Monday 10.20
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Though he recently signed to Warner Bros. Records, L.A.-based rapper MURS has collaborated with nearly every big name in underground hip-hop, including Little Brother, Hieroglyphics, Jean Grae, Aesop Rock and legendary producer 9th Wonder. While his new album, Murs for President, lacks some of the bizarre twists and turns that made him a small-label sensation, his live shows highlight the offbeat humor fans know and love. Kidz in the Hall, Isaiah and Rob Dz open.
Frequency, 9:30 pm
The fuzzy, growly psych-pop of Chicago duo Coltrane Motion should make for a winning combination with the melancholy post-rock of Ann Arbor's Farewell Republic. Also playing: Donoma.
Tuesday 10.21
Orpheum Theatre, 4, 6, 8 & 10 pm. Also Wednesday & Thursday, Oct. 22 & 23, 4, 6, 8 & 10 pm
Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne wrote and directed this trippy sci-fi movie about, yes, the Yuletide season on the red planet. Other Flaming Lips appear, and the reasonably prominent actor Adam Goldberg.
Overture Center's Overture Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Wednesday & Thursday, Oct. 22 & 23, 7:30 pm, and through Oct. 26
The ribald musical won three Tonys, including Best Musical, thanks to its patented blend of Sesame Street-like puppetry and decidedly adult themes, including pornography, homosexuality and the plight of English majors.
Overture Center's Promenade Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Wednesday & Thursday Oct. 22 & 23 (7:30 pm), and through Nov. 2 The off-Broadway hit, a one-drag-queen show, is the story of a one-time Alabama trailer park denizen who left it all behind for the trademark kitchenware. Tupperware will be sold.
War of the Worlds & The Lost World
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm
L.A. Theatre Works, founded in 1974, is dedicated to preserving the all-but-lost art of radio drama, the theater of the mind. This program combines Orson Welles' 1938 telling of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which caused a national panic, and a dramatization of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, about a South American site where dinosaurs still live.
Mickey's Tavern, 9 pm
When Isthmus scribe John Mendels(s)ohn described Blake Thomas as "the world's world-weariest 25-year-old" a few months back, he meant it as a compliment. It's fair to venture that the singer-songwriter behind "I Don't Want Your Heart, I Want Your Liver" is most at home -- and most world-weary -- at Mickey's, one of Madison's most beloved watering holes. Also playing: Jeremiah Nelson.
Wednesday 10.22
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Alt-country A-lister Wayne Hancock often gets wedged into the same category as Hank Williams, but he's also a consummate bluesman and Western swing performer. Watch him wear all of these hats and more as he promotes his brand-new album, Tulsa. Joe Buck Yourself opens.
Thursday 10.23
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Come one, come all to this CD release party for the two Madison hip-hop acts. Dumate, Rob Dz and DJ Fusion are also on deck.
Wisconsin Union Theater, 8 pm
The 44-year-old ensemble plays selections by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The guys say they are going to hang it up after this season, so catch them while you can.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
Lotus' name may sound a bit hippy-dippy; their sound is anything but. This five-piece from Philly solders together Tortoise-style instrumental post-rock and jazzy electronic dance grooves for a sound that's sure to please fans of Stereolab, Explosions in the Sky and even Medeski Martin & Wood. Family Groove Company opens.
