The autumnal sun and warmth looks like it will linger around town for at least one more weekend. The calendar includes: Madison Brewfest; an Andy Warhol exhibit at the Chazen; a production of Goodnight Moon; comedy from the Trailer Park Boys, performances by the MSO and Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble; Women Rock for the Cure shows and a benefit concert for the American Cancer Society; more live music from Guster, The Shtetlblasters, Tone Loc, Grandchildren with Dinosaur Feathers, Pistol Pete, Jon Langford & Skull Orchard, Ralph's World, NoMeansNo, Patty Loveless, Vandaveer, and Julian Velard; and, a debate between Tammy Baldwin and Chad Lee.
Friday 10.15
NOTEWORTHY: Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Soviet President/glasnost architect Mikhail Gorbachev, 1990.
BIRTHDAYS: York duchess/Weight Watchers pitchwoman Sarah Ferguson, 1959; singer Eric Benet, 1970.
Venues citywide
Musicians in various genres perform to benefit the Madison affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (See Music.)
Alliant Energy Center's Willow Island, 3-10 pm. Also Saturday, Oct. 16, 11 am-10 pm
Sample the suds from Wisconsin breweries great and small, and groove to tunes by local acts like Madison County, Mighty Short Bus and Cherry Pie.
Andy Warhol Photographic Studies
Chazen Museum of Art, through Dec. 5
This exhibit gathers photographic portraits -- some of famous people, some not -- by the Pop Art master. The images are part of a collection the museum received from the Andy Warhol Foundation in 2007. At 5:30 this evening, check out a lecture by SUNY New Paltz art historian Reva Wolf, then stick around for the reception at 6:30 p.m.
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Saturday (8 pm) & Sunday (2:30 pm), Oct. 16 & 17
The fall arts season gets indisputably under way as the big orchestra begins its 2010-2011 series. Russian pianist Olga Kern plays Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, and John DeMain conducts the ensemble in Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture" and Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 8 pm
The rockin' band of funny guys have adopted a pretty serious cause lately: helping fans and fellow bands go green. Don't be surprised if they throw a few tips on eco-friendly living into a set of tunes from their new album, Easy Wonderful. Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves open with tunes so soulful they'll make Taylor Hicks seem like a karaoke performer. Learn more about Reed and his new album in Tour Stop.
Project Lodge, 8 pm
What would happen if M.I.A. joined a klezmer band? It might sound a little like the Shtetlblasters, who'll get the crowd doing the hora and more at this show. With Meteorade.
Scatz Sports Bar & Nightclub, 9 pm
Middleton gets a visit from the rapper whose 1980s hits "Funky Cold Medina" and "Wild Thing" rocked dorms and school buses across the nation. Make sure your threads are fresh and you're looking def when you hit the bar.
Grandchildren, Dinosaur Feathers
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30
Dinosaur Feathers specialize in layered vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys, but their beats are inspired by Latin America's beaches rather than California's. Grandchildren top things off with a heavy, heady blend of electronics, percussion and acoustic instruments. With Temple.
Harmony Bar, 9:45 pm
The Chicago musician's psychedelic blues-rock is guaranteed to knock your socks off with a combination of red-hot riffs and cool-as-a-cucumber stage presence. Featuring Mike Morrison.
Frequency, 10 pm
Mekons drummer and Waco Brothers vocalist Langford has blazed many of the trails that now link punk and country, helping Chicago's nascent alt-country scene grow into a national phenomenon in the early to mid-1990s. Old Devils, his new album with his band Skull Orchard, shines a light on these connections as well, using the premise that punk is a form of folk music to blend genres ranging from honky-tonk to old-school indie rock. With Sally Timms, Danbert Nobacon.
Saturday 10.16
NOTEWORTHY: Million Man March on Washington, D.C., 1995.
BIRTHDAYS: Husker Dude Bob Mould, 1960; singer John Mayer, 1977.
High Noon Saloon, 11 am
Ralph Covert came out of Chicago's indie rock scene (he led the pop-rockers the Bad Examples), and that experience serves him well in his incarnation as a popular children's musician. His bouncy songs are so melodically hip that they hook parents as well as their kids.
Overture Center's Playhouse, 2:30 & 6:30 pm. Also Sunday, Oct. 17, 2:30 pm
Children's Theater of Madison begins its season with a musical staging of Margaret Wise Brown's indelible children's book. For more on CTM, see Theater.
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
The long-running Canadian television comedy about getting high and getting rich, with varying degrees of success, hits the stage.
Gates of Heaven Synagogue, 8 pm
Chamber music of the 17th and 18th century is the watchword as members of this local ensemble employ period instruments in performing this program of Bach, Telemann, Monteverdi and more.
American Cancer Society benefit
Frequency, 9 pm
Cancer sucks, and this lineup of insanely loud and energetic rockers -- Birthday Suits, Peelander Z, the Killer Dolphin With Rabies and Roboman -- isn't taking it lightly. Join them as they show the disease who's boss and help one of the nation's biggest cancer-fighting charities.
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
NoMeansNo is one of those bands that can rock you into oblivion and leave you feeling a bit smarter by the end of the night. The group's shows are a tug-of-war of complex rhythms and time signatures, the kind of stuff that inspired some of the first math rock and emo bands in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the lyrics are about as sharp as they come, mixing ingenious puns with tons of twisted humor. With Ford Pier and the Sandy Garza.
Sunday 10.17
NOTEWORTHY: Argentine coup brings Col. Juan Peron to power, 1945.
BIRTHDAYS: Reggae artist Ziggy Marley, 1968; singer Wyclef Jean, 1972.
UW Grainger Hall, 4 pm
The contenders for Wisconsin's 2nd U.S. Congressional District debate foreign relations in an event presented by the UW Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy.
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
Loveless turned to bluegrass in the early 2000s when glitzy gals like Shania Twain and Faith Hill began dominating country radio stations. She returned to it again, with much success, for her 2009 album, Mountain Soul II, which she'll highlight at this performance.
Project Lodge, 7:30 pm
Rose Guerin's angelic harmonies provide the perfect counterpart to Mark Charles Heidinger's gravelly vocals, resulting in a brand of folk-pop that bridges the gap between Bob Dylan and Elliott Smith.
Ivory Room, 8 pm
Velard is a gym teacher by day and pop performer by night, shattering the jock-vs.-band-dork dichotomy with pride and sophistication. During this visit to Madison, he'll perform tunes from his latest release, The Planeteer, and try out a few numbers from Mr. Saturday Night, the album he's planning to release next year.