Payback, Perry and Phony Ppl

They could only come together in Isthmus Picks for Nov. 18-24

by

On Nov. 1, Public Health Madison and Dane County extended its face covering requirement for public indoor spaces through 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 27. It continues to include a range of exemptions in the last order, including for the performing arts. Many venues and businesses also have instituted requirements for proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to attend events. Before heading out, confirm events are still taking place and check for current guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.

Noj Tsiab (Pre-New Year) Celebration, Thursday, Nov. 18, Life Center Madison, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: The Hmong “pre-New Year” celebration tradition continues locally with this annual luncheon thanking the community and the spirits for a good harvest and healthy life. Traditional Hmong food will be served along with a participatory making of Hmong mochi, which sounds like a blast — it involves a large hammer, a hollow log and grilling the paste into a pancake. Free, but RSVP to may.lor@thehmonginstitute.org or call 608-692-8918.

Our Kind of Happy Hour, Thursday, Nov. 18, Chazen Museum of Art, 6:30 p.m.: During the pandemic this Chazen program went virtual, but it's now back live (with a virtual option on Facebook). Indigenous artists Anastasia Adams and nibiiwakamigkwe will speak on “Indigenous Sovereignty: Land, Food, Art,” and perform excerpts from the multidisciplinary collaboration Taiquaa//Ambe Omaa (come here). A storytelling component will be augmented with throat singing. Free, but RSVP required for IRL attendance.

The Amateurs, Thursday, Nov. 18, Overture Center-Playhouse, 7:30 p.m.: Canceled when COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the Wisconsin premiere of The Amateurs, directed by Jen Uphoff Gray for Forward Theater, is now on stage. In what must surely count as irony, the play concerns Hollis, who's a member of a troupe of actors attempting to outrun the Black Plague in the 14th century. Of course it's a comedy. Because at a certain point you do just have to laugh. But it's also a look at the importance of art in bad times. ALSO: Friday (7:30 p.m.), Saturday (2 and 7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.), Nov. 19-21. Also: The company offers an intriguing series of lectures related to themes in the play, free and open to all, at 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays in the Playhouse lobby. Find more info at forwardtheater.com.

Phony Ppl, Thursday, Nov. 18, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Phony Ppl combines jazz, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, soul and rock with an almost impromptu feel, and the quintet’s concerts celebrate Black American music and musical expression. Made up of Brooklyn-born artists, the collaborative and creative band was formed in 2008 and has created several self-released albums. The group has worked with some big names in the music industry, releasing “ Fkn Around ” featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “On My Shit” featuring Joey Bada$$ .

Fiddler on the Roof, Thursday, Nov. 18, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: During the month of giving thanks and tradition, it’s time to return to Anatevka and say hello to the boisterous but benevolent Tevye. In this production of the 1964 Tony Award-nominated Broadway sensation Fiddler on the Roof, a poor Jewish father, rooted in the traditions of his faith, grapples with the changing times of czarist Russia as his three eldest daughters begin to fall in love and challenge the rules their small village has held dear. Directed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher , this touring production is choreographed by Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter and stars Israeli theater and film actor Yehezkel Lazarov as Tevye. ALSO: Friday (8 p.m.), Saturday (2 and 8 p.m.) and Sunday (1 and 6:30 p.m.), Nov. 19-21.

Don Juan, Thursday, Nov. 18, UW Vilas Hall-Hemsley Theatre, 7:30 p.m.: University Theatre goes for it with the classic tale of the libertine Don Juan. Molière, as he does in Tartuffe, focuses on the cad's hypocritical nature as he tries to stay one step ahead of those whom he's wronged. Directed by Mark H., Don Juan should be both provocative and a bit of a romp. Find tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu or at the Mitchell Theatre lobby box office, which opens one hour prior to performances. ALSO: Friday-Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.), Nov. 19-21.

Michael Perry, Thursday, Nov. 18, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: Wisconsin's modern-day renaissance man, Michael Perry is an author, humorist, newspaper columnist, singer/songwriter, musician, pig farmer and storyteller. He’ll bring his narrative chops to Stoughton for a two-and-a-half-hour evening of the down-home and often hilarious tales that have earned his status as one of the state’s most charming artists. Many stories will no doubt be familiar to long-time fans (“The Beer Tent,” “Pickup Truck Love,” “Gonna Hafta Puller”), but — as he’s previously said about these kinds of performances — “it’s also fun to be mid-show, trigger some memory or recollection and just chase after it.”

