Isthmus: Nov 3-9, 2016 by Isthmus

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

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VOL. 41 NO. 44

MADISON, WISCONSIN

LAUREN CARLINI

HALEIGH NELSON MOLLY HAGGERTY

GREG ANDERSON / DAVID STLUKA / UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

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■ CONTENTS

■ WHAT TO DO

4 SNAPSHOT

PICKLE!

Fans of a new hybrid sport can now find a game at Madison’s Garner Park.

7-9 NEWS

VOTING RIGHTS

In the midst of a historic election, voters face brand-new rules for casting ballots.

ONE SEAT AT A TIME AMELIA COOK FONTELLA

JANE BURNS

COVER STORY JANE BURNS REALIZED her childhood dream of becoming a sports writer, working for some 20 years at the Des Moines Register, Minneapolis StarTribune and USA Today. She covered high school and college volleyball and just about every other sport out there. An alum of both The Capital Times and Wisconsin State Journal, she writes this week about the UW’s volleyball team, a powerhouse that has the potential to be number 1 in the country this year.

26 FOOD AMELIA COOK FONTELLA is mostly a coffee drinker. But she admits to loving a “proper cup of tea,” perhaps owing to the time she spent studying abroad in the United Kingdom. So her interest was piqued when she heard about a new catering business in town that specializes in gatherings around tea. This week she interviews proprietor Lindsay Bessick.

Democrats eye a handful of Assembly seats they hope to wrest from Republicans.

10 TECH

NERVE MENDINGS

UW-Madison scientists discover that nerves can repair themselves.

12 OPINION

PRESS PHOBIC

Transparency will likely not be part of a Clinton presidency.

15 COVER STORY

NET GAINS

The volleyball Badgers are having an electric season and selling out the Field House.

23-26 FOOD & DRINK

DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE

Breakwater Monona revives an often forgotten space on the Yahara.

28 SPORTS

HOOPS HOPES

While expectations for the Milwaukee Bucks are modest, there could be good surprises in store.

21, 30-31 STAGE

FUNNY WHILE FEMALE

Judgment day Tues., Nov. 8, Isthmus watch party at High Noon Saloon, 6 pm At last! Election Day is finally here. The polls are open 7 am-8 pm. You can view a sample ballot and find your polling place at myvote.wi.gov. Isthmus is hosting an election-night watch/dance party at the High Noon Saloon starting at 6 pm, with a live broadcast on WORT-FM starting at 8 pm. If you want to throwdown with local politicos, Republicans will be watching election returns at the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club. Libertarians are holding court at Brocach on the Square. And local Dems will be cheering on U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold at the Marriott-West in Middleton.

Heed the herb

Lady Laughs Comedy Festival busts up the boys’ club.

Sat., Nov. 5, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 9 am-3 pm

32-33 MUSIC JOEL PATENAUDE

SCREENS JOEL PATENAUDE IS the former longtime managing editor of Silent Sports magazine, which has for decades reported on such “self-propelled” activities as bicycling, running, skiing and skating, and the current regional editor for Roots.Rated.com. A lifelong classic cross-country skier, he previews alpine backcountry skiers featured in the film Monumental: Skiing our National Parks.

FRANKENPIANO

The Herb Faire is a unique blend of herb tradition dating back to medieval times and herb science of the present day. This year’s theme is “Hips, hops and healthful herbs.” Speakers will extol the virtues of herbs; vendors will be selling live plants and all kinds of herb products.

UW’s Christopher Taylor unleashes the beastly invention.

34 SCREENS

AWE-INSPIRING

Monumental: Skiing Our National Parks is a history lesson with thrills.

40 EMPHASIS

BETTER AND BETTER

Human Crafted improves the utility of everyday items.

Gaming the system

IN EVERY ISSUE

Fri.-Sun., Nov. 4-6, Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall

8 MADISON MATRIX 8 WEEK IN REVIEW 12 THIS MODERN WORLD 13 FEEDBACK 13 OFF THE SQUARE

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

PUBLISHER Jeff Haupt ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Craig Bartlett BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Mark Tauscher EDITOR Judith Davidoff NEWS EDITOR Joe Tarr ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michana Buchman FEATURES EDITOR Linda Falkenstein ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Catherine Capellaro STAFF WRITERS Dylan Brogan, Allison Geyer EDITORIAL INTERN Elisa Wiseman CALENDAR EDITOR Bob Koch ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Fath STAFF ARTISTS Todd Hubler, David Michael Miller, Tommy Washbush

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.

Everyone’s Earth Thurs., Nov. 3, UW Discovery BuildingDeLuca Forum, 7 pm

How does one’s ethnic heritage intersect with sense of place in America? Lauret Savoy, professor of environmental studies at Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts), explores this question in her writings and research. She’ll speak on themes from her latest book, Trace: Memory, History, Race and the American Landscape.

FIND MORE ISTHMUS PICKS ON PAGE 38

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

CONTRIBUTORS John W. Barker, Kenneth Burns, Dave Cieslewicz, Nathan J. Comp, Aaron R. Conklin, Ruth Conniff, Michael Cummins, Marc Eisen, Erik Gunn, Mike Ivey, Bob Jacobson, Seth Jovaag, Stu Levitan, Bill Lueders, Liz Merfeld, Andy Moore, Bruce Murphy, Kyle Nabilcy, Kate Newton, Jenny Peek, Michael Popke, Steven Potter, Adam Powell, Katie Reiser, Jay Rath, Gwendolyn Rice, Dean Robbins, Robin Shepard, Sandy Tabachnick, Denise Thornton, Candice Wagener, Tom Whitcomb, Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Todd Hubler ADVERTISING MANAGER Chad Hopper ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Laura Miller ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Lindsey Bushart, Peggy Elath, Lauren Isely WEB ANALYST Jeri Casper CIRCULATION MANAGER Tim Henrekin MARKETING DIRECTOR Chris Winterhack EVENT DIRECTORS Kathleen Andreoni, Courtney Lovas CONTROLLER Halle Mulford OFFICE MANAGER Julie Butler SYSTEMS MANAGER Thom Jones ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Carla Dawkins

Gamehole Con has grown quickly into an annual must for gaming enthusiasts from around the Midwest, with a dizzying array of board, card and role-playing games to choose from starting at 8 am Friday. The roster of special guests at the Con features many with a connection to legendary Lake Geneva company TSR (creators of Dungeons & Dragons), including the sons of co-founder Gary Gygax. Find the complete schedule at gameholecon.com.

n SNAPSHOT

Pickleball, anyone?

Rico Goedjen (left) and Pat Fleming both lunge for the pickleball while playing doubles at Garner Park.

ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

BY MICHAEL POPKE n PHOTO BY MARY LANGENFELD

Deep within Garner Park on Madison’s west side, visitors can hear the crisp sound of perforated polymer balls smacking wooden paddles and bouncing on asphalt before they can see the dozen or so players competing on the six newly converted pickleball courts. “There were 24 of us here at 9 a.m. earlier in the week,” Rico Goedjen, a fit 69-year-old retiree who learned the game about four years ago, says this early, brisk fall morning, with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees and wind gusts occasionally stopping the lightweight yellow ball in mid-air. “We probably have 50 people a day. If you’re a pickleball player, you know you can come here and find a game.” That wasn’t always the case for enthusiasts of the sport that combines tennis and ping-pong. It wasn’t until 2012 that city crews began striping existing tennis courts throughout Madison to accommodate the smaller court dimensions of pickleball; Sun Prairie’s Wyndham Hills Park was the only site in Dane County at the time with dedicated outdoor pickleball courts. Then, over this past summer, six underused tennis courts at Garner Park on Rosa Road were converted and officially opened on Sept. 15 — making them Madison’s first outdoor space exclusively for pickleball, which is now considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States.

