What to do in Madison this weekend: Black on State, Corridoré album release and more Isthmus Picks

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Arts

Camille Davis, Maria Schirmer, Mark Soderling, Dylan Waddell, through Aug. 31, Carnelian Art Gallery: This joint show includes solo exhibitions by artists Maria Schirmer, Mark Soderling and Dylan Waddell of Madison and Camille Davis of New Mexico. Schirmer draws on printmaking, letterpress and book arts; you may know her work from the mural at Willy Street Co-op-West. Soderling has a bright, graphic painting style based on gestural lines. Dylan Waddell works in collage. Camille Davis’s work leans more expressionistic; she paints and uses cyanotypes in her work as well. Regular gallery hours are noon-4 p.m. Thursday, 2-6 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Capitol City Band, Thursdays, through Aug. 21, Rennebohm Park, 7 p.m.: For more than 50 years, the Capitol City Band has called Rennebohm Park home for its summer concert series. Longtime conductor Jim Latimer passed the baton to Dave Pedracine this summer (Pedracine also stepped in as conductor for the VFW Post 1318 Band last season), but Latimer is still very involved as music director. The season concludes on Aug. 21; watch for updates at facebook.com/capitolcityband.

Devon Walker, Aug. 21-23, Comedy on State: It’s only been a little more than a decade since stand-up comedian Devon Walker made his first appearance at an open mic, but things moved fast after he moved to NYC in 2018. That culminated in being hired at Saturday Night Live, first as a featured player and eventually as a repertory member in 2023; since then Walker has created memorable impressions of politicos such as Tim Scott. This year Walker has also jumped into the world of podcasting with My Favorite Lyrics. Shows at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 and 7 and 9:30 p.m., Aug. 22-23. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

Damn Tall Buildings, Thursday, Aug. 21, UW Memorial Union Terrace, 7 p.m.: This is a back-to-school/catch-a-show-at-the-Union-before-Labor-Day winner, with Brooklyn, New York, bluegrass band Damn Tall Buildings bringing effervescent fiddle, guitar, banjo and upright bass to the lakeside. The Boston Globe called the band “The Carter Family for the millennial generation,” which is as close as the band’s own characterization of themselves as playing “guerrilla roots.” These are great tunes to pair with a pitcher and a Picnic Point sunset.

The Bridges of Madison County, through Aug. 23, Memorial Union-Play Circle: Music Theatre of Madison's production of The Bridges of Madison County brings Robert James Waller’s bestselling novel to the stage via a musical adaptation by Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown. It’s a story of the power of love, recounting a brief but life-changing encounter between a war bride (living as a wife and mother in Iowa) and a charming photographer; the lovers are played by real-life couple Sarah and Kevin Blakeslee. Read Dan Koehn's review here. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21-23; tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Avanti Piano Trio, Thursday, Aug. 21, Token Creek Festival Barn, 7:30 p.m.: Just a short drive from Madison, Token Creek offers a beautifully intimate setting for memorable performances. The Avanti Piano Trio — Hillary Hempel (violin), Hannah Wolkstein (cello), and Alissa Freeman (piano) — will perform Rita Strohl’s Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor, a piece that has only recently been brought to light by the Palazzetto Bru Zane, a French institution devoted to reviving lesser-known Romantic music. This Token Creek Chamber Music series concert will be the Midwest (and likely U.S.) premiere of the work, making this concert an extraordinary opportunity to hear something fresh and historically significant. Tickets at tokencreekchambermusic.org.

The Returns, through Aug. 24, Broom Street Theater: If The Returns (Tilbakekomstene) sounds like it might be a sequel to the HBO series The Leftovers, you’re not entirely wrong. This dark comedy by Norwegian playwright Fredrik Brattberg also plays with reality in macabre ways (a child disappears); you also could draw a parallel to some of David Ives' looping comedies. Here the dynamic is between the mother, father and child trying to leave the past behind. The Returns is directed by Breahan Eve Pautsch, former co-artistic director of the Akvavit Theatre, a Chicago company that produced contemporary Nordic works. The play was translated into English by Chicago's Chad Eric Bergman for this Broom Street Theater production, and stars Maria Dahman and Nick Kaprelian. Shows are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Rooftop Cinema, Thursday, Aug. 21, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 8:30 p.m.: MMoCA’s summer edition of its film series moves to the rooftop sculpture garden for some thought-provoking cinema under the open skies. Continuing the experimental feel of last week's screening of I Be Area, the final week features a selection recent short films by 10 Milwaukee-based creators: Sam Drake, Mike Gibisser, Britany Gunderson, Grace Mitchell, Daniel Murphy, Isaac Sherman, Sam Taffel, Sofia Theodore-Pierce and Max Van Loan. Admission is free; bring a blanket or lawn chair ; note, the start time has changed to 8:30 p.m. For more info mmoca.org/cinema.

UFA Championship Weekend, Aug. 22-23, Breese Stevens Field: Madison is hosting this year’s Ultimate Frisbee Association championships , the tournament's fourth time in the capital city (though this year the host Radicals, finishing third in the Central Division at 7-6, didn’t make the playoffs). The final four teams face off on Aug. 22, with Boston vs. Salt Lake at 5 p.m. followed by Minnesota (the defending champ) vs. Atlanta at 7:30 p.m.; the winners compete at 7 p.m. on Aug. 23. Saturday also features the first-ever all-star match between the UFA and the Premier Ultimate League, at 3 p.m. Find more info and tickets at shopufa.com/pages/champ2025.

