Bockfest means Blonde Doppelbock
Friday 2.22
Kim Cridler and Amy Ruffo
James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center, through Feb. 24
Cridler's sculptures are stripped-down interpretations of domestic objects, emphasizing pattern and ornamentation. Ruffo's ink and graphite drawings echo the sprawling landscape of Nebraska's Great Plains.
FreedomFest
Overture Center lobby, noon-midnight
The Madison Center for Creative and Cultural Arts features a full day of stimulating jazz, including Hanah Jon Taylor's Seekers and the Archie Shepp Quartet, in which Madison bass legend Richard Davis joins the '60s avant-garde saxophonist.
The Quiltmaker's Gift
Bartell Theatre, 9:30 am & 12:30 pm. Also Thursday (9:30 am & 12:30 pm), Saturday (1 & 4 pm), Wednesday & Thursday (9:30 am & 12:30 pm), Feb. 21, 23, 26 & 27
MadCAP Theatre for Young Audiences presents a musical adaptation of the picture book about a greedy king who gives away his possessions for a quilt. Author Jeffrey Brumbeau speaks at a reception following Friday's 12:30 pm show.
Follies
Wisconsin Union Theater, 7:30 pm. Also Saturday, Feb. 23, 7:30 pm
Four Seasons Theatre features Tom Wopat -- area native, TV and Broadway star -- for a staged concert version of Stephen Sondheim's musical, in which an impresario reunites his old stars.
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 8 pm
Vivaldi's "Guitar Concerto in D Major" and Roberto Sierra's "Danzas: Concertantes" feature guest guitarist Manuel Barrueco, a perfectionist from Cuba. The WCO also performs Haydn's "Symphony No. 49" and "Cantabile" for strings by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks.
Daniel Tosh
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
The hard-touring standup comedian has done all the late-night TV shows, gaining a following with absurdist stories that sometimes tend toward the hilariously sick.
Vid Libert
Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, 8 pm
The local psych-folkie drifts through a woozy, parti-colored universe of sound on his new album, a return to mayaguez.
Mad-Midwest Fest
Inferno, 9 pm
The irrepressible local art punks Screamin' Cyn Cyn & the Pons headline a festival that also includes neo-New Wavers the Dials, Ouija Radio and Whore du Jour.
Cornmeal
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm The longhairs' favorite bluegrass-flavored jammers bring a little warmth to the last month of winter (fingers crossed). Run Side Down opens.
Wayne Hancock
Crystal Corner Bar, 9:30 pm
The roots/country legend won't stop playing until the last gulp of beer has been swallowed and the "Closed" sign's been flipped over on the front door. He's one-of-a-kind.
WSUM Anniversary Party
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30 pm
The Clyde Stubblefield Band will add a soulful vibe to the UW radio station's bash.
Saturday 2.23
Bockfest
Capital Brewery, 11 am-5 pm
Capital Brewery's release of Blonde Doppelbock is the main event, but costumes, live music and a fish throw should help pass time in between sips.
Journey Music Rock Fest
Loft in the Lussier Teen Center, 6 pm
Apparently Nothing balance hooks and teenage angst with remarkable aplomb on their latest EP, The Usual Things. The locals celebrate the Journey Music's first four years with many other bands at an all-ages party.
Needtobreathe
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
Expect plenty of ringing acoustic guitars, yearning vocals and radio-ready anthems from the Christian tunesmiths, whose MOR rock contains enough uplift to launch a small blimp.
Wisconsin Brass Quintet
Mills Hall in the UW Humanities Bldg., 8 pm
The UW's resident ensemble does justice to Vivaldi's "Concerto Grosso for Strings and Continuo" without a string in sight.
The Killer Dolphin With Rabies
Klinic Bar, 9 pm
A creative little prog-hardcore scene is beginning to coalesce here in town, thanks to brutal bands like this.
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
Cafe Montmartre, 9:30 pm
On disc, critically lauded singer-songwriter Atkins strikes a chord with evocative, '50s- and '60s-flavored mood pieces about her faded hometown on the Jersey Shore. If she can muster the same kind of aural atmospheres live, she'll be irresistible.
The Wild Animals
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
The Dubuque band sound like they're attacking their Delta blues-inspired rockers and proto-punk from inside a rusty tin can. And that's not a criticism. They play a post-match bacchanal hosted by the Mad Rollin' Dolls.
Sunday 2.24
Addy: An American Girl Story
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 1 pm
Seattle Children's Theatre portrays the brave African American slave girl from the American Girl book series. Addy takes to the Underground Railroad when her family is broken up during the Civil War.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Waisman Center, 1 & 3 pm
Traveling Lantern Theatre Co. offers a magical afternoon in which four English children travel to the land of Narnia.
Allison Hantschel Sansone
A Room of One's Own, 2 pm
The former local journalist discusses her book It Doesn't End With Us: The Story of the Daily Cardinal. The subhead gives you an idea of the author's passion for her juicy subject: How a College Newspaper's Fight for Freedom Changed Its University, Challenged Journalism, and Influenced Hundreds of Lives.
Aaron Weinstein
Coliseum Bar, 2 pm
The young violinist is a jazz phenom, having already wowed the critics in his early 20s. He carries on the swinging tradition of Stephane Grappelli and Joe Venuti.
Peking Acrobats
Overture Center's Overture Hall, 3 pm
The 26-member troupe of gymnasts, jugglers, clowns and cyclists return to amaze us with feats of balance and dexterity, accompanied by a Chinese orchestra.
Opera Up Close
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 4 pm
John DeMain, Allan Naplan and a special guest discuss Madison Opera's upcoming production of Aaron Copland's folk-style The Tender Land.
The Dreaming
Annex, 6:30 pm
Former Stabbing Westward singer Chris Hall brings some goth-friendly romance to the Dreaming's mile-wide punk-alternative hybrids.
Steve Poltz
Cafe Montmartre, 8 pm
A successful songwriter as well as a performer, Poltz specializes in quirky pop and folk-rock. Truckee Brothers open.