Events

WORT’s eight annual chili cook-off is back and bolder than ever! Taste  chili from Madison’s finest Restaurants and you be the judge who’s got the best chili in town.

It’s Gaines & Wagoner (Duo) with Old Soul Roots Ensemble. 

An evening of acoustic swing, blues and tunes for the soul

Suggested donation $10. Start time 4pm

Kid’s love David!

Take a one hour break and have a little beverage while your little one is entertained.

$5 cover

Like to draw? Like to drink? We’ve got you covered! Be creative and socialize with us!

No cover

The Harmony Mixed Open Mic happens every first Tuesday of the month. Sign up to perform is 6:30. Three song limit for musicians and 5 minute limit for spoken word/poetry/comedy.

No cover. Show starts at 7:00pm.

The best trivia in town is at the Harmony! Join us for the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month!

Free

Lou Shields continues the tradition of American music with a solo-performance that pulls in styles of days-gone-by. Using his 1931 National Resonator Guitar or Banjo accompanied by a unique front porch style of foot percussion and harmonica, he uses his voice as an extension of the past. Lou carries a full sound during live performances while sharing stories, thoughts and experiences with the audience.

No cover. 6:30pm start.

Named after a Romeo and Juliet quote, Heavy Looks’ lyrics connect with the same forlorn feelings as the famous Shakespeare play evokes – feelings of love, feelings of loss, and feeling stuck in a mundane existence. By contrast, the melodies and rhythms conjure an optimistic outlook with hook-laden guitar lines and driving drumbeats.

Marigold Motel checks you into a world of wistful melodies and restless energy. Drawing from surf rock, americana, and 1960's British pop their sound blends dreamy harmonies, vintage keys, and shimmering guitar lines into something both familiar and unexpected. Born from basement jam sessions and a love of retro rock, they've been called 'The Dirty Beach Boys'- a fitting name for a band that turns nostalgia into something raw, alive and electric.

$10 cover. 21+. 9pm start time

Just the right blend of Bluegrass, Folk and Americana!

No cover. 6:30pm start.

Bring your sweat heart to the best burlesqsue show in town!

$10 cover. 21+. Show starts at 9:30.

BAMM is a dynamic musical ensemble led by singer-songwriter Bo Allen Messer. Whether performing solo with his acoustic guitar or accompanied by a full band, BAMM delivers a captivating blend of Americana, folk, and rock influences that resonate with audiences of all ages.

Sharin’ Barrels opens.

$10 Cover. 21+. 9pm start time.

O’Darby Irish Pub Band has been thrilling audiences with their exquisite vocal harmonies for years. See what all the fuss is about!

$10 suggested donation. 4pm start time

Madison's hardest working Bluegrass band, Soggy Prairie, is proud to host the Madison Bluegrass Roundtable, a monthly series highlighting Southern Wisconsin's Bluegrass scene. The series will feature new and upcoming bands, as well as well established groups. Each month will feature a set from Soggy Prairie followed by a set from a guest band. 

No cover. 6:30pm start time.

The 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month! Experience the best trivia in town with Madison’s best host! Paul has all of the right answers!

No cover, starts at 6:30.

Jack o'the Dust is a folk duo from Madison, WI. Andrew Doiel plays guitar, Amy McNally plays fiddle, and they both sing.

No cover. Start time is 6:30.

The Unrulies, a rock, country, and blues band from Milwaukee and Madison play 

 original music in the style of genre blending bands like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Neil Young, and the Rolling Stones.

Madison's favorite theremin-driven Ramones tribute band returns to the Harmony stage for a rare and electrifying appearance. Their friends The Low Czars will open with songs both oft-requested and generally neglected from genres spanning power-pop, garage-rock, R&B, and more.

$10 Cover. Start time 5pm

Bigtooth Plays and Sings Bluegrass Album Band Volume 1

No cover. Starts time 6:30pm

Come for the bluegrass, stay for the ambience!

No cover. 6:30 start time.

Influenced by everything from folk-rock & blues, to hip-hop, Noah has recorded and released several albums which blend the singer-songwriter, acoustic, rock, urban, and electronic styles into a singular Acoustic-Tronic genre. Currently based out of Madison, WI and regularly touring the Midwest, Noah performs with the use of a looper pedal and various effects, creating a wildly entertaining, full-band sound.

No cover. Start time 6:30pm

While the Cajun Strangers will get your boots shuffling, we’ll have some food and drink specials that should fatten you up for Fat Tuesday. But, you’ll be dancing so everything will cancel out.

$10 suggested donation. 8pm start time.

Old Goat Skiffle Band gives traditional music a contemporary edge by infusing Americana, traditional folk songs and contemporary classics with blues, funk, and jazz.  Armed with ukulele, bass ukulele, fiddle, percussion, and a treasure chest of harmonies, their performances are an up-tempo, harmony-infused musical odyssey that will linger in your memory long after the final chord fades away.  Join them for a high-energy night of Americana, folk classics, and covers of legends like Johnny Cash, The Beatles, and CCR!

