The Weakerthans
Monday 3.24
Russ Feingold
Great Hall in the UW Memorial Union, 7:30 pm
Wisconsin's battlin' Democratic senator discusses the importance of volunteering for international service.
Head for the Hills
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
The Colorado band have a firm grasp of bluegrass, but the progressive, jam-friendly pickers also scamper into more contemporary territory. Oak Street Ramblers open.
Tuesday 3.25
Full Speed Ahead After 50
Monona Terrace, 8 am-3:30 pm
The annual event is a goldmine of information for over-50 types trying to stay healthy. It features health screenings, a resource fair, workshops and a keynote speech on keeping the mind sharp by an Alzheimer's expert.
Hasia Diner
UW Pyle Center, 4 pm. Also Wednesday, March 26, 4 pm
As part of the Jewish Heritage Lecture Series, the New York University professor gives two talks on the ways in which American Jews attempted to memorialize the Holocaust following World War II. On Tuesday, her topic is "A Generation of No Silence: Post-World War II American Jews and the Memory of the Holocaust." On Wednesday, it's "When Justice and Brotherhood Shall Reign: American Jews, the Holocaust, and Post-War Political Action."
Greenbush Day Celebration
UW Welcome Center, 21 N. Park St., 4 pm
Music, dance, storytelling and an awards presentation mark the second annual celebration of Madison's legendarily diverse Greenbush neighborhood.
Alfredo Vea and W.D. Ehrhart
Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 7 pm
Novelist Vea (Gods Go Begging) and poet Ehrhart (Beautiful Wreckage) are both Vietnam veterans. In a program called "Echoes From Vietnam: The Literature of War," they'll read and discuss the war's effect on their work.
Stuart Davis
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
The avant-popmeister's new disc, Something Simple, comes out this week, so expect the excitable, right-living singer-songwriter to be dishing the dharma especially hard.
Reza Aslan and Gideon Yago
Wisconsin Union Theater, 7:30 pm
Aslan is a media commentator on the Middle East, as well as the author of No God but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam. Yago, a Madison native, is known for his contributions to MTV news. The two of them try to wrap their minds around Middle Eastern politics, religion and society.
Monotonix
Annex, 9:30 pm
Sure, the much-talked-about Israeli hard-rockers worship at the altars of Zeppelin, Sabbath and a bunch of other growling dinosaurs. But they're so heavy and unhinged, no one's ever gonna peg 'em as a tribute act. Mahogany Frog and Zebras open.
Wednesday 3.26
Jan Wheaton
Tuscany Grill, 6 pm
The local singer puts her stamp on jazz standards with a sympathetic trio: Pete Lundberg on piano, John Schaffer on bass and Todd Steward on percussion. Between the music and the Tuscany Grill's buffet, it'll be a night of sensual pleasures.
Kevin Brockmeier
Borders Books West, 7 pm
Brockmeier made a splash with his virtuoso novel The Brief History of the Dead, in which the deceased exist in an alternate reality. He reads from his new story collection, The View From the Seventh Layer, which also delves into the fantastical.
Roksonaki Kazakh Ensemble
Great Hall in the UW Memorial Union, 7 pm
Here's a rare chance to hear a musical celebration of Nauryz, the traditional Central Asian New Year. Roksonaki combines ancient Kazakh instrumentation with rock and jazz elements.
Ina Selvelieva
Mills Hall in the UW Humanities Bldg., 7:30 pm
The pianist is replacing Christopher Taylor while he's on sabbatical from the UW School of Music. She takes him head-on with a performance of Beethoven's "Sonata in A-flat Major," Op. 110.
Thursday 3.27
Spotlight Film & Video
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 7 pm
MMoCA's series focuses on cutting-edge work by contemporary filmmakers. This week, the featured artist is the UW's own J.J. Murphy, who'll be on hand for the screening of his formally daring gems.
Action in Sudan Benefit
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
Genre-jumpers Kicksville, Tani Diakite & the Malian Blues Band, Aaron Konkol, and Andy Ewen help raise money for UW-based Action in Sudan, committed to ending the genocide in Darfur.
Gary Louris and The Mekons
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
Jayhawks singer/guitarist Gary Louris offers up some meticulous alt-country and pop on his moody solo debut, Vagabonds. The beloved Mekons go acoustic in the warmup slot with their savory stew of punk, alt-country, folk and left-of-center politics.
The Weakerthans
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
The melodic Canadian greats bring their punk-inflected folk-rock to us after an appearance at South by Southwest. Here's hoping their buzz hasn't faded. Former Verbena front guy A.A. Bondy and Christine Fellows open.
Two Loons for Tea
Cafe Montmartre, 9:30 pm
Taking a page from the high trip-hop era, the Seattle band float on a shifting breeze of electro-acoustic pop and jazz. Dietrich Gosser opens.
