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La Crosse's Free Press VOLUME 10, NO. 14 | APRIL 15, 2010
The 411 On 420 • MEDICAL! • LEGAL! • POTHEADS! • DOGS!
ALSO ...
Page 15
HM SC BY MA TT ILL US TRA TIO N
What will become of stoner culture?
IDT
Page 4
Bill Miller comes home with message Page 6
New shop features locally designed clothing Page 5
PLUS: STREET STILE • PAGE 8 | THE ADVICE GODDESS • PAGE 9 | 'EURYDICE' PREVIEW • PAGE 10 | BEER REVIEW • PAGE 14
2// April 15, 2010
Things To Do
Prescribed Burn School — Day 2 of the class
EDITOR'S NOTE: In honor of Earth Month, we are replacing our usual Things to Do package with a calendar highlighting the area's many activities related to Earth Month in the coming week.
The Top
THURSDAY, APRIL 15
6-8 p.m., Franciscan Spirituality Center Movie, Food Inc. — Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies.
Pot songs, by era 1. 1930s jazz 2. 1960s folk 3. Contemporary rap 4. 1970s reggae 5. Cheech & Chong's lifetime 6. 2000s stoner rock 7. 1990s jambands Drive-thrus 1. Taco Bell 2. Taco John's 3. Hardee's 4. Gyro Hut 5. Wendy's 6. Java Detour 7. Fazoli's
Second Supper
FIRST THINGS FIRST
SATURDAY, APRIL 17
9–5 p.m., Mryrick Hixon EcoPark Prescribed Burn School — For volunteers who want to help area conservation organizations with prescribed burns: $30 for members of MHEP, TPE and MVC, $35 for nonmembers, $20 for students.
SATURDAY, APRIL 17
TUESDAY, APRIL 20
6:30–8:30 p.m., La Crosse Public Library Auditorium Basin to Backyard: The Mississippi River and How You Can Help Improve the Vitality — An Earth Month celebration designed to help you learn how to make a lasting contribution to improve water quality, locally and down river.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
6:30–9 p.m., Myrick Hixon EcoPark Frog Frenzy Freakout — Find out why frogs are frenzied and call as we walk along the marsh trails. 6:30–8 p.m., La Crosse Public Library auditorium Green Film Series: No Impact Man — Follow the Manhattan Beavan family as they abandon their high consumption 5th Avenue lifestyle and try to live a year while making no net environmental impact.
EARTH DAY THURSDAY, APRIL 22
12:30-5 p.m., WTC parking lot, corner of 7th & Vine CSA Farms Bus Tour — Learn about Community Supported Agriculture and tour two organic family farms set amidst the rolling hills of Vernon County’s farm country. Bus picks up and returns to same location. Cost $5.
Noon–1 p.m., Viterbo Fine Arts Center Sacred Ground — Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, musician Bill Miller will give an inspirational talk titled "Sacred Ground.”
SATURDAY, APRIL 17
6:30-9:30 p.m., The Cargill Ballroom at The Waterfront Restaurant Earth Day Concert — Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer Bill Miller will perform with Dan Sebranek. $10 admission. Bring non-perishable item for WAFER.
2:30-7 p.m., Unity Park, East Lake Winona Winona Earth Day — Free concert in the park featuring performances by Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lappelles, a folk-pop sextet, and Magic Mama, an eco-edu-tainer who celebrates organic hip-hop. Also with vendors, exhibitors and food.
SUNDAY, APRIL 18
9 a.m.–5 p.m., Myrick Hixon EcoPark
6:30–7:30 p.m., La Crosse Public Main Library auditorium Meet Rick Chrustowski — Rick is a Wisconsin children’s author and illustrator of earth-friendly titles that focus on creatures from the Midwest and their amazing habits. Source: www.greenlacrosse.com. All events are free unless otherwise noted
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April 15, 2010 // 3
DEAF EAR RECORDS
30% OFF
PIPE SALE! APRIL 17-25
Deaf Ear Records is turning 32, and what better way to celebrate than having a 30% Off sale on all pipes and pipe accessories from Saturday, April 17th through Sunday, April 25th! With every purchase, you'll also be entered to win one of six prizes, and the Grand Prize is the grandest pipe of them all: LADY LUCK! This also kicks off our "BUY ONE GET ONE FREE" sale on all of our recenty marked down $5 orange-tagged CD's! And if you're looking for a really great bargain, all of the CD's in our $2 sale bin are "Buy One, Get Two FREE!"
THANKS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR 32 ROCKIN' YEARS!
Look for us on MySpace and Facebook
4// April 15, 2010
COMMUNITY
Dispatches from the High Holiday Every social group has its celebration days, and for marijuana enthusiasts that day is April 20. Not surprisingly the origins of April 20 — 4/20, get it? — are clouded in legend, but High Times magazine, a definitive source if there ever was one, pins its roots to high school potheads in Marin County, California. “The Waldos,” as they so happily dubbed themselves, liked to meet at the school parking lot at 4:20 p.m. and pass around joints. That could have been a soon-forgotten inside joke, but The Waldos later got on Grateful Dead tour and spread this “code” for all things weed around the country. But April 20 isn’t only about bong loads and Bob Marley — not to everyone at least. The growing medicinal marijuana movement has also latched on to the High Holiday as a way to display political solidarity. Here in La Crosse, the Root Note is hosting an Americans for Safe Access benefit concert and public education event beginning at — surprise! — 4 p.m. It will have exhibits and speakers on a variety of green causes, from medical marijuana to industrial hemp. At 7 p.m. a concert begins featuring local acts Mousepocket, Fishhooks, Hyphon & Efftupp, and T.U.G.G. The informational event is free, but concert tickets are $4.20.
