Isthmus : July 30-Aug 5, 2015 by Isthmus

J U LY 3 0 – A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5

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VOL. 40 NO. 30

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MADISON, WISCONSIN

STILL STANDING Four Star Video Cooperative beats the odds

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■ WHAT TO DO

■ CONTENTS 4 SNAPSHOT

HEADS UP!

Drone racing could be the next big thing.

6-9 NEWS

HIDDEN BIAS

The tricky business of law enforcement training.

POKER FACE

Judge to rule on legalizing game.

WOMEN IN TECH

Documentary explores the IT gender gap.

10 OPINION SETH JOVAAG

8 NEWS JAY RATH

15 COVER JAY RATH GREW UP ON SILENT film, corresponded with film director Frank Capra as a teenager and prizes his Four Star Video red card. The veteran Madison writer and cartoonist has also written and performed in independent film, co-starring once with Chevy Chase. All good preparation for Rath as he mined the central question for this week’s cover story: How did Four Star Video Cooperative — the city’s sole surviving video store — beat the odds?

SETH JOVAAG WROTE ABOUT THE illegal and clandestine low-stakes poker scene in Wisconsin in an August 2014 Isthmus cover story. An intrepid journalist and radio producer, Jovaag insisted on firsthand observation of his subjects, winning a few bucks in the process. This week he follows up on a lawsuit seeking the legalization of the game in the state.

CASE CLOSED

John Doe decision is a win for democracy.

15 COVER

SUCCESS STORY

Four Star Video outlasts the competition...as a co-op.

19 STAGE

WIGGLE ROOM

Dance Life Studio is the place for belly dancing and other undulating arts.

21-25 FOOD

LA ROSITA

Pocket restaurant offers big taste in a small space.

26 SPORTS & RECREATION

BADGERS B-BALL

Make ‘Em Believe celebrates a winning season.

BEND ME, SHAPE ME

New project offers yoga for kids with disabilities.

28-29 MUSIC

THE POWER OF TWO

The Hussy is a partnership made in garage rock heaven

30 COMEDY

A MONTH OF FUN

August at Comedy Club will keep you laughing.

32 SCREENS KATIE REISER

19 STAGE KATIE REISER TOOK HER FIRST ballet class at age 4. While studying dance in college, some of her favorite courses were in dance history and dance criticism — several of them taught by Joan Acocella, dance critic for The New Yorker. Reiser began writing for Isthmus in 2005. This week she writes about belly dancing.

VACATION

Camp Idontwannagrowup Fri., July 31, Madison Children’s Museum, 6-10 pm

Who says camp is just for kids? Adult Swim is offering a grownup version with all your summertime sleepaway favorites — a talent show, color wars, campfire songs, ghost stories, outdoor games, a DIY s’mores bar and a two-lane, 30-foot slip-n-slide.

The big round-up Sat., Aug. 1, Franklin Elementary, 305 W. Lakeside St., 9 am-2 pm

The Bay Creek Neighborhood is organizing a “kids’ wagon drive,” a massive collection of school supplies, toiletries, cleaning supplies and nonperishable food for students and families in the area. Bring your donated items plus some cash for lemonade and baked goods.

Return to Walley World.

WORK = COMMUNITY

Deep in the heart of... Atwood

IN EVERY ISSUE

Sat., Aug. 1, Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace, 11:30 am

40 EMPHASIS Theshold is a new kind of office building.

9 MADISON MATRIX 9 WEEK IN REVIEW 10 THIS MODERN WORLD 11 FEEDBACK 11 OFF THE SQUARE

34 ISTHMUS PICKS 41 CLASSIFIEDS 42 P.S. MUELLER 42 CROSSWORD 43 SAVAGE LOVE

PUBLISHER Jeff Haupt ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Craig Bartlett BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Mark Tauscher EDITOR Judith Davidoff NEWS EDITOR Joe Tarr ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michana Buchman FEATURES EDITOR Linda Falkenstein ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Catherine Capellaro MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Jon Kjarsgaard STAFF WRITER Allison Geyer CALENDAR EDITOR Bob Koch ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Fath STAFF ARTISTS David Michael Miller, Tommy Washbush SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS John W. Barker, Jeff Buchanan, Kenneth Burns, Dave Cieslewicz, Nathan J. Comp, Ruth Conniff,

ISTHMUS is published weekly by Red Card Media, 100 State Street, Suite 301, Madison, WI 53703 • Edit@isthmus.com • Phone (608) 251-5627 • Fax (608) 251-2165 Periodicals postage paid at Madison, WI (ISSN 1081-4043) • POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 100 State Street, Suite 301, Madison, WI 53703 • © 2015 Red Card Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

Top men Wed., Aug. 5, Orpheum Theater, 6 pm

Get the inside scoop on politics and the promise of public service from two top experts: David Axelrod, former chief strategist and adviser to President Barack Obama, and David Maraniss, a Madison native and Pulitzer Prize-winning associate editor of The Washington Post.

Dream team Tues., Aug. 4, Warner Park Duck Pond, 4:05 & 7:35 pm

See tomorrow’s baseball stars today at this Major League Dreams Showcase, featuring the top 100 Northwood League players in a double-header. Play ball!

FIND MORE ISTHMUS PICKS ON PAGE 34

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

Andre Darlington, Marc Eisen, Erik Gunn, Seth Jovaag, Stu Levitan, Andy Moore, Bruce Murphy, Kyle Nabilcy, Katie Reiser, Jay Rath, Dean Robbins, Robin Shepard, Sandy Tabachnick CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ellen J. Meany ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Todd Hubler ADVERTISING MANAGER Chad Hopper ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Lindsey Dieter, Peggy Elath, Amy Miller, Brett Springer WEB ANALYST Jeri Casper CIRCULATION MANAGER Tom Dehlinger MARKETING DIRECTOR Chris Winterhack EVENT DIRECTOR Courtney Lovas EVENT STAFF Sam Eifert ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR Kathy A. Bailey OFFICE MANAGER Julie Butler SYSTEMS MANAGER Thom Jones ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Carla Dawkins

Madison’s east side meets Texas at Atwood City Limits, a parking lot party featuring music by Wheelhouse (above), Lucas Cates and more. Festivities continue until the tequila sun sets.

n SNAPSHOT

With a pair of first-person-view (FPV) video goggles and a live camera feed, Charlie Toms, right, can see what his drone sees.

Almost like flying

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

BY ALLISON GEYER n PHOTO BY ERIC TADSEN

A small flying robot zips around the Elver Park soccer fields on a Sunday afternoon. Weaving through an obstacle course of orange cones and pylons, the Frisbee-sized aircraft moves with amazing speed and agility, propelled by two sets of rotors. A few dozen yards away, its pilot, Charlie Toms, sits comfortably in a camp chair under the shade of a tent. He sees what the drone sees, thanks to a pair of first-person-view (FPV) video goggles and a live camera feed. “It’s like Star Wars pod racers zipping through the forest,” says Toms, a 41-yearold radio frequency engineer. “You can feel it in your stomach when you go up and down. It almost feels like flying.” Toms is a member of the Mad City Drone Racing League, a fledgling group of hobbyists looking to bring the rapidly growing sport of FPV drone racing to Madison. Formed this March, the league has 15 members and meets twice a month for dronebuilding workshops at the Bodgery makerspace on Robertson Road. They staged their

first races this month at Elver Park on July 11 and 19. “This is getting popular all over the world,” says Timm Murray, the league’s founder. “Madison is in a good position to get something like this going.” FPV drone racing can best be described as a live-action video game, combining the most exciting aspects of remote-control aircraft and virtual reality. Pilots fly the four-propeller drones, or quadcopters, using two ultra-sensitive joysticks that control pitch, roll, yaw and throttle. “It’s pretty hard to control this thing,” says Toms as he hovers his drone between and above two pylons. “With a fixed view, it’s hard to tune out distracting sounds.” And while the drones are held stable by a mathematical algorithm, they’re notoriously tricky to fly. In a sport where high-speed acrobatics are the goal, crashes are common. “People getting into this sport should buy a lot of extra propellers,” Murray says. Murray, a 32-year-old programmer, became interested in drones after reading a magazine

article about FPV racing. He started the league and connected with experienced hobbyists like Toms — who has been flying remote-control helicopters and airplanes for years — as well as other novices, including a group of about 10 Epic employees. Most FPV quadcopters are in the 250 class, meaning that the distance from motor to motor is 250 millimeters, but drones come in all shapes and sizes. Hobbyists can build from preassembled starter kits. Others build drones from scratch. Modifications make each drone distinct. For the Mad City League, drone building is a labor of love. It’s easy to see why the sport appeals to techy types, but Murray thinks FPV drone racing has the potential to go mainstream. There are similar hobby groups popping up in cities all over the world; devotees imagine a day when drone races will fill stadiums and draw scores of spectators — just like in Star Wars. “We want to become a big league that has pilots coming in from all over the world,” Murray says. “I want Madison to get up to speed.” n

MAD CITY DRONE RACING LEAGUE Founded: MARCH 2015 Members: 15 Cost to get started: ABOUT $500 FOR STANDARD FPV RACING MODEL AND OTHER EQUIPMENT; SMALLER DRONES GO FOR $50-$100 When and where they build: SECOND AND FOURTH SATURDAYS AT THE BODGERY, 4444 ROBERTSON RD.

l a u n n 10attuhrdaAy, Aug.1st S 2015

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JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

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n NEWS

Addressing racial bias in police officers Experts are split on how well screening and diversity training work

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

BY ALLISON GEYER

Two months ago, a Facebook comment sparked a controversy that ended the law enforcement career of Dane County Sheriff’s Deputy James Myers. “Send them to Chicago,” he wrote in response to a news article about an increase in shootings around Madison. “Then nuke Chicago.” It’s a familiar refrain among those who seek to blame crime on African Americans who have moved to Madison from the Midwest’s largest city. And while Myers didn’t mention race, the racial implications of his statement were well understood, particularly by those who seized on his comment and called for his termination. But Myers’ Facebook post wasn’t the first time the deputy had been disciplined for racist speech, according to his personnel report, obtained by Isthmus in an open records request. In 2007, he was suspended without pay for five days after he made “inappropriate comments” to two different deputies in the men’s locker room of the Dane County Public Safety Building, referencing a promotional announcement from Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney encouraging minorities and women to apply for positions within the department. In the report, Myers also admitted to “having other conversations at work regarding minorities and women in the promotional process.” In addition to his suspension, he was required to complete diversity training. Myers, like other sheriff’s deputies in Dane County, had gone through a screening process when hired that is designed to root out officers with overt as well as implicit biases. Implicit biases are unconscious, involuntarily held prejudices that can profoundly affect a person’s attitude and behavior. And police officers are certainly not immune. “Given the racist nature of our society, there’s always going to be police attitudes that surface from time to time that are evidence of a deeper, implicit bias,” says Christopher Ahmuty, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin. “It’s sort of unconscious.” Calls to address bias among police officers have grown louder in recent years as a spate of unarmed African American young men around the country have been fatally shot by white police officers. Here in Madison, 19-year-old Tony Robinson died in March after being shot by Madison Police Officer Matt Kenny, who has been exonerated of any wrongdoing by the District Attorney’s Office. Mahoney says his department works hard to identify the best applicants for the job and to keep on top of biases that could affect job performance. “We go through great expense to hire the most qualified and most balanced individuals to fulfill our responsibilities as law enforcement officers,” Mahoney says. “If you’re a deputy sheriff working in the jail and the only contact you have with people of color are people who are in jail, if you don’t maintain a larger, broader vision, it can impact your

Diversity education and training for employees can be helpful, but only if top management also endorses and promotes the values, Brauer says. Among corporations in particular, reconceptualizing diversity acceptance as essential to achieving business goals has been shown to have a positive effect. Still, Brauer says, the empirical evidence is lacking. “[Diversity training] is a $10 billion per year industry in the United States, but there’s virtually no work examining whether [it] has any effect. “It’s not that diversity training can never work, but we need to test its effectiveness in randomized control trials.”

JOE ANDERSON

perception. That’s why ongoing training is important.” But the jury is out on just how effective screening and diversity training are at identifying problem officers or cultivating cultural sensitivity. Implicit biases are shaped by early life experiences and media consumption, and the mental constructs are pervasive throughout society — even if they don’t necessarily reflect values that society endorses. Racially prejudiced views are problematic in any professional field, but perhaps none more so than law enforcement, where officers have the authority to detain, and are armed with deadly weapons. Overt biases, such as racial profiling, and other forms of discrimination are illegal, but law enforcement agencies are now focusing on implicit biases in the hiring and ongoing training of officers. As a standard practice, Wisconsin law enforcement agencies evaluate new hires for potential prejudices and incorporate cultural competency education as part of their training. The screening process involves a psychological evaluation, done through a written test and a series of interviews, which help filter out candidates who show biased opinions or antisocial behavior. Diversity training is also a tool to remediate officers who have been disciplined for inappropriate racial comments. But does the training actually help change implicit bias? For Myers, who completed his mandatory training only to be forced into retirement a few years later after making a similar mistake, the answer would appear to be no. Mahoney acknowledges that the training can only go so far. “We can have an eighthour, 20-hour, 40-hour course, but I don’t know if that is going to address a flippant statement on the part of a deputy sheriff that

jeopardizes the trust the public places [in him],” Mahoney says. “It’s an individual understanding of our roles and responsibilities.” Still, educational efforts remain a priority. In addition to continuing education through regular in-service training, which covers a variety of policing topics, the Dane County Sheriff’s Department plans to allocate $34,000 in additional funding in its 2016 budget to train officers on implicit bias. The last time the department conducted bias and diversity training was two years ago. The Madison Police Department has also made efforts to incorporate implicit bias education into its regular in-service training. But experts say it is difficult to say just how effective these efforts are. “Scientists have searched for more than 50 years for all kinds of screening techniques, but it’s just the case that none of these are reliable predictors of future behavior,” says Markus Brauer, a professor of psychology at UW-Madison who studies diversity and discrimination. “There’s no foolproof method.” Screening may help eliminate extreme outliers, such as overtly racist individuals, but it’s easy to respond to screening tests in a “socially desirable” way, Brauer says, meaning that individuals who knowingly harbor bias can slip through. Unconscious biases, on the other hand, are more difficult to control for and can be influenced by whatever news articles or entertainment media an individual has recently consumed before being tested. To make matters more confusing, Brauer cited a recent meta-analysis study conducted by graduate students in his department showing no correlation between implicit bias and behavior. “It could be that we haven’t measured it right or that we haven’t discovered that link yet,” he says.

Capt. Thomas Snyder, who oversees training for the Madison Police Department, says his agency goes above and beyond state-mandated requirements for cultural competency and relational skills training. But the department does not collect data to measure the outcomes, and Madison has increasingly drawn scrutiny for the disproportinate numbers of African Americans in the criminal justice system. “We recognize there is a need,” Snyder says. “[Implicit bias training] is just part of our role in mitigating racial disparity.” Patricia Devine, another UW-Madison psychology professor who studies racial prejudice, began working with the Madison Police Department a decade ago educating officers about the nature of implicit bias and how it relates to interactions with citizens. “It’s incredibly important that MPD was open to looking at itself, wanting to do better, wanting to learn,” she says. Devine used stereotype replacement exercises and counter-stereotypic imaging techniques to encourage police officers to think about African Americans who defy negative stereotypes. Perspective-shifting scenarios in which officers “put themselves in the shoes” of African Americans encouraged officers to challenge and address their beliefs about minorities. Overcoming implicit bias takes a twopronged approach, Devine says. “First and foremost, you have to become aware,” she says. “Then you have to be motivated — and some people won’t be.” Devine admits she had some stereotypes about officers before she went into the training — perhaps based on preconceived beliefs that individuals who work in law enforcement tend to be tough or rigid. But through her research, she found that in some instances Madison police officers actually showed less bias than those not in law enforcement. In one study using computer simulation, Devine’s students at UW were more likely to shoot unarmed black suspects than unarmed white suspects. The police officers in the study did not show the same bias — a factor Devine credits to their training. “I found that these people were eager for information, really thoughtful and asked great questions,” she says. “I found them to be tremendously engaged.” n

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n NEWS

What are the odds? Judge to rule soon on whether to legalize poker BY SETH JOVAAG

A Dane County judge is scheduled to rule on Aug. 12 whether poker should be legalized in Wisconsin. The odds seem stacked against the plaintiffs, Cross Plains resident Steve Verrett and Madison bar owner Mark Kroon, who filed their challenge to the state Department of Justice a year ago. But forgive Kroon if he likes his chances. On July 13, the 54-year-old owner of Players Sports Bar on Madison’s east side wrapped up a six-day run in the World Series of Poker’s “Main Event” in Las Vegas, where he finished 43rd in a field of 6,420 players. His deep run in what amounts to the card game’s Super Bowl earned him a cool $164,086, minus the $10,000 entrance fee. “It was amazing,” says Kroon, who was back “flipping burgers” at Players last week. “It was almost like a dream.” But Kroon says the experience also solidified his belief that poker should be legal in Wisconsin. “I wish I could go in front of any judge and tell them what just happened to me [at the tournament],” he says. “Nobody can just sit down, get lucky and win. It’s just not the case.”

