Isthmus: Feb 25-Mar 2, 2016

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ■ VOL. 41 NO. 8 ■ MADISON, WISCONSIN

Frank Productions’ entertainment dynasty survives industry turmoil R ATA J - B E R A R D

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

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■ CONTENTS

■ WHAT TO DO

4 SNAPSHOT

WOODCYCLING

Repurposing historic oak panels.

6-9 NEWS

WATER WOES

New laws put state wetlands and wells at risk.

10 TECH

GAME CHANGER

Wii computer game helps children with autism.

12 OPINION

27 SPORTS

BATTLE FOR THE BALLOT

A 2011 UW-Madison graduate and a runner himself, Steve Horn profiles two marathoners who are training for the Olympics while holding down demanding full-time jobs at Epic. Steve, who just moved to Indianapolis from Madison, has written for Al Jazeera America, Vice News, NUVO, DeSmogBlog.com and CounterPunch magazine.

MICHAEL POPKE 14 COVER STORY While waiting for his interview with the Franks at their downtown headquarters, Mike Popke paged through binders of all the musicians the Madison-based promoters have worked with over five decades. “Many of them became part of my life’s soundtrack,” he says. An entire binder dedicated to photos from Genesis’ 1992 concert at Camp Randall, however, caused some angst.

“I regretted not attending that show back then, and I felt bad all over again.” He lived in Milwaukee at the time, but would relocate a year later to Madison.

PUBLISHER Jeff Haupt

STEVE HORN

14 COVER STORY

DYNASTY

Frank Productions: 50 years and three generations of entertainment.

19-24 FOOD & DRINK

Big frac attack

BEST BITES

A few top picks for Chef Week 2016.

HAPPY PLACE

Japanese gastropub is fun, novel.

26-27 SPORTS

FLEET FEET

Hard-working marathoners harbor Olympic dreams.

28 ART

Sat., Feb. 27, Wil-Mar Community Center, 6-11 pm The Madison Action for Mining Alternatives is hosting this benefit to fight frac sand mining in Jackson County, with music by Bonobo Secret Handshake, an appearance by the world-famous Raging Grannies, and a chance to play “Environmental Jeopardy.”

DRAW, PARDNER!

Who am I?

Lynda Barry exhibit inspires the artist in everyone.

29 BOOKS

Thurs, Feb. 25, Edgewood College, Washburn Heritage Room, 6:30 pm

FEMME FATALE

In A Study in Charlotte, Sherlock’s descendant is not exactly sugar and spice.

In 2012, President Obama invited Richard Blanco to serve as the fifth inaugural poet.

His biography refers to him as “Made in Cuba, assembled in Spain, imported to the USA.” Edgewood College welcomes him as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow.

His powerful poetry examines cultural identity and the idea of belonging.

30 STAGE

ENCHANTED EVENING

Goodnight Moon is a perfect bedtime story.

32 MUSIC

HIGH ON SCI-FI

LAURA ZASTROW

Droids Attack are back.

48 EMPHASIS Photographer Laura Zastrow has been contributing to Isthmus for more than two years. This week she shot pics for our feature on the African & American Store, which just happens to be located a few blocks from her house. “It was a pleasure,” she says, “to meet the owners of the shop for this assignment and hear about their products that have traveled halfway across the world to my very own neighborhood.”

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Craig Bartlett

NEWS EDITOR Joe Tarr

34-35 SCREENS

ADDICTED TO ART

Documentary celebrates collector and bon vivant Peggy Guggenheim.

48 EMPHASIS

GLOBAL GOODS

The African & American Store stocks items from halfway around the world.

IN EVERY ISSUE 9 MADISON MATRIX 9 WEEK IN REVIEW 12 THIS MODERN WORLD 13 FEEDBACK 13 OFF THE SQUARE

36-47 ISTHMUS PICKS 49-50 CLASSIFIEDS 49 P.S. MUELLER 49 CROSSWORD 51 SAVAGE LOVE

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Mark Tauscher

EDITOR Judith Davidoff

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michana Buchman

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Catherine Capellaro CALENDAR EDITOR Bob Koch

Direct initiative may be answer to redistricting reform.

Thursday, Feb. 25, Madison Labor Temple, 5-8:30 pm

Come talk solutions to help improve the economic status of African American workers in the Madison area at this forum presented by NAACP Dane County.

The discussion features panelists from AFSCME Local 6000, Fight for $15, UWMadison and Young, Gifted and Black Coalition. Free, but register at naacpblack-workers-forum.eventbrite.com.

The L-word Sat., Feb. 27, Rainbow Bookstore Co-op, 2 pm

FEATURES EDITOR Linda Falkenstein

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Jon Kjarsgaard

ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Fath

Black workers unite

CONTRIBUTORS John W. Barker, Dylan Brogan, Kenneth Burns, Dave Cieslewicz, Nathan J. Comp, Aaron R. Conklin,

Ruth Conniff, André Darlington, Marc Eisen, Erik Gunn, Bob Jacobson, Seth Jovaag, Stu Levitan, Bill Lueders, Liz Merfeld, Andy Moore, Bruce Murphy, Kyle Nabilcy, Kate Newton, Jenny Peek, Michael Popke, Adam Powell, Katie Reiser, Jay Rath, Gwendolyn Rice, Dean Robbins, Robin Shepard, Sandy Tabachnick, Denise Thornton, Candice Wagener, Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Todd Hubler ADVERTISING MANAGER Chad Hopper ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Laura Miller ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Lindsey Bushart, Peggy Elath, Amy Miller WEB ANALYST Jeri Casper CIRCULATION MANAGER Tom Dehlinger MARKETING DIRECTOR Chris Winterhack EVENT DIRECTORS Kathleen Andreoni, Courtney Lovas EVENT STAFF Sam Eifert EVENT INTERN Megan Muehlenbruch ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR Kathy A. Bailey OFFICE MANAGER Julie Butler SYSTEMS MANAGER Thom Jones ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Carla Dawkins

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 • © 2016 Red Card Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gone fishin’ Fri.-Sun., Feb., 26-28, Alliant Energy Center

Fisherpeople will fall hook, line and sinker for the Madison Fishing Expo, where they’ll find all things piscatory under one roof. As they say, “A bad day fishing is better than a good day working.” Of course, they also say, “Fishing is the sport of drowning worms.”

FIND MORE ISTHMUS PICKS ON PAGE 36

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Professor Leon Bailey, co-founder of Chicago’s Open University of the Left and “tenured radical” in the Roosevelt University sociology department, will assess “Sanders and the Future of the American Left.”

STAFF WRITER Allison Geyer

STAFF ARTISTS David Michael Miller, Tommy Washbush

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David Morrow (left) and Robert “Buzz” Holland next to a chest made from oak paneling that “Bob La Follette leaned against.”

Isn’t it good, Wisconsin wood?

STORY AND PHOTO BY BILL LUEDERS

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, state archivists ran out of space to store wood and other materials removed from the Wisconsin state Capitol during renovations. And so, for just these few years, the contractors who performed this work were able to keep some of it.

At least that’s how Robert “Buzz” Holland tells the story. “My life,” he says as we ride together in his car, “is such a bunch of stories.”

Holland, 85, worked in his father’s lumber business as a teenager and again beginning in 1956, after he got back from serving in Korea and graduated from the UW-Madison. He eventually took over the business and runs it to this day, from his home near New Glarus.

In the 1990s, Holland came into possession of some oak boards that had been used as paneling in the Capitol. He bartered with an employee at Joe Daniels Construction Company, who was “happy to get rid of the wood because it was taking up his storage space.”

What most makes this wood valuable, explains David Morrow, is its “provenance.”

He jokes about telling people their serving boards were once a wall Fighting Bob La Follette leaned against. “It’s a story every time somebody serves sandwiches.”

Wait — who is David Morrow? Isn’t this a story about Buzz Holland?

Morrow, Holland’s friend, is a woodworker and furniture maker who bought a dilapidated old schoolhouse in Cottage Grove in 2008 and lovingly restored it. Holland has taken me there. “We took it right down to the studs,” Morrow says, gesturing around him.

Located on Highway N just south of I-94, the old schoolhouse is now a thriving local art

gallery (Gaston School Gallery) and coffee shop (SchoolGrounds Cafe). Morrow, working nights and weekends, was able to open it for art in 2010 and food and coffee in 2012. He’s proud to have done it in that order: “We started as a gallery.

We’re not just a cafe that hangs art on the walls.”

A few years back, Holland decided to let Morrow take possession of the old oak boards — about 30 in all, each 6 feet long and 8 inches wide. A few have already been used for projects.

These include a beautiful oak chest produced by wood artisan Ed Wohl. For a while it was on display at an art gallery in Paoli; now it’s in Morrow’s cafe. The asking price is about $3,000, which Morrow considers a bargain.

Morrow plans to use the rest for projects, like cutting boards and coasters. He’s already made a few cutting boards for sale in his gallery. They don’t have much shelf life: “As I’m unpacking them, people see them and buy them.” As more cutting boards are offered for sale, “There’s going to be some really fortunate people, and not many of them.”

Look at the wood and you’ll see: These are not ordinary oak boards. Popping out of the grain are gorgeous lines and swirls known as flakes and medullary rays. These appear because the wood has been quarter-sawn — cut at an angle, not along the grain. A skilled sawyer can express these usually hidden elements.

Quarter sawing, Morrow acknowledges, is “a wasteful way to cut. It doesn’t make the best use of the log. But it makes the most stable product.”

“And the most beautiful,” Holland adds.

Yes, boards can be quarter-sawn from modern oak trees, but it’s not quite the same. The trees of yesteryear tend to have much tighter rings, because they competed for life in dense

canopies, not in forests managed to produce maximum growth.

There are other distinguishing characteristics to this cache of special boards, like small nail holes. Morrow calls these “a visual reminder of their connection to the past” and thus a feature that adds value.

“Each one of these boards,” he says, “has a story to tell.” n ORIGIN OF OAK IN THE STATE CAPITOL From The Wisconsin Capitol — Official Guide and History, published in 1919, two years after the building was completed: “The inside finish was sawed from oak timber grown on the hill where the governor’s residence now stands.”

WOOD-RELATED CAPITOL CONTROVERSY From the state Capitol history page on Wisconsin.gov: “[In 1967] Dorothy Knowles, wife of Governor Warren Knowles, proposes to remodel the Governor’s Conference Room by covering over the dark cherry wood walls and gilded ceiling with white paint. The plan generates a great deal of publicity and opposition, but is approved....”

UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF OAK From Oak: The Frame of Civilization,

by William Bryant Logan: “The oak is not the oldest tree.... The oak is not the strongest tree.... And the oak is far from the fastest-growing tree.... The oak’s distinction is its insistence and flexibility.”

It thrives in a wide range of locales.

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FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

5

n NEWS

Rewriting the rules Critics charge the Legislature is eroding protections of the state’s water resources

BY CARA LOMBARDO

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

Todd Ambs, the former water division head at the Department of Natural Resources, remembers when water wasn’t a divisive topic in Wisconsin.

“We used to have a bipartisan understanding that things like wetlands were so critical to our public waters that we should be zealously protecting them,” he says. “I can remember a time when even Republican members of the Legislature would say, ‘If you want to fill in a wetland in this state and you want to do it quickly, the answer’s no.’ That by design it should be difficult.”

No longer. Last week, the Assembly passed a bill that makes filling wetlands easier. Another bill allows high-capacity wells to be repaired or sold without triggering a new DNR inspection, and a third weakens local control and expert oversight of how property owners use their land. The bill on wells awaits a vote by the Senate, but it has already approved the other two, which now go to the governor for approval.

A fourth bill that would have made it easier for out-of-state companies to purchase public water utilities was slated for a vote but pulled off the schedule when support began to falter.

Ambs, who led the DNR’s water division for seven years and is now the campaign director of the Healing Our Waters — Great Lakes Coalition, says legislators dropped one bill that would make it easier to privatize public water systems but moved forward with others, which effectively privatize public waters in the state.

The changes, Ambs says, undermine the long-held idea that the waters of the state belong to everybody, not to private interests, and that we should be taking actions to protect those waters.

“I used to say, when I ran the water division, but I still think it’s true: We have world-class water resources in this state.

And we have had them for years because we have world-class laws to protect those water resources,” says Ambs, who left the DNR in 2010. “We are, over the last few years and certainly in this legislative session, eroding those protections.”

6

Ambs sees two forces chipping away at water protections: the prioritization of private property owners’ interests over public water resources and an influx of financial interests in the Legislature.

“The idea that somehow private property rights should take precedence over public water resources is on full display in the current legislative session,” Ambs says.

The purpose of the high-capacity-well bill, according to one of its sponsors, was to protect the rights of landowners “who

are abiding by the law and only want to protect the value of their land and businesses.”

By removing required DNR inspections triggered by repairs or sales, the legislation effectively grants permanent approval to high-capacitywell withdrawals in the state, even in the face of significant drawdowns not only to the aquifers where these wells are but also, in some cases, the surface waters connected to the wells.

A hearing for the bill that weakened local and expert oversight when it comes to decisions of land included testimony from one of its sponsors, Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake), invoking Thomas Jefferson’s words: “‘The right to procure property and to use it for one’s enjoyment is essential to the freedom of every person....’

“This country has been built on the freedom to own and protect one’s own property,” Jarchow added.

Loosening restrictions to appease property owners could prove to be short-sighted not only for the state but also the property owners themselves, Ambs worries. “I’m not sure how many people are really going to want to live next to those water bodies that are algae-filled with compromised fisheries and problematic water quality.”

The bill the Assembly ultimately dropped would have made it easier for municipalities to sell their public water utilities to out-of-state companies by removing the requirement that sales be approved by residents through a referendum.

The push for that bill came directly from Aqua America, a holding company with utilities in eight states whose CEO touts its aggressive “growth-through-acquisition” strategy. The Pennsylvania-based company hired former Republican Assembly Majority Leader Steven Foti

“ We have world-class water resources in this state.

And we have had them for years because we have world-class laws...”

—Todd Ambs

buy the argument that private companies would be more motivated than public utilities to offer better service and efficiency.

“What we’re talking about here are basic monopolies. There’s only going to be one water utility in the city, like there’s only one MGE for Madison,” Stevenson says. “There’s not the impetus of competition, which is argued to be the driving force to increase efficiency of privately owned companies. The incentives to be efficient simply aren’t there.”

Nationally, for-profit water companies own about 10% of water systems, the majority of which serve towns with populations under 3,300 people, according to a report published this month by Food & Water Watch, a water advocacy group.

Residents of Superior, the state’s only community with a non-public water utility, pay more than twice the average rate of major water utilities in the state, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Midwestern states that have seen growth in private water utilities have seen the average water bill under private utilities increase by 67%, according to the Food & Water Watch report.

Selling utilities, in addition to bringing higher prices, could have other adverse long-term effects. Ambs worries it could dilute a water utility’s primary purpose, which is to provide safe, potable water to residents.

“If your entire motive for operating a water utility is profit, you are by definition incentivized to cut costs wherever you can to maximize profit. The danger there is that you’re going to cut funding for operations and maintenance,” Ambs says. “It’s like upkeep on the plumbing in your house. If your driving incentive is to make money, you’re going to maybe delay that investment in that pipe because you think you can squeeze another few years out of it.”

The needed repairs used as the rationale for sales — upkeep on the pump, inspection of well casing, strengthening joints in the piping — could continue to go unheeded.

Lasee and Zepnick did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Rodney Stevenson, an economist and former faculty member of the Wisconsin School of Business, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute at the University of Wisconsin, worries companies like Aqua America are preying on municipalities that feel financial pressure to repair aging infrastructure.

“You’re in this situation where there’s this temptation to sell off something, like water utilities, to come up with money to provide a stopgap,” Stevenson says. But these decisions could have long-term ramifications. He also does not

Ambs won’t be surprised if similar legislation from Aqua America or other companies crops up again soon. He says the Legislature has been unwinding the state’s 150-year-old commitment to protecting public water resources over the past few years, and these efforts will likely continue.

“If there are private water interests that think there is a market to exploit in Wisconsin, then I expect somebody will see it in their interest to introduce that bill,” he says. “We’re going to have to really continue to make that conversation a very public and transparent one.” n

and his son to lobby on its behalf in Wisconsin, spending nearly $40,000 in 2015.

The bill’s sponsors, Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere), six Republican representatives and one Democrat, Rep. Josh Zepnick of Milwaukee, said the change would give local elected officials the option of selling their utilities to fund infrastructure upgrades. In his hearing statement, Lasee said the bill would also empower communities to realize the benefits of open market principles.

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FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU!

7

n NEWS

Kitchen rehab Porchlight Products set to expand in new location

Porchlight Products currently employs about six people. Some 30 to 40 people work in all of the organization’s various kitchen employment programs each year.

Porchlight expects to break ground on its new facility this spring.

It has raised almost all of the $4 million needed for the project, with just about $330,000 more to go. The funding has come from a variety of grants, foundations and private donations.

One fundraiser will be held Feb. 25 at the Institutes for Discovery, where several local chefs will make food using Porchlight Products.

Ayotte is thrilled he will be able to attend the event. “I’m excited to see what they’re going to do,” he says.

“That gives me more ideas.” n

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“It reverberates to how they view their housing, how they view whatever recovery they’re undertaking, their medication,” he adds. “It significantly increases the overall stability. There are very few folks who have been in CAROLYN FATH this program that have lost their housing.”

Ayotte is one of the organization’s most successful employees. In Porchlight’s kitchen, he tapped into a passion that he expanded with his studies at Madison College.

He also lives in one of Porchlight’s transitional programs and hopes to move out to the Lien Road site when it’s completed. In his kitchenette, he practices some of the dishes he learns at school.

“I don’t get fancy with it, but I try to apply what I learn at school,” he says. “I can make some mean chicken.”

YE

HURRY IN! HURRY IN!

JOE TARR

Wil Ayotte stirs a fresh batch of apple butter before putting it back in the oven. Other foods prepared and sold by Porchlight Products include rhubarb jam, scone mix, curtido and dilly beans.

EB

Wil Ayotte admits that holding a full-time job is probably beyond his grasp. Formerly homeless, the veteran suffers from mental illness and is a recovering alcoholic.

But thanks to Porchlight, Ayotte has a place to live and a part-time job that he loves. Ayotte works for Porchlight Products, cooking up a variety of high-quality, locally sourced foods that are sold to restaurants, grocery stores and companies around the Madison area. The organization — which helps fight homelessness — makes a variety of pickled goods, bake mixes and jams.

Today, Ayotte is whipping up one of his favorites. “I’ve got apple butter in the oven right now,” he says. “I love the taste of that.

It’s cinnamon-y, and we add maple syrup to it — man, oh, man it’s just great.”

Ayotte also attends culinary school at Madison College part-time, and he has a few ideas of his own for products he’d like Porchlight to start selling, including mayonnaise, vinaigrettes and gravy. “I’m not a genius at cooking, but it sure is fun to learn,” he says. “The goal is to make the company better, make it grow.”

The organization is in fact set to grow both its food production operation and its housing mission, with a $4 million project at Lien and Thierer roads near East Towne Mall. Once completed, it will include a new kitchen about three times the size of its current facility, at 306 N. Brooks St. More importantly, the kitchen will all be on one level, making it much more efficient to operate. The project will also include 28 new housing units.

The project was years in the making, says Steven Schooler, Porchlight’s executive director. Since Porchlight Products’ employees are all clients, the organization wanted to incorporate its kitchen into the facility, which took some extra planning.

“Trying to integrate the housing and food manufacturing on the same site has been difficult,” he says. But it was important. “We’re going to have 28 residents; if they’re going to become program participants, it’s very easy for them to get to work.”