Medical society opposition blunts state bill Last fall, as the seasons changed, Wisconsin got a bit greener, medicinally speaking. As had happened in several previous sessions, legislators introduced a bill in the state Senate (Bill 368) and the state Assembly (Bill 554) that would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act — which is named for a Wisconsin woman who uses marijuana to treat two diseases, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Advanced Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy — was officially announced on Nov. 16. An eight-hour hearing was held Dec. 15 where more than 100 people spoke in support of the bill, with five offering dissenting opinions. Two committees are reviewing the JRMMA. In the Senate, the Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief and Revenue is going over the details of the bill, while in the Assembly the Committee on Public Health is taking a look at JRMMA. This is the furthest any medical marijuana bill has advanced it in the Wisconsin Legislature, but it is unclear if the bill will ever make it out of committee. To assess its chances, we e-mailed Gary Storck, director of communications for Is My Medicine Legal Yet?, the medical marijuana advocacy group founded by Rickert. While he was encouraged by the bill’s support — this is the first time the bill even made it to committee — Storck realizes Wisconsin is a long way from California. Second Supper: What do you think of JRMMA itself? Gary Storck: I think it is a great bill. I had a role in crafting it and am very pleased that post traumatic stress disorder is included among qualifying conditions. Thousands and thousands of Wisconsin veterans plus others in society suffering post traumatic stress could benefit greatly if the JRMMA is passed, and PTSD is just one subset of patients who will live better lives with this option instead of standard Big Pharma drugs. I have met patients of all backgrounds and numerous medical conditions already finding relief illegally. We owe it to our veterans, seniors, sick, disabled and dying residents to pass this now. Too many patients have died waiting for the will of the people to be honored. SS: How likely is the bill to pass, given the different concerns within each committee? GS: It is not looking good. While a majority of Democrats support it, no Republicans have publicly endorsed it. Although it has the governor's backing, the State Medical Society opposes it, and many lawmakers use them as a shield to justify voting no to constituents who overwhelmingly support it. No office reports calls against passage, yet not enough seem to want to find the courage to do the right thing — again. This
Second Supper
County each has three drug dogs. While motorists have a right to decline a search of the inside of their vehicles by officers or dogs, they cannot stop dogs from walking around the outside of their cars. If a dog makes a “hit” — and most maintain around 90 percent accuracy — an officer then has probable cause to do a complete vehicle search. “Our policy follows state law in that any time the dog is permissible to be used, that dog can and will be used,” said Capt. Mike Horstman of the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department.
County decriminalizes pot, doesn't affect DA
SS: What has changed within the political and social climate in Wisconsin that has lead to JRMMA advancing further in the Wisconsin Legislature than any other similar bill? GS: The Democrats regaining control of the State Assembly for the first time since 1993 was a major factor. And now that 14 states have legal medical marijuana, and the entire West Coast may legalize cannabis this November has helped make it more possible in Wisconsin.
In 2006 the La Crosse County Board voted to decriminalize marijuana possession (of less than 25 grams) for firsttime offenders to a simple ordinance violation. So far, that charge has never been applied, District Attorney Tim Gruenke said. Instead, La Crosse County sends most of its first-time marijuana offenders to the Unity House drug treatment program, where after competing two two-hour sessions, 15 hours of community service and paying a $150 fee, those offenders are essentially free, with no charges filed against them. “By all accounts, people seem to be pretty happy with how the program has been running,” Gruenke said. “Most people would rather have this than the ordinance.” Prior to decriminalizing marijuana possession, firsttime offenders would be charged in criminal court, fined and have a mandatory six-month suspension of their drivers license. Advocates and court officials argued that charge was too harsh for first-time offenders — and too costly on the legal system. So in June 2006, the county board voted 1512 to send first-time offenders off with a citation and fine, rather than a misdemeanor charge. But even before marijuana possession was decriminalized, the DA’s office had been using the Unity House program for first-time offenders. Rather than give people a possession ticket, which would still be listed on online CCAP records, the DA continues to send first-time offenders to Unity House. “People who are trying to avoid a criminal record prefer that,” Gruenke said.
Beware of dogs
California considers legalization
While Dean Ween once sang “get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and free,” it’s not wise to do so with marijuana in your vehicle. At least five drug-sniffing dogs patrol La Crosse County, more than any other county in the area, and K9s can be called in for any traffic stop, drug-related or not. Local police blotters are full of motorists who were stopped for speeding, defective headlights, expired registration or other common traffic offenses and had their vehicles searched after a K9 made a “hit” on their car. Since state statues are not explicit on when drug dogs can or cannot be used for vehicle searches, officers are able to call in K9 units whenever they suspect drugs may be in the vehicle, as long as they don’t “excessively” prolong a traffic stop. “What we would expect of our Onalaska officers, if they wanted to use the dog to run outside the car, is that they have some sort of reason to believe that there’s narcotics inside that vehicle,” said Onalaska Police Chief Jeff Trotnic, whose department got its first drug dog in December. “And those reasons can be developed by a limitless amount of things that the officer is seeing.” Full-time drug dogs are currently maintained by the Onalaska Police Department and the La Crosse County Sheriffs Department, and the La Crosse City Police Department keeps two full-time drug-sniffing dogs (and a third that is trained to sniff out explosives). The town of Campbell Police Department maintains a part-time drug dog, and any of these five K9s can be called in to aid officers in neighboring municipalities. For comparison, Eau Claire County and Winona
On March 24, California’s Secretary of State announced that a referendum initiative to fully legalize marijuana, aka cannabis, would be on the ballot this November. The initiative is called The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. The act would allow the state and local governments to regulate the sale, cultivation, distribution and use of marijuana. The legal age for consumption would be 21, like alcohol, and, also like alcohol, there are strict regulations on use. Smoking while in the presence of a minor carries a $1,000 fine. Smoking in public, smoking while driving and distributing marijuana to minors are also prohibited. The act is heavily touted as a revenue generator for state and local governments facing tremendous budget shortfalls. It is estimated that California’s illegal, aka taxfree, marijuana industry generates $14 billion to $15 billion annually. Lawmakers are also hoping legalization could spur spin-off industries such as coffee shops and restaurants that serve cannabis food and beverages, as well as stimulate tourism similar to California’s wine industry. The act is receiving praise from law enforcement officers and judges because California spends nearly $200 million annually on prosecuting and incarcerating nonviolent cannabis-related offenders. Others hope legalizing marijuana will help curb drug cartel violence in California and Mexico. But opponents say legalizing marijuana will lead to an increase in consumption, especially among minors, and also to an increase in marijuana-related traffic incidents. According to a recent Field poll, 56 percent of Californians are in favor of The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010.
