Monday 8.18
Tuesday 8.19
Secondhand Serenade
Majestic Theatre, 7 pm
The success of high-voiced romantic John Vesely's Secondhand Serenade demonstrates that there's still plenty of room for overheated pop in this mean old world. My American Heart, Play Radio Play, the Graduate and Rookie of the Year are also part of this tuneful post-emo summit.
God-Des & She
The Frequency, 9:30 pm
Screen time in The L Word and a recent shout-out from Nerve.com for releasing one of the 50 sexiest videos of all time are just a couple reasons that Madison expats God Des & She keep pushing hip-hop out of its heterosexual comfort zone. Expect them to receive a heroines' welcome in their hometown.
Wednesday 8.20
Gerri DiMaggio
100 block of State Street, 5 pm
The fine, breezy Madison singer headlines a 15th-birthday celebration for Jazz at Five, the summer institution. Also on the bill: Ben and Leo Sidran Present the Madison Groove Collective, featuring saxophonist Jay Collins, percussionist Moses Patrou and singer Amy Helm, daughter of Levon.
Reverence Festival
Inferno, 9 pm
The annual salute to accessible electronic music kicks off its three-night run with appearances by beat-conscious post-industrialists CtrlShft, Breath & Decay and Defcon.
Rockin' for the Red Cross
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
The torrential June rains aren't headline news anymore, and that's a problem. Tonight Elf Lettuce, Bu.R.P., Grasshoppers and Baghdad Scuba Review come together to help bolster the finances of the Red Cross' flood-relief program.
Thursday 8.21
Mary Kay Neumann: Works in Watercolor
Office of Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, Wisconsin State Capitol, 5 pm
Lawton has long made her office a gallery space for Wisconsin artists. At tonight's opening reception meet Neumann, whose collection "Talk To Me: The Emotional Life of Flowers" features works vivid and gorgeous.
I.O.U.S.A.: Live with Warren Buffet, Pete Peterson & Dave Walker
Point Cinema, 7 pm
In boxing's heyday, movie theaters sometimes showed closed-circuit broadcasts of big fights. This event updates the concept for the age of precarious finance with a live, high-definition panel discussion featuring the über-investors, plus a screening of the documentary I.O.U.S.A., about the shattering national debt.
Great Lake Swimmers
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers excel at a modernized version of pop-friendly folk that's by turns dreamy, elemental and urgent. On last year's Ongiara, songwriter/leader Tony Dekker wrote about the natural world with particular grace. Laura Gibson opens.
The Steepwater Band
Annex, 9 pm
It's 1967 all over again when Chicago's Steepwater Band snakes through its heavy blues-rock and psychedelia. Crave open.
