From Velvets to Canary Trainers

All will be made clear in Isthmus Picks for Oct. 14-21

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On Oct. 4, Public Health Madison and Dane County extended its face covering requirement for public indoor spaces through at least Nov. 5. 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.

FCI Art Show, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2551 Parmenter St., Middleton, 5:30-9 p.m.: This annual fundraiser art sale and auction is hosted by Food Concepts Inc. (a branding design and creation business) at its Middleton facility. Featured creators this year are ReMitts, a local group upcycling sweaters into mittens with sales donated to local nonprofits; and Ledger Designs, which makes screen-printed apparel with hand-drawn designs. The silent auction features art donated by the community and antique phones donated by TDS. Final bids will be taken at the in-person event Oct. 14; register here.

Jordahl Public Lands Lecture, Thursday, Oct. 14, UW Discovery Building, 6:30 p.m.: What a plum job being a park ranger at Yosemite must be! National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson will join attendees virtually to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in our national parks, along with moderator and Nelson Institute community partnership liaison James Edward Mills. Watch in-person at the H.F. DeLuca Forum at the Discovery Building (limited to 150 persons) or join via Zoom; register here.

The Taming of the Shrew, Thursday, Oct. 14, American Players Theatre, Spring Green, 7:30 p.m.: While it’s one of Shakespeare’s most easily comprehended and rollicking comedies, The Taming of the Shrew has not fared well in recent years because of its undeniable sexism. APT tackles the problem play by seeing it as “a satire about how society tries to bend this couple into shapes they’re simply not built for.” It will be exciting to see how these Shakespeare pros fare. ALSO: Friday (7:30 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.), Sunday (1 & 6 p.m.), and Tuesday (7:30 p.m.), Oct. 15-19. Through Nov. 14; find the schedule and tickets at americanplayers.org.

Pert Near Sandstone, Thursday, Oct. 14, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: This progressive bluegrass five-piece is marking its return to touring with a first stop in Madison. Based in Minneapolis, Pert Near Sandstone released their debut album, Up and Down the River, in 2007. Since then the string band founded the Blue Ox Music Festival, headlined in 2021 by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Shakey Graves, Sam Bush Band and Pert Near Sandstone themselves. Also on the bill is The People Brothers Band, an eight-person rhythm and soul band from Madison.

Fall Art Tour, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 15-17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Artists in varied media open their studios for a weekend of demonstrations, exhibits and other activities as part of the annual Fall Art Tour, happening in and around the communities of Baraboo, Dodgeville, Mineral Point and Spring Green. Find maps at fallarttour.com, or visit tour headquarters at Cornerstone Gallery, 101 4th St., Baraboo; Brewery Pottery, 276 Shake Rag St., Mineral Point; or No Rules Jewelry, 120 S. Albany St., Spring Green. Bonus: The trees of Wisconsin’s rolling hills will likely provide spectacular art as well, if the timing works out.

Panchromatic Steel, Friday, Oct. 15, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 7 p.m.: The Madison Music Collective's DIG Jazz series persevered through the pandemic with concerts presented via the YouTube and Facebook pages of partner Arts + Literature Laboratory. Those livestreams will continue, but in-person concerts are also resuming on the UW campus. The series kicks off with Madison ensemble Panchromatic Steel, who plays the calypso and soca styles originated on Trinidad and Tobago (the home of the steel drum), and also applies the unique sound of the instrument to other styles of music. The series continues on Fridays through Oct. 29.

The World Goes Round, Friday, Oct. 15, Overture Center-Playhouse, 7:30 p.m.: What better time to take in a revue of songs from Broadway shows — which, as the producers of this show note, “celebrate life during tough times”? These songs from the duo of John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago, Funny Lady and New York, New York) surely fit the bill as we all make a brand new start of it. Capital City Theatre presents a cast of five, belting out favorites including “New York, New York,” and “Cabaret,” backed by a seven-piece band. ALSO: Saturday (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.), Oct. 16-17; through Oct. 24.

