Monday 3.26
Wisconsin Historical Society auditorium, 7 pm
Kim is the lead MC with underground hip-hop group Typical Cats and a founding member of the spoken-word collective I Was Born With Two Tongues. He appears with del Valle, a Nuyorican Poets Café slam champ.
Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm
Although Emmylou Harris, the Dixie Chicks and Jessica Simpson have all recorded Griffin's songs, they usually sound best when the fortysomething singer-songwriter is powering them up with her distinctive, slightly nasal voice. Her new CD, the typically well-crafted Children Running Through, finds her in a more aggressive mood. Terremoto opens.
Tuesday 3.27
First Unitarian Society, 7 pm; book signing 6:30 pm
The passionate environmentalist is not only an author, but an activist who's been organizing rallies to demand action on global warming. He'll discuss his latest book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future.
Wednesday 3.28
Borders West, 7 pm
The author of the well-received Jennifer Government reads from his latest novel, Company, a biting satire of office culture.
Wisconsin Historical Society, 7:30 pm
The UW professor is the chair of the Apollo Alliance, which envisions an American future with secure industrial jobs and clean energy. He'll explain "How Global Warming Can Save Democracy."
Mills Hall in the UW Humanities Bldg., 7:30 pm
The premiere of UW professor Laura Schwendinger's cello concerto "Esprimere" features guest artist Matt Haimovitz, who's attracted attention with his nontraditional approach.
UW Memorial Union, 7 pm. Also Thursday, March 29, Barrymore Theatre, 7 pm
Vermont's radical puppet theater preserves 1960s values, supporting lefty causes and providing art for the people (along with their own home-baked bread). On Wednesday they perform "Everything Is Fine: Circus Show," and on Thursday the antiwar "How to Turn Distress Into Success."
Thursday 3.29
High Noon Saloon, 7 pm
Now an expat living in Argentina, the seminarian turned singer-songwriter continues to pen insightful, subtly shaded narrative tunes.
Mills Hall in the UW Humanities Bldg., 7:30 pm
The UW's guest quartet creates modern sounds with glockenspiel, toy piano, bowed marimba and other strange instruments. They'll perform works by Steve Reich and Paul Lansky.
Annex, 8 pm
The persuasive punk-metallists learned the truth about major labels when their now ex-employers blocked the release of their sophomore CD. Now that they've cast off their chains, they're angrier than ever.
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
In 2006, the reunited Milwaukee pop-rockers returned with their first new album in seven years. They still pump plenty of uplift into their sensitive, radio-ready material.
