MAD TOAST LIVE!

Episode 147 - Whim Po & Emili

Playing what they describe as "Experimental Folk / Orchestral Pop",  Whim Po and Emili's Colin Weaver (vocals/strings) and Emily Robertson (vocals/piano) began as an acoustic duo playing small shows in and around Northfield, Minnesota in 2007. As their following grew in Northfield’s basement bar and college scene, other members were added and WPE released their debut album, "Whim, Po, & Emili," in November of 2009, followed soon after by their EP, Maybe Baby, in May 2010. Their music, while diverse, is most easily classified as orchestral pop. It takes the words and images so powerful in the folk tradition and imbues them with the melodies and rhythms of popular music. Intoned with the stories and imagery they encounter, they create music that embodies the textured world around them. Over the last two years WPE has played shows throughout the upper Midwest. Their diverse sound easily lends itself both to large, high-energy, electric sets and smaller, quieter acoustic shows.  Shades of Radiohead....you're gonna enjoy this one!

whimpoemili.com/

Episode 146 - Yid Vicious

A Madison favorite--from ramshackle bars and luxurious ballrooms, on high festival stages or on bare sod, Yid Vicious often drives crowds into flurries of freylekh-fueled dancing fury. With repertoire drawn mainly from traditional secular Yiddish music but infused with their collective aesthetic and experience, celebrating the long-standing tradition of klezmorim but incorporating new musical ideas into an organic and ever-evolving art form. Yid's musical arsental consists of clarinets, saxophones, fiddle, horn, vocals, guitar, accordion, tuba, drums and sometimes theremin.

yidvicious.com

Episode 145 - Cork & Bottle String Band

One of Madison's long-time favorite bluegrass bands, it's not far from the truth to say that The Cork and Bottle String Band single-handedly turned on a whole new generation of bluegrass fans and revived the flagging folk and bluegrass scene in Madison over the past 14 years they've been together.  Their long-standing regular gigs have been a second home to hundreds of sweating, dancing, fun-loving C & B SB fans.  We're excited to finally have them on the MTL stage!

bignew.com

Episode 144 - Guy Fiorentini

GUY FIORENTINI

A very talented musician/writer/producer/teacher (and good friend of ours) based out of Milwaukee, WI, Guy sings and plays guitar, electric and upright bass, mandolin, harmonica and percussion, and has toured nationally and internationally playing everything from hardcore and reggae to bluegrass and gypsy jazz. A founding member of the 3 time WAMI Award winning Salt Creek, he is currently playing guitar and bass with several working bands, recording and performing solo under his own name, and is also a recording producer and engineer at his own Milwaukee-based studio, Fly Studios.  Guy was actually our very first guest on Mad Toast Live--literally Episode One!

www.guyfi.com

Episode 143 - Montana Skies

Jennifer and Jonathan Adams create a "new acoustic" sound with the pairing of electric cello and classical guitar.  Their originals have been featured on NPR and the Travel Channel.  Using a wide range of effects, their musical wizardry combines to create a sound that is truly remarkable--we're thrilled to have them back on the show!

http://www.montanaskiesmusic.ning.com

Episode 142 - Ida Jo

IDA JO

Courage. Strength. Devotion. Ida Jo's debut album "Providence" is about all those things and is available now on iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon.   Nominated for several Madison Area Music Awards, including String Instrumentalis of the Year, as well as Pop Album, Pop Song, and R&B Song for her work with Mike Droho & The Compass Rose, Ida Jo will showcase her own fiddle and songwriting chops on Mad Toast Live, as well as the talented young women's chorus she leads, called "Midnight Voices".

idajoandtheshow.com

Episode 141 - Tim Seisser Trio

(Episode 2 of 2)

TIM SEISSER TRIO

A staff writer for Bass Musician Magazine, and with influences ranging from Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten to Ray Brown and Paul Chambers, Tim Seisser is one of Chicago’s premier electric bassists. He’s been on the show before, but he’s back with his own combo–a must see for all jazz lovers!  In 2008, Tim released his first album as a leader entitled “Wire and Wood”.  It received high acclaim from jazz reviewers and has been played on multiple Chicago area jazz stations including WDCB and WNUA. 

www.timseisser.com

Episode 140 - Tim Seisser Trio

(Episode 1 of 2)

TIM SEISSER TRIO

A staff writer for Bass Musician Magazine, and with influences ranging from Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten to Ray Brown and Paul Chambers, Tim Seisser is one of Chicago's premier electric bassists. He's been on the show before, but he's back with his own combo--a must see for all jazz lovers!  In 2008, Tim released his first album as a leader entitled "Wire and Wood".  It received high acclaim from jazz reviewers and has been played on multiple Chicago area jazz stations including WDCB and WNUA. 

www.timseisser.com

Episode 139 - Jim Schwall

JIM SCHWALL

Best known for his long-time partnership with Corky Siegel and the internationally renowned blues-rock outfit, "The Siegel-Schwall Band", Jim has also been very active in the Madison music scene for many years. Other career paths such as being a lettered professor and social worker, as well as being a former Madison mayoral candidate make this one extraordinarily interesting person--and his music is every bit as interesting and often autobiographical.

jimschwall.com

Episode 138 - John Statz

JOHN STATZ

Joined by a talented group of Madison, Wisconsin musicians (including Blueheels/Blake Thomas drummer Adam Cargin, and songwriters Jeremiah Nelson and Whitney Mann), Statz' new album, "Ghost Towns" is inspired by grimey, war-torn Balkan towns and dying, broken down American cities.

A well-known and well-loved Madison performer, this will be John's first appearance on Mad Toast Live!

johnstatz.com