The current Public Health Madison and Dane County face covering public order is in effect through Feb. 28; PHMDC announced on Feb. 14 the order will be allowed to expire. Many venues and businesses continue to maintain individual requirements for masking, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for entry. Before heading out for any in-person event, it is recommended to confirm it is still taking place, and check for any attendance guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.
Spike Lee film fest, Feb. 24-26, UW Union South-Marquee: You don’t need us to tell you who Spike Lee is. The prolific filmmaker and activist is highlighted as part of the Black Cultural Center’s Black History Month theme “Melanin in Media.” Screenings include Bamboozled (6:30 p.m.) on Feb. 24, BlacKkKlansman (6:30 p.m.) and School Daze (9:30 p.m.) on Feb. 25, and Clockers (6 p.m.) and He Got Game (9 p.m.), Feb. 26. Our pick for underrated and essential is Bamboozled, a satire about race and television; the screening will be followed by a panel discussion on Black cultural representation in film, including producer and Creative Cypher founder Troy Pryor, Department of Afro-American Studies assistant professor Brittney Edmonds, and Department of Communication Arts associate professor Aaron Greer.
Chris Barron, Thursday, Feb. 24, Funk’s Pub, Fitchburg, 7 p.m.: Best known as the main doc in Spin Doctors (surely you recall 1991’s “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes”), Chris Barron will headline a singer/songwriter showcase fundraiser for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund’s Crescendo On Wisconsin campaign. The statewide campaign was created to provide emergency energy and rental assistance during the pandemic to entertainment industry workers — from musicians to crew to venue personnel. Sam Ness, the 2021 Madison Area Music Awards Male Vocalist of the Year, will open the show. Tickets here.
Fly Fishing Film Tour, Thursday, Feb. 24, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 p.m.: In conjunction with Outside magazine, this annual film fest highlights the most meditative and artistic of the “hunting” sports — fly-fishing. The 2022 fest visits desirable fishing locations from Costa Rica to Australia. There’s also a film about a mom passing her fly fishing addiction on to her kids. Overall, it’s a combination of inspiration and know-how. More info at flyfilmtour.com; find tickets at barrymorelive.com.
Hairspray, through Feb. 27, Overture Hall: This new touring production of Hairspray revisits the runaway Broadway hit from the ’00s, which won eight Tony Awards in 2003. Set in 1960s Baltimore, it follows the story of teenage Tracy Turnblad, who sets her sights on making the cast of a hit local television show…and eventually works for the show’s racial integration. (It’s of course based on the classic 1988 John Waters film of the same name.) The tour stars Niki Metcalf as the irrepressible Tracy and Andrew Levitt (aka Nina West on RuPaul’s Drag Race) as Tracy’s supportive mother, Edna. Shows at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 24; 8 p.m., Feb. 25; 2 and 8 pm, Feb. 26; and 1 and 6:30 p.m., Feb. 27; tickets at overture.org.
Honoring the Black Woman, through March 1, Madison College-Truax Gallery: The Black Women’s Affinity Group at Madison College coordinated this art exhibit featuring works by 15-plus artists from around the world. “Honoring the Black Woman” is presented in memory of Dzigbodi Akyea, an academic advisor at the college for nearly two decades, who died in September 2021.
The Mytilenian Debate, Feb. 24-March 13, Overture Center-Playhouse: Poet, award-winning author, and Forward Theater writer-in-residence Amy Quan Barry will present the first full production of her new play The Mytilenian Debate. Barry’s story examines questions of identity and familial expectations that arise between a Black woman struggling to start a family and her father, whose much younger girlfriend has become pregnant. While far less violent than the history that inspired its name — an ancient Greek Athenian Assembly action that ended in mass slaughter and enslavement of citizens of the city-state of Mytilene — Barry’s play tackles complex subjects. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on March 5 and 12.
