Echoing Overseas: Asian Artistic Exchange, Aug. 8-Nov. 28, Chazen Museum of Art: East meets West; West meets East. The artistic influences each has had on the other is the subject of Echoing Overseas: Asian Artistic Exchange, a new exhibition with 50-some artworks from a range of time periods. Curators have broken down the influences, from imitation to appropriation, alteration, misunderstanding, and rejection. More exhibit-related events are yet to be scheduled, including a papermaking session and a tea ceremony.
Daniel Smith, Monday, Aug. 8, Octagon Barn, Spring Green, 6:30 p.m.: Wisconsin poet Daniel Smith will read from his recent volume of Midwest-centric poetry, Ancestral, as part of the Morrill Lecture Series, with a little boost from American Players Theatre actors Sarah Day and James Ridge. Anyone who's spent time in the Heartland will recognize Smith's deep attachment to the land and the culture of farming. Poetry will be followed by a panel of local farmers responding to Smith’s work and various agricultural issues.
Michael Shapiro, Monday, Aug. 8, Leopold's Books Bar Caffe, 7 p.m.: Madison native Michael Shapiro will discuss the book Under Cuba’s Hood: What Cubans Say About Their Old American Cars, out now in paperback. The bilingual text telling the stories of the owners of Cuba's stranded-in-time autos is accompanied by photographs by Juan Carlos Alóm. Shapiro gathered stories for the book on visits to Cuba over two decades, so he should have some interesting tales about traveling in a country that has been fairly difficult for Americans to explore for most of the last six decades.
The Periodicals, Tuesday, Aug. 9, Olbrich Gardens, 7 p.m.: Led by Englishman John Wedge, Madison’s Periodicals have upped their game big time in the last year with the addition of horns and new vocalists; changes that have vaulted the ensemble over the top into a killer, 10-piece rock band. The Periodicals are a group that take the opportunity to make you wag your tail very, very seriously.
Paulius Musteikis
DJ Shotski with turntable and polka records.
DJ Shotski
National Polka Day, Tuesday, Aug. 9, Dark Horse ArtBar, 7-9 p.m.: Polka! Press is taking advantage of a holiday you may not have known existed by hosting this celebration and fundraiser for the printmaking collective. There will be prints for sale from Polka! members, Broadside Print & Design and Bernie & Zuzu, along with the opportunity to print your own polka-themed tote bag. DJ Shotski (the host of Polka Time, Sundays at 7 p.m. on WVMO-FM starting Aug. 7) will be spinning vintage records.
Hamilton, Aug. 9-21, Overture Hall: In the seven years since Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking hip-hop musical and history lesson hit Broadway, Hamilton has become a classic of American musical theater. Alexander Hamilton, the ten-dollar founding father without a father, takes his place alongside Jefferson and Madison, and the musical itself its place alongside giants like West Side Story as the perfect blend of street and stage. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday; check ticket availability at overture.org.
dennismitcheltree.com
Dennis Mitcheltree playing saxophone.
Dennis Mitcheltree
Jazz at Five, Wednesday, Aug. 10, McKee Farms Park, Fitchburg, 5 p.m.; Wednesdays, Aug. 17-31, The Forum, 4 p.m.: The annual Jazz at Five series, which started Aug. 3, is again dividing time between Fitchburg and the Capitol Square. Music at McKee on Aug. 10 features the Dennis Mitcheltree Quartet and the trio of Emma Dayhuff, Vincent Davis and Corey Wilkes. The party moves to the top of State Street on Aug. 17 with sets by Johannes Wallman & Precarious Towers and the Chris Rottmayer Quartet. Aug. 24 features swinging big bands Ladies Must Swing and the DB Orchestra, and the series concludes on Aug. 31 with a double bill of ensembles led by trumpeter Chad McCullough, his eponymous quartet and the UW-Madison Jazz Ensemble All-Stars. Youth bands open the concerts at The Forum. Find more info at jazzatfive.org.