Young children and older adults, especially, enjoy the activity because the courts are small (44 feet long and 20 feet wide), most games can be played within 20 minutes, and the social aspect is a key element of the game. Points are scored by the serving side only, and the first to 11 points wins. This morning, most of the players are playing doubles. All told, the Garner Park project cost about $65,000. Goedjen and one of his playing partners, 67-year-old Pat Fleming, are among a small group who formed Madison Friends of Pickleball and raised more than $44,000 in individual gifts and grants — the most generous donation coming from the Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Foundation — toward the effort. Madison Friends of Pickleball now is morphing into the broader-based Capital Area Pickleball Association, which will promote the sport throughout Dane County. Goedjen, the group’s president, says he would like to develop pickleball leagues and tournaments, host social events and lessons, and even help more communities build dedicated outdoor pickleball courts. “We have a lot of quality players in Madison,” says Goedjen, noting that Dave Weinbach, a national pickleball champion, often plays at the Garner courts. “This sport really has some momentum now, and pickleball players need to get more cities to consider this.”

The sport’s popularity has been a long time coming. With a history dating back to 1965, pickleball most likely began when, according to the USA Pickleball Aassociation website, “Joel Pritchard, [a] congressman from Washington state, and Bill Bell, successful businessman, returned to Pritchard’s home on Bainbridge Island, Wash. (near Seattle), to find their families sitting around with nothing to do. The property had an old badminton court, so Pritchard and Bell looked for some badminton equipment and could not find a full set of rackets. They improvised and started playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball.” The Pritchards’ family dog, “Pickles,” would chase runaway balls. And the rest, they say, is history. Back at Garner Park, Goedjen and Fleming want to raise money to install windscreens and shade structures at the courts in 2017, and they’ll probably ask city officials to keep the public restrooms open later in the year, too. “Here you have 25 old people and they lock the bathrooms on us,” gripes one unidentified woman, sounding only like she was half-kidding. About 24 hours after I meet him, Goedjen emails me. “After you left, a half-dozen more players showed up, and we played past noon,” he writes. “Like the Field of Dreams, ‘build it and they will come.’” n

2.5 MILLION: Number of pickleball participants in the United States, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association 27: Number of local pickleball players who in 2011 requested dedicated pickleball courts in a Madison park 34 INCHES: Height at the center of a standard pickleball net; sides are 36 inches high 1965: Year pickleball was invented 4,000: Number of locations on the USA Pickleball Association’s “Places to Play” map

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Recognizing outstanding volunteers for their work in our community

Lauren Manier Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Lauren Manier, began interning at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign her freshman year at UW-Madison where she maintains a 4.0 GPA. In addition to her internship, she is also involved with student government and other activities. She is especially admired for the focus, judgement and maturity she brings to work in support of the Democracy Campaign’s mission. For more information, about the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, or to volunteer, visit www.wisdc.org or call 608.255.4260

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ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

A retiring police officer with 31 years of service, Faye Schouten has dedicated much of her career to improving how law enforcement and the community respond to sexual assault. As part of this commitment she served on the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) Board of Director’s for eight years and is currently the board president.

For more information about the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault or to volunteer, visit www.wcasa.org or call 608.257.1516.

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

Laugh with the ladies Madison launches its first female-centric comedy festival BY ALLISON GEYER ■ ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE HOFMANN

my patent feminist statement,” she says with a laugh. “But it really says it all.” Martinez, who has been a mainstay in the local performing arts scene since she moved to Madison from Los Angeles about four years ago, is seeking to shatter comedy’s glass ceiling (or is it an exposed brick wall?) once and for all. She’s bringing in more than 70 performers from throughout the U.S. and Canada for a three-day festival showcasing the many talents of funny

women. The first-ever Lady Laughs Comedy Festival runs Nov. 10-12 and features about 20 different acts at Plan B, the Frequency and on the basement stage at Glass Nickel Pizza on Atwood Avenue. “Madison doesn’t have anything quite like this,” Martinez says. There’s the Madison Comedy Festival, which brings big-name acts to venues like the Orpheum, the Majestic, the Barrymore and the Comedy Club on State, but there’s

“nothing for these women who are pounding the pavement and doing shows every night and going to open mics,” she adds. Martinez says she’s found the comedy scene here to be more accepting and supportive than what she experienced in L.A. “There’s this amazing camaraderie from all the women here in the Midwest,” says Martinez, who for the last five years has CON T IN UED ON PAGE 30

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NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

The tired stereotype that women aren’t funny is one of the most pervasive — and infuriating — myths in entertainment. Even in the era of stars like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho and countless other hilarious females, the comedy scene is still very much a boys’ club. It’s 2016! How is this still a thing? Blame the patriarchy, says Madison comedian Dina Nina Martinez. “That’s sort of

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■ FOOD & DRINK

Along the mighty Yahara Breakwater Monona ups the riverside dining game BY ADAM POWELL

The new Breakwater Monona is an unusual and cool space. Boats dock directly below the main dining room area. Take the stairs outside all the way down to have a look. Boaters drifting lazily down the river can set anchor and head to the Breakwater for lunch. This space was previously occupied by the Bourbon Street Grille, which served terrible food, by any measure. So it’s exciting to see the new menu, with intricate dishes using prime ingredients from Fox Heritage Farms — which makes sense, since chef-owner Brandon Reid is an alum of Fox Heritage Tavern, as well as the Coopers Tavern and Steenbock’s on Orchard. In the warmer months, the revamped nautically themed dining areas sprawl onto a veranda where diners can watch boats drift by while noshing on gussied-up supper club fare. At brunch, the lightly fluffy frittata with sausage and an enormous heap of mixed greens is fully functional as a light meal in itself. There are lots of spices here and decent heat for this Italian dish. A steak skillet with roasted potatoes for breakfast — why not? Dense, rich, smoky duck confit with eggs makes another interesting brunch. These are enormous portions — and come with commensurate prices. At $13, it may seem like a lot for one plate, but we were able to generate an entire second meal by frying up leftover steak and potatoes with some red bell peppers. Unless you are supernaturally hungry, just plan on getting a box to go. Presto! You just cut the price in half. The Cuban sandwich is smoky, rich and stuffed with seasoned meat. The signature “Breakwater Burger” is phenomenal, topped with an outsized stack of bacon and onions and finished with aioli. A pulled pork sandwich with plum sauce is very large and hard to eat

SHARON VANORNY

The phenomenal “Breakwater Burger” is topped with a stack of bacon, onions and aioli.

even with two hands; sautéed and still warm yellow and red bell peppers add flavor and snap. All the sandwiches come with fries or mixed greens, sprinkled with cheese and lightly dressed. Cheese curds, one measure of Wisconsin pub food, are unfortunately bland here, and the ranch-style dressing doesn’t do anything to help. Pub chips, on the other hand, are addictive — not too crisp, with soft interiors. The blue cheese dressing provides a perfect counterpoint. The Philly cheesesteak is a disappointment, almost totally lacking in flavor even with the housemade giardiniera. Philly cheesesteaks are hard to do correctly, but this was a miss by a country mile and should be removed from the menu. A raft of specialty pizzas, a bone-in pork chop, sirloin, trout and Friday night fish fry (walleye with caper truffle aioli) round out the dinner menu. Listed as “In a League of its Own” is the “Ultimate Poutine” which, at $25, is more like a super-appetizer for a very large group — truffle fries topped with foie gras,

duck confit, aged white cheddar, caramelized onions, mornay sauce and more. For dessert there’s nicely tart Key lime pie, a blueberry blondie with blueberry coulis, and a beignet with foie gras buttercream (this last one unfortunately not as successful as the other two). During slow periods the restaurant has had trouble keeping up with even modest demands. On one visit, it took the kitchen nearly 30 minutes to produce three plates, despite an almost completely empty dining room. On subsequent visits the teams did better. Since this is not the kind of place that gives out a bread basket to quell hunger pangs or pacify kids, getting food out of the kitchen is important. This restaurant is a good choice for outof-towners or locals wanting to sit in a dining room along the Yahara. The menu is solid. With a bit of fine-tuning there’s no reason the kitchen shouldn’t be able to hit its marks. ■

BREAKWATER MONONA ■ 6308 Metropolitan Lane, Monona ■ 608-416-5388 ■ facebook.com/breakwatermonona ■ $4-$25 Kitchen hours 4-9 pm Mon.-Tues., 11 am-9 pm Wed., 11 am-10 pm Thurs.-Sat., 10 am-9 pm Sun. (bar open later).