Porchlight Products are already in many local grocery stores. Schooler would like to see them in more restaurants and to increase sales. But it won’t likely ever be a moneymaker for the organization, Schooler says.

“We’re not looking at this as a profit for Porchlight, per se. If we could cover all of our expenses, that would be great,” he says. “Our mission is to reduce homelessness, not necessarily produce high-quality, locally sourced food products.”

It is, however, vital to the group’s purpose.

Most of Porchlight’s clients are disabled, suffering from mental illnesses, addictions and trauma.

“Many of them have suffered very significant mental illnesses, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, they’ve been homeless,” he says. “To come in and do something they can be very proud of — that’s a game changer.”

CEL

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Revelry Music Festival is downsizing and relocating to the Orpheum this year because of budget cuts, construction at Memorial Union and dwindling attendance.

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One consultant says the move could save the state $42 million, but another said it could cost the state $100 million.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18 n In the last day of the legisla-

task force releases a report on police use of force, presenting about 60 recommendations for improving law enforcement practices, training, community education and officer well-being to improve relations between police and minorities and to reduce the use of “excessive force.”

TUESDAY, FEB. 23 n Student employees and

graduate assistants at UW-Madison are finally getting a raise next fall, campus officials announce. Minimum wage

for the school’s 10,000 student employees will increase from $7.25 to $9 per hour, and the more than 5,300 graduate assistants will get a 2% pay bump. Hope they don’t spend it all in one place! n State Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg scores an endorsement from former rival Joe Donald, who lost in the primary to Kloppenburg and Justice Rebecca Bradley.

Donald, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, had previously endorsed Bradley for lower court seats, but says she isn’t qualified for the state Supreme Court.

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tive session, the Assembly passes several bills, including one that would cut $5.3 million from school districts with students who attend private voucher schools, one that would prevent county executives from serving concurrently in the Legislature and a pair of “private property rights” bills that relax environmental regulations.

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n TECH

Balancing act UW researchers hope video games can improve the lives of children with autism

BY DENISE THORNTON

Balance is like breathing. It’s essential, and we take it for granted when it comes easily. Without a reliable sense of balance dressing, cooking, driving and many job skills become exhausting tasks.

Balance is often a challenge for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Now a research team at UWMadison’s Waisman Center is using ninja warriors and Wii Fit video games to look at the problem, with the hope that improving the balance of kids with autism would have a positive impact on their symptoms by changing the brain.

“When we balance, our brains are taking in so many different signals,” says Brittany Travers, professor in the UW Department of Kinesiology occupational therapy program. “We are all constantly making these fine-tuned movement adjustments. It’s a full-body thing, and if one part is having problems with the signals it’s getting, then the whole body system has to adjust for it.”

As a graduate student, Travers improvised the Wii balance board she got for Christmas into a lab tool to determine that people with ASD who had poorer balance also had more severe autism symptoms. By combining electronic monitoring with balance training, Travers is hoping to break new ground in understanding the effects of ASD, and how it can be modified.

The brain stem has long been known to contribute to balance, and Travers and her team really wanted to be able to scan this part of the brain in children with ASD.

“Previous research indicated that our subjects needed to stand on a wobbling board for an hour each week for six weeks,” says Travers.

“But how were we going to get kids with autism to do that? It looked hard and boring, a really bad combination for children. We had to find a way to make it fun.”

She found her answer in research showing that children with autism tend to spend more time playing video games than their peers.

“We wanted to see if we could train balance through video games,” says Travers. “With Wii Fit coming out, it was doable, but we needed a more concentrated game that was more applicable to autism, so we came up with our own game that can be individualized at each person’s level. We call it our ninja training games.”

The game features six different ninja poses. As a shadow appears on the screen, the kids being tested fit themselves into the pose they see on the screen. “There is very little language necessary,” Travers explains.

“Dots appear on the screen at different joints. When you are inside the shadow, they are yellow, and a green light turns on at the bottom. When you are out of the shadow, your dots are red.”

“It’s a lot of focus on ninja,” says Travers. “You stand in one position for from five seconds to four minutes, and by the end, that can get tiring and boring, so we have added other Wii games in the middle to keep it fresh.”

While the ninja test subjects are training, Travers and her team are able to get real-time video of movement data, and in some cases, they also

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study change in brain structures, specifically the white matter of the brain stem.

“We have eight adolescents and 13 younger children helping us with our study, and we are still recruiting,” says Travers. “The results are promising, but we are in the middle of the study and still analyzing data.”

Whether or not this research results in ways to modify ASD, Travers says, “improving balance can help with independent living skills.

In research, it’s one baby step at a time.” n

A young boy diagnosed on the autism spectrum stands on a Wii Connect balance board practicing a ski jump pose. Brittany Travers, assistant professor in kinesiology (left), improvised a board she got as a Christmas present into a lab tool.

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11

n OPINION

Capitol bypass Wisconsin should have a statewide direct initiative process

BY MICHAEL CUMMINS Michael Cummins is a Madison-based business analyst.

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

It was 1914, and Wisconsin progressives were on a roll. Since taking power at the turn of the century, they had enacted major reforms in almost every legislative session.

But then, as ideological juggernauts tend to do eventually, the progressives overreached. Having raised taxes substantially the year before, the Legislature put 10 constitutional amendments before Wisconsin voters on a single ballot. Some historians mark this stunning backlash as the end of the Progressive Era in Wisconsin. The current Republican majority might take a lesson from this.

Lost among the doomed slate was an amendment to institute a statewide direct initiative process. Under it, citizens would have had the option to pass laws independent of the Legislature and governor. To this day, Wisconsinites lack the power that voters in 24 other states have.

Wisconsin citizens do vote directly on some statewide measures. There are the confirmation votes on constitutional amendments. The Legislature can make statutes they pass contingent upon voter endorsement, or put forward advisory referendums. We also have some direct initiative power at the local level.

To be sure, the United States was founded as a representative republic, not a pure democracy. Whether our representatives turned out to be, as was hoped, of a more temperate and deliberative bent than the masses is debatable.

But representative government certainly has a downside. Representatives’ self-interest — in their own reelection and personal accumulation of power — can cause them to disregard their constituents’ best interests. This structural defect becomes especially acute when a professional political class develops, as it has over the last few decades in Wisconsin.

The direct initiative operates as an ameliorative check against this defect. It does not replace the republican system, but rather supplements it.

Why does this matter now? In other states, citizens through direct initiatives have been able to accomplish what lawmakers have refused to do. Voters legalized recreational marijuana

12

DAVID MICHAEL MILLER

in Colorado, Washington and Oregon.

Thanks to direct initiatives, Oregon and Washington now allow “death with dignity.” Fiscal conservatives appreciate the constraints that the legislatures of California and Colorado now face when they want to raise taxes. Really, the only complaints about the direct initiative power come from the entrenched establishments of the two major parties.

Perhaps because they are filled with such entrenched establishment types, legislatures seem downright allergic to the kind of innovation states need most: true, positive electoral reform. This is especially relevant to Wisconsin, which is in desperate need of redistricting reform.

Even Republicans, at least here in Dane County, are starting to warm to the idea of independent redistricting. But fat chance that the Wisconsin legislative majority will ever vote away its prerogative to draw district lines, however badly its constituents would like it to do so.

By contrast, direct initiatives are responsible for the institution of independent redistricting commissions in California and Arizona. And Washington,

through a direct initiative, has implemented a blanket primary, by which voters advance two candidates regardless of party affiliation. Both major parties staunchly opposed the measure.

While the direct initiative process does not guarantee expedient outcomes, studies show that its general effect on states is positive. A Wellesley College paper concluded that “states with initiative systems waste between 20% and 30% fewer resources...resulting in better economic performance.” And, according to University of Southern California professor John

THIS MODERN WORLD

Matsusaka, direct initiatives tend to “push policy back toward the middle of the political spectrum when the elected government strays too far in the conservative or liberal direction.”

Matsusaka has also addressed the common apprehension that initiative campaigns are honeypots for moneyed special interests, keen on using mass media to warp the minds of voters. The empirical evidence suggests that direct initiatives, in fact, “promote the interests of the many rather than the few.” To Matsusaka, “the idea that the initiative process empowers special interests does not fit with the facts.” Surely, buying a few legislators is easier than hoodwinking hundreds of thousands of voters.

Eight years ago, I spent several weekends gathering petition signatures to get Washington state’s “Death with Dignity” measure on the ballot. The conversations I had with fellow citizens — proponents and opponents alike — were marvelous.

In their 2004 book Educated by Initiative, Daniel Smith and Caroline Tolbert assert that initiative drives permanently increase civic engagement in the political process. Playing the part of legislators, on occasion, makes voters better citizens overall.

Since 1914, there have been several attempts within the Wisconsin Legislature to resurrect the direct initiative amendment. But the question has never again made it to voters, even though a strong majority of Wisconsinites want the power to make laws directly, according to a 2010 poll.

The Legislature’s persistent refusal to give us direct initiative power is the ultimate, ironic proof of how badly we need it. n

BY TOM TOMORROW

Participants are needed for a study at UW-Madison looking at whether the cautious use of sleep medication reduces depressive symptoms in people with depression and insomnia.

To be eligible, you must be currently experiencing depression and insomnia, be 18-65 years old, and have access to regular care with a primary care provider.

Participants will receive up to $400 to $450.

Contact Daniel Dickson at (608) 262-0169 © 2016 WWW.THISMODERNWORLD.COM

n FEEDBACK

My wife and I are shareholders in Madison Gas and Electric. While we are interested in the continuing profitability of the company, we are also concerned about the apparent

lack of serious commitment to the concerns of the public regarding environmental responsibility, equitable rates and other issues relevant to citizens served by its energy company.

We recently returned from a trip to New England. In Vermont we were impressed by the number of small solar energy installations in or near virtually every town and village, placed there by Green Mountain Power, which is actively engaged in freeing the state from dependence on fossil fuels.

Adolf Gundersen’s piece in Isthmus alerts us to an impression we have formed in recent months that MGE, while it speaks of citizen involvement, concentrates its efforts on speaking to citizens, rather than listening to them in an honest and open-minded exchange of views.

We believe that the future of MGE and the value of our investment depends on such an exchange, the sooner the better.

Alan and Katie Green Plain, Wis. (via email)

Corrections In last week’s story on the Burrito Box, the address for Capital Centre Market was incorrect; it should have been 111 N. Broom St. In the story on Bricks & Minifigs, the pricing for minifigures from the bulk bin should have been $4, not $8.

The Witch

Odds bodkins!

I’ve not seen the film, but I can pretty much guarantee that The Witch, as described by Marc Savlov (2/18/2016), is not spoken in Old English, a grouping of Germanic languages spoken in the south and east of Britain from roughly the fifth through the 11th centuries that are entirely unintelligible to Modern English speakers. Savlov probably means Shakespearean, Elizabethan or Early Modern English, which would closely resemble the language spoken in the 17thcentury English colonies.

Jonathan M. Bartnik (via email)

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AT

ING FIFT

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ARS

CH

BY ALAN TALAGA & JON LYONS

IL D

E

R

OFF THE SQUARE

R

YE

Share comments with Isthmus via email, edit@isthmus.com, and via Forum.isthmus.com, Facebook and Twitter, or write letters to Isthmus, 100 State St., Suite 301, Madison WI 53703.

All comments are subject to editing. The views expressed here are solely those of the contributors.

These opinions do not necessarily represent those of Isthmus Publishing Company.

ON

expectation is that the dialogues will continue up to and after the aforementioned workshop.

4. It is JSA’s view that a nascent “Community Energy Partnership” for Madison/Dane County is already in development as a result of the dialogues now underway. I expect details about structure, scope, schedule, etc. to be advanced by the dialogues and by the workshop.

JSA published a report on the small group discussions it designed and conducted in 2015. The report is available on JSA’s website: jsallc.com/mge/community-energyconversations.

JSA’s commitment as impartials continues to be helping build on MGE’s 2030 Community Energy Framework. I view the framework as a flexible structure that can be continually informed by stakeholder and public input. We invite everyone to help MGE produce a 2030 Community Energy Plan that can be implemented in partnership over the next 15 years with its customers, stakeholders and shareholders.

Don Edwards Chief executive officer and principal Justice and Sustainability Associates Washington, D.C. (via email)

IS

Since January 2015, my colleagues at Justice and Sustainability Associates and I have been supporting Madison Gas and Electric’s ambitions to become a “Utility of the Future” (“MGE Snubs the Commnity,” 2/11/2016). Here are some of the steps we have taken since being engaged to develop an ongoing partnership with community members as they develop their future energy plans.

1. In January 2015, JSA, not MGE, began an engagement process originally designed to be implemented from January 2015 to June 2016. Our original design had four phases: construct an information architecture, conduct facilitated small group discussions, hold town meetings and launch a Community Energy Partnership (CEP) — a name JSA proposed.

2. Design itself is a process. Thus elements of our initial design have changed over the past 14 months. We originally proposed town meetings and, later, a single town meeting to occur around November 2015. The date of the workshop will be announced soon.

3. Beginning in fall 2015, I began meeting informally with leaders of stakeholder groups and MGE executives to assess their readiness for facilitated dialogues to commence early in 2016. Last month, those face-to-face dialogues began and are expected to continue and grow. JSA’s

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MGE of the future

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FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

THE WIZARD OF OZ

OF

13

n COVER STORY

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

BY MICHAEL POPKE

14

MINUTES BEFORE Johnny Cash was to play the Dane County Coliseum in 1982, Madison-based promoter Herb Frank was busy backstage when the Man in Black summoned him.

“That worried me,” recalls Frank, who often went on the road with Cash. “I asked him if he was okay. He said, ‘I sure am, Herb. Come on over here.’ And he pushed me into a chair and tied me down with nylon straps and duct tape. Then his band members each picked up a chair leg and carried me onto the stage.”

“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash,” the singer proclaimed to the crowd, before pointing to Frank. “And that’s Herb Frank. Tonight, after all these years of working with me, he’s going to see the whole show.”

Herb Frank, now 81 years old, had a well-earned reputation as a tireless worker. He did go on to see countless shows over the course of his career as patriarch of Frank Productions, the Madison-based,

third-generation, family-owned concert promoter that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015. The company is one of a handful of independents remaining after years of industry consolidation, during which global giants Live Nation and AEG Live swallowed up or shut down smaller competitors.

Frank Productions boasts a long history of working with some of the biggest artists in the business — from Cash to Eric Church, from Metallica to Muse, and from Five Finger Death Punch to Cage the Elephant. It will bring Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band to Milwaukee on March 3 and Mumford & Sons to the Coliseum on April 22. The company hosted the Avett Brothers at historic Breese Stevens Field last fall, and has plans for three new concerts there later this year.

The company has offices in Madison, as well Nashville and Boise, Idaho, where Frank Productions promotion partners CMoore Live+ and National Shows 2 are located.

It took over Freakfest in 2007 and recently ventured into artist development and business management. The company is also expected to

open by late 2017 its own live music venue in the 800 block of East Washington Avenue. The venture will reap financial rewards for Frank Productions in the form of booked shows, alcohol sales and potential private event rentals.

But the development is controversial, sparking concerns about neighborhood impacts from nearby residents and competition from other live-music operators.

The Franks say the space will fill a gap in the market, attracting acts that currently bypass secondary markets like this one. It will do what the company has always done for Madison, says Charlie Goldstone, the 35-year-old president of Frank Productions Concerts and the only non-Frank to hold a leadership stake in the company.

“For its size, Madison punches way above its weight class,” he says. “The main reason for that is that since the late ’60s, this city has had a local family dedicated to bringing in major acts.”

Although Herb Frank is still involved in Frank Productions, the company today is in the hands of his sons, Larry Frank, 58, and

Fred Frank, 55 — along with, respectively, their spouses, Marla Frank and Holly Frank, and two of their children, Renee Frank and Aaron Frank. Herb’s wife, Sylvia, passed away in 2006, two weeks shy of celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary with Herb.

“I thought all families got along, because we always did,” Fred says. “If we had a disagreement or an argument, we’d work it out with a lot of give and take. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized there are families that are dysfunctional. I know that sounds corny, but it’s the truth.”

Adds Larry: “I think we spent many years fighting consolidation, so we didn’t have a chance to argue with each other.”

ON A SQUARE TABLE in the conference room overlooking the 100 block of Wilson Street, in the colorful, trendy industrial headquarters Frank Productions has called home for the past three years, sit stacks of huge, well-thumbed binders.

The binders are stuffed with 8½-by-

The Frank family (from left): Renee, Herb, Fred, Aaron, Larry, Marla and Holly.

RATAJ-BERARD PHOTOS

Frank Productions’ entertainment dynasty survives industry turmoil Herb Frank left the theater district of his native Chicago in 1962 to bide his time in Madison while planning a move to California for greater opportunities. Instead, he never left Madison, opening Madison Ticket Agency in 1965 with Sylvia at what was then known as the Dane County Coliseum. Eventually, Herb Frank Enterprises was born to promote live music (primarily family entertainment and country acts). The name officially changed to Frank Productions in 1975, and the business was built on Herb’s motto: “Let’s put an ass in every seat.”

Herb says he fell in love with Madison, and the opening of the Dane County Coliseum, along with brisk business at other local theaters, convinced him to stick around and make a go of it here.

Today Frank Productions employs about 20 full-time people and dozens of part-timers.

Together, they oversee production, logistics, ticketing, marketing, sponsorship, security and merchandising of live events. And Madison Ticket Agency still exists, as the Alliant Energy Center’s Ticketmaster outlet.

As a family unit, Frank Productions has survived five decades of rampant change and industry turmoil. According to the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Family Business Alliance, about 30% of all family-owned businesses in the United States successfully transition to a second generation, while only 12% make it to the third generation.

“My mom and dad had a pretty simple principle, which was: You work,” Fred says. “So as soon as we were old enough to sell tickets, programs, T-shirts, cotton candy or popcorn, we were expected to work.”

Frank Productions established its reputation by building long-term relationships with country acts like Cash and later Alan Jackson and Springsteen — becoming their primary promoters for years. The company also brought hundreds of acts to Madison and surrounding markets.

The brothers Frank, who attended Madison Memorial High School, learned the concert promotion business — and the lifestyle that went with it — early on and integrated into it seamlessly. Their wives say they knew what

they were getting into when they joined the family. “It was very apparent that when you’re married, you sell tickets, you go to shows, you’re part of the culture,” says Holly. “So we put in a lot of weekends and evenings. If you wanted to spend time with your spouse, that’s what you did.”

Holly is a contract specialist with the company, and Marla is the chief financial officer and also runs Yellow Silo Business Management, an independent entity that manages the business affairs of Baraboo’s alternative folk/indie rock darlings PHOX. These days, Larry and Fred work at abutting desks, facing each other. They’re in the office a lot more now, having done their time on the road for most of their lives, going back to their childhoods.

As chief executive officer and chief operating officer, respectively, Larry and Fred co-manage the day-to-day operations of Frank Productions. (A third and younger brother, Michael Frank, lives in Madison

➡

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

11-inch black-and-white photographs of almost every major rock, pop and country star from the 1960s through the 1980s: the Bee Gees, the Carpenters, Cheap Trick, Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, KISS, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Queen, REO Speedwagon, Rush, Styx, Van Halen and Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention. There also are photos of more easily forgotten acts such as Air Supply and Quarterflash. Nearly every single one is autographed by the artist specifically to Herb Frank.

There’s even a “Certificate of Insanity” from Alice Cooper issued to Herb “in appreciation of...prolonged, strange, erratic and otherwise twisted behavior.”

