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MARCH 2013 | VOLUME 13, NO. 3
the free press A
Digest
of
Coulee
Region
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kellerwilliams.net
One-man Jamband Brings the Party To Pearl Street Brewery [P. 2]
PLUS: SOCIAL NETWORKING [P. 2] | BEER REVIEW [P. 6] | THE ADVICE GODDESS [P. 8]
2// March 1, 2013
Social Networking
COMMUNITY
Second Supper | The Free Press
Keller Williams plays well with others Q&A with the one-man jamband before his appearance at PSB By Brett Emerson
brett.emerson@secondsupper.com
NAME AND AGE: Ahna Sue, freshly 22
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? LAX
CURRENT JOB: My Innovative Services – I work with the greater people of the Lax area.
DREAM JOB: Lead trips for National Geographic
last thing you googled: Romanticism values in American culture
if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Asheville, N.C.
what is Something you want to do before you die: Mount Blanc circuit trek
What is your biggest pet peeve? Unnecessary rudeness
what is your beverage of choice? Black coffee
celebrity crush: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The career of musician Keller Williams is one marked by wanderlust. Grounded by his main act, a loop-heavy multi-instrumental performance that earned him the title "the one man jamband," he's also frequently found in the company of other folk, funk, and bluegrass musicians. His most recent project is Keys, a collection of Grateful Dead songs set to piano and released to benefit the Grateful Dead-created Rex Foundation, a charity which supports various artistic and cultural endeavors. However, this album comes off as something of a brief detour from his usual stylistic leanings. As he suggested in our conversation, Keller Williams needs such fleeting side projects, as well as his collaborations with other musicians, to create a whole greater than what he can accomplish alone. Second Supper: What led you to make a piano album of Grateful Dead songs? Keller Williams: I guess it was moving into this house where I've been living since 2006. We got an amazing used piano, and I just sat down and started playing more and more piano now that I actually had one. Having
a keyboard, you can go sit down at it, but a piano's a little more inviting. There's no electronics. Once I sat down, what came out were mostly these Jerry [Garcia] ballads. I ended up playing some of those at my shows, whenever I'd play a nice theater or a place that had a piano. We'd wheel it out there and I'd play a couple of songs. I guess around that same time, '06-'07, I released a digital release called Rex. The group was called Grateful Grass; it was all Grateful Dead songs on bluegrass. I released that to benefit the Rex Foundation, and it did really well, so I figured I'd do a follow up with that. The Rex Foundation was founded by the Grateful Dead, so it made perfect sense to pay tribute to that band and give to a benefit that they started. SS: Has making this record had any influence on your day-to-day musical work?
Murder mystery shows on ID network
KW: None whatsoever. This is one of those concept theory records that I've been kicking around for a long time, like the kids' record or the bluegrass covers record that I've done. [Keys] was actually recorded a couple of years ago; it just hadn't been the right time to release until recently.
If a genie granted you one wish, what would you ask for?
SS: Do you have any other unique projects that you hope to release in the future?
What book are you currently reading? "O Pioneers!" by Willa Cather
tell us your guiltiest pleasure:
The ability to speak and understand every language in the world
What one person alive or dead would you want to have dinner with? Heath Ledger
FIRST CONCERT YOU WENT TO: Aaron Carter ... 4th grade was a good year!
what's the last thing you bought? Breakfast at Marge's
what's in your pocket right now?: The secret of the day, a bobby pin, and 13 cents. Clearly, it's the gift that keeps on giving. — Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson, shuggypop.jackson@secondsupper.com
KW: There's a record that I've recorded that's all solo acoustic guitar music. It's been done; there's just no real rush in releasing it. I'm currently working on a live record with a funk band called More Than a Little, and I'm hoping that will come out later this year. It was recorded over two nights, December 29th and 30th in Norfolk, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia. It's a soul/funk thing, half my songs and some choice covers. I've been listening to the mix for the past week or so, and I think tonight will be the night I do the final edit. I'm hoping to start in on the artwork and text and have the product by the end of the summer or early fall. It's called Keller Williams with More Than a Little, and
the working title right now would be Funk. SS: You do a lot of collaborations with a lot of different people, crossing a lot of different styles of music. Do you find it easy to switch between working as a solo artist and getting on board with other people? KW: That's kind of what it's all about for me, collaborating and sharing that camaraderie onstage with other musicians. It's what propels and drives me forward. The solo work is what I call the day job, and that's what people know me for, but I'm grateful to be allowed to play with so many different folks, so that's what I look forward to most. Both sides of my career propel each other. The solo side makes me want to play with folks, and when I do a lot of collaborations I'm excited to get back to the freedom of playing solo. SS: How easy is it to set up tours with the people you work with? KW: The way I tour is on the weekends. I'm out doing shows Thursday through Saturday and I'm home Sunday through Wednesday. It's not that difficult in the sense of doing weekends with a project or one-offs, a couple of special shows in a row. That's how I prefer it. If I have a bluegrass show on the weekend, then I'll focus on bluegrass when I'm home, get in that mindset. It's really fun for me to be able to switch gears. I'm still working the Pick record from the Travelin' McCourys. We've got a handful of shows this year. I'm working on this live record with the funk band, and we've got a handful of shows. I think a couple of shows with the Keels. So right now it's three projects that I'm pushing plus my solo show. Keller Williams will play the Pearl Street Brewery on Saturday, March 9 at 8 p.m. The opening acts include Terry VanDeWalker and Mark Joseph of the Big Wu, as well as La Crosse's own Paulie Matushek. Tickets are $22 in advance, or $27 day of show.
