Great Show Tonight at Nottingham

I saw a fantastic show tonight. A fantastic, free show. Which makes it even extra fantastic.

The show was at Nottingham Co-op, which is a huge housing co-operative in downtown Madison and is also a gorgeous music venue.


The rain held off until nearly midnight, so we got to lounge on folding chairs and picnic tables in the co-op's lush backyard on the lake. The musicians played on a stone balcony above us as we swatted mosquitos and chowed down on some glorious tofu & black bean wraps.

Did I mention there was food?


Nottingham hosts shows frequently, but tonight's event was special. All of the performers (and there were a lot!) were current or former residents of the co-op. It was a great show, and also a fun reunion with a lot of special guests who were in from out of town.

The first act I caught was my friend Clare (formerly of The Buffali). This was my first time seeing her play live and she was fantastic. Clare's music has this amazing energy that I really admire and wish I could emulate. She really lights up a room-- or, in this case, a backyard.


Next up was Dietrich Gosser, who re-amazes me every time I see him play. Dietrich and his percussionist, Dan Kuemmel, gave us an astoundingly beautiful set. It's hard for music to be 'haunting' when it's 90 degrees and you're swatting mosquitoes, but they managed it.



This was my first time seeing Dan and he was incredible-- in addition to your garden variety drum set, he played bells, metal mixing bowls, and even the balcony railing. I'm in awe.

One of my favorite acts of the night was a band called Flower Baby. They had a great sort of alt-country sound (with a little free-styling (in Spanish!) mixed in!). I'd definitely go see them again.


I was going to post some videos, but between the unfortunate sound quality and my less-than-stellar cinematography, it's probably best if you just use your imagination.