You could easily argue that type of behavior is a prerequisite for entering the music promotion business. The hours can be long, the travel harsh, the financial risk high, the temptations great, the politics demanding and the future uncertain. Relationships can be solidified or destroyed in an instant.

15

Fred Frank (right) greeted comedian Steve Martin backstage at the Coliseum in 1978.

Herb Frank’s move to Madison in 1962 was reported by The Capital Times.

A strapped-in Herb (left) with Johnny Cash at a Dane County Coliseum show in 1982.

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

and works in genetics at the University of Wisconsin.)

“What Larry and Fred have done with Frank Productions, I would never have been able to do,” says Herb, who transitioned the business to his sons between 2000 and 2004. “I was getting older and tired and was on the road a lot with a couple of acts. They grabbed it and made it what it is today by building partnerships and expanding the business to Nashville and Boise.”

16

LARRY AND FRED Frank took over Frank Productions when the concert industry was in the midst of an upheaval that Billboard magazine claimed would “wipe independent promoters off the map.” Frank Productions was hanging on — although not as tightly as it once did.

Staff was cut way back, and many independent promoters gave in or gave up, allowing Live Nation and AEG Live to control about two-thirds of the marketplace today.

“We’ve had conversations [with potential buyers] over the years,” Larry says.

“It’s always been very interesting, because they figured since we were operating out of Madison, Wis., it would be easier to put us out of business than to buy us.

“What we had to figure out was this: How do we become No. 3, as an independent, as an option,” he continues. “Our goal is not to be No. 1 or No. 2. Our goal is to be an option for acts out there that are looking at doing things differently.”

Doing things differently for Frank Productions means beefing up its efforts to build lasting relationships organically with artists — a strategy that can be traced back to the early days.

“The idea of what we do now, how we treat acts and what we present to them goes back to then, but the way we go about trying to explain it to the acts is much different,” Larry says. “The younger acts have to make a choice; the acts back then didn’t. Do you want the large mon-

ey right now and hope for the best? Or do you want to try to have a 10-, 15-, 20-year career?

We’re out there saying we can help you have that longer career.”

“Because if it’s just about the money, we’re really not your guys,” adds Fred, who often finishes sentences that Larry starts, and viceversa. “But if it’s about becoming one of those legendary acts that can tour for the rest of your life, we can help you go down that road. We’ve done it a number of times.”

O.A.R. performs at Freakfest in 2007, the year Frank Productions took control of the annual Halloween celebration.

“We’re finding the younger bands are looking for that,” Larry concludes.

Frank Productions recognized the viability of promoting package tours — an idea with roots in the company’s 2000 Summer Sanitarium Tour featuring Metallica, Korn, Kid Rock, Powerman 5000 and System of a Down, which played 21 stadium shows in 18 cities in about six weeks.

The company soon found other opportunities in the active rock market and created a niche with co-headlining tours featuring upand-coming bands playing 6,000- to 8,000seat venues in secondary markets hungry for hard rock and heavy metal acts. Tickets prices are kept around $40. Today, California-based metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which has exploded in recent years, wants to tour exclusively with the company, Goldstone says.

“I think the Franks are uniquely positioned, because of their ability to recognize artists on the ground level and take them to the next level,” says Tag Evers, 59, a longtime local street promoter who’s brought more than 300 shows to the Barrymore Theatre since 1993. His company, True Endeavors, merged with Frank Productions in 2012 and helped Frank Productions expand into more indie rock, world music and underground hip-hop shows at both the local and national levels.

OF LARRY AND FRED Frank’s five children, two — Renee Frank and Aaron Frank, both 28 — followed their parents

BEST OF SHOWS We asked all seven Franks to tell us their favorite Frank Productions artist or show. Their answers might surprise you.

Herb Frank, 81, founder: Johnny Cash.

Larry Frank, 58, co-owner and CEO: A toss-up between Van Morrison’s Wang Theatre show in Boston on the 2009 Astral Weeks Tour, Muse’s show at Staples Center in Los Angeles in December 2015 and Pink Floyd’s 1994 performance in the rain at Camp Randall Stadium.

Five Finger Death Punch, seen here with Renee and Fred, are among Frank Productions’ major current acts.

Fred Frank, 55, co-owner and COO: Metallica in Dallas on the Summer Sanitarium Tour in 2000.

Marla Frank, 59, CFO (married to Larry Frank): Red Hot Chili Peppers at Boston’s TD Garden in 2012.

Holly Frank, 57, contract specialist (married to Fred Frank): Bruce Springsteen in Milwaukee on the 2009 Working on a Dream Tour.

Renee Frank, 28, marketing manager (daughter of Fred and Holly Frank): The Avett Brothers at Breese Stevens Field in 2015.

ALI BEYER

A rendering of the “Cosmos” project, which includes the Frank Productions’ music venue as an anchor tenant.

“This is something that is on the top of our list and something we’ve given great thought to and done an enormous amount of research on,” Fred says. “And this is something that Madison’s missing. We truly believe by building this venue at the size we are proposing, we’ll be bringing acts to Madison that are currently skipping us. Yes, Madison gets a lot of shows.

But let me tell you: Madison is also missing a lot of shows. This could easily bring in another 100 shows to this market.”

Owners of other venues in the city have privately questioned the scalability of the new venue. The bigger the seating area, the better, they say. But if acts that might be best served in an existing smaller room are booked into the new space, politics within the local concert scene could get sticky.

When asked last summer by Isthmus if the new venue’s capacity would pose a competitive threat to such venues as the Orpheum Theater or the Capitol Theater, Larry Frank said “defi-

The Avett Brothers concert last fall was the first major concert at Breese Stevens Field.

DAVID MICHAEL MILLER

nitely not,” adding that the company was building the space “for 10 years down the road. As Madison grows, we want to make sure we’re the right size.”

The Franks stress how intimate the new venue will be. With only a few hundred actual seats, the room will be designed to create a friendly and informal standing environment.

The space originally was slated for two blocks away, but city officials pulled their support in 2014 — citing parking and traffic concerns in the nearby Tenney-Lapham neighborhood. The Franks considered moving the project to Nashville before striking a local deal last summer with developer Otto Gebhardt, who had earlier announced plans to partner with a different promoter.

“We’re going to build something that bands are going to walk out of and say that was the best night of the tour — not only from the fan experience but from behind the curtain: dressing room, catering, bus parking, lounge area, everything,” Fred says. “When bands have a good time, word spreads like wildfire.”

“The arena shows are slowly disappearing, and to stay active in the business, we needed to start looking at building a room like this,” Larry adds. “If it works in Madison, we hope to expand into other secondary markets.”

Says Fred: “That’s the next chapter for this family.” n

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

into the family business. Renee is the company’s marketing manager, and Aaron is an artist manager with ABI Management, a Nashville-based affiliate of Frank Productions working with such artists as Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel (who played Shannon Hall in December) and SIMO, a fast-rising Nashville-based blues band that performed at Atwood Fest last summer and is scheduled to play the High Noon Saloon on March 24.

“I definitely considered other options,” says Renee. “But I always knew that I wanted to be part of Frank Productions. After graduating college, I did take a job working for a company in Reedsburg that manufactures water softener parts for a company in China. That’s not very interesting — at all. But it was important to do that and try something else to see if I still felt drawn to this business, and I did.”

Much of the focus of Frank Productions in the near term will be on its new 35,000-square-foot music venue, which is part of the $69 million Gebhardt Development project known as the “Cosmos.”

Construction is expected to start this summer.

The Franks say their goal for the 2,300to 2,700-person venue, which would average eight to 10 shows per month, is to attract the kind of artists who would otherwise play the Riverside Theater or the Rave in Milwaukee.

Aaron Frank, 28, artist manager with ABI Management, a Nashville-based affiliate of Frank Productions (son of Larry and Marla Frank): Red Hot Chili Peppers at Irving Plaza in New York City to launch the tour for 2006’s Stadium Arcadium.

17

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Gib’s | Merchant | Natt Spil | Forequarter | Edgewater | Estrellon L’Etoile | Pig In A Fur Coat | Julep | Barolo | Mezze

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Save room for dessert Picks for Chef Week 2016

BY ADAM POWELL n ILLUSTRATION BY JOE ROCCO

and Estrellón. “I did anticipate that bringing together some of the most talented and creative people in Madison would result in something awesome, but Chef Week is going well beyond expectations.”

Miller is juiced — because of Madison receiving several James Beard Award nominations over the past few years, the eyes of not just Chicago but both coasts are on Madison now.

Patrick DePula of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, another MACN organizer, under-

scores that Chef Week will allow Madison chefs to “reach a broader audience, with the aim of further elevating the culinary scene here.”

The kick-off event, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

March 4, is a pop-up food truck by Miller and Jonny Hunter of Forequarter. It will incorporate the West Coast technique of announcing its locations via Twitter (@ grazeletoile) and Instagram (@jonnydhunter), so you’ll have to be on point to find out what they have in store. (Hunter

says the announcements should come a couple of days in advance.) So far, the menu is a secret.

From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on March 5, Francesco Mangano of Osteria Papavero will team with Dan Fox of Heritage Tavern on small plates at Heritage Tavern. Expect Andalusian, Italian and Spanish touches in twists on Mediterranean tapas. “The event at Heritage will allow people to socialize and have fun late at night with a few inexpensive and tasty bites,” says

CONTINUE D ON PAGE 2 0 ➡

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

What started as a whirlwind of one-offs in March 2015 has evolved into what looks like the most exciting food festival of 2016. The Madison Area Chefs Network (MACN) has put together another slate of events for Chef Week 2016, which runs March 4-13 this year.

“I couldn’t be prouder of MACN and the chefs of Madison for how amazing the events have grown in just a year,” says Tory Miller, one of MACN’s principal organizers and chef at L’Etoile, Sujeo, Graze

19

n FOOD & DRINK

The little izakaya that could Tavernakaya scores big with buns, skewers, even okonomiyaki

BY KYLE NABILCY

If a new restaurant doesn’t feel new, that’s usually a problem. Sometimes familiar is good, but a new restaurant should feel a little novel and exciting. Tavernakaya feels entirely unlike any other restaurant in Madison.

Tavernakaya opened in mid-December, but had to close about a month later due to a massive water leak. But the Japanese gastropub is now back in business between Walgreens and the Park Bank on the Capitol Square.

Owner Michael Ding took advantage of the time off to retool the menu slightly.

What was a wagyu beef patty on the TK Burger is now “normal” ground beef. This is fine, as it seems to me any benefit to the finely marbled wagyu (also known as kobe) beef is completely obliterated by grinding.

The toppings have changed, too, but if the seasoning and sear on the patty remain the same, it will still be a fine burger.

The sushi menu has doubled in size, with a number of basic rolls added to the specialty rolls like the TK Bay (tender scallops inside, shrimp salad with a subtle touch of wasabi on top) and the Mt. Fuji (shrimp tempura inside with spicy tuna that’s actually spicy on top). These maki rolls are generally more expensive than similar rolls that aren’t made in sight of the Capitol, but they’re hefty and good.

It’s still a menu with a bit of sprawl, but version 2.0 is easier to navigate.

Noodles, dumplings and pork buns are similar to those from Umami, Ding’s

other shop. Gyoza are as fat and porky as ever, seared hard on one side. The “O.G.” pork buns aren’t identical to the originals at Umami, but they’re close. Here, they’re a little lighter, less roasty, but still delicious. Fried chicken buns are a fun Buffalo chicken reference, with all that spicy crunch smooshed into a pillowy mantou.

The beef curry udon takes noodles a step past the standard ramen bowls at Umami, but most components were on the verge of being overcooked, and, aside from mild curry spices, the dish was lacking in salt and depth.

Tavernakaya’s skewers and small plates point to the kitchen’s greatest skills. The yakitori bring to mind the best aspects of the dearly departed Kushi Bar Muramoto; the chicken meatball is delicately seasoned and juicy, while pork belly is crisped meat and creamy fat — luxury on a stick. Meaty lemongrass shrimp arrived slightly overcooked, but not offensively so.

Samurai pork ribs, three to the serving, were as tender as the pork belly skewer, with a sweet five-spice glaze. (Maybe the ribs ordered the yakitori to skewer themselves; otherwise, the samurai moniker doesn’t make a ton of sense.)

Togarashi fries were overseasoned with the Japanese pepper blend in the opening run of the menu, but now they’re much more subtle. I’ve wished for the savory pancake okonomiyaki in Madison for years, and Tavernakaya’s is substantial, smooth from the rice flour batter that binds it.

Big-ticket item, and worth it: Ponzu steak frites.

I was in a distinctly happy place eating the Taiwanese three cup chicken, generously portioned and redolent with basil. The sauce on the General Tso’s cauliflower was both bright and deep, but portion size barely lived up to the “Large Plates” section, and the unevenly sized chunks of cauliflower were also unevenly cooked inside their crisp batter shells.

The largest menu item at Tavernakaya, the ponzu steak frites, will be remembered by my table as one of the best plates of food we’ve had in recent memory. A perfect medium-rare hang-

CHRIS HYNES

er steak, trimmed neatly and tidily marinated, shared the plate with a heap of togarashi fries and a ginger-wasabi aioli so gratifying we asked for a second cup before the first was gone.

Between the banquettes along one side, the booths way in the back, some unexpectedly comfortable tall four-tops, and both a sushi bar and a drinks bar (skip the Roberta Rita cocktail, embrace Mono No Aware’s pleasant spice instead), this feels like a big restaurant despite its modest size.

The kitchen can execute. Tavernakaya stands to be a fun room for a good while. n

TAVERNAKAYA n 27 E. Main St. n 608-286-1548 n tavernakaya.com n 11 am-2 pm and 4 pm-10 pm Mon.-Wed., 11 am-2 pm and 4 pm-2 am Thurs.-Fri., 4 pm-2 am Sat. n $3-$24

S A YEAR OPEN 365 DAY

Chef Week 2016 continued from 19

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Mangano. “It’s part of the culture of bars/restaurants in Italy — almost as much as in Spain — to have bites before dinner time (“apertivo hour”) or late at night. And because Papavero is not open late, this is a chance for us to offer something we wouldn’t typically.”

Normally a bunch of chef-driven food events wouldn’t be kid-friendly, but Tory Miller and Laila Borokhim are both parents. They’re holding a French-themed brunch for families, with tykes or otherwise, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 6 at Layla’s Persian Food.

“I’m going for a French style crêpe like I had in Paris once, folded like a cone and filled with yummy things,” says Miller. Hint: Get reservations.

Also on March 6, Noah Przybylski of the Madison Club and Abigail Zielke of Mezze will host a special brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mezze.

Przybylski is concocting traditional Lebanese breakfast dishes like man’oushe, baked flatbread served with lebneh.

Monday brings a big “welcome home” dinner with Justin Carlisle, formerly of Harvest and 43 North and now chef-owner of Ardent in Milwaukee. He’ll collaborate with Elizabeth and Tim Dahl of Nostrano and Tory Miller on a multi-course dinner. Get reservations (608395-3295) for this one early; dinner’s 5-10 p.m. at Nostrano.

The truffle takes over the menu at Osteria Papavero from 5 p.m. onward on March 9. Francesco Mangano and Matt Schieble of Harvest will serve specials showcasing black truffles — “think eggs and truffles, steak with truffled béarnaise, pasta with truffles,” says Mangano. “Winter truffles in March are great occasion for people to enjoy this gift of nature right before the season ends.”

They’re saving the wild stuff for March 10, when Gilbert Altschul of Grampa’s Pizzeria and Matt Schieble will unleash five courses of molecular plates.

Menu plans include foie gras with Concord grape fluid gel, and tapioca maltodextrin. It’s at Gib’s Bar, but call Harvest, 608-255-6075, for reservations.

Worth saving some of your appetite for is the week’s final event on March 13, Sunday Funday, with 20 MACN chefs dishing their favorite street foods alongside craft cocktails from Merchant, Heritage Tavern, L’Etoile, Mezze and Gib’s.

It’s all-you-can-eat, and also a benefit for the Community Action Coalition’s Double Dollar program, which doubles (up to $25) food stamp users’ money at farmers’ markets. (Tickets, $100, are available via isthmustickets.com).

“We couldn’t think of a more deserving program than Double Dollar,” says Miller. n

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n FOOD & DRINK

seeks an

Advertising Executive See Page 37 for more info

Three to try Duck wings Jordan’s Big 10 Pub, 1330 Regent St.

Boasting richer meat than the usual chicken wing, these duck wings come with some Asian flavor thanks to a honey plum sauce.

Buffalo wings Chicken Lips, 5508 County Hwy. N, Sun Prairie

The wings here are dry-rubbed with spices before frying. Then they are sauced. Original is plenty hot, but ask for the off-menu “extrasexy” to really break a sweat.

DORN 4 Madison Locations:

127 N. Broom St., Madison 256-0530 1348 S. Midvale Blvd., Madison 274-2511 131 W. Richards Rd., Oregon 835-5737 926 Windsor St., Sun Prairie 837-2110

Hmong stuffed chicken wings Madison Oriental Market Deli, 2119 Fish Hatchery Rd.

The traditional ingredients of a Southeast Asian egg roll are stuffed inside a meaty chicken wing and then fried so the skin is taut and crispy for a very satisfying snack.

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

w w w. d o r n h a r d w a r e . c o m

22

This land is your land, this land is

madland isthmus.com

STEPHANIE HOFMANN

No skimping!

Michelangelo’s whole-milk latte I’m a latte purist. I don’t want caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin, peanut butter and jelly, or — God forbid — bacon. I just want high-quality espresso and delicious whole milk.

My go-to comfort drink is whole-milk latte from my favorite locally owned coffee shop, Michelangelo’s. The fair trade cafe, which has filled the cozy niche at 114 State St. since 1997, is brimming with art and good energy, and the baristas are some of the friendliest in town.

You don’t have to love whole milk to enjoy these lattes (2% is still quite tasty), but if you’re staying away because of

The mood abides The Gringo from Old Sugar Distillery I’m almost embarrassed to say how long it took me to discover the Old Sugar Distillery.

I had seen its products — namely the Old Sugar Factory Honey Liqueur — on local cocktail menus for years, but it wasn’t until last summer that I ventured over to the unassuming location at 931 East Main St. It quickly became a go-to spot thanks to a confluence of qualities — cool ambiance, ample seating, shockingly reasonable prices and one of those rare cocktail menus that can please everybody in the group. And the snacks are good too.

The bartenders at Old Sugar have a knack for blending unexpected ingredients, like a

martini with grappa or an old fashioned with kombucha. But perhaps the most inventive take on a classic is the Gringo. On the menu, it’s described as “better than a White Russian” — a statement that is true in every way.

Instead of thick and heavy, the Gringo is light and refreshing, perfect for sipping in any season. It has one of their simplest recipes — horchata (Mexican rice milk) and honey liqueur topped with freshly grated cinnamon and nutmeg. The 80-proof liqueur makes it plenty boozy too, but the honey makes it go down easy.

— ALLISON GEYER

CAROLYN FATH

fat phobia, I’m going to predict that in a few years, this nonfat and low-fat milk thing is going to go the way of margarine.

Spend a little time on the National Institutes of Health website and you’ll get the idea: Study after study shows that people who consume high-fat dairy are healthier (and thinner) than those who skimp.

Yeah, baby.

Mostly, I like confirmation that something that tastes good is also good for me. I love the way whole milk froths, and the balance of bracing coffee with creamy milk.

Best of all, Michelangelo’s feels like home.

— CATHERINE CAPELLARO

Madison’s first nominee for “Outstanding Chef” in the James Beard Awards: Chef Tory Miller.

