Author

Steven Spoerl

Music Editor at Tone Madison. Writer. Photographer. Musician. Steven created the blog Heartbreaking Bravery in 2013 and his work as a multimedia journalist has appeared in Rolling Stone, Consequence, NPR, Etsy, Maximumrocknroll, and countless other publications.

Steven's Latest Articles

The album art for "Live At The Jazz Estate" is layered in a 4 by 3 grid. The art is a modern impressionist in nature, dominated by blues and sunburst orange-yellow swirls, with a section in the middle that evokes the fretboard of a guitar.

KASE and Tiffany Miller’s new album is a masterclass in collaboration

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● June 20, 2023

“Live At The Jazz Estate” unites a collection of Madison and Milwaukee area artists.

The band Free Dirt performing at Madison's High Noon Saloon.

A handful of great Wisconsin bands will comprise the first Dirt Camp Festival

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● June 13, 2023

The all-day festival will take place in Sauk City on June 24.

Tone Madison’s 2022 annual report charts a year of growth and challenges

By Scott Gordon, Christina Lieffring, Micaela Magel, Hayley Sperling, Grant Phipps & Steven Spoerl ● Misc ● May 15, 2023

Stories, lessons, and some key numbers from our eighth full year of publication.

A photo shows Boneset Records owner Maggie Denman standing behind a counter and holding up two LPs, one from Proud Parents and the other from Baby Tyler. Behind her is a speaker, an organizer for cassette tapes, and wall signs with messages that include "smile, you're on camera" and "beware of dog."

Boneset Records will close its Madison store on June 10

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● April 26, 2023

The record store will be relocating to Milwaukee and pivoting to an online focus.

The album art for Mission Trip's "Expect That" is centered in a banner image. A golden border encircles the art, which is set against a swirling, dark maroon background.

Mission Trip’s “Expect That” is an exhilarating knockout

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● April 25, 2023

Post-punk, power pop, and indie rock prove complements across six tracks.

Writer-Director Chandler Levack is pictured holding her left hand up to her face, smiling.

Chandler Levack’s “I Like Movies” reaches through personal history to find reconciliation

By Steven Spoerl ● Film ● April 17, 2023

The Toronto-based writer-director discusses her debut feature, which screens at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 20.

Cicada The Burrower's album art for "Blight Witch Regalia" is centered against a background that mirrors, magnifies, and layers the center art.

Cameron Davis finds resonance in vulnerability on Cicada The Burrower’s new album

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● April 11, 2023

“Blight Witch Regalia” is a genre-bending triumph.

A still of Seasaw's "Dial Me Up" video in which the members are huddled together on a bed, smiling and holding up a landline telephone. Each has a pair of sunglasses superimposed onto their face by way of a lo-fi video effect.

Celebrating a selection of March’s standout tracks from Madison musicians

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● March 30, 2023

Another month, another strong slate of releases across several genres.

A still from the "Grown Used To It" video in which Tyler Fassnacht is pictured walking away from the camera in lush green woodlands. Flowers grow all around him as trees tower above.

TS Foss weathers some change in “Grown Used To It”

By Steven Spoerl ● Music ● March 24, 2023

C Nelson-Lifson helms a serene parable for our collective capacity to grow.

In the black-and-white "Persepolis" (2007), a young Marjane Satrapi is reprimanded by two lanky Islamic fundamentalists for wearing a jacket emblazoned with the words "Punk is not ded."

Animation Is Film! Festival captures the medium’s transcendental power

By Steven Spoerl ● Film ● March 18, 2023

WUD Film celebrates animation with five free screenings of modern or established animated classics at the Marquee Cinema on March 23-25.