The Tiny Band, F. Stokes, and more of the best stuff in Madison this week. | By Chris Lay, Scott Gordon, Joel Shanahan
SATURDAY DECEMBER 26
Digibot, Moonwalks, Zinky Boys. Mickeyâs Tavern, 10:30 p.m. (free)
Madison band Digibot seem to only play the occasional one-off holiday reunion show lately, and I miss their endearingly over-the-top mix of punk and mangled pop. Singer Mike Hess belts out lyrics about the surveillance society (âSatelliteâ) and Guantanamo Bay (âGitmoâ) with a voice that ranges from a burly punk growl to an oddball falsetto, coming across with both righteous outrage and a spazzy sense of humor. Detroit band Moonwalks play a focused and alluring strain of psych-rock on their new album Lunar Phases. Tracks like âUFO Factoryâ and âPainted Ladyâ stay grounded in sly, assured vocal melodies and Krautrock-inspired rhythms while the guitars expand into tastefully sculpted layers of feedback and reverb. âScott Gordon
F. Stokes Day After Christmas Party. Frequency, 9 p.m.
Former Madisonian and currently Oakland-based rapper F. Stokes kept pretty damned busy this year. First, he teamed up with two inventive beat constructors in Dumateâs former MPC shredder Man Mantis and Doomtreeâs Paper Tiger to drop this yearâs stripped-down ’80s homage A Princess Named Leroy, However, he also managed to successfully crowdfund and develop Rappinâ Ricky, an animated, educational rapper for kids, and launched his first childrenâs bookâRappinâ Ricky! Block Party. We canât lie, itâs adorable, impressive, and pretty unsurprising that he actually pulled the latter off. Once again, Stokes will return to Madison for his annual day-after-Christmas show, which will feature longtime, Madison-based collaborator, producer, and DJ Radish. âJoel Shanahan
<a href=”http://fstokes.bandcamp.com/album/a-princess-named-leroy”>A Princess Named Leroy by F.Stokes</a>
Kevin Farley. Comedy Club On State 8 & 10:30 p.m.
The time right after Christmas proper, after the presents have been opened, that is a strange dead zone of activity. People are maybe still in your house, or youâre still in their house, youâre burned through all the small talk and shot the shit about whatever sports team is doing its thing, and if you have one more spiked egg nog your family is going to start thinking (finally figuring out?) that you have a problem. Now, I dunno who it was that pitched this last-minute-ish show, a home for the holidays Kevin Farley or The Comedy Club On State, but itâs just the right thing for a holiday hangover. Sure, Kevinâs act isnât all that brainy, but after however many days of being up to your eyeballs in weird uncles no oneâs looking for the Dostoevsky of humor, and his broad silliness will likely work for even your most conservative Trump-stumping cousins. Gerrit Elzinga features and Colin Bowden hosts. âChris Lay
TUESDAY DECEMBER 29
The Tiny Band, Hirt Alpert. High Noon Saloon, 6 p.m.
In The Tiny Band, several longtime standbys of Madisonâs music community, including Lisa Marine, Julia Ziemer, and Killdozer drummer Dan Hobson, play only tiny instrumentsâukulele, mini drum kit, and so on. Beyond that gimmick is a repertoire of soulful and often melancholy originals and covers, and the band will be debuting some new songs here. This show also marks the debut of a new Madison band, Hirt Alpert. âSG
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 30
Uzi Ferrari, Me Like Bees, Tin Can Diamonds. High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.
Madison trio Uzi Ferrari formed after the breakup of the much-missed punk band Bes Monde, with Bes Mondeâs Eric Schinker on vocals and bass. Expect a set of power-pop originals with a raffish edge, drawing hard on the spirit of Guided By Voices and Cheap Trick. They play here with Missouriâs Me Like Bees and fellow Madison band Tin Can Diamonds. âSG