“I wanted a song that really captured what Christmas means to someone like me, who is very spiritual, but not necessarily religious,” she explains. “And I wanted a song that doesn’t gloss over the dark stuff, but instead unravels the beauty of the complete picture.”

That evening Kara sat down and wrote “The Chandelier,” a song about finding strength, hope, and joy in the face of change and mortality. Her hope is that this song will touch and inspire people of all backgrounds this Christmas.

100% of the profits from any sales made before Jan 1, 2012 will go to small local farmers in Vermont, to help them recover from the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

Download “The Chandelier” now, and please considering donating.

It is with those thoughts I can say I will always remember the first time I saw and heard– now keep in mind, the two senses must be mentioned seperately when talking about this band– Screamin’ Cyn Cyn and The Pons. It was the summer of 2005. We’d moved back to Wisconsin and were exploring the never-boring live music scene around Madison. This particular night, we decided to check out the shows at High Noon Saloon. And when Screamin’ Cyn Cyn and The Pon roared on stage, I realized the effect on my ears and eyes, were forever being changed. It was a refreshing welcome home.

But, at the blink of an eye, time passes and this Madison-based band is getting ready to say “goodbye for now.” I recently had the opportunity to ask the co-founders, lead singer and keytar player Shane O’Neill and Cynthia Burnson, singer and lead guitar player, about their own changes ahead.

And if there’s some things about their time together, they will never forget.

TERI: It appears this is it for Screamin’ Cyn Cyn and The Pons. How does everyone in the band feel about it?

SHANE: Well, Teri. This is more of a “farewell” than a “goodbye,” despite the title of the show. That is, if we had our druthers we’d still play as a band all the time. But with me now halfway across the country, living in New York, the logistics of playing frequently are prohibitive. I, for one, am incredibly sad to no longer practice every Tuesday with my best friends in the world and will miss getting in our attractive van for weekend trips of music fun.

CYNTHIA: I think it’s fair to say we are all sad about Shane moving away. But New York could really use a little more personality.

TERI: What is everyone planning, musically, or on the working front?

SHANE: Steve (Steve Shah, drummer) is in the early stages of a music project with a friend that should be pretty rad. I’m doing “Shane Shane” here in New York and am apprenticing with a milliner who is paying me in hats. I need a job.

CYNTHIA: Christian (Christian Burnson, bass guitar and singer) and I are students and Christian has a small child that I can unbiasedly report is the best kid ever, bar none. In terms of music, I have shifted entirely to spectator/appreciator for now but am on the lookout for new opportunities, as is Christian.

TERI: What is the band most proud of accomplishing?

SHANE: I’m most proud of just having been a band for as long as we have. And we’ve all managed to stay really close friends. I thank Cynthia’s preschool teacher-honed communication skills and determined diplomacy for helping us communicate and resolve problems with a minimum of hurt feelings and name-calling. I guess that’s not a very rock and roll answer, but I’m proud of how well we get along with each other. And the songs we’ve written. I’m proud of those, too.

CYNTHIA: The band for me has been an excellent vehicle in which to live out my twenties. It combined traveling, creative expression, drunkenness, parallel parking experience, light electronic repair, interpersonal skills, costumes, and learning which road-side restaurants are the worst. I’m most proud we are all safe and sound and still love each other along with most of our songs and at least half of our outfits.

TERI: I remember talking with you about living in the Twin Cities. How did Madison become your home base?

CYNTHIA: Christian and I are from Madison originally. Steve is from Kenosha. Shane from Chicagoland. The Twin Cities comes in because Shane and I went to college together there. Christian did too, but he pre-dated us by a year. After a year and a half of college, I moved back to Madison and convinced Shane to spend the summer in Madison, in 2003. As fall semester approached, Shane cancelled his study abroad plans to Spain and stayed with me and my friend. Madison had wrappied its lakey progressive tentacles around Shane! He later went back to St. Paul to finish his incredibly valuable English degree that he does so much with now.

SHANE: I have used that degree to communicate effectively with customers and thereby ensure repeat business. That’s what my resume says!

