Here is this week's critics' choice calendar. The Guide provides an extended listing of events in and around Madison.
Friday 7.4
NOTEWORTHY: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Freedom of Information Act into law, 1966.
Winnequah Park, 9 am-4 pm (fireworks at 9:20 pm). Also Thursday, July 3, 3-10 pm
Monona honors the U.S. of A. with music (Jerry Stueber & Universal Sound, Kids from Wisconsin, London Fog), a carnival, great food, an art fair and a whiz-bang fireworks show. Not to mention a hole-in-one contest and the always popular wife-carry race.
Shorewood Hills Fourth of July Bash
Shorewood Hills Fire Station & Shorewood Hills Elementary School, 9 am-10 pm. Fireworks at Blackhawk Country Club at dusk
The village throws America a birthday party featuring an art fair (10 am-2 pm), a World Cup-themed children's parade (12:15 pm), games galore and a performance by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. The day's festivities end with a bang, in the form of colorful fireworks at Blackhawk Country Club.
Westmorland Fourth of July Celebration
Westmorland Park, 9:30 am-2 pm
The Westmorland neighborhood celebrates Independence Day with a parade starting at Queen of Peace church (10:30 am), a flag-raising ceremony (11 am), music from Primitive Culture (11:30 am) and a host of other activities.
Essen Haus & Come Back In, 2 pm-midnight
Back-to-back concerts by the Midwesterners (2 pm) and Rascal Theory (5 pm) take place on the Come Back In patio, and then Steve Meisner throws a polka party inside the Essen Haus (8:30 pm).
Stoughton Opera House, gates open 3 pm (fireworks at 9:30 pm). Also Thursday (gates open 6 pm), Saturday (11 am) & Sunday (noon), July 3, 5 & 6
This is a brand-new festival, but we suspect it'll be around a long time, so get in on the inaugural event. It features free live music (Charlie Parr, Robbie Fulks, Count This Penny, Whitney Mann, Mama Digdown's Brass Band, the Stellanovas and more) at the Rotary Park gazebo outside the Opera House, and ticketed performances inside (Gillian Welch, Greg Brown and Iris Dement), plus art, food and, of course, fireworks.
High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm
These rockers from Portland, Ore., bring impressive technical skills to the stage. Their pop hooks are stronger than ever, earning accolades from the likes of Alternative Press. With the Way Back and Borders.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
These local dance rockers got their start playing at a rib joint on the edge of town and quickly became an in-demand cover band with a 400-song repertoire. Just about anything's fair game for the show, from an upbeat Talking Heads tune to a Hall & Oates slow jam.
Middleton-Cross Plains Area Performing Arts Center, 11:59 pm. Also Thursday & Saturday, July 3 & 5, 7:30 pm
Round up some night owls for Middleton Players Theatre's midnight performance of the Tony-winning rock musical about New York City artists and the growing threat of HIV/AIDS in the late 1980s. Playwright Jonathan Larson based the story on Puccini's 1895 opera La Bohème, but his score contains contemporary classics like "Seasons of Love."
Saturday 7.5
NOTEWORTHY: Dolly the sheep becomes first mammal cloned from an adult cell, 1996.
Frequency, 9 pm
Fans of the National and Beulah should enjoy this brainy Texas pop band, whose highly rated sophomore album, Plague, is named after Albert Camus' description of the human condition. With Wild Moccasins.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9 pm
This recent high school grad racked up numerous Madison Area Music Awards a couple of weeks ago, snagging the New Artist of the Year and the Youth Album of the Year honors for The Land of Make Believe. He performs indie pop with blues, folk and hip-hop influences. With Sexy Ester and Beth Kille.
Sunday 7.6
NOTEWORTHY: Dollar is chosen as monetary unit of U.S., 1785.
Jon Dee Graham & the Fighting Cocks
Wisconsin Brewing Company, Verona, 2 pm
Wisconsin Brewing Company named a beer after one of Graham's songs (see Tour Stop), so it makes sense that the Texas singer and guitarist is stopping by to perform it. He'll play some of his other material as well, perhaps delving into the catalog of the True Believers, his band with fellow troubadour Alejandro Escovedo.
Frequency, 8 pm
Producer and drummer Jordan Cohen leads this electronic act that incorporates field recordings and numerous rhythmic elements. With Soft Targets, Midas Bison, the Visis and Somewear Sound.
Monday 7.7
NOTEWORTHY: Elvis Presley makes his radio debut with "That's All Right," 1954.