The 411 On 420 is the closest we have gotten since a bill was passed in 1981 that I have written about. We have never come this far since, and we will be back if it does not make it. It needs to pass out of two committees and get two floor votes by April 22. Unlikelier things have happened, but I'm not holding my breath. But I'm hoping for a miracle at the Capitol.
Lark tries to make shopping a more pleasant experience
Friday, April 23, 2010 Concordia Ballroom 1129 La Crosse Street Doors open at 7 pm Show at 7:30 pm
By Stephanie Schultz stephanie.schultz@secondsupper.com A mere eight months after relocating to La Crosse, Andrea Fisher — owner of Lark, at 319 Main St. — has been itching to get back into community involvement in her own unique way: by designing clothing inspired by her customers. A native to the Cleveland area, Fisher didn't wait long to pack her bags and move to New York to pursue a degree in fashion design from Pratt Institute. Upon graduating, she dabbled in Parson's theater department, and later with textile archives, until she chose to travel around Europe for a few months. A five-year run at a vintage clothing store garnered her more experience with period clothing, as well as millinery work (that's hat-making!). The owner of the vintage shop encouraged Fisher to open her own boutique with a few other designers. Though she was hesitant at first, she soon came to love working one-one-one with women to find an outfit for everyday. “I have missed being involved and interacting in the community," she said. "I have had a boutique in Brooklyn for over 10 years and had really grown to enjoy the involvement around town and getting to know the ladies.” Eidolon (meaning “ideal image”) is still in business, with Fisher's as well as other New York designers' items in stock. So why move from such a happenin' place like Brooklyn to little ol' La Crosse? “My husband [Sam Cocks] and I moved here for his new teaching position at UW-L in the Philosophy Department," she said. "We do love it here; La Crosse really is a great town; [moving here is] one of the best things we have done so far.” Although she genuinely loves La Crosse, Fisher has been frustrated by the lack of suppliers and the difficulty finding a regional place to outsource some of her sewing; so far, she has found only upholstery and industrial outsourcing. Until she can find something closer, she'll continue using a place in New York to do some work. Fisher also had her work cut out for her getting the shop in order. It had previously been a bakery, so removing the last bits of a former foodery required a lot of dirty work. Before she could paint the cladding, she had to take a razor and scrape the grime off the walls. Her father, a handy handyman, flew in from Cleveland to help fix up the floors with her husband. The furniture in Lark is from antique shops around town, adding a classy and quaint feel to the place. The back has two dressing rooms and a sewing table. A large space is needed for pattern drafting and fabric cutting, so her basement at home is design central, and although she outsources most of her sewing, she will be doing some in-store. Her inspiration stems from taking suggestions and ideas from customers and making them a reality. This is what makes her items so interesting: She designs with a
April 15, 2010 // 5
COMMUNITY
Featuring:
ochelle R Fayme &theW axwings Photo by Ashly Conrad
Andrea Fisher's new shop, Lark, at 319 Main St., LA CROSSE EARTH MONTH 20 features locally designed and made women's clothing. purpose. “I love tailoring,” Fisher said, “so I always start with a suit and then pull it apart with coordinating separates so you can wear the blouse with jeans, or the jacket with a classic pair of black pants. I do my best to deign in 'collections' so if desired, you could buy the whole group and everything would work together. ... You can also just buy a few key pieces from each collection, and after a few seasons, you will see how your wardrobe begins to grow and work together.” Commission work is more time-consuming and a little more expensive than one of her readyto-wear garments, but she is open to doing custom orders. Just like her clothing, the name of the boutique is also well thought-out. Fisher finds that a lot of women in their midtwenties and older find clothing shopping a chore; as a body changes, mass-produced garments just don't fit right, and then the laziness of sweatpants sets in after all the frustration of trying on bunches of things not designed for a real person's body. At Lark, a woman will find tailored business and casual attire, and finding and wearing items that fit the way they should will make the shopping experience fun and enjoyable (a lark, if you will) rather than a burden. The Batavian building seems the perfect spot for her boutique. “It is a great space: pleasantly small, great light, and on Main Street," Fisher said. "When you design and make your own merchandise, a large space is hard to fill, and the specialty of each style and collection gets lost. I enjoy working on small collections, selling through it and creating something new. It guarantees that the customers will get something unique, that only a few were made.” Her shop also features clothing and jewelry made by some of her fellow designer friends in New York. Lark opened April 1, with a ribbon cutting April 9 during the annual Spring Fling event. One thing that has been lacking in the downtown area is locally designed and made clothing, and because of Fisher's boutique, local designers such as yours truly can be inspired to reach for the stars and take a tip or two from this remarkable lady. Be sure to check it out, and rethink what it means to buy local this Earth Month.
LA CROSSE EARTH MONTH 2010
Second Supper
Free Food! Free Show! Ages 18+ Donations accepted—proceeds benefit the La Crosse Earth Week Coalition
For more information go to
Green Rock Fest Flyer.indd 1
4/2/10 1:43 PM
6// April 15, 2010
Second Supper
COMMUNITY
Bill Miller comes home for Earth Month By Adam Bissen
adam.bissen@secondsupper.com
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Bill Miller — the three-time Grammy Winner, flautist, visual artist and storyteller — is coming back to La Crosse next week to help us celebrate Earth Month. But after his concert and presentation are finished, he’s staying around town for a couple days to record some tracks and relax in our natural beauty. Miller is no stranger to La Crosse. He first moved here in the early 1970s to attend college at UW-L and to begin a fledgling music career. He struck off on his own in the mid-1980s and now lives in Nashville, but he returns to the area often and even recorded two of his Grammy-winning native flute albums in town at the studio of his friend Mike Von Muchow. “It’s very excellent to be able to record and work [in La Crosse] because I don’t have the pressures of Nashville,” Miller said last week in a telephone interview from Oklahoma. “I don’t have Music Row right down the way. I don’t have people coming over to check on me. I have the Mississippi River and the Coulee Region. I have great memories.” Miller moved to La Crosse in 1974 from a Menomonee Indian reservation near Green Bay. He began his music career in a college cover band, but after starting art school he picked up his guitar and began
La Crosse native Bill Miller will be in town April 22, and beyond. writing original material. Around the same time, he started playing with another La Crosse musician, Dan Sebranek — who will perform with Miller on April 22, Earth Day, at The Cargill Ballroom at The Waterfront Restaurant beginning at 7:30 p.m. In the mid-1970s, Miller also began studying native flute from some “master flute players” in northern Wisconsin. Although that was the instrument that would help catapult him to international fame, Miller saw it as an extension of American roots music. “At the time I began playing native flute, there were no flute recordings out nationally. There was no New Age movement. There wasn’t a Grammy category or anything. I was doing it out of pure love and respect for my heritage,” Miller said. As a young guitar player, Sebranek first
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CURRENT JOB: Full-time student/full-time lover DREAM JOB: Photographer for National Geographic LAST THING YOU GOOGLED: Myrick Hixon EcoPark IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE? Italy WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE? Fly around the world solo. IF A GENIE GRANTED YOU ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK FOR? Teleport myself wherever I want whenever I want. CELEBRITY CRUSH: I'd rather check out real people around me.
