Countdown to WORTstock: Inside Tomato Box

WORT Music Playlists

What was that song I heard? Who was the artist, what is the album title, where can I get it? Where can I find the entire playlist for a show?

Click on the Playlists button to bring up a calendar where you can choose any date to find the playlists for that day. If you can’t find the right playlist or the song you’re looking for, your best bet is to call the station the next time that program’s on and ask the host yourself. If that’s not possible we may be able to help you, but please have as much information as possible at hand when you contact us, such as: approximate day and time the music was played, what type or genre of music it was, who hosted the show and any other information you remember about the selection and we’ll do our best to track it down.

Contact Information

Music Director: Sybil Augustine – musicdirector@wortfm.org (for music submissions, charts and tracking, promotional exchanges for music events and following up on volunteer applications or other requests. Please include specifics in your subject line, such as “Hiphop Music Submission” etc, )

Digital Production Director: Aaron Scholz – aaron@wortfm.org (for record donations and sales, promos recording volunteers, etc.)

Music Calendars: Submit your events online here or send by email to calendar@wortfm.org

How do I get my music played on WORT?

We accept submissions in most genres and styles of music, focusing on noncommercial, out-of-the-mainstream, independent releases (check out our playlists and music charts for more information.) It may take up to a few weeks for us to review and process your submission so we appreciate your patience, and feel free to contact us to follow up. Please send your music, indicating any tracks with language that needs to be aired after 10 pm and including a one-sheet description and any biographical and tour information, to WORT Music Director, 118 S. Bedford St, Madison, WI 53703 and/or to musicdirector@wortfm.org.

We do accept digital files on .wav or mp3, but currently we still prefer CDs to digital submissions because it’s the quickest way to get it into the hands of our programmers and onto the airwaves, though we have a growing digital library. Digital submissions should be .wav or other lossless files, or high quality mp3s [128-320 kbps.]

You can follow up or “track” your submissions by email, or call 608-256-2001 on Wednesdays between 1-4 pm CST to ask if we received it, has it been reviewed, has it been added to our library, and what kind of airplay it’s getting—e.g. light, medium, heavy or charting. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

It’s T-minus three…two…one day/s until WORTstock! It is our biggest annual fundraising event, and we’re so excited for this handpicked, Madison-based lineup to ignite your summer music festival season. Countdown to May 21 with us as we introduce our five amazing bands! You can hear music from most of them on our Spotify playlist, “2023 WORTstock Festival Performers.”

Thursday afternoon, May 18 at 3:00 pm, Jazz in Flight host Theresa Cuccia welcomed our kickoff act for the festival, the resurrected (but never reformed) Tomato Box, for a live in-studio performance with two of those songs posted here. Presented by BlueStem Jazz, these talented and mischievous long-term fixtures on the local scene will bring their free-jazz rockstar fusion sound to Sunday’s Jazz Brunch at noon.

Experimental jazz group TOMATO BOX was formed by drummer and bandleader Michael Brenneis in 1998, with compositions featuring both marimba and saxophone. Joining Brenneis in Tomato Box is Geoff Brady on vibraphone, Henry Boehm on bass, Tony Barba on saxophone, Jamie Kember on trombone, and Paul Hastil on Fender Rhodes. All members have been active in the Madison jazz scene as teachers, bandleaders, and/or composers since their last album together, Any Road was released in 2002. Newly regenerated in 2023 with fresh compositions and energy, Tomato Box is back and you can see them at all the best shows and clubs around town.

What is your favorite memory of seeing members of Tomato Box perform? Make sure you get to Warner Park for WORTStock early this Sunday, when Tomato Box will be burning up the stage at NOON on May 21st! Get better acquainted with their music and lineup here on their Bandcamp page.

(Images courtesy Michael Brenneis, Tomato Box)

Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here