Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison this week. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.
Johannes Wallmann Quintet, Thursday, Feb. 20, UW Hamel Music Center, 8 pm: UW-Madison jazz professor extraordinaire Johannes Wallmann (pictured) pulled some strings to assemble his dream team. With a string orchestra conducted by Michael Dolan, plus bassist Nick Moran, drummer Allison Miller, and superstar trumpeter Ingrid Jensen.
The Toasters, Thursday, Feb. 20, High Noon Saloon, 7:30 pm: For nearly 40 years, The Toasters have rested atop the American ska landscape. Unlike their more commercially successful peers (think Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Reel Big Fish), The Toasters stayed closer to early reggae, and two-tone influences are mixed into their buoyant pop rock. For that, they are rightly regarded as the elder statesman of American ska. With Los Meskales, Courtesy of Tim.
The Color Purple, Thursday, Feb. 20, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple was transformed into a Broadway musical that celebrates a young black woman’s journey to self-discovery. This Tony-award winning adaptation was created by Marsha Norman with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. ALSO: Friday (8 pm), Saturday (2 & 8 pm) and Sunday (1 & 6:30 pm, Feb. 21-23.
Langston Kerman, Thursday, Feb. 20, Comedy on State, 8 pm: The comedian, writer and recurring actor on Insecure brings his unique mix of cynical and self-deprecating humor to Madison. Recent bits have included him urging audiences to vote Republican for the entertainment factor of seeing white people end the world, as well as making the case for visiting Medieval Times over getting married. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 21-22, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Robert “One Man” Johnson, Friday, Feb. 21, Wil-Mar Center, 7:30 pm: Cast away images of hokey, cymbals-between-the-knees one-man bands. Johnson four-limbs his traditional American blues with guitar, high-hat cymbal, harmonica, and an incredibly deft left foot operating 12 pedals on a crazy floor piano thingamajig, the tone of which supplies bass notes. A true Wisconsin original, he’s traveled the world as a teacher and performer since the mid-1960s when he started playing in an Eau Claire coffee house. He’d be worth seeing if he played only one instrument. As it is, he’s a sum of the parts party and a chance to see one of the last of a dying breed.
Star Parks, Friday, Feb. 21, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm: It’s fitting that Texans Star Parks share a home state with The Polyphonic Spree. Like that town-sized ensemble, the seven-piece Star Parks makes expansive indie rock that’s dreamy and cinematic while still being rooted in earthy folk rock. Their latest album — The New Sounds of Late Capitalism — was released Feb. 14. With Mike Adams & His Honest Weight.
Corky Siegel + Ernie Watts, Saturday, Feb. 22 North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: Blues harmonica/keyboard player Corky Siegel, co-founder of the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band and Chamber Blues, takes the stage with saxophonist Ernie Watts for an evening of blues and jazz. Siegel has performed with everyone from Howlin’ Wolf to Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, while Watts has blown his sax on more than 500 recordings, playing with musicians from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa. It’s anyone’s guess what they will cook up on stage. With tabla player and percussionist Kalyan Pathek.
Nobunny, Saturday, Feb. 22, Crystal Corner Bar, 9:30 pm: Musically, Nobunny creates primal (and catchy as hell) garage punk. But the show itself is often an unforgettable, ultra-energetic spectacle; you haven’t lived until a sweaty dude dressed only in underwear and a rabbit mask has crowd-surfed over your head. As if that isn’t enough incentive, the bill is an all-star lineup of local punk, featuring family trio Solid Freex; incendiary quartet Fire Heads; and the solo incarnation of the Hussy’s drummer, Heather the Jerk.
Dead Horses, Saturday, Feb. 22, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: On their new EP, Birds, the Wisconsin-bred duo Sarah Vos and Daniel Wolff continue to unfurl their articulate and potent folk songwriting. “Birds Can Write the Chorus” starts simply, with just Vos’ resolute vocals and a guitar before the production comes in and adds layers of emotion and intrigue. With Kendra Swanson.
Falling In Reverse, Saturday, Feb. 22, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Mixing hardcore and emo tendencies with rap is perhaps an unlikely combo, but it’s all the rage in hip-hop right now, and no one does it better than Falling In Reverse. Tackling issues like depression, anxiety and an overall lack of faith in society, the band’s songs channel the rage of the damned and degraded. With Escape the Fate, The Word Alive.
Tim and Eric, Sunday, Feb. 23 Orpheum, 8 pm: The irreverent Adult Swim pioneers stop by Madison on the Tim and Eric Mandatory Attendance Tour! Attendees can expect surrealism, sketches, songs and Spandex from the comedy duo of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, best known for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories. And be sure to check out their new sitcom-style show on Adult Swim, Beef House, premiering in March.
Rüfüs du Sol, Thursday, Feb. 27, The Sylvee, 8 pm: This Australian three-piece has developed a potent style of grounded and dark EDM across three records. On their latest album, SOLACE, they go bigger than ever before on tracks like “Underwater.” Across the song, the band slowly builds production elements onto Tyrone Lindqvist’s vocals before letting it all go on massive drops. With Crooked Colours.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