CYNTHIA: Then he moved here for the long haul. Hence the Twin Cities connection. We still play there a lot and some of our dearest friends live there. Now, In terms of Madison as our home base, Madison is like living in a ball pit. Fun to be in, hard to get out. And, um, comfortable and maybe has someone’s pee at the bottom.

TERI: Your home-spun songs about Madison really resonated with your fans. Who can look and listen to for this type of fun?

SHANE: It seems like Madison has an appetite for bands on the sillier and more performative end of the live music spectrum. I think you can see that with the repeated success of touring bands like Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Peelander Z, Leslie and the Ly’s and Monotonix. Locally, there are a lot of great bands to look to for fun shows, like Zebras, The Hussy and Venus in Furs. I’m particularly excited about Samantha Glass right now. And anything that Joel Shanahan is involved with is a good bet for a fun show.

CYNTHIA: Lots of touring bands we have played with over the years comment on how, friendly and fun-loving the people of Madison are. They always make time to come back because they know Madison is unpretentious, will give anyone a chance, and that any band who puts a little energy in their shows is likely to do well here.

TERI: You always had a great crowd at your shows. What would you say to those who will be very sad to say “goodbye for now?”

CYNTHIA: The hole must be filled! Make your own band!!

SHANE: We’re sad to be putting the band on hold, too. But seriously, if we were able to scrape together a band that people wanted to see I feel like literally anyone can. So do it yourself. Although it really helped that when we started, we were under the beautiful spell of self-delusion. That really helps with self-consciousness.

CYNTHIA: Going over old videos to put something together for the “goodbye for now” show, I saw a lot of people in the crowd that we still see today, yelling and dancing and singing along. Considering the train wrecks some people have been gracious enough to sit through, I would like to say the following to our fans: you are troopers Thank you. We’ve had more fun than anyone has a right to have.

TERI: Anything else you’d like to share?

SHANE: On the same idea of gratitude, I’d like to add that we are forever indebted for all the help we’ve gotten from our friends along the way. There are too many instances to list, but every step of every project we’ve done has involved really talented sweet people donating their time, sharing their knowledge, lending their support, and–perhaps most importantly–being super duper patient with us. It allowed us to learn so much about everything from screen printing to car maintenance to amp repair to clothing construction. It has been a huge pleasure to get to meet and learn from so many wonderful people in Madison. Madison: I love you. A whole lot.

CYNTHIA: In terms of the show on Friday, December 9th, we have been working hard to put together something we hope people will enjoy, as per usual, at the expense of our own dignity. We have video footage from a looong time ago, photo montages– like at a funeral or wedding depending on how you look at it; old songs and new songs, old outfits and new outfits, and tons of special guests. In terms of old videos, my favorite moments include one of our first shows at the Anchor Inn in which the sound guy tells me to be careful with the microphones, and I say, “sorry.” Also Shane ripping off his shirt and some choice crowd dancing moments. It really will be a great way to say “goodbye for now.”

Screamin Cyn Cyn and The Pons “Goodbye for Now” show is Friday, December 9, starting at 9:30 p.m. at High Noon Saloon.

On December 1st, 1975, Madison’s beloved WORT went on the air for the first time. On Thursday December 1st 2011 they will be celebrating 36 years of outstanding community radio with their BIRTHDAY BOOST one day pledge drive.

The goal of this pledge drive (as well as their birthday party at the High Noon on December 3rd) is to address a projected fiscal year 2012 budget shortfall of around $23,000. A successful Birthday Boost coupled with the success of their fall pledge drive will cut into the projected deficit.

WORT’s Birthday Boost is inspired by the one day pledge drive concept that has proven to be a very successful fundraising vehicle for community and public radio stations in recent years. The staff feels that WORT’s birthday is the perfect day to have it and they hope to build upon the success of the first Birthday Boost that was held a year ago.

The Birthday Boost will begin with the classical program Anything Goes at 5:00am on Thursday morning and end with the rock program Kosmik Radiation at 5:00am on Friday morning.

