Here is this week's critics' choice calendar. The Guide provides an extended listing of events in and around Madison.
Friday 3.21
NOTEWORTHY: President Jimmy Carter announces boycott of Summer Olympics, 1980.
The Greater Midwest Body Art Fest
Sheraton Madison Hotel, all day (registration at 8 am). Also Thursday & Saturday, March 20 & 22, from 8 am
This event, subtitled "Zombillies" (as in rockabilly meets zombie culture), brings eye-blistering special-effects art to Madison. There'll be classes and demos, body painting competitions, a zombie music festival and, we're pretty sure, nekkid people. Zowie.
That's What She Said: No Apologies!
Brink Lounge, 7 pm. Also Saturday, March 22, 7 pm
You'll be inspired and entertained by this Bricks Theatre "story-sharing" project, which features original monologues by nine local women talking about everything from pursuing a dream to being naked.
Overture Hall, 7:30 pm
The internationally acclaimed organist gives Overture's magnificent instrument a workout in selections from J. S. Bach, Mendelssohn and, moving into our own era, Lionel Rogg.
Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter made friends with a young Paul Simon early on, and the rest is history. This concert could draw from Simon & Garfunkel classics like "The Sound of Silence" or on solo albums like 2007's Some Enchanted Evening, which presents standards from the Great American Songbook.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 8 pm
Sadly, the Barrymore's March 20 Irish-dance extravaganza, "Rhythm in the Night," was canceled, but you can see an equally exciting take on the Emerald Isle art form the very next day at Overture. The show tells the inspiring tale of one of the oldest Celtic dance styles, sean-nós.
Bartell Theatre, 8 pm. Also Saturday, March 22, 2 & 8 pm
Madison Ballet presents a series of repertory performances titled "Dancing Is Music Made Visible," all of which illustrate a quote from groundbreaking choreographer George Balanchine. Highlights include a premiere of artistic director W. Earle Smith's '60s-inspired Groovy and a guest appearance by Charles Askegard, a former principal dancer at the New York City Ballet.
Broom Street Theater, 8 pm. Also Saturday & Thursday, March 22 & 27, 8 pm. Through April 12
Brendan Hartmann's take on Beckett's Waiting for Godot searches for answers about life and death, as well as drugs and mysterious pork products.
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
Performing adrenaline-soaked dance music and psych-pop, this Detroit band's ninth album, Mustang, dials back the experimental stuff and revisits their rocker roots. With Yip Deceiver and Andy D.
Saturday 3.22
Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall, 10 am-7 pm. Also Sunday, March 23, 10 am-4 pm
If you like bright shiny things that go vroom, this is your happy place. Alliant will be filled with every shape, size and color of hot rods, muscle cars and cool classics you can imagine (wipe off those fingerprints!). Plus, somewhat bafflingly, Spider-Man and Duck Dynasty's Mountain Man will be signing autographs.
Oakwood Village-University Woods Center, 7 pm. Also UW Arboretum Visitor Center, Sunday, March 23, 1:30 pm
The local chamber ensemble presents a survey of Russian music that includes Mikhail Glinka's Trio Pathetique and a set of waltzes by symphonic master Dmitri Shostakovich.
Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm
The Americana comedy and performance group have been together for 30 years. They claim to be the only "exclusively Western" act ever to win a Grammy -- two, actually, the second of which they nabbed for their companion album to Monsters, Inc.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 8 pm
This Canadian legend helped shape the folk-pop sounds that influenced many artists in the '70s. With luck, the audience will get to hear treats from that decade, like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Rainy Day People."
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The popular ska-punk band emerged as Sublime's reign was ending, with "Sell Out" providing a soundtrack to the summer of 1997. They continue to play 250 shows a year for their increasingly hesitant-to-skank fans. With Suburban Legends and Beebs & Her Money Makers.
Red Zone, 9:30 pm
A woman in the male-dominated genres of trap and dubstep, Luxe performs bass-heavy mixes like the timely "Fuck Winter Mix 2014." With Antics and Noer the Boy.
Sunday 3.23
NOTEWORTHY: First major conflict of invasion of Iraq, 2003.
Monona Terrace, 10 am-5 pm
Adults can learn about strategies for a natural childbirth and other holistic methods, while kids check out various performances and activities. Local humorist Ann Imig keeps things light with her talk "The Children Ate My Gratitude."