Eats events Ex Libris Volume VI: Beer for brunch Friday, Nov. 4

Truffle dinner

Saturday, Nov. 5

Sunday, Nov. 6

Barebones Cooperative of Dane is hosting a dinner made entirely from food seeded, planted and harvested by the cooperative’s farm crew, with appetizers, entree, teas and desserts. At James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 2146 E. Johnson St., 6-8:30 pm. Tickets ($18) at tinyurl.com/ barebonesharvestdinner.

This five-course truffle meal will be paired with Italian wines. Courses include truffle bisque, foie gras truffle mousse, crispy pork confit with fresh shaved truffle vietti, breast of duck with truffle quince purée and hickory nut phyllo pastry with truffle crème anglaise. Reservations for the dinner ($95) by calling 608255-6075. At Harvest Restaurant, 21 N. Pinckney St., 6-8 pm.

Multi-Cuisine • North & South Indian • Indo-Chinese Lamb • Chicken • Tandoori Specialties Vegetarian • Biryani Specialties – OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK – Lunch (buffet & à la carte) 11:30am-3pm Dinner (à la carte) 5-10 pm

6913 University Ave • 608-824-0324 www.AmberIndianMadison.com

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Local cooks and brewers will be pairing brunch foods with stouts, pale ales, ciders and others to benefit the Madison Public Library Foundation. Ladonia Cafe, the Coopers Tavern, Heritage Tavern, the Old Fashioned, Bassett Street Brunch Club and more eateries will be serving. At the Madison Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., 7-10 pm. Tickets ($75) at tinyurl.com/librarybeerbrunch or by calling 608-266-6318.

Local harvest dinner

■ FOOD & DRINK

More food carts on Library Mall? City vending committee is considering changes in ranking system, locations How the city assigns prime locations for food carts is “a uniquely Madisonian endeavor,” says Hansen. “I’ve been to a number of mobile food conferences and nobody does it like us. Our process is very hands-on. In most other cities, food cart licensing is much more bureaucratic. It’s like applying for a driver’s license.”

BY DYLAN BROGAN

Changes could be in store for how Madison regulates its blossoming food cart scene. Members of the city’s Vending Oversight Committee, including Ald. Mike Verveer and longtime Madison restaurateur Rena Gelman, acknowledge there are issues with the current process and are open to making modifications. Verveer says he is in favor of taking a close look at the whole process for site selection for 2018. “The process has not been reformed, in any significant way, since I’ve been a member of the Vending Oversight Committee,” says Verveer, who has served on the panel since the mid-1990s. Gelman, a new member of the committee and former owner of the Sunprint Cafe, says she is “enthusiastic about addressing some of the issues. I would like to be part of the change.” Gelman, who is a consultant with the UW-Madison School of Business, says that the review process “needs to be taken seriously” as livelihoods are at stake. At the committee’s Oct. 26 meeting, several food carts owners voiced frustration with the current system. The owners of the El Grito food cart, Matthew Danky and Joshua Barraza, asked to appeal their ranking (49 out of 60). If its score stands, El Grito is almost guaranteed to be bumped from the Capitol Square next year. Danky and Barraza have questioned the qualifications of the review panel that judges carts. They also alerted the committee to possible inaccuracies in how the final scores were tabulated. The ranking process has become ever more crucial as the number of carts who want to operate downtown

TODD HUBLER

has grown. Sixty vendors participated in the annual food cart review this past September, vying for 40 lucrative locations. Carts scoring in the bottom third are put on a waitlist to operate downtown. These vendors will likely have to make other plans for the 2017 season. Longtime street vending coordinator Warren Hansen, in charge of conducting the annual review, recognizes that “60 carts basically overwhelms the system.” He, too, is receptive to many of the suggestions made by vendors at the committee meeting, including having more food professionals on the review panel and increasing training for judges. This all comes as Hansen readies for retirement after nearly two decades of facilitating mobile vending in Madison. When he started in 1998, there only a handful of food carts downtown.

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The vending committee on Oct. 26 voted to delay accepting the results of this year’s food cart review in order to ensure the scores are accurate. But “barring any errors that are discovered before our next meeting, I don’t see how we will be able to change the outcome for the upcoming licensing year,” says Verveer. Nonetheless, Barraza says he and Danky will appeal their score. He says public opinion is on their side, citing the several dozen people who came to the meeting. To help out lower-scoring carts next year, Verveer suggests the committee investigate whether additional food carts can be added on the 800 block of State Street. That’s the block of Library Street vending coordinator Mall in between the HumaniWarren Hansen: ties building and the Wiscon“Our process is very sin State Historical Society. Another dozen or so food hands-on.” carts could fit there, which would cut the vendors on “I think my retirement might the waitlist in half, but would be an opportunity. Whoever also create more competition replaces me can come at it with among the mall carts. fresh eyes,” says Hansen, who Adding food carts to will stay on through the winter the 800 block of State to train his successor before Street may create more CAROLYN FATH retiring in the spring. “It was not controversy. The Wisconsin that long ago when [every venHistorical Society objected dor] who applied for a spot on the Capitol Square or to food carts being added there when Library Mall got one. The complaint we used to get the State Street Design Committee disfrom vendors was that they didn’t get the spot they cussed the idea in 2013. The Historical wanted. Now, a number of applicants don’t get a Society did not return Isthmus’ request spot at all. So it’s gotten a lot more competitive.” for comment. ■

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. Carol Rennebohm Auditorium: Music Hall MEAD WITTER SCHOOL OF MUSIC

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Sweet and savory Cocktails at the Robin Room let microdistilled spirits shine Since opening last March, the Robin Room’s standard bar menu has focused on classics. But the bar is planning a brief hiatus Jan. 1-6, and when it reopens, bartenders will debut their first-ever menu of house specialties. They’re still working on the lineup, but there’s a good chance customers will recognize previous Robin Room creations. The bartenders at the Robin Room are practiced at whipping up specials, whether it’s a new drink pairing for one of their pop-up dinners or a one-off drink menu for an industry event. One of the most delicious new inventions is a drink made for Madison Cocktail Week. The drink, called “It’s Pronounced Far-ve,” tastes exactly like carbonated crudite. Herbal spirits Midwest gin and Gamle Ode dill aquavit lend a complex savory layer of flavor, while sweet carrot syrup, fresh lemon and a pinch of salt balance the drink. Add soda water and garnish with mint for a perfectly refreshing experience. Another new spirit-forward creation is a Vesper riff, which also uses the delicately flavored dill aquavit and Boyd & Blair potato vodka. The Robin Room uses

“ It’s Pronounced Far-ve” is an herbal treat.

SHARON VANORNY

orange bitters and Lillet Blanc to finish off the elegant, martini-esque drink. James Bond would approve.

— ALLISON GEYER

Stealing from the vintners Wine Thief from Dead Bird Brewing grapes in making this beer; however, a devastating frost last May dramatically reduced the grape availability. The grape must that Kocis was able to get becomes about 30 percent of the overall liquid. You’ll still find a backbone of earthy Belgian yeast, graininess from barley and wheat, and the sharp tropical fruitiness of Citra hops. There’s also lots of supporting Hallertau Blanc hops, which add more white grape flavor. It all works as an elaborate equation for a distinctive brew. I recommend it as a pre-meal beer. Wine Thief finishes around 9 percent ABV. It’s available in 22-ounce bomber bottles sealed with light yellow-green wax, for $10/each.

