• The Forever Pilgrimage, Monday, June 8, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 6:30 p.m.: What are the parallels between writing and walking, when you consider them both as journeys? This concept and more will be discussed by Krissy Kludt, author of the new poetry collection I Could Walk Forever and Know So Little, and Nicholas Triolo, an essayist with the new collection The Way Around. Kludt and Triolo will also read from their work, and signed copies of the books will be available.

• Jason Carter, Monday, June 8, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Name a bluegrass superstar and Jason Carter has fiddled on a record of theirs or performed with them on stage. He’s best known for his lightning in a bottle fiddling with the Del McCoury Band, an ensemble he amicably left in 2025 after 33 years (he started with them in his teens). Carter’s a great singer, too, as showcased on his latest album, Lowdown Hoedown. His duet with Billy Strings on a cover of John Hartford’s “The Six O’Clock Train And A Girl With Green Eyes” is clean as a whistle but spooky in all the dark country places. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
• David R. Harper, through Aug. 30, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: “Good Morning Sweetheart,” a new exhibition by artist David R. Harper, is described by MMoCA as a look at “how memory takes shape in objects.” In Harper’s creative world, that includes a couch and related objects suspended in the Icon staircase, and the State Street Gallery filled with familiar materials remixed in unexpected ways. The exhibition will likely reward lingering, sinking into the mood, and deciding on your own interpretation of its meaning.

• Season to Risk, Tuesday, June 9, Gamma Ray, 8 p.m.: Season to Risk has been a band long enough to be survivors of the post-Nirvana major label signing frenzy of independent rock bands in the early ‘90s. Their music followed an unpredictable, intriguing path through the heavier fields of guitarland and still sounds fresh today, as documented on a reissue series undertaken by the group in recent years. They’ve also been making some trips out of their Kansas City, Missouri, stomping grounds of late, including this stop at Gamma Ray joined by Whippets and New Wrongs. Tickets at gammaray.bar.
• The Bones of J.R. Jones, Wednesday, June 10, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: What happens when a hardcore punk musician falls madly in love with the American folklore field recordings of archivist Alan Lomax? In Jonathon Linaberry’s case, he became The Bones of J.R. Jones and began making intoxicating Southern gothic music. His sound is cinematic which is surely why his music has been tucked into scenes in series like Daredevil, Longmire and Graceland. Acid trip banjoist Tall Tall Trees, a Wisconsin transplant from Asheville, N.C., opens. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
• Edgar Knecht Trio, June 11, Token Creek Concert Barn, DeForest, 5 & 8 p.m.: On the new album Colours of Europe, pianist Edgar Knecht and his fellow trio members continue to reinvent folk songs from the continent with creativity and verve, blending jazz and classical traditions into something all their own. They are a perfect ensemble for Token Creek. They're stopping in Dane County thanks to a sister county relationship with Kassel, Germany, home of the trio. Tickets at tokencreekchambermusic.org.
• Gilda’s Backyard BBQ, Thursday, June 11, Gilda’s Club, Middleton, 5:30-8:30 p.m.: Those who find themselves dealing with cancer can often use some help. Gilda’s Club provides that support, and it can’t do it alone. This fundraiser is a laid-back barbecue catered by Blue Plate Catering; drinks are from Bailey's Run Vineyard and The Lone Girl Brewing Company. Universal Sound will play an evening’s worth of danceable country and classic pop and rock. What else were you planning to do on a Thursday? Tickets at secure.qgiv.com/event/backyardbbq2026.

• Read(y) to Wear, Thursday, June 11, The Sylvee, 6 p.m.: Madison Reading Project’s annual READ(y) to Wear fashion design fundraiser supports free literacy resources to the greater Dane County area. The catch? READ(y) to Wear requires the creations in its runway competition be made mostly from paper, and 2026’s theme, “Out of This World,” should give plenty of latitude for fun. Audiences and “celebrity” judges award the prizes. Find more info and tickets at madisonreadingproject.com.
• Joseph Eckert, Thursday, June 11, Lake City Books, 6:30 p.m.: Author Joseph Eckert grew up in northern Wisconsin, attended UW-Madison and now lives in the Seattle area. But he returns to the capital city to promote his debut novel, The Traveler — a wildly imaginative story about the bond between a father and his son, set partially in Madison. One April morning on the way to work, Scott Treder is hurtled into the next day. Every subsequent day, at 7:52 a.m., he inexplicably travels forward in ever-doubling time intervals. Years eventually pass, and his 7-year-old son grows up to become a quantum physics genius who attempts to bring Scott back. No wonder the book already has been optioned for a film adaptation.

• Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, through June 13, Bartell Theatre: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson hit the moors again, but this time with laughs in mind as adapted by playwright Ken Ludwig. The classic mystery novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, is reborn as a production sending nine actors sprinting through 40 roles. The result, directed by Michelle Dayton and Steve Noll, should be a love letter to live theater’s most cost-effective and best special effect: watching people transform right in front of you. Baskerville is a benefit for the Bartell, with performances still to come at 7:30 p.m. June 11, 8 p.m. June 12, and 2 p.m. June 13; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
• CapitalQ, through June 13, Bartell Theatre: Five years in, CapitalQ Theatre Festival is still doing what Pride Month does best: making space, making noise, and remaining visible. StageQ presents new works by LGBTQ playwrights from around the United States, gathering a chorus of voices that knows the identity of a community is never just one story. In our current political climate expect a sense of urgency and the kind of emotions that can make a short play land like a thrown brick. This year's play lineup includes 24K Tragic, which will be created by cast members during rehearsals, as well as works by Sydney Curran, Birdie La Barre & Joy Heatherly, Philip Middleton Williams, Mia Burnett and Jasmine Ridler. Performances at 7:30 p.m. June 5-6 11-12 and 2 p.m. June 13; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
• Our Home States: Mountain Region, through June 21, Broom Street Theater: Year four of Broom Street Theater’s Our Home States series traveling the country through short plays lands in the Mountain region. Works by seven playwrights include Belly Up To the Bar, a story of “catharsis in wartime” by prolific Chicago writer Donna Latham, and Throw Me Out by New Zealand-based Rex McGregor. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; ticket info at bstonline.org.

• Larry Fleet, Thursday, June 11, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: Country singer-songwriter Larry Fleet hasn’t had a monster chart hit of his own yet. But it seems like only a matter of time, if he keeps releasing quality material such as the new album Another Year Older. Fleet passes on pop gloss for a traditional country sound anchored by his gritty, soul-inflected vocals and keen storytelling. With Dasher the Band. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.