Second Supper | The Free Press
March 1, 2013 // 3
COMMUNITY
Just what La Crosse needs Cavalier Theater to open in March By Kevin Sommerfeld Special to Second Supper
If the city of La Crosse were a person, it might be content with the kind of life it has, but at the same time there might be a pesky feeling in the back of its mind that something is missing. Thankfully, the new Cavalier Theater (the old La Crosse Community Theatre building) is set to open its doors in March to welcome the public and all sorts of performers. This just might be the missing piece La Crosse needs. Jason LaCourse, owner of the Cavalier Lounge, signed the papers to purchase the former LCT building in October. Since then he has been busy doing paperwork and meeting with various people in suits, all the while plotting the site’s future, which he said will involve much more than just music. “I'm not convinced that a city the size of La Crosse can support just a music venue,” LaCourse said. So, along with a variety of bands and musicians, he hopes to bring in comedians
and put on everything from burlesque and drag shows to local school recitals. He’d also like to hold yoga classes in the day, show fi lms, provide space for artists to create, grow food in a rooftop garden, and, of course continue the building’s tradition of theater and performance arts. “Anything to keep people coming through the doors,” he said. “I just hope there are enough other people in town who want all of this too, who'll come out and keep the whole thing afl oat, and this can become a hub that fosters a scene that in some way inspires people and enriches their lives.” As of now, LaCourse is working on remodeling the inside of the theater to make it look like the lounge. A bunch of walls have been knocked down, including one to reopen the old passageway between the lounge and the theater. Some seating has been taken out near the stage to clear room for a dance fl oor. In the near future the space will also boast an impressive sound system, stage lighting, a concession stand, new tables and chairs, and a newly designed 30-foot marquee. Remodeling will be in progress even after the theater initially opens. “I’ll continue to add touches and make it visually impressive,” La Course said.
tired of watching the world fall apart because of guys like you!” she tells the CEO, standing in for all of us who are concerned with the state of our souls. Let’s hear it for crazy-ass stabs at transcendence.
I Like to Watch By Dean Robbins Special to Second Supper Soul power Enlightened seeks transcendence in its season finale In Enlightened, Amy (Laura Dern) is a troubled woman making crazy-ass stabs at transcendence. This season, she has committed herself to doing something meaningful on this Earth by exposing corruption at the company where she works. Friends and relatives think she’s out of her mind, and Amy can’t help wondering if they’re right. “Am I an agent of change or an agent of chaos?” she asks in the dreamy prologue to the season fi nale (Sunday, March 3, 8:30 p.m., HBO). The plot arc reaches a peak as the company CEO discovers Amy’s whistle- blowing plan and threatens to crush her “like a bug.” But whatever Amy might be (ditz, narcissist, brat), she is not a bug. “I’m
World of Jenks Monday, March 4, 10 p.m. (MTV) Millennials have a reputation as a narcissistic generation, and World of Jenks is Exhibit A. 26-year-old fi lmmaker Andrew Jenks often turns the camera on himself in this MTV series, even though the subject is ostensibly other people. Andrew sets out to profi le three fellow young folks facing obstacles in their lives: an autistic man, a reformed drug dealer and a cancer victim. He hangs out with them to explore their struggles – not to mention his own response to their struggles. (See title.) The self-promotion may be a bit much, but I am impressed by the season premiere. Andrew has an easy rapport with his subjects, making them feel comfortable discussing their problems. And he’s such a fi lmmaking wizard that the portraits come alive onscreen, with an editing style and a musical cue for every shade of emotion. Andrew is earnest in his desire to portray everyday heroes, but he also manages a droll and breezy tone. If this is the way Millennials express their narcissism, I’m all for it. Banshee Friday, March 15, 9 p.m. (Cinemax) If you’ve been following Banshee since January, the season fi nale will not let you
The Top
the free press
Movies that never won an Oscar 1. Se7en 2. Harold and Maude 3. City of God 4. Heat 5. Roger & Me 6. Do the Right Thing 7. Reservoir Dogs 2012-13 Badger basketball players 1. Jared Berggren 2. Ben Brust 3. Sam Dekker 4. Mike Bruesewitz 5. Traevon Jackson 6. Ryan Evans 7. George Marshall
down. TV genius Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood) executive-produces this tale of a master criminal named Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), who masquerades as a town sheriff in Pennsylvania Amish country. This week’s episode is as exciting as anything you’ll see in 2012-13, as Hood’s former associate, the terrifying Mr. Rabbit (Ben Cross), closes in on him. In a plot development that amps up the psychodrama to the max, Lucas’ soul mate, Carrie (Ivana Milicevic) – who’s also his former partner in crime as well as Mr. Rabbit’s daughter – must decide whether to try to save him. I could tell you so much more – and believe me, I want to – but this is one of those times when a TV critic should just shut up and let you watch the program. Just as long as you promise me that you will watch it. Top of the Lake Monday, March 18, 8 p.m. (Sundance Channel) This seven-part series is yet more proof that TV has overtaken movies as a storytelling medium. Writer-director Jane Campion (The Piano) is able to stretch out in the story of a 12-year-old girl who gets pregnant under mysterious circumstances. Indeed, mysteries abound in the series’ remote New Zealand setting, whose lake is reputed to have a demon’s heart at the bottom (the heart’s beating, legend has it, is what makes the water rise and fall). A detective (Elisabeth Moss) returns home to
CONTiNUED ON pAGE 5
444 Main St., Suite 310 La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Cover and Ad Design: Jenn Bushman Regular Contributors: Amy Alkon, Erich Boldt, Mary Catanese, Ashly Conrad, Marcel Dunn, Brett Emerson, Shuggypop Jackson, Jonathan Majak, Matt Jones, Nate Willer Second Supper is a monthly alternative newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 444 Main St., Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters to the editor to Second Supper, 444 Main St., , Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 or by e-mail to editor@secondsupper.com.
