Tone Madison
@tonemadison.bsky.social
Fiercely independent coverage of arts, culture, and politics in Madison, Wisconsin. Worker-owned and reader-supported.
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Help Tone Madison live to fight another day
With advertising revenue down, we need your help more than ever.
tonemadison.com
For 11 years, Tone Madison has made it our mission to cover the corners of culture involving the people, places, and movements that often get overlooked in our local media landscape. Help us continue to tell those stories.
tonemadison.com/donate/
tonemadison.com/donate/
In a story we're republishing from @wisconsinwatch.org and Wisconsin Public Radio, @addiecostello.bsky.social and Trisha Young report on Habitat for Humanity's La Crosse affiliate embracing an affordable manufactured housing project and development model.
While barriers persist, factory-built homes are helping families realize ownership dreams
A more efficient, affordable development model helps Habitat for Humanity build more homes during a housing crisis. But some Wisconsin municipalities exclude manufactured homes from neighborhoods.
tonemadison.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
In a story we're republishing from @wisconsinwatch.org and Wisconsin Public Radio, @addiecostello.bsky.social and Trisha Young report on Habitat for Humanity's La Crosse affiliate embracing an affordable manufactured housing project and development model.
As a number of Wisconsin basketball teams kick off their seasons, Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social examines the state's relationship to basketball, touching on everything from Madison's many courts to the influx of excitement surrounding the sport.
tonemadison.com/articles/bas...
tonemadison.com/articles/bas...
Basketball is back, but it never really left
Madison's basketball courts are reflective of endurance, persistence, and Wisconsinites' growing embrace of the sport.
tonemadison.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
As a number of Wisconsin basketball teams kick off their seasons, Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social examines the state's relationship to basketball, touching on everything from Madison's many courts to the influx of excitement surrounding the sport.
tonemadison.com/articles/bas...
tonemadison.com/articles/bas...
Join us for Office Hours next week at State Line Distillery! We'll be kicking off our year-end fundraiser and raffling off merch, copies of our body cameras zine, and tickets to "The Moth" StorySLAMs in Madison.
tonemadison.com/event/tone-m...
tonemadison.com/event/tone-m...
November 6, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Join us for Office Hours next week at State Line Distillery! We'll be kicking off our year-end fundraiser and raffling off merch, copies of our body cameras zine, and tickets to "The Moth" StorySLAMs in Madison.
tonemadison.com/event/tone-m...
tonemadison.com/event/tone-m...
"The women interviewed for this story all pointed out that accountability and making amends are crucial concepts in the world of recovery, and yet they’ve seen little in the way of [that]."
Four years after grooming allegations, David Henzie-Skogen has reemerged. @scottgordonwi.bsky.social reports.
Four years after grooming allegations, David Henzie-Skogen has reemerged. @scottgordonwi.bsky.social reports.
As a musician stages his comeback, his accusers ask where the accountability is
Four years after allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct, David Henzie-Skogen is back on the road with Youngblood Brass Band.
tonemadison.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:17 PM
"The women interviewed for this story all pointed out that accountability and making amends are crucial concepts in the world of recovery, and yet they’ve seen little in the way of [that]."
Four years after grooming allegations, David Henzie-Skogen has reemerged. @scottgordonwi.bsky.social reports.
Four years after grooming allegations, David Henzie-Skogen has reemerged. @scottgordonwi.bsky.social reports.
For 11 years, Tone Madison has made it our mission to cover the corners of culture involving the people, places, and movements that often get overlooked in our local media landscape. Help us continue to tell those stories.
tonemadison.com/donate/
tonemadison.com/donate/
Help Tone Madison live to fight another day
With advertising revenue down, we need your help more than ever.
tonemadison.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
For 11 years, Tone Madison has made it our mission to cover the corners of culture involving the people, places, and movements that often get overlooked in our local media landscape. Help us continue to tell those stories.
tonemadison.com/donate/
tonemadison.com/donate/
In today's Microtones, film section editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social defines what Project Projection—the soon-to-be quarterly local film and video art showcase at @artlitlab.bsky.social—has meant to the culture of Madison since programmer James Kreul began hosting.
Local open-mic cinema
Project Projection at Arts + Literature Laboratory is assembling all facets of Madison's DIY and more professional film culture alike.
tonemadison.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
In today's Microtones, film section editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social defines what Project Projection—the soon-to-be quarterly local film and video art showcase at @artlitlab.bsky.social—has meant to the culture of Madison since programmer James Kreul began hosting.
Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social highlights—and finds what unifies—great recent releases from Aergo, Baby Tyler Band, Calamity, Frozen Charlotte, Alex Yaco Kalfayan, and a collaboration between Slick and In Ropes in our latest.
tonemadison.com/articles/mad...
tonemadison.com/articles/mad...
