Olbrich Gardens
Blooming Butterflies
July, and with it the summer season, hits its midpoint this week. The calendar includes: Blooming Butterflies at Olbrich; the Grab My Junk burlesque extravaganza and Dead Man's Carnival; a book reading by Robert Moore; a film noir edition of Concerts on the Square; and, more live music from Little Feat, The Weather Duo, Madison County, Arlo Guthrie, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
Monday 7.11
NOTEWORTHY: Skylab scatters debris across Indian Ocean & Australia as it plummets to earth, 1979.
BIRTHDAYS: Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, 1959; openly gay NFL player Esera Tuaolo, 1968.
Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm
This classic rock band has been fusing blues, jazz, soul and R&B with the best of 'em for more than 40 years, releasing a live album, Rams Head Revisited, last year. With Tret Fure.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
New York burlesque figures Jo "Boobs" Weldon and Jonny Porkpie star in this extravaganza, which melds a burlesque production and game-show elements. Other performers include Firstbase Fannie, Moxie Rhodes and Kitty LaRue. The event is part of Madison Burlesque Week.
Tuesday 7.12
NOTEWORTHY: Chicago's Comiskey Park hosts Disco Demolition Night, 1979.
BIRTHDAYS: Fleetwood Mac singer/keyboardist Christine McVie, 1943; Olympic gold-medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, 1971.
Wednesday 7.13
NOTEWORTHY: Live Aid concerts for African famine relief at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium & London's Wembley Field, 1985.
BIRTHDAYS: Cubic Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik, 1944; filmmaker Cameron Crowe, 1957.
Olbrich Gardens, 10 am-4 pm, and through Aug. 7
The annual event offers an up-close look at the miracle of metamorphosis. More than a dozen species of butterflies emerge from their chrysalises and flutter picturesquely around the Bolz Conservatory.
Capitol Square, 7 pm
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's summer season continues with a program called "Film Noir Classics." Guest conductor Huw Edwards leads the group in music from Casablanca, Goldfinger and other movie favorites.
Project Lodge, 7 pm
They're not a pair of ukulele-toting weathermen or an anthropomorphic low-pressure system. They're a handful of local chamber-music improvisers with a penchant for electronics, folk melodies and video art. With Thomas Wincek and Slothpop.
Thursday 7.14
BASTILLE DAY
NOTEWORTHY: Sheriff Pat Garrett guns down Billy the Kid at Fort Sumner, 1881.
BIRTHDAYS: Gleeful Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jane Lynch, 1960; Lost star Matthew Fox, 1966.
Monona Terrace Rooftop, 7 pm
The Madison Area Music Award-winning country band bring their 10-gallon hats and boot-scooting tunes to the shores of Lake Monona.
Barnes & Noble-West Towne, 7 pm
The author discusses Devil's Lake, Wisconsin and the Civilian Conservation Corps (see Arts Beat).
Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm
A folk-music legend in his own right, Arlo Guthrie will celebrate the life and music of his dear old dad, Woody, at this benefit for We Are Wisconsin, a network of community groups, labor unions, religious leaders and other social justice crusaders fighting the governor's controversial budget proposals.
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Add some fire-eating, burlesque-dancing, vaudevillian fun to your week with this old-timey variety show, on loan from Milwaukee's Miramar Theatre. House band Sir Pinkerton & the Magnificents provide a soundtrack of circus-inspired tunes.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
What happens when you forget to fill out the biography section of a Bandcamp profile? Very good things if you're this psych-rock band. Find out more in this week's Tour Stop. With P.S. I Love You.