— ROBIN SHEPARD

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

The beer and wine worlds collide in the latest brew from Madison’s Dead Bird Brewing. Wine Thief is a complex, sweet, white wine-like beer that may convince staunch wine lovers and hard-core craft beer enthusiasts that collaboration can lead to good things. The base beer is a bigbodied, hoppy Belgian witbier. The witbier is normally a light-bodied wheat beer; this is a bigger version made with a strain of Belgian yeast, much more malt and a lot more hops. As its name suggests, there’s also an addition of white wine must to this beer, which adds body, strength and distinctive sweetness. Dead Bird co-owner and brewer Nick Kocis intended to use Wisconsin

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Lady Forward is a Wisco approach to the British tradition scones with fresh lemon curd and Devonshire cream, and cucumber-boursin sandwiches Last December, Lindsay Bessick hosted so pretty you’ll want to take a picture. Less her very first tea party. As a dozen women traditional treats have included Bloody Mary chatted over tea and cucumber sandwiches salad bites, mini corn dogs (for a kids’ event), shaped like Christmas trees, Bessick was and a bite-sized take on eggs benedict. One struck by the “genuine connection” she saw all-time favorite is a chocolate ganache tart unfolding. “It was such a moving experithat Bessick calls “the best brownie with the ence,” she says. best frosting you’ve ever had.” She makes all Within a few months, she launched her goodies by herself from scratch. own business, Lady Forward Tea Celebra Teas come from several vendors, intions. Lady Forward — a nod to the bronze cluding Colectivo’s Letterbox Tea series. statue that stands on the Capitol Square at Bessick’s face lights up as she describes the top of State Street — is a tea catering one of her Letterbox favorites, Gala, made service specializing in afternoon teas. with hibiscus: “It looks like garnets.” For a For those unfamiliar with the notion more traditional black tea, there’s Heavenly of afternoon tea, it’s a British invention. Cream, a long-leaf Ceylon with bergamot Think of it as a small meal usually including and vanilla made by Sloane Fine Tea Mersandwiches, scones, sweets and, of course, chants. “It smells creamy; it’s so alluring,” piping-hot tea, served with milk and sugar. Bessick says. Twinings’ Lady Grey is anoth Lady Forward takes a “decidedly loose er favorite, with its “flashes of periwinkle.” interpretation” of the British tradition, giv In addition to catering services, Lady ing clients endless options to create an Forward also holds pop-up teas around experience that fits their tastes. So, even if town. These are often themed events — a you loathe scones and detest Earl Grey tea, Halloween tea in Argus’ basement or a Bessick will help find food and tea choices, brunch-themed tea at Revel on Hamilton including herbal and green tea options, that Street, for instance — and open to the are just right. “I don’t wantNaughton people to be in-CLAUDE public.DEBUSSY Events are listed on Lady Forward’s The piano duo of Madison’s timidated by the experience,” Bessick says.Le Printemps website, ladyforward.com. twins performs the lyrical Mozart, “Iwhile want Shostakovich’s them to be themselves.” Ultimately, Bessick’s work is about powerful Fifth Whatever you fancy, Lady Forward brings much moreAMADEUS than tea and snacks. “It doesn’t Symphony showcases his artistic triumph WOLFGANG MOZART it allover to you: perfectly prepared tea in gormatter what I serve; it’s the celebration that the forces of Soviet repression. Concerto for Two Pianos geous china, and homemade treats both is the essence of Lady Forward,” she says. sweet and savory. Some menu items “OurSHOSTAKOVICH world is so weary, and for most of us, MAJOR FUNDING PROVIDED BY are takes DMITRI Nathan F. Brand & Regina Millner | Marvin J. Levy on teatime standards: Door County cherry the connections to friends and family are Madison Symphony Orchestra League Symphony No. 5 Fred & Mary Mohs | Tom & Nancy Mohs the most valuable spots in our days. Peggy & Tom Pyle “Taking the time to be really present in ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY Johnthese DeMain, Conductor special moments is one small thing Scott & Janet Cabot | Martha & Charles Casey Dr. Stanley & Shirley Inhorn | Wisconsin Arts Board Christina & Michelle PianonDuo e Naughton, that Lady Forward can encourage.” BY AMELIA COOK FONTELLA

Cranberry Walnut Apple Pecan • Pumpkin

7610 Donna Dr. • Middleton • clasensbakery.com 831-2032 (Next to the Bruce Company)

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Paired to Perfection NOVEMBER 11, 12, 13 | Overture Hall

Symphony Paired with Poetry The Counterpoint Readings inspired by Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5

ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Experience 8 poets responding to the music and the history behind it—8 original original new works—8 world premiere readings. The Counterpoint Readings happen following the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s (MSO) “Paired to Perfection” performance. The concert starts at 2:30 p.m., and the live poetry readings begin at approximately 4:30 p.m.

| Overture Center

Connect Connec Con nectt with with us us!!

tickets

#madisonsymphony

(wine and cheese reception included)

$35: concert ticket & poetry reading $10: poetry reading only

buy tickets now!* MADISONSYMPHONY.ORG , the Overture Center Box Office or (608) 258-4141.

Lindsay Bessick sees “genuine connection” coming from the ritual of tea and treats, both sweet and savory.

*Please reserve your spot by Thurs., Nov. 10

Poets: August Jirovec, MSO bassist | Marilyn Taylor, former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Sarah Busse, former Poet Laureate of Madison | Richard Merelman | Eve Robillard Timothy Walsh | Marilyn Annucci | Rita Mae Reese Coordinated by MSO violist and poet Katrin Talbot, the series aims to expand the audience’s musical experience and bring Madison’s poetry into a new light.

f inal week: 50% off when you subscribe to 5 concerts

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MADISONSYMPHONY.ORG , the Overture Center Box Office or (608) 258-4141.

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n SPORTS

Good luck to the Bucks Though the team probably won’t make the playoffs, it could be an interesting season to watch BY MICHAEL POPKE

MILWAUKEE BUCKS/NBAE

Guard Matthew Dellavedova is one of six new Bucks players.

The Milwaukee Bucks lost two of their first three games by a combined 26 points — and came within one basket of starting the season 0-3. But it’s way too early to panic. Major media outlets are predicting a solid but not playoff-contending season for the young team, but remember, the NBA’s 82-game regular season stretches into April. And the team is generating interest. For the second straight year, the team held part of its training camp on the UW-Madison campus and played a preseason game at the Kohl Center. Almost 11,000 people showed up on Oct. 8 to watch Milwaukee beat the Dallas Mavericks, 88-74. “It means a lot to us,” Bucks general manager John Hammond told the Wisconsin State Journal about the importance of establishing firmer roots in the capital city. “We’re a small-market team, and as a small-market team it’s important to have a fan base that extends beyond the city of Milwaukee...and particularly to Madison.” The Bucks entered the 2016 season with six new players — including guard Matthew Dellavedova, acquired from the NBA Champion Cleveland Cava-

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liers — but the core of this team remains 6-foot-11-inch Giannis Antetokounmpo. The so-called Greek Freak recently was named the NBA’s best international player in a survey of the league’s 30 general managers and finished second in the voting for most versatile player, behind none other than LeBron James. Head coach Jason Kidd moved Antetokounmpo from forward to point guard after last season’s All-Star Game, and he ended the season averaging almost 17 points per game. Milwaukee’s other big scoring threat? Jabari Parker, acquired by the Bucks as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Although injury-prone since his arrival in Brew City, Parker averaged 18.9 points per game during the second half of last season, and the Bucks responded by exercising Parker’s fourth-year contract option. (Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first-round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth years of the contract are the team’s option.) Significantly, the Bucks will be without their leading scorer, Khris Middleton (18.2 ppg last season), who tore his left hamstring prior to training camp and could be out all season. Obviously, this team already is feeling the impact of his absence. n

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n STAGE

Lady Laughs Comedy

Men’s, Women’s, & Kid’s!

performed at the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival. That experience inspired her to bring something similar to Madison. Lady Laughs features an array of standup acts, improv groups, sketch comedy and storytelling. Martinez says this is a nod to the spirit of inclusivity the organizers are hoping to foster. “Everybody expresses themselves so differently, and I think it’s incredible to be able to showcase that,” she says. Sheila Robertson, a member of Madison’s Monkey Business Institute improv troupe, has been performing since the early ’90s. “When I started playing in Madison, there were no other women in the [improv] group at that point,” she says. “It was very much a boys’ club. We did a sports-themed show; we literally wore men’s uniforms. It was just so guy-influenced, but I remember just loving it and not caring.”

