The cast of "Not Another D&D Podcast," from Left to Right: Emily Axford, Tanner Caldwell, Jake Hurwitz, and Brian Murphy. Axford is sitting on a wooden bar with a row of lights above her, Hurwitz is sitting, legs open, on a chair. Tanner and Murphy are both standing. All four are smiling.

A fantastical escape

By Steven Spoerl

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Microtones

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September 29, 2023

Examining the Wisconsin roots, popularity increase, and emotional utility of “Dungeons & Dragons.”

About Tone Madison

Music, culture, and strong points of view

Our focus is on journalism that treats culture in Madison as the complex subject it is—not as fodder for promotional fluff. We champion things we love, but we also ask annoying questions and throw the occasional brick.

Latest in Music

Blue County pistol is shown performing live on a decently large stage. Green lights cascade down on the band. From Left to Right: Gunnar Smith, Vincent Dunn, Jasper Nelson, Luis Acosta Jr., and Mac Saunders. Smith and Nelson are both wearing cowboy hats.

Blue County Pistol’s “Under Cold Country” is a perfect autumn listen

By Steven Spoerl

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Music

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September 26, 2023

The band’s debut EP presents an intoxicatingly modest blend of indie-rock and folk.

A crude line drawing shows a from-above perspective of guitar effects pedals, beer cans, guitar strings, and a guitar pick sitting on the floor.

Practicing in the margins

By Scott Gordon

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Microtones

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September 22, 2023

What happens to musicians’ rehearsal spaces as Madison redevelops?

A variety of photography equipment is set on a desk and shot from above. A laptop is open to Photoshop's main page in the middle of the image. On the right side of the image, the desk holds a Canon 5D Mark III, two Ultimax lenses, a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens, two battery chargers and one battery charger adapter, front and rear caps for the lens being used to take the image, a front cover for the camera being used to take the image, a lens hood, and a stack of graded color filters for the various lenses. Beneath the laptop towards the bottom of the desk is a protective slip case for more color-graded lens filters and a microfiber cloth still in its bag. To the left of the laptop are a Maxim MF-IX film camera, two smart multicolor LED floodlights, and Tone Madison's 2022 MAMA Award Trophy. The desk is wooden and the entire image is bathed in a soft brown light. Just off to the right side of the disk, a sliver of a Neewer ring light is shown illuminating the desk and all of the camera equipment.

Photography’s myriad costs produce a conflicted picture

By Steven Spoerl

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Microtones

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September 8, 2023

Too many parts of an entire industry remain out of focus.

Latest in Film

A hand holds up a Polaroid of the Salemi, Sicily, Italy location of "Kim's Video Upground" against a shelf of DVDs, titles partly obscured. Those DVDs include "Videodrome," "Chronicle Of A Summer," "The Gleaners And I," and "Gummo" amongst others.

“Kim’s Video” reaffirms the value of physical media in storytelling

By Grant Phipps

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Film

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September 28, 2023

David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s new documentary about the storied video rental store premieres at Arts + Literature Laboratory on October 4 as a benefit for Four Star Video Rental.