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Helping create healthy lives and families.
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4// March 1, 2013
March
The Month in Preview Sat., Mar. 2
TAKE THE PLUNGE!…OR JUST WATCH IT @ Pettibone Beach Oh the things people must do to raise money for good causes. Is it not enough to just hope that people will be generous and caring enough to donate without having to do ridiculous things such as tempting hypothermia? Of course not. It’s probably too late at this point to join the other plungers at this year’s Coulee Region Special Olympics Polar Plunge (you need to raise pledge money to actually plunge), but it’s not too late to be a spectator. There’s all kinds of stuff for those who stay away from the water. Other than watching costume clad crazy people get cold and wet, you can run/walk the 5k Polar Dash, participate in the Blazin’ Wing Eating Challenge, dance the Chicken Dance, or play kid games. There’ll also be a warm tent with concessions if you just can’t bear the cold. Be there at noon and stay till 3 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 9
Second Supper | The Free Press
THE PLANNER
music | entertainment | st. paddy’s day fine arts | day lights savings | theater cabin fever | things to do | easter
Sat., Mar. 9 READY FOR WRESTLING? @La Crosse Center Once upon a time, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) was WWF (World Wrestling Federation). One day, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) decided they didn’t want to share the acronym with the Federation, possibly because their interests were pretty much the complete opposite. Out of respect, The Federation changed their name to WWE, which was accepted by fans with the help of the extremely clever “Get the ‘F’ out” marketing campaign. They also had a spike in profits because wrestling fans, to be considered true fans, had to
have inspired understanding and confidence
festive, head down to Riverside Park, the
buy new t-shirts that displayed the new
in audiences worldwide. Bodies will be in
jumping off point for the annual St. Patrick’s
WWE logo. WWE’s legacy continues, and
motion starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5
Day parade. March down Main Street
many of the SmackDown superstars will be
($7 on day of) for non-students.
with a drum corps – or maybe just on the
here in La Crosse as part of the “Road to Wrestlemania” tour. The smackdown starts at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets in advance from $15 to $105.
VITAMIN STUDIO 5 YEAR CELEBRATION
Wed., Mar. 13
@ Vitamin Studio, 129 S. 6th St.
SEE EVERYBODY DANCE
Vitamin Studio is one twentieth of a century
@UWL Valhalla
old! The art studio’s Five Year Anniversary
The Dancing Wheels Company is coming
reception and exhibition, on March 9
to La Crosse to put on a show that will
starting at 7 pm, will have work for sale by
change how you think of the art of dancing
local artist members and students on display,
as well as your definition of “dancer.”
including artwork by Matt Duckett, Jenn
Dancing Wheels is a physically integrated
Bushman, Dirk Nelson, Adam Oldre and
dance company, which means it combines
the numerous people who work and study
the talents of disabled and non-disabled
at the studio. Come for food, drinks and the
dancers alike to create an extraordinarily
company of your local arts community!
beautiful performance. Their performances
Fri., Mar. 15 GOOD FOLK FOR GOOD FOLKS
curb, catch beads, and look really good in green. The post-parade social is at the Eagles Club, which will be serving up more traditional Irish cuisine such as corned beef
@ Bluff View House (Holmen)
and cabbage, Irish stew, fish and chips and
Hey folks! Rarin’ for some really good
even a children’s menu. The parade will go
folk music? Well, Beth Wood and David Stoddard are rolling in to Holmen’s Bluff View House to put on a good old knee-
on rain, snow or shine, but of course you wouldn’t let a pesky thing like inclement weather ruin one of the best parties of the
slapping song session. In the tradition of old
year.
timey folk artists like Utah Phillips, both David
Fri., Mar. 29
and Beth (who has more of an old school country western vibe) add a little comedy to their performances by shedding serious light on the funny stuff and lightening the serious stuff with humor. Both are seasoned musicians who have traveled all over the country to entertain. It all starts at 7:30 p.m. A donation of at least $15 is encouraged.
THINGS ARE GONNA GET HEAVY @ La Crosse Center Did you know Plutonium, with the atomic weight of 244, is the heaviest metal on Earth? That the diamond, which is a 10 on the hardness scale, is the hardest rock? You ever wonder how certain music styles adapted
Sat., Mar. 16
the names “hard rock” and “heavy metal”?
GET IRISH FOR A DAY
influence on these genres than you think. The
@ Dublin Square & Eagles Club
three bands (Shinedown, Three Days Grace,
If St. Patrick’s Day is the only time of year you celebrate Irish pride, you better start celebrating early! Start the day off right with a traditional Irish breakfast at Dublin Square, where the popular pub that will open its doors at 8 a.m. Once you’re appropriately
Physics and geology might have more
and P.O.D) coming to the La Crosse center might consider themselves hard rock and/or heavy metal. Go there and do some tests to determine whether they are more heavy than they are hard or vice versa. The experiment (show) starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40.50.
