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.
Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia: Thursday, Oct. 10, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 8 pm: Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck continues his genre-bending musical journey alongside classical/bluegrass bassist Edgar Meyer, Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and Indian bamboo flutist Rakesh Chaurasia for an evening of music that touches every geographical and stylistic corner of the musical world. The music of Fleck et al. defies easy categorization, but is powered by the instrumental mastery each musician demonstrates during a typical powerhouse performance.
Boy Harsher, Thursday, Oct. 10, Crucible, 9 pm: Three acts present twists on dark electronic music for a night of dancing and reflection. Boy Harsher’s minimal wave would fit well in a danceable David Lynch film, while Chrystia Cabral’s dark and airy project, Spellling, provides haunting atmospherics. With locals Klack, whose industrial electronics have seen unexpected success in the duo’s short lifespan, and DJ Ben Archive.
Lizzo, Thursday, Oct. 10, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Swoon! We don’t have enough adjectives in the English language to describe Lizzo. She’s a superhero — a big, bold, black feminist with an outsized talent. She raps, she sings, she dances, and she’s a classically trained flutist. Her career is blowing up right now, and this show on her “Cuz I Luv You Too” tour sold out long ago. Do you understand how lucky we are to have this goddess appear before us? Also, in the regrets department: You could have seen her perform at Yum Yum Fest or FRZN Fest a few years ago. With Ari Lennox, DJ Sophia Eris.
The SpongeBob Musical, Thursday, Oct. 10 , Overture Hall, 7:30 pm: The enormously popular animated series on Nickelodeon is starting its 13th season, and the Broadway musical version is touring the country after garnering 12 Tony nominations in 2018. Tina Landau’s goofy, uber-theatrical production was deemed a “ginormous giggle” by New York Times critic Ben Brantley. The eclectic pop music soundtrack features artists as diverse as David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Sarah Bareilles, Lady Antebellum and the Flaming Lips. ALSO: Friday (8 pm), Saturday (2 & 8 pm) and Sunday (1 & 6:30 pm), Oct. 11-13.
Lucy Dacus, Friday, Oct. 11, Majestic, 9 pm: Known for her confessional lyrics and heavenly, haunting voice, Lucy Dacus has followed up her critically acclaimed 2018 album, Historian, with a string of singles coinciding with 2019 holidays. Her most recent is a cover of Bruce Springteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” released in celebration of Springsteen’s 70th birthday. Others include “My Mother and I” for Mother’s Day and “Forever Half Mast” for Independence Day. Perhaps at this show she’ll debut a Halloween jam. Only one way to find out. With Liza Anne, Sun June.
Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues with Tracy Nelson, Friday, Oct. 11, North Street Cabaret, 8 pm: Corky Siegel, who with former Madison resident and one-time mayoral candidate Jim Schwall dominated the 1960s blues scene as part of the Siegel-Schwall Band, now blends his blues background with a classical string quartet and Indian tabla player in Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues. The unlikely pairing brings an unusual musical melange to the stage, one in which all of the players do their own thing, usually with amazing results. For this gig, Madison-born country-rock singer and Grammy Award-nominee Tracy Nelson, founder of the band Mother Earth, lends her considerable pipes to the proceedings. “I don’t know how this works, but it really does,” Nelson says. Sold out.
Duo Klavitarre, Friday, Oct. 11, Cafe Coda, 8 pm: This Polish-born couple, now living in Germany, presents imaginative interpretations of classical works, adapted for piano and acoustic guitar. Joanna Ziemska (piano) and Maciej Ziemski (guitar) take pieces from composers like Chopin and Piazolla and strip them to their cores, magnifying the emotional currents of each composition in the process.
Gender Fest 2, Saturday, Oct. 12, multiple venues, starting at noon: This all-day shindig celebrates the rejection of traditional gender norms and the embrace of all the radiant forms that can take. Gender Fest 2 starts at The Winnebago, as local punk institution Gender Confetti presents an afternoon of raucous bands and music. The bill includes Dumpster Dick, a quartet that melts faces and opens minds with activist post-hardcore fury. In the evening, comedians and other wordsmiths take the stage of Black Locust Cafe, followed by an edition of the Saint Saunter-led dance party series named “QueerIRL” at Robinia Courtyard. Come as you are!
Anna Vogelzang + Coyote Brother, Saturday, Oct. 12, The Winnebago, 8 pm: Former Madison resident Vogelzang (back in the Midwest after a couple of years in Los Angeles) and the half-local duo Coyote Brother celebrate their new folk record releases on the same night. On Vogelzang’s latest, Beacon, she shares intimate portraits of people and memories on tracks like “Taurus.” On Coyote Brother’s self-titled debut album, the pair creates homages to gospel and country with miles of emotional depth. With Courtney Harman.
