What to do in Madison this weekend: Midwest Video Poetry Fest, Kanopy Redux and more Isthmus Picks

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UW Homecoming, through Oct. 22, UW-Madison campus: As usual, the UW-Madison Homecoming Committee and Wisconsin Alumni Association have a lot of events taking place ahead of the kickoff of the Badgers football team's game against Purdue (2:30 p.m., Oct. 22). On Thursday, a blood drive and a community mural project continue, joined by an evening Shindig at The Sett. Friday brings the homecoming parade (6 p.m.), traveling from the corner of Wisconsin and Langdon, to Gilman, and ending at State and Lake; it's followed by a block party (Alumni Park and the Terrace) and the Multicultural Homecoming Yard Show (Shannon Hall). Find details and more events at wiscohoco.com.

Pretty Woman: The Musical, through Oct. 23, Overture Hall: Missing out on this show would be a big mistake. Big. Huge. Based on the 1990 rom-com, Pretty Woman: The Musical is on tour, featuring Broadway star Adam Pascal as businessman Edward Lewis and Jessie Davidson (who just joined the tour this month) as Hollywood escort Vivian Ward. The creative team is led by two-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, best known for his work on Hairspray, Kinky Boots and Legally Blonde. Catch the show Thursday at 7:30 p.m; Friday at 8 p.m; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m; or Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets at overture.org.

Alison Townsend, Thursday, Oct. 20, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Wisconsin writer Alison Townsend will be discussing her book, The Green Hour: A Natural History of Home, with Madison poet Marilyn Annucci live and in-person at this Mystery to Me bookstore event. Townsend, who has published several volumes of poetry, turns to the essay here to parse five rural and wilderness landscapes, and how we as humans connect to the land. Free, but advance tickets are recommended (or register for the Crowdcast stream here).

Kanopy Redux: No Limits, Oct. 20-23, Overture Center-Promenade Hall: This program from Kanopy Dance Company includes some blasts from the past, including works by co-artistic directors Robert Cleary (“Bound and Determined” and “Primavera”) and Lisa Thurrell (“Cassandra's Cry”). Also on the program: “Views of the Fleeting World,” newly commissioned by Kanopy from former Martha Graham Dance Company principal dancer Pascal Rioult, who worked with Kanopy during a March residency to choreograph the piece. Performances take place at 7 p.m., Oct. 20; 7:30 p.m., Oct. 21; 5 and 8 p.m., Oct. 22; and 1 and 4 p.m., Oct. 23.

Lauren Groff, Thursday, Oct. 20, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Lauren Groff’s new novel, Matrix, features a young outcast from the court of Elinor of Aquitaine, currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy. Her voice on the page is downright spooky, teasing at our deepest fears in a disturbingly matter-of-fact way. She’s also very good on women facing up to abandonment and needing to get creative about it. Groff’s bleakly gorgeous writing is always a pleasure. This Wisconsin Book Festival event is presented in partnership with the UW Program in Creative Writing.

Alejandro Escovedo, Thursday, Oct. 20, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: If you have witnessed an Alejandro Escovedo concert in the past, you likely already have your tickets for this show, part of some limited weekend runs he's been undertaking this fall. If you haven't heard Escovedo yet, it would be hard to find a better spot to start catching up on his deep catalog of songs than the intimate Stoughton Opera House.

Dogsblood, Thursday, Oct. 20, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Punk/metal quartet Dogsblood has been on the scene for a couple years but fans of local heavy music will recognize the members from many other earlier bands (Brainerd, Vanishing Kids, Funrod, Pyroklast, and many others). Catch them live and get prepared for their forthcoming debut album at this excellent triple-bill, also featuring Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends and New Primals. Both visiting bands come at rock music from unexpected angles, and have released recent albums via the reliably interesting Minneapolis label Learning Curve Records.

