The actual music part of the MAMAs, and a rant
Jentri Colello and her band: One of my favorite MAMAs ceremony and afterparty acts this year.
Madison Area Music Awards founder Rick Tvedt pointed out to me last week that the charity's annual awards show has never sold out the approximately 900-seat Barrymore Theatre. Granted, a lot of Madison bands would love to have that problem—it's heartening when an all-local bill packs the 99-capacity Frequency. Despite their differences, the MAMAs and any struggling local band you can name face a similar obstacle: Music in Madison isn't very broad or connected a community. Tvedt seems to realize that, having once run Rick's Café, a magazine dedicated to Wisconsin music. To his and the MAMAs' credit, the awards do recognize genres ranging from rap to jazz to electronic music to country, and raise and donate a lot of cash for the noble cause of buying instruments and other equipment for the musical education of kids.
As Saturday's sixth annual MAMAs approaches, the event still draws criticism. The organization aims to run on public input (instead of "cherry-picking" by a committee, as Tvedt puts it), but artists and voters have to make a small donation to participate, which critics don't find very democratic. Sure, it’s easy to ask, "How come ___ got left out?" or, "Who are half of these bands?" Yeah, it could be more diverse and more current and more youthful, and the MAMAs folk seem to think that'd require some of the younger, newer bands in town to take the initiative. But the list mostly comes down to who chooses to take advantage of the MAMAs and who doesn't. Am I willing to give the MAMAs a bit of a pass for not always recognizing all my favorite bands or local-music niches because it's a charity? Frankly, yes.
I don't always know what to think of the picture the MAMAs paint of Madison music as a whole, but how can I criticize them without criticizing the city’s general lack of community building and give-a-shit about local music? I don't necessarily buy Tvedt's assertion in today's 77 Square story about the MAMAs (which includes some good constructive commentary from several folks) that local bands see self-promotion as a "dirty word." I just think bands and audiences here are too quick to resign themselves to social and genre niches.
Granted, the artists eager to participate in the MAMAs sometimes give it the feeling that it's more friendly to certain genres or audiences, or a certain kind of mini-music-industry hustle that might seem out of place in what's basically a small town (sometimes an actually quite generic-sounding band gets mixed into the "Unique" artist category)—but it's up to those in other genres to take the initiative and participate. A lot of local bands make at least some basic effort to get the word out about their shows and CDs, but simply don't participate in the MAMAs. I'd actually rather see them involved, if only to give the blander or better-established MAMAs-nominated artists some competition. (How about Lucas Cates facing Kitty Rhombus in a grudge-match next year?) But let's address a reality that gets ignored in this debate, by way of a question: Is local music in general something that tons of people seek out, in an actively curious and adventurous way, for the sake of it? There's a scattering of healthy little music communities here, but some enjoy a more robust audience than others, and they're not all that interconnected. How could we create a little more cross-pollination among all these (often quite good) local bands and their audiences? Damned if I really know, but maybe the MAMAs is one vehicle for getting that started.
Either way, paying attention to who wins awards will never be quite the same as, say, going to local shows, so it's worth noting that the ceremony continues afterward with seven different MAMAs-sponsored events at local venues. It would actually be cool to see the MAMAs doing something like this on a more regular basis, year-round, and that might even prompt more local artists to hook up with the organization. (In a town with so many scrappy young bands and so many scrappy non-profits, Decider can't fathom why they don't all get together more often.) In short, we'd be more than happy to see a discussion about the MAMAs' merits and flaws continue in the comments here. But in the interest of keepin' it useful and not taking myself too seriously (oops, too late!) here's a roundup Saturday's MAMAs-related music options.
The ceremony
In a town like Madison, it's probably hard to walk down a red carpet without feeling a tad self-conscious, but those who'd like to can do so starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Barrymore. The show itself begins at 7 p.m., and performers include the essential funky drummer Clyde Stubblefield and his band, and reggae stalwarts Natty Nation. Then there are folks who are still fairly new to Madison audiences, like the quietly captivating singer-songwriter Jentri Colello. (Her pals Blueheels will also be on hand.) Rising Gael mixes traditional Celtic sounds with polished pop sounds, and Lucha Libre are, as far as we know, the only local rap group blending in bilingual verses and the sultry pulse of reggaeton. Whore Du Jour plays a jumble of hard-rock and indie-rock sounds, and have collaborated with Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's, who they've also opened for. There's also the West High School Choir. ($15 in advance, $20 at the door.)
The after-shows
At the Majestic Theatre: Know Boundaries, a local band with a rock-infused take on hip-hop, top a nicely assembled bill with Stink Tank and Dumate (two related projects Decider's had much occasion to praise recently), and also another Lucha Libre set. ($7 cover)
At the Inferno: Theatrical goths GlassGhosts know how to keep things entertaining. Look out for guys in gas masks walking around and doing weird and/or silly shit. I once saw them stalk about the venue pouring box wine into empty glasses for no apparent reason. Also check out the ever-intriguing Cemetery Improvement Society's mix of post-rock and industrial. ($6 cover)
At The Frequency: Whore Du Jour, along with the punk-meets-Latin-music tunes of Aniv De La Rev. ($5 cover)
At Café Montmartre: Blueheels and Jentri Colello play again, along with Chicago's JT And The Clouds. ($10 cover)
At Alchemy: Rising Gael, for what's termed the "World"-themed afterparty. (No cover.)
At Great Dane Hilldale: Since the MAMAs have both electronic and hip-hop categories, it only makes sense to include some DJs. Mike Carlson (who recently spoke with Decider) will spin, as will DJ Amos Smith. (No cover.)
At Mr. Roberts: Jazz-prog-jam-funksters Baghdad Scuba Review. (No cover.)
_jpg_50x50_crop_q85.jpg)
