Let's assemble and experience positive emotions: Alternate ways to celebrate Bob Marley's birthday

True to its hippie-ish strains, Madison boasts a generous slate of shows in honor of Bob Marley's 65th birthday this weekend. Natty Nation headlines possibly the biggest one, at the High Noon Saloon on Saturday; the Crystal Corner Bar is having its customary annual celebration on Thursday; Madison band Roots Collective is performing Marley's entire Exodus album Friday at The Pub; and Willy Street's Caribbean refuge, Jolly Bob's, will of course be spinning tropical tunes in honor of the day. There's no reason the jammin' should stop there, though. The A.V. Club proposes a few different ways to honor Marley.

Pirates, yes they rob I
The more straightforward Marley celebrations in town this week promise many friendly, upbeat vibes, and perhaps Bob would've wanted it that way. Yet he also didn't shy away from injustice and oppression. Whether or not King Cannibal's dub-infused mixes have much to do with roots-reggae inspiration at this point, the UK producer's Friday night set at Inferno offers perhaps the grisliest groove in town, proving that some globe-trotting tropical influences don't have to shut out the darkness. If the closest you've ever gotten to Jamaica is punk-reggae legends Bad Brains, follow a more metal-charred, technically warped wing of hardcore down to Madison band Dissent And Revolt's Friday show at The Frequency. The sound's more Pig Destroyer than I Against I, but there's common ground in the band's musical unrest.

So much things to say
Marley's heart surely would've gone out to his island neighbors in Haiti this year. So in addition to Natty Nation's fundraising efforts at its Saturday show, it makes sense that locals in another scene historically connected to reggae are stepping up to help with the efforts in The Annex's Hip Hop For Haiti benefit on Saturday. Madison stand-up comedy regular Kimani, though, takes a more irreverent path to international healing: During a recent set at the Comedy Club On State, he did an entire bit about listening to Bob Marley while taking a crap. Though he's of Kenyan descent rather than Jamaican, it'll make little difference to Midwestern ears if he takes the stage this week at the Comedy Club's Wednesday-night open mic.

Natural mystic
On this most Jamaican of occasions, merely hoisting a Red Stripe to a fallen Rasta hero would seem kind of half-assed. Luckily, Jamerica (1236 Williamson St., 608-251-6234) and David's Jamaican Cuisine (5734 Monona Dr., 608-222-8109) make it easy to do just that over a staple of island-style meats, the oxtail. That said, that might not be the most appropriate way to honor Marley: He's thought to have been a vegetarian, in keeping with the traditional Rastafarian diet. If it's asking too much to wear Marley's message on your innards, just beam it outwards with the help of abundant Marley-themed accessories from all-purpose counterculture gift shop Sunshine Daydream (434 State St., 608-250-2365).