Indeed, the Aug. 12 ruling by Circuit Judge Richard Niess will likely hinge on the skill-versusluck debate that has riled poker players for years. Poker, when played for money, is considered illegal in Wisconsin, though enforcement is lax. The state constitution doesn’t specifically mention poker, but it bans most forms of gambling outside of tribal-run casinos. However, the ban relies on a separate statute that defines a “bet” as a wager between two parties that’s “dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill.” And there’s the rub. In court filings this spring, the plaintiffs presented testimony from Robert Hannum, a professor of risk analysis and gaming at the University of Denver. Citing a study of more than one billion hands of online poker, Hannum concluded that skill “predominates” over luck in poker “in the long run.” The state countered that Hannum’s testimony ignores a simple truth: In any single hand of poker, even a bad player can get great cards and win. From that short-term perspective, “chance determines the result,” the state said in its June 11 response. This isn’t the first time Kroon has bristled at laws affecting the game he loves. He was a top online poker player in the 2000s before the

JOE GIRON/POKER NEWS

Mark Kroon filed his challenge to Wisconsin’s poker-for-money ban a year ago.

federal government outlawed it in 2011. The same year, state DOJ agents warned him to stop hosting poker tournaments at Players. The latter episode spurred him and Verrett, president of the Wisconsin Poker Players Alliance, to raise $10,000 from local players last year so they could hire attorney Stan Davis and force a judge to rule on poker’s legality in Wisconsin. Verrett said in an email that “we like our chances” in court. And he recently wrote on a Facebook page for local players that he and

several partners are preparing to open a poker room — which exist in states with more lenient gaming laws like California and Ohio — on the city’s east side if the judge rules in their favor. Regardless of the ruling, Kroon says he’s still not sure what he’ll do with his World Series of Poker winnings. No poker rooms or rooftop terraces are planned for his humble tavern. “We’re definitely going to do something fun with it,” he says. “But basically I sign the check and hand it off to my wife, and she takes care of it.” n

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Where have all the women gone? A new documentary explores the tech gender gap BY ADAM POWELL

The film CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap premieres in Wisconsin Aug. 6 at Sundance 608. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is hosting director Robin Hauser Reynolds for the exclusive 4:30 p.m. screening, followed by a reception and panel discussion on women in tech (cost: $25). This is the second feature-length documentary for Reynolds, who lives in California. The first was the award-winning Running for Jim. Isthmus spoke with Reynolds about the dearth of female computer programmers, what we can be done about it and why gender balance matters — all topics that are explored in her documentary. When I worked at HotWired in 1995, the gender split was almost fifty-fifty. Have we gone backwards? We have. The number of women in software in the mid-1980s was almost 40%, and now it’s 18%. This is troubling and puzzling, and we don’t know why. One strong hypothesis is that the notion of who a programmer is has really changed. The stereotypical programmer has evolved from a woman to a man in a computer lab in a white coat, then to geek

What is up with the obnoxious rise of the brogrammer? Now it’s so cool to be involved in tech. How is the fraternity boy going to get involved in this? It’s surprising to me — these start-ups in Silicon Valley have a sexist culture, but [these programmers] are young enough that you wouldn’t think their parents would be so bad. We do tend to hire people that are like us, so there’s a vicious cycle at work now. Startups don’t have the luxury of a diversity inclusion group, and they don’t understand that the company will benefit: Studies show adding a woman makes efficiency go up. Is sexism so much a part of American society that it’s inevitable in tech, or can that sector strike a new balance? I would love it if we could. It’s a new industry, and that’s why it’s so shocking that there is so much sexism. It’s not as blatant as it was in the Mad Men era, but women describe the “death of a thousand cuts.” In meetings no one reacts

n WEEK IN REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JULY 22 n President Buzzkill? Gov.

Scott Walker tells KTRS 550 radio he’ll enforce federal laws that ban the sale and use of marijuana in states where it has been legalized if he wins in 2016. THURSDAY, JULY 23 n Walker delivers the key-

note speech at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s convention in California. ALEC, which has been described as “a dating agency for Republican state legislators and big corporations,” has a strong presence in Wisconsin.

What are some practical steps parents can take to open up the possibility of programming for their daughters? They need to engage in gender-neutral toys. Look at their own biases — we all have them — and make sure that we are not giving longer scientific explanations to our sons than to our daughters. At 18 months, girls and boys like the same toys. We as a society tell them what’s not for them. Kids might not even yet know how to read, but they can play games and get familiar with logic this way, so it’s not scary. The most important thing we can give to kids is confidence. If they want to run the next Google, they can do it.

genius, to the hacker in the ’80s, and now it’s going to the “brogrammer.” All are somewhat fictional, but all marginalize women. A young woman needs a role model — “you cannot be what you cannot see.”

Director Robin Hauser Reynolds will be part of a panel discussion Aug. 6. at Sundance.

to a woman, and then a guy says the same thing and everyone nods. Women describe feeling like “blood in the water.” The whole culture — the bar, the booze, the pool tables — it’s confusing as to where work is and play is and where the boundaries overlap. Is it appropriate to hit on a woman in this space?

n MADISON MATRIX troubles with transportation funding, the $2.2 billion budget shortfall, education funding and health care. SUNDAY, JULY 26 n Kevin Kennedy, the direc-

tor of the embattled Government Accountability Board, tells WKOW-TV’s Capitol City Sunday that allegations of his agency teaming up with the Internal Revenue Service to target conservative groups for investigation are “absolutely ridiculous.”

TUESDAY, JULY 28 n Dane County Executive

Joe Parisi announces a new Comprehensive Community Services program that will guarantee access to mental health services for virtually every person in the county. n The state Assembly votes 52-34 to spend $250 million for a new Milwaukee arena. Reviews are still mixed on the bipartisan deal, but most agree it’s better than Walker’s original proposal to borrow $220 million to help pay for it.

BIG CITY

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington) requested the controversial changes that would have gutted Wisconsin’s open records laws, documents requested by the Wisconsin State Journal reveal. Gov. Scott Walker tells the Washington Examiner that he’d basically eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency if elected president.

Donald Trump rips Walker’s record as governor at a speech in Iowa, sounding off about Wisconsin’s

Republican state Reps. Andre Jacque and Joel Kleefisch introduce bills to ban the sale of fetal body parts (which is already illegal) and divert millions in federal funding from Planned Parenthood. SMALL TOWN

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n America’s hairdo-in-chief

SURPRISING

Low power to the people! Local, limited-signal radio stations are popping up around Dane County.

n Theodore Peterson, the

SATURDAY, JULY 25

Fun with photoshopping: A super-PAC runs an ad praising U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson that contained a fake image of President Barack Obama shaking hands with the president of Iran.

PREDICTABLE

FRIDAY, JULY 24

father who police say killed his teenage son in Token Creek Park July 21, dies of self-inflicted injuries after two days on life support.

And that confidence carries over to the workplace? It’s sad that I have to say it, but you have to speak up when you think it’s necessary. Find a mentor or a sponsor, and find a male ally. There’s a lot that men can do, too. A true male ally is willing to speak on behalf of women when there are no women in the room. Sexism is not just a women’s issue, because males are missing out on the advantages of having a woman on the team. n

n OPINION

In defense of democracy BY LARRY KAUFMANN Larry Kaufmann is a Madisonbased economic consultant.

The John Doe investigation into conservative groups’ advocacy during the 2012 recall elections ended on July 16 with a bang, not a whimper. In a 4-2 decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s majority opinion found the “prosecutor’s legal theory” that formed the basis for the investigation to be “unsupported in either reason or law.” Even more emphatically, the court said “it is utterly clear that the special prosecutor has employed theories of law that do not exist in order to investigate citizens who were wholly innocent of any wrongdoing.” Reread that sentence, and consider the implications of prosecutors creating new pretexts for how to use their power and authority to investigate ordinary people exercising their constitutional rights. “Chilling” doesn’t begin to describe it. Oddly, this view wasn’t shared by many liberal groups and organizations (all of which should reconsider any professed allegiance to liberalism). The Capital Times was typical, as it bellowed that the John Due ruling was “dangerous to democracy” and a sell-out to “corporate America’s darkmoney groups.” With all due respect, this is ridiculous. The groups targeted by the John Doe prosecutors were simply placing ads on television and other media (social and mainstream). These expenditures all went towards advocating opinions on issues, rather than directly contributing to a candidate, where restrictions on contributions apply. Groups on the right, and the left, obviously have the right to express their opinions in the marketplace of ideas. They can also use available media to extend the reach of their views. These rights are not sacri-

ficed or abridged if their perspectives happen to be similar to the opinions of Scott Walker, or Tom Barrett, on the same subject. It is not credible to claim that a group expressing an opinion similar to a candidate’s is illegally “coordinating” with that candidate or providing an unreported in-kind contribution to their campaign, because such an interpretation severely restricts what that group would be allowed to say. The Supreme Court decision affirms this principle, finding that the prosecutors’ theory on coordination and unreported in-kind contributions “is both overbroad and vague and thus unconstitutionally chills speech.” The Cap Times’ ominous “dark money” fears are also hugely overblown. Again, the money in question is only used to express opinions on issues of general interest. Contributions for “express advocacy” that go directly to candidates are still subject to strict limits. Money also flows into the political process from groups and individuals across the political spectrum, and there’s strong evidence from the nonpartisan opensecrets.org, which tracks money in politics, that Democrats rely far more heavily on support from large donors than do Republicans. The Koch brothers are pikers when compared to the unions or the fundraising giant ActBlue, which donates only to Democrats. Throw in year-round support from large philanthropic foundations, the mainstream media, Hollywood, the K-12 educational establishment and America’s 2,500 colleges and universities — all of which lean decidedly to the left and have an enormous impact on the climate of opinion — and the support given to conservative groups and scrappy

free-market think tanks is a drop in the bucket. Confident progressives should welcome the intellectual competition. Finally, and most fundamentally, the Supreme Court’s decision defends something more important than democracy: the rule of law. Democracy, after all, is primarily a process for selecting political leaders through elections, since America is a representative and not “pure” democracy (where there is a direct link between majority votes and government decisions). Elec-

THIS MODERN WORLD

tions are important, but they pale in significance to constraining government power via law. Officials must be bound by law or there is no limit to arbitrary and capricious government decisions that you are not free to ignore and which affect your day-to-day life. The rule of law safeguards the security and predictability we all rely on to pursue our daily affairs and plan for the future. It’s easy to take for granted, but spend any time in a place where it’s absent and you quickly discover its value. America was founded as a government of laws, not men (or women). Of course, we fall short of this ideal almost continuously, but it’s still important to uphold. And this is precisely what the Wisconsin Supreme Court did when it struck down the John Doe investigation. The prosecutors were making it up as they went along, concocting novel legal doctrines and strained interpretations of existing statutes in order to snuff out speech they found distasteful and to punish political adversaries. This is the real danger, not allowing politically active groups on the right and left to spend as much as they like expressing ideas which may or may not be correct. Democracy can withstand tendentious issue ads, but not officials with the power to arrest who are allowed to make their own rules. n

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Thank you for adding the contents section. It is sorely needed for your readers who enjoy having an overview of the weekly content. It was beyond frustrating having to page through the paper to see what articles were of interest. Good decision. Steve Pieroni, Monona (via email)

Re “Wisconsin Cops Can Now Pull You Over for Breaking Imaginary Laws” (Madland, Isthmus.com, 7/21/2015): Welcome to Wississippi. Christina McCoy Langdon (via Facebook)

Re “Messing with Worker Pensions” (7/23/2015): There isn’t a candy dish in the world [Scott Walker] wouldn’t like to get this hands on. Marcia Lynn Morris Dobrick (via Facebook)

Stereotyped I agree wholeheartedly with Gloria Meyer’s letter (“Size Matters,” 7/23/2015). The type for your articles is small, light and very difficult to read. However, I have noticed how the ads are much easier to read. Priorities? Judy Ross (via email)

Here’s my problem...the author of this piece is assuming that all officers give a hoot about the arcane traffic laws that are still on the books and assumes all officers have nothing better to do than enforce them. Cory G. Ekern (via Facebook)

They would eventually like to be able to borrow against it, much like a corporate raider, so they can default and probably attempt to privatize it. Michael Langdon (via Facebook)

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n COVER STORY

RATAJ BERARD

Lewis Peterson, Helen Boldt, Nick Propheter and Andy Fox (from front) purchased the store in 2014.

STILL STANDING

Four Star Video Cooperative beats the odds BY JAY RATH

The late film critic Roger Ebert, pictured at Four Star in 2003, was a big fan.

hink of it as a film festival that never

That person-to-person connection has built a loyal customer base for Four Star. “I’ve not been able to really find anything like it anywhere,” says Derek Lowes, an equity trader from Milwaukee who visits the store as often as he can, at least monthly. He discovered it when he was a student at UW-Madison. Don Thompson, a Madisonian who started going to Four Star in 2000 when he lived in Wisconsin Dells, also comes back because of his relationship with the worker-owners. “They’re all just wonderful people,” he says. “They’re knowledgeable, they’re friendly. If I want something, they’ll look it up for me, and they’ll purchase it.” They are also entertaining, says David Williams, a retired librarian who works part time at Browzers Bookshop on State Street. “The staff there is a regular standup comedy team. I really appreciate them, and I support the idea of worker co-ops.”

In 1985, Roger Moore made his last James Bond movie, Jimmy Stewart received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement, and Back to the Future topped the box office for the year’s releases. Also, David Smith opened Four Star Fiction and Video Book Store and Rental. What made Roger Ebert an early fan while visiting Madison was the store’s combination of mainstream releases and quirky offerings, including silent movies and a vast variety of foreign and independent

➡

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

stops. Over three decades, Madison’s Four Star Video has won generations of fans and — so far — defied industry trends. “Four stars to Four Star,” quipped the late film critic Roger Ebert, an early and enthusiastic supporter. Now the small business is on to its second act. A year ago, four of the store’s seven employees came together to purchase the store and its 20,000 titles on 45,000 discs when they feared the collection would be broken up and sold off. On Aug. 1 Four Star kicks off a month of celebratory events in honor of its first anniversary as a worker-owned cooperative. In a streaming world, how can a disc rental business survive? Brick-and-mortar video stores are a rarity these days, and Four Star Video Cooperative is the only one left in Madison. But while national sales trends are not promising, some industry observers say the disc trade isn’t dead. The new owners of Four Star Video Cooperative also hope to capitalize on support for cooperatives in a city with several thriving examples. Most of all, they are paying close attention to movies and to customers, because they are the only place left in town where a real, live human being — and a knowledgeable one to boot — will help you make a choice about your home entertainment.

n COVER STORY films. The store was also known for its selection of gay-oriented movies, including pornography, a department that continues on a smaller scale today. Lisa Brennan worked at the store, and bought it in 2003. Four Star moved from 315 N. Henry St. to its current location at 449 State St. in October 2011. While the official address is on State Street, the store actually fronts North Broom Street, between Riley’s Wines of the World and the intersection of Broom, West Gilman and State streets. It’s not as visible now, especially to motorists. The storefront is slim and easily missed; most of the collection is downstairs. “We still have people who will call or stop in and say, ‘Oh, I thought you guys closed years ago,’” says Nick Propheter, who began working at Four Star in 2011. “The new space has a lot of advantages over the old, but the biggest factor is that it’s less expensive,” Brennan told Isthmus during the relocation. But more was going on than that. “The convergence of the recession with technology changes has created serious challenges,” she noted. Bongo Video, another local independent store, had closed just a month before at its third and last location on Monona Drive. Madison’s only other independent, Video Station on University Avenue, closed sometime after that. Four Star is the last independent standing. Its nearest chain competition is just a few blocks away: an automated Redbox disc rental vending machine in the entryway of Capitol Centre Market. But really, competition lurks everywhere.

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

Starting in the late 1990s, consum-

ers began to access digital content online as broadband expanded. Today we watch a bewildering variety of screens, from “connected TV” and desktop to wristwatch; two-thirds of Americans now prefer to watch movies outside of a traditional theater. Despite these innovations, 70% of recorded video consumption occurs on a regular old TV screen, according to Parks Associates, a market intelligence firm. And that consumption is big business: In the first quarter of this year, U.S. consumers spent $4.6 billion on home entertainment, including games, according to the Digital Entertainment group, a nonprofit industry trade association. Total 2014 spending was $17.8 billion. At the online megalith Netflix, rental of physical discs via mail accounts for 50% of total operating income. But industry-wide, disc rental is falling. In 2013, all U.S. disc rentals totaled $4.2 billion; in 2014, $3.7 billion. Numbers in the first quarter of 2015 have stabilized, but IHS Technology, a research and analytic firm, estimates the year-end total will be $3.3 billion. Still, some insiders believe we are not seeing the end of the disc. “The thesis that DVD rentals will decline due to the popularity of video-on-demand is going to prove wrong,” according to one industry observer quoted in “Discs & Digital: The Business of Home Entertainment Retailing,” a 2015 U.S. economic and trends report from the Entertainment Merchants Association. For some customers, it comes down to cost: A $1.50 rental from a Redbox vending machine trumps the average $5 to $6 video on demand fee.

Filmmaker Brandon Colvin on Four Star: “It totally satisfies my impulse viewing.” RATAJ BERARD

In industry lingo, Redbox is termed a “transactional disc rental provider,” and it’s the biggest in the U.S., with 35,000 kiosks and 734 million discs. Four Star is another transactional disc rental provider, and as an independent, it does have one advantage over a chain like Redbox: Movie studios offer an early-release window just to the independents. The Entertainment Merchants Association reports that, at the end of 2014, there were still 3,644 independent video rental outlets in the United States. That figure is misleading, though: It includes supermarkets that rent from their own disc collections. Even though streaming is here to stay, sometimes our entertainment habits are surprisingly static. It’s anyone’s guess how many people actually still use them, but according to a 2014 Gallup poll, 58% of Americans still have a VCR in their home. Brandon Colvin, a doctoral student who teaches film at UW-Madison, embraces the new along with the old. He subscribes to just about every disc rental and streaming service you can imagine. And yet he patronizes the video store. “I love Four Star,” says Colvin, whose feature films, Frames and Sabbatical, have been screened at the Wisconsin Film Festival. “The streaming platforms have limited libraries, generally. With Netflix disc [service], it’s hard to make an impulse choice to watch something. But with Four Star, if I want to see something I can just

drive five minutes down Gorham Street and pop in and grab something. It totally satisfies my impulse viewing.” Colvin says it’s getting harder to find what he’s looking for on Netflix. “It’s been known for a while that they’re phasing discs out of their whole company. They’re just not getting new stuff. They’re not getting more obscure movies.” And that’s where Four Star provides a critical service. “The Four Star people have excellent taste,” says Colvin. “And they get everything in.” Andy Fox, one of the four staffers who came together to form the cooperative, agrees: “To even begin to approach the selection we have here, you’d have to sign up for multiple online streaming services and DVD rental services. That would probably cost you somewhere between $60 to $100 a month.”