What better way to celebrate the birthday station than to give WORT a generous pledge? With your help they can and will carry the promise of a better future into 2012 and beyond.

TO MAKE YOUR PLEDGE:

BY PHONE: Call 256-2001 or 1-866-899-WORT (9678)
BY WEB: Make your pledge securely online at www.wort-fm.org

For more information about WORT’s birthday and fundraising efforts, you can contact their Listener Sponsor Development Director Jim Goronson via phone at (608) 256-2001 or via email at pledge@wort-fm.org.

If you are unable to pledge on December 1st, remember you can try your luck again by attending their “WORT Birthday Party” fundraiser at the High Noon Saloon on December 3, 2011.

RICH ALBERTONI TO LEAVE ISTHMUS

After 15 years of freelancing and six years writing a weekly column, Rich Albertoni will retire his byline effective with the December 8th issue of Isthmus. Albertoni will be starting a new job as a consultant in the private sector, a job that will have him on the road a lot.

Madison will lose a stalwart supporter of local music when Albertoni puts his pen down. Each year he and I would collaborate on putting a comprehensive list of the year’s local music releases. He always told me that, despite the fact he couldn’t write about them all, he listened to everything that ever crossed his desk. Now, that’s dedication that will be hard to replace.

Albertoni recently said in an email, “The best thing about [writing for Isthmus] has been connecting with so many creative people. I will miss that.”  The city will miss it, too, Rich and so will I. Best of luck wherever you go, whatever you do and much respect.

GERRI DIMAGGIO TO RELEASE XMAS CD ON DECEMBER 1

Gerri DiMaggio will release a Christmas CD entitled It’s Coming On Christmas at  The Cove Lounge in The Edgewater Hotel this Thursday December 1st. Show starts at 6:30 and runs to 9 so all you hundreds intending to hit my Birthday gathering at the High Noon also have time to stop by this one.

Joining Geri at this release party will be Paul Hastil on piano and Nick Moran on bass.

THE XMAS SONGS YOU HATE – ONLY DONE BETTER!

ALBUM RELEASE PARTY IS DECEMBER 10 AT THE REGENT ST RETREAT

M.A.XMAS is back for round two with more drunken Santas and angry snowmen!!!  15+ bands this year playing the songs you hate from Christmas season….but way better!!! This years album release will be held at The Regent Street Retreat (formerly known as The Annex) on December 10th. This will be the best day in December!

Here are some of the bands you’ll hear from:
4 Aspirin Morning
Government Zero
Lot 74
Wall of Funk
Sunspot
Black With Envy
YLAB
Tiny Riots
Kill Junior
Lords of the Trident
American Dead
Dr Noise
Omninaut
The Gusto
The Sandrose Band
and of course……2 in da bush……..

ORPHAN BLOOM TO RELEASE NEW EP DEC 1 (RICK’S BIRTHDAY PARTY!)

You can celebrate with Rick at the High Noon on December 1st as he turns 34!

Orphan Bloom will celebrate the release of their new EP, The Wary Traveler, on December 1st at 9PM at the High Noon Saloon.

Also appearing are Colorphase and Tiger Clutch.

If you haven’t heard Orphan Bloom, this is a perfect opportunity. One of the best new groups to come out of the area in some time.

Formed in Autumn 2008, Orphan Bloom conceived its unique blend of aggressive, brooding, haunting, and beautiful music in an effort to combine the musical influences of its members while displaying their versatile talent. Consequently, Orphan Bloom has been compared to bands like Led Zeppelin, The Mars Volta, Tool, and other groups that have created a sound greater than the sum of their individual parts. Orphan Bloom’s electrifying live performances and exceptional musicianship consistently win over audiences wherever the band travels. The band released their debut album, a full length hour long CD, in Summer 2010 after spending several months recording at Paradyme Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Orphan Bloom consists of Saigopal Nelaturi (lead guitar, vocals), Alex Kress (lead vocals, guitar), Nathan Wiswall (bass), and Travis Drumm (drums and percussion).

