Winter marches onward, but the last week of this coldest of months keeps the blood flowing with tunes for all tastes. The calendar includes: a Russian National Ballet Theatre performance of Don Quioxte; jam sessions with Kenny "Beedy Eyes," Jentri Colello and Josh Harty, and the New Breed Quintet; and more live music from Slipnot with Coheed and Cambria, the East Village Opera Company, Chris Pureka, and The Warhawks.
Monday 1.26
NEW MOON
AUSTRALIA DAY
CHINESE NEW YEAR (YEAR OF THE OX)
Noteworthy: Packers beat New England 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI, 1997.
Birthday: Sportscaster/former Milwaukee Braves catcher Bob Uecker, 1935; singer Lucinda Williams, 1953.
Russian National Ballet Theatre: Don Quixote
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm
The story of Cervantes' noble and befuddled hero is staged by this perestroika-era company, which carries on Russia's exquisite balletic tradition.
Tuesday 1.27
Noteworthy: Michael Jackson's hair catches fire during production of Pepsi commercial, 1984.
Birthday: Comic-book author Frank Miller, 1957; third-generation actress Bridget Fonda, 1964.Chicago Blues Jam with Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith
Frequency, 5:30 pm
Tireless local musician AJ Love has inaugurated a new event at the Frequency nightclub that showcases figures from Chicago's still-happening blues scene. This week's outing features fabulous drummer Smith, who's regularly heard on the skins for local bluesmen the Cash Box Kings.
Slipknot, Coheed and Cambria
Coliseum @ Alliant Energy Center, 7 pm
The nine mask-wearing metalheads of Slipknot bring on the heavy, while Coheed & Cambria will chronicle -- in music -- the science fiction stories it unravels on each of its concept albums. Also playing: Trivium.
Mad Toast Live: Jentri Colello and Josh Harty
Brink Lounge, 7 pm
This week Chris Wagoner and Mary Gaines' Tuesday-night show hosts two local rising stars of Americana music: Josh Harty and Jentri Colello. Both artists will play a live set and, if there's time, chat about their craft.
Wednesday 1.28
Noteworthy: Space shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after launch, 1986.
Birthday: Ballet great/actor Mikhail Baryshnikov, 1948; actor Elijah Wood, 1981.
Jazz jam with the New Breed Quintet
Cabana Room, 9 pm
Local jazz musicians and fans weren't thrilled when management at downtown's Concourse Hotel curtailed live jazz offerings, including the raucous weekly jam by the New Breed Quintet. But the gang has found a new weekly home at the nearby Cabana Room, which is picking up jazz events even as other local rooms are canceling them.
Thursday 1.29
Noteworthy: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson & Walter Johnson are first players inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, 1936.
Birthday: Emmy-winning talk show host/actress/book-club magnate/queen of all media Oprah Winfrey, 1954; actress Heather Graham, 1970.
East Village Opera Company
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm
The touring combo deconstructs classic operatic music in lively rock, funk and soul arrangements (see preview).
Chris Pureka
Cafe Montmartre, 9 pm
Chris Pureka's brand of coffeehouse folk follows in the footsteps of artists such as Gillian Welch and Patty Griffin. It's also won her a plethora of awards, including top honors in the Ourstage.com Acoustic Competition and gigs performing alongside Melissa Ferrick and Peter Mulvey. Nicole Reynolds, an up-and-coming alt-folk artist out of Pennsylvania, opens.
The Warhawks
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Madison's Warhawks begin with inspiration from Black Flag, Dillinger Four and the Adolescents and create thrashy punk rock that's both explosive and exploratory. Opening is the Bon Squad, the local act that pays tribute to Bon Scott-era AC/DC (no soup for you, Brian Johnson).
