For the weekend of June 11, 2010.....
1)Kyle Henderson's Blue Eyed Soul, 9pm Friday at the Brink Lounge. Remember that MTV video "What's He Got, That I Ain't Got," by the Producers? Kyle was the bass player and lead singer for that band. And Jimmy Voegeli is playing keyboards with him Friday night!
2)Marquette Waterfront Festival Saturday and Sunday at Yahara Place Park. Music, sports, and kids' activities. Go see the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band Sunday at 2:45.
3)Mounds Dogfest, 10am-3pm Sunday at Angell Park in Sun Prairie. Crazy pet contests, adoptable pet parade, and lots of "paws-on activities." Free.
Freaky Band Name of the Week: Breathe Owl Breathe, at Project Lodge Sunday night at 7, along with Kenny Monroe and Anna Vogelzang. From Ann Arbor, Michigan, this duo has roots in indie, classical and traditional music.
For the weekend of June 4-------
Blue Olives at the Capital Brewery Beer Garden, Friday at 6pm. Funk and blues to go with your Capital Supper Club. Admission is free!
Cows on the Concourse: real live cows you can meet personally! Petting zoo, entertainment, dairy products, a mooing contest and the Milk Mustache Tour! Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd at Main Street, Saturday from 8am-1pm.
Ride the Drive: Walkers and bikers are kings on Sunday from 10am-4pm as John Nolen Drive and some other streets in the area are shut off to cars. Bike, walk, stroll...plus lots of other activities. Stop by the Triple M Music Stage in front of the High Noon Saloon!
Freaky Band Name of the Week: Benevolent Elephant, Saturday at 10pm at Mr. Roberts. I googled and googled and could find nothing about this band. Isthmus says they play jam rock.
For the weekend of May 14
Syttende Mai Festival: (Friday through Sunday) Stoughton's big hoop-de-doo celebrating the city's Norwegian heritage. Features dancing, food, an arts and crafts fair, quilt show and more. And for some reason, a lot of people think it's a great idea to walk or run from Madison to Stoughton on Saturday.
The O'Bros at the Harmony Bar Saturday night, 9:45. Jay Moran gets the band together for a reunion show...and more? They're currently in the studio recording a new album!
Ari Herstand at the Majestic Theatre, Sunday at 6:30pm. The Madison native currently lives in Minneapolis and is known for his live looping abilities, melding the guitar, keyboard, trumpet, tambourine and beatboxing seamlessly. (At least that's what it says on his website).
Freaky Band Name of the Week: The Blowtorches.A rockabilly/punk/psychobilly band that plays the Club Tavern Friday night. Free.
For the weekend of 4/30/10.....
1)Madison Audubon Society Art Fair, Saturday from 9:30-4:30 at the Warner Park Community Center. Free parking and admission!
2)Mighty Short Bus CD Release Party: Saturday at the High Noon Saloon, 10pm. Their new album is called The Forever Endeavor.
3)The Crickets at the Stoughton Opera House. Yes, those Crickets. The guys who used to play with Buddy Holly! 7:30pm Saturday.
Freaky Band Name of the Week:Huffin' Glue, 5pm Friday at the UW Memorial Union Terrace. A country/alternative rock band from Madison. They say they get their name from the occupation of one of the band members--repairing shoes.
For the weekend of April 23...
1)King Bees at Gray's Tied House in Verona. 9pm Saturday. Is this really an 8-track release party? I guess you'll have to show up to find out! Free. (Blues)
2)Earth Day Party...on the Library Mall Saturday afternoon. With music, environmental info, and recycling of ink cartridges, cell phones, and digital phones. Noon-7pm.
3)Indigenous..Saturday night at Murphy's Tavern on East Washington, with Bluedog and the Electric Road Kings. I thought for sure it was some other band with the same name as those brothers from South Dakota...but this is the real deal. At Murphy's Tavern...which used to be Tailgators. Surprise of the week!Freaky Band Name of the Week: Roast Beef, at Mr. Roberts Saturday night. Punk. (Did you have any doubt?)
For the weekend of April 9, 2010....
1)Queenie & The Blue Cats: 5-7pm Friday at the Memorial Terrace (or inside if the weather is inclement.) Start your weekend off right with some fun blues! Free!
2)Mustard Museum Grand Opening: at the new Mustard Museum on Parmenter Street in Middleton. Starts off Friday night at 6:30 with the ribbon cutting and arrival of the last mustard from Mt. Horeb. Events Saturday and Sunday too. Will the new location cut the mustard? (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)
3)Wisconsin Gourd Festival: Saturday from 9am-4pm at Olbrich Gardens. I'm not making this up--there will be a gourd art competition, vendors selling gourd related items, and music by Moldy Jam & Djam Vivie. Free admission (workshops cost extra). Simply Gourd-tastic!