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started coming around to see Miller at his regular gigs at the Freight House. Soon they began jamming together and eventually formed a band, Bill Miller the Native Sons. That group was a regional hit — touring heavily with Michael Martin Murphy — but Miller rose to national acclaim when Tori Amos selected him as the opening act for her “Under the Pink” tour in 1984. Shortly thereafter, Miller moved from La Crosse and established his career on many fronts. He has now recorded over a dozen albums, won seven Native American Music Awards, hung paintings at several museums, and is a coveted storyteller and inspiration speaker. Before he performs his Earth Day concert, Miller will give an speech entitled “Sacred Ground” at the Viterbo Fine Arts Center beginning at noon. With a talk that combines his heritage, life experience and spiritual path, Miller will offer a holistic view on sustainability that’s an alternative to the “buzzwords and hot causes” that have characterized the environmental movement in recent years. “If we attach ourselves spiritually and emotionally and morally to the land — not in a worship sense, but worshipping our creators through the land — everything changes,” Miller said. “Politics change. It’s a reflection of who we are. I wish people would understand that.”
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? "The Great Gatsby" TELL US YOUR GUILTIEST PLEASURE: Drinking Mt. Dew WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? I hate when people whistle. TELL US A JOKE: A guy goes up to a girl at a bar and asks for her number. The girl says "You know, I have a boyfriend". The guy says "Oh, I have a goldfish". The girl responds with "What?" The guy says "Oh, I thought we were talking about shit that doesn't matter." WHAT'S THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? Guacamole, tomatoes, onions and Mt. Dew WHAT'S IN YOUR POCKET RIGHT NOW?: Nothing, zip, zero WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF SECOND SUPPER? Music Directory HOW DO YOU KNOW AMANDA (LAST WEEK'S INTERVIEW? Four years ago I went up to her and said "I should know you" and we've been BFFs ever since.
— Shuggypop Jackson, shuggypop.jackson@secondsupper.com
Second Supper
April 15, 2010 // 7
Guest Artists Kenni Holmen April 16 & 17
Nicholas Payton April 16 & 17
43rd Annual
Fred Steele April 15 Connie Evingson April 15
APRil 15-18
Bringing world‑class jazz to Western Wisconsin.
Richie Cole April 17 Randy Sabien April 18
Plan your weekend getaway to beautiful Eau Claire, Wisconsin! Matt Turner April 18
Four days | six ConCerts | Great Jazz Tickets available online: www.eauclairejazz.com
Get your tickets now at
www.eauclairejazz.com or by calling 715-836-4092 facebook.com/eauclairejazz
twitter.com/ECJazzFest
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8// April 15, 2010
ARTS
Second Supper
Second Supper
The Advice Goddess By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com About the thighs of it
This girl I met on a dating site attends another college, three hours away, so we’ve only talked on the phone. I've experienced the online/ in-person divergence before, so I’m worried. I’ve seen photos, but they’re blurry face shots or halfbody shots. My friends and family say I’m being shallow, that I should focus on how good a person she is. I’m not bad looking, but I could lose 10 pounds, so I see their point. But I’m a smart guy with a promising career ahead, and I really desire an attractive woman (at least better than average). — Fearing Big Bertha Careful what you wish for. If this girl’s true to her pictures, she’ll show up on your date with a blurry face and a body that ends where they cropped the photo. Ignore your friends and family, who won’t be the ones sleeping with your girlfriend (well, presumably). It’s anything but shallow to make sure a woman has the looks you need to be hot for her. In fact, one of the unintentionally crueler things people do is tell themselves they’ll work up an attraction simply because somebody is kind, funny, and tells the cashier when she gives back too much change. These are lovely qualities, but if you aren’t already attracted, the XXX-est you’ll want to get with a woman is xoxo-ing her — as written in pink cursive in “To Grandma!” Hallmark cards. But, does a guy who could stand to depork a little get to be picky about a woman looking just like her photo (give or take 20 pounds)? Actually, yes. Less so in college, when women aren’t worrying about how they’ll pay the mortgage and tend to go for the cutest boyfriend they can get. But, as I’m always pointing out, countless studies across cultures show that male sexuality is looks-driven, while women evolved to prioritize money and mojo in men. That’s why it’s women asking “Do I look fat in these pants?” while the parallel question from men would be “Do I look unemployed on this couch?” (Answer: Even more so when it’s sitting out on the curb.) Not surprisingly, in a recent University of Wales study, women found the same man’s face significantly more attractive when he was pictured driving a rich-guy car — a Bentley Continental — than a regularguy car: the Ford Fiesta hatchback. The interesting thing about this study? When men hot-or-notted the same woman driving the two cars, they found her no more or less attractive in the Bentley than the Fiesta. Men, likewise, aren’t that compelled by a woman’s salary or position, or as author Alain
ADVICE de Botton tweeted, “Yet to be born: the man who slept with a woman principally because she had written a book he liked.” So, what’s with going after the e-mail order girlfriends? That’s for the Rogaine generation: the 48-year-old guy who’s always either working late or working on convincing 28-year-old girls on dating sites that he is 35, really rich, and still has hair (and not just growing out of his nose). You’re in college. Never again will you be in a place so swarming with dateable women — women who’ll want to know stuff like “You goin’ to that kegger?” and “Oh, cool, you’re poli sci, too?” as opposed to “How do you feel about dating a single mother?” Grow a pair and lean over in class and talk to girls. Sure, it’s scary, but nowhere near as scary as spending a month falling for somebody’s “English/Irish looks” online, then looking across a candlelit dinner table at a woman who’s much more English bulldog.
