What to do in Madison this week: Drew & Ellie Holcomb, First Look at the Fest and more Isthmus Picks

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The New Orleans Tribute, Monday, March 3, North Street Cabaret, 6:30 p.m.: Itching for Mardi Gras season and can’t wait for Fat Tuesday to arrive? Lundi Gras is the Monday party-before-the-party, and The New Orleans Tribute is helpfully providing an evening of music to accompany any party starters. Expect classic NOLA music and some surprises. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Midwest Print Showcase, through March 4, Common Wealth Gallery: The Midwest Print Showcase will feature a selection of works by 17 artists, many with a connection to UW-Madison (including lecturer and Isthmus cover illustrator Mitchell Volk and master’s degree candidate Nika McKagen). Screenprint, etching, woodcuts and other methods will be highlighted. Regular gallery hours are 5-8:30 p.m., Feb. 26-March 4; more info at midwestprint.carrd.co.

The Big Share, Tuesday, March 4, online: For more than a decade, the first Tuesday in March in Dane County brings The Big Share, an online giving drive coordinated by Community Shares of Wisconsin to aid nearly 70 local nonprofits (many of whom are currently facing financial uncertainty due to Trump administration actions). This year’s theme, “Build Our Future Together,” puts the focus on how social justice and environmental protection is a key aspect of many of CSW’s nonprofit partners. A telethon-style event will take place starting at 8 a.m. at thebigshare.org (where you can also find a donation portal) and an afterparty is from 7:30-10 p.m. at Giant Jones Brewing.

Mindfulness & the Microbiome, Tuesday, March 4, UW Discovery Building, 7 p.m.: Now might be the perfect time to explore a mindfulness practice. Richard Davidson and Jo Handelsman will explore mindfulness' impact on our well being in this third and final installment of a three-part Crossroads of Ideas miniseries. Davidson is well known as the founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison and Handelsman is the director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. Can we guarantee you’ll leave happier? No, but you probably won’t feel worse. Registration is requested; there’s also the option of a livestream. More info at illuminatingdiscovery.wisc.edu, where you can also watch the first two installments of the series.

Drew & Ellie Holcomb, Tuesday, March 4, Barrymore, 8 p.m.: The Holcombs are sprinting into a three-month tour that will culminate in a May concert at the Ryman in Nashville. Together or apart they know how to make kick-ass Americana come to life. Drew’s 2023 single “Find Your People” with his band The Neighbors hit No. 1 on the Americana Music Association Radio Chart, and Charles Barkley moved to “Dance with Everybody” in a March Madness commercial last year. Ellie is a four-time Dove Gospel Music Award winner as well as a children’s author. The current tour celebrates their first-ever full-length duo record, Memory Bank, which is also making noise on Americana radio. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

The Final Forte, Wednesday, March 5, Overture Hall, 6:45 p.m.: The Bolz Young Artist Competition is an annual Madison Symphony Orchestra event open to performers in grades 9-12; the prize for the finalists is a chance to perform as a soloist with the MSO during the annual Final Forte concert. This year’s four finalists are pianist Atticus Coen; violinist Indre Raghavan, a 2023 Bolz semifinalist; violist Vivian Van de Sype Cucu; and cellist Lucy Wu. Tickets to the in-person concert are free, but required; find information at madisonsymphony.org. The concert will also be broadcast live on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio.

First Look at the Fest, Wednesday, March 5, Flix Brewhouse, 7 p.m.: First Look at the Fest is a fun way to kick off the Wisconsin Film Festival, as it’s the first moment the public can find out what movies are on tap, a day in advance of the printed guide appearing in Isthmus. Trailers for the films are shown, and snacks and drinks are on hand in the spacious lobby of Flix Brewhouse at East Towne (one of the primary fest venues). Attendees can buy up to two tickets for each screening of their choice before tix go on sale to the general public on March 8. Plus…you’ll be with film-minded friends and neighbors. If you’re an East Towne newbie, it’s easy to park at or bus to the front entrance of the mall and walk straight down the central corridor to Flix, or, avoid the exercise and drive around to the rear of the mall to sort of where Prange’s used to be (Prange’s? Anyone?). Look for the nice bright Flix sign. Tickets here: wifilmfest.eventive.org.

Bach Around the Clock, March 6-9, various venues + YouTube: This annual concert series celebrates the music of Johann Sebastian Bach with performances from seasoned professionals and newly minted musicians. The main event is March 8, with performances from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Also not to be missed: On March 7, pianist Lawrence Quinnett and the Ancora String Quartet collaborate on Bach’s Two- and Three-Part Inventions and the Keyboard Concerto in E Major (7 p.m., First Unitarian Society). Pre-recorded performances debut on YouTube March 9. Find the full schedule at bachclock.com.

David Wolinsky, Thursday, March 6, A Room of One’s Own, 6 p.m.: Oral historian and researcher David Wolinsky began interviewing people about the intersection of creative endeavors and internet culture in 2014 following the excrescence of toxic masculinity and alt-right nastiness that came to be known as Gamergate. The interviews led to the Don’t Die website, and now to a new book, The Hivemind Swarmed: Conversations on Gamergate, the Aftermath, and the Quest for a Safer Internet. If you have been on the internet lately…yeah, things have not improved. Wolinsky will discuss the book with Tone Madison’s Scott Gordon.

Wilder Woods, Thursday, March 6, The Sylvee, 7:30 p.m.: Bear Rinehart, co-founder of the crossover Christian band NEEDTOBREATHE, also performs as a solo artist under the stage name Wilder Woods (the names of his two eldest sons). His third album, Curioso, dropped in February — less than one year after releasing Fever/Sky to critical acclaim. Though Rinehart was born in South Carolina and resides in Nashville, Wilder Woods’ songs sound carved from the heartland. His brand of upbeat and anthemic Americana music is far enough away from NEEDTOBREATHE’s aesthetic to make this side project distinct but still close enough for comfort for his main band’s legion of fans. Self-described “folkternative” artist HAFFWAY opens. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Eilen Jewell, Thursday, March 6, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: For the last couple decades, Eilen Jewell has been one of America’s most reliably intriguing songwriters, with a low-key yet forceful style of singing that has matched up well with whatever style of music she assays. Jewell’s most recent album, Get Behind the Wheel, is one of her most personal, documenting a time of major life changes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; as with much of her music, it will stick with you. Tickets at stoughtonoperahouse.com.

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