Culture

Madison’s broader landscape of art, literature, and more.

Four musicians on the Café Coda stage with black walls. Luke Leavitt sits at the grand piano to the left of center, laughing joyfully, with his left hand to his forehead. Bassist Claire Kannapell, electric guitarist Ryan Flannery, and drummer Tim Russell stand or sit behind him to the right, all smiling.

Spiritual thought in sound geography: An exit interview with Luke Leavitt

By Grant Phipps ● Music ● October 2, 2023

The versatile, formerly Madison-based musician talks with us following his recent move to Denver.

Latest in Culture

The cast of "Not Another D&D Podcast," from Left to Right: Emily Axford, Tanner Caldwell, Jake Hurwitz, and Brian Murphy. Axford is sitting on a wooden bar with a row of lights above her, Hurwitz is sitting, legs open, on a chair. Tanner and Murphy are both standing. All four are smiling.

A fantastical escape

By Steven Spoerl ● Microtones ● September 29, 2023

Examining the Wisconsin roots, popularity increase, and emotional utility of “Dungeons & Dragons.”

A hand holds up a Polaroid of the Salemi, Sicily, Italy location of "Kim's Video Upground" against a shelf of DVDs, titles partly obscured. Those DVDs include "Videodrome," "Chronicle Of A Summer," "The Gleaners And I," and "Gummo" amongst others.

“Kim’s Video” reaffirms the value of physical media in storytelling

By Grant Phipps ● Film ● September 28, 2023

David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s new documentary about the storied video rental store premieres at Arts + Literature Laboratory on October 4 as a benefit for Four Star Video Rental.

An image distorted in splotches of neon yellow and pink light halos gradually turning to blue, purple, and green also displays a woman (Bianca Martin) sitting and staring at the camera. Her mirror image is projected larger to her right. The negative image of a crystal ball rests below her to the right of that.

Enter the glitchy, experimental world of Alex T. Jacobs’ video art

By Grant Phipps ● Film ● September 18, 2023

Catch the premiere of his new short “Hdyk,” starring Bianca Martin, at Project Projection at Arts + Literature Laboratory on September 20.

A variety of photography equipment is set on a desk and shot from above. A laptop is open to Photoshop's main page in the middle of the image. On the right side of the image, the desk holds a Canon 5D Mark III, two Ultimax lenses, a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens, two battery chargers and one battery charger adapter, front and rear caps for the lens being used to take the image, a front cover for the camera being used to take the image, a lens hood, and a stack of graded color filters for the various lenses. Beneath the laptop towards the bottom of the desk is a protective slip case for more color-graded lens filters and a microfiber cloth still in its bag. To the left of the laptop are a Maxim MF-IX film camera, two smart multicolor LED floodlights, and Tone Madison's 2022 MAMA Award Trophy. The desk is wooden and the entire image is bathed in a soft brown light. Just off to the right side of the disk, a sliver of a Neewer ring light is shown illuminating the desk and all of the camera equipment.

Photography’s myriad costs produce a conflicted picture

By Steven Spoerl ● Microtones ● September 8, 2023

Too many parts of an entire industry remain out of focus.

A white kayak rests upside down on saddle horses in the grass by a stone building.

Summering in analysis paralysis

By Jesse Raub ● Microtones ● August 18, 2023

The pressure to maximize summer fun in Madison.

A white marquee with black lettering above a green awning reads "Village Players SOGO Film Fest 3 Locations August 11-13."

The SOGO Film Festival captures the heart and spirit of Wisconsin filmmaking

By Grant Phipps ● Film ● August 7, 2023

The Stoughton-based indie film festival expands to three venues across three days—August 11 through 13—for its second year.

A collage shows the logos of several recent Madison apartment developments, including Humbucker Apartments, Ella, and The Standard, over a grainy background of an architectural drawing of a building facade.

A definitive grading of Madison apartment building names

By Jesse Raub ● Microtones ● July 28, 2023

Dude, we’re hum-bucking the standards when it comes to gentrified branding.

Brown Paper Tickets owes thousands of dollars to Madison venues and promoters

By Scott Gordon ● Music ● July 19, 2023

The popular ticketing company has fallen into a pattern of delayed payments across the country.

Photo of an outdoor event where two librarians in rainbow tutus sit at a long table with two drag queens.

Madison-area librarians vs. the far right

By Mel Hammond ● Politics ● July 19, 2023

Despite harassment, Madison-area librarians bring Pride events to LGBTQ+ youth.