BARREL TAPPING PARTY

M A RCH 12 7:30PM-12 A M

LAURA ZASTROW

Semi-excited Madison chefs have prominent showing in James Beard Award semifinals

BY KYLE NABILCY

nesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota (but not Chicago, which is in the “Great Lakes” region). Since 2008, Madison has had at least one chef on the list for “Best Chef: Midwest” every year but one.

In 2011, Tory Miller was a finalist, and in 2012, he won the category. Madison’s only previous win was by Odessa Piper, L’Etoile’s founder, in 2001. The city’s greatest numerical success was in 2013, with six semifinalists named across five categories.

Miller, who as a former winner is ineligible to compete again in the “Best Chef: Midwest” category, says he never even daydreamed about getting on the “Outstanding Chef” list. “I literally didn’t even look at it at first,” he says. “I did my usual, skip to Midwest and New York City.

But then my phone started blowin’ up, so I went back and checked.”

Hunter — who, with Fox, was a Midwest semifinalist last year as well — gives a nod to his team at Forequarter. “It’s always nice to get the recognition. It’s hard for us because we really work more as a team, so I always like to make sure they are recognized in this whole process,” he says. Miller, too, credits both front and back of house at L’Etoile for its consistent success.

The nominees for the 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards will be announced on March 15, and the culinary awards gala will be held at the Lyric Opera in Chicago on May 2. n

V.I.P. - 6:30PM

A select few will be given the opportunity to attend a private meet & greet and private barrel reserve tasting with Graciela.

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FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Madison has had a nice run going in the last few years when it comes to James Beard nominations, establishing itself as an annual power in the Midwest region. This year the city’s profile is even higher, with Tory Miller being the first Madison chef nominated for Outstanding Chef, where he’s up against such stars as Sean Brock of Husk, in Nashville, and Andrew Carmellini of Locanda Verde, in New York City.

Madison nominees for Best Chef: Midwest are Dan Fox of Heritage Tavern, Jonathan Hunter of Underground Food Collective, and Francesco Mangano of Osteria Papavero (making his first appearance on this list).

Miller and Hunter point to a small but perceptible bump in business after a recognition like this. “It definitely is a boost for the restaurant, and that’s really helpful during this time of year. It’s not huge but you can tell,” says Hunter.

But Miller says the real impact is more far-reaching: “With more exposure nationally, more people make a point to come check us out when they come to Madison.”

The announcements of the semifinalists for culinary achievement and food media presented by the James Beard Foundation will be followed in about a month by the finalists, who are selected by a panel of food writers and professionals and past Beard award winners.

Madison, as part of the Midwest Region, is up against cities in Iowa, Kansas, Min-

Graciela Gonzalez Cortez will guide our guests through the “tapping” of our very own barrel of El Mayor Extra Anejo Tequila.

We were given the rare opportunity to bring in this one of a kind barrel, to share with you.

Spend the evening getting to know Graciela and the legend behind El Mayor Tequila.

There will be tequila inspired craft cocktails, small bites paired perfectly as well as a live DJ and dancing.

23

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Bolder pilsner Groundbreaker by Hinterland Brewery Hinterland of Green Bay will be one of the anchor businesses within the new “Titletown District,” to run roughly from Lambeau Field westward along Lombardi Avenue to I-41.

Groundbreaking has not yet taken place, but the brewery’s newest beer, Groundbreaker Double Pilsner, is already looking forward to the celebration.

It’s a bolder take on the pilsner with a firm, hoppy aroma and strong malty background. The style is growing in popularity, yet it’s still not commonly found. Groundbreaker is made with a Czech lager yeast, lots of two-row and pilsner malts, and German Hallertau hops. “That malt bill helps ensure a light body, yet it’s still a big beer,” says brewer Joe Karls.

Groundbreaker has full body and sweetness. It’s bold, crisp and flavorful, yet given all that flavor, it finishes remarkably clean, with a kiss of herbal-spicy accent from the German Hallertau hops. This beer deserves respect at 7% ABV and around 30 IBUs. It’s sold in six-packs for around $9. Groundbreaker should be available on store shelves through March.

— ROBIN SHEPARD

Eats events

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24

Markets and Meals for Hope

Capital Bockfest Sat., Feb. 27

Fri., Feb. 26

The winter market series that benefits the Harvest of Hope emergency fund will hold an event at Centro Hispano, 810 W. Badger Rd., from 5:30 to 8 pm. Shop for cheese, preserves, honey and tamales from local farmers and enjoy dinner made from local food. More info: 608-512-2950.

Capital Brewery, 7734 Terrace Ave. , Middleton, celebrates the release of its Blonde Doppelbock and spring Maibock for the 19th time. The fest, which goes from 11 am to 5 pm, includes music, food, costumes and a 1K race.

Advance tickets ($15 via capitalbrewery.com) are recommended; others will be allowed in at noon if space allows.

Fromagination Cheese Tasting Class Wed., March 2

Cheesemongers from Fromagination, 12 S. Carroll St., will lead class members in a crash course in the varieties, flavors and chemistry of cheese. Plus, samples will be paired with cheese’s BFF, beer. Register ($50) at fromagination.com or call 608-665-3363.

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Over 30 area chefs collaborate to combine cuisines, swap restaurants and compete to give you a week of unique culinary experiences

March 4-13 2016

isthmus.com/ chefweek f e at u r i n g :

GILBERT ALTSCHUL GRAMPA’S PIZZA • LAILA BOROKHIM LAYLA’S PERSIAN CUISINE • JASON KIERCE ADAMAH NEIGHBORHOOD TABLE ABIGAIL ZIELKE MEZZE • TORY MILLER ESTRELLON, SUJEO, GRAZE, L’ETOILE • JONNY HUNTER FOREQUARTER, UNDERGROUND BUTCHER AARON MOONEY JULEP, A-OK, BAROLO • EVAN DANNELLS MERCHANT • SHINJI MURAMOTO RESTAURANT MURAMOTO, SUSHI MURAMOTO • PATRICK DEPULA SALVATORE’S TOMATO PIES • JOHN JERABEK SALVATORE’S TOMATO PIES • DAN FOX HERITAGE TAVERN • FRANCESCO MANGANO OSTERIA PAPAVERO • NOAH PRZYBYLSKI MADISON CLUB • JOE GAGLIO GOTHAM BAGELS • DAN BONANNO PIG IN A FUR COAT CHRIS KETARKUS 43 NORTH • BETH PIETERS SALVATORE’S TOMATO PIES • DEREK LEE PIZZA BRUTTA • DAVE HEIDE LILIANA’S, CHARLIE’S ON MAIN • CASEY TRUMBLE BRASSERIE V • ELIZABETH DAHL NOSTRANO • TIM DAHL NOSTRANO • DAVID OLIVER NATT SPIL • MATT MOYER GREAT DANE • MOLLY MACIEJEWSKI MADISON SOURDOUGH • MATT SCHIEBLE HARVEST • PHILIP HURLEY SARDINE, MARIGOLD, GATES & BROVI • JOHN GADAU SARDINE, MARIGOLD, GATES & BROVI • DAN SCHMITZ BANZO NICK JOHNSON STAMM HOUSE

MARCH 13, 3-7PM GRAZE & L’ETOILE

• Craft cocktails by Madison’s finest mixologists • Music by the Tony Casteneda Latin Jazz Sextet, DJ FRP and the Tropical Riddims Sound System

TICKETS INCLUDE

• Unlimited street food dishes

• 1 complimentary One Barrel Brewing Company beer

$

100

• 1 complimentary glass of wine

Buy tickets at isthmus.com/macnsundayfunday

PER TICKET Proceeds to Benefit the Community Action Coalition’s Madison Farmer’s Market Double Dollars program

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

SUNDAY FUNDAY

• 20 MACN chefs will prepare their favorite street foods

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Madison College women’s b-ball near top

BY MICHAEL POPKE

While the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team has struggled since its last NCAA tournament appearance in 2010, the Madison College women’s basketball program — which won the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division III title that same year — is closing in on another national championship.

The No. 5-ranked WolfPack wrapped up the regular season last Saturday with a convincing 69-33 victory over Harper College at Redsten Gym. Madison College’s 25-3 overall record is tops in the eightteam North Central Community College Conference, and its 9-3 conference record is one game behind Rock Valley College.

“The last time we had [only] three losses, we won the national championship,” says head coach Jessica Pelzel, who coached that 2010 team.

This year’s WolfPack hopes history repeats itself. Madison College and Rock Valley College each received first-round byes in this weekend’s NJCAA Division III Region IV Tournament at Alverno College.

The WolfPack will play Joliet Junior College, a team it’s beaten five out of the past seven times, in a semifinal on Feb 26. The regional championship is Feb. 28.

The Region IV winner then will host the winner of the Region XII tournament, with that winner moving on to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament in Lincroft, N.J. This WolfPack season was not without its challenges. Sophomore guard Taylor Nelson missed much of the N4C schedule with a knee injury and then reaggravated it. Pelzel hopes she’ll return to action in Friday’s semifinal.

Madison College also will rely on forward Rachel Slaney, a freshman who formerly played for basketball powerhouse Barneveld High School, and sophomore Jenna Endres, who plays all five positions.

Despite blowing out opponents by an average of more than 24 points per game,

KIRK LAWLER

Frosh forward Rachel Slaney has experience from playing prep basketball in Barneveld.

the WolfPack dropped two late-season games. “We hadn’t lost back-to-back games in a long time,” says Pelzel, now in her 10th season.

Unlike coaches at four-year NCAA colleges and universities, Pelzel works with players for a maximum of two years, and the team practices for only two hours per day.

“I don’t get to develop them over a four-year period,” she says. “And because they aren’t on scholarships, our kids need to work. Most of my players work 15 to 30 hours a week.”

All of which makes this opportunity to be among the country’s elite junior college women’s basketball teams that much sweeter.

“We know what we need to do,” Pelzel says.

“Now we just need to execute.” n

Marathon men Brogan Austin and Tyler Mueller juggle work at Epic with Olympics training

BY STEVE HORN

Even before the Feb. 13 United States Olympic Marathon Trials race began in Los Angeles, Madison runner Brogan Austin — a 24-year-old employee at Epic Systems and member of the Movin’ Shoes running store’s elite team — knew carnage would reign supreme on the course due to the heat.

Competing in his first ever marathon, the former Drake University track and cross country standout ended up finishing in the top 40 in a race in which the top three finishers in each race earn a spot to compete for the U.S. at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 21.

Austin survived and thrived in February weather foreign to the Midwest, and did so as an athlete with a full-time day job.

Austin tells Isthmus he had hoped for a top30 finish, but is “pretty content with the result, [and] it has made me hungry for better results.”

Austin’s Epic colleague and Movin’ Shoes elite teammate Tyler Mueller — also 24 and the defending champion of Madison’s popular Crazylegs Classic 8K race — was not so fortunate. After traveling to L.A. for the race, Mueller was unable to compete due to a stress fracture in his foot.

But the fact that either of them even qualified for the trials to begin with — which takes either a sub-65-minute half-marathon (4:57 pace per mile) or a sub-2:18 marathon (5:15 pace per mile) — while also maintaining the nomadic lifestyle inherent to a job spent largely on the road at Epic, prompts a simple question.

How do they pull it off? How do they make the time to put in 100-110 miles per week of running?

Austin and Mueller — both self-coached, and both of whom qualified for the trials via the half-marathon — spend much of their time on airplanes and on the road, traveling to various hospitals to help install and implement Epic Systems’ electronic healthcare software.

“The key to success is creating a routine and sticking to that routine,” says Austin. “Once I got into a routine I didn’t really have to contem-

plate my day, and it became second nature, like brushing your teeth before bed.” However, he admits that “running for two hours after working all day is usually the last thing you want to do.”

Mueller — who took 11th place at the U.S. half-marathon championships in Houston in January 2015 with a time of 63:21 and 15th at the U.S. 12K championships in Alexandria, Va., in November 2015 — says he typically runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with 5:45 a.m. wakeups for shorter morning runs a couple times per week.

“It can get very tiring and stressful, but it makes the successes so much sweeter,” says Mueller. “Knowing I’m able to contend with people who more or less run full-time is quite gratifying.”

Mueller and Austin are not the only runners who work full-time at Epic and compete on the Movin’ Shoes elite team. They’re joined by Josh Lund — a 27-year-old who focuses on the 5K and 10K and was the 2014 Crazylegs winner.

Austin does most of his training in the Madison area on the Military Ridge Trail in Verona, while Mueller’s favorite routes are Madison’s Lakeshore Path and Picnic Point, the Arboretum and the Lake Monona loop.

Both hope the training they do on those routes in the days and weeks ahead lands them a spot on the track at the University of Oregon’s hallowed Hayward Field for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on July 1 to compete in the 10,000-meter race. It takes a top-25 fastest time in the country to toe the starting line.

Mueller first has to heal from his stress fracture. Austin plans to take some time off and then begin what he hopes is the march to Eugene, aiming to compete in the Drake Relays road race 5K on April 30.

Mueller and Austin both intend to train for and compete in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, even though Austin said he felt “destroyed” after the L.A. Trials and initially “vowed never to run one again.”

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Next training period aside, the most important thing for Austin for now is doughnuts. Yes, doughnuts.

“I’m in need of some new legs or a bounty of doughnuts to get me going again,” says Austin.

“Don’t worry, the doughnuts will come regardless of the new legs.” n

CHRIS CORBETT

Brogan Austin running at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team trials in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Friday, Feb. 12th 11am-7pm Friday, Feb. 12th 11am-7pm Saturday, Feb. 13th 11am-7pm Saturday,Furnishing Feb. 13th 11am-7pm Home & Accessories Pop-up Sunday, Feb. 14th 11am-5pm Sunday, Feb. 14th 11am-5pm

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FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

METROPOLITAN PLACE I

HILLDALE HILLDALE PRESENTS: PRESENTS:

27

n ART

MADISON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Visitors of all ages have plenty of chances to create art.

THE OAKWOOD CHAMBER PL AYERS welcome you to our 2015-16 season, which promises to be FUN! We’ve enjoyed playing for the residents of Oakwood Village for over 30 years, and this season we look forward to sharing the fun with you. Join us for musical performances that contemplate the beauty and pleasure of nature. This season will lift your spirits and please your ears. We love to play for you…now come play with us!

Children’s Games Saturday, March 5, 2016 – 7 pm Sunday, March 6, 2016 – 1:30 pm Irving Fine: One Two Buckle My Shoe for oboe, clarinet, violin and cello Georges Bizet: Jeux d’Enfants for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn Jack Gallagher: Ancient Evenings & Distant Music for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn

Tickets available at the door

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

Senior $15 • Adult $20 • Student $5 Children over 6 years old get in free for this unique performance.

28

For more information visit: oakwoodchamberplayers.com or call (608) 230-4316

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Designed to inspire Lynda Barry’s visionary exhibit at Madison Children’s Museum

BY HOLLY HENSCHEN

“Why do kids like making marks that make shapes that make stories? Adults are scared to do this. Why?” This is the central thesis of “Drawing Fast and Slow: The Compbook Art of Lynda Barry,” on display at the Madison Children’s Museum through the end of March. The exhibit provides a glimpse into the imagination and artistic process of Wisconsin’s premier cartoonist-turned-creativity coach.

The eclectic display, located on the ground floor of a museum dedicated to freeform creativity, dissects societal attitudes and behaviors toward art. It is bursting with visionary yet kitschy paintings, drawings and collages paired with inspiring koans like, “Do kids need to draw? Do adults? Why?” “Drawing Fast and Slow” is just the fourth exhibit of Barry’s work — and the first outside of New York. This is surprising, given that her distinguished career has spanned 35 years; she’s written and illustrated 17 books and created an off-Broadway play. From 1981 to 2008, Barry’s nationally syndicated alternative comic, “Ernie Pook’s Comeek” (which ran in Isthmus) depicted the weirdness of childhood through stories of a girl named Marlys and her brother, Freddie. The Richland Center native, whose college buddies include The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, is part of the UWMadison art department faculty and teaches creativity workshops around the country.

Since 2002, she has lived in rural Rock County on a tree nursery with her husband.

“Lynda understands that an important part of the creative process is to let go and play without a goal. The exhibit helps nurture children’s natural creativity,” says Jonathan Zarov, the museum’s marketing and commu-

nications director. But the exhibit is not just for kids: “For adults, it can help them reclaim that sense of play and creativity,” he adds.

Barry’s unrestrained art produces a subtly ordered chaos that can communicate to any viewer. It’s art that makes viewers think, “I could do that,” while encouraging them to try.

Each of the 29 notebooks on display, pages hand-turned sporadically by Barry, is brimming with fantastical creatures, wildlife and people in a style reminiscent of the adorably surreal animated show Adventure Time, with a hint of the 2014 horror hit The Babadook. Her provocative, rhetorical questions, like “How can one form be changed to another?” suggest similar sentiments to the self-affirming statements of multimedia artist Miranda July.

Barry’s exuberant exhibit also includes several interactive elements. She incorporates these into classes she’s teaching on drawing, writing and the creative process as a fellow at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery and as part of the UW art department faculty.

In one activity, visitors spin a wheel to choose what to draw: a monster, a monkey, scissors or a chicken. Nearby, two hourglasses sit next to a box of colored pencils.

A stack of index cards is divided into sections labeled 1 Minute and 2 Minutes, corresponding to the time in each hourglass.

Visitors draw on the cards and leave them for Barry and her students. Recently, Barry’s class added a visitor’s drawing of a monster to a compbook page with the question, “What if his name was Billy?”

Visitors can view “Drawing Fast and Slow” (and draw something) in the groundfloor Community Concourse at the Madison Children’s Museum, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. The exhibit is free and runs through March 31. n

n BOOKS

Ass-kicking teen detective A Study in Charlotte is a feminist retelling of Sherlock Holmes

BY CATHERINE CAPELLARO

The subtitle of A Study in Charlotte, Brittany Cavallaro’s page-turning young adult novel, is “You’ve never seen Watson and Holmes like this before.” But as a Sherlock Holmes nerd who spent a good portion of childhood reading and rereading every one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective tales, I recognize these characters. Despite the modern setting and clever recasting, Cavallaro has captured much of the tension and excitement of the originals.

The flawed heroes are extremely relatable: Jamie Watson is a socially awkward lad, a hot-headed London transplant on a rugby scholarship. And Charlotte Holmes is a brooding, angular tough with a predilection for hard drugs and poker. The two students at an elite Connecti-

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE

By Brittany Cavallaro Katherine Tegen Books/ Harper-Collins

cut prep school also happen to be the great-great-greatgrandchildren of the famous detective and his sidekick.

When a bullying date-rapist is murdered in his dorm room, it doesn’t take long for the two friends to learn they are being framed.

The original Sherlock Holmes was an avowed misogynist, so it’s a hoot to see the essential Holmes transposed onto a powerful female character. She earns Watson’s fawning admiration, which is plain adorable.

You’ll root for these kids. And you’ll cheer for Cavallaro — who earned an MFA in poetry from UW-Madison — to become the next J.K. Rowling. n Brittany Cavallaro will read and sign copies of A Study in Charlotte on Thursday, March 3, at 6 pm at A Room of One’s Own.

Cavallaro’s novel packs a wallop.

M A D I S O N S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A presents

Mansfield University Concert Choir and Madison Youth Choirs with Samuel Hutchison, Organist

ON SALE SATURDAY! TUE, JUL 12 – SUN, JUL 17 COMMUNITY PARTNER:

OVERTURECENTER.ORG | 608.258.4141

TICKETS

$20 at madisonsymphony.org/mansfieldchoir, Overture Box Office, or (608) 258-4141.

