Here is this week's critics' choice calendar. The Guide provides an extended listing of events in and around Madison.
Friday 4.11
NOTEWORTHY: Apple I computer created, 1976.
Alliant Energy Center Coliseum and Exhibition Hall, through April 13
Say yay to the neigh at this celebration of equine excellence. In addition to all the pretty horses, there are rodeo acts, seminars and the Cirque de Soleil-style "Ma'Ceo."
High Noon Saloon, 6:30 pm
CBS Minnesota described this Midwestern indie-roots band as "a dusty and often ghostly take on Americana." We agree. With the Sills.
Brink Lounge, 7 pm
This folk artist is the brother of late Canadian folk icon Stan Rogers. He's a more experimental artist, though, incorporating blues and country into his work. With Archie Fisher.
Frequency, 7 pm
These talented Milwaukee rockers play Madison nearly as much as their home base, in part because frontman Tommy Shears made so many friends here while studying at the UW. The band release a new EP at this performance.
UW Music Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Sunday (3 pm) & Tuesday (7:30 pm), April 13 & 15
William Farlow concludes his long run as University Opera's director with Berlioz's wonderful comic opera based on Much Ado About Nothing (see Music).
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Thursday, April 10, 7:30 pm
This colorful touring performance features classically trained dancers and an orchestra that blends East and West. It will take you on a 5,000-year trip with intricate costumes and elaborate backdrops designed to evoke Chinese culture through the ages.
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
Albums by this trio of songbirds tend to fly off the shelves of record stores' Americana sections, but the music's sweet melodies and super-rich harmonies should appeal to fans of nearly any musical genre. (See Tour Stop.)
Crescendo Espresso Bar, 8 pm
In addition to authoring "Carry Your Instrument on the Plane... It's the LAW," a PSA that received 40,000 Facebook likes, Herstand creates funk jams and acoustic pop like the catchy "Brave Enough."
Comedy Club on State, 8 & 10:30 pm. Also Thursday (8:30 pm) & Saturday (8 & 10:30 pm), April 10 & 12
The Police Academy alum and star of the new Big Foot-themed horror movie Willow Creek hits the stage with a standup routine featuring his trademark gruff voice and oddball take on life.
Good Style Shop, 8 pm
As a child, this Louisiana artist enjoyed harmonizing with random sounds, and it shows in her current work. Check out "The Harbinger" on 2013's Nepenthe for a taste of her ambient, landscape-evoking music. With Vasillus and Bastardgeist.
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
The internationally beloved YouTube diva unveils new videos at this performance, which is also slated to include silly music, magic tricks and dramatic readings of hate mail.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 8 pm
The WCO Chorus, Festival Choir of Madison and UW Madrigal Singers join guest pianist Stewart Goodyear for Beethoven's lush Choral Fantasy; Goodyear also presents his 2010 piano concerto. Beethoven's larger-than-life "Eroica" Symphony ends the concert and the 2013-14 season.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
Creating world music with decidedly reggae leanings, Rebelution has been a fixture at recent editions of Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. With Common Kings and DJ Trichrome.
Mickey's Tavern, 10 pm
The local group release an album of surfy punk drenched in provocative political messages. With the Arkoffs and Venus in Furs.
Saturday 4.12
Barrymore Theatre, 2 & 7:30 pm
You just can't keep a good light show down. Luma Theater is back with a whiz-bang spectacle that combines dance, magic, puppetry and rhythmic gymnastics.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 2 & 7 pm
This vaudeville-style program features the inimitable Harold Lloyd in the silent classic Why Worry?, along with the musical stylings of the Triple Lindy Band.
Madison College's Mitby Theater, 7:30 pm. Also Sunday, April 13, 2 pm
The local pre-professional dance company performs the comic ballet in which a mother tries to convince her daughter to marry a wealthy dimwit. The work dates back to the 1700s, but its humor still resonates. (See Dance.)
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
The renowned a cappella ensemble formed in the Bronx in 1962 and have been harmonizing ever since. The members may change, but they still perform one-of-a-kind arrangements of pop and R&B songs.