Non Ordinary, Thursday, Nov. 18, UW Lathrop Hall-H'Doubler Performance Space, 8 p.m.: Jin-Wen Yu Dance and the UW Dance Department present a concert of new works choreographed by Yu. Non Ordinary considers the interruptions to everyday life caused by the pandemic. Has it resulted in new ways of looking at the world around us? Expect traditional boundaries between the audience and performers to be shifted. ALSO: Friday (8 p.m.) and Saturday (2:30 p.m.), Nov. 19-20; an audience talkback follows the Nov. 18 concert. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Genealogy, Thursday, Nov. 18, Broom Street Theater, 8 p.m.: The taping of a podcast on family ancestry becomes a consideration of modern-day responsibility for America's history of white supremacy in Genealogy, the return to in-person performances by Broom Street Theater. Produced in collaboration with Knowledge Workings Theater, the play is the premiere of a new work written by that company's founders, T.J. Elliott and Joe Queenan. Directed by Dana Pellebon, the cast includes Donavon Armbruster, Atticus Cain, Jamie England, Quanda Johnson and Jackson Rosenberry. Also, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 19-20, 8 p.m. Find tickets here.

The Big Payback album release, Thursday, Nov. 18, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Veteran Madison band The Big Payback mixes rock, soul and jazz into a potent, hard-hitting sound. At this show, the band unleashes This is The Big Payback: Live at the High Noon, recorded at their 10th anniversary concert in 2019. The release will be available on CD at the show; fans of vinyl can preorder a double LP version. The Big Payback's previous album, Animal Brain, was the MAMA Jazz Album of the Year winner in 2017. With Panchromatic Steel.

Friday Jazz Series, Friday, Nov. 19, Tandem Press, 5 p.m.: This collaboration between the jazz program at Mead Witter School of Music and Tandem Press is back for 2021. The series continues this weekend with music by the Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble and Blue Note Ensemble; it's also a chance to check out the current exhibit in the Tandem gallery, Ramshackle, featuring prints by 2020 UW-Madison graduate Derek Hibbs. The concert will also be livestreamed here.

Nick Lowe + Los Straitjackets, Friday, Nov. 19, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: Nick Lowe's musical life has ranged far and wide in various bands: '60s Britpop (Kippington Lodge); hippie pub rock (Brinsley Schwarz); pretend bands making fun of pop stars (the Tartan Horde); being a pop star as a solo artist (“Cruel to Be Kind” and other hits); and as a legendary producer (The Damned, John Hiatt, Elvis Costello). The last couple decades have seen Lowe roll all those past lives into a sort of elder statesman and incisive songwriter/interpreter role. Lowe is back on the road this fall with another Quality Rock & Roll Revue, backed by frequent collaborators Los Straitjackets.

Two Remain (Out of Darkness), Friday, Nov. 19, UW Music Hall, 7:30 p.m.: The Holocaust may seem to be an unconventional topic for an opera, but after all it offers no shortage of pain and suffering, hallmarks of the genre. In Two Remain (Out of Darkness), Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer took the story of survivors Krystyna Zywulska and Gad Beck and created a chilling chamber opera; the University Opera presents its Wisconsin premiere. Both Zywulska and Beck struggle with survivor's guilt. ALSO: Sunday (2 p.m.) and Tuesday (7:30 p.m.), Nov. 21 and 23. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Anwar Floyd-Pruitt, through Dec. 3, Edgewood College-The Stream Gallery: Milwaukee/Madison artist Anwar Floyd-Pruitt follows his 2020 show Supernova at The Chazen with a smaller but maybe even more impressive and focused collection of mixed media works on paper and canvas, titled Usable Scraps. Questions of identity and self-representation recur as Floyd-Pruitt stencils, collages and paints rough and hodgepodged portraits on crumpled paper and found materials that are pinned, grommeted and stapled. While the cobbled-together representations can be disconcerting, the overall effect is of unrestrained exuberance. The gallery is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Northless, Friday, Nov. 19, BarleyPop Live, 8 p.m.: Bring the noise! This staggering quadruple bill of regional metal is one of several heavy-music events invading Madison in recent months, and it warms our blackened hearts. Milwaukee’s Northless deals in death, doom and sludge metal, while Feral Light is a grim and mysterious black-metal duo that hails from Minneapolis. Madison will be well represented by Ruin Dweller, which resurrects crusty old-school death metal, and Daughters of Saint Crispin, which specializes in a sparse yet potent brand of sludge and post-hardcore. Time to relieve some of that pandemic-related stress…

NGHTMRE, Friday, Nov. 19, Liquid, 9 p.m.: Producer and DJ Tyler Marenyi (aka NGHTMRE) is a leader in the electronic dance music world, in the past playing festivals around the world from Tomorrowland (Belgium) to Lollapalooza (Chicago) to the cruise-based Holy Ship! NGHTMRE expands the sound of trap by working with a wide range of collaborators, including rapper Smokepurrp for the heavy summer single “Mosh.” With Synymata, Broken Saga, Sylvagus, Creating.A.Movement.