Student rush $10 day of concert

Sponsored by Wes and Ankie Foell and Friends of the Overture Concert Organ

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 7:30pm Overture Hall

29 RECOMMENDED WHEN USED FOR REPRODUCTIONS SMALLER THAN 1.25” WIDE.

n STAGE

Bedtime for bunny CTM’s Goodnight Moon riffs on the classic bedtime story

BY GWENDOLYN RICE

The classic children’s book Goodnight Moon, written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd, has been lulling young people to sleep since its publication in 1947. A scant 28 pages long, the poetic tale follows a little bunny as he goes through his nighttime rituals and eventually falls asleep.

Now Children’s Theater of Madison presents a musical production of the beloved bedtime book, running in the Playhouse at Overture Center through Feb. 28. Scanning the audience of 3- to 6-year-olds and their parents at the opening matinee performance — most of whom were already ardent Goodnight Moon fans — one question kept running through my head: How are they going to stretch this story to fill 70 minutes?

Much to my surprise (and delight), the production riffs on all of the classic elements already present in the book, simply making them richer — and funnier. By expanding the role of the little bunny, inserting content from Brown’s other children’s favorite, The Runaway Bunny, and adding some well-executed song-and-dance numbers for comic relief, this version of Goodnight Moon feels like an authentic and thoroughly entertaining continuation of the story.

The smart script is brought to life by energetic and enchanting performances by the whole cast, led by James Carrington as the restless Bunny. He is placated by the Old Lady Saying Hush, a perfectly cast Terry Kiss-Frank. Bunny’s playful and mischievous companion Mouse (Samantha Sostarich) lends her beautiful singing voice to the only

ADAM BROWN

The fun is anchored by the singing and dancing of Mouse (Samantha Sostarich) and the restless Bunny (James Carrington).

ballad of the show, “North Star,” which, unfortunately, comes near the end of the performance when little ones are getting wiggly. Joshua Krause gives a charming, unorthodox take on the tooth fairy, and young performer Flynn Marcus is especially captivating as Mr. Nobody — the one who is always blamed for messes and mischief.

As the Cat, Erica Halverson is part ringmaster, part vaudeville performer, and her daughter, Grace Halverson, threatens to steal every scene,

including a complicated dance number, when she appears as an adorable Baby Bear. Brian Cowing’s choreography is intricate and entertaining, keeping the show moving at a quick clip.

The show’s welcoming set is an exact replica of the book’s distinctive illustrations.

The only surprise for viewers is how these set pieces spring magically to life. Designed by the exceptionally talented Charles “Jen” Trieloff II (1970–2014) for an earlier production of the

play, the artistry and detail onstage is a potent reminder of his extraordinary skill.

Goodnight Moon succeeds in telling a winning story without mugging for laughs or talking down to its very young audience.

When I asked my 6-year-old companion what he thought of the show, he said simply, “I want to see it again.” For someone who has had the book read to him over and over and over, that’s high praise indeed. n

Fractured family The Mojo and the Sayso examines the aftermath of a police shooting

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

BY LAURA JONES

30

One of the great privileges of being a critic is having the opportunity to see art and think about it deeply. How does it fit into history? What is it trying to tell us? Is it successful in transforming the way we see the world? Every so often a play comes along that touches on all these questions at once.

The Mojo and the Sayso, a co-production of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble and Theatre LILA, is just such a show.

Mojo, which ran through Feb. 21 at the Overture Center, was written by playwright Aishah Rahman in the late 1980s. But it feels ripped from today’s headlines. A young black boy, age 10, is shot by police in the back as he and his father run away from what the police believe is an attempted robbery. The murder fractures the family

into a million pieces. Mother Awilda (Marvette Knight) seeks refuge in the church. Father Acts (Gavin Lawrence) hides inside a car he’s restoring, and the boy’s older brother Blood (Isáyah Phillips) disappears into a life of rage and violence. As a result of the racist act, each survivor seeks a “mojo,” a talisman against vanishing into horrible loss and pain.

Mojo isn’t so much about systemized white racism as it is about the family. In this sense, the script evokes the work of other great American playwrights: Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller and, probably most directly, August Wilson. The reason behind the policeman’s act is left unexamined — or at least taken for granted — while the central drama centers around how the family can reunite after splintering.

This production has all the hallmarks of Theatre LILA’s impeccable work. Beautiful stagecraft, including a layered stage dressed

elegantly with a candlelit altar on a family piano, an old car angled on a living room floor, and in the background, wire fencing holding snapshots and newspaper headlines, screaming of the killer’s eventual release. Actors fully embody their characters, using music, gestures and dance so that the audience feels the hurt and betrayal. The use of language is particularly powerful: Knight’s damaged mother evokes the gospel praise-song of church; Phillips the clipped, resonant beat of hip-hop. Lawrence is a powerhouse, both likeable and suspect as he lovingly lingers over the body of his car as he might his fallen son.

Mojo may not be the play you expect, coming out of 2016’s justified fury over the deaths of young men like Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, or Madison’s own Tony Robinson. But its passion and lyricism have a quiet ferocity, with the power to transform. n

ROSS ZENTNER

Marvette Knight and Gavin Lawrence portray parents devastated by loss.

Smart People by

Lydia R. Diamond directed by

Chuck Smith

FEB. 25 - MAR. 13 TH

TH

“A splendid, witty & exuberant new play!”

- Boston Globe

WISCONSIN SIN UNION THEATER LI CHIAO-PING DANCE & THE UW-MADISON DANCE DEPARTMENT PRESENT

RED PRIEST 2.27.16 “Putting “P i the h Rock R k in i B Baroque.””

(The Evening Standard)

ALONZO KING LINES BALLET 3.11.16 “ Handsome, sleek,

March 3-5, 2016

accomplished.”

(New York Times)

“brainy and complex... strong, fearless, ingenious” —Susan Kepecs Cultural Oyster

DERVISH “An icon of Irish music.”

(BBC)

UNIONTHEATER.WISC.EDU

AA

This concert was supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of wisconsin and the national endowment for the arts

608.265.ARTS The presentation of Biophony by Alonzo King LINES Ballet was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitably Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Anonymous Fund Evjue Foundation

This concert is made possible by the sponsorship and support of Altrusa International of Madison; Dane Arts with additional funding from the Evjue Foundation, charitable arm of The Capital Times; Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; UW-Madison Dance Department, Graduate School and Vilas Trustees; and LCPD’s Circle of Friends.

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

3.13.16 4PM & 7:30PM

PHOTOS BY SHOMARI MONTSHO HARRIS & LI CHIAO-PING

31

Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space, Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Avenue Tickets: In advance at the Campus Arts Box Office and one hour before the show at Lathrop www.uniontheater.wisc.edu • 608.265.ARTS

n MUSIC

The droids you’re looking for Droids Attack are back with their first new album in six years

BY MICHAEL POPKE

Brad Van is a huge science fiction fan.

Under the name Aftershock Retrogames, he buys, sells and trades classic arcade videogames — his all-time favorite is Joust, featuring a knight on a flying ostrich. He’s also a longtime musician whose current band, Droids Attack, will release a new album on Feb. 26 titled Sci-Fi or Die, a play on the “Skate or Die” battle cry of hardcore skateboarders.

“The old games are so simple,” says Van, who will turn 40 in March. “And, kind of like music, you can just get lost in them. When you have something good — music or videogames — you should just keep things simple and let them happen naturally.”

That explains the long delay between the release of Droids Attack’s third album, Must Destroy, in 2010, and Sci-Fi or Die. The stoner-rock/thrash-metal trio overcame some not-so-simple obstacles, including lineup changes and hard-drive crashes.

To celebrate the album’s completion, the band — featuring Van on guitar and vocals, bassist Darwin Sampson (also owner of the Frequency) and drummer Tony Brungraber — will throw a CD release party at the High Noon Saloon on March 10.

“In order to move forward, we knew we had to step it up,” Van says.

To that end, Sci-Fi or Die was recorded

by Mark Whitcomb (Last Crack, Ben Sidran, the Kissers) at Madison’s DNA Studios to sound like a million bucks, and its 10 songs focus on ancient alien mythology.

“This is the closest that anybody has ever gotten to capturing us how we sound

Brad Van (right) and Darwin Sampson will celebrate the album release with a March 10 show at High Noon Saloon.

in my head,” Van says, adding that he played Whitcomb parts of several albums he liked so the producer could get a feel for the sound the Droids sought. “Mark is obsessed with getting the right sounds and ended up buying a whole bunch of

TIM RADL

equipment for his studio to accommodate us — microphones, compressors and a summing mixer that really beefed it up.”

The album sounds punchier than previous Droids Attack releases, with more

harmonies, greater depth and even a few prog-rock overtones.

At Whitcomb’s recommendation, Sci-Fi or Die was mastered in New York City by Roger Liam, whose credits include Muse’s Black Holes and Revelations, the Violent Femmes’ live album Viva Wisconsin and the remastered version of Slayer’s South of Heaven. Local label Riff Reaper Records will release the CD. Van — whom longtime followers of the Madison music scene may recall from the late-’90s jangly pop-rock band Daisy Head Mayzie — remains a fan of the CD format and went to great efforts to make special packaging for Sci-Fi or Die. The psychedelic Droids Attack logo is screen-printed on the jewel case with copper metallic ink, and Madison artist Eli Quinn designed the cover featuring a UFO disguised as a Peruvian temple. Inside, Quinn re-created the Nazca Lines — a series of ancient geoglyphs in southern Peru that some historians believe have celestial meaning.

Van hopes Sci-Fi or Die will widen the Droids Attack universe, though he’s not planning to quit his day job as a prep chef at Ian’s Pizza or his work with Aftershock. In addition to a loyal local fan base, Droids Attack has developed a large following in the Chicago area, and Van says the band likely will perform at September’s Riot Fest, a large three-day festival in Douglas Park featuring punk, rock, alternative, metal and hip-hop artists. It would be the band’s third time playing that festival in six years.

“I remember the first time we played Riot Fest,” Van says. “I was thinking, ‘This might be the most awesome thing we ever do.’” n

Imagination and mastery The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra scores again

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

BY JOHN W. BARKER

32

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra had one strike-out and three home runs at its Feb. 19 concert at the Capitol Theater.

The opening item, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, was done to proper scale as chamber music, instead of as a big-orchestra piece. But that scale made it a dubious fit for a hall as large as the Capitol Theater.

From where I sat, much detail was lost, and the extraordinarily long harpsichord cadenza that ends the first movement was almost inaudible.

From there on, it was steady success.

Guest flautist Dionne Jackson, who was a soloist in the Bach, bravely brought us Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto. Nielsen planned five concertos, each meant to be a musical

portrait of a member of his favorite wind quintet. He only completed two of these; the flute concerto was created in honor of Holger Gilbert-Jespersen, a gentle and fastidious person whom Nielsen chose to tease humorously with outbursts from a vulgar bass trombone. Back in 1965, I had the privilege of hearing GilbertJespersen, late in his career, play this work. The match of man and music was truly uncanny.

As the guest soloist for WCO, Jackson was splendidly agile and stylish, and she was given expertly detailed backing by the orchestra under maestro Andrew Sewell.

After intermission, the orchestra played the first of the three suites for small orchestra entitled “Ancient Airs and Dances” by Ottorino Respighi — a composer identified with bombastic orchestration but who also had a gently antiquarian side. The WCO’s beautifully balanced

Dionne Jackson: agile and stylish.

TODD ROSENBERG

ensemble displayed elegant clarity in this four-movement set of arrangements.

The final work was the Symphony No. 79 in F by Haydn. This is one of the less-familiar symphonies dating from before the final two dozen that audiences hear most often from the great master. It is polished and unpretentious but clever and thoroughly entertaining.

In choosing it, Sewell once more displayed his devotion to Haydn the symphonist. This work has a modest scoring — there were 25 players in all: 18 on strings, seven winds. In this performance, their integration was ideally balanced, and Haydn’s repeated shifts from a string quartet to the full orchestra in the finale were particularly well presented.

The playing was perfection itself. Madison is lucky to have such musicianship and programming imagination available to us. n

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GOODNIGHT MOON FEBRUARY 20-28 The Playhouse at Overture Center

TICKETS:

JODI COBB

ctmtheater.org 608.258.4141

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND Jodi Cobb, Photographer

TUE, MAR 8, 7:30 PM | $25+

FEB 25 FREE | MadCity Sessions:

The Gomers

TM

FEB 27 Trinity Irish Dance Co. FEB 27 Duck Soup Cinema: Speedy MAR 1–6 Motown The Musical MAR 6 Daniel Tiger’s SELLING FAST!

Neighborhood LIVE!

MAR 8 National Geographic Live:

Stranger in a Strange Land

MAR 11 Ahn-Core Ahn Trio!

MAR 24 FREE | MadCity Sessions:

ONE DAY, ONE COMMUNITY,

MANY WAYS TO SHARE

MARCH 1, 2016

The Jimmys

APR 8 David Sanborn Electric Band APR 14 FREE | MadCity Sessions:

Sexy Ester

APR 16

Duck Soup Cinema: The Cameraman

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FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey APR 24 David Sedaris APR 27 Companhia Urbana de Dança MAY 3 National Geographic Live: The Search for Genghis Khan APR 17

COMMUNITY SHARES OF WISCONSIN

33

n SCREENS

RE ADING BY

BRITTANY CAVALLARO

OST

E Guggenheim amassed a modern art collection, now housed in Venice.

launching her new young adult novel

A Study in Charlotte A modern day homage to Holmes & Watson

Thursday, March 3 at 6pm BOOKS NEW & USED 315 W. Gorham St. • (608) 257-7888 www.roomofonesown.com Mon.–Sat. 10–8, Sun. 12–5

Living large Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict examines the life of a bon vivant

BY KENNETH BURNS

If you had a sizable fortune, what would you do with it? Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict suggests one possibility: amass a worldclass collection of works by peerless visual artists, some of whom you’ve had sex with.

Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979) was an art patron, scenester and bon vivant. In her collecting, and in her gallery work on both sides of the Atlantic, she championed pivotal 20th-century artists, including Paul Klee, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. This engaging documentary about her was directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland, whose previous feature, Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, profiled the famous fashion journalist, who was the filmmaker’s grandmother-in-law.

In Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, Guggenheim herself tells much of the story, in marvelous audio excerpts from a late interview conducted by her biographer, Jacqueline Weld.

Weld is interviewed for the film, as are numer-

ous experts from the art world. Vreeland also interviews author Edmund White and an actor you may have heard of, Robert De Niro, son of Robert De Niro Sr., the Abstract Expressionist painter and sculptor whose work Guggenheim exhibited.

When you think of art and the name Guggenheim, you may think of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the iconic structure on New York City’s Upper East Side. Solomon was Peggy’s uncle, and their art-related activities were separate, at least at first. The film doesn’t convey much information about Solomon’s art pursuits, but even the uninitiated can safely assume that unlike Peggy’s, they didn’t include marrying the Surrealist Max Ernst.

Guggenheim was captivated by European art before World War II, by Surrealists like Salvador Dalí and Yves Tanguy. “Surrealism mirrored her outsider attitude,” an interviewee says. She was exposed to this work in the 1920s, when she left New York for Paris and associated with the likes of Man Ray in the city’s robust art scene.

Later she opened an influential gallery in London, and as war engulfed Europe, she

bought, at bargain prices, the core of a great modern art collection. “On the day that Hitler invaded Norway, I walked into Léger’s studio and bought a wonderful painting,” she says.

Guggenheim had the works shipped to New York, where she opened another influential gallery, the Art of This Century.

She began supporting and promoting Abstract Expressionists like Pollock just at that dramatic moment when the focus of the international art scene shifted from Europe to the U.S. Guggenheim stayed in New York only a few years and then moved to Venice, where she bought the palazzo that is now a museum housing her collection.

Vreeland illustrates this story with numerous images of paintings Guggenheim acquired. The images convey the sheer size and variety of the collection, but seeing them so quickly means you don’t get much of a chance to contemplate them, and what they might have meant to their owner. For that, I guess you have go to the museum. It appears to be a lovely place to visit. n

Television

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

Fuller House

34

seeks an

Advertising Executive See Page 37 for more info

I haven’t sampled Fuller House yet, so I have no clue if it will be any good. In fact, it’s probably going to be terribly cheesy — but that could make it great. Let me explain: I grew up on Full House reruns, and I have to admit it reinforced some very important life lessons, e.g. smoking is bad for you, don’t drink if you’re underage, don’t hang out with the wrong crowd and don’t accidentally marry someone by walking around the kitchen table with them. The Netflix sequel Fuller House, which premieres Feb. 26 with 13 episodes, promises to take you back to a different time in your life, and the nostalgia factor could be a huge part of the project’s success. Aren’t we all just searching to return to our childhood selves anyway?

— ALEX CLAIBORNE

There are cast members “everywhere you look” in the Full House sequel.

The film list

GET TICKETS FOR THESE EVENTS!

Eddie the Eagle: Biopic about underdog British Olympic ski jumper Eddie Edwards.

Son of Saul: An Auschwitz prisoner forced to work in the crematorium attempts to get what he thinks is his son’s body to a rabbi for burial.

Triple 9: This generic heist thriller renders a terrific cast as characters too unlikable to be genuinely engaging.

SALVATORE’S TOMATO PIES PRESENTS:

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Race: This biopic on Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens wisely focuses on the years 1934-36, when he developed from a talented novice into a world champion. It’s every bit a sports movie in the classic sense, but it is also a social study about the complications of race relations.

Risen: This biblical epic wannabe will entertain its intended Christian demographic with the story of Christ’s resurrection and the 12 apostles tasked with spreading the gospel.

ITALIAN WORKMEN’S CLUB

GRAZE AND L’ETOILE

Through a Glass Darkly: A woman leaves a mental hospital for isolation on her family’s island and a further descent into schizophrenia.

Chazen, Feb. 28, 2 pm.

Also in theaters Anomalisa Ant-Man The Big Short The Boy The Choice Creed Deadpool The Good Dinosaur Hail, Caesar!

How to Be Single

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Inside Out Joy Kung Fu Panda 3 The Lady in the Van Pan The Revenant Spotlight Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trumbo Zoolander 2

A film by

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EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS FRIDAY, 2/26 Isthmus Weekly Wednesday, 2/24 1x4g(2.29x4)

NT Live Performances ON SALE NOW!

