What to do in Madison this week: Kashus Culpepper, 'How Can Universities Survive?' and more Isthmus Picks

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Majeska Monday, Monday, Dec. 1, Up North Pub, 6:30 p.m.: Ben Majeska, guitarist for Madison’s eclectic, electrifying bluegrass-based quartet Armchair Boogie, often extends the group’s jam-friendly nature to Majeska Monday, his long-running series at the Up North Pub, by coordinating a one-time-only ensemble. That’s the case with this month’s installment, featuring Majeska joined by Scotty Lochner and Maxaphone (both of People Brothers Band), Josh Guy (of the Astronomers), Belinda Akale (Wisconsin Singers), and Dan Budziszewski (who also plays with Majeska in Wonderfunk). Anything could happen.

HO Ho HO! Dec. 1, Bur Oak, 7 p.m.: Madison’s arts community loves to create new holiday traditions, especially of the irreverent variety. Dance Fabulous is back for another season of HO Ho HO! A Holiday Variety Burlesque Cabaret Spectacular. The title should prepare you for what to expect (at least a bit) and the cast features a who’s who of burlesque stars: Cherry Popper, Daniel the Fox, Foxy Veronica, Holly Garland, Juniper Fox, Mae Summers, Nicole, Plezher SSSea, and host Ms. Behavin'. The schedule for this production was disrupted by the snowstorm, so the final performance is now at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1.

How Can Universities Survive? Wednesday, Dec. 3, UW Elvehjem Building-Room L140, 5:30 p.m.: Universities are either not having a moment or they’re having a moment but a really really bad one. Higher ed is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, which has been freezing research funding, attacking DEI, clamping down on visas for foreign students, along with a spray of other attacks. Students are looking less favorably on the liberal arts, at the same time that AI is threatening the prospects of coding and other formerly rosy employment options. This Humanities NOW panel discussion will try to put it into perspective, both summarizing the attacks and examining how universities can move on while retaining long held values. The panelists are drawn from across the UW-Madison’s humanities faculty.

150 Artists x 150 Years, through Feb. 28, Madison Public Library branches: As part of its 150th anniversary commemoration, Madison Public Library invited 150 artists to create a new art work; the catch was everyone was assigned a specific year, and had to base the art on a word that was newly added to a dictionary or the public lexicon in that year. The results can be viewed at Ashman, Central, Goodman, Hawthorne, Meadowridge, Pinney and Sequoya branches through February; receptions will take place from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 6 at the Central branch. Libraries are closed Nov. 27-28, Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

Rhett Miller, Wednesday, Dec. 3, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: Rhett Miller’s new album, A lifetime of riding by night, reveals the dread and desires of Miller’s recent health struggles. Miller (and co-writers including Caitlin Rose and Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker) composed most of the material before he endured vocal cord surgery. He handed the songs over to fellow Old 97's player Murry Hammond to complete and refine. The result is all the heart you’d expect from Miller with humility substituting for bravado. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.

Artful Women, through Dec. 6, University Hospital: A surgical waiting area at a busy hospital may seem an offbeat choice for an art gallery, but it makes sense. It’s a great place for art to do what it does: distract, engage, refresh. “Artful Women” is a juried show and sale and a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Women’s Network and University Hospital Art Fund. Find more info at wiwomensnetwork.org.

Dexter Patterson + Andrea Debbink, Thursday, Dec. 4, Garden Wall Bookshop, Verona, 6.30 p.m.: Local authors Dexter Patterson (co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin) and Andrea Debbink (a former editor at American Girl magazine) will discuss their new nature titles at Verona’s recently renamed bookstore. Patterson has written the easy-to-use guide Birds of the Great Lakes: How They Look & Sound, Where to Find Them, How to Protect Them, while Debbink’s Urban Trails Madison: Downtown • UW Campus • Dane County • Ice Age Trail highlights 40 trails with maps, descriptions and tips. This will be an evening of dynamic discussion for nature lovers.

Miki Yamanaka Trio, Thursday, Dec. 4, Cafe Coda, 7 p.m.: Japanese born Miki Yamanaka has been a cutting edge jazz band leader in New York City since 2012. She held a compositional residency at the Kennedy Center in 2015. Her moods get modern but swinging jazz is at the center of it all. Her stage presence is as colorful as her music, aided in part by her choice of kimonos to wear, something she’s done to honor her late mother since her first concert after the pandemic. Tickets at cafecoda.club.

Kanopy Dance Company, Dec. 4-7, Overture Center-Promenade Hall: Kanopy’s festive production “Winter Fantasia Revisited” is always reimagining itself, it seems. Familiar to fans are several wintery tales told through dance, "Once Upon a Winter’s Eve," "The Norse Tree of Life" (Yggdrasil) and "Winter in the City," set to Leonard Bernstein’s score from On the Town. And although it premiered in 2024, there are newly introduced elements in “Chalo Ramiye,” a traditional community folk dance dating back to the 15th century, choreographed by South Asian guest artist Udbhav Desai. The dance is traditionally performed during Navratri, a Hindu festival of light. Throughout there are lavish costumes and plenty of magic befitting the holiday season. Shows at 7 p.m. Dec. 4-5, at 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 6 and 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 7. Tickets at overture.org.

Arlen, Thursday, Dec. 4, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Arlen is a relatively new Midwest roots supergroup combining Wisconsin’s own Soren Staff (of Eau Claire mainstays Them Coulee Boys) with three Minnesota players: Lee Henke of The Last Revel, Kyle Shelstad of Barbaro, and Nate LeBrun of Humbird and other bands. As all those bands keep busy, it’s remained rare to catch an Arlen concert, but they are playing a few shows ahead of the release of their debut album. This mix of writers/players should make for a memorable evening of music. With Simon Cropp. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Kashus Culpepper, Thursday, Dec. 4, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: With a string of singles starting in 2024, Alabama singer-songwriter Kashus Culpepper has built anticipation for his debut album, Act I, on the way in late January. It’s easy to hear why; his music effortlessly blends soul and country, all topped by Culpepper’s warm and gritty vocal style. It seems unlikely he will be playing rooms the size of the High Noon next time around, so this is a show to not sleep on. With Phillip Bowen. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated to adjust the time for the Miki Yamanaka Trio concert and to add a rescheduled date for HO Ho HO!