What to do in Madison this weekend: Print & Resist Zinefest, Melissa Villaseñor and more Isthmus Picks

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Earth Fest, through April 29, UW Campus: Earth Day expands into Earth Fest at this UW-Madison event that’s all about education, inspiration and motivation, across genres. Still to come: "Art Through the Environmental Lens," a class blending ecology with the art-making process (6 p.m. April 24, Neighborhood House); and "Indigenous Natures: Science, Traditional Wisdom, and Poetry," featuring panel discussions and a catered luncheon (8:30 a.m., April 26, Wisconsin Energy Institute). See the full schedule at earthfest.wisc.edu. Note: many events request pre-registration.

Bloody Aftermath, through May 3, Broom Street Theater: Playwright Rob Matsushita has never shied away from tackling themes of violence in his plays. But the latest of his offerings produced by Broom Street Theater, Bloody Aftermath, is described as a comedy/drama anthology; the title refers to a fictional horror film franchise which is the touchstone for the play’s segments, which take place over several decades. Hear Matsushita and director Jessica Jane Witham discuss the play on WORT-FM’s 8 O’Clock Buzz from April 14. Performances at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on May 3) and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on April 26.

Kanopy Dance Company, April 24-26, Overture-Promenade Hall: Kanopy Dance Company's recent performances have been  transformative. Their next program, “Inner Passages,” presents two original dances: The world premiere of “These Worlds in Us,” set to Missy Mazzoli’s eponymous composition, and the last installment of Robert Cleary’s and Lisa Thurrell’s “Renascence,” set to Michael Bell’s “Regeneration: A Pentalogy.” Joining the Kanopy company will be guest Blakeley White-McGuire, a former principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company. Performances at 7 p.m. on April 24, 7:30 p.m. on April 25, and 3 and 7:30 p.m. on April 26; tickets at overture.org.

Melissa Villaseñor, April 24-26, Comedy on State: You may remember Melissa Villaseñor from a few Saturday Night Live casts ago — or maybe not. Although she was the first-ever Latina in the SNL lineup, the show never really gave Villaseñor her due. Maybe because she came across as just too darn nice, an impression underscored during her car ride with Jerry Seinfeld in an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Her standup is always well-observed, often sweet, and sometimes carries a bittersweet edge. With Marcella Arguello. Shows are 7 p.m. Thursday and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

Songs Without Words, through April 27, Taliesin-Hillside Theatre, Spring Green: Felix Mendelssohn lives on in concert halls — but what about his sister Fanny, also a composer, whose work was silenced by the expectations of her time? Songs Without Words explores the complicated bond between these siblings. APT actor Jennifer Vosters wrote the script and stars as both Fanny and Felix. This last production of the Two Crows Theatre Company’s season will take place at the Hillside Theatre at Taliesin, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at twocrowstheatrecompany.org.

Marry Me A Little, April 24-26, Bur Oak, 7:30 p.m.: What do you do on a solo Saturday night? If you’re Stephen Sondheim, you write a show about it. Marry Me A Little is an elegant gut punch, stitched together from songs that didn’t make it into his blockbusters but still carry his unmistakable wit and ache. Two women in neighboring apartments spin out fantasies of love and connection, unaware of how close they really are. Music Theatre of Madison brings this show, equal parts daydream and elegy, to life in this fresh, modern reimagining. Part of Madison’s “Spring of Sondheim,” it’s a brief, beautiful reminder that loneliness has a soundtrack — and sometimes it sounds a lot like hope. Read Dan Koehn’s preview here. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Spring Awakening, through April 27, Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: The groundbreaking Frank Wedekind play, originally written in German in 1891, shocked Europe with its themes of teen sexuality, homosexuality, rape, suicide and abortion. This 2006 musical adaptation features an alt-rock score by not-well-remembered singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik. The musical, still set in the 19th century, features plenty of issues worthy of a content warning; even so, the original Broadway production won eight Tony Awards. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu or at the box office one hour prior to performances.

Disaster Kid, Thursday, April 24, Mickey’s, 10 p.m.: Chicago-based quartet Disaster Kid features the songs of Seamus Kreitzer, set to amiably country-fried rock music. The band’s bio calls their new EP, Rare Bird, “a collection of notices and observations,” and that’s an apt description; songs like EP opener “Interstate Runner” feel like a moment in a life transformed into something universal and instantly familiar. With a pair of Madison projects: grungey-shoegazey Dicot (who released their own excellent EP, Like You Don’t Know, last October) and emo-adjacent heavy rockers Cause & Control (also with a solid recent EP, Coyote).

Philharmonic Chorus of Madison, April 25 + 27, First Unitarian Society: Sometimes choral concerts don’t just sound beautiful; they can feel like weather moving through you. In “From Sea to Sky,” Philharmonic Chorus of Madison brings together pieces like Ola Gjeilo’s luminous Northern Lights and the grounded comfort of Paul Simon's “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” shaping a program that will breathe with warmth and wonder. It’s music that holds you in the moment, then gently lets you go. Performances at 7 p.m. on April 25 and 2 p.m. on April 27; tickets at philharmonicchorusofmadison.org.

