Learn how to polka at The Bur Oak

Did I have a good time? да!

When I read a couple months or so back that Igor & the Red Elvises were coming to town, I immediately thought, "I am going. I don't care if it's on a Monday night, I am going." The thing is, I don't recall why I felt that way. I am beginning to think I saw them at a summer festival here in Madison at one point because I recognized their name and was eager to see them. And so I hoofed it over to The Bur Oak on Monday night.

I was seated up close and the show was nice'n'loud much to my delight. It kicked off with the title track of their 2017 album She Works for KGB which saw bandleader Igor Yuzov solo on his guitar using his fingers as well as a plastic banana and they didn't let up until the set break nearly an hour later. The second tune was a medley that included "Hava Nagila" - I recall that much. "Twist Like Uma Thurman" and "I Wanna See You Bellydance" got people moving.

"Everybody Polka", an original, and a medley of the Peter Gunn theme and "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors were genuine, 24-karat rock and roll. Great stuff. These folks rocked! And they had a lovely lady playing a giant balalaika-bass for that true Russian touch. Kudos to drummer Tatá Batera for keeping a steady beat and sneaking in powerful tom fills whenever she could. Sorry I didn't get a good photo of you.

After the show the lovely balalaika lady was at the merch table. Upon learning that they were unable to process credit cards, I went to an ATM to get cash. I bought a CD and was given one for free for taking the trouble to get cash.

A great show. Hopefully they come back soon.

Live music is better

Last month I returned to The Bur Oak to see Alash Ensemble, a group of Tuvan throat singers, with a friend of mine. I'd seen them there last March and was so enthralled that I bought tickets immediately when I saw that they were returning.

This time around I was a bit closer to the stage and the ensemble was down to three members. I adore all the songs about horses and mountains and life in a far off land.

The performance was just as enchanting as last year's - even more so, perhaps. More than once I fell into a trance. The steady beat and the ethereal singing just lulled me into a peaceful and blissful state, as if I had been led to the Land of the Lotus Eaters and eaten from their stash. It was simply lovely.

Hopefully they shall return soon.

I also availed myself of the opportunity to see Louis Michot last month at North Street Cabaret.

I saw him way back in 2022 with Lost Bayou Ramblers and was eager to discover what his solo work was like.

He alternated between acoustic guitar and fiddle and threw some sampling wizardry in for rhythmic good measure. He played music from his solo career of which I was completely unaware until I attended this performance, as well as some Lost Bayou Rambler tunes. He was two albums, Rêve Du Troubadour and Seauxleaux, under his own name and has collaborated with many other musicians including Leyla McCalla whom I knew from her stint with Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters.

In between songs there was plenty of banter about his life, the songs he played, and about Louisiana and Cajun culture. He told stories about his father Tommy Michot and his band Les Frères Michot where Louis and his brother Andre cut their chops; he talked a bit about the ecology of southern Louisiana; he talked about the New Orleans born composer and musician Louis Moreau Gottschalk before playing one of his songs. Just all kinds of stories.

At one point he asked if anyone had ever been to Natchitoches, a small city in northern Louisiana. I was one of three people to raise their hands. I knew about the Cane River and meat pies as my father had moved there and I got to know the place a little bit after his death when I was down there for three weeks to settle his estate.

He expressed condolences for the loss of Bob Queen who brought many a band here to Madison for the summer festivals and beyond. It sounded like Michot was more familiar with Madison than just a single swing through with Lost Bayou Ramblers.

Switching back to The Bur Oak, I finally saw Los Straitjackets. They're one of those bands that I should have seen 25+ years ago. I have been meaning to see them for ages and I am very glad that I finally did.

They play a lot of surf rock along with more rock/rockabilly tunes a la The Ventures and The Shadows. Also present that night was Deke Dickerson who collaborated with the band on 2014's Sings The Great Instrumental Hits!!!!!! where they took instrumental classics by The Ventures, Dick Dale, et al and put words to the music. In fact, they played a couple songs from that album.

Hearing Link Wray tunes live and loud was a real treat. A fantastic night.

Lastly, I saw Los Lobos down in Stoughton. It had been almost 30 years since I'd seen them at the Barrymore. Last time they came around I waited too long to buy tickets and they had sold out by the time I logged in to hand over my money.

While I didn't get to hear "Everybody Loves a Train", it was still a magical night. "Two Janes" was beautiful, affecting, moving - just great! I closed my eyes as I sang along. They jammed on "Angel Dance" and I loved every note. My mancrush on David Hildalgo continues.

Cesar Rosas asked the crowd at one point how to pronounce "Stoughton" and, upon being told, he said that someone in Chicago was mispronouncing it.

A great show.

Next up is...

Preparing for Fat Tuesday Zydeco style

The run up to Lent is for many a time of drinking, overeating, partying, and some low-level mayhem. For me, it had until recently consisted of eating pączki and lamenting that none of them had prune filling. But last week I went to The Bur Oak to see Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas. I didn't recall ever hearing them before the concert but it's Zydeco - what more do you need?

It turned out to be the loudest show I've ever heard at The Bur Oak and it was great! As expected, there was lots of accordion-led booty-shakin' goodness with an occasional slower bluesy number.

I sat in front of the guitarist and he was a hoot, hoppin' around, making faces, and simply putting on a good show as he played some mean rhythms and soloed his heart out. 

Nathan, who reminded us that he was from the land where the crawfish have soul and the gators have the blues, came down into the audience a couple times.

