What to do in Madison this week: Lee Bains III, Badger State Nationals and more Isthmus Picks

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Saint Patrick’s Day Sing-along, Monday, March 17, Muso, 7:15 p.m.: Between your corned beef and cabbage and your Guinness today, make some time for singing your heart out like an Irish tenor, or maybe a banshee. Fiddler Daithi Wolfe, also of local klezmer band Yid Vicious and Irish trio The Currach, will be leading the sing-along with Irish music. Songbooks will be provided. Erin go Bragh.

Lee Bains III, Monday, March 17, Mickey’s, 10 p.m.: With his band The Glory Fires, Lee Bains III whips up some of the most high energy and heartfelt rock ‘n soul you’re likely to encounter anywhere. Bains' empathetic musical intensity is sure to be equally high on his current solo tour, dubbed the “Done Playing Dead” tour. Madison folk-punk whirlwind JF Zastrow is a highly appropriate opener for a real barn-burner of a Monday show.

Christine Wenc, Tuesday, March 18, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: The Onion still has an online presence and recently returned to print with a monthly edition, but let’s not forget that this fine source of satirical news had its humble beginnings in Madison. A motley crew of University of Wisconsin undergrads and dropouts began publishing a free newspaper in 1988 with the editorial stance “You Are Dumb.” Author and historian Christine Wenc was part of that original staff, and she chronicles The Onion’s rise, its position as one of the first online humor sites, and its cultural influence in Funny Because It’s True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire. The book will be published the same day Wenc — a member of the literary arts team at Arts + Literature Laboratory — will talk about The Onion with Wisconsin Public Media’s Steve Paulson at this Wisconsin Book Festival event. Longtime readers no doubt will be familiar with many of the names featured in the book, which serves as a reminder that we still need The Onion — perhaps now more than ever.

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, March 18-23, Overture Center: Neil Diamond retired from the road in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but this touring production of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical reminds us that good times never seemed so good whenever songs like “Sweet Caroline” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” were playing. Created in collaboration with Diamond, this two-hour-and-15-minute jukebox musical is named after the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner’s 1976 album, Beautiful Noise. It is built around a series of therapy sessions during which Diamond’s character reacts to his own lyrics as they are read by his psychiatrist. Expect to hear the biggest hits, and a few deeper cuts, too. Performances at 7:30 p.m. on March 18-21, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on March 22 and 1 and 6:30 p.m., March 23. Tickets at overture.org.

Chris Gibson, Wednesday, March 19, online, 4 p.m.: Guitars are ubiquitous yet mysterious (their ultimate origins are unknown) and inspire strong feelings for both music players and listeners. The 2021 book The Guitar: Tracing the Grain Back to the Tree unravels one aspect of the modern instrument: the woods they are made from, and where the trees are that the wood comes from. Co-author Chris Gibson, a social scientist at the University of Wollongong, Australia, will present a virtual discussion of the book hosted by the UW Institute for International and Regional Studies National Resource Center; register at eventbrite.com.

Isthmus Community Newsroom, Wednesday, March 19, Goodman South Madison Library, 5-7 p.m.: In the days when Isthmus had its own building on the Square at 101 King St. — now the restaurant Lucille — people used to walk in to see us all the time. In our new nonprofit configuration we have coworking office space at StartingBlock, where we have met many new friends. But we miss you guys! Hence, our first “community newsroom,” where we the staff welcome you to come meet us, say “hi,” find out how we work, give us your ideas for stories you think Isthmus should cover, ask questions, and take our special news quiz. It’s also rumored that we will be bearing copies of the highly collectible Isthmus coloring book.

The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick, through May 18, Chazen Museum of Art; reception March 19, 5:30 p.m.: 20th century artist Wharton Esherick worked in a variety of mediums, from painting to printmaking to sculpture, but is best known for making furniture that blends function and an artistic vision (which is why he is often considered the “father” of the studio furniture movement). Esherick’s home and studio in Malvern, Pennsylvania, is now a museum housing almost 3,000 of his art works, and it is from that collection that the exhibition “The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick” is drawn. A reception takes place at 5:30 p.m. on March 19; for more related events, visit chazen.wisc.edu.

Badger State Nationals, March 19-22, Alliant Energy Center-Coliseum, 6 p.m.: Have you ever been to a demolition derby? It seems like something that should take place outside. But if the Coliseum can handle a monster truck rally it is surely large enough for a demo derby. The Badger State Nationals will take place there featuring stock cars, trucks and vans. This noisy barrage may be your form of virtual road rage, or it just may be your jam. Give it a try, before this art form takes over The Kennedy Center. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Unjust Deeds: The History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Beyond, through March 31, Belleville Library; presentation March 20, 6 p.m.: Racial covenants were a 20th century method of enforcing segregation with deed restrictions on property; Dane County was not immune from this form of racism. The Dane County Historical Society has created a traveling exhibit, “Unjust Deeds,” that details the findings of a historical study undertaken by Dane County Planning and Development and community partners. The exhibit will be at various libraries around the county for the next year, and currently is at Belleville Library through March. DCHS executive director Rick Bernstein will talk and present a slide show about the history at 6 p.m. on March 20. Find a list of future library stops at danecountyhistory.org/racial-covenants.

Joe E. Meisel, Thursday, March 20, Leopold’s Books, 6 p.m.: In the new Cornell Press book The Marlin's Fiery Eye and Other Tales from the Extraordinary World of Marine Fishes, author Joe E. Meisel provides an introduction to the many dwellers in the ocean, and considers solutions to the threats to their habitat. Meisel has an extensive background in conservation as vice president of the Madison- and Ecuador-based nonprofit Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation. At this book launch event, readings will take place at 6 and 7 p.m., introduced by Madison authors Heather Swan and James Edward Mills, along with some video of fish from the book.

Arsenic and Old Lace, through March 22, Bartell Theatre: Of the 1930s situation comedies, Arsenic and Old Lace is the one that most deserves to be a classic. The absurd plot — two elderly sisters poison their lonely male boarders out of some combination of sympathy and pity — is humanized by a cast of oddballs including nephew Teddy, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt (the role involves “quite a lot of charging up and down stairs”) and “normal” nephew Mortimer, the supposedly sane center the rest of the characters revolve around. As Mortimer discovers his aunts' secret, bodies are switched and hijinx ensue in the best way. This OUT!Cast Theatre production is a fundraiser for Madison Theatre Guild, Madison’s oldest community theater. Bully! Shows are Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. plus March 16 and 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

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