Moondance, Saturday, Nov. 20, Brink Lounge, 7 p.m.: Wisconsin hunters take to the woods on Nov. 20 for the opening of the gun deer season. While the hunters are away (or, too tired from getting in place before dawn), the “deer widows” will play. Madison band Moondance hosts its 29th annual “Hunters' Widows' Ball,” playing a selection of classic to contemporary rock and pop designed for dancing, with prizes awarded to the top hoofers of the evening. (And, of course, you don't need to be a deer widow to attend and enjoy the festivities.)

Neal Stephenson, Saturday, Nov. 20, Central Library, 7 p.m.: The novels of author Neal Stephenson often mix parts of the real world that may seem unreal with imagined possibilities for what could be. Stephenson's latest is out Nov. 16; Termination Shock creates a near future in which one billionaire begins trying an extreme homebrew attempt at a solution to climate change. Stephenson will discuss the book at this Wisconsin Book Festival event.

Sofija Knezevic, Saturday, Nov. 20, Cafe CODA, 7 and 9 p.m.: Serbian-born jazz artist Sofija Knezevic was a veteran performer by the time she became the youngest student accepted into the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria, at age 16. Now based in New York City, Knezevic's musical resume is as dizzying as the tempo shifts on "Superhero," the opening track to the 2020 debut album Sofijazz. Catch this rising star in a special duo show with pianist Johannes Wallmann.

Found Footage Festival, Saturday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m. The Barrymore: The celebration of the dumb as art is a 21st century mainstay by this time. The Found Footage Festival highlights video footage that is absurd, ironic, silly, stupid — you get the idea. Started by Wisconsin's own Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (The Late Show), the Found Footage Festival this year focuses on “Tape Trading Classics,” aka viral video from a pre-TikTok, pre-YouTube world.

Madison Polish Film Festival, Sunday, Nov. 21, UW Cinematheque 2:30 p.m.: Can you name any Polish films? Directors? Actors? No? It's time to rectify this and open up a new side to your cultural life. The UW-Madison's long-running Polish Film Festival showcases the latest in Polish cinema. The festival concludes with a double feature on Nov. 21, including screenings of Back Then, a comedy by acclaimed director Kinga Dębska about a family living in the Communist era; and Leave no Traces, a political story of the witness to a crime who becomes an enemy of the repressive state. More details and full schedule here.

Brett Newski & the No Tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 21, The Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Longer-tenured Madison music scenesters may remember Brett Newski from his days in The Nod, a rock group who woke up the scene on the UW campus about a decade back. Since then Newski has periodically released solo albums filled with catchy, heartfelt songs and traveled and played music all over the world (a recent Spring Green show was bookended by shows in Germany and Mexico). He’s also created the music podcast Dirt from the Road and written a new book tackling depression, It's Hard to be a Person: defeating anxiety, surviving the world, and having more fun. If you haven't heard Newski's music in a while, it's time to catch up. With Laundry.

Nathaniel Stampley, Monday, Nov. 22, Hamel Music Center-Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, 8 p.m.: On Broadway, Nathaniel Stampley has been a cast member of CATS, The Color Purple and The Lion King; he has also been a member of various touring productions, as well as numerous regional theater productions around the country. Stampley is also a Milwaukee native and graduate of UW-Madison. He will reflect on his life and career experience in this Mead Witter School of Music Guest Artist Series concert — directed by his sister, Malkia Stampley — accompanied by pianists Jamie Schmidt and Leotha Stanley.

Kevin Bozeman's Pre-Thanksgiving Show, Wednesday, Nov. 24, Comedy on State, 7:30 and 10 p.m.: Comedian Kevin Bozeman started his career as part of Madison's competitive open mic scene. Two decades later, the annual Thanksgiving eve show he coordinates has become a local comedy institution, often including soon-to-be stand-up stars (and surprise special guests who already are). Along with Bozeman, this year's lineup includes heavy hitters Chad Daniels and Darryl Lenox and fast-rising Chicago-based stand-ups Marilee and Joey Villagomez. The early show is sold out; check ticket availability here.

Latin Music Fest, Wednesday, Nov. 24, Majestic Theatre, 8:30 p.m.: This annual concert is a perfect primer for the uninitiated to the Madison area's vibrant Latin music scene, and a can't-miss event for those already in the know. This year's lineup is packed as always, featuring Charanga Agozá, Latin Pride Orquesta, Grupo Rebulú and the Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Super Band; DJ Latin Fresh spins between sets, and The Capitol Social offers dance lessons. The concert honors the memory of legendary Cuban musician Adelberto Álvarez, who grew up in Madison sister city Camaguey; proceeds from the concert will be used to send medical supplies and food to the Cuban city.

We hope it’s handy for you to find the Picks in a single weekly post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.