Bassekou Kouyate at UW Union South
Here is this week's critics' choice calendar. The Guide provides an extended listing of events in and around Madison.
Friday 1.24
NOTEWORTHY: U.S. Department of Homeland Security begins operation, 2003.
UW Memorial Union, various times. Also Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 25 & 26
Go global at this three-day folk extravaganza, with performances, folk art workshops, jam sessions and dancing galore. Friday's events include an International Dance, a Hungarian Tanchaz and a Contra Dance. Workshops are held all weekend, but the big draw is Saturday's Folk Ball Dance Party in the Great Hall at 7 pm.
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, through April 27. Reception and talk: 6-9 pm
Stocked with works by Edward Hopper, Man Ray and George Tooker, this traveling exhibition from the Whitney Museum of American Art includes paintings, drawings and prints with subtle touches of surrealism. Opening night includes live music and a discussion by MMoCA curator Richard Axsom and Whitney curator Carter Foster.
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
Formed by a banjoist and a blues singer, this Canadian band fuse folk and dance music from around the world with the help of a fiddler who specializes in Celtic- and Cajun-style playing.
UW Union South Sett, 8 pm
Kouyate -- a master of the ngoni, a small stringed instrument from West Africa -- performs modern and traditional Malian tunes with his band as part of Wisconsin Union Theater's winter lineup at the Sett.
Encore Studio for the Performing Arts, 8 pm. Also Saturday, Jan. 25, 2 & 8 pm. Through Feb. 8
The local troupe presents a farce about behind-the-curtain interactions between actors and theater technicians.
A Tribute to Women in the Arts
Cardinal Bar, 8 pm
Ótimo Madison Brazilian Dance honors women's contributions to music and movement with an evening of spoken-word poetry, Samba/Axé classes and dance performances, plus a documentary screening and prizes. Roar!
Frequency, 9 pm
This Welsh singer hypnotizes audiences with her warm voice, foreign-language lyrics and '60s Mod aesthetic. On 2013's Mug Music, she serves up edgy laments and instrumental performances that traverse late-1990s twee-pop territory and the hallowed ground of '70s proto-punk. With Kevin Morby.
Brink Lounge, 9 pm
Powered by Kristina Cottone and Kim Kozel's sultry vocal harmonies, this Chicago five-piece performs soul, blues and R&B. The smoky, sorrowful "Lolita's Lament" shows off the group's instrumental prowess, too.
Orpheum Theater, 9 pm
The Canadian duo play booming electronic music that blends elements of electro house, hip-hop, glitch and dubstep. Put on your dancing shoes -- or your most club-worthy snow boots -- and succumb to the power of the bass. With Just Blaze.
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
This Minnesota band have been performing Midwest roots music for two decades. If you like the Band and the Grateful Dead, this is your jam. With Baghdad Scuba Review.
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30 pm
The singer-songwriter is known for her YouTube videos, in which she accompanies herself with the ukulele, guitar, melodica and more. She performs covers and original songs influenced by artists like Ben Folds, who's had her open for him four times.
Saturday 1.25
NOTEWORTHY: First Emmy Awards presented, 1949.
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, through April 13
This adjunct to Real/Surreal illustrates the tension between the mid-20th-century desire to create works with distinctively American characteristics and the pressure to follow the European art world's obsession with surrealism. Drawn from the museum's permanent collection, it focuses on works from regional artists such as Karl Priebe and Aaron Bohrod.
UW Union South Varsity Hall, 6:30 pm
Dig out your grass skirts, leis and Hawaiian shirts for this tropical-themed charitable event in support of Lily's Fund for Epilepsy Research. Island food, music and an auction are sure to keep the polar vortex at bay.
Brink Lounge, 7 pm
The folk- and country-loving songbird releases Authenticity, a collaborative album with new-to-Madison lyricist Liz Petty. With Kiley Penn.
Chris Mills & the Distant Stars
Kiki's House of Righteous Music, 9 pm
Originally a member of the Chicago alt-folk scene, Mills has been quietly building an impressive career in New York City's indie-pop scene. The tunes on his critically acclaimed compilation Heavy Years: 2000-2010 are a good introduction to his lyrical talent and songwriting savvy.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The fetish-friendly dress-up-and-dance party will feature music from local house and electro DJ Wyatt Agard, as well as performances by Cycropia Aerial Dance, burlesque babe Rosemary Maybe, fire-eating femme fatale Miss Ammunition and many more.