By early 2014, the clock was ticking for Four Star. The staff knew Brennan preferred not to liquidate, but the lease was coming up for renewal, and she was selling her home and wanted to leave Madison. “She didn’t really approach too many people as far as I know about purchasing the store or the collection,” says Propheter. “It basically came down to either we did something to keep the place going, or it was going to be gone.” Propheter admits to being personally motivated by the challenge: “There was just a lot of the collection I hadn’t gotten to yet.”

The staff started to think of options. Four of them, including Propheter and Fox, wanted to take action, though none knew much about management, marketing or business, for that matter. But they did know an awful lot about this particular business and how it revolves around high-quality, personalized customer service. “We were all longtime customers before being hired,” says Helen Boldt, who joined the Four Star team in 2011. “I was going into the Henry Street location almost every day for quite a while before I got the job.” Fox, who says he was “blown away by the foreign collection” when he started working at the video store in 2012, talked to a bank loan officer about purchasing the business himself. He laughs about it now, but at the time, he was scared. “I was talking to [the loan officer] about a $150,000 loan. Luckily, he realized that I didn’t particularly know what I was doing. I don’t think I would have signed. I like to think that I wouldn’t have.” Settling on a cooperative model went slowly for Boldt, Fox, Propheter and a fourth employee, Lewis Peterson, but it helped that Madison is a hub for worker co-ops, due in part to the work of the UW Center for Cooperatives. “They were just so open with their information, to help us with our structuring. That was really helpful, to have a blueprint to work from,” says Boldt. The team also began talking to customers who worked for local co-ops, such as Community Pharmacy, Union Cab and Willy Street Co-op. Once they decided to move forward on a co-op, the four also needed to decide which kind they would form. Would customers raise capital for Four Star’s purchase by buying memberships? Or would this be an employee-owned co-op? Madison has successful examples of both kinds. Ultimately, says Fox, a worker co-op model made the most sense for the four principals, who were already good friends. “The idea of one of us owning the place would be bad for interpersonal relationships, and also sort of unmanageable for one of us because of the financial burden,” says Fox. The four began a crowd-funding campaign with a goal of $50,000. “We didn’t meet our goal, but we ended up with about $10,000 in the bank,” says Peterson. Better educated and better armed by last spring, Fox began visiting banks on behalf of the group. “The pitch was: ‘Well, we have $10,000, we have all of this public support, we have a business plan and all the numbers, and here are our business records for the past three years,’” says Peterson. “At that point they actually didn’t laugh us out of the building. It was, ‘Hey, we can do this!’” Two financial institutions tentatively agreed to help, and the team settled on Summit Credit Union. “They’re used to working with co-ops,” says Boldt, noting credit unions are themselves co-ops. But the group hit another snag when the proffered loan didn’t match Brennan’s asking price. They’d received a six-month extension on the lease while raising money, but the landlords were pressing for a decision. “It got to the point where we just put the offer on the table,” says Peterson. It was up to Brennan.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did kind of want to keep it in the family,â&#x20AC;? says Brennan, speaking from Tacoma, Wash., her latest stop on a â&#x20AC;&#x153;sabbaticalâ&#x20AC;? where she has been traveling, kayaking and hiking. The notion of a cooperative was appealing to her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Running a small business is very high maintenance,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of pressure, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot for one person. They have that support system built in. More flexibility, more creativity. I like the model a lot.â&#x20AC;? Brennan came way down on her price, and the deal was done.

That was a year ago. And now?

Business is good, according to the owners. And things have settled down after the tumult of moving and change of ownership. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had so many remarks just about the change in mood,â&#x20AC;? says Fox. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was a lot of tension in the store prior to our buying it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not really knowing what was going to become of our jobs.â&#x20AC;? Colvin says he remains a satisfied customer: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken ownership, I think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a lot of things to communicate more effectively with the customer base.â&#x20AC;? For purposes of incorporation, one of the four worker-owners had to be named president, another treasurer and another

secretary. They plan to take turns, and insist that, off paper, they are have equal power, though they each have their own strengths. The four worker-owners employ two additional staff members. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel the most comfortable with numbers,â&#x20AC;? says Boldt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To me, Andy [Fox] has the most patience, so heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been super helpful with the more bureaucratic end of things, and he knows the computer system that we have really well. Lewis [Peterson] and Nick [Propheter] do the ordering. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the biggest movie geeks out of the four of us, and really enjoy seeing whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming out and getting a broad range of things for the store.â&#x20AC;? Brennan says the store is in good hands: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so competent and dedicated. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very impressed with the work that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing.â&#x20AC;? All decisions are made by consensus among the four owners, with input from the two other staffers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all very close, but we do fight, which I think can be a good thing,â&#x20AC;? says Boldt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fight openly and find a resolution. I love them all.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would not be here without all four of us together,â&#x20AC;? says Propheter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way that this would work without each of us doing what we do.â&#x20AC;? n

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JULY 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

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ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

“A retro-soul blowout of epic proportions” – Blurt Magazine

FOOD & DRI NK ■ SPORTS ■ MUSIC ■ STAG E ■ SCREENS

Left to right: Christina Baker, Lisa Hendrickson, Alice Ecker, founder Arielle Juliette, Kathy McCambridge, Victoria Thomas and Jen Heinle.

DOUM TEK

Undulations for all

Dance Life Studio infuses new energy to ancient dance forms BY KATIE REISER

the students before Juliette teaches the class. Students come in many ages, shapes and sizes. They wear sheer scarves around their hips adorned with sparkly coins that jingle, accentuating their pelvic movements. Juliette also sports a ruffled, tiered triangle of plumage that shakes behind her. Though the focus of this class is on fitness and fun, the dancers work studiously on the complex layering of movements required in belly dance, often keeping arms and upper body still and regal while abdomens circle and swivel. The studio’s instructors and students are gearing up for Shimmy in the Grain, July 31-Aug. 2, which features three days of dance workshops and performances. It’s the fifth year in a row the studio has sponsored the event, which

highlights the art of belly dancing and myriad other dance forms from ballet to African dance. It is also about spreading the gospel: This year’s theme is “Try something new.” Workshops are open to all levels of dancers, and registration is flexible; attendees can opt for any combination of workshops or performances Juliette says she’s most looking forward to Sunday’s show, which features amateurs as well as pros: “I love that you don’t need to be a professional dancer to get up on that stage and share the joy.” Juliette is an accomplished belly dancer, who takes seriously the idea that dance can be liberating. At her studio, she strives to create an environment where everyone feels welcome. This

mission comes from a very personal place: “Like many women, I had sexual abuse in my past,” she says, adding that when she began belly dancing at age 17 she could barely look at herself in the studio mirrors. “I just hated myself, and a lot of teenage girls feel the same way.” Dancing helped her get back in touch with a body that she didn’t feel was her own. “Everyone had taken what they wanted, and there was nothing left for me, but belly dance gave me a way to positively relate to my body again,” says Juliette. Juliette is schooled in the different forms and subgenres of belly dance. She is able to

CONTINUE D ON PAGE 30

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JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

At Dance Life Studio and Fitness, belly dancing is a family affair. Kathy McCambridge, aka “Mama K,” was drawn to the Middle Eastern dance form after seeing a troupe perform in a variety show 11 years ago. She urged her daughter, Arielle Juliette, to take belly dancing lessons with her. The mother and daughter began studying in Madison with longtime dancer/choreographer Mona N’wal. In 2010, Juliette decided to open her own studio, with encouragement and financial support from family friend Uri Fried. The studio is tucked into a west-side neighborhood near a Baptist ministry and a hair braiding salon. At a recent belly dance fundamentals class, McCambridge warms up

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Anyone that has savored a USDA Prime Graded Steak knows that it is delightfully tender and juicy with a buttery flavor which makes it distinctively superior to any other steak. Of all the beef produced in the U.S. less than 2% is certified as USDA Prime. Typically you will not find USDA Prime in the supermarket since its limited supply is gobbled up by fine purveyors that retail it to upscale restaurants and affluent consumers like the Jenifer St. Market! So come and try this week’s USDA Prime Steak sale!

Wisconsin Organic

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Chicken Breasts

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assorted cuts

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ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

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Lucini Imported from Italy $ 99 EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

500ml First cold pressed, this exceptional cooking oil is derived from the best Italian hillside estates during the middle of the harvest period. Our olives are picked and crushed within 24 hours to capture quality and freshness.

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7 $ 29 Catfish Fillets 7

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6 $ 99 Salmon Burgers 4 Cod Fillets

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Great baked, broiled or deep-fried

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BEER

WINE

New to Madison, from Milwaukee

Brenner $ 99

7 Door County $ 99 6 3 Sheeps $ 99 4 Lagunitas $ 99 7 Founders $ 99 12 Crispin $ 99 5 Brewing Co.

6pk Try the new Big Sister Witbier brewed with hibiscus 22oz

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Joel Gott $ 79 Sauvignon Blanc 750ml

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Grab a bottle of this wine for your next cookout. Great with steaks and burgers.

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We now have it Sugar-Free, made with Stevia! Zero calories

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5 Belgioioso $ 59 Fresh Mozzarella Log 4

RICE CHIPS

$ 00

pint

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Green Peppers

These tomatoes are just delicious. Just picked days ago. Great in a salad!

Now available

4 Ice Mountain Just Coffee $ 99 Spring Water 98¢ Old Orchard ¢ Coffee 7 Lemonade 89 DeCecco Santa Cruz $ 99 Morningstar Farms $ 99 Pasta 1 Vegetarian Products $349 Peanut Butter 3 $ Bob’s Red Mill $ 99 Kettle Chips 2 for 500 Ciao Bella Granola 2 Snyders $ 99 $ 00 Gelato & Sorbet 3 Niagara $ 99 Pounder Pretzels 2 for 5 Drinking Water 2 BAKERY Vintage $ 19 Skippy $ 99 Sparkling Water 2 Peanut Butter 1 La Banderita General Mills $ 00 Large Flour Tortillas $199 Fuji Apple or $ 99 Chex Cereal 2 for 5 Lemon Crumb Pies 3 Stash $ 99 Kingsford $ 99 Tea Bags 1 Portuguese Bread $299 Charcoal 6 GROCERY

16oz

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6 $ 99 Macaroni Salad 3 Vern’s $ 39 Sharp Cheddar 4 Vern’s $ 39 String Cheese 5 Gourmet or Grilled Honey

Apple, Sundried Tomato, Sauerkraut or Sweet Italian

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1 Homegrown Sun Sugar Gold $ 00 Cherry Tomatoes 2 $ 00 Cranberries hot Price: 2 for 3 Homegrown

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our local pickling Try this quick and great-tasting recipe: cucumbers 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice and dill 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill • Coarse salt and ground pepper 2-4 Cucumbers (about a pound) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise. Combine all ingredients except cucumbers, and wisk. Add to cucumbers and toss to coat. Enjoy!

lb.

1.5 lb. bag

Try them cut up and cooked with green beans and ham for a great meal. While supplies are available.

Pork Baby Back Ribs $ 99

Pork Sirloin Chops

$ 25

Fingerling Potatoes

A grilling favorite, great with our homemade BBQ sauce

Boneless

lb.

The sweetest onion you’ll ever eat. Put a big slice on your burger today!

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We reserve the right to limit quantities

n FOOD & DRINK

Imagine you’re in a Mexican market... La Rosita offers some of Madison’s best tortas, tacos and more BY AMELIA COOK FONTELLA

I’d call La Rosita one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Madison area, except it’s not really a restaurant. It’s a grocery store. The open kitchen is tucked in next to a massive meat counter in the back of the store, located on Monona Drive. Between an aisle of canned beans and the produce section are two rows of booths, a surprising amount of seating for the size of the store, yet spacious and uncrowded. La Rosita offers no table service and no frills. Order and pick up your food at the counter. (Food is also available to go.) Want chips and salsa? Get a bag of chips and a tub of La Rosita’s homemade salsa from a nearby case. Grab juices or sodas from the cooler and settle up later. Who needs frills when the food is so good? This is real Mexican food, akin to the glorious tacos, gorditas and tortas I’ve eaten on streets and in markets all over Mexico. Nothing comes with gobs of sour cream; there’s not a black olive in sight. La Rosita relies upon high-quality, wellprepared and perfectly seasoned meats. Even with more than 10 meats to choose from, no two look or taste alike. There are four delivery methods from which to choose: taco, gordita, torta or burrito. The chorizo is a wonderful surprise. Forget that greasy red stuff; La Rosita’s homemade chorizo is dry and sweet, in large crumbles with crispy edges. As a taco — served on two yellow corn El Milagro tortillas with a touch of onion and cilantro — it needs nothing added, though the housemade jalapeño-based red and green salsas won’t hurt.

Beef-lovers will appreciate the cecina, a specialty that can be hard to find. On the La Rosita menu, cecina is translated as “special style beef,” or rather, thinly sliced beef that’s salted and dried, traditionally in the sun. La Rosita’s cecina is a cross between a ridiculously thin steak and bacon, which means it’s totally delicious. I’ve recently warmed up to tongue, and, if I hadn’t already, La Rosita’s lengua tacos would have opened my mind. Here, beef tongue is cut into half-inch cubes and served in an oniony sauce. The texture is smooth but not mushy, and the flavor is delicate. If you are a little freaked out by tongue (as I once was), La Rosita is the place to give it a try. Less adventurous are the carnitas con chile. The shredded braised pork has crispy edges, and the red chiles give it a nice kick, taking this standard taco filling up a notch. No one else in Madison has carnitas that remotely compare. An important note: On the weekends, La Rosita’s menu changes a bit. Tamales and menudo are available, and the spicy carnitas con chile are replaced by stewed, non-spicy carnitas that are also available by the pound. These weekend carnitas are a whole different experience, but tasty nonetheless. Vegetarians aren’t neglected. The vegetarian taco is almost too big to eat, with well-seasoned beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato and fresh avocado. A gordita with nopales is also an excellent meatless option. A super-thick, freshly made tortilla is cut in half and stuffed with grilled, pickled cactus tossed with cooked tomatoes, onions and beans.

Hot plates

Milanesa de pollo in a torta is a delicious deal.

LA ROSITA n 6005 Monona Dr., Monona 608-221-2203 n Kitchen/ice cream counter open 11 am-7:30 pm daily n $2-$7 BETH SKOGEN PHOTOS

The immense tortas are only $5 to $6, and can easily feed two people. I highly recommend the milanesa de pollo. The chicken is pounded thin, lightly breaded and fried. La Rosita now boasts an in-store ice cream shop, too, which just opened a few months ago. Paletas (popsicles) come in every imaginable flavor, from coconut and strawberry to piñon (pine nut) and rompope (sort of a rum raisin).

My favorite treat is the mangonada, a frozen mango concoction drizzled with chamoy, that simultaneously sweet, salty and spicy syrup, and topped with a chile and tamarind dipped straw and fresh mango. Surrounded by meat, beans and produce, it’s more like eating in a food stall in a Mexican market. And that’s part of its charm, in my book. n

Eats events

What to eat this week Customizable

Grab-and-go

Surprise inside!

Which Wich, 411 State St.; 2177 Deming Way, Middleton; 2828 Prairie Lakes Dr., Sun Prairie

Fraboni’s, 822 Regent St.; 108 Owen Rd., Monona

Slide Food Cart, at 104 E. Main St. weekday noons, evenings at cart gatherings and at weekend festivals

RYAN WISNIEWSKI

The “Power Ball” is a lusciously yielding meatball stuffed with — surprise! — mozzarella cheese, topped with a hearty, earthy homemade marinara sauce. For sides, try the vinegary threebean salad and some handsliced, homemade chips.

Sunday, Aug. 16, 6 pm Reserve your spot now.

Foodie films Friday, July 31, dusk

Madison Sourdough Co., 916 Williamson St., is hosting a series of movie nights on the patio through Oct. 9. Playing this Friday is In the Mood for Love (director Wong Kar Wai), a meditation on loneliness set in a Hong Kong noodle spot.

Harvest, 21 N. Pinckney St., is hosting its popular annual six-course heirloom tomato dinner featuring rare heirloom varieties grown locally and organically. Each course is paired with a wine. Tickets ($65) through the restaurant at 608-255-6075.

For those who prefer a nice beer Monday, Aug. 24, 6 pm Reserve your spot now.

The Coopers Tavern, 20 W. Mifflin St., will host a three-course dinner, with each course highlighting heirloom tomatoes, pairing each dish with a craft beer. Proceeds benefit REAP Food Group’s “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” program. Tickets ($50) through thecooperstavern.com.

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

The chain offers little in the way of pre-invented combos; you’re the boss, among a world of add-ons. Scribble your choices onto pre-printed order slips that double as bags for your sandwich. The cold roast beef with dijon mustard, olive salad and potato chips is a winner, but so are many of the myriad others.

The Italian sub — Genoa salami paired with coppa ham that’s just a little spicy, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes and a little Italian dressing — is simple and satisfying. Perfect picnic fare.

For those who like wine with their heirloom tomatoes

n FOOD & DRINK

A new playbook The Wise launches a new Wisconsin-Spanish fusion menu

3 SHEEPS BEER DINNER MON, AUG 3 • 6-8:30 PM

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BY MICHAEL POPKE

“Now it feels more like a restaurant than an extension of the HotelRED lobby,” says chef Jesse Kloskey of the Wise, the restaurant in the hotel that sits across the street from Camp Randall Stadium at the corner of Monroe and Regent streets. Kloskey, who oversaw the three-month-long makeover this spring, arrived at the Wise in April 2014. Gone are the marble-top tables, awkward chairs and red-and-white color scheme that blended with the HotelRED theme. Today, the space features repurposed wood tables and other wood design elements that contribute to an airy, contemporary vibe. Perhaps more importantly, Kloskey has revamped the menu. Raised in Cambridge, Wis., he trained in Chicago and Spain and worked as a chef in California before returning to the Madison area. He specializes in what he calls Wisconsin-Spanish fusion cuisine. “The Spanish tradition and the Wisconsin tradition are very similar in how they embrace food, family and drink,” Kloskey says. “So it’s a natural connection to make.” Even the restaurant’s name is a nod to Spanish history. King Alfonso X, the 13th-

Asparagus salad also stars bacon, poached egg yolk and arugula.

