I spent the majority of the Thankgiving holiday weekend back in Madison. It was hard to pass up the amazing triple bill featuring Local Natives, Fool’s Gold, and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Our Milwaukee friends will recall the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros show at Club Garibaldi in Milwaukee, which already cracked my list of favorite shows from 2009.

I have to say that walking away I was probably most impressed with Local Natives set. It reminded me a lot of seeing Fleet Foxes amongst a dismal early crowd at the High Noon Saloon so that live band Karaoke could throw down later that night. You just have a feeling in your gut you’re seeing a band that is on the cusp of big things. Of course, any band that trots out a cover of the Talking Heads “Warning Sign” gets major props from me.

Fool’s Gold set was a thrill to watch. It started when a single pretty girl jumped on stage and started dancing. One song later and the band disappeared amongst, by my count, double digit numbers of bodies dancing on stage. Anyone whose been to a show at the High Noon Saloon can understand that a band the size of Fool’s Gold and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros already leaves little room for surplus, so these added people made for quite the visual spectacle. People absolutely loved them and rightly so. Their sound, as you can see/hear embodies a lot of African influence which I’m sure will continue to get the easy Vampire Weekend/Paul Simon comparisons. To me, they reminded me a lot of seeing Rusted Root back in the 90′s – that’s not a bad thing at all – those shows were packed with energy and everyone in the audience was in a constant state of motion.

By the time Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros hit the stage after midnight the audience was pretty well tapped out. I think their set suffered as a result. It’s hard to argue against the brilliance of their album Up From Below, songs like “Home,” “Janglin” and “Carries On” were, and continue to be, rock anthems able to resuscitate the tiredest audiences back from their sleepy state. Overall, nobody could argue with the $10 price of admission. It was definitely the most-packed show I’ve ever been to at the High Noon Saloon. Good times.

Discuss: What did you think of Saturday night’s show in Madison? Who put on the best set? Drop a comment with your thoughts/reviews of the show.

Previously: Photos: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee
Previously: Fool’s Gold :: Surprise Hotel
Previously: Daytrotter :: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Buy: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below | Fool’s Gold | Local Natives

Here are the Wisconsin and Illinois shows we recommend you take in this week. Check them out below and let us know which ones you’ll be attending or ones you think should really make our list. This week, we catch you up on some recent releases that we’ve been listening to including new offerings from Townes Van Zandt, Norah Jones, Holopaw, and the fantastic Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – The Live Anthology (4 CD).

Upcoming Wisconsin Shows:

11/30 – The Books – Majestic Theatre, Madison
12/1 – King Kahn BBQ Show + Those Darlins – Mad Planet, Milwaukee
12/3 – Weezer – Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee
12/5 – The Hood Internet – Todd Wehr Auditorium, Milwaukee

Upcoming Chicago Shows:

12/1 – The XX + Friendly Fires – Bottom Lounge
12/2 – King Khan & BBQ Show – Logan Square Auditorium
12/3 – The Hidden Cameras – Empty Bottle
12/3 – The Swell Season – Auditorium Theatre
12/3 – Eyedea & Abilities – Reggie’s Rock Club
12/4 – Nellie McKay – Chicago Cultural Center
12/5 – Nellie McKay – Schuba’s
12/6 – Nellie McKay – Schuba’s
12/6 – Arctic Monkeys – Riviera Theatre

Upcoming Champaign/Urbana Shows:

12/4 – Santa, Common Loon, The Hood Internet, The Smoking Popes – Canopy Club

Just Announced:

1/28 – MF Doom + Mos Def + Mike Relm – Congress Theater, Chicago
1/30 – Ben Gibbard + Jay Farrar – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee
1/28 – Alberta Cross – High Noon Saloon, Madison
2/1 – A.A. Bondy – High Noon Saloon, Madison
2/18 – State Radio – Majestic Theatre, Madison
3/15 – Norah Jones – Overture Hall, Madison
3/18 – The Appleseed Cast – High Noon Saloon, Madison
3/19 – Norah Jones – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee
3/21 – Experience Hendrix – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee
4/8 – Henry Rollins – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee

