Merri Cyr
Erin McKeown
The new spring concert season is warming up this week, with shows by Yo La Tengo, Wax Tailor, Young Empires, Erin McKeown, Big Gigantic, The Bright White, and Cribshitter. The calendar also includes: a panel discussion about UW's ties with China, and a one-man show by Michael Perry.
Monday 2.4
NOTEWORTHY: Facebook founded by Mark Zuckerberg, 2004.
Tuesday 2.5
NOTEWORTHY: Panama's Manuel Noriega indicted on charges of drug smuggling and money laundering, 1988.
Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm
Get to know these indie-rock forebears' new album, Fade, a rocking yet Zen-like meditation on aging and adversity.
Wednesday 2.6
China in Madison/Madison in China
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 7 pm
In this free panel discussion, professors Leslie Bow, Edward Friedman, Nicole Huang and Yoshiko Herrera discuss the UW's ties with China, with an eye to how the relationship will evolve.
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
This French producer crafts beautiful albums of cinematic trip-hop that often incorporate sound samples from movies. Check out Tour Stop to learn more about his cravings for celluloid.
Frequency, 9 pm
These charismatic Canadians have earned comparisons to indie-leaning rock bands Arcade Fire and the Killers. But the most important thing to know about this show is what to wear on your feet. The answer? Sensible shoes, because you'll probably be dancing for hours on end. With Royal Teeth.
Thursday 2.7
NOTEWORTHY: U.S. bans all Cuban imports and exports, 1962.
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
The author of Population: 485 and other books chronicling life in rural Wisconsin aims to make you laugh and cry in a one-man show. The title alone -- "A Clodhopper Shoots the Breeze" -- earns a chuckle before the show even begins.
High Noon Saloon, 7 pm
Though she's proficient in folk, pop, jazz and rock, this quirky musician cites a goofy sci-fi book -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- as one of her biggest influences. See what you think of her new album, MANIFESTRA, at this show. With Jenn Grant.
Orpheum Theatre, 9 pm
Live drums complement electronic beats when this Colorado duo hit the stage. Add jazz-sax riffs and a dynamic light show, and you've got a live experience that's like a cross between a 21st-century rave and a beatnik coffeehouse in the late 1950s, as imagined by a '90s jam band like the Disco Biscuits. With Kill Paris.
Frequency, 9 pm
Guitars aren't just instruments for this band. Sometimes they're weapons, the kind for fighting off the pretension of their Chicago neighborhood. Reminiscent of Oasis or Foo Fighters, their vocals have a calming effect in their sonic storm. With the Living Statues and Elusive Parallelograms.
Great DaneDowntown, 9 pm
This group's Mint Car cassette was one of 2012's best local releases, if you're into irreverent rock songs with NSFW titles and unexpected bursts of sincerity. Their live shows, which are few and far between, shed some light on how they got to be so deliciously twisted. With Sat. Nite Duets.