Madison musicians bare their teeth
New releases from September and October seize a cathartic aggression.
tonemadison.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social highlights—and finds what unifies—great recent releases from Aergo, Baby Tyler Band, Calamity, Frozen Charlotte, Alex Yaco Kalfayan, and a collaboration between Slick and In Ropes in our latest.
tonemadison.com/articles/mad...
tonemadison.com/articles/mad...
This week, in our final "Oddsconsin" selection for spooky season, Howard Veregin tours the UW Zoological Museum (at 250 N Mills St). He observes the thousands of dermestid beetles that clean animal skeletons so they can be preserved for study and research.
Oddsconsin: Flesh-eating beetles
Touring the dermestid beetle colony home at UW Zoological Museum.
tonemadison.com
October 28, 2025 at 2:00 PM
This week, in our final "Oddsconsin" selection for spooky season, Howard Veregin tours the UW Zoological Museum (at 250 N Mills St). He observes the thousands of dermestid beetles that clean animal skeletons so they can be preserved for study and research.
"Keep holding us accountable. But please do so with curiosity rather than condemnation."
In response to David Rivera-Kohr, Madison Common Council President Regina Vidaver offers her point of view and further clarity on the recent closure of the Dairy Drive encampment.
In response to David Rivera-Kohr, Madison Common Council President Regina Vidaver offers her point of view and further clarity on the recent closure of the Dairy Drive encampment.
Another perspective on Dairy Drive
Madison Common Council President Regina Vidaver responds to David Rivera-Kohr's October 7 editorial.
tonemadison.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:42 AM
"Keep holding us accountable. But please do so with curiosity rather than condemnation."
In response to David Rivera-Kohr, Madison Common Council President Regina Vidaver offers her point of view and further clarity on the recent closure of the Dairy Drive encampment.
In response to David Rivera-Kohr, Madison Common Council President Regina Vidaver offers her point of view and further clarity on the recent closure of the Dairy Drive encampment.
"No amount of scrutiny and harassment is going to force any community to hide its pride."
In this week's Microtones, News and Politics Editor Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez celebrates the new Puerto Rican Studies Hub at @uwmadison.bsky.social, the first of its kind in the Midwest.
In this week's Microtones, News and Politics Editor Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez celebrates the new Puerto Rican Studies Hub at @uwmadison.bsky.social, the first of its kind in the Midwest.
Resilience and strength in ethnic studies
Federal attacks on representation can't overshadow visibility, as UW–Madison establishes the first Midwestern Puerto Rican Studies Hub.
tonemadison.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:27 PM
"No amount of scrutiny and harassment is going to force any community to hide its pride."
In this week's Microtones, News and Politics Editor Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez celebrates the new Puerto Rican Studies Hub at @uwmadison.bsky.social, the first of its kind in the Midwest.
In this week's Microtones, News and Politics Editor Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez celebrates the new Puerto Rican Studies Hub at @uwmadison.bsky.social, the first of its kind in the Midwest.
Our Managing Editor @stinadale.bsky.social examines the increased frequency of human-bat encounters during this time of year. Lieffring talks with Madison East-Sider Sara Woolery, who was awakened in the middle of the night last month to a brown bat in her bedroom. 🦇
Bats in the bedroom
Spooky season coincides with increased human-bat encounters.
tonemadison.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Our Managing Editor @stinadale.bsky.social examines the increased frequency of human-bat encounters during this time of year. Lieffring talks with Madison East-Sider Sara Woolery, who was awakened in the middle of the night last month to a brown bat in her bedroom. 🦇
Wisconsin has more UFO sightings per capita than any other state in the Upper Midwest with 2,544 since 1947.
Howard Veregin recaps the phenomena in our "Oddsconsin" pick for this week.
Howard Veregin recaps the phenomena in our "Oddsconsin" pick for this week.
Oddsconsin: UFOs and alien abductions
Perhaps we should be proud of our state's status as a hotbed of UFO sightings.
tonemadison.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Wisconsin has more UFO sightings per capita than any other state in the Upper Midwest with 2,544 since 1947.
Howard Veregin recaps the phenomena in our "Oddsconsin" pick for this week.
Howard Veregin recaps the phenomena in our "Oddsconsin" pick for this week.
"...I'll use the title as a way to get us all on the same page. I really want my audience to be engaged from the beginning, so that you can trust me, and I'll carry you through the poem."
@rmbanting.bsky.social talks with poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney about her debut collection, JOY IS MY MIDDLE NAME
@rmbanting.bsky.social talks with poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney about her debut collection, JOY IS MY MIDDLE NAME
Sasha Debevec-McKenney catalogs a museum of her 20s in "Joy Is My Middle Name"
The formerly Madison-based poet gives justice to our city and the richness of girlhood in this debut poetry collection.
tonemadison.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
"...I'll use the title as a way to get us all on the same page. I really want my audience to be engaged from the beginning, so that you can trust me, and I'll carry you through the poem."
