Music - Sept. 28, 2009
Gig roundup: Lov finds inspiration in difficult youth
"Simple and sad with a shot of scotch." The only problem with singer / songwriter Sara Lov's own description of her debut solo disc, "Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming," is that is suggests more grit than there is to be found on this softspoken 10-song disc. Lov plays at The Mad Planet this week.
Tags: Sara Lov, Devics, UFO, Mad Planet, The Rave, Shank Hall, Pabst Theater, Turner Hall, Howie Day, Great Big Sea, ZoSo: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience, Frank Turner, Gaslight Anthem, The Dear Hunter, The Academy Is..., KMFDM, Secondhand Serenade, Umhpr

Music - Sept. 14, 2009
Gig roundup: Steez brings home the creepfunk
Madison quintet Steez has blazed trails of funk across the Midwest, picking up a devoted fan base along the way and also nabbing titles at the 2008 and 2009 Summer Camp Festivals, the Rothbury Festival, and the 10,000 Lakes Festival. Now it comes to Milwaukee to celebrate its studio debut, "Creepfunk Crusade."
Tags: Brooke Waggoner, Cactus Club, Sugarland, Bradley Center, Global Union, Hugh Cornwall, Shank Hall, We the Living, Miramar, Early Day Miners, Mad Planet, Up and Under, Steez, Carbon Leaf, Stephen Kellogg, Metal Blade, The Rave, Whitechapel, Alice in Chains

Music - July 13, 2009
Gig roundup: Grupo Fantasma riding a wave
If you don't know about Austin, Texas latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma yet, then you just haven't been paying attention. Three dates into its summer tour -- Thursday, July 16 -- the group plays at The Mad Planet. Some other gigs in town this week include Sonic Youth,
Tags: Grupo Fantasma, Mad Planet, The Dutchess and The Duke, The Goodnight Loving, The Sugar Stems, The Get Drunk DJs, Club Garibaldi, Shank Hall, Gende's Giant, Dave Koz, Brian Culbertson, Riverside, Pabst, Turner Hall, Sonic Youth, Blitzen Trapper

Music - April 12, 2009
Gig roundup: Wakeling going strong after 30 years
Thirty years from "Stand Down Margaret," Birmingham, England's Dave Wakeling is still fronting a band called The English Beat, albeit one populated entirely with different members. And, he says, he's still having fun.
Tags: Dave Wakeling, The English Beat, Dub Trio, John Scofield, Shank, Turner Hall, Miramar, Mad Planet, Cactus Club, Sleepyime Gorilla Museum, Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, Tim Barry, EOTO, Parlor Mob, Pezzettino, Extra Golden, Wilco, Pabst Theater, Cannibal Cor

Bars & Clubs - April 10, 2009
On the town in Milwaukee: The Mad Planet eclipses traditional dance clubs
I started stacking Mad Planet's appeal as a night or dance club up against the other spots around town. And after careful thought and deep consideration, one chief conclusion came striking through: Mad Planet is nothing like the other dance clubs in Milwaukee.
Tags: mad planet, dance club, riverwest, decibel, soho 7, tutto, suite, apartment 720, king's go forth, get down