Black Pumas + Neal Francis, Friday, Oct. 15, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: One month after they helped close the curtain on Milwaukee’s Summerfest 2021, the four-time Grammy-nominated duo of vocalist/guitarist Eric Burton and guitarist Adrian Quesada brings their dramatic and intoxicating neo-soul to Madison. Black Pumas are still touring their 2019 self-titled debut, and the music created by Burton and Quesada sounds timeless and packs broad appeal. But they’re releasing new singles, too, including a cover of Rodriguez’s “Sugar Man.” Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis and his uplifting blur of indie pop and classic rock will open the show. Plan to arrive early.

Ripcord, Friday, Oct. 15, Bartell Theatre, 7:30 p.m.: When forced to share a room in a nursing home, Abby, “the cranky one,” and new resident Marilyn, “the nice one,” make a bet. Both women go to extreme lengths in their quests to earn the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility room for themselves in Ripcord, a comedy authored by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed for Strollers Theatre by Sean Langenecker. ALSO: Saturday and Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 16 and 20-21, 7:30 p.m. Through Oct. 30.

Matt Ulery’s Delicate Charms, Friday, Oct. 15, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: Delicate Charms first came together for a residency by composer and bassist Matt Ulery at a music festival in Portugal; Ulery liked the interplay of the violin-saxophone-fronted ensemble and in short order brought the group to Chicago to record its eponymous debut album, released in 2019, featuring compositions by Ulery melding quietly beautiful with in-your-face moments. Cut to 2021 and the return of live music in Chicago; travel restrictions helped create a second incarnation of Delicate Charms for a series of concerts, this time featuring James Davis on trumpet (taking over for violin) and new pianist Paul Bedal. (Returning to the quintet is saxophonist Greg Ward and drummer Quin Kirchner.) The resulting Live at The Green Mill album, just released on Oct. 6, features a set of six new works by Ulery.

Beer Cave restoration celebration, Saturday, Oct. 16, CamRock County Park, Cambridge, 11 a.m.: This beer cave, dating back to the 1860s and well before refrigeration. This part of local history is built of limestone, and has been restored by volunteer Richard Moen. He'll talk about the area's brewing history and his project. And yes, there will be (presumably cold) beer: Stone Soup from New Glarus Brewing and a special Beer Cave Oatmeal Stout from Sunshine Brewing Company. The Beer Cave is located on the southern end of CamRock County Park, along the main CamRock trail. Use the Rockdale trail entrance (the historic Rockdale Mill Site or the Sheldon Street entrance) for the shortest hike in.

Into the Multiverse, Saturday, Oct. 16, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 6 p.m.: The UW Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives hosts “Passing the Mic,” an intergenerational, intersectional recurring dialogue on hip-hop performance, education and activism. Performances and conversation feature guest artists Mahogany L. Browne and Jive Poetic (both writers-performers and educators based in Brooklyn, New York), and members of the First Wave Hip Hop Theatre Touring Ensemble (for 2021-22 including Sarah Abbas, Zachary Lesmeister, Marjan Naderi, Jackson Neal and Azura Tyabji). Register here for this free event.

Imagery Converter, Saturday, Oct. 16, Cafe CODA, 7 & 9 p.m.: Chicago-based quartet Imagery Converter, led by pianist and composer Javier Red, made a splash with the 2019 debut album Ephemeral Certainties, a collection of sneakily catchy experiments in melody and polyrhythm that rewards (and, in fact, demands) dedicated listening. The band returns to Cafe Coda for a pair of shows featuring music from Ephemeral Certainties and perhaps a preview of the forthcoming Life & Umbrella.

Bob Mould, Saturday, Oct. 16, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: The question is, can the venerable Stoughton Opera House survive an evening of Bob Mould playing the electric guitar? The king of distortion and Hüsker Dü co-founder has gone more or less acoustic at times during his career (1989’s melodic Workbook) but here Mould promises a “loud and proud” return to the stage after a COVID-19 hiatus. The electric shows will unapologetically celebrate punk rock. Long live Mould. With an opening set by Jason Narducy. Sold out.