Life is a gurne
I liked this guy I was dating until he started wanting to come over daily. When I said that was too much, he started using his son’s illness (sickle cell anemia) as a reason he needed to see me. I’m a single mother with twin girls suffering from mood disorders. I really don’t have time or energy for two new sick people. — Selfish? The guy does have a lot to offer — along the lines of “How ‘bout I come over for a glass of wine and let you change my blood?” I can just hear him trying to smoothtalk himself into your bed: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” (Hmmm, that’s not working?) “OK, my son’s also fallen!” This guy doesn’t so much care about you as he cares about your meeting his needs. You owe your time and energy to your twins, not some dude who winked at you on infirmpeople.com. Beyond that, it’s OK to want a man who’ll take you away from your problems; a man who might sometimes ask you to put your nursie hat on for him — but only when your Girl Scout uniform is at the cleaners. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, at AdviceAmy@aol.com. (c) 2010, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.
Second Supper is a weekly newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 E-mail: editor@secondsupper.com Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Student Editor: Emily Faeth emily.faeth@secondsupper.com
April 15, 2010 // 9
10// April 15, 2010
ARTS
'Eurydice' offers different view of classic tale By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com
Maybe in retrospect, it isn’t so surprising the Greek god of music would get name-checked in a song. On a track on She & Him’s new album, Zooey Deschanel plaintively sings, “Orpheus melted the heart of Persephone, but I never had yours.” The fact such an old tale of Orpheus descending into the underworld to retrieve his dearly departed wife, Eurydice, can find itself referenced in a slice of summery California pop is a testament to the strength of those stories, according to Mary Leonard,
an associate professor at UW-La Crosse and director of the theatre department’s upcoming production of Eurydice. “Greek mythology is so rich with intrigue, mystery and high emotions,” she explained. “It’s fascinating fodder.” In Eurydice, the classic tale of love, loss and repeat is given a new angle as the story shifts its focus from Orpheus and his descent into Hades to his new bride, Eurydice, and her struggles in the underworld. It’s that kind of twist, Leonard believes, that gives these stories continued relevancy and a personal favorite storytelling method. “I love when there are twists on a story.
Like with this, you go, ‘Yeah, what about Eurydice?’ and it makes you question things from a different perspective.” Also in Eurydice, there is an addition to the classic tale with Eurydice meeting up with her father in the underworld adding a father/daughter relationship angle to the tale. “It adds a whole new dimension,” Leonard said. When somebody hears Greek tragedy, the costuming and set design would seem to be fairly limited, but playwright Sarah Ruhl, according to Leonard, left a lot up to individual productions. “Some shows you have to walk in and say that’s how it is,” Leonard said. “This show leaves a lot of room for conceptualization. The ‘upper world’ is like a boardwalk while the underworld is bizarre and twisted like Alice in Wonderland.” Such space to create their own universe was a joy for both she and Amanda Hart, associate professor of scenic and lighting design at UW-L, said Leonard. “[The sets and costuming] can be anything you want,” Leonard said. “In the show there is a Greek chorus. Actually, they are called a chorus of stones. In some versions of the play they’ve been dressed as umpires and other times as Victorian creatures. In ours, they are going to be loud colors.” Eurydice is a relatively small show in
The Screening Room Medium: Film The Runaways (2010) Director: Floria Sigismondi Stars: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon Writers: Floria Sigismondi, based on the book Neon Angel by Cherie Currie I like to think the improbably funny Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story — a sendup viciously lampooning rock biopic cliches — played a major role in quelling the surge of cookie-cutter musician movies that seemed inevitable in the wake of Ray and Walk the Line. The Runaways — a misnomer since the film centers almost exclusively on lead-singer Cherie Currie — calls a sizable number of the genre's cliches back into action: expect the band at some point to play a disastrous first gig, rise to the top by way of a rockin' montage and plunge headlong into uninhibited drug use. But the film's willingness to operate mostly within the confines of rise-and-fall formula surprisingly doesn't make its subjects any less interesting. The Runaways portrays its characters earnestly, and as a result captures the tumultuous combination of rising to superstardom, subverting gender barriers and coming of age in the '70s, all in one swoop. Less an examination of the development and impact of the band's music, The Runaways works as a conceit for the loss of innocence and its effects on the young dreamers blindsided by it. Look no further than the film's opening shot, in which pe-
Second Supper
At a Glance
WHAT: Eurydice, by Sarah Rule WHEN: 7:30 p.m. April 23-24, 29-30 and May 1; 2 p.m. April 25 and May 2 WHERE: Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts, UW-La Crosse TICKETS: $4 for UW-L students; $10 for other students, senior citizens and children; and $12 for others. Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. Monday, April 19. terms of cast, with seven actors/actresses, considerably smaller than the production of A Christmas Carol Leonard directed last fall that boasted a cast of 54. “I didn’t realize how big the cast was since we did so much of the show in parts in rehearsals,” chuckled Leonard. “It wasn’t until curtain call and they were all on stage that it hit me. I can say Eurydice will have a lot shorter curtain call!” When asked what audiences are going to come away with from the show, Leonard insisted she didn’t want to dictate the feelings of her audience. “I don’t want to tell the audience what to feel,” she said. “I want them to feel for themselves. It’s part of life, love and loss. It’s going to be very personal. "Women might think of the father/ daughter relationship in the play, while men might feel bad for Orpheus. What I hope is that people are moved.”
