The end of the semester, the culmination of a sports season, and Mother's Day are all being celebrated in Madison this spring weekend with the Last Day of Class Funk Bash, Mad Rollin' Dolls championship bout, and the Listen to Your Mother show. The calendar also includes: the Michael Lucero opening at the Chazen; the Overture to Spring fundraiser; standup by Kathleen Madigan; a production of The Arsonists; the SoundWaves science talk and performance; the Zombie Prom shindig; and, live music by Jesse Cook, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Faun Fables, Chris Smither, Four Bitchin' Babes, Cracker with Camper Van Beethoven, Metz, The UV Race, Black Moth Super Ranibow with The Hood Internet, Ola Podrida with Heather Maloney, Tylan Greenstein, and Wolf Eyes.
Friday 5.10
NOTEWORTHY: United Kingdom appoints Winston Churchill Prime Minister, 1940.
Chazen Museum of Art, through Aug. 18. Artist talk (5 pm) and reception (6 pm), Thursday, May 9
Early in his illustrious career, Lucero constructed 17 hanging figures from fruit crates he found in New York City's East Village. The Chazen features them in this installation, along with drawings created for the exhibition.
Overture Hall Lobby, 6 pm
This fundraiser for Dane Buy Local celebrates the Overture Center and local arts groups with refreshments and performances by Overture's resident companies.
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 7 pm
The SoundWaves series combines scientific talks with a relevant classical music performance. This installment is called "Getting the Job Done: Humans and the Tools We Use," featuring engineers, computer scientists and the Sinister Resonance quartet.
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
This guitar virtuoso grew up next door to Gipsy Kings frontman Nicolas Reyes, so it's no surprise he loves flamenco music. As an adult, he's helped raise the profile of nouveau flamenco, a mix of gypsy jazz and Spanish rumba.
Bartell Theatre, 8 pm. Also Saturday (8 pm) & Thursday (7:30 pm), May 11 & 16
Mercury Players Theatre attempts to make sense of a Wisconsin nightmare: Ed Gein's crimes in 1950s Plainfield. Two local couples experience the fallout when the tiny town makes national headlines.
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
The veteran comedian has made her mark on late-night TV and her own specials on HBO and Comedy Central. She has a regular-gal charm, finding the absurdity in everyday life.
High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm
Some critics call this group's oeuvre experimental art-rock; others call it math-metal or a fusion of jazz and hardcore. No matter what you call it, their complex music will melt faces and tickle synapses. (See Tour Stop.) With the Faceless and Royal Thunder.
Dragonfly Lounge, 9:30 pm
This avant-garde duo from Oakland combine psych-folk with pagan-inspired lyrics and performance art. Frontwoman Dawn McCarthy unleashes a powerful voice when she morphs into her stage persona "Dawn the Faun." With Bucky Pope and Stephanie Rearick Jr.
Majestic Theatre, 10 pm
Join local funkmeisters Steez and Chafo for grooves heavier than the tomes UW students have been carrying around during finals.
Saturday 5.11
Alliant Energy Center Coliseum, 6 pm
The local roller derby league hosts its ninth-season championship, with the Unholy Rollers battling the Reservoir Dolls. Expect chills and spills galore.
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
After steeping in Boston's folk-filled cafes in the late '60s, this singer-songwriter teamed up with Bonnie Raitt, who helped him infuse his compositions with the blues. See what you think of his 15th studio album, 2012's Hundred Dollar Valentine. With Peter Mulvey.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 8 pm
The quartet keep their folk fresh and feisty with lots of satire and a rotating cast of performers. This show's likely to include material from 2012's Mid Life Vices...A Guilt Free Musical Revue.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The dream of the '90s is alive at the Majestic as Cracker, the rockers responsible for the radio hit "Low," take the stage. Camper Van Beethoven will summon the spirit of '80s college rock with funny fare such as "Take the Skinheads Bowling."
Frequency, 9 pm
With nary a pop hook to charm their listeners, this ferocious punk band's self-titled album nearly broke Pitchfork's review-O-meter last year. See how it sounds live, and read a recap at TheDailyPage.com/music on Sunday. With No Joy and Galactic Cannibal.
Inferno, 9 pm
Put together your best undead look to prepare for this shindig featuring spine-tingling jams by Whiskey Doll and the Living Statues, plus performances by burlesque ghouls.
UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9 pm
This Aussie post-punk band doesn't aim to please. It aims to shock and awe with music that "sounds like it has been bashed through the forehead with a tire iron," as Dusted so eloquently puts it. With Daylight Robbery.
Sunday 5.12
Barrymore Theatre, 3 pm
For Mother's Day, more than a dozen local writers share their sometimes funny, sometimes poignant visions of Mom.
Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Hood Internet
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
A Black Moth Super Rainbow concert is highly unusual Mother's Day present, unless your mom really digs vocoder-manipulated singing. The band's secret weapon is the Omnichord, an electronic instrument whose bell-like peals can entrance even the fussiest listener. Co-headliners the Hood Internet will mesmerize you in a different way: with dance-friendly mashups of hip-hop and indie rock. With Osciallator Bug.
Frequency, 8:30 pm
Podrida's dreamy folk has appeared on How I Met Your Mother several times, and No Depression has lauded Maloney's vocal range, which can handle everything from Beatles-inspired pop to Ella Fitzgerald-style jazz scat. With Pamela Machala.
Redamte Coffee House, 8:30 pm
After her folk-pop band Girlyman broke up, Greenstein made a solo album with a little help from one of her friends, the Indigo Girls' Amy Ray. Hear its songs in an intimate acoustic setting. With Laura Cortese.
Dragonfly Lounge, 8:30 pm
This trio provides a glimpse into Detroit's thriving noise scene, combining the dark, icy sounds of old-school industrial music with the explosive energy of hardcore punk. With Paul Metzger, Madden and Lens.
