What to do in Madison this week: Jenny Don't & the Spurs, Libby Fischer Hellmann and more Isthmus Picks

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Madison Bike Week, through June 9, various locations: Madison Bike Week, continuing through June 9, rolls on; Monday includes an evening ride with the Cap City Cyclists (6 p.m., from Orton Park). Tuesday's many snack stops include bacon cheddar waffles (7-8:30 a.m., at South Dickinson and East Wilson). The class "How to Plan a Bicycle Commute" is offered on Wednesday (noon, UW Bicycle Resource Center); and a flat fixing demo on Thursday (7 p.m., Machinery Row). Those are just a few of the many events on the docket for all ages and abilities. Find the list at madisonbikes.org (and statewide bike week events at wisconsinbikefed.org).

Red Hot TradJazz Band, Monday, June 3, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church-Raymond Road, 5 p.m.: Dixieland jazz is the order of the day for the Red Hot TradJazz Band, a quintet of Wisconsin music veterans with decades of experience playing various genres. They are kicking off the summer Music Mondays series at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s Raymond Road location, which features a pay-what-you-can food cart (with proceeds supporting a youth trip to the ELCA National Youth Gathering this summer). Find the full summer schedule at gslcwi.com/musicmondays.

Jenny Don’t & the Spurs, Monday, June 3, High Noon Saloon, 7:30 p.m.: Portland, Oregon, quartet Jenny Don’t & the Spurs has been playing roots rock-inflected country for more than a decade now, sticking tenaciously to their DIY roots and building a following the old-fashioned way: a steady stream of good records and touring everywhere. The road brings them to Madison just ahead of a new album: Broken Hearted Blue, out June 14. The singles so far include the bouncy twanger “You’re What I Need” and the introspective, trem-laden “Unlucky Love.” Opening is a Madison band that can also play the country, the rock and in-between: Nate Gibson & the Stardazers. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Libby Fischer Hellmann, Tuesday, June 4, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Max’s War, a new novel by Libby Fischer Hellmann, tackles a historical subject with modern-day echoes: the rise of nationalism in the first half of the 20th century. The novel follows a Jewish teen, who first flees Germany to Holland with his family before striking out on his own to escape in 1940 to the U.S., where he soon enlists in the Army, is trained in counterintelligence, and carries out missions in Occupied Europe. Hellmann will discuss the novel with Doug Moe. Tickets are recommended, and a livestream is also available; find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Sebastian Bach, Wednesday, June 5, Majestic, 8 p.m.: It’s been 35 years since vocalist Sebastian Bach helped propel New Jersey rockers Skid Row to superstardom with hits like “Youth Gone Wild,” “18 & Life” and “I Remember You.” Both Bach and Skid Row remain active today, just not with each other. Following leading Broadway roles in Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bach appeared last year on FOX’s The Masked Singer as “Tiki.” He then released the dark and slamming single “What Do I Got to Lose” — his first new music in a decade — ahead of a new album coming in May. Recent set lists have been heavy with songs from the first three Skid Row albums, after which he left the band. With Classless Act. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Summer Frolic, June 6-9, Grundahl Park, Mount Horeb: Mount Horeb was not settled by trolls. Norwegian settlers began arriving in the early 1870s, and their traditions have rubbed off on this small town with its vibrant main street and carved wooden trolls lurking around town (36 of them!) to provide local color. This annual fundraiser for area parks has all the requirements of a summer fest: carnival, beer tent, bands and a fun run (8:30 a.m., June 8). The band tent (next to the beer tent) includes The Jimmys at 8:30 p.m. June 7 and The Foo Foo Dolls at 9 p.m. June 8, among others. Find the full schedule at mthorebsummerfrolic.com.

Xizhou Xie, through July 14, Garver Canvas: Art is an important part of the experience at Garver Feed Mill; director of public programming and business operations Bethany Jurewicz has a master’s degree in contemporary art theory and was determined to include art in the restored space. A spacious room on the first floor known as Garver Canvas is devoted to gallery-style public exhibits. For the next month and a half the space is devoted to the work of Xizhou Xie. “Layers of Self: Exploring Identities” ponders the question “Who am I?” While mostly abstract, Xie’s work does demonstrate some traditional Asian influences. Gallery hours are noon-6 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Friday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

5-10-100: Women Artists Forward reception, through Aug. 4, Overture Center-James Watrous Gallery; reception June 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: The Women Artists Forward Fund was founded by Madison artists Brenda Baker and Bird Ross in 2019 as a way to directly assist artists in Dane County with unrestricted grants. The exhibit “5-10-100: Women Artists Forward,” on display at the Wisconsin Academy’s Watrous Gallery through Aug. 4, features work by the first 10 artists to receive the grants: Jennifer Angus, Adriana Barrios, Mary Bero, Yeonhee Cheong, Angelica Contreras, Lilada Gee, Dakota Mace, Katherine Steichen Rosing, Alice Traore and Babette Wainwright. Learn more about the program during the opening reception (5:30-7:30 p.m., June 6), which features remarks by Baker and Ross at 6 p.m. Regular gallery hours are noon-6 p.m. Thursday-Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive, May 30-June 15, Bartell Theatre: Strollers Theater wins the sweepstakes for longest event title this month with its production of Selina Fillinger's 2022 play POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Hint: it’s a farce. The all-female cast plays on the old trope of “behind every great man…” by all seven of them intervening to prop up POTUS. While the play received mixed reviews on Broadway, its themes are timely this crazy election year. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (except 2 p.m. on June 15) and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Count This Penny + Harmony Landing, Thursday, June 6, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: During their time in Madison in the first half of the 2010s, the songs and performances of folk duo Count This Penny caused a stir in the local scene and far beyond. The duo is returning for a show reigniting a friendly rivalry described as “a battle for the soul of the South.” The fourth installment of “Appalachian Armageddon” features Count This Penny (Tennessee natives Amanda and Allen Rigell) in a musical fracas with Madison trio Harmony Landing (Kirsten and Matt Earley and Isthmus contributor Andy Moore, all Kentucky natives). Anything could happen, but good singing and playing is guaranteed. Tickets at seetickets.us.

Weekend of the Burnt Piano, through June 8, Broom Street Theater: It sounds like a classic Agatha Christie-style plot, one of those gathering-in-a-house deals. In Weekend of the Burnt Piano, a slight twist: “Four friends gather to mourn a fifth who has recently been murdered but as the weekend goes on they begin to suspect one of them did it.” The situation provides a hothouse atmosphere for revelations, and we’ll bite. This is writer and director Sean Langenecker’s first play; Langenecker, also an actor, was a standout in Forward Theatre’s production of Clyde’s last fall. Shows are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 8 p.m., May 29. Advance tickets at eventbrite.com., or pay-what-you-can at the door.

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