7:30-9:30pm. No cover

Every first Sunday of the month, Chris Wagoner and Mary Gaines bring you finely crafted music. Each month is a different offering as they collaborate with some of the greatest local talent that Madison has to offer. Stay tuned for more details for this specific event.

Suggested donation $10. Start time 4pm

Jeff Burkhart is a songwriter and performer who has been featured on PBS Wisconsin, and has performed at the Waterfront Festival, High Noon Saloon, Willy Street Fair, The Bur Oak, Harmony Bar, and many other venues. 

Growing up in small town Indiana, he cut class to find adventures on the backroads, bounced around in North Carolina for a couple of years, then landed in Madison WI, where he found many great musical collaborators in various bands playing locally and regionally at coffeeshops, barrooms, taverns and outdoor festivals. 

No cover. 6:30 start time.

Tony Kannen has a style rooted in the American Music tradition.  Whether a blues shout, rock-n-roll howl or soulful ballad, he delivers in a powerful authoritative voice and melodious tone.

Today, Kannen continues the tradition with a new blues and soul ensemble, The Sound Garden Crew.  This Madison, WI based band of stalwart musicians is grinding out dance grooves of rhythm and blues to a new generation of American Music fans. 

$10 cover. 21+. 9pm start time

Yid Vicious has been engaging and delighting audiences throughout the Midwest since 1995. The group has released five CDs and has received numerous Madison Area Music Awards for its unique blend of traditional and contemporary klezmer. In 2009, Yid Vicious became the first performing arts ensemble in Wisconsin to receive a USArtists International grant, to perform at Argentina’s KlezFiesta, an international klezmer festival spanning three cities and including bands from ten countries. In 2006, Yid Vicious toured Chiba Prefecture, Japan as part of the Wisconsin-Chiba Sister State Goodwill Delegation. Yid Vicious is committed to keeping traditional klezmer music and dance alive, while infusing the music with new styles and cross-cultural collaborations. The group has collaborated with internationally renowned klezmer dance instructor Steve Weintraub, and participated in the New York-based “KlezKamp: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program”, and Wisconsin's “KlezKamp Roadshow”. Yid Vicious has presented concerts, workshops, and clinics at performing arts centers, cultural festivals, universities, and K-12 schools in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan, and has performed to statewide audiences on Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.

$10 Cover. 6pm start time.

Robert J. is an award-winning singer/songwriter/recording artist who has been a mainstay in the Wisconsin music scene for decades. After living in Connecticut for the past few years, Robert has returned to Madison and is booking solo gigs and shows with his band, The Moon Gypsies. Robert's music blends the styles which flow along the Mississippi River, from blues to country, folk to rootsy rock and roll. 

No cover. 6:30pm start time

Annie & the Oakies are the peerless wing-shots of the Madison, WI, Americana/bluegrass scene.

No cover. Start time 6:30.

5 guys from Madison doing their best to bring the hottest Bluegrass music to the State of Wisconsin

No cover. 6:30 start time.

Kick off your St. Patrick’s Day celebration with Madison’s primier Irish trio performing old school traditional Celtic tunes on fiddle, guitar, and bodhran.

You might even see some traditional Irish dancing and a bag pipe or two!

$10 cover. 21+. 8pm start time.

Grab your best green garb and join us as O’Darby rocks ‘n reels through the St. Patrick’s day weekend.

$10 suggested donation. 4pm start time

Join us for some traditional irish music as well as corned beef and cabbage!

No cover, 5:30pm start time.

Madison's hardest working Bluegrass band, Soggy Prairie, is proud to host the Madison Bluegrass Roundtable, a monthly series highlighting Southern Wisconsin's Bluegrass scene. The series will feature new and upcoming bands, as well as well established groups. Each month will feature a set from Soggy Prairie followed by a set from a guest band. 

No cover. 6:30pm start time.

Come for the bluegrass, stay for the ambience!

No cover. 6:30 start time.

Blending electronic loops and samples with live instrumentation, Undercover Organism creates a sound they call electronic jam music. With influences in jam, funk, hip-hop, dub and many different styles of electronic music, UO strives on exciting the crowd with sounds they don't normally hear from a live band. Gaining more fans near and far, Undercover Organism looks to infect people looking for climactic jams layered with spectral soundscapes. From their formation in 2009, UO has always been recognized as a band that experiments with an electronic jam style that is gaining increased popularity among festival goers and music enthusiasts. Deep bass and synths are prevalent with arpeggiating backdrops, meanwhile guitars melodically rip through building to epic crescendos. Mixing live electronics with a live band, Undercover Organism has shown that it is capable of turning any place they play into a dance party. Dynamic, rhythmic, melodic, raging – it's all there. Improvisation is key with ever changing sounds, instruments and samples. Undercover Organism is constantly evolving and always finding new ways to keep the crowd moving. Engulf yourself in the electric sound waves of Undercover Organism.

$10  cover. 21+. 9pm start time.