Moonshine, Friday, Feb. 25, UW Lathrop Hall-H’Doubler Performance Space, 3:30 p.m.: This UW Dance Department concert celebrating Black History Month has become an annual tradition and always features an intriguing cross-disciplinary program. This year’s concert includes segments of “Summer Somewhere,” a choreo poem collaboration by Chris Walker, a professor of dance and Division of the Arts director, and Danez Smith, a poet and First Wave program graduate. Along with student work, the program features guest dancers Amansu Eason, HitmakerChinx and Stacy Letrice, who will also lead a post-concert dance workshop (5:30 p.m., Memorial Union). Both events are free and open to all.
UW Blue Note Ensemble, Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble, Friday, Feb. 25, Tandem Press, 5 p.m.: Inventive venues for concerts include the working studios of Tandem Press, 1743 Commercial Ave., where there should be plenty to entertain the eye as well as the ear. This free performance features the UW-Madison’s Blue Note Ensemble and Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble. The Blue Note Ensemble mostly focuses on the cool jazz style of the 1950s and ’60s (fitting right in with Tandem’s mid-century-style LP cover poster for the jazz series), while the Afro-Cuban Ensemble often opts for a more sultry groove. If you are still exercising an abundance of caution or just enjoy staying at home (no judgment), a livestream of the performances will be available at tandempress.wisc.edu/live.
Tom Waselchuk Winter Trio, Friday, Feb. 25, River Arts on Water Gallery, Prairie du Sac, 7 p.m.: What’s winter without some adventurous acoustic music to accompany falling snow? Veteran guitarist and vocalist Tom Waselchuk has created what he describes as an “ephemeral ensemble” to play a few shows featuring some favorite songs that haven’t been played with his other bands (including The Dang-Its and The Honey Pies). The concert should showcase his wide-ranging and ever-evolving musical interests, accompanied by two stellar musicians: violinist Jon Vriesacker and bassist Matt Rodgers (a longtime collaborator with Waselchuk). Check ticket availability at riverartsinc.org.
Stephan Crump, Friday, Feb. 25, Arts + Literature Lab, 7 p.m.: Along with anchoring recordings and performances by a constellation of artists in rock, pop, folk and other genres, bassist Stephan Crump plays in many ensembles as a leader or band member, including his own Rosetta Trio and the trio and sextet of innovative pianist Vijay Iyer. As a composer, player and educator Crump also focuses on music for solo bass, a not-often-encountered aspect of an instrument usually only tasked with rhythm section duties. A year’s worth of solo pieces posted to Crump’s Bandcamp page will be gathered into the Rocket Love album, coming out on March 18, but before then you can experience his solo bass in person at this ALL concert.
The Thing With Feathers, Friday, Feb. 25, The Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: “Hope” is the thing with feathers, as every student of Emily Dickinson knows, and the boppy indie rock of Nashville’s The Thing With Feathers is nothing if not hopeful. Their straightforward guitar-driven sound harks back to the early 1990s; Nashville’s country twang doesn’t seem to have infiltrated the songbook, though they’re touring in support of a new EP, Sundays in the South. Trust Falls opens.
Beach House, Friday, Feb. 25, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: Beach House — lead singer Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally, both also multi-instrumentalists — is touring behind its eighth studio album, Once Twice Melody. The “musical soulmates” met in 2004 and soon formed the experimental alternative band. Released in four chapters across four months, Once Twice Melody is an eighteen-song album described by Variety as “Vividly atmospheric, melodically beguiling, and seductive enough to keep you coming back over and over.” The fourth and final chapter was released Feb. 18, coinciding with the first show of the tour. With Colloboh.
State Street Jams fundraiser, Friday, Feb. 25, Dark Horse ArtBar, 9 p.m.: The local, DIY outdoor concerts hosted by State Street Jams last summer helped bring music to our lives during socially-distanced times. The organizers are hoping to do it again this year, and you can help out by attending this concert fundraiser for the series. The lineup includes Chicago visitors High Speed Death Cult and The Laughing Hearts, along with Madison bands Reaching Venus and Excuse Me, Who Are You? (Their first single, “…In the Test Chamber,” just released on Bandcamp, is a slice of heaven if you’re a fan of straight-ahead emo.)
