Monday 6.23
Pyschostick
The Annex, 9 pm.
Arizona-based humor-core purveyors Pyschostick draw guffaws by celebrating beer, railing against beater cars and encouraging fans to get decked out in the ugliest shirts they can find. Goofball gags figure heavily in their good-natured metal mayhem. Look What I Did, Powerglove and the Facesteak also appear.
Tuesday 6.24
Wednesday 6.25
Concerts on the Square
Capitol Square, 7 pm
It's now officially summer in Madison. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra begins its free outdoor pops series with a program called "Gershwin and Friends," featuring pianist Wendy Chen in the crowd-pleasing "Rhapsody in Blue."
Frog Eyes
Project Lodge, 7 pm
Canada's Frog Eyes received reams of praise for blending over-the-top art-rock with hermetic indie on last year's Tears of the Valedictorian. But it's their live show that gives antic frontman Carey Mercer the best opportunity to claw at the heavens. The Butterfly Assassins and Crane Your Swan Neck open.
Wanda Jackson & the Lustre Kings
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Few rock 'n' roll experiences are more exhilarating than listening to Elvis Presley's buddy Wanda Jackson abandon stultifying '50s decorum on her original recording of "Let's Have a Party." Nearly a half century on, "the Queen of Rockabilly" divides her time between energetic, primeval rockin' and heartfelt gospel. The Lustre Kings open the show with their own period-perfect takes on Sun Studios-style rave-ups.
Thursday 6.26
Wisconsin Korean War Stories
Wisconsin Veterans Museum, noon
A handful of Korean War vets and organizer Sarah Larsen discuss a new companion book to the excellent Wisconsin Public Television documentary Wisconsin Korean War Stories. It collects harrowing stories from 35 soldiers.
Henry IV: The Making of a King
American Players Theatre in Spring Green, 7:30 pm
APT combines both parts of Henry IV into one evening, allowing us to see the full flowering of Prince Hal into King Henry V and his fitful relationship with that towering comic masterpiece, Falstaff.
Friends of Yahara Bay Party
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Yahara Bay, Madison's micro-distillery, throws a party featuring Stink Tank & D.L.O., Rearick & the Mansisters, Heather Abney & the Catalog Babies, and ATF. Both the booze and the bands are guaranteed to have a kick.
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
Electronics-friendly jazzers JFJO pulse, flutter and groove in deep space, touching on rock, dance music, hip-hop, cut-and-paste tone poetry and much more. If the crowd cooperates, their lakeside gig could be very special indeed.
Ari Hest
Café Montmartre, 9:30 pm
Since taking a hike from a major label, singer-songwriter Ari Hest has continued to perfect his sandpapered baritone and soulful folk-rock originals. He's currently in the midst of a clever year-long project that has him releasing a new song every week to an audience of paying subscribers. Brendan James also appears.
Madtown Bloodbath Part VI
Inferno, 9 pm
Heavy-metal experimentalists Dissent & Revolt, brutalizing hard rockers Brainerd and Dagger Mouth will encourage the sartorially correct crowd to party hearty as they slash and burn beneath the Turbojugend banner.