Hangmen – March 21, 26 & 28 GET TICKETS WHILE THEY LAST

BUD LIGHT BARSTOOL OPEN Saturday, April 9 at 8am DOWNTOWN MADISON BARS

STARTS FRIDAY

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SON OF SAUL (SAUL FIA)

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PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT SCREENING ROOM DOUBLE LOYALTY POINTS! Fri: 7:05, 9:15; Sat: (11:30 AM), 7:05, 9:15; Sun: (11:30 AM), 7:45; Mon to Thu: 7:45 PM

THE BOY AND THE WORLD (O MENINO E O MUNDO) Fri to Thu: (1:40, 4:40)

SLOPIG 2016

THE LADY IN THE VAN DEADPOOL

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:30, 4:15), 7:10, 9:25; Sat: (11:15 AM, 1:30, 4:15), 7:10, 9:25; Sun: (11:15 AM, 1:30, 4:15), 7:50; Mon to Thu: (1:30, 4:15), 7:50 THE WITCH CLOSED CAPTIONED Fri: (1:25, 4:30), 6:55, 9:00; Sat: (11:10 AM, 1:25, 4:30), 6:55, 9:00; Sun: (11:10 AM, 1:25, 4:30), 7:55; Mon to Thu: (1:25, 4:30), 7:55 HAIL, CAESAR! CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION Fri: 7:00, 9:20; Sat: (11:05 AM), 7:00, 9:20; Sun: (11:05 AM), 7:35; Mon to Thu: 7:35 PM 45 YEARS CLOSED CAPTIONED Fri to Thu: (4:35 PM) MUSTANG Fri to Thu: (1:45 PM) WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT SNEAK PREVIEW Thu: 7:00 PM

A CELEBRATION OF HERITAGE PIGS AND THE PEOPLE WHO DRIVE THE MOVEMENT Sunday, April 10 at 5:30pm THE EDGEWATER

AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Friday, June 24 - Sunday, June 26 UNIVERSITY RIDGE GOLF COURSE DO YOUR TICKETING WITH ISTHMUS AND LIST YOUR EVENT HERE. INTERESTED? EMAIL CWINTERHACK@ISTHMUS.COM

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:35, 4:25), 6:50, 9:05; Sat: (11:20 AM, 1:35, 4:25), 6:50, 9:05; Sun: (11:20 AM, 1:35, 4:25), 7:40; Mon to Thu: (1:35, 4:25), 7:40

ISTHMUSTICKETS.COM

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

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What’s happening this weekend

❏ ISTHMUS MOVIE TIMES All the movies, all the times

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

45 Years

-INDIEWIRE

6TH ANNUAL

Fantastic Planet: 1973 French animation about a humanoid race ruled by blue giants. Union South Marquee, Feb. 27, 11 pm.

Speedy: Harold Lloyd’s last silent film revolves around his efforts to save New York City’s last horse-powered streetcar from extinction. Overture Center, Feb. 27, 2 & 7 pm.

SUNDAY FUNDAY

Sunday, March 13 at 3pm

The Dying of the Light: Documentary about celluloid film projection, with discussion by director Jim Flynn. Cinematheque, Feb. 27, 2 pm.

The Mask You Live In: Documentary follows young men as they struggle with society’s construct of masculinity. Union South Marquee, March 2, 7 pm.

OF THE YEAR!

HILLDALE MALL - 430 N. MIDVALE BLVD. (608) 316-6900 MADISON

SUNDAY FUNDAY

More film events

The Long Voyage Home: Director John Ford’s classic adaptation of four one-acts by Eugene O’Neill. Cinematheque, Feb. 27, 7 pm.

ANIMATED FILM”

SUNDANCE CINEMA MADISON

MACN CHEF WEEK:

The Witch: Puritanical religion, paranoia and familial distrust — particularly of young women — are at the pitch-black center of Robert Eggers’ slow-burning descent into madness and mayhem in 1630s, a near-masterpiece of creeping dread and hallucinatory imagery.

James White: A hedonistic NYC 20-something needs to get control of himself to deal with family issues. Union South Marquee, Feb. 26, 7 pm.

THE BEST

AND “GODFATHER” SCREENING Sunday, March 6 at 4pm

Recent releases Mustang: The Oscar-nominated debut feature of Turkish-French director Deniz Gamze Ergüven is harrowing. It stars five remarkable young actors as adolescent sisters held captive by relatives who want to marry them off.

®

“

Boy and the World: This animated, Oscar-nominated tale from Brazil about a boy’s quest to find his father is a cautionary tale about globalization.

Neerja: Biopic of Neerja Bhanot, who lost her life to save passengers on a hijacked plane in 1986.

ANNIE AWARD WINNER BEST INDEPENDENT FEATURE

New releases

Gods of Egypt: A young thief attempts to dethrone the god of darkness from Egypt’s rule.

ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

35

MATTY VOGEL

Hoodie Allen Sunday, Feb. 28, Orpheum Theater, 8 pm New York-based rapper Hoodie Allen has come a long way since he headlined UW-Madison’s inaugural Revelry Music and Arts Festival in 2013. Since then, the independent MC has released the single “All About It” (which features recent multi-Grammy winner Ed Sheeran), and his debubt full-length reached No. 8 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. His most recent record, Happy Camper, was released in January.

With SuperDuperKyle, Blackbear.

picks thu feb 25 MU S I C

Alchemy Cafe: Los Chechos, free, 10 pm.

THEATER & DANCE

Bos Meadery: Hoot’n Annie, string band, free, 6:30 pm.

The Rocky Horror Show: Mercury Players, 7:30 pm 2/25, 8 pm on 2/26, 4 pm, 2/27, Bartell Theatre. $25. 661-9696.

Brink Lounge: Madison Jazz Orchestra, 7:30 pm.

Cardinal Bar: DJs Chamo, John in the Mix, 10 pm.

Essen Haus: Bill Roberts Combo with Bob Corbit, 9 pm.

Fountain: Dave Schwab, piano, free, 8 pm.

High Noon Saloon: Evergreen, Spare Change Trio, 9 pm.

Ivory Room: Jim Ripp, Michael Massey, pianos, 9 pm.

Merchant: Old Soul Society, free, 10:30 pm.

Mickey’s Tavern: Mal-O-Dua, French swing, free, 5:30 pm.

Tavernakaya: DJ Zukas, free, 10 pm.

Tip Top Tavern: Kurt Funfsinn, guitar, free, 10 pm.

The Gomers

COME DY

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

Thursday, Feb. 25, Overture Hall’s Main Lobby, 6-8 pm

36

The Gomers aren’t just a local band; they’re a Madison institution. Over the past 30 years, the pranksters have learned 2,000 songs and have dominated local awards — they were most recently named Madison’s favorite cover band by Isthmus readers in 2015. The Gomers have even been twice granted their own day (Feb. 1) by mayoral proclamation. This free MadCity Sessions performance highlights their own absurd brand of rock.

Leftover Salmon Thursday, Feb. 25, Majestic Theatre, 8:30 pm

Leftover Salmon’s blend of bluegrass, country and rock ’n’ roll has been synonymous with the term “jam band” since the group formed in Colorado in 1989.

Their eighth and most recent album, High Country, was released in 2014, but the real joy of Leftover Salmon lies in their unpredictable live shows. With Bonerama.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Psycho Beach Party: 8 pm on 2/25-26 and 2 pm, 2/27, Bartell Theatre. $20. 661-9696.

Monster Boogie: 2/12-3/5, Broom Street Theater, at 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays. $11. 244-8338.

SP ECTATOR SP ORTS WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament: Sessions at 3 pm on 2/25, 10 am & 7 pm on 2/26 and 11 am & 6 pm, 2/27, Kohl Center. $8/session. 715-344-8580.

fri feb 26 M USIC

Family and Friends Friday, Feb. 26, The Frequency, 7:30 pm

Indie-folk act Family and Friends formed in 2013 at the University of Georgia and quickly became a local favorite in the varied, accomplished Athens scene. The feelgood septet is renowned for its doubledrummer setup and energetic live shows.

They released a second EP, XOXO, last summer, and a set of band-themed trading cards last winter. With the Wells Division.

Lookas Friday, Feb. 26, Liquid, 10 pm

Carl LaBove Thursday, Feb. 25, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm

Standup comedian Carl LaBove got his start opening for Sam Kinison 30 years ago, as one of “The Outlaws of Comedy.” He’s released three high-energy albums, and his 2011 episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast is an especially memorable one. With Nate Abshire, Jackson Jones. ALSO: Friday and Saturday (8 & 10:30 pm), Feb. 26-27.

S POKE N WORD Ricardo Blanco: Poetry reading, 6:30 pm, 2/25, Edgewood College-Washburn Heritage Room. Free. 663-4861.

Peter and Lou Berryman Friday, Feb. 26, Brink Lounge, 7:30 pm

“Old Berryman Songs Night,” aka “Songs from the Club de Wash Years,” aka “Songs from the Vinyl Years” is a chance for the Madison folk legends to dust off crowd favorites. The iconic duo still tours the nation with their original, offbeat and hilarious tunes, with Lou on accordion and Peter on 12-string guitar. Nobody does it like the Berrymans.

Though they may not appear to have that much in common at the outset, trap and EDM are two genres that know how to party. Accordingly, Miami-based producer Lookas has made an enviable career smashing them together, which has earned him collaborations with the likes of Flo Rida and DVBBS. He’ll be bringing his “Zero Gravity” tour to Liquid for what’s bound to be one of the year’s most top parties. With Stratus, RCKT PWR, Hipp.

➡

BARRYMORE

THEATRE

FRI-SAT. FEB. 26-27 - 8PM

2090 Atwood Ave. (608) 241-8864

SM RADIO PRODUCTIONS presents

2 NIGHTS!

1 1 5 K I N G S T R E E T, D O W N T O W N M A D I S O N

Just Announced ON SALE FRI. AT 10AM THE RETURN OF

welcomes

STEPHANIE MILLER’S SEXY LIBERAL COMEDY TOUR

STEPHANIE MILLER • JOHN FUGELSANG •FRANGELA Tickets $50, VIP tickets $150 (incl. Meet & Greet after the show, early entry w/ preferred seating. Phone & online orders only.) General Admission – All Seated Show

SAT. MARCH 5 - 8PM

THUR

APR 21 BOOMBOX

THUR

FEB 25 LEFTOVER SALMON FRI

RANDY & MR LAHEY OF

FEB 26 TRAILER PARK BOYS

Mad Gael Productions presents

Ireland’s Folk Band of the Year

90S VS 00S: MUSIC VIDEO DANCE PARTY

FEB 27

BATTLE OF THE DECADES

THUR

BREW ‘N VIEW:

SAT

MAR 3 THE ROOM

with special guests

The Sweet Colleens

TUE-WED

2 NIGHTS WITH

MAY 3-4 NAHKO & MEDICINE

FOR THE PEOPLE

FRI

MAR 4 SAT

MAR 5

G JONES

WITH NASTY NASTY & YHETI

EVERYONE ORCHESTRA

THUR

MAR 10 TORTOISE FRI

MAR 11

ROD TUFFCURLS & THE BENCH PRESS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MAJESTICMADISON.COM Tickets $25 advance

SAT. MARCH 12 - 8PM

NATTY NATION

ALBUM RELEASE PARTY with special guests

F.STOKES • SHONN HINTON & SHOTGUN MEGAN BOBO & THE LUX • DJ TRICHROME $15 adv, $20 dos $1 from each ticket to benefit Madison Music Makers

Isthmus seeks an

Advertising Executive This is a great opportunity to start or advance your sales career

WED. MARCH 16 - 7PM

Ideal candidate will: • Enjoy working with local business owners and agencies.

• Be outgoing and not fear rejection.

• Be goal oriented and organized.

• Desire to work for the best company in Madison (as voted by Isthmus staff).

You will focus on selling a range of advertising products into a cross-platform media mix, including print, digital and special events, while maintaining a professional image and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction.

BARRYMORE THEATER Complete film lineup at MADISON www.wisconsinrivers.org 5:30pm VIP pre-party, 7:00pm films

$12 advance, $15 dos, $30 for VIP pre-party and films Tickets on sale at River Alliance office and Barrymore outlets

Tickets on sale at Sugar Shack, Star Liquor, MadCity Music, B-Side, Frugal Muse, FILMS RAFFLE Strictly Discs, the Barrymore, online at barrymorelive.com or call & charge at (608) 241-8633.

FOOD/DRINK

No experience necessary, but media sales experience is a plus. Bachelor’s degree is preferred. Your reward is competitive compensation and good benefits.

This position is available immediately.

PLEASE SEND LETTER & RESUME by email to: Chad Hopper, Advertising Manager: hopper@isthmus.com Subject: Advertising Executive. No phone calls, please.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

MARCH 16 A benefit for

37

38

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

full page frank B

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

39

n ISTHMUS PICKS : FEB 26 1855 Saloon, Cottage Grove: Ryan Casey, free, 7 pm.

2201 Atwood Ave.

(608) 249-4333 SAT. FEB. 27

9:45 pm $7

____________________________________

SUN. FEB. 28

6-9 pm $8 sugg. don.

tony kannen & the sound garden crew

SAT, NOV 14 9PM H $7

CD release party “the sound garden project”

Alchemy: Tani Diakite & the Afrofunkstars, free, 10 pm.

THURSDAYS H 8 PM H FREE

Tate’s

Brink Lounge: Ryan McGrath Band, country, 9 pm.

Studebaker John

Chief’s: Ken Fitzsimmons & Kevin Youngs, free, 6:30 pm.

BLUES JAM FRI, FEB 26 H 8PM H $7

“Timeless”

“Raw”

The East

Wash Jukes

BIG, BOLD, BEEFY BLUES

thu feb

25

EVERGREEN

Spare Change Trio 9pm $5 adv, $10 dos 18+

fri feb

26

BONGZILLA

FRI. MAR 4

Rascal Theory

SAT. MAR 5

James Armstrong

$2 OFF COVER w/ VALID COLLEGE ID ALL SHOWS 21+

JUSTIN sun ROBERTS

feb & THE NOT READY NAPTIME 28 FOR PLAYERS 11am

An Evening’s Affair 2: Shakespeare’s Betrayals

$10 Children’s show

mon feb

29

tue mar ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

1

40

wed mar

2

3

$10 sug. don.

YAMMER GIRLS ARE GO! 6pm $6

Music Trivia Presented By Strictly Discs & High Noon 6pm FREE

ROCKSTAR GOMEROKE live band karaoke 9pm FREE

DALE WATSON

& HIS LONE STARS Nellie Wilson & The Hellbound Honeys 8pm

thu mar

4pm

$15 adv, $18 dos

Local Love Fest ELLIOTT The of Bray Road BROOD FullBeast Vinyl Treatment

Christopher Gold

6:30pm $10 adv, $12 dos 18+

One Last Run Malcomexicans 9:30pm

$7

The Frequency: The Crombies, 4 Aspirin Morning, Something to Do, 10 pm.

First produced at Minnesota’s Carleton College in 1948, German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle gets the Midwestern collegiate treatment once again in this Edgewood production. An exemplary piece of epic theater, the work sets up a play within a play, developing a parable of a maid-turnedmother who adopts the baby of the wealthy governor’s wife that she serves. ALSO: Saturday, Feb. 27, 7:30 pm. Through March 5.

Ivory Room: Josh Dupont, Andrew Rohn, Trey Grimm, dueling pianos, 8 pm.

Knuckle Down Saloon: Studebaker John, 8 pm.

Lakeside Street Coffee House: Vets on Frets, free, 7 pm.

Liliana’s, Fitchburg: Rand Moore Quartet, free, 6:30 pm.

Lucky’s, Waunakee: Katie Scullin, free, 7:30 pm.

Merchant: DJ Bruce Blaq, free, 10:30 pm.

Mickey’s: The Tea Heads, Roboman, free, 10 pm.

Mr. Robert’s: Square Bombs, The Ferns, The Deeps, 9 pm.

Natt Spil: DJ Zukas, free, 10 pm.

Rex’s Innkeeper, Waunakee: Back 40 Band, 8:30 pm.

Rockdale Bar & Grill, Cambridge: Stultus, 7 pm.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Middleton: John Widdicombe & Cliff Frederiksen, jazz, 6 pm.

KnuckleDownSaloon.com

Tempest Oyster Bar: John Christensen, free, 9:30 pm.

222-7800

Tavernakaya: DJ Vilas Park Sniper, free, 10 pm.

Tip Top Tavern: Pine Travelers, folk rock, free, 10 pm.

Tuvalu Coffe, Verona: David G. Smith, free, 7 pm.

Up North: Ann Christopherson & Jon Coleman, 8 pm.

UW Humanities Building-Mills Hall: Christopher Taylor, piano, UW School of Music concert, 8 pm.

The Hybrid Pros

Brian’s Birthday Party!

27

First Unitarian Society: Noon Musicale: Trevor Stephenson, harpshichord, free, 12:15 pm.

2513 Seiferth Rd., Madison

Black Cobra / Lo-Pan Against The Grain

Bon Squad (AC/DC Tribute) Shakey (Neil Young Tribute) WheelHouse / 8pm FREE

Essen Haus: Tom Brusky, free, 8:30 pm.

Stoughton Opera House: Graminy, 7:30 pm.

8:30pm $16 adv, $18 dos 18+

sat feb

Club Tavern, Middleton: Ron Denson Band, 9 pm.

Friday, Feb. 26, Edgewood College’s Diane Ballweg Theatre, 7:30 pm

High Noon Saloon: Bongzilla, Black Cobra, Lo Pan, Against The Grain, 8:30 pm.

SAT, FEB 27 H 9PM H $7

www.harmonybarandgrill.com

Cardinal Bar: Mike Cammilleri Organ Trio, jazz, free, 5:30 pm; DJs Ellafine, The Good Mixer, Britpop, 9 pm.

Great Dane-Hilldale: DJ Kris, 9 pm.

- Chicago Tribune

Come watch Bucky on our 6 HD TVs!

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

Bos Meadery: Wes Urbaniak, free, 6:30 pm.

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

We can save you lots of

$$$$ on

your Hybrid!

UW Memorial Union-Play Circle: Nimbus 2.0 with Rich Robbins, free, 8:30 pm.

UW Union South-Sett: Church Booty, Trap Saturn, 9 pm.

VFW-Cottage Grove Road: Universal Sound, rock, 8 pm.

Wil-Mar Center: Wild Hog in the Woods Singalong/ Jam, 8 pm.

Williamson Magnetic Recording Co.: What Tyrants, Zinky Boys, Multiple Cat, Dash Hounds, 8 pm.

THEATER & DANCE

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This University Theatre production explores the intersection of race and scientific research, examining questions such as whether racism can be hard-wired into our genetics. Renowned Chicago director Chuck Smith took the helm for this one, and playwright Lydia Diamond is a force of nature: an African American woman with a slew of masterful dramas to her credit. Alicia Keys produced her play Stick Fly on Broadway in 2011.

ALSO: Thursday and Saturday (7:30 pm), Sunday (2 pm) and Thursday (7:30 pm), Feb. 25-March 3. Through March 13.

Moonshine: Performances in honor of Black History Month, 3:30 pm, 2/26, UW Lathrop Hall-H’Doubler Performance Space. Free. 262-1691.

The True Story of Cinderella: Madison Savoyards, 7:30 pm, 2/26, Maven Vocal Arts; 7:30 pm, 2/27, Oakwood Village-University Woods; 6 pm, 2/28, Capitol Lakes. Donations. madisonsavoyards.com.

CO MEDY

Randy & Lahey of Trailer Park Boys Friday, Feb. 26, Majestic Theatre, 9 & 11:30 pm

Goodnight Moon

COMMITTED TO EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE & QUALITY WORK

Friday, Feb. 26, Vilas Hall’s Mitchell Theatre, 7:30 pm

An Evening’s Affair 2: Shakespeare’s Betrayals: Madison Shakespeare Co., 7:30 pm, 2/26, Arts & Literature Laboratory; 5 pm, 2/27, Broom Street Theater; 4 pm, 2/28, High Noon Saloon. $10 donation. aea.mobi.

Call Today for an Appointment!

2118 South Stoughton Rd. (608) 221-8321

Smart People

Friday, Feb. 26, Overture Center’s Playhouse, 6:30 pm

It’s been nearly 70 years since Margaret Wise Brown first published Goodnight Moon, and the illustrated children’s tale continues to bring joy to young readers and their families.

For this Children’s Theater production, Chad Henry has created an imaginative adaptation of the simple tale of a bunny saying goodnight to everything. See page 30. ALSO: Saturday and Sunday (1:30 & 4 pm), Feb. 27-28.

In the past few years, Canadian mockumentary Trailer Park Boys has become a cult hit, finding new life as a Netflix original.