Second Supper | The Free Press
The Art RuMBa Review "Visual Curiosities" Mary Solberg and Andy Chulyk Paintings and sculpture Studio Gallery 1311 1311 Market St., La Crosse By Andrew Chulyk Special to Second Supper The 1920s writer Andre Breton defi ned surrealism as "a way to resolve the contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Surrealist art tends to be unnerving and illogical; a refl ection of an alien world where all is not what it appears to be; a world fi lled with bizarre creatures strange people and the impossible. Such is the show “Visual Curiosities” at Gallery 1311. Although this is a two-person show, I will be reviewing only Mary Solberg’s work. You’ll have to visit the gallery to see my sculpture and experience the show in its entirety. Solberg’s paintings appear, at fi rst glance, to be quite normal, until you take that second look and realize, “oh no, that can’t be right,” but indeed it is. In the encaustic portrait “Follow Me,” a bear is smiling and cradling a burning heart in his paws. In the oil pastel portrait “Elizabethan Collar,” a large surly-eyed dog stares back at you expressing his displeasure with the cone collar he is wearing. In the double oil pastel and gold leaf portraits “Ground Hog Eating Candy Corn,” you see just that, ground hogs nibbling large pieces of candy corn. Solberg’s work is fi lled with dark humor, and as surreal as these images are, they make you smile. But it is not just about the imagery. The technique Solberg uses to create her paintings is equally fascinating. Her basic mediums are oil paint, encaustic and oil pastel, with all three often used in a single work. She draws direct to canvas, with no preliminary sketching, working on either a white or black ground. In her encaustic work she uses a blend
of beeswax and damar resin that is melted together and then applied directly to the canvas with brushes, sticks and whatever is handy to spread it around. It is a slow process of adding pigments and gently layering each application, re-melting and smoothing it with a heat gun. It is a technique that dates back to the 4th century B.C. Originally used by Greek ship builders to caulk their boat hulls, it developed over time into "encaustic painting" that has survived the centuries and is still a popular medium today. Her oil pastel paintings are rich, deep and seem more a drawing technique than a painting technique. Again, like the encaustic medium, her choice of particular oil pastels lends a certain mystique to the imagery. Solberg uses Sennelier oil pastels that were originally created for Pablo Picasso by Henri Sennelier in Paris. They have a buttery consistency with an intense and highly saturated pigmentation that allows for subtle blending. Although animals are an intriguing theme in the show, Solberg also focuses on the human portrait and fi gure. Portraits such as “Lily” display a cheerful sadness. “Lily’s” bare shoulders, the heart tattoo on her chest and pendulous breasts suggest a woman who has seen a harder life perhaps as a circus performer. “Sparkler” shows a young girl wearing a tutu and holding her radiating magic wand upright ready to reach out and turn the ordinary into something quite different. “The Three Graces” shows three infant babies holding each other, fl oating against a background of gold leaf. At fi rst a little startling one realizes that they are quite content and happy. Are they new born goddesses already old in their wisdom? The largest oil pastel and gold leaf portrait is “Jefferson Toulouse,” Solberg’s greatgreat-grandfather. It is part of her Ancestor Icon Series. He stares at you with kind and solemn eyes that hold secrets about the family estate in Toulouse, France. Solberg’s work draws you in, messes with your mind and then lets you step back and reconsider what is possible or not.
The RuMBa Beat Ongoing and upcoming art events in the Coulee Region Art Rumba here, reporting to you the latest art show news from the Wisconsin and southern Minnesota region. Studio Gallery 1311 opened its winter show “Visual Curiosities” on Feb. 16 featuring the paintings of Mary Solberg and the sculpture of Andrew Chulyk. This is a unique experience for lovers of the offbeat and is an unusual show for this area. For hours and additional information, check out www.sg1311. blogspot.com The Lanesboro Arts Center is showing “Tradition and Transitions: The Art of Jewelry Redefi ned” featuring jewelry artists Liz Bucheit and Michael Seiler. For more info check out www.lansboroarts.org UW-L is having an All-Student Juried Exhibition on the fi rst fl oor of the Center for the Arts. The opening reception is March 8, 5-7 p.m. Go to www.uwlax.edu/art.
