Chasin' Mason
Free outdoor music feels like a birthright of summer in Madison, with this week serving up the third Concerts on the Square of the season, as well as shows by Harmonious Wail, Rowdy Prairie Dogs, PHOX, Chasin' Mason, and Oberhofer. The calendar also includes: the closing exhibit at Grace Chosy Gallery; the Our Lady of Hope Clinic benefit with W.C. Clark and a Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center benefit with Luke Solomon; more live music from The Dirty Heads, Toys That Kill, Laura Meyer, Deadstring Brothers, Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin' Altar Boys, Pioneer, and Roster McCabe; and, the closing exhibit for Grace Chosy Gallery.
Monday 7.8
NOTEWORTHY: First issue of The Wall Street Journal published, 1889.
Grace Chosy Gallery Closing Exhibit
Through July 31
Grace Chosy director Karin Ketarkus is closing the venerable gallery unless someone steps forward to take it over. For the last exhibit (see Art), she'll display as many works by Grace Chosy artists as she can. Thanks for the memories.
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
This SoCal project give their reggae tunes an edge with elements of hip-hop and ska. They've landed on the Billboard charts several times in the past few years, most recently with the summery single "Cabin by the Sea." With the Expendables, Big B, T.U.G.G. and DJ Trichrome.
Winnequah Park, Monona, 7 pm
Madison's answer to Django Reinhardt will play a free concert of Parisian-style gypsy jazz, scheduled between the Fourth of July and Bastille Day.
Our Lady of Hope Clinic Benefit with W.C. Clark
Club Tavern, Middleton, 7 pm
Lend a hand to a local clinic that provides medical services to the uninsured at this show by singer and guitarist W.C. Clark, a blues icon who's shaped Austin's live music scene and collaborated with everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Charlie Sexton.
Mickey's Tavern, 10:30 pm
This L.A. punk band rose from the ashes of F.Y.P. in 1999 and have since gone off the deep end (in a good way). Punk Planet compared their 2005 release, Don't Take My Clone, to "Black Flag having a go at Briefs-style pogo-punk" before deeming it "catchy like the flu." With 2 Left Shoes and Mellow Harsher.
Tuesday 7.9
NOTEWORTHY: U.S. ratifies 14th Amendment to Constitution, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship, 1868.
Lunch Time Live with the Rowdy Prairie Dogs
Capitol Square's King Street corner, noon
The spirited local band will entertain picnickers and passersby with country-spiked rock during a free outdoor concert.
Frequency, 8:30 pm
One of Meyer's greatest strengths is making a startling shift from soft to loud, meditative to maniacal. While Kurt Cobain made this happen within a single song, Meyer tends to do so by alternating introspective folk tunes with raucous blues howlers. With Boob Dylan.
Wednesday 7.10
Capitol Square's King Street corner, 7 pm
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will perform works by Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington and the Beach Boys during an "American Classics" program. Be sure to catch guest artist Robert Bonfiglio, who'll solo on Arthur Benjamin's dazzling Harmonica Concerto.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 8 pm
Though rooted in whimsical folk-pop, this local septet have broadened their sound over the last year, incorporating smoky, jazz-inspired vocals and fierce rock instrumentals on their MAMA-winning album Friendship. With Vitrolum Republic.
Frequency, 8:30 pm
Detroit soul, vintage Nashville country and heartland blues-rock converge when this Bloodshot Records act hits the stage. This show will revolve around Cannery Row, a new LP American Songwriter has praised for its "retro twang" sound and "healthy obsession with Southern California's glory-rock days."
Thursday 7.11
NOTEWORTHY: Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton during a duel, 1804.
Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin' Altar Boys
Capital Brewery, Middleton, 6 pm
These Milwaukee bluesmen serve up original tunes brimming with sizzling harmonica solos and odes to artists like Little Walter and Junior Wells.
Monona Terrace Rooftop, 7 pm
Ten-gallon hats are the ideal sunshade at this free rooftop concert featuring rugged country-rock inspired by Keith Urban and John Mellencamp.
Frequency, 9 pm
This local group put a chamber-music spin on folk rock by adding a cello to their intricate layers of harmony. With Small Houses, John Davey and Nick Josephs.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The Minneapolis group are a festival staple for folks who like to follow jam bands across the country, but their funky, reggae-fueled rock can get even the most devoted homebody out the door and onto the dance floor. With Venice Gas House Trolley and DJ Kayla Kush.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
This New York noise-pop band's melodic experiments are as catchy as they are eccentric. Be among the first to hear them play their new EP, Nostalgia, in concert. With Filter Free Radio.
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center Benefit
High Noon Saloon, 10 pm
The first night of La Fête de Marquette concludes with a set by British house music trailblazer Luke Solomon, which doubles as a fundraiser for the community center's food pantry and youth programs. With DJ Fortune. (See Tour Stop.)