Not only did he play a mean squeeze box but the guy put on a show.

His band seemed to be having fun with smiles all around and they played their hearts out. The guy on washboard was rockin'! 

While I snagged a ticket for C.J. Chenier's show at the Atwood Music Hall earlier this week, I was unable to keep the Zydeco ball rolling as I had another engagement that I had to attend. At least I was able to find someone to take my ticket. It was depressing because Chenier was here a couple years back to play at La Fete de Marquette but he got rained out so I was excited to finally see him play.

Here's some video I shot that night at The Bur Oak:

Learn to polka

Listen and dance to polkas (and waltzes, & schottisches) at The Bur Oak on 22 February! Oh, and drink some beer too.

A perfect pair

After a stop at Player's for dinner, a friend and I went to The Bur Oak to see Justin Adams & Mauro Durante last night. I had never heard of either of them when the invitation was extended to me and, upon investigating, I found myself thoroughly intrigued.

Adams is English and has worked with a variety of people including Robert Plant and Brian Eno on the one hand and African musicians such as Tinariwen and Juldeh Camara on the other. His style was described as a mix of American and desert blues by the articles and press releases I consulted. Durante is Italian and the sites I found noted that he is a master of the pizzica style of violin playing of his native land which, as we learned, was the heel of the boot of Italy. Pizzica is an Italian folk dance from that peninsula.

What an odd yet highly alluring combination.

Adams wielded his electric guitar while Durante alternated amongst violin, frame drum, and tamborello. The performances ranged from what I think of as desert blues a la Tinariwen with American blues inflections to interpretations of traditional Italian folk. Other songs had a rock'n'roll boogie to them. With Durante laying down a beat and Adams picking out a rhythmic melody, the songs would become trance-like and I found myself getting lost inside the grooves.

One of the great things about their performances was how they managed to make a simple, lo-fi setup be so enticing by alternating tempos and some tasteful soloing on guitar and violin. Never did I feel that a larger band was needed for the songs to find their potential. They were raw and the rhythms potent as they seeped into me.

Both Adams and Durante were in good cheer and neither seemed to mind playing for a small crowd. The intimacy factor was high. A fantastic show. 

Afterwards my friend and I stopped in for a nightcap at Jan's, formerly Woody Anne's. There was a smattering of people having a relaxing hump day night. Spotted Cow was only $5, a bargain, and the big picture of Lake Mead was aglow with alternating colors.

Set the Controls for a Jaunt with the Faun

A month or so ago I noticed that Faun Fables was scheduled to play here in Madison. While I was completely unfamiliar with their music, I had heard of them as Nils Frykdahl of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is a member. As his significant other Dawn McCarthy. For this tour two of their daughters would be joining them.

And then just a few days before the show I saw that H.R. Britton and Bucky Pope would be opening. I know Bucky a little but had never heard of Britton. The description at the venue's site included that he is "a storyteller, actor, educator, and musician" and that "He creates full-length solo storytelling shows". Interesting. Maybe we'd get an abbreviated half hour storytelling opening set.

Before showtime I went to the bar for a refill and met Bucky who was chatting with local drummer extraordinaire, Dan Hobson. I said hello and turned around to find Nils Frykdahl at the bar next to me. I was surrounded by musos.

Britton began the show with a solo acoustic performance.

He announced that he would be doing a set of Pink Floyd songs from 1967-1970. Now that I did not expect. Furthermore, it would be an anti-storytelling set as he said that he'd refrain from any banter between the songs. Let the music prevail.

"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" worked really well even without percussion. I thoroughly enjoyed the set but was slightly disappointed that there was no storytelling to be had. I mean, it seemed to be his raison d'être, after all.

Bucky was up next and took to the stage wielding his guitar while his pal Saul grabbed an acoustic bass. (He would later wield an acoustic guitar.) Apologies to Saul for capturing only a sliver of his face.

I didn't recognize any of his songs but I enjoyed them, especially one called "Jaunty Larkabout" or something like that. Before leaving the stage he mentioned that he would be performing with Mothballs the following weekend.

Faun Fables took the stage. Frykdahl was clad in 90s era cargo shorts while McCarthy and their daughters - I never did catch their names - wore what I guess you'd call peasant dresses.

 

 

Their music was described as avant-folk and I wondered what this retro-rural look presaged.

 

Frykdahl played electric guitar but it was used for rhythm and color, to abet acoustic guitar and McCarthy's fantastic voice. Their daughters were great singers as well. There was some basic percussion plus occasional woodwind and keys. Songs usually had a basic beat with voice and other instruments laid on top.

Some of the songs had a very ethereal feel that reminded me of some newer Celtic folk music while other songs were more straightforward in their folkiness. The daughters did a little performance for one song. Or was it two?

An excellent show! I really enjoyed Faun Fables with all of their folky, pagan vibes. But the songs should not be shortchanged. They were great. Wonderful melodies and some gorgeous singing. 

Alash @ The Bur Oak

Last weekend I went to see the Alash Ensemble down at The Bur Oak. It was a wonderful show with lots of songs about horses and mountain ranges. Someone captured a bit of it on their phone and has posted it.

Polka on a Sunday afternoon

Next month on the 27th The Bur Oak will host an afternoon of polka - music and dancing.

DJ Shotski kicks things off at 1 with classic polka on vinyl and the dance lessons begin at 2. And then you can put your lesson to the test at 2:30 with The DB Polka Express.