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.
Lula Wiles, Thursday, Feb. 28, North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: Lula Wiles is on tour with a sophomore album via Smithsonian Folkways that more than lives up to the high standard set by their self-titled debut. What Will We Do is anchored by the somewhat spine-chilling juxtaposition of “Bad Guy,” an original murder ballad, with “The Pain of Loving You,” a vintage Dolly Parton-Porter Wagoner duet (also re-recorded by Parton on the blockbuster 1987 Trio album). Bonus: The beautiful acoustics of the Cabaret are the perfect home for the instrumental and vocal alchemy created by the trio of Eleanor Buckland, Isa Burke and Mali Obomsawin.
MadeinTYO, Thursday, Feb. 28, Majestic, 9 pm: The emcee (real name: Malcolm Davis) brings his infectious lyrical style to Madison. Known for his unconventional lyrical takes, Davis has excelled during his young career in pairing words that make little sense on paper but work in song. His ultra-hit “Skateboard P” is the perfect example. With Thutmose, 12 HONCHO, Keyz, Reckless Motion.
Marcia Ball, Thursday, Feb. 28, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm: Prepare for Mardi Gras with a night of swampy, funky rock. Louisiana-born Marcia Ball became an institution in her adopted hometown of Austin, Texas. She’s an energetic piano player, a master storyteller, and an outspoken female in a music world dominated by men. On Shine Bright, her latest album released by Alligator Records, she dedicates “Pots and Pans” to the irascible political columnist Molly Ivins. “We’re out in the streets, banging on pots and pans,” she wails. It’s got joyous horn lines over an irresistible beat. With Sonny Landreth, one of the nation’s finest slide guitar players.
Christina P., Thursday, Feb. 28, Comedy on State, 8 pm: Christina P. once said that if she doesn’t make “a shit joke to a room full of strangers” on a regular basis, she gets depressed. And there’s simply no better reason to be an entertainer. You may know her from the popular podcast Your Mom’s House, which she co-hosts with her husband, Tom Segura; from her Netflix comedy special, Mother Inferior; or as one of six comedians in Netflix’s The Degenerates. With Martin Henn. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 29-30, 8 & 10:30 pm.
The King & I, Thursday, Feb. 28, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: The classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is updated and features an international cast. Beloved songs include “Getting To Know You,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance” and “Something Wonderful.” The show is set in Bangkok in the 1860s and follows the relationship between the King of Siam and a British schoolteacher. ALSO: Friday (8 pm), Saturday (2 & 8 pm) and Sunday, (1 & 6:30 pm), March 1-3.
Absolutely Not, Friday, March 1, Crystal Corner, 9:30 pm: Chicago’s Absolutely Not is a fantastic, spastic post-punk delight, and this show marks the release of the band’s latest album, Problematic. It also marks the debut of the band’s new four-piece lineup with Chris Sutter (Meat Wave) on second guitar. Two singles from Problematic, “Bottom of the Pit” and “Glitch,” feature the new lineup and are fuller and even a little heavier than the band’s previous recordings, without sacrificing the band’s trademark vivacity. With locals Fire Heads and His & Her Vanities.
NIU Jazz Quartet, Friday, March 1, Cafe Coda, 8 pm: Instructors from Northern Illinois University perform music from Three Quartets and Touchstone, a pair of early 1980s albums by Chick Corea. Consisting of Marlene Rosenberg on bass, Franchesca Romero on piano, Rodrigo Villanueva on drums, and Fareed Haque on guitar, this foursome should give Corea’s intricate and frenetic music its proper due.
Prism grand opening, Friday, March 1, Prism (formerly Plan B), 5 pm: There are high hopes that Madison’s only centrally located LGBTQ dance club has put its troubles behind it. The venue has been renamed and has new partners, dedicated to creating safer spaces. The grand opening features DJ Nick Nice (at 10 pm), aerial performers and more.
Charity Jamboree, Saturday, March 2, High Noon Saloon, 2 pm:Madison rhythm and soul group The People Brothers Band coordinates this annual benefit concert for UW-Madison’s Carbone Cancer Center, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and American Diabetes Association. Along with PBB, get a one-day primer on local roots music with sets from The Lower 5th, Old Soul Society, MoonHouse, The Mascot Theory, The Rascal Theory, Lost Highway All-Stars, and Madison Music Foundry youth bands.
Lovett or Leave It: Saturday, March 2, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm: Hosted by Jon Lovett of Pod Save America fame, this live-taped podcast uses humor to help progressive-minded folks sort out the chaos of the current administration. Featuring segments based on general news coverage and games where a member of the audience must guess whether or not a quotation is too stupid to be true, this podcast is a perfect panacea for fatigue from the constant fallout emanating from 45.
