What to do in Madison this week: Lunafest, 'MELDT' and more Isthmus Picks

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Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers, Monday, March 27, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Formed in the late 1990s after the demise of The Refreshments (originators of the theme song for the animated show King of the Hill), Tempe, Arizona-based Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers have released nearly a dozen albums of dusty rock that have drawn comparisons to the Gin Blossoms. The band hasn’t released a new album since 2017’s Native Heart but has a deep and impressive back catalog, along with an annual music festival in Mexico (Circus Mexicus) and its own brand of liquor (Canción Tequila). Even more remarkable is the fact these guys have survived and thrived without the benefit of a major label or radio airplay. With Parker Ryan. Tickets on Ticketmaster.

Jason Steinhauer, Tuesday, March 28, UW Discovery Building-DeLuca Forum, 4:30 p.m.: The internet has made it easier than ever before to find information on just about any topic, and is an ever-growing repository of historical data. But it's also tremendously easy for incorrect or intentionally misleading information to be posted, and quickly repeated as fact in countless places. Historian Jason Steinhauer examines the conundrum in the ominously titled 2021 book History, Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past; he will discuss the book at this talk hosted by the Friends of UW-Madison Libraries and other campus partners. Register here.

Lunafest, Tuesday, March 28, Edgewood College-Anderson Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.: An annual touring program featuring short films by and about women, Lunafest returns in-person for the first time since 2020 (a virtual option will remain available as well). This year's films include stories of LGBT relationships, winter swimming in Lake Michigan, rock climbing, surfing, mural art and more. Zonta Club of Madison hosts the local screening. Tickets and a film list here.

Tamara Keith, Wednesday, March 29, Overture Center, 7 p.m.: A familiar voice from National Public Radio (and a host covering the White House for The NPR Politics Podcast), Tamara Keith is also the public affairs journalist in residence at the UW La Follette School for the spring semester. For the school's annual Offner Lecture, Keith will speak on a pressing problem for the health of both the media and democracy: the gradual decline of trust in traditional news media. Register to attend in person or via livestream on Eventbrite (which also includes sign-up for the La Follette School's annual alumni and friends reception, at 5 p.m.).

MELDT, Wednesday, March 29, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: Mills Folly Microcinema, the experimental film series at ALL, returns with an in-the-moment presentation mixing video art, dance, and live music; you can’t stream this one later, folks. MELDT features video projection by Aaron Granat and Dale Kaminski (including images taken during the event by Heidi Johnson), dance by Liz Sexe, and music by a trio of Shawn Pierce, Silas Ritchie and Tim Russell. Find tickets at livecinemalivemusic.bpt.me.

Business of Arts, March 30-April 1, Arts + Literature Laboratory: The Dane Arts Buy Local annual art market was created as a way for independent working artists to find new customers for their work. Last year, Dane Arts added a new wrinkle to its support for artists: the Business of Arts conference. The second edition kicks off with a morning grant writing workshop on March 30, followed by two full days of workshops and talks on March 31 and April 1, with speakers including Arts Midwest CEO Torrie Allen and Chazen Museum of Art director Amy Gilman. Find registration information at dablmarket.com.

TikTok-a-Thon for Trans Healthcare, March 30-31, on TikTok: Mercury Stardust (the Trans Handy Ma'am) and Jory (aka AlluringSkull) are teaming up to co-host the TikTok-a-Thon for Trans Healthcare, with special guests, music and more at tiktok.com/@mercurystardust from 4 p.m. on March 30 until 10 p.m. on March 31. This marathon of activity by the star TikTokers (each with more than 2 million followers) is a fundraiser for Point of Pride, a nonprofit providing financial support for health and wellness services and gender-affirming garments for the trans community. Find more information and a donation link at pointofpride.org.

Page & Stage: An Evening with Eve L. Ewing and Paul Tran: Thursday, March 30, A Room of One's Own, 5:30 p.m.: Chicago-based writer Eve L. Ewing's work is wide-ranging, from poetry to nonfiction to Marvel Comics (including the new series Monica Rambeau: Photon). Paul Tran is an assistant professor at UW-Madison in the Department of English and Asian American Studies Program, and author of the acclaimed 2022 poetry collection All the Flowers Kneeling. The writers will present a conversation about their work as part of Ewing's visit to Madison with the UW Division of the Arts Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program. Seats are limited, and masks are required; register here. Also: Ewing will participate in the annual Line Breaks Hip-Hop Theater Festival, March 31-April 1; more info at omai.wisc.edu/line-breaks-festival.

Ben Hubing, Thursday, March 30, Mystery To Me, 6 p.m.: Shorewood-based historian Ben Hubing, author of George Wallace in Wisconsin: The Divisive Campaigns That Shaped A Civil Rights Legacy, will sit down with Madison journalist Doug Moe to discuss the influence the late Alabama governor’s multiple presidential campaigns between 1964 and 1976 had on Wisconsin’s debate over constitutional principles and values. Wallace opposed racial integration, adhered to a tough-on-crime mindset and sparked a clash of ideals around the country. “[His] candidacy and the divisions it fostered in Wisconsin have cautionary parallels to the perilous moment we find ourselves in today,” Hubing writes. Seats are limited and tickets are required, but the event also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast.

Jesse Lee Kercheval, Thursday, March 30, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Get a jump start on National Poetry Month (that's April) with UW-Madison English professor emeritus Jesse Lee Kercheval reading from her 2023 poetry collection, I Want To Tell You, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, one of the most respected poetry publishers out there. This reading is part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.

Jon Dore, March 30-April 1, Comedy on State: Not since the final bit of construction finished on the Trans-Canadian Highway has something from our great northern neighbors provided such twists and turns as Jon Dore’s stand-up comedy act. This insanely hilarious man does bits and acts on stage that defy explanation, not just for fear of giving up the joke early, but simply because they are indescribable acts of comedy. Words can’t encapsulate the essence of Dore’s presence; you gotta see him. With Kendall Relf. Shows at 7:30 p.m., March 30; and 7:30 and 10 p.m., March 31-April 1. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

Escape From Happiness, March 24-April 8, Bartell Theatre: This black comedy by prolific playwright and screenwriter George F. Walker follows a dysfunctional family as they deal with criminals, cops and each other. Escape From Happiness is presented by Mercury Players Theatre, and directed by Jan Levine Thal. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (4 p.m. on April 8) and 4 p.m., April 2. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Helen Sung + UW ensembles, March 30-31, Hamel Music Center-Collins Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Acclaimed jazz pianist Helen Sung's most recent project, Quartet+ in 2021, drew on her classical music training in creating arrangements for Sung's quartet to collaborate with the string players of the Harlem Quartet. However, the music may stick more on the jazz side when Sung visits Madison for a pair of concerts featuring UW-Madison musicians, as part of the DEIB Festival; Thursday she joins the Contemporary Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra, and Friday features collaborations with UW faculty Peter Dominguez and Matt Endres; and student jazz and strings players dubbed the Bridge Project (playing music from Quartet+). Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

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