That means the hilarious cast is more in demand than ever. Here, former cop and current alcoholic trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey and shirtless, cheeseburgerloving Randy (aka actors John Dunsworth and Patrick Roach) bring what’s being described as a “silly, sexist, drunken hour and a half of songs and skits, audience participation, profanity, Shakespeare and general hilarity.” The early show is sold out.

➡

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

41

n ISTHMUS PICKS : FEB 26 - 27

TEST SCORERS

Stephanie Miller, John Fugelsang, Frangela: “Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour,” 8 pm, 2/26-27, Barrymore Theatre. $50. 241-8633.

Cardinal Bar: DJs Chamo, John in the Mix, 10 pm.

BOOKS

Crescendo Espresso Bar: Seasaw, Kerosene Kites, Old Farm Dog, The Mascot Theory, 7 pm.

E.J. Dionne: Discussing “Why the Right Went Wrong: Conservatism from Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond,” 7 pm, 2/26, Central Library. 266-6300.

ART EXHIBITS & EV ENTS Artisan Gallery Exhibits: “A Good Drive Spoiled” by John Ribble; contemporary printmaking group show; clay works by Delores Fortuna, 2/26-4/10, Artisan Gallery, Paoli (reception 5-9 pm, 2/26). 845-6600.

Join us at one of our Recruiting Events 208 East Olin Avenue Madison, WI 53713

DRC is hiring temporary employees to score standardized tests.

Wednesday, March 2 at 10:00, 2:00 and 5:30

· You must have a four year degree to qualify for this position · Monday – Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (35 hours) or 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm (20 hours) · $13.00 hour plus a weekly attendance bonus - earn up to $14.25 hour. · Position starts in March and has possibility of work available until June. · Paid training · Comfortable, positive work environment

Please arrive promptly at starting time.

To apply, please attend a recruiting event.

Please bring original proof of your degree.

Wednesday 2/24 at 10:00, 2:00 and 5:30 Monday, 2/29 at 10:00, 2:00 and 5:30

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Essen Haus: Brewhaus Polka Kings, free, 8:30 pm.

Farley’s House of Pianos: Amit Peled, cello, with Noreen Polera, piano, 7:30 pm.

Fountain: Lindsay Everly, Edi Gbordzi, Tim Bukale, 8 pm.

The Frequency: Backbuzz, Disq, 7 pm; Cosmic Railroad, Stargoyle, rock, 10 pm.

Harmony Bar: T.U.G.G., The Lower 5th, Northern Pines Band, 9:45 pm.

Jenie Gao: “Our Relationship with Power,” 2/26-3/19, Arts & Literature Laboratory. allgallery.org.

Kiki’s House: Justin Roberts, Liam Davis, Gerald Dowd (RSVP: righteousmusicmgmt@gmail.com), 9 pm.

Lindsay Snow: Photographs, through 2/26, Lauer Realty Group (reception 5-7 pm, 2/26). 217-8623.

Knuckle Down Saloon: East Wash Jukes, 9 pm.

SP ECTATOR SP ORTS

Liliana’s: John Widdicombe, Cliff Frederiksen, 6:30 pm.

Ivory Room: Luke Hrovat-Staedter, Michael Massey, Trey Grimm, dueling pianos, 8 pm.

Lakeside Street Coffee: My Rich Uncle Willie, 7 pm.

Majestic: DJs Josh B. Kuhl, Fusion, 10 pm.

Merchant: DJ Mike Carlson, free, 10:30 pm.

UW Men’s Tennis: vs. TCU, 7 pm, 2/26; vs. Marquette, 6 pm, 2/27; vs. Illinois State, 6 pm, 3/3, Nielsen Tennis Stadium. 262-1440.

Mickey’s Tavern: Pollinators, Midnight Reruns, The Midwest Beat, free, 10 pm.

12 & Under State Swimming Championships: Youth tournament hosted by Badger Aquatics Club, 2/26-28, UW Natatorium. badgeraquatics.com.

Mr. Robert’s: Fiendish Phantoms, Urban Descent, The Bottles, free, 10 pm.

SP ECIAL EV ENTS

Orchard Ridge UCC: Kim Robertson & Brett Lipschutz, Celtic, 4:30 pm.

Wisconsin Fishing Expo: 4-9 pm on 2/26, 9 am7 pm on 2/27 and 9 am-5 pm, 2/28, Alliant Energy Center-Exhibition Hall. $10 (free ages 12 & under). wifishingexpo.com. 262-644-7940.

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Crystal Corner Bar: Pine Travelers, Gin Mill Hollow, Leopard Hound, 9:30 pm.

High Noon Saloon: Bon Squad (AC/DC tribute), Shakey (Neil Young tribute), WheelHouse, free, 8 pm.

Beat the Winter Blues: Music by Yid Vicious, art, silent auction, refreshments, 6-9 pm, 2/26, VSA Wisconsin.

Free admission. 241-2131.

YE

EB

Call 866-258-0375 for information and directions!

Come Back In: Sparks Band, ‘60s rock. free, 9 pm.

Where Our Story Begins: Works created from a house template to benefit Habitat for Humanity, 2/26-3/31, Yahara River Grocery Coop, Stoughton (reception 6-9 pm 2/26, with music & appetizers). 877-0947.

UW Women’s Tennis: vs. Minnesota, 4 pm, 2/26; vs.

Utah, 10 am, 2/28, Nielsen Tennis Stadium. 262-1440.

An Equal Opportunity Employer EOE/AA M/F/D/V

R

Tyanna Buie: “Novel Occurrences,” prints, 2/26-4/3, Edgewood College-The Stream Gallery (artist talk 4 pm and reception 5-7 pm, 2/26). 663-3252.

Club Tavern, Middleton: Kaos, free, 9 pm.

sat feb 27 M USIC

Mother Fool’s: Open Mic with Angelica Engel, 8 pm.

Natt Spil: DJ Trichrome, free, 10 pm.

Red Mouse, Pine Bluff: Madison County, 9:30 pm.

Rex’s Innkeeper, Waunakee: Back 40 Band, 8:30 pm.

Stoughton Opera House: Robin Pluer with Mrs. Fun, 7:30 pm.

Tavernakaya: DJ Bruce Blaq, free, 10 pm.

Tempest: No Name String Band, free, 9:30 pm.

Tip Top Tavern: Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble, jazz, free, 10 pm.

Tricia’s Country Corners: Wayne Road, 9 pm.

Tuvalu, Verona: John Masino, Shelby & Jess, 7 pm.

Tyranena Brewing, Lake Mills: Whiskey Belles, 7 pm.

Up North Pub: Bone Jugs N Harmony, free, 8 pm.

UW Humanities Building-Mills Hall: Wisconsin Brass Quintet, free, 8 pm.

UW Union South-Sett: Melkbelly, MTVghosts, 9 pm.

T H EAT ER & DA N C E

Trinity Irish Dancers Saturday, Feb. 27, Overture Hall, 7 pm

Red Priest

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

Saturday, Feb. 27, Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall, 8 pm

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THE WIZARD OF OZ MARCH 11– 26 The Playhouse at Overture Center TICKETS: ctmtheater.org 608.258.4141

A Red Priest concert isn’t your grandparents’ brand of baroque. Named after Antonio Vivaldi and formed almost 20 years ago, the instrumental group wears red and uses props and lighting to give their shows a little rock ’n’ roll edge. Here they will perform works by Bach, Handel and Telemann.

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

Alchemy Cafe: The Beat Chefs, free, 10 pm.

Badger Bowl: Big Shoes, 9:15 pm.

Bos Meadery: Brian Koenig, free, 6:30 pm.

Brink Lounge: Aaron Williams & the Hoodoo, Cash Box Kings, 8 pm.

The internationally touring Trinity Irish Dancers are a phenomenon the New York Times calls “impossibly complex.” Don’t confuse them with the award-winning local group, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance. But several local dancers have graduated and joined the pros: Olivia Livelli, an Edgewood College freshman; Sierra McNall, a freshman at Monona Grove High School; and Shannon Kehoe, a UW-Madison freshman.

Nieve Howard, an 8-year-old who won fourth place at the Mid America Regional Championships in November, will make a special appearance. Free Irish dance lesson 5:30-6:30 pm in Promenade Hall.

Houdini Escapes from Wisconsin: Free reading by Cambridge Word Theater play reading group, 7 pm, 2/27, CamRock Cafe & Sport, Cambridge. 235-2377.

➡

1.800.GO.BADGERS UWBADGERS.COM

FIRST ROUND PLAYOFFS WISCONSIN vs MINNESOTA STATE

BEST OF THREE SERIES

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

7PM

4PM

FEBRUARY 26

FEBRUARY 27

SUNDAY

FEBRUARY 28 (if necessary)

LA BAHN ARENA

ADULTS: $5 | YOUTH & SENIOR: $3

BUY TICKETS: 1.800.GO.BADGERS | UWBADGERS.COM

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

MADISON SUN PRAIRIE

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WELCOMES

n ISTHMUS PICKS : FEB 27 - MAR 1 COM EDY The Whoa Show: Esteban Touma, Stevie Crutcher, Kevin Schwartz, Tim Hunter, Anthony Siraguse, music by Matt Jordan, 11 pm, 2/27, Broom Street Theater. $5. 244-8338.

BARRYMORE 3.12

COLEMAN HELL FREQUENCY 3.12

Willy Street Pub/The Wisco: Blues Jam with Dead Sea Squirrels, free, 2 pm.

Kalyanii: Discussing “Om Namah,” noon-3 pm, 2/27, Square Wine Co. $10 includes wine samples. 819-6191.

S PO K EN WO RD

Jessica Hopper: Discussing “The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic,” new book, 7:30 pm, 2/27, UW Memorial Union-FPlay Circle. 262-7593.

ART EXHIBITS & EV ENTS Ella Amelia Gardner: Paintings, through 3/12, Steenbock Gallery of the Wisconsin Academy (reception noon2 pm, 2/27). 263-1692.

SP ECIAL EV ENTS

WILD & SCENIC FILM TOUR BARRYMORE 3.16

SAVAGE LOVE LIVE! BARRYMORE 4.1

UW Humanities Building-Morphy Hall: Irving Shain Woodwind-Piano Duo Winners’ Recital, free, 3:30 pm.

BOOKS David McLimans Art for Peace Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser: 1 pm, 2/27, Farley Center, Verona, with reading of “Big Turtle,” music by Michael Duffy. madisonvfp.org.

NATTY NATION

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church: Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, chamber music, 3 pm.

Winter Festival of Poetry: Richard Roe, Mary Rowin, Jeffrey Z. Rothstein, Donna Carnes, Carney Lentz, Gary Powell, 2 pm, 2/28, Fountain. 242-7340.

S PEC I A L EV EN TS Camp Bingo: AIDS Network fundraiser, 1 pm, 2/28, Sheraton Hotel, with “Plaid Bingo” theme, host Cass Marie Domino, celebrity callers Dani Maxwell & Brandon Taylor. $20 (ages 18+). 316-8601.

mon feb 29

Bockfest: Annual event, 11 am-4 pm, 2/27, Capital Brewery, Middleton, with 1K race, music by Sixteen Candles. $15 ($35 with 10 am entry). 836-7100.

MUS I C

KIDS & FAM ILY

High Noon Saloon: Yammer, Girls are Go, 6 pm.

Kids in the Rotunda: Improv comedy by Monkey Business Institute, 9:30 & 11 am and 1 pm, 9:30 am, 2/27, Overture Center-Rotunda Stage. 258-4141.

Malt House: Willie Jones, free, 7:30 pm.

Middleton Library: The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, Four Seasons Theatre performance/lecture, free, 6:30 pm.

Children of the Rainforest: With DanzTrad: Danza Tradicional Mexicana, 10:30 am & 1:30 pm, 2/27, Olbrich Gardens. $5 ($3 ages 3-12). 246-4550.

Up North Pub: Karen Wheelock, Dr. Noise, free, 7 pm.

Kid Disco: With DJ Nick Nice, 11 am, 2/27, Great DaneHilldale. $5 ($15/family). 661-9400.

SwimWest Grand Re-Opening: Free open swim, giveaways, entertainment, 1-4 pm, 2/27, 6220 Nesbitt Rd., Fitchburg. 276-7946.

The Frequency: Ken Markovic, Katrina Jean, 9 pm.

UW Humanities Building-Morphy Hall: UW Percussion Studio Recital, Cuban, free, 7:30 pm.

A RT EXH I B I TS & EV EN TS Crystal Cudworth: “Memento Mori Creatures of the Sea,” 2/1-29, Mother Fool’s (reception 5-8 pm, 2/29). 259-1301.

sun feb 28

tue mar 1

M USIC

MUS I C Crescendo Espresso Bar: Kiernan McMullan, 7 pm.

The Frequency: Fullbloods, Disq, Nester, 8 pm.

Malt House: Cajun Strangers, free, 7:30 pm.

Up North Pub: The Lower 5th, free, 8 pm.

HUMP! FILM FESTIVAL 2016 BARRYMORE 4.2

Verona Library: The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, Four Seasons Theatre performance/lecture, free, 6:30 pm.

LISA LAMPANELLI Madison Symphony Chorus CAPITOL THEATER 4.2

Sunday, Feb. 28, Overture Center’s Promenade Hall, 2 & 4 pm

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

The Madison Symphony Chorus is an institution, having performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra since 1928. More than 125 volunteer musicians perform a diverse array of classical selections, spirituals, and Tin Pan Alley favorites, accompanied

by MSO principal pianist Daniel Lyons.

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Brocach Irish Pub-Square: An Blas, Irish, free, 5 pm.

DEER TICK “ACOUSTIC”

BARRYMORE 4.8

Frequency: Edison, The Soorleys, Future Stuff, 8 pm.

ANI DIFRANCO BARRYMORE 4.9

Harmony Bar: Tony Kannen & the Sound Garden Crew (CD release), 3:45 pm.

Heritage Congregational Church: Robert Eversman, classical organ, free, 3 pm.

High Noon Saloon: Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players, family concert, 11 am.

Olbrich Gardens: Johnny Chimes, piano, 2 pm.

Orpheum: Hoodie Allen, 8 pm. See page 36.

WIN TICKETS @ ISTHMUS.COM/PROMOTIONS

Our House: Peter Mulvey, house concert (RSVP: annedave@chorus.net), 7 pm.

T H EAT ER & DA N C E

Motown the Musical Tuesday, March 1, Overture Hall, 7:30 pm

Madtown becomes Motown for six days with this eight-show performance that includes classic tunes by Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and others.

ALSO: Wednesday and Thursday (7:30 pm), March 2-3. Through March 6.

S PO K EN WO RD Richard Merelman, Marilyn Annuci: Poetry reading, 7 pm, 3/1, Mystery to Me. 283-9332.

FUN D RA I S ERS The Big Share: Community Shares of Wisconsin hosts online giving day for 70 local nonprofits, 3/1: thebigshare.org. 256-8823.

L EC T URES & S EMI N A RS Reflections on Peace with Justice in Colombia: UW Peace Corps Week kick-off lecture by Colombia Support Network founders Cecilia Zárate and Jack Laun, 4 pm, 3/1, University Club. 262-1121.

Is the U.S. Increasingly Anti-Science?: UW Morgridge Institute “Crossroads of Ideas” lecture by professor Dietram A. Scheufele, 7 pm, 3/1, Discovery Building.

RSVP: discovery.wisc.edu/crossroads. 316-4382.

➡

We Are Turning 3!

Put On Some Lipstick and Let’s Celebrate!

Saturday, Feb 27 10am-5pm Grab your best gal pals and join us for cake, a glass of bubbly, and a few surPRIZES!

1925 Monroe St, Madison (608) 285-5959 VelvetButtonBoutique.com open house thu 4-7 & sat 10-4 or by appt I 306 w main st I call 608.279.0174

/HW <RXU /RYH %ORRP Six Stunning Wedding Gardens

TUESDAY NIGHT IS

WA SHINGTON POST COLUMNIST

E.J. DIONNE

DATE NIGHT AT

JAN 26 THRU MARCH 29

FLEMING’S Filet & Flights available in the bar. Petite Filet, Mashed Potatoes and Red Wine Flight for just $39.95.

5 FOR $6 ‘TIL 7. Each selection $6, from 5-7 pm in the bar.

8 FOR $9 ’TIL 10. Each selection $9, from 8-10 pm in the bar.

will discuss his new book

When You Book Your 2016-17 Garden Wedding by March 18, 2016

at Madison Central Library

PASQUAL’S CANTINA The “Lovers Fajita Platter” 2 house margaritas, a large fajita platter to share & 2 desserts for $30.

GIGI’S CUPCAKES Buy 5, Get 1 Free.

BOOKS NEW & USED

608.752.3885 x rotarybotanicalgardens.org x Janesville, WI 53545

315 W. Gorham St. • (608) 257-7888 www.roomofonesown.com Mon.–Sat. 10–8, Sun. 12–5

SUNDANCE CINEMAS Free small bag of popcorn with dinner receipt.

7 0 2 N M I DVA L E B LV D – H I L L DA L E . C O M

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Special Wedding Packages Available

WHY THE RIGHT WENT WRONG Friday, Feb. 26, 7pm

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n ISTHMUS PICKS : MAR 2 - 3

wed mar 2 M USIC

F R I D AY ABBA MARCH4 SALUTE 6-10 PM

Zebras Thursday, March 3, The Frequency, 9 pm

DJ ACE AT 6 & 8PM

VO5

MONONA TERRACE TICKET PROCEEDS BENEFIT

DOORS OPEN AT 5:30PM

Dale Watson & His Lone Stars Wednesday, March 2, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm

This Texas-raised country maverick has a smooth baritone, a honky-tonk vibe and a kiss-off song dedicated to Blake Shelton that includes the lyric “I’d rather be an old fart than a new country turd.” He’s also one of the most authentic performers on the stage today, alternating swigs of Lone Star beer with crowd-pleasing tunes in his trademark “Ameripolitan” style. With Nellie Wilson & the Hellbound Honeys.

Alchemy Cafe: Boo Bradley, blues, free, 10 pm.

Cardinal Bar: DJs Radish, Samroc, 9 pm.

Fountain: Rick Flowers’ Ultimate Fusion, free, 8 pm.

crowd image courtesy of Freepik.com

Malt House: The North Westerns, free, 7:30 pm.

Opus Lounge: Shawndell Marks, free, 9 pm.

Up North Pub: Lost Highway All-Stars, free, 8 pm.

TICKETS

$12

$15 AT THE DOOR Ages 2-12 $7 in advance, $10 at door

MONONA TERRACE® One John Nolen Dr., Madison, WI 53703 • PH: 608.261.4000 TTY: 771 or 800.947.3529 • communityevents.mononaterrace.com

thu mar 3 M USIC

One of Madison’s go-to heavy bands, Zebras have been on a run since releasing The City of the Sun in September. They were featured on the local psych compilation Mesmerized in Madison, played the Isthmus Wisconsin Punk Fest and shared bills with Pelican and KEN mode. With Aseethe, Population Control, Tubal Cain.

Badger Bowl: Scott Wilcox, Lo Marie, 8 pm.

Chief’s Tavern: Hoot’n Annie, free, 8:30 pm.

Essen Haus: Big Wes Turner’s Trio, Americana, 9 pm.

High Noon Saloon: The Beast of Bray Road, Full Vinyl Treatment, One Last Run, Malcomexicans, 9:30 pm.

Mickey’s Tavern: Jobs, Czarbles, Double Ewes, 10 pm.

The Red Zone: Screaming for Silence, Sleep Signals, Left Of Reason, Modern Echo, 8 pm.