@rmbanting.bsky.social talks with poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney about her debut collection, JOY IS MY MIDDLE NAME
@rmbanting.bsky.social talks with poet Sasha Debevec-McKenney about her debut collection, JOY IS MY MIDDLE NAME
In this month's "Small Bites," @jesseraub.bsky.social turns to express his feelings on the inanity of ordinary life while our country descends into havoc under the current regime.
Small Bites: How to make a cheeseboard
An informative guide to an affordable luxury while ICE terrorizes the United States.
tonemadison.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:41 PM
In this month's "Small Bites," @jesseraub.bsky.social turns to express his feelings on the inanity of ordinary life while our country descends into havoc under the current regime.
"WELCOME POETS shows the ways in which Lorine Niedecker's influence continues to ripple outward..."
Ahead of @artlitlab.bsky.social's screening of the @pbswisconsin.bsky.social series this Sat, Oct 10, at 7 p.m., @mminkoff.bsky.social meditates on her connection to the 20th-century Wisconsin poet.
Ahead of @artlitlab.bsky.social's screening of the @pbswisconsin.bsky.social series this Sat, Oct 10, at 7 p.m., @mminkoff.bsky.social meditates on her connection to the 20th-century Wisconsin poet.
"Welcome Poets" provides a portal into the Wisconsin places that shaped Lorine Niedecker's identity
A meditation on the 20th-century Wisconsin poet's artistic impact, in relation to Poet Laureate Nicholas Gulig's own six-part series that screens at Art Lit Lab on October 18.
tonemadison.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:23 PM
"WELCOME POETS shows the ways in which Lorine Niedecker's influence continues to ripple outward..."
Ahead of @artlitlab.bsky.social's screening of the @pbswisconsin.bsky.social series this Sat, Oct 10, at 7 p.m., @mminkoff.bsky.social meditates on her connection to the 20th-century Wisconsin poet.
Ahead of @artlitlab.bsky.social's screening of the @pbswisconsin.bsky.social series this Sat, Oct 10, at 7 p.m., @mminkoff.bsky.social meditates on her connection to the 20th-century Wisconsin poet.
"...The unsentimental and raw representation of adolescence in Todd Solondz's WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (1995) is the most poignant and personally enduring of the era."
@nothingunfinished.bsky.social reviews the cringe comedy classic, screening on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Sat, Oct 18, at 7 p.m.
@nothingunfinished.bsky.social reviews the cringe comedy classic, screening on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Sat, Oct 18, at 7 p.m.
"Welcome To The Dollhouse" cuttingly conveys the social hell of pre-teen years
Todd Solondz's enduring cringe comedy from 1995 screens on 35mm at UW Cinematheque on October 18.
tonemadison.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
"...The unsentimental and raw representation of adolescence in Todd Solondz's WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (1995) is the most poignant and personally enduring of the era."
@nothingunfinished.bsky.social reviews the cringe comedy classic, screening on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Sat, Oct 18, at 7 p.m.
@nothingunfinished.bsky.social reviews the cringe comedy classic, screening on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Sat, Oct 18, at 7 p.m.
Howard Veregin of "Oddsconsin" visits St. Martin's Cemetery, reminding us of child mortality rates during a traumatic period in Wisconsin's history just a century ago.
Oddsconsin: Children's graves at St. Martin's Cemetery
Cemeteries are one of the only things we have to remind us of a traumatic period in our history.
tonemadison.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Howard Veregin of "Oddsconsin" visits St. Martin's Cemetery, reminding us of child mortality rates during a traumatic period in Wisconsin's history just a century ago.
In an original comic, @racheldl.bsky.social illustrates her living experience at 540 West Washington Avenue in Madison, where she discovered a haunting part of the city's history.
Hidden Housing Histories: Joyce Funeral Home
Living in a 100-year-old ex-funeral home, I uncovered an unusual and dark piece of Madison history.
tonemadison.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:20 PM
In an original comic, @racheldl.bsky.social illustrates her living experience at 540 West Washington Avenue in Madison, where she discovered a haunting part of the city's history.
"...If we're going to make it through crises (and there will be multiple crises in the upcoming years), we have to remember that there are always multiple options available."
Build community, and don't give into the austerity mindset, @stinadale.bsky.social asserts in this week's Microtones.
Build community, and don't give into the austerity mindset, @stinadale.bsky.social asserts in this week's Microtones.
Unlearning the impulses of austerity
If we're going to not only survive but thrive, we will have to do it together.
tonemadison.com
October 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
"...If we're going to make it through crises (and there will be multiple crises in the upcoming years), we have to remember that there are always multiple options available."
