Railroad Earth
Live music is the biggest ticket in Madison this week. Along with a book reading by Cindy Bentley, Bob Kann, and Caroline Hoffman, the calendar includes show by Girl in a Coma, Sam Adams, Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz, Mark Olson, Backyard Tire Fire, Joel Paterson & the Modern Sounds, Michelle Shocked, and Railroad Earth.
Monday 9.13
NOTEWORTHY: Plastic Ono Band debuts at Toronto Peace Festival, 1969.
BIRTHDAYS: Village People cowboy Randy Jones, 1952; singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, 1977.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The all-girl trio's gutsy, punk-tinged rock songs and brazen stage presence caught the attention of both Morrissey and Joan Jett a few years ago, landing them on Jett's Blackheart Records label. Their newest album features a collection of covers of Joy Division and David Bowie tunes, plus a few Spanish-language treats highlighting their Mexican-American heritage and their affection for their hometown of San Antonio (see Tour Stop). With Hacienda, Sick of Sarah and Little Red Wolf.
Tuesday 9.14
NOTEWORTHY: Ground broken for United Nations headquarters in New York, 1948.
Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm
The rap artist formerly known as Wiz landed on frat parties' playlists when he cleverly turned Asher Roth's "I Love College" into a clever pastiche called "I Hate College (Remix)," which took off on YouTube. Check out the live versions of songs from his debut EP, Boston's Boy, at this show. With the Forties.
Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz
Frequency, 9 pm
Expect a wild ride when the punk-blues-rockabilly band rips through highlights from its 2009 album, Bangtown, accompanied by Foxy Moxie from Vancouver burlesque troupe the Voodoo Dollz. With Roboman and the Vultures.
Wednesday 9.15
BIRTHDAYS: Filmmaker Oliver Stone, 1946.
High Noon Saloon, 7 pm
The prolific singer and songwriter has recorded numerous albums as a solo artist and with the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, but he's probably best known as a cofounder of alt-country legends the Jayhawks. With Cory Chisel.
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
Paste Magazine has described this Illinois trio's sound as "a drunkenly angry Tom Petty crawling out of a Florida swamp." See if this assessment is on the money as you sample songs from the group's newest album, Good to Be. With Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band and Juniper Tar.
Thursday 9.16
NOTEWORTHY: Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, 1620.
BIRTHDAYS: Comeback actor Mickey Rourke, 1956; Saturday Night Live alumna/film actress Molly Shannon, 1964.
Joel Paterson & the Modern Sounds
Overture Hall Lobby, 5:30 pm
Chicago resident and Madison native Joel Paterson hits the Overture Center with his newest group, the Modern Sounds, which plays all sorts of traditional American music, from rockabilly and western swing to hot jazz and cool classic blues.
Cindy Bentley, Bob Kann, Caroline Hoffman
Barnes & Noble West, 7 pm
With authors Kann and Hoffman, Bentley discusses and signs Cindy Bentley: Spirit of a Champion, about her journey from the Southern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled to the Special Olympics, for which she is a Sargent Shriver Global Messenger.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
With her rock-influenced folk songs and iron-willed ways, Shocked was to the 1980s what Ani DiFranco was to the '90s in many respects. For this visit to Madison, she's showing off her bluegrass and Americana chops and bringing along a full band.
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
This show's sure to draw jam-band fans and bluegrass aficionados alike, thanks to the six-man group's penchant for improvisation. The music won't just focus on Appalachia, though: Listen carefully for sounds drawn from classic rock history, traditional Irish music and even an underground jazz club or two. With Toubab Krewe.