New Releases:

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – The Live Anthology (4 CD), Townes Van Zandt – In the Beginning, Norah Jones – The Fall, Holopaw – Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness

+Bookmark our Wisconsin and Chicago shows pages for all your concert announcements+

A.A. Bondy returned to a packed Club Garibaldi in Milwaukee last night. This time through he was backed by band that rounded out the material he’s been religiously touring on since the release of American Hearts. This was also the first time he officially brought material from When the Devil’s Loose. It was a pretty damn fine way to spend a Tuesday night.

Our friend Erik hooked us up with a video of solo Bondy on “Rapture (Sweet Rapture).” from last night’s show. In case you missed it, check out the basement session of “Killed Myself When I Was Young” from the same location, captured in June on Bondy’s previous Milwaukee stop.

A.A. Bondy will play the High Noon Saloon in Madison on Monday, February 1, 2010. Tickets are $10 and available here.

A.A. Bondy – “Black Rain, Black Rain” – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee

Update: Video: A.A. Bondy – “Vice Rag” – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee

Discuss: What did you think of last night’s show? How did you like opener, Flight? Drop a comment with your thoughts/reviews on last night’s show.

Milwaukee A.V. Club: A.A. Bondy at Club Garibaldi
OnMilwaukee.Com: Bondy uses band to spice up arrangements

Buy: A.A. Bondy
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MP3: A.A. Bondy – “I Can See The Pines Are Dancing”
MP3: A.A. Bondy :: “When The Devil’s Loose”

It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Citay’s 2007 release, Little Kingdom. It was pretty much love at first listen. Fans of that record have something to look forward to in 2010, when the band releases their new album, Dream Get Together on January 26th via Dead Oceans.

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait that long to get an audio preview of what’s to come. Below, download “Careful With That Hat” that is “propelled by a deep groove and swing that practically begs the listener to stand up and air-drum wildly.” Like the rest of their catalog, it’s the guitar that makes them an engaging listen and, on first listen, Dream Get Together has “the mammoth solo” plus so much more, resulting in what could be their best album to date.

MP3: Citay – “Careful With That Hat”

Here are the Wisconsin and Illinois shows we recommend you take in this week. Check them out below and let us know which ones you’ll be attending or ones you think should really make our list. This week’s new releases are highlighted by the fantastic Tom Waits – Glitter and Doom Live.

Upcoming Wisconsin Shows:

11/24 – A.A. Bondy + Flight – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee
11/24 – Electric Six + Gay Blades – Mad Planet, Milwaukee
11/24 – The Jesus Lizard – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee
11/25 – Sam Roberts Band – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee
11/28 – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – High Noon Saloon, Madison
11/29 – The Books – Turner Hall Ballroom – Milwaukee

Upcoming Chicago Shows:

11/25 – Haley Bonar – Schuba’s
11/25 – Kid Sister – House of Blues
11/27 – Ezra Furman & The Harpoons – Double Door
11/27 – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Lincoln Hall, Chicago
11/27 – The Jesus Lizard – Metro
11/28 – The Jesus Lizard – Metro

Just Announced:

12/5 – The Hood Internet – Todd Wehr Auditorium, Milwaukee
12/31 – Kid Sister – Orpheum, Madison
1/30 – The New Deal + DJ Rekha – Majestic Theatre, Madison
2/18 – Wild Beasts – Schubas, Chicago
2/19 – Wild Beasts – Schubas, Chicago
2/19 – Four Tet – Empty Bottle, Chicago
3/4 – The Magnetic Fields – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
4/16 – Rogue Wave – High Noon Saloon, Madison
4/17 – Rogue Wave – Lincoln Hall, Chicago
4/19 – Hot Chip + The XX – Riviera Theatre, Chicago

New Releases:

Tom Waits – Glitter and Doom Live

+Bookmark our Wisconsin and Chicago shows pages for all your concert announcements+

By Nick Quirke

On a Saturday night, which felt more like a reverent Sunday morning, A.A. Bondy and Elvis Perkins in Dearland played to an engaged and patchouli-soaked crowd at Chicago’s newest rock venue, Lincoln Hall. Alternating between holy, hushed words and towering trombones over marching band-worthy percussion, the two artists seemed polar opposites, yet it was clear from the emotion and intensity in each of their performances that they share a passion for performance and storytelling.