March 1, 2013 // 5
THE ARTS
Viva Gallery in Viroqua is hosting the work of photographer Hannah Agar. Go to www.vivagallery.net for hours. Vitamin Studio on Sixth Street in La Crosse continues its Life Drawing sessions every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. Vitamin Studio owner Matt Duckett was accepted into The Lanesboro Arts Center Artist Residency program for a two-week period. Way to go, Matt! State Street Gallery at Grand River Station is presenting a show titled, “Small Works” that will run through March and April with an opening reception April 5 from 6-8:30 p.m. State Street Gallery, 1804 State St., in La Crosse, continues to show a mix of local, regional and national artists covering all mediums and styles. Enjoy the art and support the artists. -- Art Rumba
The Month in Theatre By Jonathan Majak
jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com Behling and Company’s production of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” is what I like to call “comfort food theatre,” the type of theatre where the goal is not to challenge but to let the audience just sit back and have a pleasant, un-thought provoking time. And by that yardstick, “I Love, You’re Perfect, Now Change” succeeded wildly throughout its sold-out run at The Pump House in February. Lisa Warsinske, Todd Olson, Elizabeth Arihood, Michelle Walker, Steve Walker, Nick Springer, Jason Bernhagen, Kelsey Taunt, Rebecca Hartzell, Jessica Hemenway, Sara Meyer, Lynn Marie West, Jonathan Lamb and Ken E. Brown formed a solid ensemble as they took on the highs and lows of relationships through a series of musical numbers and sketches. Though the observational humor found throughout most of the sketches tended to fall neatly into pretty stale gender stereotypes, the cast’s energy made the jokes almost fresh. Particular highlights of the show were Steven and Michelle Walker doing the “Marriage Tango,” as well as Sara Meyer and Jessica Hemenway bemoaning a “Single Man Drought.” My personal favorite scene was Elizabeth Arihood in “The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz.” The right mix of humor and pathos, Arihood’s portrayal of a recently
Watch CONTiNUED fROM pAGE 3 investigate the girl’s case, forcing her to confront her own haunted past. Meanwhile, a group of troubled women set up camp to undergo therapy with a crazy seer (Holly Hunter). Top of the Lake boasts poetic imagery, fi ne acting and a memorable villain. The fi rst episode keeps you pleasantly off balance, unsure of what’s going to happen. The one thing you’re pretty sure of is that the demon at the bottom of the lake will get his due. Bates Motel Monday, March 18, 9 p.m. (A&E) One has misgivings about a prequel series based on Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror masterpiece about a misfi t’s murderous fi xation on his mother. But the eccentric Bates Motel gives you reason for hope, starting with the actress cast as the mother: Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air). Farmiga has a gift for bringing out a character’s complexity, and Lord knows Norma Bates in complex. On the one hand, she’s a strong, intelligent woman, buying a rundown motel to support herself and her 17-year-old son, Norman (Freddie Highmore), after her husband dies. On the other hand, she has a controlling streak, not to mention a penchant for killing and cover-ups. Norman takes all this in with his ner-
divorced woman trying to make a dating video and spilling her guts to the camera in a way that made us laugh with and never at the character. It’s a tricky balancing act, and Arihood did it beautifully. Overall, although it may not have been perfect and there were several things we would’ve changed, we came to, if not love, at least like the production of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” *** March is mainly known for the craziness of March Madness, but it’s also a time of a fl urry of productions happening in La Crosse. And you don’t even need a bracket to keep up with it all. • UW-L will be putting on a production of the hit musical “Spring Awakening” March 1 through March 10. • The La Crosse Community Theatre will be putting on a production of the play “The Dining Room” March 8 through the 24. • The Pump House will be staging a production of the Nora and Delia Ephron play “Love, Loss and What I Wore” March 7 through the 24. • Viterbo will be putting on a production of the classic William Inge play “Picnic” March 14-17. • The Muse Theatre will be mount a production of the comedy “Steel Magnolias” March 15 through April 7.
vous, sensitive eyes. He’s easy to like in the pilot, and the fi lmmakers toy with your sympathies, just as Hitchcock did. Is this Norman going to grow up to be a twisted murderer, as in the movie? The series is set in the present, with several new elements, so it’s hard to predict how the plot might change. Norman is appealing enough to attract girls at his new school. “You’re kind of weird,” one of them says. “Weird good.” I’d say the same thing about Bates Motel. Weird good.
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6// March 1, 2013
Second Supper | The Free Press
DIVERSIONS
The Beer Review
"What is this?" You tell me By Matt Jones
Answers on Page 5
Wild Wisconsin Lager Pearl Street Brewery La Crosse, Wisconsin By Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com
ACROSS 1 Smoky entree 5 It may be enough 9 Picks a candidate 14 *Phrase once heard before a long beep 16 What "X" may mean 17 *Part of a memorable anti-drug commercial 18 He jumps on turtles frequently 19 Former Texas Governor Richards 20 Karaoke joint, usually 21 Viper relative 23 Unit of resistance
24 Fire, euphemistically 26 *Cliche line from bank robbers 28 Furniture maker ___ Allen 31 Mentalist Geller 32 *Short poem by William Carlos Williams 36 Cyberspace 40 St. Louis attraction 41 Brilliance 43 Up to the task 44 "But you told me that..." retort 46 *1995 hit for Montell Jordan
Soduku