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm
The all-male a cappella group should sport lots of UW pride following the Badgers' strong performance in the NCAA championships. Expect plenty of golden oldies and a potent dose of humor from the 16 singers and their vocal-percussionist sidekick.
UW Memorial Union-Rathskeller, 9:30 pm
This band call their music "whiskey rock," and it's an apt description. You can practically smell the peat in "Rollin' Down the Road" from Awoken. With Desert Rose.
Sunday 4.13
NOTEWORTHY: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces during Civil War, 1861.
Brink Lounge, 3 pm
A jazz violinist and educator who was mentored by Les Paul, Howes was ranked as the number-one "Rising Star" violinist in the Downbeat critics' poll. With Hamilton Hardin and Cedric Easton.
RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles
Overture Hall, 6:30 pm
This "direct from Broadway" tribute act digs deep into the Fab Four's discography, performing songs the original group never did live.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Gritty lo-fi blues music is Shakey Graves' game. Listen to "Georgia Moon" off Roll the Bones, grab some bourbon, and make a night of it. With Goodnight, Texas.
Monday 4.14
Funk's Pub, Fitchburg, 6 pm
The annual songwriting competition hosted by 105.5 Triple M is in full swing, and this performance is a great chance to see local talent in action. (See Music.)
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Forever described as "adorably married," this duo perform critically acclaimed indie pop. Check out their fascinating cover album, Crushes, for a taste of their unique sound. With Oh My Love.
Tuesday 4.15
UW Union South's Varsity Hall, 8 pm
Three familiar faces from Comedy Central -- standup standout Emily Heller, Silicon Valley's Thomas Middleditch and Kevin Barnett of Adam Devine's House Party -- will wheedle some laughs out of students, teachers and their friends before final exams descend upon the university.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
With his silly country-boy alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., in tow, Smith should present some of the eight top-10 singles he's landed on the Texas Music Chart. With Weston Burt.
Wednesday 4.16
NOTEWORTHY: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963.
Jazz at Five Benefit featuring Debbie Duncan
Brink Lounge, 5 pm
Jazz at Five brings in jazz vocalist Duncan -- known as the Twin Cities' First Lady of Song -- to raise funds for the 2014 summer season. With the Lucas Koehler Combo and Cliff Frederiksen.
Experiments in Social Computation
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 7 pm
University of Pennsylvania computer science professor Michael Kearns delivers a free lecture exploring how economics and computation theory inform crowdsourcing -- and vice versa.
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm
Watch jaws drop in the audience as Elizabeth Streb's choreography comes alive onstage. In addition to blending graceful acrobatics with pure athleticism, her works draw upon such disciplines as rodeo, circus arts and Hollywood stunt work.
Communion Madison featuring Sturgill Simpson
Frequency, 9 pm
Simpson presents the very best type of my-woman-done-me-wrong-and-I-love-my-truck country music. If the title of the song "Life Ain't Fair and the World Is Mean" doesn't make you smile, the sound surely will. With Johnnny Stimson, Hugh Bob & the Hustle and Corey Hart.
Thursday 4.17
Wisconsin Historical Society, 7 pm
In this panel discussion, civil rights veterans who worked for CORE, SNCC and others in the 1960s share their harrowing experiences. The talk is in conjunction with the traveling exhibition "Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Exhibit for Students."
Majestic Theatre, 7:30 pm
Expect a brain-bending performance from this project led by Animal Collective's Dave Portner. It's inspired by campy horror movies as well as high school acid trips. With Dustin Wong.
UW Humanities Building-Mills Hall, 7:30 pm
At a free performance, the UW's world-renowned string quartet present works from three centuries, including Mozart's jubilant String Quartet in C Major (1785) and Mendelssohn's plaintive String Quartet in E Minor (1837).
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The standup comedian and actor, known for his hilarious appearances on Flight of the Conchords and Dr. Katz, visits Madison with material from his "Final Crowd Work Tour."
Five Nightclub, 9 pm
Drag queens such as Willma Flynn-Stone and Bianca Lynn Breeze will dazzle the crowd with their combination of glamour and giggle-worthy gab. Proceeds benefit a charity that helps homeless members of the local LGBT community.
Edited by Heartbleed bugs