Freaky Band Name of the Week: Turbo Fruits, at the High Noon Saloon with Mission of Burma and Surfer Blood. Jungle/surf/rock from Tennessee. Click the link to hear a song called "Mama's Mad 'Cos I Fried My Brain." Like the kids say: awesomeness.
For the weekend of April 2, 2010...The Jimmysat the Hody Bar, 9pm Friday. Go see our favorite farmer rock star JimmyVoegeli work those keys! A great piano based blues band...and no cover charge.
Madison Comic Book Convention, Saturday from 10-4 at the Howard Johnson Plaza on East Washington Avenue. Dealers from 3 states will be selling old and new comic books and related stuff. Bring your old comics to sell! And you get to see if comic book collectors are anything like they're depicted on TV and in the movies.
Mark Croft, Saturday night at the Club Tavern. No cover charge! Very talented singer-songwriter who does highly original acoustic rock/Â folk/Americana music. He's currently raising money to record a new CD.
Freaky Band Name of the Week: The Mustache, at the Pub Friday at 10pm. Sorry, I couldn't find anything about this band on the internet. How very strange. If you know anything about them, let me know.
For the weekend of March 19, 2010....
1)Needtobreathe, with Stephen Kellogg and Graham Colton Friday night at the Majestic Theatre. 8:30pm. BONUS: Check out Needtobreathe at Lunchtime at the Food Court at the new University Square on campus. A free acoustic show, plus a chance to meet the band. Noon on Friday!
2)Cash Box KingsCD release party, Saturday night at the Crystal Corner.  This traditional Chicago blues band is bringing out some heavy hitters to play with them for their CD release party. Oscar Wilson, Joel Paterson and Clyde Stubblefield will be sittin' in! The new album is called "I-94 Blues."
3) Benefit for Laurie Koch, Sunday at 1pm at Hawthorn's in Oregon. Laurie is a longtime friend of the Club Tavern, who went to work at the salon above the club in 1988. She's recovering from some pretty serious medical issues and could use some help. The event includes a $10 spaghetti dinner, with door prize entry form, live music from the Petty Things and Joel Pingatore and the Playground of Sound, door prizes, raffles, silent auction and more.
Freaky Band Name of the Week: Crappy Dracula, at the Frequency Sunday night. Punk from Milwaukee. Songs include the peppy "Â Hospital Waste Management Facility Party." Â With The Type and Earl Foss and the Brown Derby.
From Ireland to Africa and beyond!
For the weekend of March 12, 2010
1)The Kissersat the Majestic Theatre. 9:30pm Saturday. Let the St. Patty's Day celebration begin! Anybody who gets up early enough to be on our show gets our hearty endorsement. And a bowl of Lucky Charms! ($15)
2)Harmony Bar Anniversary Party: Sunday 1pm-10pm at the Barrymore Theatre. Bel-Airs, Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band, The Jimmy's, Cash Box Kings, Jim Schwall/Andy Ewen, The Midwesterners, The Roddys, Jimmy Chuck and the Drunken Sailors. Celebrate 20 years of live music at the Harmony. Admission is just $5 and the donation goes to the Goodman Community Center.
3) Drumming For Hope: at the Lussier Teen Center Sunday from 3 to 7pm. Fundraiser for African Youth Outreach, with performances, kids' activities, and a drum circle.
Freaky Band Name of the Week: Canyons of Static, with United Sons of Toil and King's Horses at Project Lodge, Saturday night at 6:30. (Ambient/experimental/shoegaze music from the musical hotbed of West Bend Wisconsin!)
For the weekend of March 5, 2010---
Elevation--Friday night at the Club Tavern. It's a U2 tribute band. You''ll probably never see Bono and the boys for free, so why not check this band out instead? They're the greatest U2 tribute band in the world (self -proclaimed). And they're here on a midwest tour sponsored by Guiness, so they've got some cred. No cover charge!
International Festivalat the Overture Center, 11am Saturday. With music, dance, food, crafts and more.   Oh wait...I almost forgot to mention the puppets and Swiss alphorns. A great way to expose your family to other cultures. And it's FREE!
G. Love and Special Sauce: Saturday night at the Barrymore with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (which gets an honorable mention for freaky band name of the week).
FREAKY BAND NAME OF THE WEEK: Pimps of Joytime, Friday night at the Memorial Union. A soul funk band from Brooklyn, Baby! With Andrew Ripp, Ben Rector, Steve Moakle. 8pm, free.
If you believe the hashtag, #johnmayerisback!
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