1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson, Wisconsin National Guard
Rhythm & Booms
Fourth of July fireworks will light Madison's skies all week long, with a show at Elver Park, then Rhythm & Booms at Warner Park, and finally a display on Independence Day itself in Shorewood Hills. The calendar also includes: Sisters in Spirit: Native American Stories from Rocks to Beads at the Wisconsin Historical Museum; a patriotic edition of Concerts on the Square; the Latin Fire dance party with Grupo Candela; and, more live music by Caveman, Paul Fonfara, Mingo Fishtrap, The Mustache, Tefman, Dubtonic Kru, Dibigode, and Bassel and the Supernaturals.
Monday 7.1
NOTEWORTHY: Sony introduces Walkman portable audiocassette player, 1979.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
The New York group tried everything from reverberating rockers to harmony-laden lullabies on their debut album, CoCo Beware. Their self-titled sophomore release is a bit more focused, with a bigger sound to boot. (See Tour Stop.) With Little Legend.
Frequency, 8:30 pm
Minneapolis' City Pages calls Fonfara "one of those people who could pick up a wet noodle and make music with it." See if he brings along his violin, his viola or a cello strung with linguine. See which description you prefer. With Stephanie Rearick Jr. and Asumaya.
Tuesday 7.2
NOTEWORTHY: Vermont becomes first U.S. territory to abolish slavery, 1777.
Geri Schrab, Karen Ann Hoffman
Wisconsin Historical Museum, through Nov. 2
In "Sisters in Spirit: Native American Stories from Rocks to Beads," Wisconsin's native past is brought to life through Schrab's petroglyph- and pictograph-inspired watercolors and Hoffmann's traditional Iroquois beadwork.
Elver Park, 9:30 pm
Elver Park opens for picnics beginning at 7 pm, with the half-hour fireworks show at 9:30 pm. It's the beginning of three straight days of fireworks shows in this independence-loving city.
Wednesday 7.3
Capitol Square, 8 pm
Guest pianist Michael Mizrahi will join the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra to salute the Stars and Stripes with works by American great George Gershwin. The pops concert also includes Lowden's "Armed Forces Salute" and Tchaikovsky's fireworks-friendly "1812 Overture."
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
Fireworks are the second-hottest thing in town on Wednesday if you count this dance party with 12-piece salsa band Grupo Candela. You can also cut a rug to Son Contrabando's rumba or simply tap your toes to DJ Chamo's mix of Top 40 and bachata.
Warner Park, dusk
The annual fireworks extravaganza has scaled back this year, due to various concerns (see Cover Story). But that doesn't mean you won't have a grand old time in Warner Park. The half-hour fireworks show will be synchronized to a music soundtrack broadcast on WOLX 94.9 FM, so bring your radio.
Frequency, 9 pm
Though these musicians met in a college jazz program, they've since evolved into a horn-driven act that blends Detroit soul and New Orleans funk with raucous gutbucket grooves.
High Noon Saloon, 10 pm
The local septet get down and dirty with funk sounds from the '70s and '80s, which sometimes make their way into original tunes. With Fresh Hops.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 10:30 pm
This Madison rapper has recorded tracks with members of Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. See how Feel Good Music, the album he released in January, sounds in the summer air. With Sincere Life.
Thursday 7.4
NOTEWORTHY: Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass published, 1855.
High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm
Celebrate the release of the Jamaican dub crew's new album, Evolution, which brims with drums, bass and positive vibes. With Kool Johnny Kool and DJ Trichrome.
Frequency, 9 pm
Experimental Brazilian quintet Dibigode fill their sets with intense, jazz-inspired solos on instruments such as the flute, tambourine and sax. With Lovely Socialite Mrs. Thomas W. Phipps and the Glimpse Trio.
Blackhawk Country Club in Shorewood Hills, 9:15 pm
Rhythm & Booms was on July 3, but purists will want to see fireworks on Independence Day itself. Shorewood Hills is happy to oblige with an evening of rockets' red glare.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
Growing up in Ohio in a Middle Eastern family, Bassel Al-Madani quickly learned to fuse disparate cultural influences. His Chicago band, the Supernaturals, draw inspiration from two distinctive American sounds: 1960s soul and Midwestern indie folk à la Sufjan Stevens. With Vic & Gab.