riod blood splashes on the ground as Dakota Fanning's Currie experiences her inaugural bout with the monthlies. Unexpected events like this vex Currie throughout the film: her mother suddenly moves to Indonesia, record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) essentially picks her at random to join The Runaways and her father becomes terminally ill while the band tours overseas. Meanwhile, Kristen Stewart's Joan Jett, an iconoclast from the beginning, has the experience to not get thrown off by the perilous activities the band's stardom engenders. At the film's emotional core, the naive Currie and adept Jett form a bond tested repeatedly by the uncharted waters through which their success leads them. Currie's drug addiction, the band's portrayal by the media as sex-objects, the verbally-abusive Fowley's lofty demands — these factors and more qualify the movie as an indictment of the pressures and excesses of superstardom, of commodified female sexuality and of the music industry. Too much of The Runaways' second half idles on Currie's (and the group's) highly-calculable downfall, a disappointing development, considering the palpable raw energy that comes before it. Still, first-time director Sigismondi succeeds at bringing the movie full circle, with plenty of exciting stops along the way. The exhilerating live musical performances are worth marveling at in particular. You have to think how unfortunate it was that the band had to end the way so many groups typically do. I suppose you could ask the same of the film's ending. — Nick Cabreza
Second Supper
April 15, 2010 // 11
MUSIC
music directory // April 16 to April 22 FRIDAY,
just a roadie away
April 16
Minneapolis
JB'S SPEAKEASY // 717 Rose St.
population
The Songs For with This Could Be The Day (indie pop) • 10 p.m.
387,970
YEASAYER // APRIL 27 First Avenue • $15
NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St.
The James Town Advance Band (progressive rock/blues) • 10 p.m.
CANNIBAL CORPSE // MAY 1 Station 4 • $18
PEARL STREET BREWERY // 1401 St. Andrew St. Tom Miron (folk) • 5 p.m.
SPHONGLE // MAY 5 Epic • $18
PIGGY'S BLUES LOUNGE // 501 Front St. S.
SIMON & GARFUNKEL // MAY 8 Xcel Energy Center • $50-$225
Annie Mack & the Havenots (blues) • 8 p.m.
POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Roster McCabe (jam/funk) • 10 p.m. STONEY CREEK INN // 3060 S. Kinney Coulee String Ties (bluegrass) • 7:30 p.m.
THE JOINT // 324 Jay St. Dave Lambert Band (blues) • 10 p.m.
THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Meteorade (indie pop) • 8:30 p.m. THE WAREHOUSE // 324 Pearl St. Polis, New Fable February (pop-punk) •
Hey, remember the ‘90s? No, not Third Eye Blind and the Goo Goo Dolls and all those crappy songs that will forever haunt your high school reunions — we’re talking about the good bands. Like Pavement. And Weezer (back when Rivers was still a perv). You know, that breezy, jangly, quirky indie rock. And if you actually do know what we’re talking about, then you’ll probably love Meteorade. This Madison foursome will be coming to the Root Note on Friday for a headlining concert beginning at 8:30 p.m. Come early, because this show is gunna be so boss. Cardigans are optional, but not ironic.
NELL'S CITY GRILL // 1111 S. Third St. Karl Friedline (baritone) • 6 p.m. NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St.
The James Town Advance Band (prog ressive rock/blues) • 10 p.m.
7:15 p.m.
NORTH SIDE OASIS // 620 Gillette St. Hallowed Ground (rock) • 9 p.m.
THE WATERFRONT TAVERN // 328 Front St.
PIGGY'S BLUES LOUNGE // 501 Front St. S.
Chris Bucheit and Steve Meger (jazz guitar duo) • 8 p.m.
Annie Mack & the Havenots (blues) • 8 p.m.
VITERBO ARTS CENTER // 929 Jackson St. The Blanks (from TV's Scrubs) • 7:30 p.m.
Natty Nation (reggae) • 10 p.m.
POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. THE ARTERIAL // 1003 S. 16th St.
SATURDAY,
April 17
BODEGA BREW PUB // 122 4th St. Adam Palm & Bill Raven (acoustic) • 9 p.m.
BRUISERS // 620 Cass St. Blackwater (funk/soul) • 9 p.m.
FOX HOLLOW // N3287 HIGHWAY OA. Sellout (rock) • 9 p.m. JB'S SPEAKEASY // 717 Rose St.
Jason and the Punknecks (hillbilly), Sowbell Bitchhog (rock 'n roll) • 10 p.m
Travis Oppelt & Quenten Brown (acoustic duo from Paxico) • 9 p.m.
THE FLIPSIDE // 400 Lang Drive The Junkyard Saints (supergroup) • 9 p.m.
THE JOINT // 324 Jay St. Dox Phonix (electric grass) • 10 p.m.
THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Tom Feldmann (Americana) • 8:30 p.m. THE WATERFRONT TAVERN // 328 Front St.
Chris Bucheit and Steve Meger (jazz guitar duo) • 8 p.m.
SUNDAY,
April 18
PAT METHENY // MAY 9 Fitzgerald Theatre • $46-$65 MURDER BY DEATH// May 12 Triple Rock Social Club • $13
WEDNESDAY,
April 21
LA CROSSE PUBLIC LIBRARY // 800 Main St. DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Latin Vibe • 1:30 p.m. Rich Wooten (acoustic) • 10 p.m. POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Earth Day Party (free beer & food) • 6 p.m. Brownie's open jam • 10 p.m.
April 19
MONDAY,
THE ARTERIAL // 1003 S. 16th St. Dox Phonic (open jam) • 10 p.m.
DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Open jam • 10 p.m.
THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Open Mic • 8 p.m.
POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Shawn's "Pajama" jam • 10 p.m.
THURSDAY,
April 20
TUESDAY,
POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Fayme and Casey (acoustic) • 10 p.m. THE JOINT // 324 Jay St. SOMA (open jam) • 9 p.m.
THE ROOT NOTE // 114 Fourth St. S.
T.U.G.G, Hyphon/Efftupp, Fish Hooks, Mouse Pocket (Party for a Purpose: Americans for Safe Access) • 7 p.m.
