There’s a saying my friends and I frequently use to describe the entertainment scene in Madison … “You can’t do it all!” It’s always a bit daunting to pack in all the music and fun options, but it’s especially true around the holidays. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is very real when you live in Indiana’s Music City.
My best advice is just to do as many activities as you can let the rest roll by like water off a duck’s back. Like I said, you can’t do it all, but you can do a lot if you plan ahead. What follows is a partial list of holiday events you should consider putting on your calendar, along with the corresponding movers and shakers who make so much of the good stuff happen in our town. (All of the folks I’ll be mentioning have been past subjects of Charlie’s Beat articles.)
First up is the second annual Jolly Christmas Musical Celebration at Thomas Family Winery, Friday the 12th, starting at 6:00. Stan Attenberger plays first, and then Brook Reindollar and the Merry Makers will take the stage with lots of jazzy holiday favorites. The man behind the show is Jed Skillman, and when I asked about his motivation he said, “I just like putting on a show for friends, especially when it benefits a good cause. Last year we raised over $1,000 for the Salvation Army and we hope to do even better this year.” The show is free, but donations are encouraged.
Next up is the Black Sabbath tribute show at Red Bicycle Hall this Friday at 8:00. It’s not really a Silent Night, but if you are into classic heavy metal, it’ll be your kind of Little Drummer Boy, for sure. The man behind this event is Jimmy Davis, and he’ll be joined by Matt Red Moore and the whole merry band of Albumist elves. They’ll be doing the Paranoid album front to back, plus a selection of other Sabbath hits.
If art is more your thing, you’ll want to be at The SPOT Gallery on Mulberry Street this Friday the 12th at 5:00. They are having their Holiday Art Showcase, and the woman behind this event is Kim Nyberg. “We’ll have many local artists displaying new paintings,” says Kim, “along with lots of other goodies and treasures, perfect gifts for the art lovers on your list.”
For the movie buffs we have a nostalgic and fun series of shows coming up. The Ohio Theater is hosting their annual Holiday Film Series, with It’s a Wonderful Live on Thursday the 11th at 7pm, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer on Saturday the 13th at 2pm, and White Christmas on Sunday the 14th at 4pm. They have even more holiday movie favorites later in the month, so keep an eye on their Facebook page. The couple behind all this Ohio Theater magic is Chuck Requet and Elizabeth Auxier, and we owe them a big debt of gratitude for keeping the flame alive.
For something completely different you might want to check out the dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol at Gallery 115 on Friday the 12th at 6:30. The man behind this event is store owner and artist Eric Phagan, who explains, “The reading will be abridged from the full Dickens text, focusing on the more fun and popular parts of the story. It should be a really cozy and fun experience, maybe with some hot chocolate and cookies while you listen.”
This next event I mentioned in last week’s column, Stan Attenberger crooning everybody’s favorite holiday tunes at the Vintage Lanes Wine Bar on Sunday evenings from 6 to 8pm. He’ll be playing every Sunday throughout December, so you have several chances to catch the show. But I wanted to call out the driving force behind all the great stuff happening at Vintage Lanes, Matt and Daniel Chandler. From their boutique hotel to the bowling lanes to the wine bar with Friday Jazz nights and the newly opened rooftop bar, these guys are singlehandedly transforming the tourism and entertainment scene in Madison. Hats off to them!
And finally, I want to give a shout out to Jessica Speiss at Historic Madison and her tireless efforts to invigorate our town’s many iconic historic properties. She’s been booking music concerts into the various sites for a couple years now, and the Harp Sisters show on December 19th at St. Michael church has officially sold out! Great work Jess. It’s so exciting to see the old homes and venues continue to be a vibrant part of our community.
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
As I do the music calendar every week, I get a feel for the evolving scene and where the music is happening consistently. The venue I’ve been noticing lately is Mad Paddle Brewstillery as they have been booking great music pretty much every weekend and really building a following of loyal music-loving customers. It’s hard to believe they just celebrated their one-year anniversary under the new ownership of Travas & Brenda Cooper. Check it out if you haven’t been yet. But they aren’t the only game in town, of course. Rivertown Grill always has music, Thomas Family Winery is a reliable spot for Saturday nights, and Tailgators up on the hilltop has kept up the pace. I’m leaving some out, but just look at the calendar, you’ll see them all. It’s a delicious Christmas pudding of live entertainment this weekend. Get out there and take a big bite!
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