Mad Laughs, Saturday, Oct. 16, Bos Meadery, 8 p.m.: Laughter has sometimes taken a bit of a back seat in recent times, the sound mainly relegated to tinny Zoom calls. Thankfully, Madisonians haven’t forgotten how to laugh, and helping bring the sound back with gusto is Madison Indie Comedy. This month’s Mad Laughs is headlined by Milwaukee stand-up Chastity Washington, a recent American Black Film Festival/HBO Comedy Wings winner. The bill also includes Nashville’s Allison Summers, and Madison is ably represented by Mo B and host Shauna Jungdahl. Come for the jokes, stay for the mead! Note: Saturday, Oct. 16, is the correct day/date (not Saturday, Oct. 15, as printed in this month's paper).

The Notorious Canary Trainers, Sunday, Oct. 17, Webex, 3 p.m.: The Madison-based group has been reading and discussing Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon since 1969 (!), most often in recent years on a monthly basis. If you've been meaning to read (or re-read) these iconic detective fiction works, now is the perfect time to join the NCT discussions as they are returning to the first Holmes tale, “A Study in Scarlet,” for October. Reading it before the meeting is recommended, but even if you haven't all are welcome (if you are not offended by spoilers). The meetings are taking place on Webex for the time being; email MaxPMagee@gmail.com for a link.

Moscow, Sunday, Oct. 17, Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret, 6:30 p.m.: After six sold-out full-scale productions, Two Crows Theatre Company is closing down following a canceled season and continuing safety concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater company is saying goodbye with a reading of Moscow, a new musical about the final years of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s life. Music and lyrics for Moscow are by Rob Doyle and Marcus Truschinski, with a book by Eric Schabla. The small theater company in Spring Green performs at Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret; hopefully you got a ticket early, because this one sold out quickly.

Liily, Sunday, Oct. 17, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Los Angeles rockers Liily created some buzz a couple years back with incendiary live shows and an EP, I Can Fool Anybody in This Town, filled with glossy new wave sounds. They've added a lot more heavy and dark on TV or Not TV, their debut full-length album due out Oct. 22. (For just one reference, it sounds as if they have been listening to a lot of Birthday Party.) This one should wake up the neighbors.

Companion Species, Oct. 18-Jan. 9, Chazen Museum of Art: Made of reclaimed wool blankets, embroidery floss and thread, Marie Watt’s “Companion Species (Speech Bubble)” of 2019 is a monumental piece of textile art, focusing on three themes: relationships, storytelling and community. Stitched words “reflect the hands of the many contributors to her sewing circles” and also incorporate her Seneca heritage. The exhibit pairs Watt’s work with Native and non-Native artists to further highlight these connections. ​

Greg Zelek, Tuesday, Oct. 19, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: The Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Concert Organ Series kicks off its return to in-person concerts with a heavy hitter: the Organ Symphony No. 6 in G minor of Charles-Marie Widor. All five movements will be performed by the MSO’s principal organist, Greg Zelek, who calls it a work of “grand symphonic proportion.” Zelek will open the concert with a transcription of “Nimrod” from Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Note: The MSO also welcomes guest pianist Olga Kern for concerts on Oct. 15-17; find details on all performances at madisonsymphony.org.

Local History & Historic Preservation Conference, Wednesday-Friday, Oct. 20-22, online, 9 a.m. (RSVP by Oct. 18): “Connecting Communities to Preserve and Share History” is the theme at this year’s virtual preservation conference hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Preservation is not just a matter of research or zoning. It’s about reaching people. Communicating via storytelling will be discussed by keynote presenters B.J. Hollars, professor of English at UW-Eau Claire; Angela Fitzgerald of PBS Wisconsin’s Wisconsin Life; and science communicator Emily Graslie. The $50 registration fee includes access to plenary sessions, six workshops, and 24 sessions; sign up closes Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. at shop.wisconsinhistory.org/2021-local-history-conference.

UW Memorial Library Book Sale, Wednesday, Oct. 20-Saturday, Oct. 23, Memorial Library-Room 116: Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries coordinates a huge book sale a couple times a year, with funds supporting lectures, materials preservation, special purchases and other library-related costs. The last three sales were canceled due to COVID, but donations of books and audio-visual material have continued, so this edition is likely to be a whale of a sale. Oct. 20 (4-8 p.m.) is a preview sale with a $5 admission fee (and if past sales are any indication, be prepared for a line before the start time). Hours are 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. on Oct. 21-22; from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Oct. 23, bring your own bag and fill it up for $5.