Art in the Woods, through Oct. 9, American Players Theatre, Spring Green: APT takes advantage of its idyllic grounds for the second incarnation of Art in the Woods, featuring installations by seven artists: Alicia Cosnahan (aka DECOY), Thomas Ferrella, John Himmelfarb, Peter Krsko, John C. Pahlas, Dennis Robert and Katie Schutte. The installations will remain in place through Oct. 9, and you don't need a show ticket to view the art.
courtesy Stultus
Stultus
Stultus, Wednesday, Aug. 10, Red Rooster, 7 p.m.: One of the Madison-area's longest-tenured bands will take the stage at one of the scene's newest venues when Stultus visits the Red Rooster. Originally formed in Sun Prairie in 1968, the group followed the usual trajectory of young bands and split as college and life intervened. But unlike most, they eventually reunited with the original members and recorded a pair of albums in the 2010s. You can hear samples of the group's upcoming third album on their Facebook page.
Watertown Riverfest, Aug. 11-14, Riverside Park, Watertown: Watertown is often overlooked among easy-to-access day trip destinations, but it's well worth exploring. Even better, check it out during Watertown Riverfest, in which the town's Riverside Park is filled with food, music and a good old-fashioned carnival. Music headliners include Steely Dane on Thursday, Them Coulee Boys on Friday, and Bruce in the USA, a Springsteen tribute band, on Saturday (all at 8:40 p.m.). Music closes out Sunday afternoon with Road Trip (4:45 p.m.). Find the schedule at watertownriverfest.com.
courtesy G.D. Brown
Author G.D. Brown sits on a porch.
G.D. Brown
G.D. Brown, Thursday, Aug. 11, Mystery To Me, 6 p.m.: Milwaukee author G.D. Brown’s bleak yet gripping debut novel, Sinners Plunged Beneath That Flood, swirls around a handful of broken souls in a small Oklahoma town ravaged by the meth trade. Set in the late 1990s, the story stars a teenage girl whose best friend has disappeared, a damaged sheriff torn asunder and a wild preacher hungry for power. The tense prose announces Brown as a Wisconsin writer on the rise. He will discuss the new book with Doug Moe, and capacity is limited; find ticket info at mysterytomebooks.com.
Capitol City Band, Thursdays, through Aug. 25, Rennebohm Park, 7 p.m.: The all-volunteer Capitol City Band's mission is “helping to heal the nation, one note at a time.” The band's free, weekly Concerts in the Park series is well underway, and continues at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, through Aug. 25. More info at mmqccb.org.
"Suspended Landscapes" by Amanda McCavour.
"Suspended Landscapes" by Amanda McCavour at the Chazen Museum of Art.
Amanda McCavour, through Sept. 11, 2022, Chazen Museum of Art: There's just one more month to see Suspended Landscapes, a big exhibit of Amanda McCavour's large-scale "thread drawings" that have been filling all three stories of Paige Court in the Chazen's Elvehjem building like a delicate prairie. The Toronto-based artist visited Madison several times to create a site-specific work incorporating images of Wisconsin flora on a big scale, stitching with a sewing machine on a fabric base that dissolves in water and leaves a strong but delicate-seeming web of images. McCavour also curated a show of artwork on campus that inspired her installation, alongside her own preparatory drawings and materials. Meet McCavour at a celebration of the exhibit from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 11, or during Family Day art activities for all ages, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Aug. 13.
Dustin Sisson
Cribshitter
Cribshitter, Thursday, Aug. 11, Harmony Bar, 7:30 p.m.: Do you pass up an opportunity to see Cribshitter? No, you do not. The band's eclectic, genre-embracing sound is jolly, cynical, witty and ultimately tuneful. In their willingness to experiment, you might compare them to Beck, but even that is inadequate. We're submitting our request for "COVID Cove" early! With Madison singer-songwriter Aaron Scholz, who released the excellent Third Place in 2021.
POSTPONED: The Guest Book, Aug. 11-27, Broom Street Theater, 8 p.m.: Gina Gómez wrote and directed The Guest Book, a Broom Street Theater comedy about a woman crashing her ex-fiance's wedding. As they say, save the date. Shows at 8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday (no show Aug. 13). Aug. 10 update: This show will be moved back approximately one week due to COVID; new dates TBA.
We hope it’s handy for you to find Picks grouped together in a single post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.
Note: Many venues and businesses may continue to maintain individual requirements for masking, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or a negative test for entry. Before heading out for any in-person event, confirm it is still taking place and check for any attendance guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.
Editor's note: Post updated for BST postponement.