Mosaic Chamber Players, Saturday, Oct. 12, First Unitarian Society, 7:30 pm: Madison’s Mosaic Chamber Players open their 2019-2020 season with an all-Mozart program. Performers Laura Burns (violin), Derek Handley (cello), Wes Luke (violin) and Jess Salek (piano) will take on the composer’s Sonata in C Major for Piano/Violin, K.296; Sonata in Bb Major for Piano/Violin, K.454; and Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478. This and other concerts in the series will be performed in the First Unitarian Society’s historic Landmark Auditorium.
Latino Art Fair, Saturday, Oct. 12, Overture Center, 2-7 pm: In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Overture hosts performances and displays as part of the Latino Art Fair, themed “El Arte Cura” in the belief that art can heal. Organized by the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County with various sponsoring groups, the free event will feature art, poetry and music by Acoplados. Related events include Colombian singer/songwriter Angela Puerta playing free Kids in the Rotunda shows (9:30 and 11 am, 1 pm) and a ticketed performance by Latin Grammy Award nominees Mariachi Herencia de México (7:30 pm).
Cattywampus, Sunday, Oct. 13, High Noon Saloon, 11 am: A dual fundraiser to benefit Madison’s Girls Rock Camp and the Dane County Humane Society returns for its fourth iteration. The event will showcase bands from Girls Rock and Ladies Rock camps, as well as cover performances by local artists such as Jackie Ceithamer (P!nk) and Jen Farley (Janis Joplin).
MAMA Hall of Fame Induction Party, Sunday, Oct. 13, High Noon Saloon, 7 pm: Some local luminaries win so many Madison Area Music Awards the organization had to create another level of honor: a hall of fame. This event celebrates The Jimmys, The Gomers, Natty Nation, radio DJ Gabby Parsons, and rock queen Cathy Dethmers. Comedians Craig Smith, Will Isenberg, Orville Fettkerl, Cynthia Marie and Charlie Kojis will roast the honorees, and the musicians will perform and mix it up at the end.
Mary Chapin Carpenter + Shawn Colvin, Sunday, Oct. 13, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm: These Grammy-winning Americana artists invite audiences into the circle of their long friendship. Chapin Carpenter and Colvin share both their own songs and favorite covers, as well as stories from their decades as artists and friends.
Obituary + Abbath, Sunday, Oct. 13, Majestic, 8 pm: American death-metal trailblazers Obituary are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, 1989’s Slowly We Rot, which took the genre in pummeling new directions. Co-headliner Abbath, meanwhile, is a pioneer in the Norwegian black metal scene and a founding member of Immortal. He released Outstrider, the sinister second album with his own band, in July. Also on the bill are Midnight and Devil Master.
Stiff Little Fingers + The Avengers, Tuesday, Oct. 15, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm, When Stiff Little Fingers released its 1979 debut album, Inflammable Material, incendiary bombs were shaking their hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Understandably, punk anthems like “Suspect Device” and “Alternative Ulster” drip with frustration at the violence of The Troubles. Now it’s 40 years later and the band will play through the original album. Is Stiff Little Fingers still pissed off? With Bay Area punk rockers The Avengers, which plays a similar vein of late-1970s political punk.
Cigarettes After Sex, Tuesday, Oct. 15, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Like the somber soundtrack to your ragtag high-school diary or a late-night, post-first-date drive on a deserted highway, Greg Gonzalez’s low-fi ambient pop experience captures both the joy and existential angst of modern romance.
Lyle Lovett & His Acoustic Group, Wednesday, Oct. 16, Orpheum Theater, 7:30 pm: As reported in the Montgomery Advertiser in August, Lyle Lovett begins recording an album of new original songs in November — big news for fans, as the last album dominated by Lovett’s writing was released in 2007. So, keep your ears open for some new songs at this show accompanied by Lovett’s smaller acoustic ensemble.
Jay Som, Thursday, Oct. 17, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Jay Som is the Spotify recommendation that results from listening to a concoction of Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski and Japanese Breakfast. Los Angeles-based DIY wunderkind Melina Duterte’s dreamy bedroom pop songs sound like they’re playing on a child’s record player — sweetly melodic and slightly worn and warped. Touring on the August release Anak Ko, Jay Som shares the bill with genremates Boy Scouts.
Chris Distefano, Thursday, Oct. 17, Comedy on State: You ever been to Brooklyn? No? Well, Chris Distefano will tell you all about it! Distefano is the definition of New York Comedian: His father may have been in the mob, his grandpa WAS in the mob, and he was expelled from Catholic school. While the Distefano clan is tough, Chris takes a gentler approach, not coming off as macho so much as a man aware of his surroundings. Come for the accent, stay for his stories about eating too much weed. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Oct. 18-19, 8 & 10:30 pm.
Find the full rundown of this week's Isthmus Picks here.
