The first band to play in this local music showcase was the Driftless Pony Club. It amazes me to see the progression that has occured with this band over the past two years. When I first heard them, they were a fun college band that mostly played in people's basements. They've since gradually improved as a band and changed their sound quite a bit, and sometimes it's hard for me to believe how good they've gotten. I have to admit I was concerned when former lead singer Marcus left the band, because I wasn't sure if the songs could sound the same with Craig as the new singer. It didn't occur to me that they would mostly cut the old material in favor of a darker, less poppy, more complex sound that is an excellent fit for Craig's more gravelly voice. Every time I see them now I'm shocked at how incredible they have become, and this night was no exception. The only songs they played from the "old days" of DPC were Pennies and Epicycles; it's funny how you still miss the old stuff, even though you know their new songs are such an improvement. Several new songs were debuted (at least, they were a debut to me); they sounded great, and will obviously continue to get better as they practice and refine them more. The band also has a great stage presence. I especially like to watch Matt play- he's just really intense, especially when he screams along with Craig throughout the songs. Of course, my absolute favorite DPC song of the moment is I Pinch Myself, and they definitely didn't disappoint in playing it. The song gives me chills, the kind you get when you know you are listening to something really great. It gets better and better every time I hear it. I've seen the DPC dozens of times, and I have to say this was probably one of the best performances I've ever seen. Rockey, who had never seen them before, was incredibly impressed.

As far as the second opening band, Spin Spin Coupling, I really have nothing much to say about them, good or bad. They were clearly talented musicians, had relatively catchy songs, decent harmonies, matching suits- I just wasn't feeling them too much. Plus, I was just too excited for the German Art Students to sit through another band at that point. They wrapped things up with a cover of Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It, which I thought was a little bit cheesy.

Finally it was time for the headliners, the German Art Students. The band is a group of 4 local high school teachers who play what they call "witty pop rock." I could never imagine any of my teachers in high school being this cool. I've heard their CD, "Kissing by the Superconductor," several times, and it's really entertaining; hilarious lyrics, great male/female harmonies, fast, catchy beats. Their energetic style translated incredibly well to the live stage. As Rockey said, "they look like they are having so much fun, you can't help but smile," which really summed it up perfectly. First of all, the bassist was wearing a kilt, and all four of them jumped around the stage without slowing for all 45 minutes of their show. They played most of the songs off of their album, including Jenny, Bionic, Nightmare Date Experience, Shitty Directions,and my favorite, Technical, a song about geek love. Each one delivered on fun. Really, there is no better word to describe the show. Not only are their lyrics witty and funny (though sometimes hard to catch, unfortunately), but the band members themselves are hilarious, as they showed during their between-song banter. They wrapped things up with Steve Vai Boyfriend, featuring Annalise, the singer, doing a kind of Nada Surf/"Popular" spoken word thing about a high school boyfriend who looked like musician Steve Vai. Great stuff.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that a city as small as Madison could have such a great music scene. Apparently, Rolling Stone thought so too, as it named Madison the #5 college music scene and featured the German Art Students in their article. Spread the word.