The Tiny Band, F. Stokes, and more of the best stuff in Madison this week. | By Chris Lay, Scott Gordon, Joel Shanahan
Clockwise from left: F. Stokes plays The Frequency on December 26, Moonwalks play Mickey’s Tavern on December 26, and The Tiny Band plays the High Noon on December 29.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 26
Digibot, Moonwalks, Zinky Boys. Mickey’s 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 (“Satellite”) and Guantanamo Bay (“Gitmo”) 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 “UFO Factory” and “Painted Lady” stay grounded in sly, assured vocal melodies and Krautrock-inspired rhythms while the guitars expand into tastefully sculpted layers of feedback and reverb. —Scott 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 Dumate’s former MPC shredder Man Mantis and Doomtree’s Paper Tiger to drop this year’s stripped-down ’80s homage A Princess Named Leroy, However, he also managed to successfully crowdfund and develop Rappin’ Ricky, an animated, educational rapper for kids, and launched his first children’s book—Rappin’ Ricky! Block Party. We can’t lie, it’s 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. —Joel Shanahan
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 you’re still in their house, you’re 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 it’s just the right thing for a holiday hangover. Sure, Kevin’s act isn’t all that brainy, but after however many days of being up to your eyeballs in weird uncles no one’s 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. —Chris Lay
TUESDAY DECEMBER 29
The Tiny Band, Hirt Alpert. High Noon Saloon, 6 p.m.
In The Tiny Band, several longtime standbys of Madison’s music community, including Lisa Marine, Julia Ziemer, and Killdozer drummer Dan Hobson, play only tiny instruments—ukulele, 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. —SG
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 Monde’s 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 Missouri’s Me Like Bees and fellow Madison band Tin Can Diamonds. —SG