Brink Lounge, 7 pm
The folksinger and half-sister to the late legend Pete Seeger has built a large following in the U.K. She lived there for three decades, partly because her passport was withdrawn after she visited China in the '50s, hoping to escape the McCarthyist climate in the U.S.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
A founder of '80s sludge-metal act the Melvins, Roger "Buzzo" Osborne was also bassist for Kurt Cobain's first band, Fecal Matter. With Mutts.
Natt Spil 10th Anniversary Party
Natt Spil, 8 pm
The cozy, unlabeled bar on King Street celebrates a decade in business with appearances by a slew of local DJs who frequent the decks, including Bruce Blaq, Vilas Park Sniper, Phil Money, Elle, WES3, Nick Nice and the Real Jaguar.
Monday 3.24
Red Zone, 6 pm
After splitting up in 2002, the Anaheim, Calif., rock band re-formed in 2006 and released their sixth album last year. They've toured as part of Mötley Crüe's Crüefest and, more recently, with Kid Rock. With Real Knives and Breech.
UW Grainger Hall, 7:30 pm
Grammy-nominated producer and Madison native Greg Landau honors his dad, a filmmaker and journalist who studied at the UW. The lecture will also focus on social justice efforts in the film and music industries.
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
This band's minimalist songs move at a snail's pace, but that doesn't deter their fans. Instead, it's an invitation to savor each chord and lyric. In concert, they often perform covers of their favorite songs by other bands, so your wish for a Smiths or Outkast tune may be granted.
Tuesday 3.25
NOTEWORTHY: John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold first Bed-In for Peace, 1969.
Full Spectrum: The Promise of Light as Medicine
DeLuca Forum, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 7 pm
In this Wisconsin Academy Evening talk, Dr. Chukuka S. Enwemeka, dean of the UW-Milwaukee's College of Health Sciences, discusses the latest medical applications of phototherapy, ranging from the treatment of infections and chronic wounds to autoimmune and degenerative diseases.
Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm
These indie rockers have a beach-pop streak that references growing up near the shores of New Jersey. Check out "Exactly Nothing" off 2012's Easy. With Pure X.
Wednesday 3.26
DeLuca Forum, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 7 pm
The University of Cambridge professor is an expert on high-level geometry, but don't let that scare you off. He specializes in using toys to explain complicated mathematical principles, and he'll play with some tonight in a talk on "Toy Models."
UW Humanities Building-Mills Hall, 7:30 pm
The opera soprano and UW alum performs "Italienisches Liederbuch," a set of Italian songs by Wagner devotee Hugo Wolf, with voice professor Paul Rowe and pianist Martha Fischer.
Overture Center's Capitol Theater, 7:30 pm
Founded in 2006 by former Nickel Creek member Chris Thile, this group honor the bluegrass and classical traditions with mandolin, fiddle and banjo. They've since learned how to use a guitar wail and a bass rumble to channel the tone and theatrics of their favorite punk and metal bands. With Aoife O'Donovan.
Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm
Producer Simon Posford brings his ever-changing psychedelic act from England to Madison. Expect Moroccan drums, flute solos and live painting, expertly blended into a spectacle for the eyes and ears. With Desert Dwellers.
Thursday 3.27
Indie Coffee, 7 pm
Eric Stevenson slams on the piano and sings while Elizabeth Jancewicz paints on stage and then sells paintings to the highest bidder. Check out "Don't" off their Kickstarter-funded 2013 album, Death Anxiety.
UW Union South's Varsity Hall, 7:30 pm
Chef, activist, author, pioneer, provocateur, Slow Food USA founder -- Waters has accumulated more descriptors than we could possibly list here. Her passion for food as a vehicle for social change is undeniable, so come listen and learn at this Distinguished Lecture Series event.
High Noon Saloon, 8:30 pm
The Baltimore-based synth-pop band just signed to 4AD, the home of such greats as the National and Grimes. Their previous album, On the Water, bowled over critics with calming rhythms, sweet melodies and heartbreak-themed lyrics that are both youthful and wise. With Ed Schrader's Music Beat.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The Philly-raised rapper vows to "put the upper-middle class on his frail Jewish shoulders" and infuses his hip-hop with self-deprecating humor. With Michael Medall.
Frequency, 9 pm
This performance troupe doesn't just present original plays. It also specializes in storytelling and indie folk music. Check out "Stowaway" off Bremen, the group's debut album. With the Spring Standards.
Edited by apathetic agnostics