Frequency, 9 pm
This Minneapolis trio calls its music "reggae-tronic dub," a fusion of psychedelic, bass-heavy dub and reggae-rock sounds. With Evergreen.
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30 pm
This Minneapolis-based alternative hip-hop act opened for Snoop Dogg in 2010 and placed second in New York radio station WRCN's Battle of the Bands in 2012.
Crystal Corner Bar, 9:30 pm
As one local band comes to an end, another is just getting started. The Type will depart the scene by pummeling eardrums with their modern spin on Sleater-Kinney-esque rock, and Red Tape Diaries, a group featuring members of recently disbanded acts Baristacide and TL;DR, will play one of their first shows. With Mono in Stereo.
Sunday 1.26
Overture Hall, 2:30 pm
Part of the "Beyond the Score" program developed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this multimedia presentation looks at the story behind Dvorak's beloved New World Symphony with narration by Wisconsin Public Radio's Anders Yocom, theatrical narratives by American Players Theatre actors, vocals by mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Colbert and a performance of the work by the MSO. (See Music.)
Frequency, 8 pm
Hints of Elvis Costello and the Cure emerge in this young band's melodies, which pay homage to records singer Christo Bowman listened to with his dad while growing up. Though the vocals on the single "Cardiac Arrest" will perk up your ears, its rhythmic groove will burrow into your brain. With Get at Me.
Monday 1.27
Frequency, 9 pm
Formed by two members of Enon, this indie-rock band began recording their jam sessions in 2010 and released their debut album, Fingerprint, in late 2013. With Body Futures.
Tuesday 1.28
NOTEWORTHY: Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts on board, 1986.
Wednesday 1.29
Central Library, 5:30-8:30 pm
Raise a glass to a new partnership between the community TV station and the library, which helped save the former from shutting down. In addition to featuring live music and refreshments, this is a great opportunity to gather advice on how to venture beyond the world of selfies, into the realm of short films and videos.
Frequency, 7 pm. Also Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 pm. Through Feb. 1
Music Theatre of Madison stages Clay McLeod Chapman's provocative rock musical about a pair of blindfolded hostages who build a bond -- and a vibrant fantasy -- as their likelihood of survival decreases.
Wise, 7:15 pm
Catch a free performance by this rising Chicago musician, whose album Backenforth, IL draws inspiration from folk greats like Woody Guthrie and John Prine.
Thursday 1.30
NOTEWORTHY: Beatles' last public performance, 1969.
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, 6:30 pm
The local activist and playwright, known for his long association with Broom Street Theater, celebrates the release of his first book, My Queer Life. It's a collection of writings that chart his path from coming out to immersing himself in the gay rights movement.
UW Gordon Dining & Event Center, 6:30-9:30 pm
Golf champion Andy North hosts this UW Carbone Cancer Center fundraiser, in which trivia teams compete for big prizes. (No fair asking golf questions.)
UW Red Gym, 7 pm
Though UW students know him for his classes on queer theory and American pop culture, the English prof is also an author. He'll discuss The New Mutants, which explores how comic-book superheroes took on the political aspirations of marginalized groups following World War II.
Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm
With more than 15 years of performances, this Grateful Dead tribute may have the most Dead cred since five members of the original band have jammed with them.
Segredo, 9 pm
Brillz, a skilled trip-hop producer from Binghamton, N.Y., will be joined by Alvin Risk, whose intense, driving beats will appeal to Skrillex fans. With Teknicolor.
Frequency, 9 pm
Though Jurado's best known for his atmospheric, folk-leaning material, he was "discovered" by the singer of '90s emo act Sunny Day Real Estate, who connected him to revered indie-rock label Sub Pop. He later moved to Secretly Canadian, which just released Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son. (See Tour Stop.) With Courtney Marie Andrews.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
This back-to-school event stars Emancipator, an Oregon-based electronic producer who creates smooth and ethereal ambient trip-hop that's a great match for fans of RJD2 and the Chemical Brothers. With Odesza and Real Magic.
Edited by the Norwegian Curling Team
