MadCity Sessions to Kick Off Nov. 9 with Better Yeti and VO5

Series features diverse lineup of local and regional bands and is free and open to the public

Madison, Wis. – Overture Center’s MadCity Sessions returns for another season of free concerts live from the Capitol Theater stage. Each date will feature two local or regional bands performing between 7:30-10 p.m. with space to dance and drinks available for purchase.

“MadCity Sessions provides a unique way for Madison music fans to discover new music and hear their favorite local/regional musicians in a new way—outside the bar or festival scene and in an intimate theater,” said Tim Sauers, Overture’s VP of programming and community engagement. “For the 2017/18 season, the shows will again be free and live in the Capitol Theater with plenty of space for dancing and double-headlined shows ranging from quirky bands like Better Yeti to Madison-based R&B band Kinfolk and award-winning jazz-rock group The Big Payback.”

For the first time last season, the series was moved from Overture Hall Lobby to the Capitol Theater to give the audiences a different experience and offer the bands the opportunity for professional performance on the historic stage.

2017/18 MadCity Sessions schedule:

Better Yeti and VO5 | Thurs., Nov. 9, 2017

The Better Yeti story begins in 1987, when a group of 7 Martian teenagers were abandoned by their alien parents in the mountains of Tibet for playing their music too loud. For years the group lived in obscurity, honing their talents and shaping their sound, surviving solely on a diet of funky baselines and growing their beards and back hair. All this changed in 2016, when Swedish explorer Hans Hanson happened across the group. Quickly, word spread of the elusive Better Yeti who have one goal: to Himalaya down in a hot tub full of funky grooves.

The second act of the evening is VO5, a disco big band celebrating 11 years of epic dance parties. With their blend of 70’s hits from bands like the Bee Gees, Ohio Players and ABBA plus quirky original music, lots of dancing is guaranteed. VO5 has played every kind of gig imaginable and has paid their musical dues by having performed at dozens of oddball shows such as the Wisconsin Realtors “Stayin’ Alive (During the Recession)” convention and the Gilman Cheese Corporation celebration. They’ve even performed as an ABBA cover band and played “The Hustle” to 200 line-dancers in Sheboygan and at the Chicago Navy Pier.

Kinfolk and The Big Payback| Thurs., Jan. 18, 2018

Kinfolk, an American R&B band based in Madison, is known for its diverse musical styles, playing an array of music from traditional jazz, to mainstream R&B and rock-based music, to funk, Latin and Jamaican-based rhythms, as well as a variety of soulful original tunes. Through the creative inspiration of vocalist Anthony Ward, Kinfolk was established in the late 2000’s to fill a soul, neo-soul, and rhythm and blues music void that plagued the city of Madison.

The Big Payback, an award-winning jazz-rock band, features the soulful vocals of Leah Isabel Tirado and a smoking horn section. Mixing “ambitious original tunes that challenge even the most talented instrumentalists” (La Crosse Tribune) with classic covers, the band’s live show never fails to get the crowd moving. They were nominated as one of Madison’s favorite “Dance Bands” by Isthmus readers in 2016.

Kyle Megna & The Monsoons and The Lucas Cates Band | Thurs., Apr. 12, 2018

Kyle Megna and the Monsoons are an original Wisconsin band with an ever-growing following locally and beyond. A tight-knit group of accomplished, charismatic musicians with diverse backgrounds, these guys know how to have fun while always keeping it professional. Best seen live, they feed off the vibe of the crowd as well as each other. Their “dark-indie-blues-folk-rock feel” is a magnetic force that’s ever-charged with surges of creativity and artistic experimentation.

Madison native Lucas Cates has toured The Lucas Cates Band around the country in support of five full-length studio albums and been awarded a plethora of music industry awards. His mix of original folk/pop/rock has been a Madison mainstay for over 10 years and has gained the attention of local, regional, and national fans.

MadCity Sessions is sponsored by WISC-TV with additional funding provided by contributions to Overture Center for the Arts.