Winter really only gets started in Madison with the Holiday Fantasy in Lights, which opens for the season at Olin Park on Wednesday. This week also offers live music by No Age, Ingrid Michaelson, Matt Nathanson, and a performance by Luna Negra Dance Theatre.
Monday 11.17
No Age
Club 770 @ UW Union South, 9 pm
Merging indie rock with '80s hardcore in a way that appeals to fans of both scenes, the noisy Sub Pop duo recently landed themselves a spot on Mojo's list of the 10 best new acts of 2008. Also playing: Titus Andronicus, Soft Circle.
Tuesday 11.18
Ingrid Michaelson
Barrymore Theater, 7:30 pm
The low-key singer, pianist, guitarist and ukuleleist performs gently funny ditties that have made her a VH1 darling. Her latest, Be OK, is a collection of live tracks and rarities.
Wednesday 11.19
Holiday Fantasy in Lights
Olin Park
It's not quite the Christmas freakout they do over at the House on the Rock, but the Olin Park show is a Madison tradition. And it's all courtesy of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 159, so thanks, union members.
Matt Nathanson
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
The San Francisco-based singer and songwriter plays the sort of quiet ballads and mid-tempo rockers that gets club audiences swaying. His 2007 release Some Mad Hope, is his sixth.
Thursday 11.20
Luna Negra Dance Theater
Overture Center's Capitol Theatre, 7:30 pm
The Chicago-based troupe's dancers and choreographers are mindful of Latino traditions, but they also forge new ways.