Bondy stood quietly over the audience, basked in a dark red light and began quietly and deliberately finger picking his Gretsch guitar, a preview of what we were to enjoy from the technically proficient and creative guitarist.

He leapt quickly into new material from his 2009 release, When the Devil’s Loose, with the sprawling, tentative “Slow Parade,” and intentionally kept the volume to little more than a whisper through the first verse. Only during the second chorus did this dirge fully reveal itself as the expansive and anthemic work it is. The audience, fresh off antibiotics from Chicago’s brutal flu season, hushed coughs and stood silent until Bondy’s guitar came crashing down, signaling the parade’s arrival.

Moving deliberately through more new material with his band, listeners were treated to pristine sound, arranged by tour manager Jake McLaughlin, which seems to be the hallmark of this new, indie-friendly venue.

In a performance that seemed appropriate for Club Silencio, seen in David Lynch’s largely misunderstood film Mulholland Drive, Bondy’s band steps off stage and takes in his cover of My Pretty Valentine. No hay banda. If this surreal moment was the sonic nadir of the show, the peak was to follow shortly, as Bondy tuned his guitar to an open E chord and began plucking and picking the resonant first notes of “Black Rain, Black Rain.”

Bondy, who could draw favorable musical comparisons to Jeff Buckley or Lou Reed, noticed and appreciated the congregation’s silence and attentiveness as he made his way through fan favorites “Killed Myself When I Was Young,” “Oh The Vampyre” and “To The Morning.”

Bondy closed the night with “I Can See The Pines Are Dancing,” which was fitting, but the real emotion from the set came from his earnest and sanguine slower numbers.

Displaying the showmanship that endears fans to small venues and independent music alike, Elvis Perkins’ band began their set in the balcony and processed to join the singer on the stage as if they were the brass band following a Louisiana funeral.

Perkins begins by worshiping at the microphone, solemnly emoting a song that continued the night’s soft, stoic feel. But all that changed when Brigham Brough broke out his stand up bass and began to construct the bouncing rhythm section of the New Orleans sound that has been the trademark of Perkins’ projects.

Perkins, who at times sounded like a young Roy Orbison, exhibited impressive vocal harmonies with his band mates, while tearing through “Slow Doomsday,” off the group’s new Doomsday EP and “Shampoo,” the breakout hit from early 2009’s eponymous release. But the artist lost the room after asking for a sing-along, which was rebuffed by a crowd content to peer into the dark and deep past that Perkins seems to carry. Afterward, Perkins laments the audience’s participation, calling it, “the best we’ve heard on tour.” After a weak applause, Perkins continues, “that’s not true.”

This moment was forgotten shortly after, though, as Nick Kinsey led the band with a booming beat played upon a marching band-style drum wrapped around his torso. The bouncy number morphs from a revival hymn into a Paul Simon Graceland-era harmony, finally engaging and elating a crowd that seemed to need more from the headliner.

The night ended with a traditional hoe down; Bondy and accompanying band members joined Perkins to close the set with the fast version of “Doomsday.” The stage, replete with instruments, becomes a smaller version of the dance party a few feet below, and everyone leaves satisfied.

It should be noted however, that A.A. Bondy delivered a raw, feral performance that stole the show, and though Perkins did not connect fully with the audience, his music continues to impress.

Buy: Elvis Perkins in Dearland | A.A. Bondy
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MP3: Elvis Perkins in Dearland – “Shampoo”
MP3: Elvis Perkins in Dearland – “Slow Doomsday”
MP3: A.A. Bondy – “I Can See The Pines Are Dancing”
MP3: A.A. Bondy :: “When The Devil’s Loose”