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Steven Spoerl

Tone Madison’s Music Editor from 2020-2025. 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.

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Steven's Latest Articles

Tom Curry's hand extends out over an array of white effects pedals on a pedalboard. The hand is centered in the image. He's wearing a military-green long-sleeve, and a silver wedding band is visible on his ring finger. He has a black watch. All of the background is in soft focus.
Madison’s musical odds and ends of 2024
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Music
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January 17, 2025

Eclectic eccentricites abounded in a memorably varied year.

‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1d Continuing our substantial coverage of the best Madison music of 2024 today with this second roundup of standout tracks... from Bell Monks to The Spine Stealers (and 13 others!): Tone Madison's favorite songs of 2024, pt. II The Madison songs that beat the odds and helped us get through the year. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1d This week, we'll be looking back on the best Madison music of 2024. The coverage begins with part one of a two-part roundup of our favorite songs: Tone Madison's favorite songs of 2024, pt. I The Madison songs that beat the odds and helped us get through the year. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 2d UW-Madison history professor @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social collaborated with Bad Bunny to help listeners explore the historical and political context of the singer's new album. He spoke with @aliceraeherman.bsky.social about the project Bad Bunny teams up with Jorell Meléndez-Badillo to unpack Puerto Rican history The UW-Madison professor accompanies the singer's new album with rich political context. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d About 9.6k of you have been kind enough to follow us in the recent Bluesky boom. If each of you kicked in $15 per year, it'd fund our entire annual budget and then some. That's the power of lean, worker-owned media working hand-in-hand with readers. ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d We're at 84% of our year-end fundraising goal. McCoy is here to remind you that if you donate before 11:59 pm CST, your donation will be TRIPLED my matching funds. Reader donations keep our coverage of Madison strong, so please help us get to the finish line! tonemadison.com/donate Photo of a handsome tabby cat resting on a desk next to a keyboard ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d We're at 90% of our year-end fundraising goal with six hours to go. Every dollar helps us afford the time and effort of reporting, writing, editing, and illustrating great journalism for Madison. Every bit truly makes a difference—and matching funds will triple your impact tonemadison.com/donate Support us – Tone Madison A message from Scott Gordon, publisher We’re here because readers in Madison value our work. It’s as simple as that. The more you help us out, the more we can focus on creating journalism that enriche... tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d FLASH SALE For the final 10 hours of 2024, our new, 40-track fundraiser compilation ("10") will be $10 off, bringing it to... $10. This 50% discount will only last during this time, so act fast, and add 40 incredible tracks from local artists to your library. tonemadison.bandcamp.com/album/10 10, by Tone Madison 40 track album tonemadison.bandcamp.com Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 14d We're at 84% of our year-end fundraising goal. McCoy is here to remind you that if you donate before 11:59 pm CST, your donation will be TRIPLED my matching funds. Reader donations keep our coverage of Madison strong, so please help us get to the finish line! tonemadison.com/donate Photo of a handsome tabby cat resting on a desk next to a keyboard ALT Reposted by Tone Madison ‪steven_mps‬ ‪@stevenmps.bsky.social‬ · 15d We could REALLY use your support as we close out this fundraising season over at Tone. We've published great pieces & I've worked hard to elevate my role as a writer, editor, photographer, events coordinator, & co-owner. Here's a thread of some 2024 highlights. Donate if you'd like to support us! ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d Time's almost up—and we're still about $5k shy of our year-end fundraising goal. Donate today, and your impact will be tripled by matching funds from NewsMatch and a group of generous local donors. Your support makes our work possible, and we want to deliver for you in 2025! tonemadison.com/donate Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Rachel DL‬ ‪@racheldl.bsky.social‬ · 15d One of my favorite things I've worked on!! Thank you to @tonemadison.bsky.social for letting me work on this comic! ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d In January, @racheldl.bsky.social used comics journalism to explore the fatal flaws in Madison's approach to affordable housing, and the impacts on people with disabilities: Madison’s (un)affordable and (in)accessible housing problem The hoops and hurdles to accessing affordable housing tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d Time's almost up—and we're still about $5k shy of our year-end fundraising goal. Donate today, and your impact will be tripled by matching funds from NewsMatch and a group of generous local donors. Your support makes our work possible, and we want to deliver for you in 2025! tonemadison.com/donate ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d What do we do with the money our readers donate? Quite simply, the answer is in every single thing we publish. Let's look back at some highlights from 2024. ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 15d In January, @racheldl.bsky.social used comics journalism to explore the fatal flaws in Madison's approach to affordable housing, and the impacts on people with disabilities: Madison’s (un)affordable and (in)accessible housing problem The hoops and hurdles to accessing affordable housing tonemadison.com Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Scott Gordon‬ ‪@scottgordonwi.bsky.social‬ · 18d A very cool thing that's happening this year is that a lot more new donors are supporting us for the first time. NewsMatch gives us a bonus if we get 50 new donors during the year-end campaign. Right now we're at 45. If you're thinking about getting off the sidelines, now's the best time to do it! ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 18d We're down to the wire on our year-end fundraising campaign. Your donations through December 31 will be tripled by matching funds, and will power our fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison in 2025: tonemadison.com/donate/?utm_... ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 18d We're down to the wire on our year-end fundraising campaign. Your donations through December 31 will be tripled by matching funds, and will power our fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison in 2025: tonemadison.com/donate/?utm_... ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 19d There's still time to support fiercely independent, local journalism and have your contribution TRIPLED with matching funds. Here's why one reader believes Tone Madison is worth supporting: tonemadison.com/donate/ A block quote on an orange background that reads: "Tone Madison is the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have. It's particularly rare these days to find media that's produced by people who are rooted in the place they're reporting on, while maintaining the necessary objectivity. Tone provides clear-eyed coverage of politics by contributors I respect, and reports on local culture with curiosity and enthusiasm. We are so fortunate to have Tone poking around in places other publications don't or won't, and they need our support to continue this vital work." Attributed to Jessica Gilkison, reader. ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 22d No one covers Madison like we do—and it's all thanks to the support of our readers. Help us meet our year-end fundraising goal by December 31, and matching funds will TRIPLE your impact to power our journalism into 2025 tonemadison.com/donate/?utm_... A progress bar at 63% is set against an orange background, with the text: “Only on Tone Madison” stories. Only with your help. You power our vital culture and politics coverage. ALT Reposted by Tone Madison ‪renee 🪩‬ ‪@reverenddollars.bsky.social‬ · 25d Reply to dylan A commitment and dedication to terrorizing cities on isthmi Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Scott Gordon‬ ‪@scottgordonwi.bsky.social‬ · 25d Reader donations got us through our first 10 years as a very small, rather odd publication. Indeed, nothing else would have. Help us get the rest of the way to our goal? ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d We asked members of our community to tell us, in their words, why Tone Madison is worth supporting: tonemadison.com/articles/a-d... We're at about 60% of our year-end fundraising goal. Help us get there by the December 31 deadline, and matching funds will triple your impact! tonemadison.com/donate a bad attitude towards the status quo · unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change · sharp news analysis and tough commentary on local politics · owned by the people doing the journalism · a crucial source for understanding Madison · deeply thoughtful about the city's softest and weirdest parts · the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have · fearless, honest, and at times hilarious · sets the tone for documenting the arts in Madison · publishes stories no other publications have the guts to run · fearless writers and editors who are not afraid to push the envelope · any city in the country would be lucky to have a Tone Madison covering its culture ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d We asked members of our community to tell us, in their words, why Tone Madison is worth supporting: tonemadison.com/articles/a-d... We're at about 60% of our year-end fundraising goal. Help us get there by the December 31 deadline, and matching funds will triple your impact! tonemadison.com/donate a bad attitude towards the status quo · unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change · sharp news analysis and tough commentary on local politics · owned by the people doing the journalism · a crucial source for understanding Madison · deeply thoughtful about the city's softest and weirdest parts · the hyper-local, independent journalism every city deserves, but so few have · fearless, honest, and at times hilarious · sets the tone for documenting the arts in Madison · publishes stories no other publications have the guts to run · fearless writers and editors who are not afraid to push the envelope · any city in the country would be lucky to have a Tone Madison covering its culture ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d What's Seattle getting? Here are a few things we've written about Chief Barnes over the past four years 🧵 ‪The Urbanist 🕊️‬ ‪@theurbanist.org‬ · 25d INBOX: “Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the appointment of Shon Barnes as the next Chief of the Seattle Police Department (SPD), following a national search. Barnes has served as the Chief of Police for Madison, Wisconsin since 2021…” View full thread ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d Officers at MPD have continued to face misconduct allegations during Barnes' tenure. That includes officers implicated in domestic violence incidents, as @stinadale.bsky.social noted in 2022 Madison police are not learning their lesson Domestic violence and the city's latest budget find cops sticking to familiar, toxic patterns. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 25d In all fairness, Barnes did try to fire at least one officer who faced domestic violence allegations. The Madison Police and Fire Commission blocked that, as @wkow27news.bsky.social reported in May www.wkow.com/news/top-sto... Madison police chief's bid to fire accused sergeant blocked An attempt by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes to fire a sergeant accused in an off-duty domestic incident was stymied by the Madison Police and Fire Commission. www.wkow.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 26d This month in "Small Bites," @jesseraub.bsky.social has one request: Pay more for your meat. Or, "buy your meat from a local meat store that has a direct relationship with the farms where the animals are raised." tonemadison.com/articles/sma... Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Grant‬ ‪@nothingunfinished.bsky.social‬ · 26d an (even more) unusual year in film for Tone Madison, but still one of note as we have intentionally and incidentally assessed the decade's continuing surge of changes to the publishing landscape. grateful to all my colleagues, friends, and freelancers who've chimed in 🎞️✍️🙏 ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo Our film section editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social takes stock of the successes of Tone's 2024 year in film-related coverage. Core staff and contributors across the greater Madison area came through time and again to create meaningful dialogue. tonemadison.com/articles/cen... An arts gallery space is packed with people for a digital screening on a projection screen at the front of the room. The crowd all faces forward at the animated blue and white images on the screen. The far side of the galleries behind the attendees is mood-lit in a neon green. ALT An empty movie theater lobby is illuminated by fluorescent lights above TV screens that list the eight movies currently playing at the venue. Against the left wall is a promotional banner for "Joker: Folie À Deux" that is illuminated around the edges by blue lights. ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 27d It's time for Tone Madison's annual Venmo Bingo. Help us fill up this card—Venmo a donation to @tonemsn, and we'll mark off the spaces as we go! All of your contributions will be TRIPLED with funds from the national NewsMatch initiative and a group of generous local donors. ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 27d The Alders who engaged in bizarre and pitiful dissembling about the censure of Charles Myadze are unfit for public office, writes @scottgordonwi.bsky.social We've witnessed a true test of the quality of Madison Alders The Charles Myadze controversy has revealed how low some Common Council members will go. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 28d Kevin Price, killed by Fitchburg police in August, deserves better than the muddled narrative officials and some media outlets have presented tonemadison.com/articles/fit... Fitchburg police killed my friend. Don't let them control his story Kevin Price deserves better than the muddled narrative officials and some media outlets have presented. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 29d In his first piece for us, David Boffa studies the incredible scope and scale of Richard Mosse's new 74-minute film, BROKEN SPECTRE. This experimental environmental exhibition is showing in Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's second-floor gallery through mid-February 2025. "Broken Spectre" reframes the Amazon as an urgent, revisionist Western Richard Mosse's experimental environmental film is showing in MMoCA's main second-floor gallery through mid-February 2025. tonemadison.com Reposted by Tone Madison ‪Scott Gordon‬ ‪@scottgordonwi.bsky.social‬ · 1mo “A bad attitude towards the status quo” is not something we’re gonna live down anytime soon. We’ve passed the 50 percent mark in our fundraising drive and have two weeks to hit the rest of our goal—please us maintain our bad attitude tonemadison.com/donate/ Support us – Tone Madison A message from Scott Gordon, publisher We’re here because readers in Madison value our work. It’s as simple as that. The more you help us out, the more we can focus on creating journalism that enriche... tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo We have reached 40% of our fundraising goal for 2025! During this month's NewsMatch campaign, new donations are being matched up to $1,000 per individual and up to $36,000 in total. Here's why journalist-turned-City-spokesperson Dylan Brogan thinks Tone Madison is worth supporting. A quote that reads: Tone Madison combines a bad attitude towards the status quo with an obsessive adherence to thoroughness and journalistic ethics. That's produced a local news outlet that meaningfully contributes to the ongoing public tussle that defines Madison politics and culture. We are lucky our community has a media organization so committed to dogged reporting and sharp analysis, and they do it with flair. ALT A quote that reads: That's worthy of your financial support. Not to mention, they give it all to their writers and are terrible at business stuff, folks. Give Tone Madison a couple of bucks for their trouble. A city with less independent media, what's that going to cost ya?" The quote is attributed to Dylan Brogan, former Madison journalist who turned to the dark side. An editor's note at the bottom responding to the statement that Tone is bad at business says "No we're not! That's not true!" ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo If we get 50 new donors (at any amount!) we'll receive a $1,000 bonus from NewsMatch. That will go toward paying our writers, artists, and editors. We are halfway there, but have until December 31! Here's why one of our contributors, @millbot.bsky.social thinks Tone Madison is worth supporting. Quote that reads: Tone Madison is the local media outlet that Madison both needs and deserves: unflinchingly honest about our shortcomings and opportunities for growth and change, lovingly engaged in and supportive of what makes our community special, and always willing to dig in and do the hard work that few others are doing." ALT Quote that reads: "In a time when quality local journalism is more threatened than ever, it's imperative that we put our money where our hearts are. I'm grateful that Tone exists and would that to continue to be the case—and that takes love AND money!" Attributed to Emily Mills, writer and musician. ALT ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo Are you disturbed about Madison police wrestling an elderly Black man to the ground in front of customers at a Willy Street diner? Because that happened, on November 21 at Willaby’s Cafe You would think we would care A violent arrest on Willy Street and our unconscionable blind spots. tonemadison.com ‪Tone Madison‬ ‪@tonemadison.bsky.social‬ · 1mo In this week's "From the archives," revisit Ben Munson's classic Microtones column on the great butter fire of 1991 From the archives: Butter where butter shouldn't be As Tone Madison's 10th anniversary approaches, we look back at some highlights from the past decade. tonemadison.com Home Search Notifications Chat Feeds Lists Profile Settings New Post Search Following Discover Popular With Friends More feeds Trending Commanders Feedback • Privacy • Terms • Help A graphic shows 20 album covers arranged in four rows against a purple background. A graphic shows 20 album covers arranged in four rows against a purple background.
Tone Madison’s favorite records of 2024
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January 15, 2025