Dane Dances, Fridays, through Aug. 29, Monona Terrace rooftop, 5:30 p.m.: Join the celebration at Dane Dances! Enjoy free live music, dance lessons by Francis Medrano (5:30 and 7:30 p.m. weekly), and a healing dose of Madison culture. This year’s band lineup performs a diverse range of styles — Indian, disco, R&B, Latin, reggae, rock and more — to get everyone dancing. Performers still to come include regional favorites La Obra on Aug. 22 and V-Funk on Aug. 29. Find the full schedule at danedances.org.

Samtalä | Musicians in Dialogue, Aug. 22-23, Chorus Public House, Stoughton: The Stoughton Chamber Music Festival reemerged in June as Samtalä | Musicians in Dialogue. While the name may have changed, their summer program is reminiscent of past seasons. The final weekend of chamber music concerts features a string sextet joined by soprano Sarah Brailey, performing two compositions by Micah Behr and more. Concerts at 7 p.m. on Aug. 22 and 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 23. Find program details and tickets at samtalamusic.org.

Sven Fredrik, Friday, Aug. 22, Arts + Literature Lab, 7 p.m.: Drummer Sven Fredrik is stopping in Madison for a pair of shows as part of a brief Midwest tour. His self-titled solo debut from 2021 features an eclectic set of electronic sounds mixed with his live drumming and unexpected elements such as accordion and even some audio of Elvis. For his final Madison appearance Fredrik presents a concert titled "Sound Worlds" at ALL, as part of the LAB^4 community curation team's summer programming; admission is free.

Leo Sidran Band, Friday, Aug. 22, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: The Sidran surname is well-known in Madison, but this time it’s Leo leading the band. From his teenage days with the Steve Miller Band to collaborating with his father, jazz great Ben Sidran, Leo brings an eclectic fusion of styles to every performance. Joining him are Tim Whalen on piano, John Christensen on bass, and Hannah Johnson on drums, performing selections from Leo’s latest album, What’s Trending, which blends romanticism with a candid reflection on today’s world. Expect Sidran’s Grammy-winning mix of jazz and pop, with introspective lyrics. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Corridoré, Friday, Aug. 22, Gamma Ray, 8 p.m.: Heavy times call for heavy music, so thankfully Corridoré is back with a new album, Abandon, the long-awaited follow-up to their self-titled 2019 collection. On the lead single “(Become) Carrion” the Madison quartet whips up a compelling brew of black and doom metal blended with cinematically shoegazey elements. The atmospheric moments provide hopeful feelings to balance the band’s despairing lyrical thoughts. Abandon is out the day of their album release party at Gamma Ray, and if you want a physical copy a pre-order may be a good idea, as CDs and LPs are limited. With All Meridians, Luxury Problems. Tickets at gammaray.bar.

Craig Baumann & the Story, Friday, Aug. 22, Harmony Bar, 8 p.m.: Monona’s low power community radio station WVMO is celebrating 10 years of broadcast and streaming this month. Given the amount of air time they devote to local music, it’s fitting Wisconsin-based veteran rocker Craig Baumann gets the nod for the birthday party. Baumann and his band the Story Southern-fry boogie and blues that would sound as much at home on Beale Street as it will on Atwood Avenue.

Black on State, Saturday, Aug. 23, 400 block of State Street, noon-5 p.m.: The Black on State block party is back with a day of arts, culture and community on the 400 block of State Street. This year’s theme is “Rodeo Remix: Black, Bold & Buckin',” with a line dancing class by Keena Atkinson, and music by Chakari Daezhare, DJ 4000 and DJ Dee Franko. Along with vendor booths, there will be kids' activities from Madison Reading Project and Madison Children's Museum in Peace Park. For more info and updates, see blackonstate.com.

WORT Folk and Country Spectacular, Saturday, Aug. 23, Bur Oak, 1 p.m.: One of the many things that makes community radio station WORT-FM unique is that many of its DJs are also practitioners of the music they spin on the air. This is particularly true of WORT’s country and folk hosts. Bobbie and Bill Malone (the latter the author of the definitive history of American country music, Country Music U.S.A.) will be up from San Antonio, from where they now record WORT’s Back to the Country show. Nate Gibson, another BttC host, is a honky tonk specialist and a sparkling entertainer on stage; his band, the Stardazers, features one of the Midwest’s greatest countrypolitan electric lead guitarists, Andrew Harrison. Chris Powers, string wizard and host of Friday morning bluegrass show Mud Acres, and Brian Hirsh, bass player with The Grazers and host of Green Morning Radio on Tuesdays, round out the bill. It’s a fundraiser for WORT, natch. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Brother Ali, Sunday, Aug. 24, Majestic, 8 p.m.: A rapper with a cause, Brother Ali's message of social justice and equality never softens the edge of his tracks. He’s as at home on the mic on The Tonight Show as he is in classrooms at Stanford and Princeton, where he’s lectured on fairness and Islamic tradition. His newest album, Satisfied Soul, is a reunion project with producer Ant (Atmosphere), with whom many of Ali’s followers agree he’s done his best work. The tracks fuse together an audacious range of samples — from woodwinds to handclaps to children’s choir — all embedded under rapping from Ali, still a boundlessly creative street preacher. With MaLLy, DJ Abilities. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

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