Danielle de Niese
It's high season for cabin fever, so fend off those late winter blahs and hit the clubs this week for some live music. The options include: Jon McLaughlin, P.O.S., Clutch, Larkin Grimm, Cherry Pie, Mudvayne, Buckwheat Zydeco, Black Stone Cherry, Danielle de Niese, 40 oz to Freedom, Little Blue Crunchy Things, and Sick of Sarah.
Monday 2.16
PRESIDENTS' DAY
Noteworthy: King Tut's burial chamber unsealed, 1923.
Birthdays: Rapper/actor Ice-T, 1958; tennis bad boy/extreme game-show host John McEnroe, 1959.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The Hoosier with the dreamy good looks and the VH1 sound touched hearts in 2007 with his moody, piano-driven single "Beautiful Disaster." His 2008 CD OK Now is touching still more hearts. With Parachute.
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Minneapolis' Stef Alexander -- known to hip-hop fans as P.O.S. -- wrote most of his new Audition while riding in a car. Its songs tap into much of what's alluring about automobiles: chase scenes, driving beats and anger as piping-hot as road rage. See how the album translates on the stationary but energy-filled stage of the High Noon. Sims, Lazerbeak, Hand Over Fist and Plain Ole Bill open.
Tuesday 2.17
Noteworthy: Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer sentenced to life in prison, 1992.
Birthdays: Actress Rene Russo, 1954; Nike pitchman/serial retiree Michael Jordan, 1963.
Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm
Clutch has aged gracefully over the past two decades, transitioning from metal and hardcore sounds to a more open-ended form of hard rock while making its lyrics more erudite and humorous. Also playing: Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, the Bakerton Group and Red Fang.
Frequency, 9 pm
Larkin Grimm isn't your average singer-songwriter: She's an anarchist, part Sinti and part Cree, and about as bohemian as they come. Her music is also an unconventional mix of elements: Appalachian Americana, Native American traditional music and the spacey hippie-folk from the religious cult she was born into (see Tour Stop). Zola Jesus and Vid Libert open.
Cherry Pie
The Bean, 9:30 pm
The hair-metal tribute band plays arena rock staples by the likes of Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Journey and, of course, Warrant -- the band is named for a Warrant song. It could be simply a big goof, except that the guys have prodigious chops. Wear your favorite mesh shirt and prepare to rawk.
Wednesday 2.18
Noteworthy: Chicago 7 acquitted of conspiracy charges stemming from riotous 1968 Democratic convention, 1970.
Birthdays: Avant-artist Yoko Ono, 1933; actor John Travolta, 1954.
Orpheum Theatre, 7 pm
Mudvayne made metal fans out of many in 2000 with its single "Dig," and did the same again in 2005 with "Determined." Relive your introduction to headbanging or initiate someone you love. Nonpoint and In This Moment open.
UW Memorial Union's Great Hall, 8 pm
In Wisconsin, when you think piano accordion you usually think Chicken Dance. But Lafayette, La.-based Buckwheat Zydeco brings his marvelous bayou sensibility to the instrument, and that has served him well over his decades-long career.
Thursday 2.19
Noteworthy: President Franklin Roosevelt orders 120,000 Japanese-Americans interned on West Coast, 1942; 30,000 U.S. Marines land at Iwo Jima, 1945.
Orpheum, 8 pm
With their crunching guitars, aggressive singing and deft melodicism, Kentucky rockers Black Stone Cherry sound like a revival of the Black Crowes, who sounded like a revival of Molly Hatchett.
Wisconsin Union Theater, 8 pm
The soprano, born in Australia, is a rising star in the opera world. The New York Times was calling her exquisite just the week before last.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
Nothing can replace the genre-bending ska-punk of Sublime, but 40 oz to Freedom tries its darndest to pay homage to it. Pearl Snap Saturday opens.
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
The funky, jazzy, beatboxing-laced rock of Little Blue Crunchy Things officially came to an end in 2000 with a much-remembered show at the Barrymore. The band resurfaces from time to time, though, including this week for a special performance at the High Noon. Ssssnake opens.
Cafe Montmartre, 9 pm
The four members of Minneapolis' Sick of Sarah aren't afraid to list softies like Jewel and Michelle Branch as influences, but they've got a harder and weirder edge to their pop than these forebears. Also playing: Cribshitter, Melismatics.