A selection of 20 highlights from a widely varied year of Madison music.

An illustration shows 15 album covers arranged in a grid against a blue background.
Tone Madison’s favorite songs of 2024, pt. II
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January 14, 2025

The Madison songs that beat the odds and helped us get through the year.

15 album cover graphics are arranged in a grid against a yellow-orange background.
Tone Madison’s favorite songs of 2024, pt. I
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Music
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January 13, 2025

The Madison songs that beat the odds and helped us get through the year.

a close-up image of a completely band-stickered bar that Gamma Ray Bar restored from The Frequency, with the number "10" appearing in large text in the center in white. The image has a grainy texture and is tinted in a moody blue palette.
Tone Madison presents: 10
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December 6, 2024

Our new fundraising compilation celebrates 10 years of Madison area music.

American photographer James Hamilton is shown in a black-and-white photograph. He's in a dark long-sleeve shirt and jeans, with a dark mop of hair. He's holding a flash film camera. He's in a slight lean, with his head tipping slightly as well. His eyes remain fixed straight ahead. The photo is a still from "Uncropped."
James Hamilton’s legacy snaps into focus in “Uncropped”
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November 11, 2024

D.W. Young's documentary, which chronicles the legendary photographer and decline of journalism, premieres locally at Arts + Literature Laboratory on November 14.

Cult Of Lip perform at High Noon Saloon. To the left of the image, Hannah Porter plays a black Rickenbacker and sings. In the lower left, Terrance Barrett plays drums. Behind them a banner that reads "The end of an error" is partially visible.
Celebrate Tone Madison’s 10th anniversary on December 6 at Gamma Ray Bar
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November 7, 2024

Cult Of Lip, carisa, and more will play a benefit for our year-end fundraising campaign.

Wonderporium's Tom Curry plays tuba at Giant Jones Brewing Company for the release show of "Two Impromptus." He's wearing a muted army-green jacket, glasses, and holding his tuba close to his face. The image is a hard close-up, with the instrument cutting out of the frame on the left side of the image. Curry appears to be in a state of deep focus.
As night comes quicker, Madison musicians skew darker
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November 6, 2024

Local releases from September and October pack plenty of punch.

A close-up image of a completely band-stickered bar that Gamma Ray Bar restored from The Frequency, with the number "10" appearing in large text in the center in white. Below it are logos for Tone Madison and NewsMatch.
 10 (more?) years of Tone Madison
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November 1, 2024

Our crucial year-end fundraising campaign begins.

On the right side of the image, Thax Douglas leans down and speaks into a microphone at Mickey's Tavern. He's reading from an open notebook that he holds in his right hand, beneath the microphone. Behind him is a member of the band Lung, who looks down at Douglas' notebook. She is on the right side of the image. Douglas is wearing a black shirt and baseball cap. The image is grainy and has an orange tint.
Band-introducing poet Thax Douglas rekindles his own music career
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October 28, 2024

The multidisciplinary artist talks with us about his growing discography and creative approach.