JOE LEUTE

century king of Castile, was also referred to as “the Wise” and is commonly credited with originating the idea of tapas — appetizers designed to encourage conversation while drinking. At the Wise, tapas include pintxos, appetizers skewered on bamboo sticks. Options include Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese and figs with a touch of maple syrup, or summer sausage and Carr Valley cheddar. Menu items range from a chicken and waffle combo to the more traditional tapas plate of patatas bravas (fingerling potato fries tossed with green garlic, smoked chicken and smoked gouda cheese). Also on the menu: deep-fried beef chicharrones (a Wisconsin twist on a Spanish fried pork dish, with a “French onion soup” dip) and olive oil-poached prawns served with fennel

ragout, fingerling potatoes, olives and saffron jus. “People want to eat what makes them feel comfortable,” Kloskey says. “But they don’t mind if it’s tweaked a bit.” Kloskey obtains many ingredients from local and regional sources, but imports a few select items from Spain, including jamón ibérico de bellota — one of the most expensive hams in the world. He also grows many of his own ingredients (predominantly varieties of peppers) with a special soil mix, in 250 fabric pots that are part of the garden at his Cambridge home. Regular menus will change every two or three weeks. Game-day menus, however, will include brats and wings. No tweaking necessary. n

Style and substance El Grito Taqueria breaks the mold with SoCal tacos, vintage trailer cart BY LINDA FALKENSTEIN

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

When I catch up via phone with El Grito Taqueria co-owner Joshua Barraza, he’s traveling back from Janesville, where he’s just taken some chickens to be processed. They’re birds that his business partner, Matthew Danky, raised on his family’s farm outside Stoughton, and they’ll eventually end up in tacos served at El Grito, the duo’s new food cart. The cart will debut Aug. 8 (noon-4 p.m.) in front of Context Clothing, 113 King St. Danky, the chef, is a veteran of such Madison restaurants as L’Etoile (during the Odessa Piper era) and Cafe Montmarte. Most recently, he was operating a puerta

Roasted sweet potato with ancho chile orange glaze, in a taco!

cerada, or “closed door” restaurant in Buenos Aires — more or less a private supper club run out of the chef’s own home. Barraza, the cart’s marketing arm, was born in Los Angeles. Although he moved to Madison as a kid, his father’s family continues to live in Southern California. “Nobody does tacos like L.A.,” says Barraza. Most Mexican food found in Madison is “more like Tex-Mex or from the border states,” he says, noting that Mexico has 31 states with vastly different regional specialties. SoCal’s thriving taco scene draws from more regions, and its typical fare is “more refined,” Barraza says. He and Danky (who has family in Southern California and went to college there) will draw from L.A.’s diverse menu of tacos and also focus on natural and organic ingredients from area farmers. El Grito will launch serving five different tacos (fillings will rotate, so the menu won’t always be the same) and two beverages — a prickly pear lemonade and horchata, the sweet rice-based, cinnamon-inflected refresher. Customers might find a roasted sweet potato taco with ancho chili orange glaze, for instance, topped with crema, cilantro and crispy sweet potato chips, or stewed beef with smoked serrano peppers, bacon, a tomatillo-avocado salsa and radishes. Barraza also enthuses over their 27-ingredient Oaxacan mole over shredded chicken.

The El Grito “cart” is actually a retrofitted vintage 1969 Fleetwing “canned ham”-style travel trailer, towed by a 1973 Ford F 100 pickup. Although Madison’s cart regulations have dictated more rectangular, custommade trailers, city of Madison street vending coordinator Warren Hansen says that as long as the Fleetwing is within the dimensions required in the city ordinance, it’s all good. Hansen says he doesn’t want to see the city with all “100% prefab” trailers, and notes that there’s another odd duck among vendors, Cafe Social, which sells coffee out of a former mail truck. After its grand opening, El Grito plans to concentrate on special events, lunches at Epic and American Family, and, once the UW-Madison is back in session, late nights Thursday-Saturday on Broom Street. After participating in the city’s fall cart review, the gatekeeper to coveted Mall-Concourse sites, Barraza hopes they’ll score a slot on the Capitol Square for 2016. El Grito Taqueria is one of several new carts to spend its first year vending around town via lunches at area business parks and neighborhood dinner nights, before gearing up to secure a Mall-Concourse site. Some are eschewing Mall-Concourse vending altogether, increasingly becoming a possible business strategy. n

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The green fairy — as a slushy Absinthe in a cooling frappé When it’s hot and humid, there’s little more refreshing than an absinthe frappé. Absinthe first arrived in the U.S. via New Orleans in the early 1800s. In the 1870s, Cayetano Ferrer concocted the first frappé at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street. The bar still exists, and you can drink from the same place that once served the drink to Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain. The frappé is a simple drink, requiring just a few mint leaves, absinthe, simple syrup (just hard-shake equal parts water and sugar together) and maybe a dash of soda water. Muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of a shaker (or use a glass), add crushed ice, and pour in 1 1/2 ounces of absinthe, 1/2 ounce of the simple syrup and 2 ounces of soda. If you have a shaker, shake vigorously and pour the drink out into a glass. If you don’t, rock the concoction back and forth between two glasses a few times and then serve. Vom Fass, 119 State St., recently threw an absinthe party to introduce the liqueur to Madison imbibers. The store offers a few different varieties (available in sizes as small as 50ml for the curious but uncommitted), and its Libertine 72 will make a cooling, memorable frappé.

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ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

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Norwegian Wood IPA from the original recipe Since the Grumpy Troll opened in 1998, it’s witnessed an evolution in beer tastes. It recently brought back its first IPA, Norwegian Wood, using the original recipe developed by local homebrewer Ted Gisske and former Grumpy Troll brewer Steve Itzenhuiser in 2005. It’s made with lots of English tradition. The beer features Maris Otter malt and is hopped with English Fuggels, East Kent Goldings and Styrian Goldings hops. This is a solid hoppy beer. There’s a firm bitterness that is crisp, floral, herbal and dry, and I really enjoy the balance with the biscuit tones of the Maris Otter malt. Today, it seems more at the level of an assertive pale ale, but there’s no fault in that. A decade ago, IPAs were just emerging on the craft beer scene, so what was an IPA then may seem a little tame to today’s hop enthusiasts. “Ten years ago we didn’t think hoppy beers would sell,” recalls Grumpy Troll brewmaster Mark Knoebl. Knoebl

credits Gisske with pushing the brewpub to take notice of how tastes were evolving. Because it is an “English” version of the style, don’t expect it to take you on the roller-coaster ride of hops found in an American IPA. Bottom line: I like this beer because it’s flavorful, and its bitterness isn’t so aggressive that the hops take over the palate. Which is also a good trait for a versatile meal beer. Norwegian Wood ends up at 6.1% ABV with an estimated 64 IBUs. It sells for $4.50/pint, $13/ growler (refill).

— ROBIN SHEPARD

Dessert in a cup Why the frozen salted caramel latte will never die What to drink when you’re in the mood for coffee, but you’d also like something sweet? Like maybe ice cream. But definitely still coffee. Also maybe a little whipped cream. Enter Ancora Coffee Roasters’ new summer drink menu, featuring icy, blended delights to chase both a sugar high and a caffeine buzz. It’s doubtful a true coffee snob would order a beverage like this, but that’s not to say they aren’t delicious. And sometimes, on a hot July afternoon, a coffee milkshake is the perfect treat. I stopped in the 112 King St. Ancora and tried the frozen salted caramel latte. Salted caramel is one of those trendy flavor pair-

ings from a few years back that continues to have staying power, probably because it’s so darn tasty. Ancora’s rich, bright espresso adds another layer of flavor, and the entire concoction is expertly whipped into a perfect icy froth. The whipped cream topper is drizzled with more caramel syrup and sprinkled with salt crystals that provide a delightful crunch. If you’re going to max out your daily caloric intake in one sitting, be a responsible consumer and patronize a quality, local roaster. Ancora, a fixture in Madison for more than 20 years, sources organic, fair trade beans and roasts some of the best coffee in town.

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Bend, stretch, focus, feel good Exceptional Kids Yoga Project empowers developmentally disabled youth BY KATE NEWTON

“Think good things, say good things, and feel good things.” This simple phrase is a mantra for participants and volunteers at the Exceptional Kids Yoga Project. “We also close with namaste, which means ‘the light in me honors and sees the light in you,’” says yoga instructor Kristin Wilson. But, she adds, “‘think good things, say good things’ is so appropriate for the population we work with.” The program, which offers free classes for children with developmental disabilities, promotes physical autonomy and emotional empowerment through the practice of yoga, already known for its calming effects. The local nonprofit was established in fall 2014 by Heather Hazelwood and Tora Frank. Frank, mother to a daughter with Down syndrome, found a void when seeking activities that would enable her daughter to feel comfortable and confident, yet challenged. For 7-year-old Asha, curious and flexible, yoga seemed like a natural choice. But there was no existing program for kids with developmental disabilities to practice yoga together in a group setting. Hazelwood connected with Wilson, a yoga instructor at Dragonfly Hot Yoga with 10

years of special education experience. Wilson says her involvement with Exceptional Kids Yoga Project has allowed her to “blend the best of two passions” and use her special education background to tailor the poses and exercises to each individual child while still maintaining a cohesive flow throughout the class. The class is above all a safe space that fosters confidence and a sense of community. “We try to offer lots of Asha practices her reverse table top pose during a game of yoga adaptations and visuals. bingo with volunteer and physical therapy student Laura Dean. We have volunteers model for the kids, hoping that “It’s do-at-your-own-pace-and-level,” says each child successfully gets into the pose to the Diane Wakely. Her 18-year-old son, Ben, a selfbest of his or her ability,” says Wilson. proclaimed fan of the boat pose, had previously After running several pilot classes for kids 5 practiced yoga at home with his father. “[Ben] and older, followed by a four-week series, both has always liked moving, so we thought it would parents and a growing team of volunteers saw be good to strengthen some of his muscles,” says the physical and mental progression of the kids Wakely. “He seems to enjoy it, so we thought attending class regularly. Even children particithis might be a nice time to bring him back to it.” pating for the first time experienced the sense One of the original purposes of the classes of accomplishment the comes with getting into a pose, staying focused or meeting a new friend. was to give parents and other caregivers a short

respite, but some families sought a more active role. Now, there are classes for kids, teens, caregivers and families. The wholefamily classes are especially valuable, Hazelwood says, because sibling activities can be difficult to coordinate when one or more children are developmentally disabled. “The kids really get into it, and it’s fun to see [participants] interact across families,” Hazelwood adds. A June 19 fundraiser for the yoga program raised more than $4,000; the goal is now to increase attendance, schedule more classes and continue offering services free of charge. Exceptional Kids Yoga Project will hold its next Whole Family Yoga Class on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. in its space at 726 Heartland Trail, Vanta Suite 180. Unlike for the group classes, drop-ins are allowed (though advance registration is appreciated) — and “family” can be loosely interpreted. Friends, neighbors and classmates are also welcome to participate. “These kids are amazing,” says instructor Wilson. “If we can be a little bright light in their overwhelming week with school and therapy and doctor’s appointments, to ease a little anxiety, that’s what we’re hoping to do.” For class schedule, volunteer policy and registration for all classes, see ekyp.org or call 608-807-0801. n

Book for a banner year The 2014-15 Badgers men’s basketball season is memorialized in Make ’Em Believe

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

BY MICHAEL POPKE

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Big dance, big book.

After the 2013-14 University of Wisconsin men’s basketball season ended with a devastating one-point loss to Kentucky in the Final Four, senior Zach Bohannon gave Patrick Herb, assistant athletic director of communications for Badgers men’s basketball, a parting gift. It was a blank, leather-bound journal. On the first page, Bohannon had written this about the Badgers team that would follow his own: “If this team is as special as we think it is, keep notes during the season, because you’re going to want them. Someday, you’ll write a book.” That inspiration, along with a nudge from Peter Clark, head of KCI Sports Publishing in Stevens Point, led to the recent publication of Make ’Em Believe: The Inside Story of the Badgers’ Road to the 2015 Final Four. Bohannon’s words echoed the sentiments of everybody on the 2014-15 team as they made their way to the NCAA finals. “Everybody on that team understood it was an all-or-nothing goal,” Herb says.

Yet the Badgers fell short of that goal by five points, losing to Duke 68-63 in the championship game this past spring. Nevertheless, last season’s magical journey is compellingly chronicled in Make ’Em Believe, which is full of Herb’s insider perspective and exclusive photos from his personal collection. “This team was a very endearing group,” Herb says. “Press conferences became events. There was a purist appeal about the players; they embodied all things that were positive about college sports.”

Herb admits he didn’t keep notes as diligently as he should have, which turned out to be crucial as Clark pushed him for a book — that he wanted on sale by Father’s Day. That meant Herb had less than two months to write about the most successful basketball season in UW history. He took three weeks off work, set up shop at libraries and coffeehouses, and delivered the book within six weeks. Shortly following its publication, on June 25, Badger standouts Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker were chosen in the first round of the NBA draft. Herb was there, too. “Both of them were as nervous as I’d ever seen them,” Herb says, adding that he also witnessed Kaminsky and Dekker pass each other in a hallway while being shuttled between media interviews and warmly embrace. “It was acknowledgement to each other of what they’d done.” n

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Blistering pop The Hussy are Midwest ambassadors of rock ’n’ roll BY PAUL SMIRL

With garage rock ambitions, remarkable chemistry and a dedication to songcraft, Bobby Hussy and Heather Sawyer’s musical partnership has flourished in the seven years since their band was born in an east-side Madison basement. The bandmates first came together in 2008, when they rehearsed a one-off show as the rhythm section in the short-lived band Kaliko. Performing as the Hussy, they have since established themselves as Midwest ambassadors of rock ’n’ roll, DIY shows and the power of the two-piece band. “That’s forever,” guitarist and singer Bobby Hussy says in reference to the Hussy’s duo lineup. “Heather’s holding [drums] down extremely well. It’s loud, and in the right setting, it sounds perfect.” Locally, that setting has often been Mickey’s Tavern, a tiny, stageless bar on Willy Street that Bobby says he’ll look back on in 20 years as the home of some of the Hussy’s best shows. With the crowd pushed right up against the performers, the Hussy’s bare, in-your-face live sets have benefitted from immediate audience connections. And with the Hussy’s blistering songs, Bobby and Heather haven’t had a problem putting on wild shows by themselves. “If I write a riff, I’m hoping it’s going to cover a lot of ground,” Bobby says. “Every night you’re playing against a band with a bass player, so you have to do something to make it stand out. I’d like to think that both of us write catchy songs, that the melodies have high importance.”

The Hussy’s local haunt is often Mickey’s Tavern, but in May the band celebrated its new album release at the High Noon Saloon (left).

TIM RADL

“To me it’s always been melodies first,” Heather adds, noting that both she and Bobby bring fully finished or partially completed songs into rehearsal before hashing them out together. Using their self-described “trash” aesthetic to thoughtfully adorn concise pop tunes, their collaborations have resulted in major earworms. “Down That Road,” from their new album Galore, for instance, has Heather reeling “Just go go go go, go-go-go” in a sing-along chorus flanked by fuzzed-out guitars and a romping open hi-hat groove. On the garage anthem “Made in the Shade,” Bobby swaggeringly sings “I don’t care what you say, I’ve got it made in the shade” dur-

ing a hook that would put Top 40 acts to shame. Making incredibly poppy music in a genre seemingly destined for the underground, Bobby and Heather are having a great time. “I can’t play music with another person like I play with Heather,” says Bobby. “I don’t have another person who’s that telepathic. We know where the songs are going to go. If we bring a new song in, we practice it two times, hit ‘record,’ and it’s golden. We’re in each other’s headspace.” With six LPs tracked and 500-plus concerts behind them, the Hussy have started to explore different live arrangements for special shows,

Funky pedigree The Jimmys hope to have new CD available at Live on King Street

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

BY MICHAEL POPKE

A longtime staple of the Madison music scene, Jimmy Voegeli and his band, the Jimmys, have carved out an old-school Chicago blues niche fueled by horns, Hammond B-3, funk and fun. If Voegeli’s name rings a bell, it’s because the singer and keyboardist spent 18 years in the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band — one of Madison’s legendary blues groups — and he’s earned multiple Wisconsin Area Music Industry accolades and Madison Area Music Awards. But the Jimmys’ astonishing musical pedigree doesn’t stop there. Voegeli plucked the three-man horn section and bassist Johnny Wartenweiler from the band led by former James Brown drummer Clyde

Stubblefield; that outfit used to perform regularly at the Frequency. New guitarist Perry Weber counts Milwaukee harmonica player Jim Liban and the late Luther Allison among his mentors, and drummer Mauro Magellan played in the Georgia Satellites, a Southern rock band that scored a top-five single in 1986 with “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.” All of this means the Jimmys had a built-in fan base when they started making music together and released Gimme the Jimmys in 2011 and HaDaYa Do That Thing Live! in 2013. Imagine a fantasy jam between Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Mighty Blue Kings. The Jimmys hope to have their third CD, Hot Dish, available when the band opens for Sonny Knight & the Lakers at the Live on King Street free concert series Aug. 7. “It may or may not be a CD release party,” Voegeli says,

bringing in Tyler Fassnacht on guitar for local gigs such as their recent Shitty Barn session and playing as a six-piece for Galore’s release party at High Noon Saloon. They also plan to enlist guest musicians at their next Madison performance, an opening set for Benjamin Booker on Sept. 18 at Live on King Street. Ultimately, though, the Hussy have built a career on being a no-nonsense group with a two-headed vision. They are Bobby and Heather, and the Hussy is their family: “This is like our dog, cat and child,” says Bobby. “We got all three going in the Hussy. It’s always going to be what I’m in love with.” n

The players had a built-in fan base when they started making music together in 2011.

explaining that minor unforeseen delays might prevent the physical discs from being available at the gig. “We’ll definitely have downloads available.” Hot Dish represents the Jimmys’ musical maturation during the past two years, as band

members changed and the addition of Weber introduced a new songwriting dynamic to the group. The lineup now includes seven members, down from nine. Says Voegeli, “This is as few as we could have to still get the sound I want.” n

Peter Miller (far left) and his band will perform at the Shitty Barn on Aug. 5.

