'Madison Bands Together' CD will delight the ears and the soul
Lori Hedges
Courier Staff Writer
It's a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll ... and a little bit jazz and a little bit heavy metal and a little bit punk and a little bit Celtic .... More than 30 Madison-area artists have joined together to create a collection of music that covers the full spectrum of musical genres while raising money for two very worthy local charities.
"Madison Bands Together" goes on sale Sunday when it is unveiled during a CD release party at the Madison Moose Lodge.
"There's 37 different songs on there," Scott Koerner, one of the project organizers said. "Some are bands and some are solo acts."
Koerner said the idea of a local band compilation album had been discussed by different people for several years, but nothing was organized. "A couple years ago Shock Treatment (who's gig proceeds go to charity) was on hiatus, and I thought this would be a good fundraiser," Koerner said, noting it was then that they finally set the wheels in motion.
In addition to Koerner, the project was driven by a committee consisting of Rusty Bladen, Dr. David Butler, Stephanie Hellmann, Chip Binzer, and Dennis O'Neal.
"We just started making a list of bands. We basically just started writing down people we knew," Koerner said, noting the project started out as a single CD, but rapidly grew to a two-CD set as their list expanded to include as many local artists as possible.
"And then there were still people left off," he said, adding their is potential for a second CD set.
Koerner said the committee invited the different bands and solo artists to contribute a song to the project. "We just asked the people to pick a song that most represents them," he said. "I've been impressed with the quality of music people put on there."
"We have classical guitar, country, rock-n-roll, bluegrass, Dixieland, punk rock, heavy metal, jazz, blues, Gospel, and folk music. Whether you like the style of music, you can appreciate the artists' effort," said Koerner.
Included on the album are: John Adkins, Audible Point, Beejay Elles, Beside Me, Rusty Bladen, Blues Devils, The Chestnuts, Cheryl Clarke, The D-Rangers, Das SpookeZ, The Jimmy Davis Band, The Doctor's Band, Tamaura Dubuque, David Dwyer, The Flew, Cheri Gayles, Roy Gentry, Glorybound, HairFarmers, High Voltage, Rob Houze Quartet, Charlie Humphrey, Jazz for Jesus, Bill Lackner, Passin' Lane, Sandy Pickett, The Process, Ragged Arse Tinkers, Brook Reindollar, River Newts, SameSoul, Shock Treatment, Sounds Like Dixieland, Sulfate, Whalebone, Wild Child, and Don Youngblood.
Koerner said the artists featured on the CDs made a major contribution to the endeavor because they paid the all the expenses to record their tracks before offering them to the project.
The cost of the double CD set is $20, with all proceeds being divided between the King's Daughters' Hospital Hospice and the Jefferson County United Way.
"If we sell all the CDs we make, it will be about $40,000 divided between the two (charities).
Local listeners got a sneak preview of "Madison Bands Together" when it debuted on the airways during the House O' Hits radio show on WORX last Sunday, with the total CD played over the course of three hours.
This Sunday, Oct. 22, the CD officially goes on sale during the release party at the Moose Lodge from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be live entertainment by Audible Point, Rusty Bladen, Jimmy Davis, and the Doctor's Band, and there is no cover for the event. Koerner said the CDs and T-shirts will be available for purchase.
Following its release, the CD will be available at: Bears Furniture Gallery, Binzer's Custom Framing, The Front Porch, Joey G's, House O' Hits, Key West Shrimp House, Main Source Bank, Pawn Pro, and Thomas Family Winery.
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