Black Violin, Friday, April 25, Overture Hall,, 7 p.m.: The Grammy-nominated duo Black Violin create a genre-defying sound by fusing classical and hip-hop via virtuosic string performance and pulsing beats. Kev Marcus on violin and Wil Baptiste on viola have captivated audiences across the country with electrifying concerts, and their commitment to music education helps inspire the next generation of artists. Their March single, “Smoke,” is a bluesy workout for Baptiste’s viola; it's a teaser for the forthcoming album Full Circle. Tickets at overture.org.

Jimmy Farace Quartet, Friday, April 25, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: Composer/arranger and baritone saxophonist Jimmy Farace is a rising star in the Chicago jazz scene, and it’s easy to hear why when listening to his debut album as a leader, Hours Fly, Flowers Die. Farace’s music for the album was inspired by “Time Is” (aka “For Katrina’s Sundial”), the 1904 poem by Henry Van Dyke reflecting on the fleeting nature of life, and the blend of a jazz ensemble with a string quartet adds extra layers of emotion to Farace’s melodic saxophone. For this Madison BlueStem Jazz concert Farace will be joined by guitarist Kenny Reichert (who plays on the album) along with drummer Devin Drobka and bassist Ethan Philion. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Borgore, Friday, April 25, Liquid, 9 p.m.: Borgore returns to Madison, ready to flood Liquid with bass-heavy chaos. The Israeli DJ and producer — blurring the lines between dubstep, trap and electro house for more than a decade — has built a reputation for pushing limits, both sonically and lyrically. His sets are known for being loud, brash, and unapologetically over-the-top, filled with drops that hit like a freight train and transitions that leave little room to breathe. Tickets at liquidmadison.com.

Madison Print & Resist Zinefest, Saturday, April 26, Central Library, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Zines, risographs, protest prints, punk ephemera — it’s all on the table at Madison Print & Resist, the city’s annual celebration of DIY publishing and radical printmaking. Dozens of regional artists, writers, and advocates gather for this one-day festival of ink, ideas, and independent expression. Drop in to browse, trade, talk shop, or just soak in the kind of creative energy you won’t find at a chain bookstore. More info at madisonprintandresist.wordpress.com.

Spiritbox, Saturday, April 26, The Sylvee, 6:30 p.m.: Hailed as a band that’s redefining modern metal, Canada’s Spiritbox defies easy categorization — blurring elements of prog-metal, electronica, nu-metal and djent with clean and harsh vocals from former Iwrestledabearonce vocalist Courtney LaPlante. The band has drawn broad comparisons to bands from Evanescence and Deftones to Arch Enemy and Poppy, and its live shows will kick you into next week. Spiritbox released its second album, Tsunami Sea, in March, and the band will open select dates for Linkin Park on its much-hyped comeback tour this summer. Liverpool’s Loathe and Oregon’s Dying Wish open. This one sold out in March.

Steve Treviño, Saturday, April 26, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7 p.m.: Stand-up comedian Steve Treviño’s riffs on the everyday absurdities of navigating marriage and family responsibilities have made him a beloved household name in many more homes than his own. Following up on his 2024 Netflix special, Simple Man, Treviño is back on the road this spring for plenty of laughs and maybe a little too much truth-telling. Tickets at overture.org.

Stop Making Sense, Saturday, April 26, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: It may be impossible to convey to millennials and Gen Z the impact Talking Heads had when they came on the scene as nerdy, cerebral art popsters with Talking Heads 77 in, remarkably, 1977 — the same year as Saturday Night Fever. Yet it was their growing infatuation with funk rhythms and more political/philosophical lyrics that brought the band into the mainstream — to the extent that they could ever really be deemed “mainstream.” The height of their influence is marked by Jonathan Demme’s live 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, which showcases David Byrne’s performance art leanings along with the music. Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison will appear at this screening of the newly restored film and will field questions from the audience. These slippery people help us understand. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Bird & Nature Festival, Sunday, April 27, Warner Park, noon-4 p.m.: Has anyone noticed the insistence of the cardinals this spring? It’s like they’re trying to tell us something. Find out more about birds and their world at this family-friendly event hosted by Madison Friends of Urban Nature that ropes in Earth Day, Arbor Day and Madison’s status as a Bird City. Many nature groups will have booths highlighting their activities, there will be a tree planting, and a beach walk, and the opportunity to see Warner’s eagles and their nest through binoculars. Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck and Kona Ice will be on hand for snacking.

DB Polka Express + DJ Shotski, Sunday, April 27, Bur Oak, 1 p.m.: DB Polka Express is to polka what Mama Digdown's is to New Orleans second line music: Both bands know the forms inside out. DB Polka Express will easily transform a spring afternoon into Oktoberfest. And if you think polka is a phenomenon best left to parking lot dances in La Crosse, you’ve never partied with DJ Shotski. She burns the decks with the genre’s most serious and sublime records, and her devotion to the form is absolutely contagious. Polka dance lesson at 2 p.m. Prost! Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Dorothy, Sunday, April 27, Sylvee, 8 p.m.: Dorothy made a big splash in 2016 with the debut album ROCKISDEAD, and ever since then vocalist Dorothy Martin and her eponymous band continue to prove the genre is indeed still alive. Dorothy’s latest, The Way, emerged in March, previewed by hard-charging singles like "Devil I Know," and the country-tinged "Tombstone Town" (featuring Guns N' Roses guitar legend Slash). With country-rocker Cory Marks. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.