What to do in Madison this week: Amy Pease, 'Beetlejuice' and more Isthmus Picks

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Majeska Monday, Monday, Jan. 8, Up North Bar, 6 p.m.: Turn everything upside down in 2024 and start going out on Mondays. Majeska Monday makes it easy with a free show featuring a one-time only collaboration by local musicians, dubbed the Majeska Monday Band. January features Ben Majeska (Armchair Boogie) joined by Raquel Aleman (Wild Violets), Teresa Hardy (People Brothers Band), Audrey Pescitelli (The Lower 5th), and Melissa Weishaar (Wise Jennings). The first show of 2024 also features The Spine Stealers, a terrific truck-stop folk duo; and Wild Violets, who play '90s-'00s R&B and hip-hop covers and some original songs. Note: Start time has moved up to 6 pm.

POSTPONED: Amy Pease, Tuesday, Jan. 9, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: This state has no shortage of authors writing about life (and death) in northern Wisconsin. One of the newest voices is Amy Pease, whose gripping debut novel, Northwoods, is earning high praise from none other than William Kent Krueger. The story revolves around the murder of a teenage boy in a small resort town, a missing teenage girl and the scarred military veteran-turned-sheriff’s deputy on the case — all set against the backdrop of America’s opioid epidemic. Pease, a nurse practitioner who lives in the Madison area and is a nationally recognized HIV specialist, will celebrate the book’s publication day in conversation with fellow local author Cayce Osborne, whose debut psychological thriller, I Know What You Did, was one our favorite reads of last year. Seating is limited and RSVPs are encouraged, but the event also will be livestreamed on Crowdcast. Note: This event is postponed due to the snowstorm; new date to be announced.

Ojibwe Storytelling Series, Tuesdays, Jan. 9-30, Zoom, 7 p.m.: Relax and listen Tuesdays in January as the Wisconsin Historical Society hosts a series on Ojibwe stories on Zoom. Storytellers Sirella Ford, Lac Courte Oreilles (Jan. 9), Tina Van Zile, Sokaogon (Jan. 16), Tinker Schuman, Lac du Flambeau (Jan. 23), and Liz Arbuckle, Bad River (Jan. 30) share tales that entertain while teaching attendees about Wisconsin’s Native American culture and history. Pre-register and learn more at wisconsinhistory.org.

Beetlejuice, Jan. 9-14, Overture Hall: Before Beetlejuice became known as the musical where a certain Colorado Republican congressperson was ejected for “causing a disturbance,” it was just a musical, and before that a 1988 Tim Burton film. In true weird Burton fashion, it’s about a deceased couple haunting their former house and the evil spirit Beetlejuice who makes everything worse. (The plot’s more complicated than that, but you have to be there.) It’s all good fun, and the singing and dancing fall under “the more the merrier” while the costumes and set design should please the inner Goth in everyone. Shows at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9-12, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 13 and 1 and 6:30 p.m., Jan. 14. Tickets at overture.org.

Discovering Historic Preservation, and more, Wednesday, Jan. 10, Zoom, 7 p.m.: The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation debuted a new logo with the new year, and also kicks off its architectural lecture series for 2024 with a talk by someone uniquely qualified to discuss local preservation efforts. Retired architect Arlan Kay moved to Madison after graduating from Iowa State in the mid-1960s — a time when the city was still in the midst of the “urban renewal” boom razing historic neighborhoods such as Greenbush. Kay worked for decades on projects emphasizing neighborhood preservation (with Design Coalition) and historic buildings (with his own firm, Architecture Network Inc., and others), and will discuss the growth of preservation efforts in Madison. Buy tickets here for a link to the Zoom presentation.

Mary Burns + Madeline Grace Martin, through Feb. 4, Overture Center-Watrous Gallery: The Wisconsin-centric Watrous Gallery weighs in with another winning pairing. Mercer’s Mary Burns is a textile artist. Her “Women of Water: Woven Portraits from Around the World” consists of almost photo-realist hand-woven jacquard portraits of women from 39 countries around the globe. Milwaukee’s Madeline Grace Martin is a multidisciplinary artist who uses media including watercolor, embroidery, pencil drawings, and hand-cut paper. Her “Of Words and Trees: A Collaboration with My Father” extends her father’s writings with various media, including natural objects and cut paper, to investigate the “inexact quality of memory.” Coming up: Burns will present a virtual artist talk at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11; register at wisconsinacademy.org.

Beth Kille book release, Thursday, Jan. 11, Harmony Bar, 6 p.m.: Madison singer/songwriter Beth Kille has embraced her inner songwriter by writing and publishing a new book: Embrace Your Authentic Songwriter: How & Why to Play Your Own Tune. Kille shares her expertise drilling down on both inspiration and songcraft, from structure to hooks. Kille will read from and discuss the book, followed by a free concert by Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets (the trio of Kille, Jen Farley and Shawndell Marks).

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated due to a snowstorm postponement.