Love letters from a soldier We Are the Willows album inspired by grandparents’ correspondence BY JON KJARSGAARD

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JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

Alvin Miller and Verlie Branstner began dating in the summer of 1942 after Alvin took a job chopping wood for Verlie’s father in rural Minnesota. The couple began writing letters that fall, when Alvin was drafted into the Army to serve in World War II. Deployed to the South West Pacific, he did not return until 1946. “There are about 350 letters that actually made it to my grandma,” says Peter Miller, the lead singer and principal songwriter for We Are the Willows, the Minneapolis ensemble performing at the Shitty Barn in Spring Green on Aug. 5. “He most likely wrote many more that never made it to her.” For the most part, only Alvin’s letters survived. Miller inherited them eight years ago, and they have since served as inspiration for his orchestral folk rock band’s 2014 album Picture (Portrait). Miller says his grandfather was not able to disclose much about what was happening in his life. Army censors combed through each letter, editing and sometimes rejecting them. Instead, Alvin reminisced about old times. “He lived in the past,” says Miller. “He said that he preferred to think of the past because the present was so difficult and the future was so uncertain.” Decades later, Miller lived with his grandparents while attending Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minn., paying rent by helping out around the house. “I had heard [my grandmother] talk about the letters,” Miller says. “She spoke of them in the way that a person might speak

about someone they once knew, with a fondness that only love can foster and with knowledge of time passed.” Miller says his grandmother would sometimes ask what he wished to inherit from her. His answer was always the same: “The letters.” When Miller graduated in 2007, Alvin and Verlie granted his wish. Over the next seven years, between his jobs, tours and recordings, Miller read all the letters, seeing his grandfather in a new light. “I saw a man in a moment in time, with his future floating above him.” Alvin died in 2012, survived by a large family and his wife of 66 years. “As my grandpa’s health deteriorated, I saw writing about his story as a way to know him more,” Miller says. “To honor him and to make sense of the inevitability of death.” Picture (Portrait) explores themes of family, separation, death and devotion. In the second track, “Dear Ms. Branstner,” the narrator talks about the possibility of his own passing, warning that “a 21-gun salute could bring me back to you, in a casket wrapped in a flag.” But the final track, “Wondering Out of My Head,” is hopeful, as the narrator speaks of buying a home, having children and growing old together. No spoiler alert necessary — they do become Peter Miller’s grandparents, after all. Miller says his grandmother was one of the first people to hear the record. “I went to her house for lunch, and we listened to it together. She said I captured my grandpa’s voice and she felt like she had gone back in time.” n

T HE S TEEL W HEELS H EADLINE

n STAG E

Dance Life Studio continued from 19

gandydancerfestival.org

explain the permutations of Egyptian, Turkish, American Cabaret, American Tribal Style and Tribal Fusion belly dance and their sister dance, Khaleegy. And sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passionate about dispelling misconceptions about belly dancing: â&#x20AC;&#x153;People often equate it with stripping and consider it a very sexual dance.â&#x20AC;?Â She also believes some people are threatened by women who are comfortable in their bodies, despite the many ways dancing is sexualized in our culture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I see Latin ballroom dance, two people are all over each other, and that is way more sexual than an undulation, which people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to be able to handle,â&#x20AC;? she says, popping up to demonstrate a smooth roll of her pelvis. Undulations are par for the course at Dance Life, which, in addition to hosting many levels and styles of belly dance, also teaches classes in Bollywood and burlesque in addition to zumba, Pilates and yoga. Initially skeptical, Leane Tyska tested the waters with a Groupon-discounted class punch card, trying a Bhangra (Indian pop dance) class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was so surprised by how good the instruction was, what a good workout it was and how absolutely fun it was. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m

Comedy

excited to try the Bollywood class as well as traditional belly dancing,â&#x20AC;? says Tyska. The post-recession timing of the opening wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ideal, but the studio has succeeded financially and in its greater mission. When observing classes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evident that students of all shapes and skill levels have found a safe space to enjoy moving their bodies. Says Juliette: â&#x20AC;&#x153;For somebody to say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;this place has changed my lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; means so much to me.â&#x20AC;? n SHIMMY IN THE GRAIN WORKSHOPS n July 31-Aug. 2 at Dance Life Studio and Fitness Everything from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hip-hop moves you can actually useâ&#x20AC;? to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Balkan rebranded.â&#x20AC;? PERFORMANCES n Aug. 1 and 2 at Middleton Performing Arts Center (2100 Bristol St., Middleton) Professional and amateur dancers performing African, Bollywood, tribal fusion, flamenco and belly dancing. Complete information is available at shimmyinthegrain.com.

Five Comedy Club standups to see in August

Jesse Joyce Aug. 6-8

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re probably more familiar with this New York-based comicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jokes than you are with his face: Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s written for everything from the Seth MacFarlane-hosted Academy Awards to nearly a dozen Comedy Central roasts, including those of Donald Trump, Justin Bieber and James Franco. But his true love is standup, where his undeniable charisma and observational humor really shine.

Andrew Santino , 7 $7 ( $ , 5 I & 2 0

ÂŠ ? Â¨ÂŠ G Â¨ÂŠ Â&#x152; ÂŠ ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUGUST 5, 2015

Benefitting Hunger Task Force

Get into the State Fair for just $2 when you donate at least two (2) non-perishable food items or make a cash donation outside any Fair admission entrance. $2 admission is valid on Thursday, August 6 only. Promotion will end promptly at 4pm

Aug. 13-15

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to determine whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most impressive about this up-and-coming comic: his work in the short-lived ABC comedy Mixology, his role in the Yahoo! series Sin City Saints (starring Malin Akerman) or his prodigious red leg hair which earned him the nickname â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cheeto.â&#x20AC;? Decide for yourself when the proud ginger brings his best jokes to Madison.

Jon Dore Aug. 20-22

According to his Comedy Central bio, this Ottawa-born comicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite hobby is â&#x20AC;&#x153;wasting peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time.â&#x20AC;? We call his bluff. Dore is an accomplished standup who has appeared as a correspondent on CTVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canadian Idol and on episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Inside Amy Schumer.

The Sklar Brothers Aug. 27-29

For the last decade, twins Randy and Jason Sklar have been the face(s) of sports comedy. From their cult ESPN clip show Cheap Seats to their Sklarboro Country podcast on the Earwolf network, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been making light of the often-ridiculous world of athletics. The best part? You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to know a thing about sports to enjoy the Sklarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offbeat, irreverent brand of humor.

Doug Loves Movies Podcast Aug. 29

Los Angeles comedian Doug Benson is part slacker king, part media entrepreneur extraordinaire. Star of Super High Me, host of YouTube series Getting Doug with High, namesake for The Benson Interruption podcast and the late Comedy Central Benson Interruption television show, he is always working, albeit through a haze. Here, Benson brings his popular Doug Loves Movies podcast to the stage, engaging in riotous film-centric conversation with funny people.

PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL, SHOW, AND SALE Mineral Point, Wisconsin August 5-8 Learn more at artsmp.org

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES FREE Every Thursday & Saturday from 6-8pm TRAPPER SCHOEPP TRIO Thursday, July 30th

CRIS PLATA Saturday, August 1st

PAOLI SCHOOLHOUSE Shops & Cafe

For full schedule visit paolischoolhouseshops.com • 608-848-6261

Blue Moon 20th Anniversary

Lunar Party FRIDAY, JULY 31

2000 oz. of Free Blue Moon Belgian White at each location beginning at 20:00 (8pm)

AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATRE EM BR ACE SU M M ER

NOW PLAYING On the Hill T H E M E R RY W I V E S O F W I N D S O R By William Shakespeare A STREETCAR NA MED DESIRE By Tennessee Williams PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Adapted by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan From the novel by Jane Austen

Free 20th Anniversary Blue Moon Glass 23oz. glasses for 2000 oz. of free beer

Blue Moon Promotion Girls from 8-10pm at each location

at these locations

In the Touchstone Theatre AN ILIAD By Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare Adapted from Homer’s The Iliad by Robert Fagles

Plus three more plays to open in August. Eric Parks and Brian Mani in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Photo by Liz Lauren.

americanplayers.org 608.588.2361

$4 for 20oz. Blue Moon Drafts $2 Off 23oz. Blue Moon Drafts

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

THE ISL AND By Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona

Madison & Sun Prairie

$2 Off Pints of Blue Moon

WlN FREE STUFF

Isthmus.com/promotions

MIDWEST SUNSPLASH

FEST August 7-8 at Sister Bay, WI

❏ ISTHMUS ON TAP

What’s happening this weekend

❏ ISTHMUS MOVIE TIMES All the movies, all the times

n SCREENS

Raunchy but predictable Vacation loses its comedic momentum through marketing overkill BY SCOTT RENSHAW

Early in Vacation, patriarch Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) tries to fire up his family — wife Debbie (Christina Applegate) and sons James (Skyler Gisondo) and Kevin (Steele Stebbins) — about taking a car trip to the Walley World amusement park, just like the one he took with his parents and sister 30 years earlier. James interjects: “I’ve never even heard of the original vacation.” “Doesn’t matter,” Rusty responds; “the new vacation will stand on its own.” It’s a solid gag in the age of the perpetual remake/reboot cycle, but writer/directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein (screenwriters of Horrible Bosses) probably didn’t take into account the age of the perpetual marketing cycle. Because anyone who has seen a Warner Bros. movie in the last two months has already heard that joke — and plenty of others in the Vacation trailer — over and over and over again. Is it fair to assess a movie relative to the way it’s being sold? Probably not. But having seen the best parts of the movie in the trailer doesn’t help me laugh any more at the movie itself. The premise, just as it was in the Chevy Chase original, allows for plenty of jokes built around the tension and claustrophobia of long family road trips. As the Griswolds head from Chicago to California in their rented Albanian car, Rusty and Debbie confront the possibility that their marriage is growing stale, and James deals with his unwelcome role as victim of bullying from younger Kevin. Vacation tries to do that thing so many 21st-century raunch-comedies do, where filmmakers try to balance the grossouts with the idea that it’s really all about people and their emotions and their sensitivities and whatnot. It’s not actually about any of that, which is fine much of the time. The running bit involving the family’s mutant car and its incomprehensible features — a GPS system that suddenly starts shouting in Korean; a

The film has some solid gags, but often confuses being naughty with being funny.

rotating driver’s seat — somehow keeps finding great material. And there’s a terrific moment about a friend passive-aggressively complaining about Debbie not “liking” her Instagram pictures. In general, Vacation is at its best when its simply surreal — like Rusty’s frustrations trying to kick tumbleweeds — or making the most of the comic performances by Applegate and Chris Hemsworth (as Rusty’s justifiably narcissistic brother-in-law) rather than going for the gross-out gags. But Vacation goes for those gags in ways that are sometimes predictable, even beyond the bits that have been plastered all over the trailers. An extended sequence and multiple punch lines are built around Rusty’s lack of familiarity with a certain terminology for a sexual practice, which could be funny if anything else in the movie suggested that he was quite so naïve; he is certainly acquainted with the concept of a “glory hole.” And while Applegate is a game enough performer that she can wring the most out of a sequence involving repeated bouts

of projectile vomiting, Vacation too often falls back on that notion that simply being naughty — “Can you believe how many time we let the younger boy drop f-bombs!” — is the same as being funny. Still, it’s hard not to wonder how much funnier Vacation might have been if Warner Bros. had been willing to allow just a little more discovery of its wildest high concepts. In yet another often-marketed scene, Vacation plays on a callback to a signature bit from the original movie, involving a sexy woman flirting with Rusty while they’re both driving. It’s a terrific concept for a visual joke, but a comedy’s momentum is ruined when you’re spending several minutes sitting through the set-up for a joke whose payoff has been hammered into your retinas for weeks. In a way, I feel bad for Daley and Goldstein, who may fumble a few opportunities, but mostly collide with a marketing department whose job isn’t to trust that the new Vacation will stand on its own. n

Television ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

It’s the end of The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart era

Up to 6 rentals at a time One of each pair may be a new arrival Expires 8/13/2015

MARTIN CROOK

It seems like 2015 is the year everything ends: Mad Men, David Letterman and now the Jon Stewart era of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show (series finale Aug. 6, 10 p.m.). He took over from Craig Kilborn in 1999 and never looked back. Stewart’s hallmark is his intelligent, bitingly fierce sense of humor, which made him the king of late night cable. Along with a wealth of clips, Stewart leaves behind a legacy that will be tough to match. Some highlights from his run include top-notch elec-

tion coverage and an array of talented correspondents. It’s important to recognize the countless careers that emerged from his Daily Show, including Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Kristen Schaal, Larry Wilmore, Ed Helms and John Oliver. In testament to the program’s success, it has received 18 Emmy Awards with Stewart at the helm. His heir to the Daily Show throne is Trevor Noah, who starts Sept. 28.

— ALEX CLAIBORNE

The film list New releases Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation: Ethan Hunt still barely exists as a character after five movies, but it doesn’t matter much when the action beats are so strong. Between a fistfight, an underwater race and a motorcycle chase, this installment does nothing to dim the hope that the franchise can keep rolling. Your move, 007.

Recent releases Ant-Man: Paul Rudd’s disarming charm is the perfect antidote to the self-seriousness of recent super antiheroes. It is Marvel’s first straight-up comedy, and, thankfully, it works. A breezy and well-crafted popcorn flick that knows what it is and does what it does to an intoxicating degree. Mr. Holmes: This novel adaptation weaves between three timelines in the life of a retired Sherlock Holmes as he revisits an unsolved case. The mystery is never particularly fascinating, and director Bill Condon proves simply functional at keeping the chronological balls in the air. Mostly, it’s about the pleasure of watching Ian McKellen’s performance, subtly affecting at conveying a man famed for his dazzling mind trying to cope with its deterioration. Paper Towns: Author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) may be the hottest thing in youngadult fiction, but it’s not because he’s relying on a formula. This latest adaptation casts Nat Wolff as a by-the-book Florida high school senior who spends one wild night with a longtime crush (Cara Delevingne) before she suddenly disappears, sending Wolff and friends on a hunt for her whereabouts. It’s refreshing to find a funny, frisky teen narrative that makes the simple pleasures of friendship as profound as True Love. Pixels: The premise of alien invaders that adopt the shapes of characters from 1980s arcade games is too ridiculous to unpack here. Suffice it to say that the film’s action occurs in a world in which Kevin James is the president of the United States, a job the actor carries off with all the aplomb and dignity of a zookeeper or mall cop.

Brews &

BANDS

Con Air: A paroled former U.S. Army Ranger (Nicolas Cage) trying to get home is on a plane hijacked by other convicts. Memorial Union Terrace, Aug. 3, 9 pm. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Director Terry Gilliam successfully shepherds what should be an unfilmable Hunter S. Thompson book to the screen, aided by gonzo performances from Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Central Library, Aug. 6, 6:30 pm. Imitation of Life: Douglas Sirk’s 1959 melodrama, which parallels the rise of a Broadway star and the efforts of her maid’s light-skinned daughter to pass for white. Cinematheque, July 31, 7 pm.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Mad Max: Fury Road

Cinderella

Minions

Far from the Madding Crowd

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Furious 7

Spy

Home

Terminator Genisys

Inside Out

Tomorrowland

Jurassic World

Trainwreck

STARTS WED TRAINWRECK

STARTS FRIDAY

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:35, 4:15), 6:55, 9:35; Sat: (11:00 AM, 1:35, 4:15), 6:55, 9:35; Sun: (11:00 AM, 1:35, 4:15), 7:35; Mon - Thu: (2:15, 5:00), 7:35

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION NO PASSES CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION Fri & Sat: (1:15, 4:00), 6:45, 9:30; Sun: (1:15, 4:00), 7:30; Mon - Thu: (2:00, 4:45), 7:30

Join us at

NO PASSES - CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:30, 4:25), 7:00, 9:20; Sat: (11:30 AM, 1:30, 4:25), 7:00, 9:20; Sun: (11:30 AM, 1:30, 4:25), 7:50; Mon - Thu: (2:10, 5:05), 7:50

MR. HOLMES

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

INSIDE OUT

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (2:10, 4:30), 6:50, 9:05; Sat: (11:15 AM, 2:10, 4:30), 6:50, 9:05; Sun: (11:15 AM, 2:10, 4:30), 7:45; Mon - Thu: (2:25, 5:15), 7:45 Fri: (2:00, 4:20), 7:05, 9:10; Sat: (11:35 AM, 2:00, 4:20), 7:05, 9:10; Sun: (11:35 AM, 2:00, 4:20), 8:00; Mon - Thu: (2:20, 5:10), 8:00

322 W. JOHNSON ST.

THURS. AUG. 13, 6-8 PM

PAPER TOWNS

NO PASSES - CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (2:05, 4:35), 7:10, 9:25; Sat: (11:25 AM, 2:05, 4:35), 7:10, 9:25; Sun: (11:25 AM, 2:05, 4:35), 7:40; Mon-Wed: (2:05, 4:50), 7:40; Thu: (2:05 PM)

Amenity Fees Vary With Schedule - ( ) = Mats. www.sundancecinemas.com/choose LOCATED AT HILLDALE MALL 608.316.6900 www.sundancecinemas.com Gift Cards Available at Box Office

Showtimes subject to change. Visit website to confirm Closed captioning and descriptive narrative available for select films

Showtimes for July 30 - August 6

FREE ENTRANCE COMPLIMENTARY (2 PER PERSON)

Green Genes:

Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest, Leinenkugel’s IPL, and Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy

All Leinenkugel’s Products $3 (4pm-close) FREE 16 oz. Leinenkugel’s Glassware (while supplies last)

FREE Samples of Big Eddy Uber - Oktoberfest (while supplies last)

Music by

Wrenclaw THRIFTSTORE COUNTRY

Pitch Perfect 2

RSVP at isthmustickets.com

Science Café

Join us for informal, jargon-free conversation between scientists and the general public. Free Admission - Kids Welcome!