48 Backtalk 50 Windshield problem 51 *Game show intro 55 Like Boston accents, as it were 59 Fight club? 60 Howard in the director's chair 61 Number cruncher 63 Snitch 64 Tabriz resident 66 *Dignified (but angry) complaint 69 Kenneth and Ashley 70 *Movie with the line "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" 71 Make into law 72 Sea birds 73 Mumford & ___ DOWN 1 Kingly 2 "___ ear and out the other" 3 Dull 4 Leb. neighbor 5 ___ vez ("again," in Spanish) 6 Handy 7 Series set in Las Vegas 8 Lab heaters 9 "Twilight" characters 10 ___ Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg's "Ghost" role) 11 "Dinosaur Hunter" in a Nintendo series 12 Former Secretary of State Root 13 Broadway show with trash can lids
15 Comedian Bud 22 "The Fifth Beatle" Sutcliffe 25 Start seeing a shrink 26 Comparison 27 Military school, with "The" 29 Tilling tool 30 Writer Sholem 32 ___ alai 33 It usually starts with www. 34 Chem., e.g. 35 Small ship 37 "Girls" network 38 Peyton's brother 39 No longer working: abbr. 42 Airline until 2001 45 Bridget Jones or Samuel Pepys 47 List of mistakes 49 Paid athlete 51 Power 52 Actor Zac 53 Florida city 54 Enzyme that breaks down genetic material 56 One of the Muses 57 "Cosmos" author Carl 58 Front porch attachment 61 Quarter, say 62 Painful plays on words 65 Japanese computer company 67 "This American Life" network 68 "Treasure Island" monogram ©2012 Jonesin' Crosswords
One great thing about the Pearl Street Brewery Winter Ball is that the brewmaster isn’t afraid to go out there. Yes, the atmosphere is fun, the bands are always capable, and this year’s food pairings demonstrated a nice bit of ambition. I could talk all night about what a great party it was, but this is my beer column, and I always come to the Winter Ball for the beer. This year’s festivities featured the return of the sweet Breakfast Beer and the beloved Raspberry Tambois, as well the unveiling of the "Always In" Saison and the Cocoa Loco Porter. But the beer I anticipated most — and the one I’ve been searching out ever since — is the Wild Wisconsin Lager, a simple beer with an intriguing back story. The secret of the Wild Wisconsin Lager is the Northern Discovery hop, a practically brand-new species that has perhaps never before been used in a mass-produced beer. Despite the mania of the craft brew industry, there are only about 50 known hop varieties. Brewers will blend hops for flavor, and farmers breed for desired traits, but the actual number of hop varieties is finite. Or so we thought. In 2007, a retired University of Wisconsin horticulture professor was strolling through his family farm when he discovered a lone hop plant unlike anything he’d ever seen before. After extensive lab testing, his plant proved to be from a brand-new family of hops. Word spread, and a century after Wisconsin’s
commercial hop industry largely faded from prominence, another in-state grower, Silver Farms, began mass production of the Northern Discovery. After expanding its fields, last year marked a bounty harvest, and the Pearl Street Brewery became one of its first commercial buyers of the Northern Discovery. Thus, the tapping of the Wild Wisconsin Lager marked not only the debut of this particular brand, it was practically a coming out party for our new hop. Purchase: Wild Wisconsin Lager, now on tap at the Root Note, $5 Style: Industrial-style lager Strength: 5.5 percent ABV Appearance: The Wild Wisconsin pours a cloudy orange-ish brown color, darker than most lagers, with a rich grey head. Aroma: The aroma is faint, but there is a light grain bill and clean grassy hops on the nose. Taste: This has a light, clean, refreshing flavor, with a malty backbone and a clean hop finish. It’s akin to a Pabst Blue Ribbon, but with quadruple the flavor. The Northern Discovery tastes clean and grassy, and what the Wild Wisconsin Lager may lack in ambition, it makes up for in execution. Mouthfeel: This has a thin, slightly fizzy body, befitting the style. Drinkability: Drinkability is high. If it came in cans, this would be the supreme “lawnmower beer.” Ratings: This beer is not rated anywhere online. So as the official arbiter of taste, I would grade this a 92, and recommend it as my favorite beer from another exemplary Pearl Street Brewery Winter Ball.
Stuff That Didn't Fit Anywhere Else BIRD AT ROOT NOTE: Travis Bird will be playing with Nicholas Zettel at The Root Note at 8 p.m. March 6. Bird is supporting his debut CD release, Bourgeois Treats ('Spective Audio). According to one reviewer: "Travis Bird’s Americana constantly turns corners from modest folkways to jazz overtones, creating chiming, layered pop on his debut, Bourgeois Treats."
son, will present the first-ever Pump House Opera Performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2. This husband and wife duo has appeared with companies such as the Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony, the Madison Opera and Glimmerglass Opera. Tickets for Pump House members are $21 day of show. Tickets for the general public are $25 day of show.
LCT HONORS: La Crosse Community Theatre's one-hour version of "Macbeth" received top awards Feb. 24 in the Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre festival in Prairie du Sac. Awards included Outstanding Fight Direction, Greg Parmeter; Outstanding Lighting Design, Dillon McArdle; Outstanding Costume Design, Mandy Parmeter; Outstanding Ensemble, cast of "Macbeth"; Mary Dwyer FACT/AACT Fest Award for Excellence in Community Theatre. LCT now moves on to the American Association of Community Theatre's regional competition in Hartford from April 18-21. The national competition will be from June 17-23 in Carmel, Ind.
PAPA ROACH: Tickets went on sale Friday, March 1, for Papa Roach's show May 21 at the Mayo Civic Auditorium in Rochester. Tickets are $23 in advance and $25 day of show. Papa Roach is on tour with its seventh album, The Connection.
PUMP HOUSE OPERA: Local opera professionals Kathryn Skemp-Moran and Liam Moran, with accompanist David Richard-
Send information about your April events, concerts, exhibits and more to editor@secondsupper.com by March 25.
BARREL AID: The Alaskan String Band will be featured at Barrel Aid, a nonprofit organization that provides barrels of clean, usable shoes to orphans and refugees in Tri-River Haiti, from 7-10 p.m. March 31 at T-bock¹s Sports Bar & Grill, 206 W. Water St., in Decorah, Iowa. A free-will donation will be collected. For information, contact Nic at 563-419-7465.