continued from 21

Today, women make up nearly one-third of the Monkey Business troupe, and the group is performing an all-female show called “Yes Ma’am” at Lady Laughs. Robertson says the women-only environment has helped performers stretch out. The festival also features a number of LGBTQ performers, including Marla Depew, a bisexual comic who founded Queer Comedy at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago. Martinez, who is transgender, is also bringing back “Alphabet Soup,” an LGBTQ comedy show that she emceed for a year and a half at Plan B. And, in keeping with the spirit of inclusivity, Lady Laughs is letting a few men in on the fun with an all-male “He’s Not a Lady” showcase, hosted by Milwaukee comic Jason Hillman, who has performed with Martinez at comedy events around Milwaukee. Hillman believes most men working in comedy are in favor of more inclusion. But, as with

any traditionally male-dominated arena, there are entrenched problems. “You can talk to any woman and get a story about a dude that’s been creepy,” he says. “I had a friend who was introduced on stage as “ass and tits.” There will never be an MC who says, ‘Hey, do you want me to introduce you as cock and balls?’” As for penises, Martinez actually uses the fact that she has one in her act. (You’ll have to see her perform to hear the punchline.) When she has the mic, she uses humor to tell her story, to fight back against the negativity and shame that surrounded her childhood. “[Women] want to be able to be in a space where we don’t have to compete against each other and fight against each other,” she says. “We want to be on stage and tell our stories and say to each other, ‘Your stories are great — do ’em.’” n

WISCONSIN UNION THEATER

Paired to Perfection NOVEMBER 11, 12, 13 | Overture Hall

The piano duo of Madison’s Naughton twins performs the lyrical Mozart, while Shostakovich’s powerful Fifth Symphony showcases his artistic triumph over the forces of Soviet repression. MAJOR FUNDING PROVIDED BY Nathan F. Brand & Regina Millner | Marvin J. Levy Madison Symphony Orchestra League Fred & Mary Mohs | Tom & Nancy Mohs Peggy & Tom Pyle ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY Scott & Janet Cabot | Martha & Charles Casey Dr. Stanley & Shirley Inhorn | Wisconsin Arts Board

PUSSY RIOT In Conversation and Q&A Nov. 17, 2016

CLAUDE DEBUSSY Le Printemps WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Concerto for Two Pianos DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 John DeMain, Conductor e Naughton, Piano Duo Christina & Michelle

Connect Connec Con nectt with with us us!! #madisonsymphony

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA CHRISTMAS SHOW with Liz Vice Dec. 1, 2016

THE TEN TENORS ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

Dec. 11, 2016

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LIZ LAUREN

Journey of sorrow Mary’s Wedding is a meditation on war and loss BY GWENDOLYN RICE

the frontlines in France and wide-open fields where the young lovers ride horses together. The set pieces keep the actors in almost constant motion, uniting disparate scenes with clarity. Choreographer Jessica Lanius’ guidance in movement and dance lift Brenda DeVita’s strong direction even higher, giving the actors a physical language to create evocative pictures of Mary and Charlie astride a galloping horse, noting a beautiful bird flying by, falling into each other’s arms, and first straining against, then delicately accepting the end of their relationship. These graceful stage pictures are heightened by Jason Fassl’s remarkable lighting design, which infuses each scene with specificity and texture. It creates the green haze of chlorine gas that wafts across the trenches, the golden glow of an idyllic summer afternoon, a stunning starry night and a vision of Mary as an angel in a battlefield hallucination. From the lightning flashes to the flashes of machine gun fire, the stage is constantly transformed. In a two-person play that dwells almost exclusively in the heightened states of joy in new love, the terror of war and the devastation of death, the actors have their work cut out for them to keep these scenes safely away from melodrama. Fortunately, both Burger and Rook turn in stellar performances that feel completely authentic and painfully raw. As Charlie reminds us at the very beginning, it’s not an easy to story to watch, but it is emphatically worth taking the journey. ■

4000 MILES

A PLAY BY AMY HERZOG NOVEMBER 3–20, 2016 2013 PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST

Get tickets at FORWARDTHEATER.COM or 608-258-4141

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Despite the promise of the title, the audience never gets to actually see Mary’s wedding in the extraordinary production of Mary’s Wedding at American Players Theatre. Instead, a barefoot Canadian farm boy in suspenders tells us that the story is only a dream, beginning at the end and ending at the beginning. Walking slowly from the back of the house to the stage, he assures us that although there are very sad moments, it is a tale worth hearing. That reassurance is not necessary, as Mary (a luminous Laura Rook) and Charlie (a fresh-faced, earnest Nate Burger) draw us into the intertwined stories of young love, loss and the horrors of World War I, which will separate the pair forever. On the eve of her wedding to another man, Mary dreams of her first love — Charlie — in scenes that span their entire relationship, blending seamlessly between different settings and times. In this intensely poetic play, showing at the Touchstone through Nov. 20, much of the action is narrated by the two characters. The poetry of Byron, Tennyson and Shakespeare is used to calm Charlie’s nerves in a rainstorm, to inspire him in battle and to mourn many losses. The poems are also held up as pretty fiction compared to the real-life anguish Mary and Charlie face. Aesthetically, Mary’s Wedding is magical. The ladders, wooden beams, loft and doorways that frame the barn where Mary and Charlie meet morph instantly into the deck of a ship full of soldiers on their way to Europe, a garden tea party, muddy trenches on

■ MUSIC

Anatomy of fame Free from chasing chart numbers, the Fray releases greatest hits album BY AARON R. CONKLIN

It’s bizarre how bands end up being associated with certain things over the course of their careers. Take the Fray, the pianodriven Colorado band that gave us “Over My Head (Cable Car).” They’ve enjoyed a successful career that’s spanned 14 years and five albums, including a forthcoming greatest hits album, Through the Years, and a U.S. tour that brings them to the Orpheum Theater on Nov. 7 And the band’s two big cultural touchstones? Grey’s Anatomy and The Muppets. The Fray had already begun to hit it big before their second single, “How to Save a Life,” played in the first season of Grey’s Anatomy, helping to take their sound global. Joe King, the guitarist-vocalist who founded the Fray with best pal/pianist/ lead singer Isaac Slade and drummer Ben Wysocki when they were in church groups and school together, laughs when it’s mentioned that both his band and Grey’s Anatomy are still going strong. “Which will go away first? That’s the bet, right?” he says. “There was a moment when the association was Grey’s Anatomy only. But if you ask if there’s an avenue for you to break worldwide, would you take it? Any artist would say yes.” The evidence suggests King and company would have gotten pretty far without the soundtrack bump from Meredith Grey and “McDreamy.” The softer, piano-driven ballads that dominated their first disc (songs like “100” and “Look After You”) quickly gave way to a rougher, rock-oriented sound that paved the way for more recent hits like “Heartbeat” and “Love Don’t Lie.” And thus, a group that many critics initially dismissed as light and derivative has met a pope, played for multiple presidents and persevered to reach the no-fucks-given zone.

Back from the brink

“I’m at a point in my career where I want to put out music I’m proud of,” says King. “I don’t care if goes number 10, number 2 or number 400. We’ve been on the charts before.” Case in point: Through the Years, a 12song effort that mostly mines the band’s earlier history and features a three-pack of new songs. King says “Singing Low,” the first single, could probably have fit in perfectly on the band’s 2005 major-level debut. But “Corners” and “Changing Tides” are a different story. “The other two are almost unrecognizable as Fray songs, except for the sound of our voices,” says King. The band launched its tour in the Pacific Northwest, a place King calls “historically the most difficult for us to play” — apparently, the kids in Seattle and Portland tend to be less loud and demonstrative. ‘It can make you very insecure as an artist,” he says. “But this time, they were really into it. They looked so much cooler than we do.” The band’s also discovered that they now have a multigenerational appeal. “I’ve had moms come up to me at shows with their 4-year-olds and say, “My daughter loves ‘Mah Na Mah Na,” King says, referring to the cover of the tune the band recorded in 2011 for The Muppets: The Green Album. I mention that it’s a short step from “Mah Na Mah Na” to “Love Don’t Die,” King laughs. “They’re basically the same beat. And both recordings involved spirits.” The Fray’s future’s a little blurrier than its present. King says he’s got 20-plus songs written and ready to record, but another studio album may not necessarily be the delivery system of choice. “I’m just going to put songs online on a random Thursday,” he jokes. “The instant connection you can have is incredible.” ■

The new songs explore issues of addiction and mental illness.

Communist Daughter’s bandleader creates deeply personal new album

ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

BY TOM WHITCOMB

The story of Communist Daughter bandleader Johnny Solomon is filled with almost every rock star cliché imaginable: a spectacular flameout of a promising band, crippling drug addiction, stints in jail and rehab. Despite setbacks, though, the Twin Cities-based Communist Daughter is back on the road. They play the Frequency Nov. 8, where the audience will hear songs from the band’s sophomore album, The Cracks That Built the Wall. For Solomon, who writes the band’s songs, getting clean came with growing pains. “It was harder for me to write after I got sober,” says Solomon. “Getting back on the straight and narrow, and getting my health back, it was really hard to write. I felt like I lost a lot of my ability.”