MONDAY, AUG. 10

Goodman Community Center 149 Waubesa St., Madison Doors open 6:30pm • Program 7-8pm Mingling afterwards A cash bar with beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available

• Organic plant breeding trivia • Quick, PowerPoint-free conversation-starters from our panel of plant breeders • Large group Q&A • Mingling, conversation, and some laughs For more information: Visit www.soseeds.org

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

Also in theaters

Madison’s Favorite Movie Theater -Isthmus Best Movie Theater in Madison -Madison Magazine Sign up for our new Loyalty Program – Working together to get you FREE MOVIES!

VACATION

Southpaw: Billy Hope, a kid from Hell’s Kitchen raised in the foster care system, is already the undisputed and undefeated light heavyweight champion when a sudden tragedy occurs. Jake Gyllenhaal finds yet another reservoir of intensity for a tricky role, and the film dodges the boxing movie formula.

More film events

Madison’s Only Movie Theatre to Offer: Great Food & Beverages And...REAL butter on your popcorn

Keb’ Mo’ Band

picks

Tuesday, Aug. 4, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm In the 35 years that this Nashville-based singer, songwriter and guitarist has been recording, he’s earned three Grammys and some serious street cred as a genuine purveyor of the Delta blues. He’s also earned the right to reinvent himself as an Americana artist for his newest release, 2015’s intimate and joyful BLUESAmericana.

thu july 30 MU S I C

North American Unicycle Convention & Championships: through 8/1, at various locations around Madison, with workshops, parade, annual meeting. Spectators free; competitors $135; non-competitors $35. Schedule: uninationals2015.com.

T HE AT E R & DANCE

Miss Julie Thursday, July 30, Memorial Union Play Circle, 7:30 pm

Central Park Sessions: The Silk Road Session Thursday, July 30, Olbrich Park, 5 pm

This fundraising concert benefits eight nonprofits in the community, but attending it will make you feel as if you’ve traveled half a world away. Destinations on this audio journey include Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble’s Django Reinhardt-influenced vintage jazz at 5 p.m., Dengue Fever’s Cambodian rock at 6:30 and Hanggai’s (above) unique spin on Mongolian folk at 8:30.

August Strindberg’s Miss Julie is a play of life, love and conflicting social classes. The young Miss Julie has broken off her engagement and fallen suddenly for Jean, her young valet. Jean finds Miss Julie beautiful, but he finds her social status even more desirable. A free production from Fermat’s Last Theater Company. ALSO: Friday and Saturday (7:30 pm) and Sunday (2 pm), July 31-Aug. 2. Through Aug. 9.

Bowl-A-Vard Lanes: Angels and Outlaws, free, 6 pm. Capital Brewery, Middleton: Sam Lyons Band, 6 pm. Cardinal Bar: DJ Chamo, Latin, 10 pm. Come Back In: Jesse Hendrix Experience, free, 5 pm. Dean House: New Horizons, free/donations, 7 pm.

Nine

Essen Haus: The Midwesterners, free, 9 pm.

Thursday, July 30, The Brink Lounge, 7:30 pm

The Frequency: Mono In Stereo (CD release), Cloverlane, punk, 9 pm.

A famous Italian film director is in a rut — both in his career and in his marriage. In search of a muse, Guido turns to all the women in his life, past and present, for answers. But what happens when you try to put the most intimate parts of your life on film? The Music Theatre of Madison presents the award-winning musical. ALSO: Friday and Saturday (7:30 pm), July 31-Aug. 1.

Gray’s Tied House, Verona: Robert J, free, 6 pm. Harriet Park, Verona: Staff Infection, free, 6 pm. Heritage Tavern: Gerri DiMaggio, jazz, free, 5 pm. High Noon Saloon: The Mascot Theory, free (patio), 6 pm; Gallant Ghosts, Meghan Rose, Joey Broyles, Sexy Ester, comedy by LaBomba Waters, 7:30 pm. Ivory Room: Katie Marquardt, Jim Ripp, 9 pm. Merchant: Hoot ‘n Annie, free, 10 pm. Mickey’s Tavern: Bukkake Moms, rock, free, 10 pm.

A Sky Painted Brown

Mr. Robert’s: Rowan Newport, American Feedbag, All Good Things, free, 10 pm.

Thursday, July 30, Bartell Theatre’s Evjue Stage, 8 pm

Nau-Ti-Gal: Ron Denson, free (on patio), 5:30 pm.

In this collaboratively written piece from seven local playwrights, Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre produces a multilayered story on bullying, examining the daily trauma of a bullied student and the reactions of those around her. Ultimately asking “whose fault is bullying?” the play pushes viewers to ponder the best ways to respond. With talkbacks after every show. ALSO: Friday (8 pm) and Saturday (2 & 8 pm), July 31-Aug. 1.

Quaker Steak & Lube, Middleton: Old School, 5:30 pm.

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

Rotary Park, Stoughton: Ryan McGrath Band, 6 pm.

Tip Top Tavern: Composite Sleeping Bag, free, 10 pm. UW Memorial Union-Terrace: SpareTime Bluegrass Band, free, 5 pm; Hembree, Audio Bakery, free, 9 pm.

SP EC I A L EV EN TS Family Motor Coach Association Convention: Motorhome viewing/exhibits open to public 9 am-4 pm, 7/30-8/1, Alliant Energy Center. $7/day ($75/pass includes seminars/entertainment). www.fmca.com. Blooming Butterflies: Live insects, 10 am-4 pm, through 8/9, Olbrich Gardens’ Bolz Conservatory, plus display of preserved specimens. $7 ($3 ages 3-12). Related events: www.olbrich.org. 246-4550.

A Streetcar Named Desire: Tennessee Williams drama, 7:30 pm, 7/30, American Players Theatre, Spring Green. $74-$45. americanplayers.org. 588-2361. Pudding: Broom Street Theater production of Michael Tooher’s postmodern romantic comedy, 8 pm, 7/30-31, BST. $11. 244-8338.

PICK OF THE WEEK

COM EDY

FA I RS & FEST I VA L S Grateful Garcia Gathering: Annual all-ages jam band celebration, 7/30-8/2, Quiet Forest Resort, Mauston, with Melvin Seals & the JGB, Terrapin Flyer, many others. $85/weekend adv. gratefulgarciagathering.com. Rock County 4-H Fair: Through 8/2, Rock County Fairgrounds, Janesville. Main Stage: Montgomery Gentry, 7/30; Dan & Shay, Cassadee Pope, 7/31; Tyler Farr, 8/1; Horse pull, 8/2. $8/day (main stage extra). www.rockcounty4hfair.com. 755-1470.

B O O KS / L EC T URES

Bret Ernst Thursday, July 30, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm

What do you get when you cross Kesha with Vince Vaughn? We have no idea, but we do know that this lively comedian appeared in both the singer’s video for “Blah Blah Blah” and the actor’s documentary entitled Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show. See Ernst’s versatility and edgy humor in person. With Mike Brody, Antonio Aguilar. ALSO: Friday and Saturday (8 & 10:30 pm), July 31-Aug. 1. Atlas Improv Co.: 8 & 10 pm Fridays & Saturdays, 609 E. Washington Ave. $8 ($5 kids). 259-9999.

Robert A. Birmingham: Discussing his book “Life, Death & Archaeology at Fort Blue Mounds,” 5 pm, 7/30, 30 on the Square. If rain: Wisconsin Historical Museum. www.top-of-state.com. 512-1342. Nichole Fromm & JonMichael Rasmus: Discussing “Madison Food: A History of Capital Cuisine,” 6 pm, 7/30, A Room of One’s Own. 257-7888. Stephen Jenkinson: Discussing “Die Wise: A Manifesto on Sanity & Soul,” his new book, 6:30 pm, 7/30, First Unitarian Society. $10 donation. 233-9774. Dawson Barrett: Discussing “Teenage Rebels! Stories of Successful High School Activists From the Little Rock 9 to the Class of Tomorrow,” his new book, 6:30 pm, 7/30, Rainbow Bookstore. 257-6050. Richie Morales: Dane Arts Mural Arts talk by Guatemalan visiting artist, 7 pm, 7/30, Waunakee Library. 849-4217.

fri july 31 MU SI C

Screaming Females

PRESENTS

Friday, July 31, The Frequency, 9:30 pm

115 KING ST • MAJESTICMADISON.COM

Fri

LIVE ON KING ST. Josh Hoyer WISCONSIN BEER Total Package 31Sports TVCLOUD ON TAP FREE! and The CULT 3 5 T Vs FREDDY FriLIVE EVERY DAY 80s OF vs 90s: COVERAGE Shadowboxers! JONES YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS:

Though Screaming Females scaled back the pandemonium on their latest LP, Rose Mountain, the three-piece wrecking crew is still one of the most intense touring rock acts today. Now, 10 years into their collective career, the band has found the sweet spot where their basslines, melodies and guitar riffs blend both beautifully and raucously. With Vacation, Dusk.

JUL

___

GATES 6PM

SCHOOL FRI, JUNE 26 BAND 31 . NHL OLD . MLB HAPPY HOUR NBA ___ FREE! 10PM HIP HOP EDITION . SOCCER PURE SOUL EXPLOSION! $1 OFF TAPS & RAILS NASCAR Thu

Capital Brewery, Middleton: Blue Olives, free, 6 pm.

Bird's Eye

Cardinal Bar:special Acoplados, free, 5:30 pm; DJs Justin with guests: Long, Shawn Paul, Wyatt Agard, Lovecraft, 9 pm.

18+ $8 . 21+ $5

Cloud Cult Friday, July 31, Live on King Street, 6 pm

This Minnesotan mega-group makes experimental indie rock that crosses artistic platforms, accompanying many of their shows with live painting and a subsequent auction. They have released 12 albums since their formation in 1994, and have been praised by The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, among others. They’ll be joined by San Fermin, a Brooklyn-based eight-piece whose critically acclaimed indie pop is influenced by classical composition, and Zella Day, a singer-songwriter from L.A. who has been described as a “happier-sounding” Lana Del Rey.

The O’Bros Friday, July 31, Club Tavern (Middleton), 9 pm

A Madison staple throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the O’bros have been delivering their own blend of R&B, rock and jazz originals for a quarter century. The band has opened for Michael McDonald and Don McLean and given birth to absurd numbers of local bands, including popular faves Steely Dane and Primitive Culture. They play rarely now, so don’t miss this reunion gig.

Christ Presbyterian Church: Isthmus Vocal Ensemble, ”Unconventional Images,” 7:30 pm. Also: 3 pm, 8/2, Lutheran Church of the Living Christ..

Mon - Zumba! - Paint Party Nite77-9pm ComeTues Back In: The Rascal Theory, free (patio), pm. For tickets to TheRedZoneMadison.com Edgewater Hotel: and Justinfo Merl,gofree (on plaza), 6 pm.

Thur - Trivia 8-10pm

Tue

AUG

___

8:30PM

Liliana’s: Rand Moore Quartet, jazz, free, 6:30 pm. Locker Room: Hey, Captain Knight, free, 9 pm. Louisianne’s: Johnny Chimes, free, 6:30 pm Fridays. Lucky’s Bar & Grille, Waunakee: Beth Kille, 7 pm. Majestic Theatre: DJs Nick Nice, Josh B Kuhl, 10 pm. Merchant: DJ Lauren Franchi, free, 10:30 pm. Natt Spil: DJ Bruce Blaq, free, 10 pm. Pooley’s: Brandon Beebe, free (on the patio), 7 pm. Rex’s Innkeeper: Broken Wheel Band, 8:30 pm. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Middleton: John Widdicombe & Cliff Frederiksen, jazz, 6 pm. Sprecher’s Restaurant: The Sparks, ‘60s rock, 8 pm. Tempest Oyster Bar: Faux Fawn, free, 9:30 pm. Ten Pin Alley, Fitchburg: The Feralcats, free, 7 pm.

Are you the next Rising ing Star? S tever Whatever your talent, what whatever ee it. your age, we want to see Register now The Audition:

SAT, AUG 8, 2015

The Callback:

SAT, AUG 29, 2015

Friday, July 31, American Players Theatre (Spring Green), 8 pm

Final Performance:

Old pains and passions abound in this classic Noël Coward comedy. Five years ago, Elyot and Sybil had a nasty divorce following a nastier marriage. Now each of them has married again — this time to younger spouses. There’s only one problem: The newlyweds are sharing a honeymoon terrace. ALSO: Thursday, Aug. 6, 7:30 pm. Through Oct. 2.

SAT, SEP 19, 2015

Location: Overture Center X-CLUSIVE Movement Martin Jenich Photography

Miscast: Singers & songs mismatched by Music Theatre of Madison, 10:30 pm, 7/31, Brink Lounge. $10 donation. 237-2524.

ART E XHI BITS & EV ENTS Angela Caldera: Mixed media sculpture, 6-9 pm, 7/31 & 8/7, Common Wealth Gallery. Other times by appointment: angelacaldera.com.

➡

overturecenter.org/risingstars

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

Buck & Honey’s, Sun Prairie: Kevin Andrews, 6 pm.

7-9pm

For tickets and info go to TheRedZoneMadison.com

Knuckle Down Saloon: Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys, blues, 9 pm.

Private Lives

Brocach-Square: The Currach, free, 5 pm Fridays.

___

8:30PM

Ivory Room: Peter Hernet, Kevin Gale, Michael Massey, dueling pianos, 8:30 pm.

T HE AT E R & DANCE

Badger Bowl: Ultrea, hard rock, free, 8:30 pm.

AUG

Immanuel Lutheran Church: Willy Street Chamber Players, 6 pm.

Wisconsin Brewing Company, Verona: New Moon Gypsies, Americana, free, 6 pm.

One of Milwaukee’s most relentless bands, scramble-poppers the Fatty Acids took their DIY act all the way to the Pabst Theater in 2013, releasing their album Boléro at the venue regularly trafficked by CSN, Grizzly Bear and Louis C.K. The Fattys craft synth-driven psych with challenging, catchy vocal melodies, creating the sense that they’re always down to party and their audience better be as well. With Arizona post-punks Numb Bats.

BREAKFAST SAT & SUN 10AM-1PM

High Noon Saloon: Deal Breakers, Matt Joyce, The Hemlines, 5:30 pm; Dogs Of War (EP release) KAB, Tyranny Is Tyranny, DJ Vilas Park Sniper, 10 pm.

UW Memorial Union-Terrace: Alison Margaret Quintet, free, 5 pm; Natty Nation, free, 9 pm.

Friday, July 31, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm

BUTCH Come Cheer On The 6 & BREWERS JOHNNYSWIM WALKERBUCKS Mon - Zumba! Tues - Paint Party Nite NOAH GUTHRIE THE Thur - Trivia 11 & GABE DIXON WEEPIES Mon-Fri 3-7pm & 9-11pm

8-10pm Five: DJ Tim Walters, “Christmas in July” theme, 9 pm. 1212 REGENT ST. 608-251-6766 1212 REGENT ST. 608-251-6766 Gray’sTHEREDZONEMADISON.COM Tied House, Verona: Jonny Maach, 6:30 pm. THEREDZONEMADISON.COM Essen Haus: Jason Rowe, free, 8:30 pm.

Up North Pub: Catfish Stephenson, free, 9 pm.

The Fatty Acids

JUL

n ISTHMUS PICKS : JULY 31 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AUGUST 2 SP EC I A L EV EN TS

1855 Saloon, Cottage Grove: Robert J, free, 7 pm.

Soil Sisters: Events celebrating food & farming, 7/318/2, Monroe/Brodhead area, with farm tours, workshops, dinners. Some events free. soilsisterswi.org.

Alchemy Cafe: Sortinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Mail, bluegrass, free, 10 pm.

UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence Anniversary: Annual fundraiser, 5:30-11:30 pm, 7/31, Madison Turners Hall, with keynote by Jan Miyasaki, music by Tierra Libre, DJ Dock Ramirez, food. $50. RSVP by noon, 7/30 preferred: www.eventbrite. com/e/17144312099. 256-9195 ext. 103.

Buck & Honeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Sun Prairie: Nine Thirty Standard, 7 pm. Cardinal Bar: Edi Rey y Su Salsera, DJ Rumba, 8 pm. Claddagh, Middleton: Philly & Cheese, free (patio), 8 pm. Club Tavern, Middleton: Mojo Window, free, 9 pm.

National Mustard Day: Annual event, 10 am-4 pm, 8/1, National Mustard Museum, Middleton, with kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; activities & entertainment, mustard samplings, food, music by Evan Riley Band 10:30 am, Red Hot Horn Dawgs 1:30 pm. Free/donations. www.mustardmuseum.com. 831-2222.

Cardinal Bar: Tani Diakite & the Afrofunkstars, 8 pm.

ART EXHIBITS & EV ENTS

Grace Episcopal Church: Madison Sacred Harp Singers, shape-note singing, 3 pm.

Essen Haus: Jason Rowe, free, 8:30 pm.

Bruce Fortney: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Driftless Landscapes,â&#x20AC;? oil paintings, 8/19/30, Brewery Pottery Studio, Mineral Point (reception 5-9 pm, 8/1). 987-3669.

Adult Swim: Enjoy the museum kid-free, 6-10 pm, 7/31, Madison Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Summer Campâ&#x20AC;? theme, music by Hoot â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n Annie, crafts, talent show, songs, ghost stories, slip & slide, sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mores. $15 (21+ only). 256-6445.

Frequency: Hewn, Cowboy Television, Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye, 9 pm.

Jessica Pankratz: 8/1-8/31, Mother Foolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. 259-1301.

Antique and Classic Boat Show: Clean Lakes Alliance benefit, noon-1:30 pm, 7/31, Edgewater Plaza; and 10 am-4:30 pm, 8/1, Christyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landing. Free admission ($30 boat registration). www.glacbs.org.

Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tavern: Ka-Boom!Box, free, 10 pm.

sat aug 1

Come Back In: Bill Roberts Combo, free, 9 pm.

Knuckle Down Saloon: Dave Weld, blues, 9 pm. Lilianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: John Widdicombe & Tom Waselchuk, 6:30 pm. Marinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inn: Phil Smithburg, free, 6:30 pm. Mr. Robertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Bron Sage, Faux Fiction, Heavy Looks, 10 pm. Natt Spil: DJ Radish, free, 10 pm. Nau-Ti-Gal: The Rotation, free (on the patio), 5:30 pm. Phoenix Cooperative: Damsel Trash, ZE, Gentleman Loser, Free Mayo, Gonzo Rongs, free (ages 18+), 9 pm. Pooleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: The Lower Fifth, free (on the patio), 7 pm.