The Velvet Underground, Wednesday, Oct. 20, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 7 p.m.: It's been about 50 years since the original run of The Velvet Underground (without Lou Reed, but still including Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker and Doug Yule) sputtered to a halt after some sporadic touring for swan song album Loaded. There have been a lot of rock docs in those five decades, but nobody has tried to create a full-length VU documentary...until now. Taking a crack at it is writer-director Todd Haynes (Carol, Far from Heaven), who faced a tall order to create a doc about a group with so little actual in-action footage to draw on. Haynes' filmography features interesting takes on musical subjects (such as the one-of-a-kind Dylan rumination I'm Not There) so excitement is high for this Spotlight Cinema screening.

Manna Cafe book launch, Thursday, Oct. 21, Goodman Community Center-Ironworks, 5-7:30 p.m.: Barb Pratzel has penned a memoir of her Manna Cafe, a beloved gathering spot that did not survive the downturn in business due to COVID-19. Pratzel has also recreated Manna recipes, downsizing them for the home cook. They're all right here; the oatmeal pancakes, sticky buns, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and more. Manna Cafe and Bakery Cookbook: A Memoir of Two Businesses, A Community, and The Food That Connected Them is available for pre-order here, or from barb@mannacafe.com. The launch party will feature light food from the Manna recipe file, cash bar, a raffle of some remaining memorabilia, and music by Lake Effect.

Food-a-Rama, RSVP by Thursday, Oct. 21: Last year the pandemic did not stop Food-A-Rama, the annual Election Day deli takeout extravaganza from Temple Beth El. The pivot to pickup will be retained this year — order by Oct. 21 for curbside pickup from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at Temple Beth El, 2702 Arbor Drive. On the menu: corned beef, Mediterranean vegetarian plate, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, coleslaw, potato salad, chicken matzah ball soup, hot dogs, rye bread and, of course, chopped liver. Plus fresh challah! There's also a family dinner pack. Proceeds benefit Temple Beth El and community organizations.

Jess L Parker, Thursday, Oct. 21, Old Sugar Distillery, 7 p.m.: Star Things, the Dynamo Verlag Book Prize-winning poetry collection by Jess L Parker, will be celebrated at this book launch event. Star Things is the UW-Madison alumna’s first published poetry collection. “Through Parker’s lyrical transmutation of the ordinary into the sublime, we find ourselves at home among the stars,” writes poet Josh Norman in the book’s jacket copy. The launch will include readings by Parker and poet Cynthia Marie Hoffmann, music by Mark Croft, appetizers and a cash bar.

Wisconsin Science Festival, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 21-24, UW Campus (and around Wisconsin): An annual celebration of curiosity, the Wisconsin Science Festival features events for all ages and interests. The schedule includes the ever-popular “Big Ideas for Busy People” flash talk compendium (7 p.m., Oct. 21, Discovery Building or livestream; RSVP); BioBlitz, a citizen science project encouraging photography of plants, animals and insects encountered in the wild; a visit of the Dane County Trash Lab to the Madison Children’s Museum (Oct. 22-24); and the return of Science on the Square in collaboration with the Madison Night Market (Oct. 22). Events take place statewide, including this year’s Schrödinger’s cat-themed corn maze at Treinen Farm, and many also will be livestreamed. Find the schedule at wisconsinsciencefest.org.

Wisconsin Book Festival, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 21-24: This year’s Wisconsin Book Festival is a hybrid of virtual and in-person events, with the live events clustered in Madison on Oct. 23 at the Central Library and the Discovery Building. Diversity and current events are key topics throughout. Those in-person events lead in to the virtual plenary address at 11 a.m. on Oct. 24 by popular science writer Mary Roach, who has turned in a tour de force in which she investigates what happens when animals break the law — including murder, aggravated assault and home invasion, but also petty crimes like littering and vandalism. Roach promises to entertain. See the full schedule at wisconsinbookfestival.org or peruse our listings here.

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.