Celebrate Tone Madison’s 10th anniversary on December 6 at Gamma Ray Bar

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

Few publications make it to the decade mark. Tone Madison—through some combination of miracles and exhaustive cumulative effort—crossed that 10-year threshold as of October 15, 2024. We believe that’s worth celebrating. And we’re doing just that by hosting a show at Gamma Ray Bar on December 6, with a great lineup of Madison-based musicians.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the first DJ will start at 6:30. Admission is $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The show coincides with our year-end fundraising campaign, and proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Tone Madison‘s year-end fundraising campaign—a crucial source of support that enables our journalist-owned publication to continue creating fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison. Thanks to the NewsMatch initiative and a group of generous local donors who raised matching funds, the impact of your support will be tripled. If you can’t attend but would still like to support the campaign, just head to our Donate page—your new one-time and monthly donations will be matched through December 31.

Avoidancepolicy, carisa, Cult Of Lip, and my own band (Holly And The Nice Lions) will be performing. We’ve ordered the bands to gradually increase in volume throughout the night, so showgoers can ease into the festivities. Before and between sets, DJ Mu and Evan Woodward will be spinning in the front room. DJ Mu will be kicking things off at 6:30, while carisa—an acoustic singer-songwriter who deftly blends a number of genres—will start at 7. Frenetic electronic act Avoidancepolicy will follow. Indie-punk trio Holly And The Nice Lions and shoegaze trio Cult Of Lip will be the final bands of the night. Evan Woodward will be DJing before both acts.

Several of the performing artists have written for Tone Madison in the past, including both DJs. The other artists who haven’t contributed to us have earned a spot on our annual year-end list of favorite local albums over the past few years. It was important to us to encompass a range of genre diversity (and volume) on this bill, as we believe that bridging those gaps fosters a stronger sense of musical community.

Without local music, a core component of Tone Madison would not exist. Part of the reason why we have managed to grow and thrive can be attributed to not just the artistic efforts of Madison’s local artists, but their willingness to embrace and be involved in our coverage. This cuts two ways. We have managed to build a strong stable of Madison-area writers who are often musicians with projects of their own (as laid bare by our first fundraising compilation, Contributors). And we have been able to cultivate an environment where the musicians who aren’t involved in Tone Madison‘s editorial side actively reach out to us to make sure we’re kept as up-to-date as possible.

We have worked hard to earn the trust and respect of the local music community. This has been a readily apparent factor of Tone Madison since its 2014 launch, when the publication was more heavily focused on music. Given that Tone Madison‘s launch party—way back in November 2014, with Czarbles and Ucarri Maze at the High Noon Saloon—was also an incredible show, there is a fitting full-circle component at play as well.

No matter what the future holds for Tone Madison, its legacy will be intertwined with its commitment to treating local music and musicians with the seriousness and scrutiny they deserve. (On a not-unrelated note: thank you to everyone who recently voted us into our third consecutive Madison Area Music Award for “Local Music Media Of The Year.”)

This show genuinely means something to us here at Tone Madison, and we hope it winds up meaning something to you as well.

We have attached a short video playlist featuring live performances from the artists who will be appearing at the show. And we may still have a surprise or two up our sleeve. The best way to find out is by attending!

Tickets can be purchased here.

See you there!