Second Supper | The Free Press
Music Directory Featured Shows Friday, March 1st Pearl Street Brewery – Acoustic View • 6 p.m. Freight House – Michael Patrick • 7 p.m. Waterfront Tavern – Dan Sebranek • 7 p.m. Root Note – Chris Koza • 8 p.m. Bottoms Up – Altered Vision • 9 p.m. Saturday, March 2nd Freight House – Michael Patrick • 7 p.m. Pump House – An Evening of Opera and Song • 7:30 p.m. Leo and Leona’s – Joe and Vicki Price • 7:30 p.m. Waterfront Tavern – Dan Sebranek • 8 p.m. Bodega – Fayme Rochelle and the Waxwings • 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 4th Warehouse – Affiance, Heir to the Throne, Humans to Heroes • 6:30 p.m. Del’s – Adam Palm • 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 6th Root Note – Travis Bird, Nick Zettel • 8 p.m. Del’s – Derek & Sam • 10 p.m. Thursday, March 7th Warehouse – 4onthefloor (rock/blues) • 7 p.m. Del’s – Mark Grundhoefer • 10 p.m. Friday, March 8th Warehouse – Guardians, Of Glaciers, Gift Giver, Evelynn, Animalist (metal) • 6 p.m. Freight House – Paxico • 7 p.m. Leo and Leona’s – String Ties • 7:30 p.m. Bottoms Up – Hard Hat • 9 p.m. Saturday, March 9th Freight House – Paxico • 7 p.m. Monday, March 11th Del’s – Randina Elaine • 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 13th Warehouse – Widow (metal) Del’s – Northern Lights • 10 p.m. Thursday, March 14th Root Note – Furlow Riders • 8 p.m. Del’s – Luke Hembd • 10 p.m. Friday, March 15th Freight House – Blue Jupiter • 7 p.m. Bluff View House – Beth Wood, David Stoddard • 7:30 p.m. Bottoms Up – Grilled Cheese Experience • 9 p.m. Saturday, March 16th Freight House – Blue Jupiter • 7 p.m. Starlite Lounge – Third Charles • 7 p.m. Leo and Leona’s – Michael Martin Murphey Sunday, March 17th Warehouse – At War With Giants, Miss August, Last Breath for a Capulet (metal)
March 1, 2013 // 7
MUSIC
Monday, March 18th Del’s – Erock • 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 20th Root Note – Homebrew Club • 7 p.m. Del’s – Terrapin Shells • 10 p.m. Thursday, March 21st Del’s – Andy Hughes • 10 p.m. Friday, March 22nd Pearl Street Brewery – Henry Hansen • 6 p.m. Freight House – Rich Wooten • 7 p.m. Bottoms Up – Red Crow • 9 p.m. Sunday, March 24th Warehouse – Sworn In, Our Judgment, Render the Wastelands, Maybe Tomorrow (metal) • 5:30 p.m. Freight House – Rich Wooten • 7 p.m. Monday, March 25th Del’s – Laura Jackson • 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 27th Del’s – Bandsaw Brothers • 10 p.m. Thursday, March 28th Del’s – Bryon Stein • 10 p.m. Friday, March 29th Pearl Street Brewery – Casey Virock • 6 p.m. Freight House – Dan Sebranek • 7:30 p.m. Warehouse – The Icarus Account, Jamestown Story, I Am Daniel, Misgenre Mixtape Root Note – Ida Jo • 8 p.m. Bottoms Up – Rich Wooten • 9 p.m. Saturday, March 30th Warehouse – I:Scintilla, Go Fight, Gabriel & the Apocalypse, Goodnight Criminals (industrial) • 6:30 p.m. Freight House – Dan Sebranek • 7:30 p.m. Root Note – Luke Callen • 8 p.m.
Weekly Gigs Sunday Popcorn – Innocuous Voodoo (funk) • 10 p.m.
The Majak Mixtape By Jonathan Majak
jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com If LAX Confessions, the Facebook page and Twitter account sweeping the Tri-State area, has taught us here at the Mixtape anything, it’s that there is more freaky sexual acts being committed on the UW-L campus than at a My Little Ponies Bronies convention. Following a nationwide trend, LAX Confessions is the place on the Internet where college students can own up to all of their gloriously awful bad life decisions they make between cramming for exams. We adore it if only for the fact that the people confessing to having sex in bushes or smoking up with their professors will one day be the PTAs across this nation. In honor of this trend, we’ve put together this Mixtape we’re dubbing “Confessions of a Mixtape Nothing.” We kick off this Mixtape with Phoenix and their tune “Entertainment” from their upcoming album “Bankrupt” seeing as how scrolling through LAX Confessions has given us hours and hours of entertainment. We’re like 95 percent sure at this point that there isn’t a surface on the UW-L campus that a student hasn’t peed, crapped, puked or had sex on, so at least the undergraduates are providing job security for people in charge of the janitorial services. We will say that in between all of the sex and Southern Comfort, there have been lovely posts in regards to people wanting to come out and people giving kind words of encouragement, so there is like 2 percent redeeming value to the whole thing. Not everybody is terribly thrilled with the LAX Confessions page, which leads us to our next song “Blow My Mind” by The Suburbanites, as the concept of people confessing to all types of less-than-lovely behavior is blowing a lot of people’s minds. UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow sent out emails to the campus expressing his disappointment in the page, especially after photos of a passed out girl were posted at the then-titled UWL Confessions page. It also doesn’t help that high school versions of these type of confessions pages are springing up, too, because, you know, social media and adolescents are
Tuesday Popcorn – Paulie • 1 p.m. Root Note – 3rd Relation Jazz • 8 p.m.
Send your music schedule to editor@secondsupper.com.
Love the Mixtape? Like it? Moderately tolerate it? That’s good enough for us! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and check out the weekly, uncensored version of the Majak Mixtape at www. majakmixtape.blogspot.com.
Soduku Answers
eat fresh! eat local! go co-op!
Monday Popcorn – Grant’s Open Jam • 10 p.m. Del’s – Cheech’s Open Jam • 10 p.m.
Thursday Starlight – Kies & Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m. Root Note – Open Mic • 8 p.m. Popcorn – Dave Orr’s Blues jam • 10 p.m.
such a great combination together. What does all of these Confessions pages mean in the grand scheme of things? We end this Mixtape with The Strokes’ “All the Time” because there will always be ways for people to make asses out of themselves; Twitter and Facebook just let more people know about it. And since shame pretty much died around the time of the first AOL Instant Message, we’re sure this trend isn’t going to die. We’re pretty sure in 10 years from now, most of the presidential campaigns will consist of people denying that they posted about masturbating in the Murphy Library. And frankly, we can’t wait for that.
