Revel in a late season celebration of snow and ice this weekend at the Madison Winter Festival and Polar Plunge. The calendar also includes: performances by Kanopy Dance Company and productions of Two Rooms, An Evening of Broadway, and A Year with Frog and Toad; standup by Lisa Lampanelli and Duck Soup Cinema; live music by Juniper Tar, Lotus, Bird Peterson, Pretty & Nice, Little Blue Crunchy Things, the Madison Mellophonium Jazz Orchestra, Otep, Eyedea & Abilities, Sondre Lerche, and Convivo; and, a benefit show for the Mutliple Sclerosis Society.
Friday 2.19
NOTEWORTHY: President Roosevelt orders 120,000 Japanese Americans interned on West Coast, 1942.
BIRTHDAYS: Actor Jeff Daniels, 1955; actress Justine Bateman, 1966.
Overture Center's Promenade Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Saturday (8 pm) & Sunday (2:30 pm), Feb 20 & 21
The Overture Center resident company presents "Planet Dance," a showcase for Kanopy's collaborations with Kalaanjali Dance Company, Sadira and Riad Middle Eastern Dance, Tania Tandias Flamenco and Spanish Dance, and Wadoma Dance. Among the highlights: a flamenco-flavored premiere by Kanopy's Juan Carlos Diaz Velez.
Bartell Theatre, 7:30 pm. Also Saturday, Feb. 20, 7:30 pm
Madison Theatre Guild presents Lee Blessing's play about a man held hostage in Lebanon. The play debuted in the 1980s amid that decade's agonizing Mideast hostage crisis -- but as we know too well, terrorism is an evergreen topic.
Wisconsin Union Theater, 8 pm
Madison's Four Seasons Orchestra accompanies the husband and wife team of Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie, a couple of Broadway stars who'll draw heavily on America's show songbook -- and what a songbook.
Overture Hall, 8 pm
The bawdy insult comedian has emerged as a TV personality, with appearances on late-night talk shows and roasts. She gives Don Rickles a run for his money, earning the nickname "queen of mean."
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
Milwaukee's Juniper Tar know how to find a comfortable spot in the grooves that divide alt-country, folk-rock and roots music. Their just-released The Howl Street EP falls somewhere between the bare-bones approach of Bon Iver and the emotionalism of Son Volt. Strand of Oaks, Common Loon and White Pines will also perform to commemorate the fifth anniversary of regional music blog Lotus
Majestic Theatre, 9:30 pm. Also Saturday, Feb. 20, 9:30 pm
The funky, five-piece jam band has grown increasingly electronic over the years, and has begun incorporating Tortoise-style post-rock, especially on 2008's Hammerstrike and the 2009 release Oil on Glass/Feather on Wood. If you can't catch this show, they play again on Saturday, with Basic Physics and Baghdad Scuba Review providing support. Steez and Basic Physics open the Friday show.
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30 pm
The Boston-based trio love Brainiac and Ex Models, and it shows in their expertly layered pop songs, which draw from both No Wave influences and neurotic, disjointed electronica. With Title Tracks.
Crystal Corner Bar, 10 pm
A staple of the local music scene in the '90s, LBCT were known for their audience-pleasing cocktail of jazz, rock, funk and beatboxing. Though they're no longer an active project, they're reuniting for a Friday-night show in Madison and a Saturday-night show in Milwaukee. Expect them to dust off fan favorites like "Florence," "Numbers" and "Babies."
Saturday 2.20
NOTEWORTHY: John Glenn rides Friendship 7 to the first Earth orbit by a U.S. astronaut, 1962.
BIRTHDAYS: Publishing heiress/Symbionese Liberation Army recruit/actress Patricia Hearst, 1954; singer Rihanna, 1988.
Capitol Square, 8 am-8 pm. Also Sunday, Feb. 21, 8 am-4 pm
You can't beat the cold, so join it. Along with races featuring elite skiers, the festival offers public skiing, snowboarding, ice-sculpting and other family events.
Olin Park, 10:30 am
You can support the Special Olympics by taking a dive into the frigid lake. On the other hand, you can also just write them a check.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 2 & 7 pm
Overture's delightful series brings back the old-time vaudeville era with a lively variety show followed by a silent movie: Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush, accompanied live on organ.
Madison Mellophonium Jazz Orchestra
First United Methodist Church, 7 pm. Also Sunday, Feb. 21, 1 pm
This new group, which includes local jazzer Rand Moore, is directed by saxophonist Joel Kaye, who played with Stan Kenton and assembled his own New York Neophonic Orchestra. Tonight's event pays tribute to Madison jazz bandleaders and features music of Stan Kenton and Johnny Richards.
Annex, 7 pm
The envelope-pushing metal quartet nabbed a record deal with no demo and hardly any performing experience after Sharon Osbourne was blown away by their live act and invited them to join the 2001 Ozzfest tour. More recently, they've been churning out singles from their 2009 album Smash the Control Machine, with that album's title track hitting No. 28 on Billboard's mainstream rock chart. With Bury Your Dead, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Destrophy and Lords of Discipline.
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30 pm
The blog-savvy DJ from Sacramento hits the Rat to remix MSTRKRFT's "It Ain't Love" Baltimore-style and get the crowd dancing with some nu-skool beats and plenty of keyboard-driven electro.
High Noon Saloon, 10 pm The Twin Cities-based hip-hop duo visit Madison to promote their rock-laced new album, By the Throat, and hang with local friends like the Crest, who will also perform (see Tour Stop). With Dosh and DJ Schooly.
Frequency, 10 pm
The Norwegian singer-songwriter made a big splash in the U.S. in 2002, when his debut album, Faces Down, found a place on Rolling Stone's Top 50 list for that year. Since then, he's been living the star-studded life, sharing the stage with a-ha, touring with Elvis Costello and marrying a model-turned-actress. With JBM.
Sunday 2.21
NOTEWORTHY: Malcolm X assassinated, 1965.
BIRTHDAYS: Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison, 1949; Juno star Ellen Page, 1987.
First Congregational United Church of Christ, 2:30 pm
The chamber-music ensemble's "American Masters" program features works by Samuel Barber, John Williams and Benjamin Franklin.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 3 pm
Bring the young'uns to this musical version of Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books, among the most weirdly charming children's stories of all time. Frog is sunny, Toad dour.
Multiple Sclerosis Society benefit
High Noon Saloon, 5:30 pm
David Hecht & Primitive Culture, Jim James & the Damn Shames, People Brothers Band, Hot Money and Main Street Wisdom take the stage to raise money for the Wisconsin chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
