Andrew Bird
Monday 9.17
Tuesday 9.18
Jose Olivieri
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 7 pm
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters continues its series on immigration with a talk by the Milwaukee attorney, who discusses the effect of immigration -- particularly from Mexico -- on Wisconsin life.
Melissa Fay Greene
Borders Books West, 7 pm
The acclaimed nonfiction writer discusses There Is No Me Without You, the story of an Ethiopian woman who took in thousands of orphans and facilitated their adoptions around the world.
Wednesday 9.19
Trampled by Turtles
High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm,br> The energetic, mosh-pit-worthy Duluth pickers can do banjo breakdowns just fine. But they also get inspiration from punk rock, Neil Young and a whole lot of influences that have nothing to do with the bluegrass tradition.
Thursday 9.20
Overture After Work
Overture Center Lobby, 5 pm
The series resumes with a free performance by Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans, who'll showcase soulful sounds from their new Tomorrow Sound Now for Yes Music People.
Madison Made Music Project The folks behind the Madison Made Music Project CD have put together some excellent shows at five downtown venues, including a jazz trio featuring Ben Sidran at Café Montmartre (5:30 pm), Latin rock fans Aniv del la Rev at the King Club (11:10 pm) and reggae greats Natty Nation at the Orpheum Theater (11:10 pm). Proceeds will got to Porchlight Inc., which works to support the homeless. For a reduced ticket price, bring two nonperishable food items for the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin.
Sonya Naumann
Center for Photography at Madison, 7 pm
The photographer discusses her Thousand Dollar Dress Project: an attempt to shoot 1,000 people wearing her $1,000 wedding dress in a place of their own choosing. It's an attempt to create a dialogue about the politics of marriage, and she'll involve a few Madisonians while she's in town.
Andrew Bird
Wisconsin Union Theater, 8 pm
The classically trained Bird's live electronic layering of violin parts and other aural material is clever. But it's his broad musical interests (Gypsy music, jazz, classical) that makes his avant-pop so rich. Dosh opens.
Brett Dennen
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The lyrical folk-popper just spent weeks supporting John Mayer, so he'll have little trouble captivating a club crowd with his melodic, easygoing originals. Some have pegged Dennen as a Paul Simon sound-alike, but he mines a mellower vein than that. Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons open.
Ludo
Annex, 9 pm
Big dollops of Moog and a wry sense of humor separate the St. Louis punk-poppers from a lot of the other melodic acts trying to follow the Killers through the breach. Horse in the Sea and White Light Riot open.