In a harrowing memoir published online at Talkhouse, Solomon recounts some of his struggles with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. “While recording music, I was visited by spiders in the periphery of my vision all the time, and as I got less and less sleep, they would drift into my line of sight — from giant spiders on desks and ceilings to hundreds of tiny spiders crawling across the computer screen,” he writes. “One night, I sat up watching wave after wave of spiders made out of blue electricity wash over my room. Thousands of tiny spiders made of light crashing over everything. I knew I was in serious trouble.” He goes on to recount how he once tried to break his own nose, thinking a spider had crawled into it, before appearing in a taped session for a local radio station. Communist Daughter’s first album, 2010’s Soundtrack to the End, was released in the throes of Solomon’s addiction to alcohol and meth. While two tracks from it were getting played on

Grey’s Anatomy, Solomon was sitting in the Hazelden treatment center in Minnesota. This year’s follow-up, The Cracks That Built the Wall, is a new start for the band, which is composed of veteran Twin Cities musicians, including bassist Adam Switlick, a former member of Solomon’s previous band, Friends Like These; and Solomon’s wife, co-lead vocalist Molly Solomon. The Cracks That Built the Wall is a sonically eclectic, intensely personal album that, in many ways, serves as Solomon’s autobiography. On “BB Gun,” he addresses his addiction issues directly, while the mournful “Balboa Bridge” features a kind of familiar intimacy rarely achieved in a four-minute song. And as the songwriter describes it, the whole process has been re-

TAMARA ALSWAGER

warding: “Everybody’s got a little bit about them that’s broken, and we all have to come to terms with that.” “I feel like it’s easier to write now,” Solomon adds. “There’s always bad stuff in life. Even if your life is great, there’s always suffering. So I like to explore the darker end of things. And I’ve got plenty of history, so if I want to pull on my history, I don’t have to go too far to remember.” ■

“Frankenpiano” unleashed UW-Madison’s Christopher Taylor debuts his imperfect invention BY JAY RATH

Right before Halloween was the perfect time for UW-Madison pianist Christopher Taylor to unveil his invention, which his students have dubbed “Frankenpiano.” Taylor prefers the term “hyperpiano.” But no matter what you call it, there were tricks as well as treats at the Oct. 28 concert at Mills Hall, where Taylor performed Bach’s 1741 “Goldberg Variations” on his whimsical invention. Like the mad scientist’s monster, the creation at times turned on its master. But that added a new level of enjoyment for the delighted audience of more than 660, who gave Taylor a standing ovation. Of course, Taylor can play perfectly. He’s been dubbed a genius and lauded nationally for his performances of “The Goldberg Variations,” named for Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, a virtuoso on two-keyboard harpsichord. Taylor has toured with the school’s one-of-a-kind Steinway Moor Piano, which features two keyboards. That instrument’s limitations led to his hands-on creation of software and hardware to play two pianos at the same time. The hyperpiano consists of two widely spaced grand pianos and an electronic two-keyboard spinet down front, all connected. In front of each grand, a sort of upside-down “L” stands like a thin lunch counter. On top, in a riot of wires set over the keyboard, are two rows of plungers, rising and falling like engine cylinders as they press the keys. Musically, the most striking and easily overlooked result was the wide spacing of two pianos played by the same hands, creating a rich super-stereo, as if it were a piano orchestra. There were glitches, which the audience took in good humor. In performance, Taylor hunched, swinging hips and shoulders, snakelike. When a stuttering key or keyboard went mute, his intense concentration was broken. Down on two knees, he toggled switches and returned to the keyboard with the same degree of concentration and emotion. Far more interesting than icy perfection. ■

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Art In The Wright Place 2016 MICHAEL R. ANDERSON

Indie’s international troubadour Brett Newski releases a pop-perfect sophomore album BY AARON R. CONKLIN

EMMA McENVOY

breaker who orders 20 tequilas (“Molly”) or the regretful rocker “My Blood’s Gettin’ Dirty and My Skin’s Wearin’ Thin,” the twentysomething Newski’s pushing some serious heart

Saturday, Nov. 5 10 am to 6 pm

Sunday, Nov. 6 9 am to 4 pm

Shop over 45 area artists

900 University Bay Dr. Madison, WI (608) 233-9774 fusmadison.org

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Life as a nomad has its downsides, but it pays major musical dividends for Madison singer-songwriter Brett Newski on his new sophomore release, Land Air Sea Garage. Newski, a troubadour with a sweet indiepop sensibility and a wit as jagged as a shattered Old Fashioned glass, is clearly drawing on his hard-won road experiences on this 11-song collection. It is, after all, a disc partially recorded at a surf camp in Sri Lanka. Then again, what would you expect from a dude who’s sorta famous for composing the music for a Vietnamese tampon TV commercial campaign? There are no feminine product references on the new disc. But whether he’s spinning a sweet ballad about a meet-cute with a heart-

and energy with every chord and chorus. Plus, he’s given us the quintessential sing-along dive bar-musician anthem with the hilarious “DIY,” a tune that finds him smelling like skunky PBR: “I’m DIY/I’m punk as fuck/don’t need your money/I don’t want your love.” It’s instantly recognizable, and kinda what we suspected all along. With a wry attention to observational detail that rivals Kurt Vile, each of the tunes here stakes its own corner of your consciousness — and that’s no mean feat. Having spent the latter part of October touring the West Coast with Cheese State legends the Violent Femmes, Newski’s at the Frequency for his album release party Nov. 4 before heading out on a solo tour that’ll eventually take him east before year’s end. We recommend catching him now: He sounds very much like he’s ready to take the leap. ■

n SCREENS

Thrilling history

Film events

Monumental: Skiing Our National Parks honors past and present BY JOEL PATENAUDE

Ill-equipped but daring skiers count among the first explorers and promoters of some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in the United States. In 1871, Frank J. Hayden led a 29-day ski expedition through Montana in what would become Yellowstone, our first national park, a year later. And in 1929, Orland Bartholomew spent more than three months skiing from Mount Whitney to the Yosemite Valley, a publicity effort undermined by the Great Depression. Even Ansel Adams, best known for his black-and-white photos that popularized Yosemite National Park, was an accomplished ski racer and one of the first presidents of the ski-promoting Yosemite Winter Club, established in 1927. This history is largely unknown, even to present-day backcountry mountain skiers. In fact, two of the professional skiers featured in the new documentary, Monumental: Skiing our National Parks, confessed they were unaware of the skiers who preceded them. Monumental screens at the Barrymore Theatre Nov. 9, the 12th stop on a 19-city U.S. tour. “I had no idea of the significance of what had been done 100 years before we got there this past winter,” said 27-year-old pro skier Connery Lundin, who is shown in the film backflipping over a tree branch at Yellowstone and jumping a huge crevasse in the Grand Tetons. “We were the only ones out there because it’s still so hard to reach those places,” says Lundin, the 2015 Freesking World Tour Champion. “Those early-on dudes were doing insane missions on skis half as wide

Democracy: Im Rausch der Daten: Documentary about European Union policymakers’ attempts to guard against corporate data collection. UW Cinematheque, Nov. 3, 7 pm. Weiner: Marquee Film Festival: Documentary about Anthony Weiner’s 2013 New York City mayoral run. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 3, 9 pm. NUTS!: Marquee Film Festival: See review, bottom left. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 4, 5:30 pm.

David Steele atop a peak in 1,012,837-acre Glacier National Park.

