "Bailout," is even based on a time Tudor was bailed out of jail in Laramie, WY by a girlfriend, though he might have embellished it a little bit.

Thursday
Jun062013

Q&A with Hands’ Geoff Halliday

BY KYLIE PETERSON | Jonk Music

Like the peanut M&Ms I was eating while writing this post, the four-person band Hands produces a sound that is full of dichotomies — sweet spots with salty balance, smooth moments counteracted by texture. Synesthesia, released in April and the Los Angeles group's first full-length album, is a concoction of electronics and instrumentals that transition from rock to electro-pop to dance grooves, often within the same song. The sing-along quality to many of Synesthesia's tracks, particularly "Trouble" and "The Game is Changing Us," make for an exceptionally enjoyable listening experience.

 

Sunday, June 9, 2013
Hands
Griswald

The Frequency
8 PM; $10

Founded in 2012, Hands originally began in Philadelphia as a two-person ensemble comprised of Geoff Halliday (vocals, keyboard) and Ryan Sweeney (guitar). Upon moving to the Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A., the band was joined by Sean Hess (drums) and Alex Staniloff (bass guitar). In the short time since their formation, Hands has garnered some serious attention. Time featured the quartet as one of their "11 Great Bands You Don't Know (But Should)" in August 2012. More recently, ABC News blogger Mimi Wong listed Hands in her article, "SXSW 2013 Music Picks: 7 Emerging Artists on the Rise."

I had the pleasure of speaking with lead vocalist Geoff Halliday, who assured me that Hands' show this Sunday at The Frequency will be a killer concert-cum-dance party waiting to happen.   

After your move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, how did you and Ryan meet Sean and Alex, the other two members of Hands?
GEOFF HALLIDAY: "We were looking for people to play music with but not really putting a huge amount of pressure on the situation, just because we tried doing that and kept playing with people who didn't have the same ideas that we did. Sean had been going to school out in L.A., and our buddy Zander introduced us to our drummer. Lo and behold, I think a month later we had a practice space in Hollywood or something like that. It definitely worked out pretty well."

 

MP3:
Hands
"Trouble"

It sounds like it was a pretty organic process.
HALLIDAY: "Yeah, for sure. It definitely wasn't like [Ryan and I] sitting at a table holding auditions or something stupid like that." (laughs)

I read in an interview that you were quoted as saying of the band's union, "I met Alex, Sean, and Ryan and we all kind of had a big fist fight and then we had a slumber party and then we became a band." Was this fistfight metaphorical or was there actually a physical altercation at one point?
HALLIDAY: "No, no... it was definitely metaphorical. However, there has been a flagrant amount of injuries in the band — mostly from our bassist and guitarist. So, it's sort of like they're in a fistfight with the world. The worst thing that happens to Sean and me is that we get allergies once in a while; the other guys are like breaking bones on street corners."

But overall, you boys are less aggressive than I was envisioning.
HALLIDAY: "Yeah, we're not mad men fighting each other with bejeweled knucklets or anything like that."

You have to admit, that would make for pretty cool stories, though.
HALLIDAY:
"Maybe we'll save that for next time. Or, you know what, just write that." (laughs)

Can you tell me about your experience at SXSW? Do you have any outrageous stories to share?
HALLIDAY:
 "SXSW was awesome. We definitely have some crazy stories. This year was kind of nuts. We played at this Red Bull stage that was completely oversized and huge and awesome — which was great because it had amazing sound, good turn out, and a cool crowd. But then at night, Red Bull was throwing these all-night ragers. So, if you played the Red Bull stage or were involved somehow, you could get a wrist band that would allow you to get on a shuttle bus that then took you to this weird, outside-of-the-normal Austin party zone. [Red Bull] basically turned a huge lot/barn area into a full drunken campus. They had all this trippy art and lava lamps, and it was a completely open bar. It was insane. I just remember at one point, we were all so wasted. We came back to try and get our guitarist — trying so hard. He was literally standing right in front of the van, we were screaming his name, and he was just too drunk. It was a good time. But, we woke up the next day and played three shows."

You guys are champions. That's very impressive. Let's switch gears and talk about the album. What was the writing process for Synesthesia like?
HALLIDAY: "The lowdown on the record: we wrote some songs as early as practice number five, and some songs were capped off in the studio. So, it was definitely sort of a long writing process. I think the easiest way I could put it is that most of the songs are some individuals-in-the-band's genesis. For instance, our drummer started a groove in the song 'Kinetic' that was a drum groove, and we built everything around that. Other songs are a little bit more dance-y, and some of those come from our bassist. He'd just have a dance-y song that wasn't really a song yet, and that was sort of the writing process. One person would come with the skeletal version, and then we'd flesh it out a bit."

What about the name for the album — Synesthesia — where did that come from?
HALLIDAY: "The naming of the album was a weird process. We were just kind of sitting around trying to think of a non-direct way of expressing a lot of the conflicting feelings, emotions, everything that are present in the album. I don't even remember who exactly, but we stumbled across this disorder called synesthesia, which is a condition where your brain can't process sensory input normally at all. So we were kind of like, 'This is the perfect name.'

"It took a second for me to sort of be OK with it because at first I was like, 'Man, people are going to think we're trying to be smart by having this crazy word.' But then, I realized [the name] is too perfect. It works really well, and I think if people are asking what it means, that's better in a weird way. It gives people a reason to go learn something and check out what it's all about, as opposed to some silly name for an album that's just a song off the record. That's not as interesting for us."