The heART Show, through Feb. 26, Dark Horse ArtBar: Somewhere in the misty past. Valentine’s Day drifted from being a Christian feast day for a martyred saint to one celebrating romantic love. (Perhaps more in sync with the original holiday, it is for some a day for mourning the lack of love.) In The heART show, Dark Horse Art Bar likely features some art to connect with no matter your current feelings about the holiday in February 2022. The show is up through Feb. 26.
Andy Kutler, Saturday, Feb. 26, Monroe Street Arts Center, 2 p.m.: After the chaos and chicanery of the Trump years, is a thriller based in presidential politics even still possible? Author Andy Kutler, a Madison native, answers with an emphatic yes in Honorable Profession: A Novel of American Politics. Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey calls it “a winning story for people who believe in the virtue of public service,” and a positive story drawn from our modern political world certainly would make for a thriller. Find free tickets here for this talk hosted by Mystery to Me.
Thrival Tools: On Indigenous Winter Survival and Brilliance, Saturday, Feb. 26, Central Library, 6 p.m.: Delve into the different ways Native tribes historically survived the frigid winters in North America with Madison Public Library’s Library Takeover Program. “Thrival Tools: On Indigenous Winter Survival and Brilliance” features speakers on Chicana, Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe and Yup’ik traditions, stories, music, food and more, as well as performances by the MadTown Singers. The event is an opportunity for exchange among Native Americans of different tribes, as well as an educational experience for non-Native people. A livestream will be available at the giige Facebook page.
Leaders of Madison’s Black Renaissance, Saturday, Feb. 26, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7 p.m.: Celebrate Black leadership in Madison at the screening of a new documentary, Leaders of Madison’s Black Renaissance, by retired Edgewood College professor Charles A. Taylor. The film showcases 40 Black leaders in Madison who discuss the city’s future and the meaning of a “Black renaissance,” sparked by recent increases in Black representation in key positions from the school superintendent and police chief to various elected officials. Tickets are free, but limited; check overture.org for availability.
Butterfly Ball, Saturday, Feb. 26, online, 7 p.m.: The Alana Rose Foundation hosts this annual fundraiser for the nonprofit’s mission to support those who experience the loss of a pregnancy or an infant. A silent auction is currently running online through 9 p.m. on the night of the event; register at alanarosefoundation.cbo.io to bid, and attend the virtual social and program at 7 p.m.. Registration is free to view the program.
Allison Russell, Saturday, Feb. 26, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: Do you remember Birds of Chicago? No? What about Barack Obama? You remember him? The former President listed the Birds on his favorite music list of 2021. The on-hiatus band was led by JT Nero and Allison Russell. Russell is touring on her own now and wowing audiences with gorgeous, sophisticated folk pop, cosmopolitan and comforting at the same time. She’s fresh off a January appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Milwaukee’s SistaStrings is a made-in-heaven opener.
Leslie Damaso with Mr. Chair and Sahada Buckley, Saturday, Feb. 26, Hamel Music Center-Collins Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Writer, singer and visual artist Leslie Damaso and Madison musical fusionists Mr. Chair collaborate once again for a concert premiere. Sirena is a multimedia work featuring an original story by Damaso based on Filipino myths and her own childhood memories. She will be singing kundiman (traditional songs of the Philippines) arranged by Mr. Chair, and Sirena also includes video art and improvisation. The ensemble will be joined for this concert by violinist Sahada Buckley, currently studying in the master’s degree program at UW-Madison. The concert is part of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Festival, with events taking place from Feb. 21-March 4 on campus and at other venues; find a schedule at music.wisc.edu.
An Evening with Ruth E. Carter, Sunday, Feb. 27, UW Union South-Varsity Hall, 7 p.m.: Since designing the costumes for Spike Lee’s 1988 film School Daze, artist Ruth E. Carter has created distinctive styles for more than 60 other film and television projects, from Seinfeld to Selma to Black Panther (which earned her an Academy Award). Carter will present a talk followed by a moderated Q&A as the keynote for this year’s celebration of Black History Month at UW-Madison. RSVP here.
We hope it’s handy for you to find the Picks in a single weekly post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.
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