Aldo Leopold Park Reimagined, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2906 Traceway Drive, 3:30-8:30 p.m.: This 11-acre neighborhood park south of the UW Arboretum and the Beltline has a basketball court, open field for various games, a playground renovated in recent times, and is a popular sledding spot in the winter. And, thanks to suggestions from the UW Health Healthy Kids Collaborative program, there’s now more facilities for biking at Aldo Leopold, including a pump track and single-track mountain bike path. Madison Parks will celebrate the additions with a program and ribbon cutting at 3:45 p.m., beginner skill clinics at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., and a group bike ride at 6 p.m., plus activities from Madison Reading Project, MSCR’s Fit2Go and Girls Inc. programs, the Dream Bus, and Bubbler artists. The event concludes with a screening of Luca at 7 p.m. (and if you really want to make a day of it, the Art Cart visits the park from 1-4 p.m.). Find more info here.
Hidden History: A Walk on Madison’s Weird Side, Tuesday, Aug. 2, Wisconsin Historical Museum, 6 p.m.: At least since the 1960s counterculture era, some segments of Madison have been proud to be considered an oasis of weird in staid, Midwestern Wisconsin. But earlier history may be even weirder than many know, particularly in the central Capitol Square area. The Wisconsin Historical Society hosts this occasionally-held walking tour of spots around the Square for those who would like to know more (future dates are Sept. 6 and Oct. 25). It meets in front of the Wisconsin Historical Museum, but advance registration is required.
Comedy Bang! Bang! Tuesday, Aug. 2, Barrymore Theatre, 7 p.m.: Scott Aukerman’s chatty satirical improv comedy podcast takes a free-flowing approach featuring interviews with celebrity guests, with additional improviser guests playing outlandish characters. The focus is on improv, and anything can happen. Special guests are promised for each appearance on the tour. See Josh Heath’s preview interview with Aukerman here.
Jazz at Five, Wednesday, Aug. 3, McKee Farms Park, Fitchburg, 5 p.m.: For 2022, the annual Jazz at Five series will again split time between Fitchburg and the Capitol Square. Music begins at McKee Farms Park on Aug. 3 with a series-opening set by guitarist Charlie Painter, accompanied by bassist Jeff Weiss and drummer Kelby Kryshak. Also on the bill is the Kal Bergendahl Project, a jazz-funk sextet led by Kenosha-based bassist Bergendahl; their most recent album, Parallels Ch. III, was released just about a year ago. Jazz at Five continues with one more show at McKee on Aug. 10, followed by three Wednesdays back on the Square; find the full lineup at jazzatfive.org.
Concerts on the Square, Wednesday, Aug. 3, Capitol Square, 7 p.m.: Not to inspire fear that summer is slipping away but…the last Concerts on the Square for 2022 is already nigh. By now you probably remember the drill: picnic blankets can hit the lawn starting at 3 p.m., and the performers are stationed at the King Street side. Aug. 3, Finale with Foley, will feature concertos for the double bass, ably performed by guest artist Xavier Foley. “When Xavier was here [in 2021], he knocked everybody’s socks off,” says WCO music director Andrew Sewell. “So we invited him back again this year.” Find program details and any weather-related updates at wcoconcerts.org.
First Date, July 28-Aug. 7 and Sept. 15-25, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: Summer is always fun at University Theatre, as many other local troupes are on hiatus. First Date, a musical send-up of the date everyone hates most, is perfect fare for those looking for some lighthearted but relevant fun. What happens when a blind date newbie is set up with a serial dater? The action moves through one date, with “inner critics” making physical guest appearances. Performances take place July 28-Aug. 7 (with a fall semester remount Sept. 15-25), with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at 608-265-2787, through artsticketing.wisc.edu, or at the Mitchell Theatre box office one hour prior to performances.
Wavves, Wednesday, Aug. 3, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Indie rock outfit Wavves celebrates 10 years of their seminal album King of the Beach (slightly delayed by the pandemic) with a Madison tour stop. The San Diego-based group brings an energetic blend of alternative rock, garage rock, and surf rock sensibilities. Catch some of the band’s biggest hits from King of the Beach, as well as tracks from the 2021 LP Hideaway and more. With BOYO, Smut.
Motel Breakfast, Thursday, Aug. 4, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Chicago’s Motel Breakfast is straightforward and charming; the band can sound like a sloppy Irish bar band or ’80s pop-folk group The Waterboys. They even recall the early 2000s sound of David Gray — you remember, the “Babylon” guy? With Social Cig and Blue County Pistol.
Memory Cloth Circle, through Aug. 31, UW Arboretum Visitor Center: Bees, Birds and Other Wee Beasties is a gathering of textile art by the Memory Cloth Circle that highlights our friends the pollinators. These are colorful, whimsical and joyful works that celebrate these small creatures on whom we large creatures depend. The Memory Cloth Circle began in 2013 as an outgrowth of the Wisconsin Triennial; member artists convey stories through needlework, fabric and other mixed media. Visitor Center hours are 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 12:30-4 p.m. weekends.
Rooftop Cinema, Aug. 4, 11, 25, Sept. 1, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 8 p.m.: Enjoy a quartet of independent documentary films on the MMoCA rooftop on upcoming Thursdays. Rooftop Cinema kicks off Aug. 4 with The American Sector, exploring what artifacts from the Cold War can tell us about politics today. It’s followed on Aug. 11 by Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, in which director/screenwriter Celeste Bell (daughter of the X-Ray Spex frontwoman) pieces together her mother’s past; on Aug. 25 by The Village Detective: A Song Cycle, which builds a story around reels of film from 1969 found in the ocean by Icelandic fishing nets in 2016; and on Sept. 1 by North by Current, a personal documentary from filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax about truths discovered on returning to his hometown following the death of his niece. Ticket sales begin at 7:30 p.m. in the lobby.
Flying Fuzz, Aug. 4, The Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: We don’t recall many teen bands playing Summerfest twice in the same day. But that’s exactly what Flying Fuzz did in 2021. A runner-up in last year’s ROCKONSIN statewide band competition for musicians in grades 7-12, this young Madison band revels in traditional heavy metal performed in the spirit of early Black Sabbath, early Metallica and early Judas Priest. Flying Fuzz already has released two full-length albums — including last year’s Flying Fuzz II — and has amassed a large online following that should help propel the band to even bigger things.
We hope it’s handy for you to find Picks grouped together in a single post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.
Note: Many venues and businesses may continue to maintain individual requirements for masking, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or a negative test for entry. Before heading out for any in-person event, confirm it is still taking place and check for any attendance guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.