F UNDRAISERS Bay Creek Neighborhood Kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Wagon Drive: School supplies, non-perishable food & other items collected for donation via St. Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lutheran Church pantry, The Road Home & MMSD Transition Education Program, 9 am-2 pm, 8/1, Franklin Elementary School, plus bake sale. Rain date 8/2. www.facebook.com/wagondrive.

DANCING Madison Tango Society Milonga: 8 pm-midnight, 8/1, Overture Center-Rotunda Studio. $17. 238-2039.

Tempest Oyster Bar: Mal-O-Dua, free, 9:30 pm. Tip Top Tavern: Charlie Painter Trio, jazz, free, 10 pm.

MU S I C

Triciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Corners, McFarland: The Keepers, 9 pm. Tuvalu Coffee, Verona: Jennie & the Grayman, free, 7 pm. UW Memorial Union-Terrace: Woo Park, Pho Funk, Me eN You, free, 8:30 pm.

sun aug 2 M USIC

Witwen Park & Campground: Late 4 Dinner, free, 6:30 pm.

T HE AT E R & DANCE

Shimmy in the Grain Spires That in the Sunset Rise Saturday, Aug. 1, Good Style Shop, 8 pm

Originally formed as an avant folk collective in Decatur, Ill., in 2001, STITSR in recent years has been the duo of vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Kathleen Baird and Taralie Peterson. Fewer band members has not meant less wide-ranging sonic experimentation, however; the new album Beasts in the Garden features layered soundscapes created by Peterson on alto saxophone and Baird on flute, rather than a panoply of stringed instruments. With Amoebageddon, Autographite.

sunday

Saturday, Aug. 1, Middleton Performing Arts Center, 7 pm

Founded by a belly dancer who wanted to create a safe space for women, Dance Life Studio celebrates its fifth year with a weekend of international dance performances and a chance for amateurs and pros alike to undulate. (See page 19.) ALSO: Sunday, Aug. 2, Dance Life Studio and Fitness (6725 Seybold Rd., Madison), 6 pm.

FAI RS & F ESTIVALS Atwood City Limits: Outdoor music fest, 8/1, Tex Tubbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Taco Palace, with Keith White 11:30 am, Chloe & Jay 1 pm, Teddy Davenport 2:30 pm, Lucas Cates 5 pm, WheelHouse 7:30 pm, food & beer. $7 ($5 adv.) benefits Assemble the Ensemble. 242-1800.

august 9th 12noon

2015

Neurosis Sunday, Aug. 2, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm

This metal band is one of the most inventive, refreshing and underappreciated acts (in any genre) of the last 30 years. With more than 10 records to their name, the members of Neurosis have experimented with hardcore punk, doom metal, ambient noise and post-metal; they are, hands down, one of the most influential acts touring today. With Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, the Body.

Essen Haus: Jerry Armstrong, Sinatra tribute, 4 pm. Fountain: All-Ages Jazz Jam, free, 4 pm. Frequency: Bumping Uglies, The Mood Manual, The New Villains, Captain Wails & the Harpoons, 9 pm.

Tofflers, New Glarus: Birddog Blues Band, Warren Beck, free (on the patio), 2:30 pm. True Coffee Roasters, Fitchburg: Jacob Jones (CD release), Max Dvorak, Ryan Langlois, 8 pm. Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, Spring Green: Rural Musicians Forum Hymn Sing, free, 2 pm.

S PEC I A L EV EN TS UW Health Open House: New facility, 1-4 pm, 8/2, American Center, 4602 Eastpark Blvd., with special guests including former Packers receiver Donald Driver, UW basketball alumni Sam Dekker & Josh Gasser, entertainment, tours, wellness, sports & cooking demos. uwhealth.org/americancenter. 440-6400.

T H EAT ER & DA N C E

The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less Sunday, Aug. 2, First Baptist Church (518 N. Franklin Ave.), 7 pm

The title says it all: a theatrical sprint though all of Greek Mythology â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Tragedies, Pandoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Box and a slew of godly romances. Also included are the two most celebrated Greek stories: the Iliad and the Odyssey. One kidnapped beauty equals a decade of war; two decades if you include Odysseusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; epic detours. From Upstart Crows Productions. ALSO: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (7 pm), Aug. 3-5.

S PO K EN WO RD Peter Wehrle: Reading from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love Poems for Carol,â&#x20AC;? with his wife Carol, 3 pm, 8/2, Oakwood VillageOaks community room. Free. 230-4669.

A RT EXH I B I TS & EV EN TS Art Nest: 4-7 pm, 8/2, Cardinal Bar, with music by Cactus Joe Leonard. 257-2473.

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ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUGUST 5, 2015

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FREE PARKING IN THE HILTON LOT

Come for the Saturday Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Marketâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Stay for Brunch!

T h e â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tâ&#x20AC;? i s n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t S i l e n t Respect Transgender Lives!

Outside seating available (seasonal)

For reservations, go to opentable.com or call (608) 255-0165 www.chophouse411.com

%/2&. 2) 67$7( 675((7 | Rally: 2:30pm Capitol Square

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ISTHMUSWELCOMES 701A E. Washington Ave. 268-1122 www.high-noon.com

THURSDAYS H 8:30PM H FREE

Tate’s

BLUES JAM

thu jul

FRI, JULY 31 H 9PM H $7

Reverend Raven

sun aug

Dave Weld The Imperial Flames

mon aug

and

Chicago Blues

SAT, AUG 8 Brandon Santini Special Event

Weds

ROCK JAM with The Devil’s Share 2nd & 4th Weds Bluegrass with

6pm FREE

7:30pm $10 / $7 in costume

The Mascot Theory

5:30pm $5

SAT, AUG 1 H 9PM H $7

1st & 3rd Weds Whiskey

A Very Cougar Birthday!

Deal Breakers fri Matt Joyce jul 31 The Hemlines

& The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys

FRI, AUG 7 Charlie Brooks & the Way It Is

Summer Patio Series

Jam

Ad Hoc String Band

2513 Seiferth Rd., Madison

222-7800

KnuckleDownSaloon.com

TUE aug

wed aug

thu aug

THE SILK ROAD SESSION

Gallant Ghosts Meghan Rose / Joey Broyles / Sexy Ester LaBomba Waters

OLIN PARK JULY 30

Dogs Of War (EP Release) KAB / Tyranny Is Tyranny / DJ Vilas Park Sniper / 10pm $10

Living Storm Productions Celebrates Southern Wisconsin Filmmakers

CENTRAL PARK SESSIONS

W/ CARAVAN GYPSY SWING ENSEMBLE, DENGUE FEVER & HANGGAI

12:30-3:30pm $5

PUNDAMONIUM: The Madison Pun Slam!

LIVE ON KING STREET

7pm $6

German Art Students She She 6pm $5

ROCKSTAR GOMEROKE

live band karaoke 9pm $6, $3 for students

Luke Arvid Marty Finkel Lou Shields 8pm

Summer Patio Series

Ska Revival Tour 2015 4 Aspirin Morning / The Holophonics / The A-OKS Be Like Max

6pm FREE

8:30pm $7 18+

Corey Mathew Hart

CLOUD CULT

KING STREET JULY 31

KEB MO BARRYMORE AUGUST 4

SUNSET MUSIC SERIES

share your story, and support your Union.

EAST SIDE CLUB AUGUST 6

STEVE EARLE BARRYMORE AUGUST 8

WIN TICKETS ISTHMUS.COM/PROMOTIONS

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

Solidify your place in Terrace history: Buy a brick,

LUKE BELL

n ISTHMUS PICKS : AUGUST 2 - 6 F UNDRAISERS

Mad City B a z a ar The area’s finest makers, collectors & small batch producers

ENV IRONM ENT Four Lakes Sierra Club Summer Picnic: Annual event, 10 am-3 pm, 8/2, Hoyt Park main shelter, with hike 10 am, potluck picnic noon (grill items/beverages provided; bring side dish). RSVP: d_ferber@ sbcglobal.net. 222-9376.

mon aug 3 SATURDAY SUNDAY

& AUGUST 1st & 2nd From

10am ‘til 4pm Ò Sponsored in part by:

M USIC Come Back In: Field & James with Maurice Thaler, Bill Rushmore, Delores Jenison, free (patio), 5 pm. Frequency: Joshua Powell & the Great Train Robbery, The Maness Brothers, Ira Wolf, 8:30 pm. Up North Pub: Gin Mill Hollow, free, 7 pm.

SP OKEN WORD Pundamonium: “Pun slam,” 7 pm, 8/3, High Noon Saloon. $6. 268-1122.

tue aug 4 Barrymore Theatre: Keb’ Mo’ Band, 7:30 pm. See page 34. Capital Brewery, Middleton: Madison Malone, 6 pm. Capitol Square: Lucas Cates Band, free, noon.

www.madcitybazaar.com

MUS I C

Wisconsin AIDS Ride (ACT 13): AIDS Network’s annual fundraiser, closing ceremony 2:30 pm, 8/2, 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, with music by VO5. actride.org. 252-6540.

The Frequency: Nato Coles, Meghan Rose, Skizzwhores, punk, 8:30 pm. High Noon Saloon: German Art Students, rock, 6 pm; Rock Star Gomeroke, 9 pm Tuesdays. Up North Pub: Derek Ramnarace, free, 8 pm. Winnequah Park, Monona: Mad City Jug Band, 6:30 pm.

SP ECIAL EV ENTS National Night Out: Annual rally for safer communities, 6-8 pm, 8/4, Elver Park, with kids’ activities, police/ safety vehicles/equipment display, stargazing (2430500); and 5:30-8 pm, 8/4, Penn Park, with neighborhood march, keynote by Urban League President Ruben Anthony, BBQ, candlelight vigil (266-5938).

BOOKS

Haley Bonar Wednesday, Aug. 5, The Shitty Barn (Spring Green), 7 pm

Minnesota singer-songwriter Haley Bonar is a prolific recording artist and a frequent visitor to the Madison area. She’s released eight recordings since 2001 and has played just about every venue in town. Known for sparse, acoustic-oriented folk-country with the occasional distorted ripper, Bonar will be joined here by Minneapolis sextet We Are the Willows, who released their album Picture (Portrait) last year (see page 29). 30 on the Square: Neophonic Jazz Orchestra, Lucas Koehler Combo, Skai Academy, Jazz at Five, 4 pm. Bowl-A-Vard Lanes: Wild Heart, country, free, 6 pm. Cardinal Bar: DJs WhyB, Von, Radish, 9 pm. Claddagh Irish Pub, Middleton: Robert J, free, 6 pm. Come Back In: Shelley Faith, free (on patio), 5 pm. The Frequency: Cygne, Amy Andrews, Tiny Dinosaur, 8:30 pm. High Noon Saloon: Luke Arvid, Marty Finkel, Lou Shields, rock, 8 pm. Quaker Steak and Lube, Middleton: The Jimmys, free, 5:30 pm. Uno Chicago Grill-Mineral Point Rd.: Nine Thirty Standard, blues/rock, free (on the patio), 6:30 pm. Up North Pub: Lost Highway All-Stars, free, 8 pm.

thu aug 6 MUS I C

Katia Bymers: Discussing “My Mom is From Brazil,” children’s book, 10:30 am, 8/4, Mystery to Me. 283-9332.

F UNDRAISERS 100 Black Men of Madison Appreciation Banquet & Awards Ceremony: Annual event in support of school supplies giveaway, 5:30 pm, 8/4, CUNA Mutual Conference Center. $100. RSVP: 100bmmappreciationbanquet2015.eventbrite.com. 205-8572.

wed aug 5 ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

THEATER & DANCE

An Evening’s Affair: Shakespeare’s Love & Conflict: Scenes by Madison Shakespeare Co., 7:30 pm, 8/5, Barnes & Noble-East Towne; 7:30 pm, 8/6, Barnes & Noble-West Towne. $10 donation. RSVP: aea.mobi.

Several of Madison’s favorite foodcarts!

F UNDRAISERS The Oval Office at the Orpheum: Discussion by former senior advisor to President Obama David Axelrod and author David Maraniss, 7 pm, 8/5, Orpheum. $125-$30 benefits Joey’s Song and Madison Friends of CURE. ovalofficeattheorpheum.com.

Frankproductions.com TrueEndeavors.com

For more information visit: LakesideMadison.com or facebook.com/TheSunsetMusicSeries

Luke Bell Thursday, Aug. 6, East Side Club, 5-9 pm

Rolling Stone called this Wyoming native one of the 2015 CMA Music Fest’s must-see performers, saying that his music “summons the sleeping ghosts of country better than any voodoo spell ever could.” Get ready for one heck of a musical séance when he burns up the stage with his old-time sensibilities, honky-tonk rhythms and bona fide cowboy flair. With North Country Drifters. High Noon Saloon: Corey Mathew Hart, 6 pm; 4 AM, The Holophonics, The A-OKS, Be Like Max, 8:30 pm.

SEARCH THE FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS AT ISTHMUS.COM

Sean Hayes Thursday, Aug. 6, The Shitty Barn (Spring Green), 7 pm

As another great American singersongwriter once put it, Sean Hayes has been everywhere, man. A New York City native who wound up on the West Coast, Hayes has spent the last two decades recording and performing folk and soul music that puts human connections and universal experiences above all else.

Johnnyswim

418 E. Wilson St. 608.257.BIRD cardinalbar.com

Thursday, Aug. 6, Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm

This husband-and-wife duo’s music is a breath of fresh air in an industry rife with cynicism and corporate greed. Amanda Sudano (the daughter of Donna Summer) and Abner Ramirez blend folk and soul with pop tendencies into a sound that celebrates the simpler, vital aspects of life.

THURSDAY 7/30

10PM

w/ DJ CHAMO Students w/ ID FREE b4 11PM

___________________ FRIDAY 7/31 LIVE HAPPY HOUR WITH

ACOPLADOS

5:30-7:30pm FREE ___________________ SATURDAY 8/1

8PM

Edi Rey

P R E S E N T E D B Y T H E F O U R L A K E S T R A D I T I O NA L M U S I C C O L L E C T I V E

y su Salsera

IshDARR + Webster X

with DJ RUMBA ___________________ SUNDAY 8/2

4-7PM FREE

Thursday, Aug. 6, Memorial Union Terrace, 9 pm

A double bill of high-rising Milwaukee rappers: Webster X, 22, balances laidback, glittery beats with a gruff and commanding vocal delivery, making wandering, groove-oriented, jazzinfluenced tracks. IshDARR (above), 18, is heavy on the hooks, using his sing-song flow to singe through glossy production, crafting party anthems and slow jams dripping with personality. With Noname Gypsy.

COME DY

B OOKS Gayle Rosengren: Discussing “Cold War on Maplewood Street,” her new book, 6:30 pm, 8/6, Mystery to Me. 283-9332.

A RT EX H I B I TS & E VE N TS Tenderfoot Collective: 6-10 pm, 8/6, Yellow Rose Gallery, with music by Catfish Stephenson & Charlie Painter, refreshments. artonstate.com.

•

S UG A R MAPLE

•

T R A DI T IONA L M US IC F E S T I VA L

AUG. 14 & 15, 2O15 SUMMER SHOWCASE w/ CACTUS JOE LEONARD & Friends and DANA PERRY ______________ 8PM

____________________ TUESDAY 8/4 5:30pm FREE

L A K E FA R M C O U N T Y PA R K M A D I S O N, W I

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

BRYAN SUTTON BAND

HANNAH ALDRIDGE

GRAMMY WINNING BLUEGRASS GUITARIST

THE AMERICANA PISTOL OF THE SOUTH

STEEL CITY JUG SLAMMERS

SAVOY/LEGE CAJUN TRIO

AWARD WINNING JUG BAND

FIERY, SOULFUL CAJUN

KELLI JONES-SAVOY & JOEL SAVOY

LONESOME ACES

COUNTRY DUET

Ben Sidran’s Salon

DEAD HORSES YOUNG ACOUSTIC BAND

w/Louka Patenaude, Nick Moran, Todd Hammes 9PM - FREE!

9PM

Proper Method featuring WhyB w/ VON & RADISH

THE HOT SEATS TRADITIONAL STRINGBAND TWISTED

COLIN O’BRIEN TRIO CHANNELING HARTFORD

EVAN MURDOCK

THE NEW BREED Musicians, Poets, Singers & EmCees welcome!! ____________________ WEDNESDAY 8/5

BLUEGRASS FROM NASHVILLE & WI

JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

Jesse Joyce, Jono Zalay, Nick Lynch: 8:30 pm on 8/6 and 8 & 10:30 pm, 8/7-8, Comedy Club on State. $15-$10. 256-0099. See page 30.

TICKETS, INFO & CAMPING PASSES, VISIT: WWW.MIDWESTSUNSPLASH.COM

TICKETS, INFO & CAMPINGPASSES, PASSES, VISIT: VISIT: WWW.MIDWESTSUNSPLASH.COM TICKETS, INFO & CAMPING WWW.MIDWESTSUNSPLASH.COM

ORIGINAL COUNTRY ROOTS

S U G A R M A P L E F E S T. O R G TICKETS, DETAILS ONLINE OR AT WHOLE FOODS, SPRUCE TREE MUSIC, WILLY ST. CO-OP EAST & WEST, ORANGE TREE IMPORTS

T H A N K YO U S P O N S O R S

MA DI SO N ’ S C L A S S IC DA N C E B A R

39 SM_Isth_ad_2015.indd 1

6/26/15 2:56 PM

n EMPHASIS

SHANNON LUND

A new breed of office building Threshold aims to nourish work, thought and community BY AMELIA COOK FONTELLA

With its exposed, wooden arched ceiling, brightly colored walls and newly added skylights, Threshold, 2717 Atwood Ave., feels calm and inviting. This recently opened multi-unit work space fills a need on Madison’s near east side for office, retail and studio space that’s “functional, well located, fully accessible, aesthetic and stimulating for small businesses,” says founder Efrat Livny. Livny, an artist and bodyworker, recently lost her own work studio at the corner of Dunning Street and Atwood due to construction of a new apartment building on the site. As she looked for alternative space nearby, a mostly empty building on Atwood caught her eye. Over the years, the building has hosted everything from an auto shop to a diner to a plumbing company. More recently, it housed part of the Goodman

Community Center, now in a new building a few blocks away. Ian Gurfield (founder of Ian’s Pizza) was interested in buying the century-old, 4,300-square-foot building, but needed a committed tenant to do so. At the time, Livny was looking for only about 1,500 square feet, but, she says, “I heard myself saying ‘I’ll take the whole thing’” — and the idea for Threshold was born. “When I realized that I would be sharing the building with another, yet unknown, business,” she says, “I took the plunge and committed to leasing all of it so that I could pick and choose those businesses.” The idea for a new kind of office building began to unfold. Livny sees Threshold filled with professionals who desire an “environment that is creative and communal, and emphasizes well-being.” Weekly gatherings of tenants will help build community and promote opportunities for collaboration.

