Event Detail

TNK: Saltwater Tap, FènixDion, Madame Reaper
with Saltwater Tap, FènixDion, Madame Reaper And The Gentlmen's Club
Sat January 21, 2023 8:00 pm CST (Doors: 7:30 pm )
$15.00

GOLDEN DAGGER & TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS WELCOME: 

SALTWATER TAP

w/ FènixDion, Madame Reaper And The Gentlmen's Club

$12 In Advance // $15 Day Of Show // 21+

ABOUT TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS: Founded in 2005 by the team at lincoln hall and schubas, Tomorrow Never Knows has proven for over a decade that music fans will brave the brutal chicago cold for a good show.

Taking place over the course of five days in january, tnk gathers the best of rising local indie artists as well as acclaimed national acts, including both musicians and comedians.

For full lineups, please visit www.tnkfest.com

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Tickets are required to attend. No Refunds. This event is 21 and over. Any Ticket holder unable to present valid identification indicating that they are at least 21 years of age will not be admitted to this event, and will not be eligible for a refund.

Saltwater Tap

Forged in the waters of groovy friendship, Saltwater Tap is the creative baby of Garen Hudson, Taylor Vos, Cait Arq, and more recently, New Jersey based bassist Benji Daniels. These 4 share inspiration from the funky, story-driven, lyrically dense music of the 1970s. 

Hudson's father is a prolific playwright and lyricist, and he grew up listening to his dad's work. You may hear some musical theatre influences in the band’s music…just a little.

After writing many songs in high school, Hudson and Vos booked studio time to create the Bittersweet EP. They also brought in singer-songwriter Cait Arq to lay down background vocals, and her work speaks for itself. 

With each of these players having strong budding solo careers, their collaborative outputs are magnificent, funky, sometimes funny, and downright strange.

From funk-oriented pop, to their more recent sample-driven tunes (such as their most recent single, “Green Tea”) this band covers a lot of ground in a single set. That said, this range is not due to a lack of direction, but rather an interesting and eclectic collection of sounds. You might taste notes of Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Prince, and maybe even some Snarky Puppy (though the band fully admits they are not heavy jazz cats….except Benji. Benji can hang).

The band is cooking up all sorts of new music in 2022. Expect more sample-driven music, strange vocal effects, out-there folklore, and heady concept albums. 

Madame Reaper And The Gentlmen's Club
Madame Reaper’s story begins somewhere along a dusty stretch of I-90, where Chicago’s urban sprawl bleeds into the facsimiles of suburban wasteland. Beyond an exit as nondescript as the next, a dilapidated building crouches between a KwikTrip and a Subway, entirely unassuming by day. But at night, its rococo sign illuminates the vicinity with a foreboding haze. The words “Madame Reaper’s Gentlemen’s Club” appear in neon, coaxing wanton passers by into the Madame’s lair. Local townspeople speculate as to what happens inside the club, but never above a whisper. They say she puts on a great show—that it’s at once haunting and hypnotizing. They say that the most obscene clientele only leave in body bags.

This fictional backstory—that of a rogue strip club owner who murders lewd customers—encompasses the absurdity, camp, and social considerations of the Madame Reaper project. The brainchild of singer Kira Leadholm, Madame Reaper sets herself apart with angular synth-pop melodies, hyper-produced arrangements, and elaborate harmonies. Her unconventional lyrics and dominatrix persona offer a veiled critique of the way female performers are reduced to tropes, and of gender power imbalances in the industry and in society. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Kira wrote, recorded, and produced the demos for her self-titled debut record, which will be released in early 2023.
 
The Gentleman’s Club—Madame Reaper’s band—came to fruition in Summer 2022 and consists of Garen Hudson (Saltwater Tap) on keys, Kevvy Sheppard (Girl K) on guitar, and Austin Myers (Molly Compton) on bass. Armed with an arsenal of robo-drums (programmed by the Madame herself), the band’s live set is a raucous rendition of Madame Reaper’s recorded music.