STEVEN GNAM

as ours today and in leather boots, and taking pictures with those huge, heavy cameras, too.” Monumental connects the dots to illustrate an extraordinary evolution of the sport while honoring the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Park Service. But the film — the first produced by Powder magazine and funded by REI — is primarily grounded in the prolific genre of short ski films (at 40 minutes, Monumental is shorter than most) showcasing epic runs down breathtaking mountainsides and shot entirely within a single season. The action shots are all the more impressive when you realize national park rules prohibit the use of drone technology or the transport of skiers by snowmobile or helicopter. The camera operators themselves skied alongside the featured athletes and set up their long shots from

across mountain valleys after making their own arduous climbs. “The character of the film is in keeping with the parks not allowing the operation of heavy machinery in these pristine places,” executive producer John Stifter says. This meant that a crew, including skier Colter Hinchliffe, 30, had to hike 20 miles through temperate rainforest to reach a skiable glacier within Olympic National Park in Washington state. He’s seen in the film, with his skis and a huge pack on his back, walking in flip-flops through puddles along the lushly green forest trail. “You try to cut weight any way you can,” Hinchliffe says. “Besides, my flip flops are a key player in my happiness. So I don’t go anywhere without them.” n

ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

helped him build a quasi-medical media empire worth millions during the Great Depression. Lane’s documentary, which earned a well-deserved editing award at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, alternates between fact and fabrication — from both Brinkley and Lane. Animated sequences illustrate passages from Brinkley’s authorized biography, The Life of a Man, published by his own company in 1934. Interviews with historians verify some bizarre details from his life and career. Hubris led Brinkley to file a libel suit against Morris Fishbein, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, in 1938. Lane uses Brinkley’s own testimony at the trial to pick apart the foundations of his biography. Instead of finding satisfaction with Brinkley’s subsequent comeuppance after the trial, Lane

The Other Side: Documentarian Roberto Minervini visits the Louisiana backwoods for fact and fiction by a smalltime dope dealer. UW Cinematheque, Nov. 4, 7 pm. The Wailing: Marquee Film Festival: A mysterious stranger brings a spreading illness to a village. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 4, 9:45 pm. Her Wild Oat: Duck Soup Cinema: Long lost silent comedy-drama about a waitress interacting with society toffs. Overture Center-Capitol Theater, Nov. 5, 2 & 7 pm. Sand Storm: Marquee Film Festival: A Bedouin family is divided by the husband’s second wedding to a much younger wife. UW Union SouthMarquee, Nov. 5, 3:30 pm. Kings of the Road: Director Wim Wenders’ story of a traveling repairman and a suicidal pediatrician. UW Cinematheque, Nov. 5, 7 pm. The Brand New Testament: Marquee Film Festival: Fantasy in which God lives in Belgium, and his daughter decides to “rewrite” the world. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 5, 7:30 pm. Tickled: Marquee Film Festival: Documentary about a journalist tracking down an online tickling competition. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 5, 10 pm. Our Little Sister: Marquee Film Festival: Three sisters abandoned by their parents years earlier take in their teenage half-sister. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 6, 1 pm. Champion: UW Cinematheque: Kirk Douglas stars as an anti-hero boxer. Chazen Museum of Art, Nov. 6, 2 pm. Maya Angelou and I Still Rise: Marquee Film Festival: Documentary about the writer/activist. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 6, 6:30 pm. The Dream Is Now: Association of Latin@ Students “Sharing the Dream” film series documentary screening. Edgewood College-Anderson Auditorium, Nov. 7, 6:30 pm. Catch My Soul: UW Cinematheque: Restoration of Patrick McGoohan’s only directorial effort, an adaptation of a rock musical version of “Othello.” Union South-Marquee, Nov. 7, 7 pm.

NUTS! looks at the legacy of a bizarre doctor Let’s play “two truths and a lie” about John R. Brinkley, the subject of NUTS!, a boldly irreverent documentary by experimental filmmaker Penny Lane (Our Nixon). 1. Brinkley cured male impotence using goat testicle transplants. 2. Write-in voters elected him governor of Kansas until 50,000 ballots were invalidated. 3. He eluded U.S. broadcast regulators by operating a 50,000-watt radio station across the Mexican border, on which many country music fans heard the Carter Family for the first time. Brinkley’s supporters believed all three statements were true, even the scientifically impossible first one. Their trust

Fellini Satyricon: This loose adaptation of Petronius’ Roman satire remains as gratuitous, semi-chaotic and undeniably eye-catching as ever. Central Library, Nov. 3, 6:30 pm. Black Girl: Marquee Film Festival: A Senegalese woman takes a job as a governess in France, only to encounter discrimination. UW Union South-Marquee, Nov. 3, 7 pm.

Stranger than fiction? BY JAMES KREUL

13th: Documentary about the relationship of the current prison system to slavery. Central Library, Nov. 3, 5:30 pm.

Seed: The Untold Story: Documentary about the preservation of seed varieties in response to corporate control of stocks. Point, Nov. 7, 7:30 pm.

conveys the sadness intrinsic to shattering an illusion, even a harmful one. Lane understands that her choices have an impact on what audiences will believe to be true. If you want to go down the NUTS! rabbit hole, the director has posted 300 footnotes to track Brinkley’s distortions and her own inventions and “tricky edits” at notes.nutsthefilm.com. WUD Film will screen NUTS! at its Marquee Film Festival at Union South on Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. The Driftless Film Festival at the Mineral Point Opera House also screens the film on Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. n

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: International Workers of the World Social Action & Solidarity Committee screening of documentary by journalist Greg Palast on Republican election rigging scheme. Central Library, Nov. 8 & 10, 6 pm. 30 Seconds Away: Breaking the Cycle: Documentary & discussion with director Faith Kohler & producer Jessica Farrell. Central Library, Nov. 9, 6:30 pm (housing resource fair 5-9 pm). After the Storm: Spotlight Cinema: An estranged Japanese family reconnects during a typhoon. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Nov. 9, 7 pm. Monumental: Skiing Our National Parks: See story, top left. Barrymore Theatre, Nov. 9, 7 pm. Gilda: Assigned to a new job, a small-time crook (Glenn Ford) encounters a former lover (Rita Hayworth) married to his boss. Bos Meadery, Nov. 9, 7 pm.

FOCUSING ON NEW, ORIGINAL MUSIC BY LOCAL & REGIONAL JAZZ ARTISTS

FRIDAY, NOV 4TH, 7:30PM

NUGGERNAUT

groove-based compositions Jon Hoel, saxophone Andrew Traverse, trumpet Vince Faris, keyboards Steve Radtke, keyboards Ben Ferris, bass Kelby Kryshak, drums

STARTS FRIDAY DOCTOR STRANGE

FRIDAY, NOV 18TH, 7:30PM

NO PASSES - CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (12:45, 1:25, 3:45), 6:45, 7:10, 9:45; Sat: (11:00 AM, 12:45, 1:25, 3:45), 6:45, 7:10, 9:45; Sun: (11:00 AM, 12:45, 1:25, 3:45), 6:45, 7:10; Mon to Thu: (12:45, 1:25, 3:45), 6:45, 7:10

TIM WHALEN NONET

MOONLIGHT

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:35, 2:00, 4:00), 6:50, 7:30, 9:20; Sat: (11:10 AM, 1:35, 2:00, 4:00), 6:50, 7:30, 9:20; Sun: (11:10 AM, 1:35, 2:00, 4:00), 6:50, 7:30; Mon to Thu: (1:35, 2:00, 4:00), 6:50, 7:30

a piano driven group featuring rich arrangements

HACKSAW RIDGE

CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:40, 4:25), 7:00, 9:35; Sat: (11:05 AM, 1:40, 4:25), 7:00, 9:35; Sun: (11:05 AM, 1:40, 4:25), 7:00; Mon to Thu: (1:40, 4:25), 7:00

FREE CONCERT SERIES

THE HANDMAIDEN (AGASSI)

ALL AT FREDRIC MARCH PLAY CIRCLE UW MEMORIAL UNION

Fri & Sat: (4:10), 9:35; Sun to Thu: (4:10 PM)

A MAN CALLED OVE (EN MAN SOM HETER OVE)

Fri: (4:30), 9:45; Sat: (11:20 AM, 4:30), 9:45; Sun: (11:20 AM, 4:30); Mon to Thu: (4:30 PM)

INFERNO

NO PASSES - CC & DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION

Fri: (1:30, 4:20), 6:55, 9:25; Sat: (11:05 AM, 1:30, 4:20), 6:55, 9:25; Sun: (11:05 AM, 1:30, 4:20), 6:55; Mon to Thu: (1:30, 4:20), 6:55