In less than a month you’ll have worked your way from one coast to the other, and halfway back again. Is touring exhausting?
HALLIDAY: "It definitely is. We just played in the U.K. before this tour, and the week in between was spent decompressing as much as we could... which wasn't a lot because we ended up having to go to Las Vegas that week. There was just no real break in between. Yesterday was a day off, but the next nine days we have nine shows in nine different cities. I'm sure if you called me in ten days I might have a different answer for you.

"But, it's exhilarating too, the amount of adrenaline you get from going to a city you've never been to, and having kids that are into it. You know, I remember how excited I got about bands when I was around 14 or 15, 16, 17 [years old]; I don't think I get that excited about anything anymore! There's just this weird youthful excitement that you have during those years when you find a band that maybe your friends don't know about — it's like gold. To be the band on the other side of that feels really good."

I love the album cover. Can you explain how it was created or what the inspiration behind it was?
HALLIDAY: "We had a friend, our drummer's buddy, in Los Angeles who's a super killer graphic artist. We gave him the name of the record and the un-mastered version of the album. Two weeks later, he sent us back the beginnings of what the cover is. I think we were all kind of shocked at first — just like, whoa, this is insane. But it fits so perfectly and seeing it on a 12-inch vinyl is like, 'That's the cover of our album.' And it's real; it's not a digital thing. I'm so — not tired of seeing digital stuff — but there are so many bands that know Photoshop and just throw a filter on an image. This, though, was a piece of art that he put an intense amount of energy into. He wasted some food obviously as you can see." (laughs) "It definitely was much more of a project than Photoshopping something together and putting some text on there. This cover speaks for the album."

Is there a song on the album that you’re particularly fond of or that you have a strong personal connection with?
HALLIDAY:
"Definitely in some of the lyrics there's some more personal stuff in there. I think lyrically, 'House of Jars' might be the one that I'm most likely to never talk about. There are some things in there that I don't even know if I know about me. Musically, one of the most collaborative songs we did was 'Elegant Road.' It kind of went through a bunch of rumination. There was an original drum groove that was OK, but then our drummer filled in this syncopation and it just felt really good. We collaborated, and the end result felt like a product that was much more than the sum of its parts."

What can attendees expect to see at Hands show on Sunday?
HALLIDAY:
"A lot of dancing... and sweat. We want people to feel involved. I definitely think as a band we're a group of guys that feeds off of the crowd and vice versa. We like people to come up front. You can look down and tell if people are into it or if they're just standing there. I think — for the last few shows especially — people seem to get really into it, to the point where I'm almost like, 'Why don't you just get up on stage and just dance with us?' We want to captivate people. I remember shows where you'd go home and you don't even know how sore you are until the next day, but it was so much fun; that's sort of what we want to present to people. We have this record — and obviously there are some content on there that’s not terribly dance-y lyrically — but we kind of want to underpin it with this atmosphere of a party. At the end of the day, you might as well dance it off.

"I don’t know if you've heard our previous material, but [Synesthesia] is a bit of a departure from our other stuff. But looking back, hindsight being 20/20, I'm so glad we did it."

Wednesday
May222013

SOLSKINN featuring Julian Lynch, The Luyas, and more!

Jonk Music Announces a ‘Make Music Madison’ Showcase Headlined By Julian Lynch

Make Music Madison, Make Solstice Solskinn.

Make Music Madison is an upcoming new event celebrating both the wonder of the summer solstice and the joy of music. Just as June 21 is long, so is the list of local musicians who are set to perform in every nook and cranny of the city's limits: literally anyone can play anywhere at any time. This is as DIY as it gets, folks.

This year, Jonk Music — in conjunction with Mad City DJs and the Elvehjem Neighborhood Association — is proud to announce a Make Music Madison showcase of their own, aptly titled Solskinn. Norwegian for sunshine, Solskinn is a free evening of Madison music held at Elvehjem Park, named for famed biochemist and one-time UW-Madison president Conrad Elvehjem, the McFarland-born son of Norwegian emigrants. 

Solskinn is stockpiled with many of Madison's favorite local acts, ranging from the lush electronic dreamscapes of Double Ewes to Madison mainstays Little Legend. Solskinn will also feature sets from the epitomical Midwestern-folkster Dietrich Gosser, the gorgeously inventive The Luyas (Dead Oceans recording artists from Montreal), and experimental bedroom wunderkind Julian Lynch (who recently released Lines via Underwater Peoples). But perhaps most excitedly, Solskinn marks the return of the infamous Icarus Himself, who hasn't seen the stage since last November.

Solskinn is open to the public, and those of all ages are more than welcome to attend. Heck — bring your dog, too. The music will run from 4:30 to 9 PM at the Elvehjem Park Shelter, so be sure to pack your best picnic basket and lawn blanket in order to fully enjoy the tunes you love best with the folks you love most. And remember, when you Make Music Madison, Make Solstice Solskinn.

The lineup for SOLSKINN at Elvehjem Park on Friday, June 21 is as follows:

8:15 PM - Julian Lynch
7:15 - The Luyas
6:30 - Little Legend
5:45 - Icarus Himself
5:15 - Dietrich Gosser
4:30 - Double Ewes

RSVP here via Facebook