Kingtown Rockers Release New EP November 26 @ the Crystal Corner

Below is a press release from the Kingtown Rockers on the occasion of the release of their new CD:

SATURDAY November 26th, 2011
Crystal Corner Bar
1301 Williamson St
Madison,WI
Saturday November 26th, Madison Reggae Rockers KINGTOWN ROCKERS celebrate the release of their Self Titled E.P. to be released on Boat Records at The Crystal Corner. Special guest, fresh off the latest 311 Tour, D.j. Trichrome spinning throughout the night.

The band has been busy this year recording at The Exchange in Milwaukee,WI with Producer Jack LeTourneau. The E.P. will feature the 1st two singles ‘Jumping Jack’ and ‘Kingsoun’ .

KINGTOWN ROCKERS(Madison,WI)is a talent rich quintet led by four time Grammy nominated lead singer and guitarist Michael Stone. Michael (Guitar Dread) Stone, who has toured extensively with some of the world’s greatest reggae artists, such as Justin Hinds, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Third World’s Cat Coore and famed Studio One drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace has put together Madison’s hardest reggae rocker outfit. Joining Stone are Natty Nation Co-Founder Peter(Ras Kikit)Johnston on Drums, Natty Alumni Stefan Truesdell(Weapons Of Mass DeFunktion )on Guitar & Vocals, and also Jack Whitney( Mash Allah)on Bass.

Tickets will be only $6 at the Door, Showtime at 9:30. Bring your dancing shoes and help bring in the Positive Holiday Vibes and come out support Madison Reggae by picking up the new joint!!!!

SATURDAY November 26th, 2011
Crystal Corner Bar
1301 Williamson St
Madison,WI
21 & Over Show
Doors 8:30
Showtime 9:30
$6.00 At The Door
http://www.reverbnation.com/kingtownrockers
http://www.myspace.com/kingtownrockers
email~ kingtownrockers@gmail.com

JESSI LYNN FEATURED AT MAD TOAST LIVE NOVEMBER 15TH

MAD TOAST LIVE! (with hosts, Chris Wagoner & Mary Gaines)
Music & Talk Show

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011
The Brink Lounge / 701 E. Washington Ave, Madison, WI

PRESENTS:

JESSI LYNN 7pm / $5 in the lounge
www.jessilynn.com

Jessi Lynn (Nashville, TN) has been nominated for 13 Grammy’s since 2002. She has independently released six Cd’s and has been compared to artists such as Jennifer Nettles, Melissa Etheridge & Sheryl Crow. She has won many awards in her career including “Song of The Year”, “Artist of the Year”, “Album of the Year,” and “Female Vocalist of the Year” at the MAMA’s in 2005-2008. Jessi Lynn has shared the stage with The Wreckers, Bomshel, Emerson Drive and The Bodeans and has graced the stage of the highly coveted music festival, Summerfest (over one million in attendance every year, Milwaukee, WI). In 2005, Jessi agreed to be filmed by Emmy award winning producer, Marv Turner (Yellow Dog Productions) for a full length documentary meant to capture the struggles of an artist climbing to the top of the “impossible” music industry mountain (yet to be released). Lynn’s music has been on national radio stations, as well as FOX TV, WGN & many local television programs. Most recently, Lynn had her song “A Little Bit Of You” featured in the popular online Soap Opera “Venice, The Series” (a spin off of Guiding Light) and she was also featured on the cover of the magazine, “The Isthmus”. Lynn has co-written songs for the NFL, NASCAR, NHRA & MLB (with Jake Johnson) that you will soon be hearing at select games/races (Banshee Music Publishing).

