The Claudettes return to Madison Saturday
A bluesy Chicago group will return to Madison this weekend ahead of a festival appearance next month. The Claudettes will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Red Bicycle Hall, 125 E. Main St. The four-piece group includes pianist and founder Johnny Iguana, vocalist Berit Ulseth, bassist and vocalist Zach Verdoorn and drummer Matt Torre. The band’s eclectic influences make genre-labeling difficult, but the group find bits of blues, soul, punk, rockabilly and “cartoon music” in their sound. Iguana has been a member of two Grammy-nominated groups, Chicago Blues - A Living History and Muddy Waters 100 Band. The Claudettes have also received two Independent Music Awards. The band last performed in Madison in October and since then have released a new record “Pull Closer to Me: The Claudettes, Live in the Piano Room,” as an online-exclusive EP in February. Attendees of this weekend’s show should expect to hear some new tunes from the band as they are preparing for an album, produced by Grammy-winner Mark Neill, for release later this year. “David Lynch movie music crossed with Allen Toussaint’s driving piano sound,” Neill said of The Claudettes in a release. “Otis Spann and Mark Sandman from Morphine sitting in with Keely Smith...Nobody sounds like them...I love this new record, it’s crazy good.” The Claudettes will return to Madison Aug. 19 as part of the musical lineup for Ribberfest. Tickets are $10 at the door, or $5 in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.redbicyclehall.com.