Eric Baillies, through Nov. 20, Garver Feed Mill: Madison photographer Eric Baillies has distinguished himself by using 19th century photographic techniques and equipment to create a stunning body of work. Baillies uses large format cameras, glass plates and a variety of chemicals to produce photos the way Mathew Brady did during the Civil War. The exhibit runs through Nov. 20; gallery hours are noon-6 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Friday, and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

Adult Swim: Halloweird, Friday, Oct. 21, Madison Children's Museum, 5:30-9 p.m.: A wonderland for the wee ones, every once in a while Madison Children's Museum also becomes a party zone for parents and other over-21s. The museum's popular Adult Swim series is back after a long hiatus with one of its favorite theme nights, Halloween. A costume fashion show, crafting activities, storytelling and more are on the agenda. Check ticket availability at madisonchildrensmuseum.org.

Midwest Video Poetry Fest, Oct. 21-22, Arts + Literature Laboratory: This annual event featuring poems set to film will open up new worlds for lovers of both words and images. Often experimental, video poetry is neither one genre nor the other but the best of both. Saturday's 5:30 p.m. program will feature live video mixing and a poetry reading featuring local filmmakers Aaron Granat and James Kreul, with poets Dana Maya, Phillip Matthews and Sasha Debevec-McKenney. Also Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. (family-friendly, featuring youth works) and 7 p.m. All four programs feature different films; full schedule at artlitlab.org/mvpf.

Michael Brenneis & the Plutonium Players, Friday, Oct. 21, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 7:30 p.m.: This DIG JAZZ concert will be a jazz feast as one of the city’s most experimental players gathers some of the best traditionalists to showcase Brenneis’ latest composition, “Later, They Had Lunch.” The piece will be challenging for the players because Brenneis conceives a score for his band members the way Christopher Guest directs actors in his films: by providing a precise scenario, then letting the artists have lots of room to breathe. Among the players is woodwind player Tony Barba, who will be fresh off touring dates with Father John Misty.

Mr. Chair + Darren Sterud's Gate Check, Friday, Oct. 21, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Genre-blending Mr. Chair will release a limited run of CDs of the new album Better Days at this show, an evening that will combine music and spoken word. Chicago guitarist José Guzmán sits in, as does local producer Buzz Kemper with the spoken word. All of the players are classically trained and take delight in composing mind-bending mash-ups of jazz, rock and orchestral music. In a town with its fair share of quirky bands, Mr. Chair may be the quirkiest. Also on the bill, Darren Sterud's Gate Check, joined by Cole Bartels on trombone, will play the album Places in its entirety.

Earth, Wood & Fire Artist Tour, Oct. 22-23, 14 artists studios, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: There are a few reasons to take advantage of this long-running fall art tour. One, the fall colors in the beautiful farmland of eastern Dane and Jefferson counties (the Driftless area does not have a monopoly on rural beauty). Two, it is getting time to start holiday shopping. Not only will painting, sculpture, wood, jewelry, textiles and pottery be for sale, artists will be doing demonstrations, so you can see the work behind the art. The Earth, Wood and Fire Artist Tour sites are all within a 45-minute driving radius. Map at earthwoodandfiretour.com.

Madison Jewish Film Festival, Oct. 22-23, Point Cinema: The Madison Jewish Film Festival launches this weekend with four films from 2020 and 2021. Saturday brings Neighbours, a story of Kurdish children being taught to hate Zionists as well as their own traditions. Sunday will feature Black Flowers, about bonding among Holocaust survivors, with bonus short Commandment 613; Kiss Me Kosher, a story of lovers from clashing cultures; and Tiger Within, another Holocaust survivor story starring the late Ed Asner. Virtual and in-person post-film talkbalks will take place for Saturday's films. Find tickets and more info at jewishmadison.org.

The Mole Hill Stories, through Oct. 30, Madison Youth Arts Building-Starlight Theater: Based on Lois Ehlert's classic children's books, The Mole Hill Stories follows the adventures of Mole, who is told by Fox that she needs to move her hill. With some help from her friends, Mole explores new terrain and learns a few lessons. The adaptation by Alvaro Saar Rios integrates Spanish language, live music and creative movement. Intended for young audiences ages 3-7, this Children's Theater of Madison production is on stage at 1 and 4 p.m., Oct. 22-23 and 29; and 3 p.m., Oct. 30. Tickets at overture.org.

