Here is this week's critics' choice calendar. The Guide provides an extended listing of events in and around Madison.
Friday 2.14
NOTEWORTHY: YouTube launched, 2005.
Midwinter Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival
Brink Lounge, 7 pm. Also Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:30 pm
Madison's Harmonious Wail kick off this celebration of Django Reinhardt-style jazz on Friday night, which also features a performance by Robin Pluer, Milwaukee's answer to Edith Piaf (9:30 pm). Saturday's lineup includes Alfonso Ponticelli & Rami Gabrial (6:30 pm) and accordion-playing chanteuse Jessica Fichot (7:45 pm), plus an end-of-fest jam session (11:15 pm).
Overture Center's Promenade Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Saturday (7 & 9 pm) & Sunday (2:30 pm), Feb. 15 & 16
The local troupe presents "Puppet Master: Heavy Metal Dance," an ironic take on modern romance that features a mind-bending story and thunderous cello solos. Costume designer David Quinn will discuss the production's Dr. Who-esque garb on Friday at 7 pm.
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm. Also Saturday (8 pm) & Sunday (2:30 pm), Feb. 15 & 16
Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth joins the symphony for contrasting concertos by Haydn and Arutiunian. The orchestra will close the program with Strauss' enchanting suite from Der Rosenkavalier.
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
This veteran band filter world music and indie folk through the conventions of traditional Celtic music. Bucking the trend of recording in remote woodland cottages, they created their latest album in a converted boathouse in the Chesapeake Bay.
Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, 8 pm
Performing instrumental space-funk with Latin influences, this band have landed gigs with Amanda Palmer and the Polyphonic Spree. With Stephanie Rearick Jr.
One Zero Everyone: A Valentine's Day Rock 'n' Roll Ball
Inferno, 9 pm
Show your love for the local music scene at this Valentine's Day event. Government Zero and Everyone's My Enemy lovingly share the stage with One Last Run, whose alt-rock will appeal to fans of Taking Back Sunday and Evanescence.
UW Union South Sett, 9 pm
This local act will put couples in a romantic mood with dance-friendly jazz tunes and sultry R&B vocals.
Moonrise Nation, Building on Buildings
Frequency, 9:30 pm
Alt-folk trio Moonrise Nation combine lovely musicianship with brooding lyrics that will please fans of Regina Spektor. Local rockers Building on Buildings are bound to perform their stellar new track "Wheel" (see MadTracks). With Marielle Allschwang.
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
This eight-piece funk ensemble perform '70s- and '80s-era covers, plus humorous originals like "Occupy Your Pants." With Horseshoes & Hand Grenades.
Saturday 2.15
NOTEWORTHY: Sound recordings granted federal copyright protection for first time, 1972.
Alliant Energy Center-Exhibition Hall, 9 am-5 pm. Also Sunday, Feb. 16, 9 am-5 pm
Locomotion isn't just for amoebas and fans of Kylie Minogue. Watch miniature trains zip through tiny villages at this annual gathering, which features 90,000 square feet of train layouts, plus vendors and activities for kids.
Capitol Square, 9 am-9 pm. Also Sunday, Feb. 16, 8 am-4 pm
Looks like Jack Frost is finally releasing his stranglehold for a few days, so join the fun at this winter sports extravaganza. More than 90 truckloads of snow will turn the Square into a winter playground, with ice sculpting, a sledding hill, snowshoe races, cross-country ski competitions, a dog jog, a 5K run/walk, cyclo-cross, curling and much, much more. (Snowshoes and skis are available on site for newbies.)
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 11 am
Puppeteers present an adaptation of Eric Carle's picture book about a lovable larva with a huge appetite. Kids of all ages will be hungry for pickles and salami afterward.
Mad Rollin' Dolls Interleague Bout
Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall, 6 pm
Defy the lovey-dovey excess of Valentine's weekend with this brutal roller-derby bout featuring Team Unicorn, the Brew City Bruisers, the Dairyland Dolls A-Team and more. For more mush-free Valentine's fun, see Nightlife.
Overture Center's Playhouse, 7 pm. Also Sunday, Feb. 16, 2:30 pm. Through Feb. 23
Children's Theater of Madison stages an adaptation of Lois Lowry's award-winning novel, featuring American Players Theatre's Paul Bentzen. It's about a dystopian society that stores all its memories in the mind of one individual.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The Americana performer has built a following throughout the Midwest. This "welcome home" acoustic show celebrates his recent tour, which covered 11 countries and 38 states. With Chris Wagoner & Mary Gaines, Paul Otteson and Robby Schiller.
Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, 8 pm
This California-born, Milwaukee-based pop-rock artist is preparing an acoustic album for this spring. For a taste of her punk aesthetic, request "Coming After You." With Mark Adkins.
Orpheum Theatre, 8 pm
A popular act at outdoor festivals, this progressive bluegrass act should make the Orpheum feel like a campsite in August.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The Wild Feathers don't bother to invent a clever name for their style. They focus on making rock that stands the test of time while channeling the heritage of their Nashville home. With Saints of Valory and Jamestown Revival.
UW Union South Sett, 9:30 pm
After cutting his teeth as a drum-n-bass DJ, this artist made his act more "contemporary" by infusing it with 1980s synthesizer conventions and spoonerizing the name of Top Gun's leading man. With Phantoms.
Sunday 2.16
NOTEWORTHY: Hezbollah founded, 1985.
Monday 2.17
Zappa Plays Zappa Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
Frank Zappa's son Dweezil leads a performance of Roxy & Elsewhere, his dad's 1974 live album with the Mothers of Invention. The record includes such classics as "Cheepnis," an inspired ode to B-movies.
Tuesday 2.18
First Ironman Triathlon takes place in Hawaii, 1978.
'Beneficial' Exploitation? The Perplexing Case of Organ Sales
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery-DeLuca Forum, 4 pm
Bioethicist Jennifer Hawkins presents this lecture on the ethically challenging subject of obtaining organs for transplant. The conundrum of balancing the needs of the desperately ill and the real possibility of exploitation should make for a lively talk.
Wednesday 2.19
NOTEWORTHY: Former Vice President Aaron Burr arrested for treason, 1807.
Frequency, 7:30 pm
Listen to "In the Country" off this South Carolina act's debut album for a sense of their Bon Iver-esque style. With Oh No Fiasco, Johnnyswim, Hello Death, and Giving Tree Band.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm
Founded by Dwight Roden and Desmond Richardson, this company pushes ballet into new territories with its tremendous athleticism, artistry and cultural diversity.
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
This sunny reggae and dubstep group met in Hawaii and formed in California. Their good vibes have helped them sell oodles of concert tickets and 60,000 copies of their 2010 album, Time Bomb. With the Movement, Natural Vibrations, Micah Brown and DJ Trichrome.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Indie rock might not exist without Malkmus and his band Pavement, whose fun 1994 single "Cut Your Hair" became an anthem when moody fare by Nirvana and Pearl Jam ruled the rock world. At this show, he and his current band will dig into their catchy new album, Wig Out at Jagbags. (See Tour Stop.) With Tyvek.
Thursday 2.20
The Art World, the Academy & Contemporary Native Art: Seeing Without Reservation
Chazen Museum of Art, 3:30-7:45 pm; exhibition through April 27
Native American artists John Hitchcock, Tom Jones, Truman Lowe and Wanesia Misquadace and art historian Jo Ortel explore the role of contemporary native art in the modern art world. The symposium is offered in conjunction with the exhibition Changing Hands: Off the Reservation 3, which features contemporary works in a wide range of media by 85 indigenous artists from the northeastern and southeastern regions of North America.
Lakeside Press & Infoshop Benefit
Crystal Corner Bar, 7 pm
This fundraiser features Tani Diakite, a local musician who hails from Mali, the country ethnomusicologists have dubbed "the birthplace of the blues." He and his band, the Afrofunkstars, create an appealing fusion of folk, jazz and traditional blues. With Thistle & Thorns, Worthless Righteous, Daiquiri and Un Seule Frere.
UW Union South's Varsity Hall, 7:30 pm
Expect a crowd of entrepreneurs at this Distinguished Lecture Series event featuring reddit's cofounder. He'll likely discuss his many startups and his new book, Without Their Permission.
Frequency, 10:30 pm
In the past, this L.A. group have leaned toward the pop end of the music spectrum, but their new EP, Badillac, digs into a '90s alt-rock sound inspired by Pavement and the Smashing Pumpkins. With Fire Retarded.
Edited by Little Miss Marker
