Artist Yid Vicious

Playing in a klezmer band this side of 2000 might seem like a quaint act of cultural preservation, but Yid Vicious has thrived for years in its hometown of Madison, Wis. That’s mostly because the band enlivens this wandering ethnic mutt of a genre with such spirited musicianship. It’s also inflected its clarinet, fiddle, accordion, and brass with a dollop of smart-assed, raucous humor from the start on its 1998 debut, Klez, Kez, Goy Mit Fez, through 2008’s Dollars To Doinas. The lineup has changed over the years, but Yid Vicious has stayed ingrained in Madison’s quirky antics: 2008’s short documentary “Car-Free Klezmer” follows the band’s members as they play guerrilla shows along Madison’s bike paths to promote cycling and public transportation.

Updated 08/30/2010