The Lone Bellow, Saturday, Oct. 22, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: The Lone Bellow’s “Love Songs for Losers Tour” — named after the title of a new album dropping Nov. 4 — rolls into the historic Stoughton Opera House on the heels of “Gold,” the Nashville-based trio’s first new song in two years. It's an unvarnished take on the real-life impact of opioid addiction, peaking with a shimmering chorus, and it’s one of The Lone Bellow’s finest songs. The band is coming off a summer of playing amphitheaters, so it will be a treat to take in their folk-rock sound in such a warm and intimate environment.

Lee Fields, Saturday, Oct. 22, Majestic Theatre, 8 p.m.: Lee Fields is not a soul music revivalist — he's been singing, writing and recording steadily for a variety of independents since the 1960s. But the '90s resurgence of labels specializing in vintage-sounding soul and funk has certainly helped bring him back to the forefront of the music's continuing popularity. His latest album, Sentimental Fool, is out Oct. 28 and marks a return to the Daptone label family. This Madison stop is one of Fields' only Midwest shows on this tour, so don't be a fool and miss it. With Daniel Villarreal.

Cribshitter + Heavy Looks album releases, Saturday, Oct. 22, Crystal Corner Bar, 9 p.m.: Among a busy slate of exciting release shows by local bands in October, this one stands out by celebrating the first new CDs in seven years for two long-running favorites. Heavy Looks started working on a new album in 2018, and after a pandemic pause have persevered to release Apathy, which delivers the group's patented wallop of hooks and heart. Cribshitter's latest is Goin' Soft, a title with appropriately multiple meanings when descriptive of the music included. From their 2020 viral hit (sorry) “COVID Cove” to lead single “Sausalito Sunset,” Cali folk and yacht rock will never be the same.

Kat and the Hurricane + Calicoloco + Seasaw, Saturday, Oct. 22, Harmony Bar, 9 p.m.: The Harmony is now under new ownership and luckily the new operators plan to continue the tavern’s long tradition of live music in the bar's spacious showroom. Queer synth pop-rock trio Kat and the Hurricane may have the best band slogan ever: “Every genre, every gender.” Their music is lush and emotional. Calicoloco from Chicago gets glam and glitzy. And Madison’s Seasaw also knows how to dress up a pop song.

No Question, Saturday, Oct. 22, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 p.m.: After nearly eight years together, Madison quartet No Question is bringing together a killer lineup for one final show. The fast-tempo, hardcore punk band released their first, self-titled EP in 2017, and a tape, Internal Bleeding, in January 2020, but the best way to experience them is through one of their intense live sets. Also on the bill: Disease, a Seattle, two-piece grind group; Life Is Beautiful, an Indianapolis powerviolence group; and punishing one-man metal band Infernal Trench.

Bowl-a-Rama, Sunday, Oct. 23, Dream Lanes, 3 p.m.: The mobile party that is WORT-FM is bringing back the strikes and spares (and likely some gutter balls) for fall 2022 with its Bowl-a-Rama fundraiser. Station DJs will be spinning tunes, bowlers will earn raffle entries for strikes and spares, and each lane also will receive a free pizza. Preregistration for this fundraiser event is preferred (find a form at wortfm.org or pick one up at the station) but walk-ins are welcome if space permits.

Mortified Live, Sunday, Oct. 23, The Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Mortified features readers sharing artifacts from their teen years that require a bit of courage to share; it has spread from live shows in 20-plus cities around the world to radio (via This American Life) to a long-running podcast. And now it's coming to Wisconsin courtesy of Eric Garneau, a producer for the Chicago chapter who now lives in Madison. Garneau will be a reader for the debut show, along with Lauren Manston, Tara Ptasnik, Nick Sansone, Haley Schulz and Rob Thomas. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

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