April 22
JB'SSPEAKEASY // 717 Rose St. Paxico (rock) • 10 p.m. NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St. Dave Orr's Damn Jam (open jam) • 10 p.m. POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. TBA • 10 p.m.
THE STARLITE LOUNGE // 222 Pearl St. Kies and Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m.
THE WATERFRONT CARGILL BALLROOM // 328 Front St. Bill Miller and Dan Sebranek (Earth Day concert) • 6:30 p.m.
12// April 15, 2010
MUSIC
Second Supper
Medium: Music Stimulus: New Young Pony Club — The Optimist Anno: 2010 The second album of dance-rock from New Young Pony Club is an example of what might happen to a band that releases a hot debut and must prove that it’s more than a one-trick — crap, I just walked into a bad pun, didn’t I? Anyway, The Optimist isn’t anything close to a sophomore slump, yet it also doesn’t have the sneering spunk of its predecessor, Fantastic Playroom. It’s clear that the band set its phasers to mature and cast much of what made them originally endearing to the back burner. What results is a very good album, albeit one more subdued. The songs that stick most to NYPC’s tried and tested formula are often the most notable on The Optimist. Chief among these is the glam-gritty “Chaos,” which stomps and swaggers its guitars and rhythms alongside Tahita Bulmer’s snotty vocal delivery. Further along the album comes a double hit of snide, with the bass bounce of “We Want To” leaping into Bulmer’s quirky breakdowns during “Dolls.” The new formula songs that stand out often take up more of the band’s rock element, bringing more steady tempos to the game. “Lost a Girl” opens the album with the rumblings of low-end guitars, with Bul-
Oh hi, right now I am listening to a compilation put out by German record label Kompakt as part of their Total Series. Since 1999, Kompakt has released one of these installments annually, becoming hugely influential in the minimal techno genre that has dominated the European club scene for the past decade. Minimal techno strips away melody and focuses on the drums and bass, creating a funky pulse with subtle rhythmic dynamics. While Germany, Berlin in particular, has become the epicenter for minimal techno, it got its start in Detroit in the early '90s as part of second wave of producers and DJs based in the Motor City. Techno started in the early '80s in Detroit by originators Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May (aka the Belleville Three) who were influenced by German band Kraftwerk and Euro style and sensibilities. Techno exploded in Britain during the late '80s and early '90s as part of the rave scene, where the music got progressively faster and became generic party music. As a reaction, a new group of Detroit producers sought to take the music back. Robert Hood (who was a founder of the Underground Resistance collective with Jeff Mills and Mad Mike Banks) and Daniel Bell (who collaborated with Richie Hawtin aka Plastikman) are considered the two pioneers of minimal techno. The Germans
mer’s vocals giving their first indications of restraint. The album’s title track shows this in greater force, as Bulmer begins to take up the space queen sounds of Kate Pierson from the B-52s at parts. Toward the end, the band gets a bit New Orderish in the melodies during “Oh Cherie,” and the final track, “Architect of Love,” is as straight a slow-breathed romance as New Young Pony Club has gone. None of these songs would be classified as undanceable, yet the band really threw away much of their gleefully spastic sensibilities to achieve them. It’s likely that the third album from New Young Pony Club will take the usual music formula of merging the energy of a band’s debut with the musicianship of its follow-up. The Optimist serves as a good exercise in avoiding typecasting, and offers a satisfying glimpse of what might result when all the pieces come back together and New Young Pony Club let loose once more.
— Brett Emerson picked up on this style quickly, most notably the duo Basic Channel, who started putting out records on their Basic Channel and Chain Reaction record labels out of their infamous record shop in Berlin that's become a mecca for DJs. The German version was more dub influenced and robotic than the soulful second wave of Detroit, but both had a cerebral and experimental underpinning to their jams. This stuff was all flying way under the radar of what was popular in the clubs, which was heavy on trance and drum & bass throughout the '90s. In Britain, a similar revolution was taking place, with the Artificial Intelligence series put out on Warp Records (featuring artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, Plaid, Richie Hawtin and The Orb), which started the chillout movement, making ambient and IDM genres prevalent for the post-rave electronica generation. Taste makers and those on the cutting edge started picking up on these new versions of electronica, with Berlin becoming the main hub. By the new century, minimal techno became the sound of the mainstream European club scene, its obscure pioneers now considered legends. A new crop of stars include Gas, Ricardo Villalobos, Vladislav Delay, Monolake, The Field, Pan Sonic and Murcof. Along with these studs, releases put out on the Kompact label pushed the boundaries of what was cutting edge in the minimal techno genre, with the Total Series releases molding the modern sound.
— Shuggypop Jackson
Second Supper
The Best Food & Drink Specials in Town LOCATION
April 15, 2010 // 13
YOUR GUIDE TO CONSUMPTION
SUNDAY
To advertise here, call (608) 782-7001 or e-mail us at advertising@secondsupper.com.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
ARENA
Midwest Poker League 7 p.m.
Closed
Wyld Wednesday: $2 Jumbo UV, mixers $1.50 Coronas
Ladies' Night, $5 Long Island pitchers
$1 Cherry Bombs, $1 Keystone Light silos
$1 Cherry Bombs, $1 Keystone Light silos
BODEGA BREW PUB
$2 BBQ Pork Sliders
2-Fers, Buy any regularly priced food item and get one of equal or lesser value for free
$2.50 Coors vs. Keystone pitchers. All specials 9 p.m. to close
AUC2D: $5, domestic taps, rail mix- 10-cent wings, $1 Miller High Life ers, Long Islands. All specials 9 p.m. bottles, $1.50 rail mixers; $2.50 call to close drinks. All specials 9 p.m. to close.
107 3rd St. S. 782-1883 122 4th St. 782-0677
BROTHERS
Closed
306 Pearl St. 784-0522
FEATURES
Free beer 5:30-6:30; Free wings 7:30- Taco buffet 11-2; 8:30, Free bowling after 9 $1 Pabst bottles and $1 bowling after 9
W3923 State Highway 16 786-9000
HOWIE’S
Fish Tacos: 1 / $2.50, 2 / $5.00, 3 / $6.50. AUC2D: $5, domestic taps, rail mixers and Long Islands. Wristband Night: $2.50 SoCo & Jack. All specials 9 p.m. to close.
