Lamp this: The Viper & His Famous Orchestra will be calling Madison, Wisconsin their viper’s nest this summer, with three (free & outdoor) shows at Mickey’s Tavern and an Adult Swim: Summer Speakeasy show at the Madison Children’s Museum.

The first of the Mickey’s Tavern shows happens this upcoming Monday, July 14, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. That’s Bastille Day, you know. So we’ll plan on opening up some prison doors — mental and physical, but mostly mental — during our two sets. And did I mention it’s free? And outdoors on the patio?

Then on Friday, July 25, 2014, we’ll provide the musical portion of the entertainment at the Madison Children’s Museum’s Adult Swim: Summer Speakeasy (ages 21+, with tickets at $12). The whole event runs from 6:00-10:00 p.m., and we play between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. As the museum describes the event: “Dust off your Zoot Suit and travel back to the 1920’s for a Prohibition-Era party featuring the music of The Viper and His Famous Orchestra.” Along with our music, you’ll be able to:

• Discover a rum pot in the Log Cabin
• Sneak into a secret society meeting
• Play your cards right in Possible-opolis™
• Get connected with post-war spiritualism talks
• Learn the Charleston, Foxtrot, and other steps

The Viper has a lot of fond memories of summers in Madison, where I played in a number of bands as an undergradate (Phlegm, Enzymatic Fly Vomit, My Cousin Kenny, Kissyfish, The Beatles, Gentlemen Prefer Hank), and where I first honed my ukulele chops on various corners along State Street… to the consternation of my many unwitting serenade victims.

My usual practice was to busk until I’d earned enough to subsidize an evening of pitchers, burgers, Tetris, and “Beat on the Brat” on the jukebox at The Plaza Tavern.

So if you can’t catch us at Mickey’s or the Adult Swim, look for us near The Towers, if we can jostle Art Paul Schlosser out of the way.