UW Humanities Building-Morphy Hall: Quay Percussion Duo, free, 7:30 pm.

T H EAT ER & DA N C E

Fluid Measure Thursday, March 3, Lathrop Hall’s Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space, 8 pm

The always innovative and ingenious choreographer Li Chiao-Ping premieres this titular new work exploring kinship and identity. Other repertory works will be performed, including “Mandala,” a meditative solo, and the martialarts-influenced “Chi,” which looks at identifying with multiple cultures. In the theater lobby prior to the performance, guest artist Heidi Latsky will present “On Display,” an installation that examines body image and the body as spectacle. ALSO: Friday, March 4, 8 pm (with post-performance reception in Lathrop Hall’s Virginia Harrison Parlor) and Saturday, March 5, 2:30 pm.

CO MEDY

The Grawlix Elliott Brood ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

Thursday, March 3, High Noon Saloon, 6:30 pm

46

“IsthmusMadison” share and share and like ;p

Judging by the sound — and band name — you might expect Elliott Brood to be a solo artist.

There’s tightly woven tunes, intimate and raspy vocals, and a lively performative essence that feels as if it originated from a single imagination. But Elliott Brood is actually a collaborative trio, using the strengths of multi-instrumentalists Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet and Stephen Pitkin to balance old-timey and contemporary folk tendencies. With Christopher Gold.

Thursday, March 3, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm

The Grawlix is the Mile High City’s greatest new gift, a comedy trio consisting of standups Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy. The crew’s TV comedy Those Who Can’t, in which each member plays a Denver school teacher, premiered on the recently rebranded truTV in February and has already been picked up for a second season. With Anthony Siraguse. ALSO: Friday and Saturday (8 & 10:30 pm), March 4-5.

SEARCH THE FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS AT ISTHMUS.COM

418 E. WILSON ST. 608.257.BIRD CARDINALBAR.COM

The Red Zone Madison and 301 Productionz presents

FRIDAY 2/26 LIVE HAPPY HOUR

For Silence Mike Cammilleri Game Day - Free Shuttle! Screaming 5:30-7:30PM with SLEEP SIGNALS, Organ Trio FREE SAT, FEB PM _ _ _ _7 _ _• _ _4:30-7:30 _______ MEN'SUnderground BASKETBALL Going

LEFT OF REASON, MODERN ECHO

____________________

CASKET ROBBERY

Badgers vs. Northwestern

w/ DJs ELLAFINE & THE GOOD MIXER 9PM

SUN, FEB 8 • 2-52/27 PM SATURDAY

WOMEN'S B-BALL Tango Social Badgers vs.

Iowa hosted by MARQUIS _ _ _ _ _ _CHILDS _ _ _ _ _7-10PM ____

with DJ CHAMO & JOHN IN THE MIX ____________________ 10PM

TUESDAY 3/1

JAZZ JAM

w/ THE NEW BREED 9PM • FREE

M AD I S O N ’S C L A S S IC DA N C E B A R

es

ud ncl

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K RIN

THURS MAR 3 . 7PM $10 . 18+ . Doors at 7

Debut Album, EVOLUTION OF EVIL

with Disappearance, The Unnecessary Gunpoint

Lecture, Casket Robbery, The Fine Constant

FRI MAR 4 . 8PM $7 adv/$10 door . 18+

KARAOKE NIGHTEVERY WED at 9 PM ZUMBA FITNESS

LEAGUE TRIVIA

Mon. 6:30-7:45 PM Thurs. 8 PM 1212 REGENT ST. 608-251-6766

M A D I S ON ’ S C L A S S I C DA N C E B A R THEREDZONEMADISON.COM

T!

E ICK

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CONCERT & AFTER PARTY WITH MADISON’S YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SAT., MARCH 12, 2016 | 8:00 PM CONCERT

BUY TICKETS AND LEARN MORE:

Pianist Emanuel Ax performs Beethoven

madisonsymphony.org/club201

TICKETS

After the concert in Overture Center’s exclusive Promenade Lounge

#madisonsymphony

$35 (includes concert, after party and drink ticket)

CLASSICAL MUSIC

•

FOOD

Promotional Partner:

BEGINS TUESDAY! TUE, MAR 1 – SUN, MAR 6

•

NETWORKING

COMMUNITY PARTNER:

OVERTURECENTER.ORG | 608.258.4141 RECOMMENDED WHEN USED FOR REPRODUCTIONS SMALLER THAN 2.25” WIDE.

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

AFTER PARTY

47

n EMPHASIS

LAURA ZASTROW PHOTOS

Mariama Diallo created her store around her customers’ needs. She stocks such special foodstuffs as (from top) palm oil; bitter balls and African fish; and attiéké.

Africa on the east side The African & American Store imports fabrics and drums, but specializes in foods

ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

BY AMELIA COOK FONTELLA

48

When you walk into the African & American Store, you’ll be greeted by the gentle smell of incense. Beautiful African fabrics in bright oranges, greens and purples hang on the wall. Formal clothing from Africa and Dubai fills part of the shop: jeweled dresses and outfits made of traditional African prints. Djembe drums line the front window.

There’s a wall with jewelry made in Africa — natural-looking earrings made with shells and wood — and lots of cosmetics, including scented oils and hunks of raw black soap, a natural oil-based soap made in Africa.

Owner Mariama Diallo has run the shop since 2005. She’s there every day, seven days a week. “I never take off,” she says with a smile.

Diallo, originally from Guinea, started her shop as a traditional corner store, with snack foods and soda, but after a few months, it was clear that it wasn’t the right fit for the neighborhood.

Before moving to Madison, Diallo had a store specializing in African imports in New York, so she decided to go back to what she knew. She stocked the shelves with African food and products, and the African & American Store was born.

Ten years later, her shop is a busy east-side hub for people shopping for things like hibiscus

leaf preserves and cassava flour. In fact, the majority of the store’s space is devoted to food, much of which is imported from West Africa.

“Food is the big seller,” Diallo says. And her selection of African foods — mostly shelfstable or frozen — is impressive. One of the most popular items is the West African staple attiéké — a couscous made from fermented cassava. For Diallo, its sour flavor is a taste of her homeland, and it’s something she cooks often for her own family.

Another popular item is palm oil. Diallo sells five to six gallons a day of the deep reddish orange oil, popular in African cooking. Shea butter is another top seller, and though many people

may think of it as a cosmetic, Diallo explains, “In Africa, we cook with it.”

“We have everything,” Diallo says as we peek in big freezers stocked with frozen goat meat, African fishes and bitter balls, a small, bitter African eggplant. And if she doesn’t have it in stock, Diallo assures me she can order it.

Diallo says that the “and” in the name of her store is very intentional. It serves as an invitation to all people, not just those of African descent, to visit. “All American people are invited; all African people are invited.”

“Come in and see,” she offers. “Check us out.” n

AFRICAN & AMERICAN STORE n 2750 E. Johnson St. n 608-241-2780 n 9 am-9 pm Mon.-Sat., 10 am-7 pm Sun.

n CLASSIFIEDS

Housing 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 UW • EDGEWOOD • ST MARY’S Quiet and smoke-free 1 & 2 bedroom apartments starting at $800. Newer kitchens with dishwashers & microwaves. FREE HEAT, WATER, STORAGE. No pets. On-site office with package service. All calls answered 24/7.

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ALL AREAS ROOMMATES.COM. Lonely?

Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your pe ty and lifestyle at Roommates.com! (AAN CAN) Near West Madison: 2 bdrm house for rent, close to UW Hospital and Hilldale. $1050 per month plus utilities. 2833 Barlow St. (608) 213-2915.

Near West: 3811 Birch Ave, Madison WI 53711.

FSBO. Open House, 2/27-2/28 12pm-3pm or by appt. Two story Colonial, 1,427 sq ft $285,000.

608-238-9650 or pmaherspr@gmail.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.

Services & Sales PREGNANT? THINKING OF ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide.

LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6293. Void in Illinois/New Mexico/Indiana (AAN CAN) Viagra!! 52 Pills for Only $99.00. Your #1 trusted provider for 10 years. Insured and Guaranteed Delivery. Call today 1-877-621-7013 (AAN CAN)

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! We Buy Like New or Damaged. Running or Not. Get Paid!

Free Towing! We’re Local! Call For Quote: 1-888-420-3808 (AAN CAN)

WHAT’S YOUR TEXT MESSAGE? Call 608-251-5627 to place an ad. isthmus.com/classifieds

n P.S. MUELLER

The Wisconsin Vintage Guitar Show will Be Sunday March 20th from 10am-5pm at Madison Turners Hall 3001 S. Stoughton Rd. BUY,SELL,TRADE,BROWSE! All Guitars, basses,banjos, and mandolins are welcome! Admission is $7, $6 if you bring a guitar to show or sell, $5 for kids.

More information at 920-467-4762 or wisconsinvintageguitarshow.com New Beginning Spiritual Church McFarland Public Library Meeting Room Every 1st and 4th Tuesday of each Month.

Hands on Healings are 6:30pm to 7:00pm 7:00pm a light sermon, meditation, singing of church songs and spirit greetings. Money donations are welcomed. For more information contact us at NewBeginningSpiritualchurch@ yahoo.com AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN)

JONESIN’ “Sop, Just Sop”–time for one letter to go.

Health & Wellness Miss Danu WORLD CLASS MASSAGE * FE EL GREAT IN ONE HOUR! * Short Notice * Nice Price * 8AM-7PM * 608-255-0345 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!

Larry P. Edwards RPh, LBT Nationally & State Certified #4745-046 Massage Therapist and Body Worker / Madison, WI Viagra!! 52 Pills for Only $99.00. Your #1 trusted provider for 10 years. Insured and Guaranteed Delivery. Call today 1-888-403-9028 Relaxing Unique Massage Therapy Experienced, Results Hypnotherapy! You Deserve the BEST! Ken-Adi Ring LMT. CHt.CI. WELLIFE EXPO APRIL 2-3 Hypnosis Course Starts April 256-0080 www.wellife.org ELIMINATE CELLULITE and Inches in weeks! All natural. Odor free. Works for men or women. Free month supply on select packages. Order now! 844-244-7149 (M-F 9am-8pm central) (AAN CAN)

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#768 BY MATT JONES ©2016 JONESIN’ CROSSWORDS

ACROSS

1 Not plugged in 4 Artist’s tribute 10 Bawl out 15 Water filter brand 16 Bedelia of kiddie lit 17 Ham preparer, perhaps 18 Before, to Keats 19 Instant coffee brand that’ll shock you awake?

21 Mark Twain’s real last name 23 Fender Stratocaster inventor’s zodiac sign, aptly 24 Mineral hardness scale 25 “Un momento, ___ favor” 26 Butcher’s cuts 28 Medal of Honor recipient 30 Notwithstanding 35 Lyft alternative 36 Gasoline additive

37 Dir. opposite NNW 40 Big golf competition using devices emitting electromagnetic waves?

43 CBS segment, for short?

44 Military shoulder pad 45 Cosmetics company that sells door-to-door 46 Ties in (with) 47 Actress Catherine ___-Jones 48 Deli hanger 52 “The ___ Is Mightier” (“Celebrity Jeopardy” category on “SNL”) 53 Like marked-up textbooks 54 “Epic ___ Battles of History” 57 Onetime mall bookstore name 61 Play-by-play announcer show mixed with a police procedural?

64 “South Park” baby brother 65 “Tap” star Gregory 66 Time out 67 Bygone period 68 Start of a Caesarean trio 69 “Star Trek” captain’s order 70 Joined the table DOWN

1 Crude oil cartel 2 Fold, as a flag 3 Uncensored media 4 Detractor 5 Country south of Iran 6 Pigsty, so to speak 7 Part of IPA 8 “The ___ From Ipanema” 9 Minimal effort 10 Acad.

11 New York politico Andrew 12 Hunter of Greek myth

13 Cafe con ___ (Spanish drink) 14 Attire 20 Grow fond of 22 “Where to Invade Next” director Michael 27 “___ Lugosi’s Dead” (Bauhaus song) 28 Ambient noises from appliances, e.g.

29 Place to do your bidding 30 Loses hope 31 “At Last” singer James and namesakes 32 Give a hoot 33 “The Alchemist” novelist ___ Coelho 34 “Lady ___” (Chris de Burgh hit) 37 Lava lamp’s heyday 38 Little brat 39 Fiery Italian landmark 41 Longtime NPR host Diane retiring in 2016 42 “___ tov!”

48 Tokyo rolls 49 Jellied tomato dish 50 “Bleeding Love” singer Lewis 51 Relevant, in legalese 52 Out of style 55 Need a backrub, say 56 Nuisance 57 B, as in bouzouki 58 Knock out 59 Southern stew ingredient 60 “That’s super!”

62 Mao ___-Tung 63 2012 AFTRA merger partner LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Time to replace your WORN OUT FLOORS/ CARPETS? Get 60% off select styles of Carpet, Hardwood, Laminate,Tile! (Product Only, Details at Empiretoday.com) Call EMPIRE TODAY 877-236-0566

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n CLASSIFIEDS

Jobs Are you in BIG trouble with the IRS? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 844-753-1317 (AAN CAN)

Woman with a disability on the west side needs assistance with housekeeping and errands. 12 hrs/wk. $11.66/hr. Call 831-3777 for more information.

Dane County Parent Council

East side woman with a disability seeking a reliable and compassionate Personal Care Worker. Seeking early morning shifts beginning at 5 am and weekend shifts beginning at 7 am. Pay is between $11.66-$12.31. Call 204-9416

(HeadStart) is currently hiring for Teacher Aides/Assistants.

To apply, please e-mail resume and cover letter to hrmgr@dcpcinc.org Title: Teacher Aide/Assistant Hours: Hours will vary based on need, both full and part-time positions available.

Description/Qualifications: • Engage positively with the children and use appropriate discipline methods as outlined in the Child Guidance Procedures and Pyramid Model practices; Support children’s idea, initiatives and creativity. Implement classroom activities that are child-centered, developmentally appropriate, open-ended and process oriented under the direction of the classroom team Classroom cleaning and maintenance • Participate in Reflective Supervision with Lead Teacher must have completed the Preschool Credential, working towards AA Degree in ECE; or Degree in another field and have obtained the Introduction to Child Care as a Profession course; or Enroll in a CDA Prep Program • Previous experience working with diverse populations is required For more career opportunities please visit our website- http://www.dcpcinc.org/employment

isthmus live sessions

Local & National Artists Perform in the Isthmus Office

performances by:

PROF ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

ISTHMUS LIVE SESSIONS ISTHMUS LIVE SESSIONS

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Wintersong

Mikeictlan M

ISTHMUS LIVE SESSIONS

WIN WIN

FREE STUFF FROM

FLY FISHING

FILM TOUR MAR 2

BARRYMORE THEATRE

DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD

The Office of Advancement in the College of Letters and Science is seeking a University Relations Specialist (Content Specialist) to generate multi-platform content that supports the overarching advancement strategy for L&S, the largest college on the UW-Madison campus. For a complete position description, please go to: http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/Weblisting/External/ PVLSummary.aspxpvl_num=85392.

TRINITY

Assured consideration date: March 2, 2016 Salary minimum: $37,893 Depending on qualifications

UW-Madison is an affirmative action/equal employment employer and we encourage women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

IRISH DANCE

Back-up overnight caregiver needed. Hours are 10 pm-7am. Experience necessary. For pay rate and any questions, please call David at (608) 215-7619.

Caring People Needed!

Energetic, dependable and fun people desired to assist the elderly in Madison. Nonmedical companionship and in-home care. Flexible hours. Home Instead Senior Care: (608) 663-2646.

Volunteer with UNITED WAY Volunteer Center Call 246-4380 or visit volunteeryourtime.org to learn about opportunities Don’t have a lot of time? Support early care and education with just a few clicks! Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) is looking for volunteers to share fundraising information for a spring online fundraiser. This can be done via email, social media, etc. This simple but impactful volunteer opportunity can be done anywhere you have an internet connection.

North/Eastside Senior Coalition is looking for volunteers to help at the Senior Dining Site on Mon, Wed, Thurs, and/or Fri from 9:30am-12:30pm. Assist the Dining Site Manager in general luncheon set-up, serving and clean-up. Volunteers are offered a nutritious lunch for their time.

YWCA Madison is seeking an Employment Services volunteer. Work with participants to provide assistance in academic subjects, assist with resume writing, enter information into the database, assist with developing tracking systems, and other duties that may be assigned by Employment Director.

COMPANY Speaking his mind in the city he once ruled!

LIVE! MAR 6

OVERTURE CENTER

ISTHMUS LIVE SESSIONS

starring former Madison Mayor

at: isthmus.com/ils ISTHMUS.COM/PROMOTIONS

Read him online at

.com

n SAVAGE LOVE

Bondage, James Bondage

BY DAN SAVAGE

I’m a 36-year-old hetero male, into BDSM and polyamory. I’ve been drinking deep from the bowels of the Internet lately, getting laid more than I ever thought was possible. I’m open about the fact that I fuck around a lot and that monogamy would never work for me. I use condoms with everyone except my primary partner, and I abide by your campsite rule. I don’t want to be anyone’s wonderful husband; I want to be the Casanova who climbs in through the window. Last week, the Internet was good at delivering. Usually I can talk to 10 women who all seem interested, but in the end, only one or two want to actually meet.

But last week, I had sex five times in five days with five different women. And that just made me feel awesome, turned on, and wonderful. Is there a term for someone who gets turned on by finding new people to have sex with? Have I discovered a new kink? Is there a name for people like me? If there is, I couldn’t find it. Google failed me.

Can a person have a kink for finding new sex partners? What would it be called? Or am I just a slutty man-whore?

Dude Drinking Deep

I don’t think “drinking deep from the bowels of [blank]” is a good way to describe something you enjoy, DDD. Watching a GOP debate? Perhaps best described as drinking deep from the bowels of the terrifying American id. Enjoying consensual sex with people you’re into?

Better described as “drinking deep from Aphrodite’s honeyed mouth” or “licking Adonis’ jizz off Antinous’s tits” or simply “killing it”—really, anything would be an improvement.

As for what your kink is called...

“What DDD describes is consistent with a motivational style once called Don Juan syndrome,” says Dr. David Ley, author and clinical psychologist. “It has also been called Casanova or James Bond syndrome. Essentially, these are folks most excited by the quest/hunt for novelty in sex partners. This was once viewed as deeply dysfunctional from a heteronormative, monogamy-idealizing therapeutic culture. What I appreciate about DDD is that, even though he uses sex-addiction language, it’s clear he has accepted himself and his desire. I’d say he has adapted fairly well, and responsibly, to that tendency in himself.”

CRAIG WINZER

I just posted a new word on the Physician Moms Facebook group and was told that I should send it to you. I got tired of hearing “She’s got balls,” so I made up a new word, clitzpah (klit-spe) noun: a woman with guts!

Origin of clitzpah: clitoris (kli-te-res) noun: an organ of the female genitalia, the purpose of which is purely to bring women pleasure, and chutzpah (hoot-spe) noun: a

Yiddish term for courage bordering on arrogance.

I hope this is useful!

Jill Becker, clitzpah.com It’s a lovely word, Jill—and I’m happy to help you roll it out! n Email Dan at mail@savagelove.net or reach him on Twitter at @fakedansavage.

It doesn’t matter who you vote for, the good ol’ boys are going to take care of themselves

And if I was a good ol’ boy, I’d take care of myself too.

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June 24-26, 2016 University Ridge Golf Course Madison, WI

Hosted by 12-time PGA TOUR Champion

Steve Stricker

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ISTHMUS.COM FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 2, 2016

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