What to do in Madison this weekend: Alex White & the Friends EP release, Bruce McCulloch and more Isthmus Picks

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Mending in the Museum: The Professionalization of Textile Conservation, Thursday, Feb. 22, UW Nancy Nicholas Hall-Room 2235, 5:30 p.m.: As anyone who has ever had a beloved pair of jeans or favorite T-shirt can attest, clothes fall apart. If you want to save them, you need to mend them and there are good and bad ways to do that. The same is true for historically important textiles. Art conservation is is still a young science and textile conservation is even younger. Sarah Scaturro, conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Art, will speak on textile conservation as a profession with its own set of ethical issues, scientific techniques, and artistic practices, in this year’s Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture. Following the lecture, an opening reception for the new exhibit “Remaking the Renaissance” takes place in the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery.

Madison Ballet, through Feb. 25, Overture Center-Promenade Hall: In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Madison Ballet drills down into all the ways that love makes us feel like dancing — but can also provoke other complex emotions. This is the company premiere of “Something to Remember You By” by award-winning choreographer Stephanie Martinez. Also on the bill for “Love”: “Guitar Concerto” by Ja’ Malik and the classical virtuosic ballet, “Paquita Suite” staged by Andrea Long. Shows are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday; a talkback will take place with the choreographers and artists of Madison Ballet, moderated by artistic director Ja’ Malik, after the Feb. 15, 18 and 22 performances. Tickets at overture.org.

Past and Future: Plans for Lake Monona's Waterfront, Thursday, Feb. 22, Zoom, 7 p.m.: Madison certainly has not taken advantage of its lakefront the way it could have, but on the other hand things could be worse…and are getting better. This Madison Trust for Historic Preservation architectural talk will look back at the original John Nolen plan from 1911 and the new plan for Lake Monona currently underway. Speaker Anna Cawrse is a landscape architect with the Denver firm working on current redevelopment. Lynn Bjorkman is vice president of the Madison Trust. RSVP for Zoom link at tickettailor.com.

Mother Courage and Her Children, through Feb. 24, Bartell Theatre: Strollers Theatre goes big with this production of Bertolt Brecht’s classic (translation by the great David Hare) which, sadly and inevitably, remains timely. A woman struggles to keep her family fed during the Thirty Years' War; Mother Courage and Her Children elucidates the many compromises people make to survive hard and violent times. Read Mel Hammond’s review here. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (2 p.m. on Feb. 24) and at 2 p.m. Sundays; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Torch Song, Feb. 16-March 2, Bartell Theatre: StageQ tackles this two-act version of the Harvey Fierstein classic Torch Song Trilogy. It’s about Arnold Beckoff, a torch-singing Jewish drag queen in New York City in the 1970s and '80s. While times have changed since the play was written, drag queens have perhaps never been more of a hot-button topic. Shows are 7:30 p.m.Thursday-Saturday (2 p.m. only on March 2) and 2 p.m, Sunday, Feb. 25. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Doed Koecks, through March 2, Broom Street Theater: From a mysterious diary found in the basement of a small town Wisconsin library, to the 17th century practice of “sin eating” (baking sins into cakes and eating them to take them off the slate of the deceased), this Broom Street Theater production by the playwright Coleman is intriguing. As depicted in Doed Koecks, the revival of sin eating ends up creating a global megachurch. All shows at 8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday; advance tickets at eventbrite.com.

Moonshine, Friday, Feb. 23, UW Lathrop Hall-H'Doubler Performance Space, 3:30 p.m.: The Dance Department’s “Moonshine” concert is an annual highlight of UW-Madison’s Black History Month event schedule. The program features performances from the worlds of dance (Barrio Dance, Kimi McKissic, Guy Thorne, and a new work choreographed by Ja' Malik); music (Kathryn Ananda-Owens, Hanah Jon Taylor, Emery Stephens); and cross-disciplinary works including a short film by Omari Carter, a sound poem by Ikwe and Kino Galbraith, and mindfulness practice by OMAI Hip Hop Artist-in-Residence Kenji Summers. “Moonshine” is curated by Chris Walker, a Dance Department professor and director of the Division of the Arts.

Message from Our Planet, through June 2, Chazen Museum of Art: This exhibit of new media works includes software and other digital technologies, video, and light-based works. In “Message from Our Planet,” visitors will see vintage examples of media devices from the 1960s to current models. Art is one of the ways we communicate with the future humans of this planet, the exhibit suggests, or even beings from other worlds. Curator Jason Foumberg was inspired by the cultural artifacts that were sent into space via Voyager 1 in 1977 that included music from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Chuck Berry.

Paul Dietrich’s 5+4 album release, Friday, Feb. 23, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7:30 p.m.: Released in October, 5+4 features a set of new music composed by Paul Dietrich, who (on trumpet) leads a five-piece jazz ensemble (with piano-sax-bass-drums) combined with a four-piece string section (two violins, viola and cello). The blend of instrumentation provides Dietrich ample opportunity to explore harmony and counterpoint, which this music does with stunning results. 5+4 isn’t an album you can put on in the background and do something else, because it will grab your attention and not let go, and it should be equally compelling when the ensemble assembles for this album release concert. Tickets at fiveplusfour.bpt.me.

