Weather Duo
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations hosted by the city, county, and state open this mid-winter week in Madison. Live music rounds out the following few days, with the 608 Freestyle Battle, and shows by Dia Frampton, Christopher Burns with Trevor Saint and Mark Hetzler, Ha Ha Tonka with Tea Leaf Green, and Weather Duo.
Monday 1.16
NOTEWORTHY: Space Shuttle Columbia launches toward its doomed final mission, 2003.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration
The city, county and state pay homage to Martin Luther King's civil rights dream. University of Maryland law professor and civil rights advocate Sherrilyn Ifill speaks at the state's tribute (Capitol Rotunda, noon). The 25th annual city-county program (Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 6 pm) includes a keynote by Rev. C.T. Vivian, a veteran of the civil rights movement and an early member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Dr. King awards are presented, too, and a community choir performs.
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
For 20 bucks, loopheads and hip-hoppers can compete for a prize package that includes $100, a performance at a local event, interviews with Get Your Buzz Up and Coast2Coast Mixtapes, and a fresh beat from esteemed local artist DJ Pain 1. He provides a soundtrack for the evening's festivities with MGM, Rickaby and B Shynez.
Tuesday 1.17
NOTEWORTHY: Gary Gilmore executed in Utah, 1977.
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
Though Frampton didn't win The Voice, NBC's appealing American Idol competitor, her stunning cover of Kanye West's "Heartless" earned her enough star power to fuel several major-label albums. Sample the first one, Red, at this show.
Wednesday 1.18
NOTEWORTHY: Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson, 1996.
Thursday 1.19
NOTEWORTHY: United States Senate votes not to join the League of Nations, 1920.
Christopher Burns, Trevor Saint, Mark Hetzler
Gates of Heaven Synagogue, 7 pm
Burns, a guitarist, composer and computer whiz, has corralled trombonist Hetzler and glockenspiel guru Saint for an evening of electro-acoustic revelry.
High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm
The musical Missourians of Ha Ha Tonka fuse bluegrass, country and indie rock with gorgeous four-part harmonies and frenetic foot stomping (see Weather Duo
Dragonfly Lounge, 9:30 pm
Local label and show-promotion outfit Mine All Mine Records christens the new subterranean venue beneath Bellini with a showcase featuring three local ensembles. Weather Duo leads the festivities with inventive chamber music for cello, bass and live electronics. With Echo Island and Logon Aergon.
