People hoping and working to build safer communities and a peaceful world gather and speak up this week with National Night Out, Lanterns for Peace, and the Veterans for Peace national convention. The calendar also includes: a book reading by Susanna Daniel; the opening week of Jazz at Five; and, more live music from Aaron Williams & the Hoodoo, Sam Lyons, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, VaNa MaZi, Oedipus Tex, Earl Foss and the Brown Derby, Briana Hardyman, Bad Things, The Malah, and The Heart Pills.
Monday 8.5
NOTEWORTHY: Six people killed in shooting at Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., 2012.
Tuesday 8.6
Capitol Square's King Street Corner, noon
Wash down your lunch with a cool splash of blues-rock during a free outdoor show. National Night Out
Penn Park, 5-9 pm
Join your neighbors to help make our communities safer year-round. The event kicks off with sign-making at 5 pm and a neighborhood march at 5:45 pm, followed by a barbecue, candlelight vigil and screening of The Club. Speakers include representatives of the Madison Police Department and the Urban League of Greater Madison. Sam Lyons
Capital Brewery, Middleton, 6 pm
The 18-year-old singer-songwriter will soon depart for his freshman year at Boston's Berklee School of Music. Bid him adieu at this show. (See Music.) Lanterns for Peace
Tenney Park, 7 pm
The annual event commemorates the atomic bombing of Japan, along with all victims of war. Participants decorate "peace lanterns," fold origami cranes, sing and organize to protest nuclear weapons. Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
The British raconteur pens whip-smart folk-punk tunes about romance and revolution and performs them with wild abandon. With Off With Their Heads and Ben Harwood. VaNa MaZi
Frequency, 8 pm
A mighty wind from a tuba and an accordion powers this lively group's tunes, which pay homage to gypsy melodies and Eastern European folk music. With Reptile Palace Orchestra.
Wednesday 8.7
NOTEWORTHY: Barry Bonds hits record-breaking 756th home run, 2007. Veterans for Peace National Convention
Concourse Hotel, through Aug. 11
The convention's theme is "Power to the Peaceful," and it offers several free events for the general public. They include an Iraq exhibit at Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative, a poetry reading at a Room of One's Own (Wednesday, Aug. 7, 8 pm), and an evening called "Activists Speaking Out!" with Nick Turse, John Peck, John Kinsman, Diane Farsetta and the Raging Grannies (Thursday, Aug. 8, 7 pm). Jazz at Five
100 block of State Street, 5 pm
Now that Concerts on the Square are over, it's time for Jazz at Five to begin. The series' first concert features a swinging set by the Rand Moore Jazz Sextet and the shape-shifting string performances of Randy Sabien & the Fiddlehead Band. Oedipus Tex
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 8 pm
Eric Caldera, frontman of the instrumental post-rock band El Valiente, takes the mic in his acoustic-leaning side project. Its plaintive songs are an excellent match for a quiet evening of stargazing beside Lake Mendota. With Land of Vandals. Earl Foss and the Brown Derby
Crystal Corner Bar, 9 pm
Watch this polished local four-piece turn a Willy Street tavern into a honky-tonk with a new album of indie tunes influenced by '50s pop and country greats like George Jones.
Thursday 8.8
NOTEWORTHY: President Richard Nixon announces his resignation from office, 1974. Susanna Daniel
Middleton Public Library, 7 pm
The local author won the 2011 PEN/Bingham Award for Stiltsville. She'll read from her latest novel, Sea Creatures, the story of an Illinois couple desperate to start life anew on a Miami houseboat (see Books). Briana Hardyman
Brink Lounge, 8:30 pm
This hardworking local songwriter pours her soul into tunes that range from hushed Americana ballads to rockin' country numbers. Bad Things
Frequency, 9 pm
Though their roster includes skate and snowboard superstar Shaun White, these beachy L.A. rockers are still earning their reputation in the music biz. The early indicators are looking good, though, with positive buzz from both MTV and Popdust. With Griswald and Little Legend. The Malah
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
This Denver trio build jamtronica from breakbeats, funk grooves, jazz breakdowns and more. Help them celebrate their 10th anniversary at this free SummerJam show. With Red Rose and DJ Kayla Kush.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
Critics have praised this Eau Claire ensemble for their imaginative storytelling and infectious blend of jangle and twang. See if the band's tunes -- and a few swigs of Terrace beer -- can cure whatever's ailing you.