315 Fifth Ave. So. La Crosse, WI tel. 784.5798 www.pfc.coop open daily 7 am–10 pm
all are welcome
8// March 1, 2013
THE LAST WORD
The Advice Goddess By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com Gratitude adjustment
My boyfriend of three months seems wonderful. He is attentive and tries hard to please me, even in small ways (like always making sure I get tea I like when we’re out). Soon after we started dating, a relative of mine died, and he made a real effort to check in on my well-being. He’s always excited to see me; we kiss a lot right at the door. However, he never compliments me. He did it sparingly early on, telling me I had beautiful eyes, for example, but it’s been a while. He also seems uncomfortable being complimented. I called him handsome, and he mumbled something about it being dark. I guess I could fish for compliments, but I’m not so much looking to be complimented as I am trying to make sure I’m not being blind to some red flag. —Underappreciated
Movies reveal a lot about men’s and women’s differing expectations for how men will communicate. Chick fl icks are pretty much wall-to-wall chatter, down to that fi nal scene where the male lead gets the girl — after giving a big Oprah-worthy speech about what an idiot he was not to love her from the start. In male-targeted action pix, the guy also gets the girl. All he has to do is grunt, glare, and incinerate 55 giant slimy things from outer space. That said, the notion that men are mute lunks while women go around yapping like Yorkshire terriers, a claim made by self-help authors including UCSF neuropsychiatrist Dr. Louann Brizendine (in various editions of “The Female Brain”) just isn’t supported by the research. In “50 Myths Of Popular Psychology,” Scott O. Lilienfeld and his co-authors note that when psychologist Dr. Janet Hyde crunched the data from 73 controlled studies, she found only a tiny overall difference in male and female talkativeness. And when psychologist Dr. Matthias Mehl and his colleagues gave 396 college students portable audio recorders to walk around with, they found that both men and women spoke about 16,000 words a day. Where men and women do seem to differ is in emotional expression. There’s a lack of conclusive research in this area, but it’s clear that men have feelings —
deep feelings. They just don’t always communicate them in a slew of words. Many seem to walk the talk — showing their feelings instead of speaking them. And frankly, shows of affection are probably a better refl ection of a man’s sincerity. Any Mr. Smooth can read Man Cosmo (Maxim, Details, etc.) and rattle off 3, 8, and 9 from “10 sweet nothings that’ll have her clothes on your bedroom fl oor in 10 seconds or less!” Since you say you don’t really neeeeed compliments, you could just decide to accept that there are two kinds of adoring boyfriends — those who compare their girlfriend’s hair to a golden meadow and those who stay up into the wee hours getting it out of her clogged drain. The thing is, research by Dr. Sara B. Algoe and others suggests that when romantic partners articulate appreciation for each other — in their thoughts and by telling their partner — both the appreciated partner and the partner doing the appreciating feel more bonded and satisfi ed with the relationship. It seems refl ecting regularly on what you’re grateful for — how your partner thinks, how Hottie McBody they look in that sweater — helps keep you aware of what you have, making you less likely to treat your partner like an old pair of shoes you keep forgetting to put out on the curb. Your boyfriend may be uncomfortable
Second Supper | The Free Press
getting compliments or just those he feels he hasn’t earned. (He exists handsome simply because he came out of the birth canal instead of making like Waco, holing up in the womb and refusing to leave.) But everybody likes to feel appreciated. Instead of remarking on his looks, tell him how he’s made life easier for you through some sweet thing he’s done, or admire how he’s solved some problem. And don’t just compliment him in words; stroke his arm or give him one of those movie kisses where all the kitchenware goes fl ying. To encourage him to be more verbally expressive, sweetly tease him about how he hates to be complimented, and then tell him that it makes girls happy to hear they look pretty. Explain that this doesn’t take much — just noticing stuff he likes about you and letting you know (like when he told you you have beautiful eyes). Be appreciative for whatever effort he makes, and don’t start expecting miracles. In other words, be mindful of the limitations of the typical heterosexual male, who, for example, is unlikely to ever notice your hair is different unless you get it all shaved off and the stubble dyed electric blue — or it happens to be on fi re. (c) 2011, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon at AdviceAmy@ aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).
Our April edition of Second Supper | The Free Press publishes March 30. Our advertising deadline is March 25. For information, email roger.bartel@secondsupper.com.
Drive Away Altra Federal Credit Union recognizes the need in our community and would like to help. That’s why we’re offering a limited-time Drive Away Hunger Loan Sale.
HUNGER Auto Loan rates as low as
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• 4 bags of groceries to a local food pantry • The meat needed to feed 80 people at a local free meal site • 2 weeks of food assistance to a local teen center for at-risk youth **Based on an average food bank purchase price of $.18/lb.
La Crosse • Festival Foods • Onalaska • Holmen La Crescent • Winona 608-787-4500 • www.altra.org *Rates as low as 1.89% APR includes BEST RATE Discount, + Altra’s Visa Platinum Credit Card discount. Rates available starting 09/01/12 thru 10/31/12 to qualified members on new or used auto/truck purchase or refinance from another financial institution. Leases do not qualify for refinancing. Rates based on other account relationships at Altra, personal credit history, payment method, and vehicle information. Promotional rates apply to loans new to Altra; rates subject to change. Loan terms available up to 78 months; term based on age of vehicle. Contact Altra for complete details. Limited time offer. Federally insured by NCUA.