– PRESENTED B Y –

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

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

Showtimes for November 4 - November 10

C E L E B R AT E

174 YEARS OF QUALITY 1 RETURNING TO MADISON FOR 2 DAYS ONLY

UNFILTERED & UNPASTEURIZED PILSNER URQUELL Shipped directly from the brewery in Plzen, Czech Republic

JAC’S DINING & TAPHOUSE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH AT 5:30PM

THE FLYING HOUND ALEHOUSE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH AT 6:30PM

WORLD OF BEER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH AT 5:00PM

PAUL’S CLUB FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH AT 7:00PM

NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016 ISTHMUS.COM

Raise a Glass to the 174th Anniversary of the release of Pilsner Urquell & take home your own Limited Edition .4L Pilsner Urquell Chalice Glass

PICK OF THE WEEK

Flannel Fest Saturday, Nov. 5, High Noon Saloon, 5 pm-midnight Flannel Fest returns for its third incarnation, and with acclaimed North Carolinians American Aquarium set to headline, this year is already proving to be one for the books. Support will come from five immensely talented local acts: the Mascot Theory, Beth Kille Band (pictured), Compass Rose, the Getaway Drivers and Edward David Anderson. Proceeds benefit the Keep Wisconsin Warm/ Cool Fund. Come out and enjoy Madison’s burgeoning Americana scene and help a great cause while you’re at it.

picks THEATER & DANCE

CO MEDY

4000 Miles

Marina Franklin

Thursday, Nov. 3, Playhouse at Overture Center, 7:30 pm

Thursday, Nov. 3, Comedy Club on State, 8:30 pm Born and raised in Chicago and now based in New York, Marina Franklin is a long way from the five-floor theme restaurant she worked at after first moving to the city. The rising comic has performed everywhere from Montreal’s Just for Laughs, Bonnaroo and season two of Last Comic Standing, and has appeared on Louie and in Amy Schumer’s film Trainwreck. And with a wit like hers, you’ll be seeing her more often. With Aaron Weaver, Stevie Leigh Crutcher. ALSO: Friday-Saturday, Nov. 4-5, 8 & 10:30 pm.

thu nov 3 MU S I C

Stick Figure Thursday, Nov. 3, Majestic Theatre, 8 pm

Cactus Blossoms

ISTHMUS.COM NOVEMBER 3–9, 2016

Thursday, Nov. 3, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 pm

Twin Cities crooners Jack Torrey and Page Burkum are brothers who sing as one. They cover what they call “gut-wrenching, tongue-in-cheek heartbreakers,” and have been ceaselessly — and deservedly — compared to another pair of siblings, the Everly Brothers. Originals like “Stoplight Kisses” pick up where the Everlys left off. They honed their live act during a longstanding residency at St. Paul’s famous Turf Club, and their new record, You’re Dreaming, includes contributions from some of Chicago’s finest, including Flat Five drummer Alex Hall and guitarist Joel Paterson. Looks don’t matter in this world, but the brothers are pretty as a picture — as easy on the eyes as the ears. Along the way to the Stoughton Opera House they’ve wowed audiences from A Prairie Home Companion to the Newport Folk Festival.

Combining roots-dub grooves with a sprinkling of electronic, Stick Figure knows how to get a crowd moving. Also, they’ve got a rescued Australian shepherd named Cocoa as their mascot. Now that’s good vibrations. With the Movement, Natty Nation, DJ Trichrome. Chief’s Tavern: Hoot’n Annie, string band, free, 8:30 pm. Essen Haus: Big Wes Turner’s Trio, Americana, free, 9 pm. Fountain: Durango McMurphy, free, 8 pm. The Frequency: The Youngest, Adrian & Meredith, The Civil Engineers, 6:30 pm; Mr. Bill, Circuit Bent, 10 pm. High Noon Saloon: Tucker Beathard, Aubrie Sellers, 8 pm. Overture Center-Capitol Theater: Levi Kreis, 8 pm. Tip Top Tavern: Morning Metaphor, free, 9 pm. UW Union South-The Sett: Destroyer, Kevin Krauter, free (tickets required: 265-2787). Williamson Magnetic: Lost Lakes, J. Hardin, 8 pm. Yahara Bay Distillery, Fitchburg: Johnny Chimes, 6:30 pm.

B OOKS / S POKEN WORD John K. Wilson: Discussing “Trump Unveiled: Exposing the Bigoted Billionaire,” his new book, noon, 11/3, Madison College-Truax Room D1630C. trumpunveiled.com. Bobbie Malone: Discussing “Lois Lenske: Storycatcher,” with Doug Moe, 7 pm, 11/3, Mystery to Me. 283-9332. Lauret Savoy: Discussing “Trace: Memory, History, Race & the American Landscape, 7 pm, 11/3, Discovery Building-DeLuca Forum. 265-5296.

The always excellent Forward Theater Company launches its season with a Wisconsin premiere of Amy Herzog’s Pulitzer Prize finalist. Leo, a 21-year-old on an epic bike trip across the country, winds up at his grandmother’s New York City apartment, providing an intimate look at growing up and growing old. ALSO: Friday-Saturday (7:30 pm), Sunday (2:30 pm) and Wednesday (7:30 pm) Nov. 4-6 & 9. Through Nov. 20. Alice: Madison Theatre Guild rock musical, 7:30 pm on 11/24 and 2 pm, 11/5, Bartell Theatre. $25/$20. 661-9696. Stupid Fucking Bird: University Theatre, 7:30 pm on 11/3-5 and 2 pm, 11/6, Vilas Hall-Hemsley Theatre. $20. 265-2787. Playscapes: 8 pm, 11/3-5, Broom Street Theater, at 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays. $11. 244-8338.

fri nov 4

Detroit ‘67: Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre, 10/2811/12, Bartell Theatre-Evjue Stage, at 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 pm Sundays, plus 8 pm on 11/9. $20. 663-5814.

MUS I C

ART EXHIBITS & EV ENTS

Friday, Nov. 4, High Noon Saloon, 9:30 pm

First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare: Traveling exhibit, 11/3-12/11, Chazen Museum of Art (lecture by Joshua Calhoun 5:30 pm (Elvehjem L160) and reception 6:30 pm, 11/3). 263-2246. Richard Storch: Noon-4 pm Saturdays, 11/5-26, PhotoMidwest (reception 7 pm, 11/3). photomidwest.org. Deb Gleason, Irene Olson: Watercolors, 11/3-1/27, UW Signe Skott Cooper Hall. 263-5992. Steven Brock: Paintings, 11/3-1/3, UW Hospital-Carbone Cancer Center Waiting Room. 263-5992.

Hiss Golden Messenger Hiss Golden Messenger stands out, even among its peers on eclectic indie tastemaker Merge Records. The brainchild of North Carolina musician MC Taylor, the group specializes in folky, sophisticated alt-country that’s a far cry from, say, Superchunk or Dinosaur Jr., but wholly at home among such legendary names. In short: This is good stuff. With Phil Cook.

➡

BARRYMORE The Barrymore Theatre presents

THEATRE

2090 Atwood Ave. (608) 241-8864

WED. NOV. 9 - 7:00PM

Organist Greg Zelek in Recital

Tickets $10 advance www.Powder.com/Monumental

THUR. NOV. 10 - 7:30PM Artisan Music Productions presents

ra ) st_ he_ rc_ r O_ _ __ m ___ ng_ Wi_ e_ t a G n __ ND de_ ol_ BA s,G_ nd_ e_ i r M F JA hil_&__ , P_ ur_ th_ NT ur_ (F_ E _ IN ____P R E E M _ _ _ _ ____ A G O ’ S _ _ _ C ___ C H I ta ark S en, D

$20 advance, $25 dos

FRI. NOV. 11 - 8:00PM presents

STEVEN WRIGHT

Praised for his “effortless facility on the instrument,” Greg Zelek is increasingly recognized as one of the most exciting young organists in the American organ scene. A recent graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, Greg Zelek makes his Overture debut with an exciting program of music to maximize the many colors of the colossal Klais organ.

Overture Hall

7:30 PM

TICKETS: $20 madisonsymphony.org/gargoylebrass, Overture Center Box Office, 201 State St., or (608) 258-4141

Don’t miss this brilliant young artist’s premier recital!