Our Lady of Hope Clinic Benefit with W.C. Clark
Badger Bowl, 6 pm
Texas legend W.C. Clark has been known as the "godfather of Austin blues" for four decades. He'll perform at this benefit for Our Lady of Hope Clinic, which offers free medical services to the uninsured and underinsured. With London Fog.
High Noon Saloon, 8 pm
Watch the local alt-folk group perform material from their latest album, Junk Sparrow, which includes the lively a cappella number "Every Time I Hear the Spirit" and the country love song "Right Things Wrong" (see Music). With Gentle Brontosaurus and Lion's Mouth.
Frequency, 9 pm
"Maniac," a track featuring longtime rapper Cage, inspired Kid Cudi to make a short horror movie with Shia LaBeouf a few years ago. Sadistik, a Seattle rapper with ties to the Twin Cities' Rhymesayers crew, crafts riveting rhymes that feature dark themes and impressive wordplay. With Maulskull, Worthless Righteous, Conscious Object and Charles Grant.
Tuesday 7.8
NOTEWORTHY: First issue of Wall Street Journal published, 1889.
Capitol Square, noon
The old-school blues group perform a free lunchtime concert near King Street. They draw from Chicago and Memphis sounds from the 1940s and '50s, as well as "bluesabilly," a hybrid of blues and roots music influenced by artists like Joe Hill Louis and Charlie Feathers.
Breese Stevens Field, 6 pm
Fresh off their second consecutive Artist of the Year win at the Madison Area Music Awards, the Jimmys bring their blend of blues, soul and R&B to this free concert. It's part of the Madison Parks Foundation's celebration of local green spaces, which runs through the end of the week. With Madpolecats and Sortin' the Mail.
High Noon Saloon, 5:30 pm
This local act dressed in black turtlenecks and donned fake German accents for their early shows. They've been performing energetic power-pop sans accent more recently. With Sons of Atom.
Mystery to Me, 7 pm
The author discusses Return to Wake Robin, a collection of essays about her grandparents' northern Wisconsin cabin. Set in the 1920s through the 1960s, the stories celebrate simple pastimes like fishing and swimming, before the advent of Jet Skis and lakeside condos.
Frequency, 8 pm
Though San Francisco musician Mikey Maramag got his start as drummer for hardcore act Murder Practice, he's found his softer side creating ethereal tunes in this folktronica project. With Dense City.
Wednesday 7.9
NOTEWORTHY: Mega-tsunami strikes Litua Bay, causing largest wave ever recorded, 1958.
Plan B, through July 11. Artist talk: Thursday, July 10, Central Park, 8 pm. Dedication: Saturday, July 12, Central Park, 7 pm
Michael Owen has filled Baltimore with at least 20 murals featuring hands that spell out the word "love." He visits Madison to paint a similarly themed mural on the side of Plan B. In addition to watching him work, you can hear him discuss the experience at the new Central Park as La Fête de Marquette gets rolling on Thursday.
Capitol Square, 7 pm
This week's theme is "Rhapsody in Rock" with guest pianist Robert Well, so get up off that blanket and shake your moneymaker to such classics as "Roll Over Beethoven," "Root Beer Rag" and Beethoven's "Pathetique," which is sure to bring the house down. (Body surfing is frowned upon.)
Frequency, 8 pm
Check out "Lush" from Make Out King and Other Stories of Love for a taste of the sweet, dark pop that has earned raves from critics at The Austin Chronicle and beyond. With Vic & Gab.
Majestic Theatre, 8 pm
Fusing punk and country influences, the Turnpike Troubadours' gritty sound is best exemplified by "Before the Devil Knows We're Dead" off 2012's Goodbye Normal Street. With American Aquarium.
Thursday 7.10
NOTEWORTHY: Korean War armistice negotiations begin in Kaesong, 1951.
UW Genetics-Biotechnology Center Auditorium, 7 pm
Kuumba Lynx, a teen performance ensemble specializing in slam poetry, teams up with students from the UW's First Wave program for a spoken-word extravaganza. This free event is part of the university's five-day Hip-Hop in the Heartland conference, which concludes on July 11.
Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm
Though they're best known for the music they made with Bob Marley beginning in 1969, the Wailers have also collaborated with pop stars like Eve and Jason Mraz. With Natty Nation and DJ Vilas Park Sniper.
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9:30 pm
This Nashville-based indie rock band list Rilo Kiley and the Mars Volta among their influences. Expect to hear their new single, "Buttons," and more from a forthcoming EP.
Edited by Tim Howard