Build community, and don't give into the austerity mindset, @stinadale.bsky.social asserts in this week's Microtones.
Build community, and don't give into the austerity mindset, @stinadale.bsky.social asserts in this week's Microtones.
"No other film has yet to capture the mood of the country at this moment in time as piercingly..."
New contributor Lance Li untangles his thoughts on Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, which is currently screening at all Madison area theaters (AMC, Flix, Marcus).
New contributor Lance Li untangles his thoughts on Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, which is currently screening at all Madison area theaters (AMC, Flix, Marcus).
"One Battle After Another" reclaims hope in its cluttered, unpretentious, momentous rhythms
Paul Thomas Anderson's latest epic satire is currently screening at all theaters in the Madison area.
tonemadison.com
October 9, 2025 at 1:36 PM
"No other film has yet to capture the mood of the country at this moment in time as piercingly..."
New contributor Lance Li untangles his thoughts on Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, which is currently screening at all Madison area theaters (AMC, Flix, Marcus).
New contributor Lance Li untangles his thoughts on Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, which is currently screening at all Madison area theaters (AMC, Flix, Marcus).
"There really is nothing like it, either in Lynch's filmography or the entire history of cinema."
Jason Fuhrman chronicles the creation and experience of discovering the seminal surrealist feature, ERASERHEAD (1977). It screens on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Fri, Oct 10, at 7 p.m.
Jason Fuhrman chronicles the creation and experience of discovering the seminal surrealist feature, ERASERHEAD (1977). It screens on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Fri, Oct 10, at 7 p.m.
"Eraserhead" exemplifies David Lynch's signature blend of the surreal and the mundane
The director's psychological, seminal debut feature from 1977 screens on 35mm at UW Cinematheque on October 10.
tonemadison.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
"There really is nothing like it, either in Lynch's filmography or the entire history of cinema."
Jason Fuhrman chronicles the creation and experience of discovering the seminal surrealist feature, ERASERHEAD (1977). It screens on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Fri, Oct 10, at 7 p.m.
Jason Fuhrman chronicles the creation and experience of discovering the seminal surrealist feature, ERASERHEAD (1977). It screens on 35mm at UW Cinematheque this Fri, Oct 10, at 7 p.m.
"[Our] housing crisis has reached a boiling point, and the Common Council's decisions over the years have not done enough to cool it down."
David Rivera-Kohr advocates for redirecting money towards desperately needed housing safety nets like Dairy Drive.
David Rivera-Kohr advocates for redirecting money towards desperately needed housing safety nets like Dairy Drive.
Madison deserves better than the alders who voted to demolish Dairy Drive
Our current crises require a radical restructuring of the budget to meet the community's needs.
tonemadison.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:11 PM
"[Our] housing crisis has reached a boiling point, and the Common Council's decisions over the years have not done enough to cool it down."
David Rivera-Kohr advocates for redirecting money towards desperately needed housing safety nets like Dairy Drive.
David Rivera-Kohr advocates for redirecting money towards desperately needed housing safety nets like Dairy Drive.
Our "Oddsconsin" pick from Howard Veregin this week details the history of @uwmadison.bsky.social's first official seal, Numen Lumen, which was designed in 1854 by John Hiram Lathrop.
Oddsconsin: Numen Lumen
Before Bucky Badger, there was Numen Lumen.
tonemadison.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Our "Oddsconsin" pick from Howard Veregin this week details the history of @uwmadison.bsky.social's first official seal, Numen Lumen, which was designed in 1854 by John Hiram Lathrop.
"'We’re looking for this to be a sustainable part of our life that we can legitimately live off of,'" says The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland, in a moment of conviction.
Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social sits down with The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland and Emma O'Shea.
tonemadison.com/articles/the...
Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social sits down with The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland and Emma O'Shea.
tonemadison.com/articles/the...
The Spine Stealers aim to author a bold new chapter
Songwriters Emma O'Shea and Kate Ruland open up about their burgeoning career.
tonemadison.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:45 PM
"'We’re looking for this to be a sustainable part of our life that we can legitimately live off of,'" says The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland, in a moment of conviction.
Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social sits down with The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland and Emma O'Shea.
tonemadison.com/articles/the...
Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social sits down with The Spine Stealers' Kate Ruland and Emma O'Shea.
tonemadison.com/articles/the...
It's #bandcampfriday! Our industrious Music Editor @stevenmps.bsky.social is planning a fourth compilation of local music for the fall. In the meantime, you can pick up our three prior comps—a total of 104 tracks by local artists—for just $40!
TO GROW A GARDEN from 2022:
TO GROW A GARDEN from 2022:
To Grow A Garden, by Tone Madison
44 track album
tonemadison.bandcamp.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM