Doctor Tangent
Today's highlighted Madison-based musical act is Doctor Tangent.
Starting just over a year ago with a set of cover songs by artists like Jack Johnson and John Hiatt to the Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains, the trio that's titled Doctor Tangent is now offering musical treatment of their own creation too. This band has played more than 50 shows over the last twelve months, bringing their mix of rock, power-pop and blues tunes within what they describe as "a general jam orientated ethos" all over town.
There are three members of the band, each described in its bio:
- Scott "Tangle" Madsen -- Guitars and Vocals; hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Scott plays guitar, piano, and the trumpet. After a failed gang initiation, his parents tethered him to a piano at the age of four for his own safety. Today he uses his musical talents to spread the message that sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll are always a better choice than being beaten by gang members twice your size. He brings a funky presence to Doctor Tangent, although the word is that he plans to stop using that aftershave.
- Marquis Walker -- Bass and Vocals; born in South Bend, Indiana, Marquis has been herding sheep/lamas and strumming a sitar for the past fifteen years. Born with perfect pitch, but without the means to locate it, music has always come difficult to Marquis. The band has taken a calculated risk in hiring him, but they feel the fits and torments are balanced by his ability to sing high harmonies.
- Jeff "Indeed" Krause -- Drums and Security; Jeff has assumed the primary role of drum machine for this band. Past this, little is known of the man. He cut his musical teeth in Chicago backing Oprah's house band on weekday shoots, and busing tables at Buddy Guy's at night. It has also been admired that he is a man with an ear for 'The Groove,' 'The Pocket,' or 'The Zone' as some may refer to it. Bringing a strong pop sensibility to the trio, Jeff intends to also keep order by minding security measures as well.
These three musicians that comprise Doctor Tangent originally hatched their plan on a boat in the middle of Lake Mendota, not too long ago in the summer of 2005. Subsequently getting together to jam, they formed the group over that autumn and made their public debut just over a year ago.
Naming themselves with an eye towards improvisation and their musical desire to veer in multiple directions, and spending most of the year on stage, the trio is now focusing on writing more original songs. The docs are kicking off their second year with plans for an album, taking their original demos into the studio for some lab workups.
There is much more detail about the band's story at doctortangent.com, including photos and numerous updates about their live performances and recording plans. Some of Doctor Tangent's demo and live recordings are available for listening online, including six cover tracks from their first two sessions in a studio, and four rehearsal recordings as they were gearing up for their first round of live shows. The band is currently featuring four tracks on their MySpace page, namely "Get on that Something," "Spazjam," "Looking," and "Ms. B," all taken from rehearsal and live show recordings over the course of last year.
The docs are going to be quite busy with making house calls to clubs over the next month. They're starting out this Friday, Jan. 12, when they're playing at Mr. Roberts at Schenks Corners. Doctor Tangent is also performing on alternate Fridays at Kelly's Grille in Fitchburg, where they will be playing acoustic sets. The next few upcoming shows there are set for Jan. 19, Groundhog Day, and Feb. 16.
This is the latest featured entry from the Madison Music Project, an online database of Madison-area musicians. Please register or update your current profile on the project for consideration in these highlights.
