This weekend betwixt the Christmas and New Year's holidays is mostly quiet, but there are a few good reasons to hit the town, including more performances of Oy to the World, a big medical benefit concert for "Cadillac Joe" Andersen, and more live music by the BoDeans, the Madison Marimba Quartet, and Elden Calder.
Friday 12.26
BoDeans
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
One of Wisconsin's favorite homegrown bands, the BoDeans can't help but make songs like "She's a Runaway," which appeal to nostalgic 40-somethings and '80s-obsessed teenagers alike. Chicago singer-songwriter Joe Pug opens the show with some stirring lyrics set to guitar and harmonica.
Cadillac Joe Medical Benefit with Joel Pingitore & the Playground of Sound, Aaron Williams & the Hoodoo, Cash Box Kings, Clear Blue Betty
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
A number of MAMA winners and nominees come out to raise money for "Cadillac Joe" Andersen, one of Madison's most storied Hammond B3 players and a 30-year veteran of the local music scene, who got laid off from his job and lost the health insurance he needs to battle cancer.
Saturday 12.27
Madison Marimba Quartet
Mills Hall, UW Humanities Building, 1 pm
The ensemble presents its annual free concert for local citizens starved for entertainment in the cultural wasteland between Christmas and New Year's. It's fun for the whole family, with a range of classical, jazz and holiday music.
Oy to the World
Imperial Garden-West, 5:30 & 7:30 pm. Also Sunday, Dec. 28, 5:30 pm
Local comedian Jodi Cohen reprises her one-woman tour de force, a dinner/theater experience for those with a hankering to go out when others are home gazing at the Christmas tree. Drawing on her improvisational skill, Cohen explores holiday family dynamics, gift exchanges and football. She plays a wide range of comic characters, including a Wisconsin macaroni sculptor, a Bronx carpenter and White House press secretary Samantha Wingit.
Sunday 12.28
Elden Calder
Frequency, 9 pm
Erik Duerr's band Elden Calder doesn't even have a MySpace page -- pretty much a requirement for independent musicians these days -- but it has a number of good indie tunes with a dash of Americana flavor. The band releases a new CD tonight and will be joined by Tar Pet, Inboil and BattleRat.