MADISON AREA MUSIC AWARDS INCLUDE:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR – 2005 – “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Like This”
COUNTRY ARTIST OF THE YEAR – 2006 – Jessi Lynn
COUNTRY SONG OF THE YEAR – 2006 – “A Little Bit Of You” (un-released)
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR – 2008 – Jessi Lynn

CDS:
Just Me & My Guitar (2002) / 7 Grammy nominations
You Ain’t See Nothin’ Like this (2005) / 6 Grammy nominations & 2006 “Album of the Year” (MAMAs)
Capturing the Moment (2007) / Live album
A Little Bit of You (2010) / recorded & produced by Jessi Lynn and Sarah Peacock

Photo by Matt Apps (http://mattapps.com)

Sunspot to Release New CD November 18th at the Frequency

Below is the post announcing Sunspot’s new CD The Slingshot Effect:

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

SUNSPOT TO DELIVER SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM WITH SCI-FI BENT

Madison, WI—As a trio that has staked its very existence on making obscure references and turning them into something universally palatable, Madison rock band Sunspot has once again pushed its musical boundaries with a forthcoming album, The Slingshot Effect (November 22 release). Sunspot will celebrate with a release party in Madison at The Frequency on Friday, November 18. As the theme this time around, singer/bassist Mike Huberty says that The Slingshot Effect is the “rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of the Sci-Fi Channel.”

“This is Sunspot’s electro-space rock record,” Huberty adds. “Whenever we would watch a movie about the future when we were growing up, the music they listened to was always very industrial-sounding. Since we are living in the future now, we wanted to bring those influences into our new album.”

The full-length, which is an extension of the EP the band released in March, Deus Ex Machina (and those three songs are also featured on The Slingshot Effect) pushes the envelope thematically. That means turning monsters into the heroes of “We Are The Darkness,” reframing humanity as celestial beings in “Stardust,” and showing how protectors aren’t always saving the right people in “Guardian Angel”. “Cannibal” has a little bit of all history’s favorite man-eaters in it. And “The Slingshot Effect” itself is inspired by the method of time travel in Star Trek (whipping a spaceship around the sun at faster-than-light speed), wherein a person can’t alter the past no matter how badly he or she might want to.

Also true to form, Sunspot put much of the focus on the music and on the studio aspect itself. “The recording process for this album was unique for us in that we worked a lot more with different percussion sounds, on top of our usual live drum sound,” says drummer Wendy Lynn Staats. “The Major Arcana (rock opera) tour made us comfortable with incorporating electronic sounds and samples into our standard live rock format. I think it impacted our whole approach to writing and performing this album, and took our songs in a new and fun direction.”

The band also took advantage of some new gear, including guitars that Huberty and guitarist Ben Jaeger received as part of an endorsement with German company Hoyer. “We generated some great sounds and our engineer, Eric Katte (Doug Stone, Ricky Skaggs, and Kenny Rogers), continues to show his mastery of the mixing board and his passion for our music,” said Jaeger.

But along with that passion comes a love for what Sunspot does best—which is to surprise its fan base and entertain them thoroughly at the same time. “The fun part is taking something conventional and twisting its meaning completely around,” said Huberty. “We love finding the fantastic in the ordinary.”

About Sunspot:
Rock band Sunspot has racked up a few awards and a lot of recognition during the past decade, including winning Rock Album of the Year in the Madison Area Music Association Awards for Singularity (2010) and Loser of the Year (2004). Sunspot is a symphony of guitars and voices, soaring melodies wrapped around hyper literate poetry and wicked rhythms. Male and female harmonies collide with expert guitar work and pop sensibility. Sunspot is rock music that’s smart, fun, and powerful. Think the Fountains of Wayne or Barenaked Ladies with Lars Ulrich on drums and Eddie Van Halen on guitar. The band has recorded six albums, a DVD and an EP, as well as over 150 biweekly video podcasts (Sunspot Road Mania), and have shared the stage with Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips, Sponge, SevenMaryThree, Hot Hot Heat, Crash Test Dummies and Sick Puppies. In 2010, Sunspot released the DVD version of their multimedia spectacle, Major Arcana. That was followed by the EP, Deus Ex Machina in March 2011. Also in early 2011, Sunspot licensed their song, “Go, Pack!” to FOX Sports for their Super Bowl coverage, with some residual coverage for the song on NPR as well as numerous Wisconsin radio stations.

For more information and tour dates, please visit http://www.sunspotmusic.com

Publicity: Mike Farley/ Michael J. Media Group/ 608-848-9707/ mike@michaeljmedia.com