The Orcastrator, Sunday, March 3, Art In, 6 pm: Colorado-based producer Brandon Theis, who performs as The Orcastrator, deftly mixes hip-hop, old-school R&B, smooth jazz, and varied electronic music elements into a chilled-out concoction all his own. He visits Madison along with fellow Colorado artists Mass Relay, a duo mixing up dubstep, metal guitar riffing and glitch-hop, and Foxy Dope, the drummer for electronic duo Beak Nasty.
Atom String Quartet, Sunday, March 3, UW Music Hall, 6 pm: Poland’s premiere jazz fusion quartet brings its majestic and classically-influenced style to Madison, courtesy of the UW-Madison Polish Student Association. The band blends the technicality that stringed instruments require with dizzying improvisations and creates breathtaking music on their recent release, Supernova. Constantly teetering between order and chaos, ASQ compose music the way engineers create roller coasters.
Bethfest, Sunday, March 3, High Noon Saloon, 6 pm: Local music scene stalwart Beth Kille has found a winning way to celebrate her birthday: A showcase featuring various bands she performs with, to benefit Girls Rock Camp Madison. This year’s Bethfest concert includes a reunion of folk rockers Clear Blue Betty, Kille’s band from the mid-’00s. The show also features sets by Kerosene Kites, Gin, Chocolate and Bottle Rockets, and Kille’s current eponymous band.
Black Arts Matter Festival, March 3-9, various venues: Produced by award-winning spoken word artist Shasparay Lighteard, the Black Arts Matter Festival brings together black artists from Madison and the Midwest for a week of performances, discussions and more. Features include a slam poetry contest (Friday-Saturday, Central Library), a one-person show by Porsha Olayiwola (Wednesday, Edgewood College), and a screening of Spike Lee’s satirical film Bamboozled (Thursday, Central Library).
Tarana Burke, Monday, March 4, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 pm: Social justice activist and educator Tarana Burke was talking about “Me Too” and sexual assault activism back in 2006. Burke, a 2017 Time Person of the Year, is rightfully credited with keeping these conversations at the forefront of popular culture and will talk about her work and share stories from other activists, including a question and answer portion, at this WUD Distinguished Lecture Series event.
Fat Tuesday, Tuesday, March 5, various venues:Can’t make it to the Big Easy? Catch a taste of music from warmer climes (and, at many venues, a special food menu) right here. In the Sett at Union South, UW’s Brazilian Percussion Ensemble takes the stage at 5:15 pm, followed by Cajun Strangers. Louisianne’s piano man, Johnny Chimes, leads the Mardi Gras Band starting at 6:30 pm. North Street Cabaret features trombonist Darren Sterud’s New Orleans Tribute Band at 8:30 pm. At Cafe Coda, Madison Choro Ensemble plays at 7 pm, followed by Panchromatic Steel. The Essen Haus complex’s annual Fat Tuesday blowout features a bit of clever musical counterprogramming, with Oshkosh roots band Copper Box at 6:30 pm; ‘90s alternative rock cover band Foo Foo Dolls plays at 5 pm in the Come Back.
Teenage Fanclub, Tuesday, March 5, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm: Despite the fact that Teenage Fanclub includes five exceedingly pleasant Scots, their career has not been without controversy. Spin named their classic Bandwagonesque Album of the Year for 1991 — over Nirvana’s Nevermind. While that may amount to heresy among some alt-rock fans, Bandwagonesque is a classic power pop record. Since then, the members of Teenage Fanclub have grown into elder statesmen of alt nation, putting out art that’s every bit as good as their younger, angstier counterparts. See the masters at work. With The Love Language.
Keith O’Brien, Tuesday, March 5, 702WI, 7 pm: Journalist Keith O’Brien’s 2018 book Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) follows the true stories of five women who changed the world of air travel in the 20th century, from Amelia Earhart to unjustly lesser-known pilots from around the Midwest.
JOBS, Thursday, March 7, Communication, 7 pm: New York avant-garde ensemble JOBS stops by Communication in support of their latest album, “Log On For The Free Chance To Log On For Free”. The album is wonderfully discordant and weird; “GIFs,” for example, sounds like what would happen if Bon Iver dropped acid in a high-school computer lab. Rounding out the bill are experimental violist Jessica Pavone, a member of JOBS who will also perform solo work; Real Estate’s Julian Lynch, who released a marvelous solo album, Rat’s Spit, in January to positive reviews; and Erik Kramer.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