Leslie Vincent & the Vibes, Friday, Feb. 23, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: Minneapolis-based singer Leslie Vincent injects some laid-back soul into the 10 jazz numbers on her summer 2023 album, About Last Night. The album features both fun originals in the vocal jazz tradition like “Psychedelics With You” and creative arrangements breathing new life into standards such as “Laura” and “Stars Fell on Alabama.” Accompanied by The Vibes, Vincent should be a perfect match for the North Street Cabaret. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Jonathan Richman + Tommy Larkins, Friday, Feb. 23, Barrymore, 8 p.m.: Those who have seen Jonathan Richman in action — in recent decades often accompanied by drummer Tommy Larkins — likely already have tickets for this show, as it’s been some years since he’s graced a Madison stage. If you haven’t been to a Richman concert, just go, and you can thank us later. Anything can happen (there’s never a set list) but it’s a guaranteed good time filled with the inimitable songcraft and charm of Richman. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.

Chili Cook-off, Saturday, Feb. 24, East Side Club, 12:30 p.m.: Yes, maybe this month hasn’t provided a lot of “chili weather” but that has not stopped the cook-off events from rolling along. The East Side Club hosts its annual chili cook-off as a fundraiser for youth scholarships. Chili sampling begins around 12:30 p.m.; the club’s own chili and other concessions are available starting at 10 a.m. Music by '80s tribute band The eMpTy Vees starts at 1:30 p.m.

Pixar in Concert, Saturday. Feb. 24, Overture Hall, 2:30 p.m.: Historically, the movies have provided terrific soundtracks, especially films intended for kids (think of many Disney scores) or adventure flicks intended for wide audiences (Star Wars, the Indiana Jones franchise). Madison Symphony Orchestra here plucks from the Pixar vaults, with music and visuals from 15 films including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and more, with composers including Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino and Thomas Newman. Tickets at overture.org.

Chris Greene Quartet, Saturday, Feb. 24, Cafe Coda, 8 p.m.: The Chicago-based Chris Greene Quartet is somewhat of a rarity in the jazz world: an ensemble that has featured the same lineup for most of its existence (the newest member joined in 2011). That cohesiveness comes through in a near-telepathic ability to interact among the four players, led by composer and saxophonist Greene. It’s ably displayed on the 2022 album PlaySPACE 2: Play Harder, which ranges from chilled out to far out on original cuts and covers ranging from Duke Ellington to Hank Williams. Tickets at cafecoda.club (where details are also forthcoming on the next edition of CodaFest, March 7-10).

Bruce McCulloch, Saturday, Feb. 24, Majestic, 8 p.m.: Bruce McCulloch’s place in pop culture history was assured for his part in The Kids in the Hall, a Canadian comedy troupe/television series. But beyond KITH, McCulloch has been involved in a diverse range of projects as a writer, director, actor and musician, including one-man shows such as Tales of Bravery & Stupidity, which he will present for this Madison appearance. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Alex White & the Friends EP release, Saturday, Feb. 24, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Singer and guitarist Alex White has been a big part of the Wisconsin Americana and jam scenes for a couple of decades in bands such as Elf Lettuce and The Pine Travelers, and as coordinator of the annual Madison tribute show to The Band’s final concert, “The Last Waltz.” White’s newest project is Alex White & the Friends, and they celebrate the release of their debut EP, North of Center, at this show. The EP features four musically diverse new tunes, from funky to fiery to introspective; it’s dedicated to White’s late Pine Travelers bandmate and friend, Nick Clutter. With Lamphouse Blue. Tickets at seetickets.us.

Pig’s Blood, Saturday, Feb. 24, Crystal Corner, 9 p.m.: Talk about heavy! This stacked bill of brutal metal mayhem features Pig’s Blood, a blistering death-metal band from Milwaukee that has toured Europe and played U.S. metal fests. Its catalog includes songs like “Gates Ripped Open (Scum Choking Out the Meek)” and “Torches of War and Retribution.” Also scheduled to appear: Madison’s own apocalyptic death-metallers Ruin Dweller and thrashers Egödeath, and Milwaukee heavy metallists Force. This one, indeed, will choke out the meek.

That 1 Guy, Sunday, Feb. 25, Bur Oak, 2:30 p.m.: You’ve never seen anything like That 1 Guy’s one-man show. Las Vegas-based Mike Silverman performs on a set of seven-foot tall metal pipes. He bows them, bangs them and slaps them — creating music forms that are as captivating as they are whimsical. The uniqueness of the program actually caused him to change his stage name to That 1 Guy because, as he explained in Madison a few stops back, he kept overhearing people refer to him as “that one guy with the pipes.” Tickets at seetickets.us.

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