THRESHOLD 2717 Atwood Ave.

608-220-8849

LAURA ZASTROW PHOTOS

Along with Livny’s own studio, a photographer and massage therapist currently rent space there. But Threshold isn’t just for artists and bodyworkers. “We want a variety of people here,” Livny says — lawyers, CPAs and web designers might be a good fit. Threshold also houses a kitchen and a space available for community events that, in keeping with the theme of the building, “promote creativity and well-being,” says Livny. These could include meetings, exhibits and performances. The event space opens onto a patio that’s soon to hold a garden. Livny wants Threshold to be an active contributor to the near east side. “I see it as a nucleus for continued revitalization of Atwood Avenue,” filled with people who “love to come to work and feel that they are part of something exciting and meaningful.” n

Atwood Avenue’s revitalization continues with the revamping of the former site of the Goodman Community Center (left). Open space and exposed beams highlight common space in Efrat Livny’s neighborhood project.

atthreshold.com

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

Money can’t buy me...sock monsters

Madison’s Angela Richardson is the creator of these sock monsters/aliens/crazy animals, which kids make themselves. Richardson offers frequent workshops for kids; the next sock monster session, through Madison Public Library’s “Bubbler Junior” program, is scheduled for Aug. 18 at the Pinney Library, 204 Cottage Grove Rd. It’s free, but pre-registration is required (it starts Aug. 1, through the Madison Public Library website). Richardson reports that she’ll be artistin-residence at the Bubbler at the Central

Library in January and February of 2016, so there is “sure to be another sock monster workshop or two during that residency.” No time to make a sock monster yourself? More’s the pity; they’re currently not for sale anywhere in the area, though Richardson has had many requests. “Efforts are under way to find a willing local vendor who can help me out!” says Richardson.

— LINDA FALKENSTEIN

n CLASSIFIEDS

Housing CRESTWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD BREAKING NEWS! MLS 1750837 Seller has decided to split the listing: 5738 Cedar Pl - house and 5742 Cedar Pl - vacant, buildable lot. However, the house must be sold first, and then the lot. House is no nonsense; sellers concentrate on nature, not on interior design! Great screened porch, bubbling pond, tons of migrating birds. Next door to Community Gardens! Easy to show. PAT WHYTE 608-513-2200 CONTEMPORARY EURO INTERIOR, QUAINT STONE EXTERIOR This five acre property is beautifully priced: Madison price would be in the $500,000s, but in Barneveld/Hollandale, the price is nearly a steal at $345,000! Sweet, up to date stone house has matching garage and two enormous outbuildings - one for RV or farm equipment; the other has immaculate interior, in-floor heat, A/C, with huge office, workshop, parking space for your collector vehicles. Imagine what else you could use this property for? Dance studio? Sculpture studio? Antique gallery? Limitless possibilities! Call for additional information. Pre-qualified Buyers only, please. MLS 1753555 PAT WHYTE 608-513-2200 Restaino and Associates 4015 Empire Dr., T. of Windsor-Spacious 2-story home in a private park-like setting! 4 beds w/ office all on the 2nd floor, 2.5 baths & nearly 3,000 sq ft above grade! Nearly an acre of level open space with trees giving privacy from neighbors. Solid value at $349,900. Peter Falk, Stark Company Realtors 608-698-0900 MLS#1749634 3770 BIRCH TRAIL, CROSS PLAINS â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Getting away from the hustle bustleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is ridiculously easy if you own this beautiful soft contemporary, Prairie inspired, 3600 sq ft home: just 10 mins from Madison, with complete privacy and plenty of room to work, play, entertain. Gorgeous views of bucolic countryside from nearly every room! Interesting use of natural materials. Oversized garage with separate woodworking shop. Beautiful in every way! Did I say NO subdivision??? $519,000, MLS 1743154 PAT WHYTE 608-513-2200

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Custom hillside Prairie-style home w/ 18 wooded hillside acres near Spring Green; $310,000 price includes indoor/outdoor furniture, equipment, household items; approx. 2150 sf; open concept LR, DR, kitchen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all with vaulted ceilings & 2 skylights; 2 limestone rock, wood-burning frpls with electric heatilators; 2 BTH; 2-3 BR; 4 outdoor decks; screened gazebo with electricity; 2.75 garages w/ ample storage; low maintenance landscaped gardens and yards; Phone 630-279-6141; Email marykbennett@msn.com SEE COMPLETE LISTING at www.forsalebyowner.com ID# 23157921.

Buy-Sell-Exchange Matching people and property for over 20 years. Achieve your goals! Free consult. www.andystebnitz.com. Andy Stebnitz 608-692-8866 Restaino & Associates Realtors Fish on beautiful Rowleys Bay, on the quiet side, northern Door County. Kayak/canoe famous Mink River; stones throw from our private beach. Kayak/canoe rentals from our property. Swimming; fire-pits; modern, spacious, clean accommodations. COLES Rowleys Bay CABINS. 920-421-1257 rowleysbaycabins@gmail.com

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THE SURF - Luxury Lake Living. 1 & 2 bedrooms with balcony. Free heat, Free *electric, Free water, Free Cable Internet, Free Cable TV. Enjoy the best view Madison has to offer: lake/sunset or city lights! THE SURF is a special gem hidden in the hub of it all! The best value for your dollar. Pet Friendly too! *electric not included in 2-bed & ac electric in 1-bed. Call 608-213-6908 SHORT-TERM RENTALS Luxury furnished apt with resort hotel services, everything incl in rent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All you need is your toothbrush.â&#x20AC;? 1, 2, 3 bdrms from $375+/wk or $1495+/mo. Countryside Apartments. 608-271-0101, open daily! www.countrysidemadison.com ALL AREAS ROOMMATES.COM. Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates.com! (AAN CAN)

HISTORIC AND NEW 1 & 2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS LongfellowLofts.com | 608-220-9004

Beautiful 1800 sq ft Lake Kegonsa home. Aug - June 2016, completely furnished, $1995 per month + utilities. See photos on craigs list. Phone/text 608-558-1225, rick@ekum.com. All real estate advertised is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, or status as a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking; or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Isthmus will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are on an equal opportunity basis.

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JULY 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

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n CLASSIFIEDS

“Make It Your Priority” — that is, if you’re Cookie Monster. 13 19 21 25

ACROSS

1 6 10 14 15

Cloud over Cookie’s partner? Wi-fi setting Avoid by deceit “Who’s that kid with the ___ cookie?” (old jingle) 16 “My Name Is ___” 17 Beverage unit 18 Former picnic game that should’ve been titled “The Most Dangerous Game” 20 Cookie Monster, why do you like playing fetch with your dog? 22 Former New Jersey governor Tom 23 Longtime Mex. ruling party 24 ___ sorta 28 Superlative suffix 29 Wanna-___ 30 Lymphatic mass near a tonsil

P.S. MUELLER

32 33 34 35

Poet’s “before” “Just so you’re aware...” Embattled TV host Cookie, what’s that picture of the Cheshire Cat with Winnie the Pooh? 39 Carbon dioxide’s lack 40 Masters’ mastery 41 Say no to 42 Toast opener 44 ___ Dew 45 Checked out 48 Japanese comic book genre 49 Hang like a diaper 50 ___ mater 51 Cookie, I don’t like this blindfold, but is that... aluminum? 55 Entree where you eat the bowl 58 Hen’s comment 59 Aloha Tower locale

60 “Tomb Raider” heroine Croft 61 Wood shop machine 62 Art colony in the desert 63 Like new stamp pads 64 Hurt all over DOWN

1 Mimic 2 Party reminders with a “Maybe” status 3 Big shot 4 Old-fashioned theater name 5 Antiseptic target 6 Wisdom teeth, e.g. 7 Afghani neighbor 8 Dirty-minded 9 Word with King or Donkey 10 Humidity factors into it 11 Dinghy thing 12 1980s icon with his own breakfast cereal

Golfer Ernie Rink fake-out Olympic fencer Nick’s wife in “The Thin Man” 26 Couturier Christian 27 Ax’s cousin 29 Chilly response 30 Novelist Rand 31 Stayed put 32 Beyond bad 33 Page by phone? 35 Light-bulb lighter? 36 In shreds 37 Film colleague of Morpheus and Trinity 38 Bargain basement container 39 Physicist with a law and a unit named after him 43 Admission exams, casually 44 “Help!” 45 Pro tracker 46 “Cocoon” Oscar winner Don 47 Left one’s job in a huff 49 Feature of much witty blogging 50 Company with a duck mascot 52 “Going Back to ___” (LL Cool J single) 53 Jackson of country music 54 “Fiat lux” is its motto 55 “Bubble Guppies” watcher 56 Electric toothbrush battery size 57 Stand-up comic Margaret LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

Jobs PROGRAM DIRECTOR Mansfield Hall, an innovative residential college support program, is seeking a dynamic Program Director to lead its Madison location. Visit mansfieldhall.org for more information. MADCAT SEEKS FULL/ PART-TIME service rockstars. must have retail experience, strong work ethic, love people and pets. Normal business hours include weeknights and weekends.Position requires a selfstarter with a drive to provide relentless service. Learn about companion animal nutrition and behavior and use your communication skills to help clients make informed decisions concerning their pets wellbeing. Love cats? Awesome. Can you lift and carry at least 50 lbs? Good. Can you be friendly and attentive to multiple clients at the same time? Rock on. Detailed and personalized cover-letters and resumes accepted at all locations. Pay: $10-$15

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is a vibrant and growing department dedicated to the health and wellbeing of women and their families in Madison, the state of Wisconsin, and beyond. We are seeking enthusiastic colleagues to help us pursue our missions of excellence in patient care, education, research, and outreach. Recruitment is open for the following positions: • Clinical Research Administrator (PVL# 82914) • Web Developer (PVL# 83160) • Research Program Manager (PVL# 83250) • Rural Residency Coordinator (PVL# 83281) • Human Resources Specialist (PVL# 83337) • Administrative Supervisor (PVL# 82742) To find out more about any of these positions, visit jobs.wisc.edu and search for the position vacancy listing (PVL) number of the position that interests you. Contact Beth Koerber, koerber@wisc.edu; 608-417-4210 with questions on the positions. We look forward to hearing from you!

ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015

UW-Madison is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

@IsthmusMadison follow for fun photos :)

Chiropractic Office Hiring. Chiropractic Assistant position at east-side chiropractic office, offering holistic health care to the generations. Great location on Willy St. with proximity to the co-op and bike path. Duties include reception, office work, billing, patient interaction. Computer skills and attention to detail preferred. 16-21 hrs/week. $10-$12/ hr depending on experience. Accepting applications through Aug 14. Apply in person, bring resume and references, 8-6 M-F and Sat 8/1 & 8/8 from 10-12. 1234 Williamson St, Madison. We are looking for families to participate in a study about programming for young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study has two goals: 1) promote the development of advocacy and social skills in young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 2) enable families to support their adult children in achieving educational and employment goals. To participate, individuals with ASD must meet the following criteria: • the adult must provide ASD diagnosis documentation (either from a health care or educational professional) • the adult with ASD has not been diagnosed with an intellectual disability • the adult must be 18-30 years old • the adult must live at home with his or her parent(s) • the adult works less than 10 hours per week • the adult spends less than 20 hours a week in degree-seeking post-secondary education program or work To find out more, please contact Renee Makuch at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (608) 262-4717 or makuch@waisman.wisc.edu. Volunteer with UNITED WAY Volunteer Center Call 246-4380 or visit volunteeryourtime.org to learn about opportunities The Youth Job Center at Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc is dedicated to helping youth ages 14-17 years of age find and maintain employment. Volunteers in this program will be able to assist youth in performing job searches, filling out applications, and discussing potential barriers to employment. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to facilitate employment training for youth once they have been sufficiently trained. Do you like working with seniors? Are you looking for experience developing your administrative and customer service skills? East Madison/Monona Coalition of the Aging is looking for help for our front desk. Duties could include answering phones, greeting clients, assembling mailings, and operating fax and copy machine. United Way 2-1-1 is seeking new volunteers to staff our telephone lines, answering questions about resources available in the service area. Training is provided. If you are looking for an opportunity to learn more about community resources and would like to assist people in finding ways to get and give help, United Way 2-1-1 may be the place for you!

n SAVAGE LOVE

Girl party BY DAN SAVAGE

I have always wanted to have a girls-only sex party, but I’m not sure how I feel about actually organizing one. What’s the etiquette if I do organize one myself? Do I need to provide the dildos for people’s harnesses? Or just the condoms and lube? And how do I find people who want to attend? Do I just tweet out an invite? Is there a better way that makes me seem less sketchy? No Snappy Acronym

But let’s say you don’t have any friends who might want to come to your girls-only sex party — or you’re too chicken to ask your friends — is there another way? “If her slutty-friend pool is small, she could look at sites devoted to sex-positive folks, like FetLife or her local chapter of a leather women’s group. But she should be super explicit about her women-only policy if she does post anywhere online, and she should also consider screening guests with a phone call. And I strongly recommend a closed-door policy, i.e., folks must arrive by a certain time or they can’t come in. This keeps you from having to monitor the door all night so you can enjoy your own damn party.” You can follow Moon on Twitter @TheAllisonMoon — and you should listen to a really moving story she shared recently on RISK!, Kevin Allison’s amazing podcast, about her friend Hans (“Four Orgies and a Funeral”). You can find RISK! on iTunes or at Risk-Show.com. I’m an early-30s gay man who’s never had much success with relationships. However, I’m writing about a female friend of mine. We’ve known each other since college, and she’s generally wonderful but frequently pesters me with some variant of “So, when are you gonna settle down with a nice fella?” I try to deflect these comments without being too confrontational because I realize she wants me to be happy, but she never seems to get how annoying this is. I’d like some way to indicate, “You know relationships are not my forte, and you’re hurting my feelings,” without having to risk hurting hers. Friend’s Annoying Question So you’ve allowed a friend to hurt your feelings over and over again because you’re worried that telling her to knock it the fuck off might hurt her feelings? Speak the fuck up already, FAQ: “I have no idea if I’m ever going to settle down with a fella, nice or otherwise, and it hurts my feelings when you ask about it. So stop asking.” If she persists, then either your friend doesn’t care that she’s hurting your feelings (malice!) or she’s too dense to realize this question hurts your feelings despite having been told it hurts your feelings (stupidity!). Then you’ll have to ask yourself why you’re wasting your time on someone who’s malicious, stupid, or both. Email Dan at mail@savagelove.net or find him on Twitter at @fakedansavage.

n CLASSIFIEDS

Health & Wellness Larry P. Edwards RPh, LBT Nationally & State Certified #4745-046 Massage Therapist and Body Worker Madison, WI Swedish Massage For Men, providing immediate Stress, Tension and Pain Relief. Seven days a week by appt.—same day appointments available. Contact Steve, CMT at: ph/text 608.277.9789 or acupleasur@aol.com. Gift certificates available for any reason or season @ ABC Massage Studio! Miss Danu WORLD CLASS MASSAGE * FEEL GREAT IN ONE HOUR! * Short Notice * Nice Price* 8AM-7PM * 608255-0345

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JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2015 ISTHMUS.COM

What I know about hosting girls-only sex parties could fit inside what I know about the Marvel universe with room left over for what I know about the Higgs boson—and all of that could fit inside Lindsey Graham’s chances of being president with room left over for Donald Trump’s humanity. But luckily for you, NSA, I know someone who knows quite a lot about both girl sex and sex parties. “Hosting a play party is much like hosting any other party,” says Allison Moon, a San Francisco-based writer and sex educator. “You want guests to feel welcome and comfortable — this means you provide lube, safer sex supplies, refreshments, and towels and/or puppy pads.” Moon is the author of two popular lesbian werewolf novels — more are hopefully on their way — and the really terrific memoir Bad Dyke: Salacious Stories from a Queer Life. Her most recent book is Girl Sex 101, a terrific sex-ed book “for ladies and lady-lovers of all genders and identities” that features girl-sex wisdom from an array of sex-positive superstars. Moon has also hosted numerous sex parties, and says hosting a girls-only sex party does not obligate you to break open a piñata full of dildos as your guests arrive. “Toys are the responsibility of guests,” says Moon. “If NSA has a few sparklingclean vibes and dildos that she doesn’t mind using as party favors, by all means put them out. I have a couple of Magic Wands that are great for getting the party started, because there’s always someone who’s wanted to try one. But she doesn’t have to spend a ton of cash outfitting her friends’ crotches.” As for finding people who might want to attend your sex party, Moon and I both agree that putting an invite on Twitter — or Facebook or Instagram or Farmers Only or Yik Yak — is a very, very bad idea. “NSA should stay away from social media to start,” says Moon. “Instead, she should make a list of friends who might be down and give them a call to see if they have friends they’d want to bring. Bonus points if she has friends who are up for being used as ‘ringers.’ Lady parties are notorious for taking hours to warm up — someone has to be the first one in the pool, and a ringer can help get the party started. Or she could consider some ice-breaking games, like spin the bottle, as a goofy way to get the girls ready to grind on each other.”

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ISTHMUS.COM JULY 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;AUGUST 5, 2015

Music & Video by Mike Carlson

Sept. 26, 3-7 pm @ Central Park

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Dance. Drink. Hammerschlagen.

/ IsthmusOktobeerfest