$3 3 Olives mixers, $3 Mojitos, $2 $3 Bacardi mixers, $3 Mojitos, $2 Cherry Bombs, $1 Bazooka Joe's; Cherry bombs, $1 Bazooka Joe's. FAC: $3 domestic pitchers, micro/ All specials 9 p.m. to close. import taps, anything that pours. 4-9 p.m.
All you care to eat pizza buffet, 11-2
All you care to eat fish fry 4-10; un- Prime rib dinner 4-10; limited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99 unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99
1125 La Crosse St. 784-7400
Happy hour 4 to 9 p.m.; 9 p.m. to 9 p.m. to close: $3.50 domestic 9 p.m. to close: $1 rails, $2.50 pitch- $5 all you can drink close: Night Before Class - $3 pitch- pitchers ers, beer pong ers of the beast
9 p.m. to close: $1.25 rails, $1.75 bottles/cans
9 p.m. to close: $2 Captain mixers, $2 bottles/cans, $3 Jager bombs
IMPULSE
Closed
Closed
Karaoke 9 p.m.-Close; Happy Hour daily 5-8
Wine & martini night; Happy Hour daily 5-8
18+ night (1st and 3rd Thursday of each month); Happy Hour daily 5-8
$25 open bar package, 11 p.m. to Happy Hour daily 5-8 close: domestic/import beer, rail, call drinks, martinis; Happy Hour daily 5-8
JB’S SPEAKEASY
$1.75 domestic bottles
SIN Night
$1.75 domestic bottles
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
TJ's Oasis 620 Gillette St., 3 p.m. Howie's 1128 La Crosse St., 7 p.m.
Arena 620 107 S. 3rd St. 7 p.m.
The Commodore 215 S. Chestnut St., 6 p.m. Dewey's Side Street Pub 621 St. Paul St., 6 p.m.
Sloopy's Alma Mater 163 Copeland Ave., 7 p.m. Days Hotel 101 Sky Harbor Drive, 7 p.m.
Adams Street Pub 1200 11th St. S., 6:30 p.m. Ike's Jabber Jaws 433 Avon St., 6 p.m.
$1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.) Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hat Night: Buy 1 drink, get 1 free w/ Rail drinks $2 (4:30 to close); Buckets of beer $10, Boston Bobby's Margaritas $4 (Straw, rasp, mango, hat (4:30 to close); $1.50 chili dogs After 8 p.m. specials: $5 skewer of drummies 10 for $2 (4:30 to close), peach and reg); After 8 p.m. specials: (after 8 p.m.) shrimp,l $1.79 burger, $1.50 chili dogs $1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.) $5 skewer of shrimp, $1.79 burger
Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
$2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) $11 buckets of beers (6-close)
$2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) 12" pizza: $8.99 up to 5 toppings (4-close)
Wings, Wings, Wings... $2 off 14: Ladies night, 2 for 1 drinks (6-close), Friday Fish, $2 can beer (2-6) pizza, $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.)
2 for 1 pints/pitches w/ student ID over 21
Buck Burgers
Tacos $1.25
15-cent wings
$8.99 12-ounce T-bone
15-cent wings
$1.50 taps 6 to 8 p.m.
All Mojitos $5
214 Main St. 782-6010
9 p.m. to close: $2 Bacardi mixers, $2 domestic pints, $1.50 shots blackberry brandy
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
717 Rose St. 796-1161
MIDWEST POKER LEAGUE midwestpokerleague@mail.com
SCHMIDTY’S 3119 State Road 788-5110
SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER 163 Copeland Ave. 785-0245
SPORTS NUT
Cruz-in Pub and Eatery W5450 Keil Coulee Road, 2 p.m.
801 Rose St. 784-1811
THE CAVALIER LOUNGE 114 5th Ave. N. 782-2111
THE LIBRARY
Sunday Fun Day - Wristband Night
Half price tequilla, $1 domestic taps Karaoke, $2 double rails & all bottles Beer Pong Tourney and and rails wristband night
123 3rd St. 784-8020
TOP SHOTS
$3 Bacardi mixers, $3 Jumbo Long Island Iced Teas
$3 Jumbo Long Island Iced Teas, $3 3 Olives mixers $5 Miller/Bud Light Pitchers, $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1AM)
137 4th St. 782-6622
$5 Pitchers/$2 bottles of Miller $1.75 Miller/Bud Light Taps, $2.25 $1.75 Rails, $1.50 Domestic Taps, $2 domestic bottles, $2.50 Skyy/ products (11-4pm) MIcro/Craft Taps, $2.50 Cherry Bombs $3.50 Jager Bombs Absolut mixers, $2 Dr. shots $2 Corona Bottles, $2 Kilo Kai Mixers (7-1AM) (7-1AM) (7-1am) , $3 Bloodys (7-1AM)
5 Domestic Bottles for $10, $5 $2 Captain Mixers, $2. Long Island Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Mixers, $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (7Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1AM) 1AM)
TRAIN STATION BBQ
Ask for great eats
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Barn burner $7.95; 4 to 9 p.m., Hobo dinner (serves two) $30.95
WHO'S ON THIRD
Happy Hour until 10 p.m. $1.50 domestic taps, $2 rails from 10 to close
601 St. Andrew St. 781-0005 126 3rd St. N. 782-9467
$1 taps of PBR, $1 rails
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., extra side with sandwich; 4 to 9 p.m., $1 off rib dinner
Special varies
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Chicken on fire One-half chicken three bones $7.95; 4 to 9 p.m., Bones and bris- $12.95 kets $13.95
$3 call doubles, $2 Bud products
Ladies' Night: $2 top shelf, $1 Pink $8.50 Fish Bowls, $2 Miller products $1 off Three Olives, $2 domestic taps Tacos Everyone: $2.50 bombs, $2 taps, $3 Jack/Captain doubles
14// April 15, 2010
Maze Efflux
Second Supper
CONSUMPTION Repeat offenders It's just overkill
By Erich Boldt By Matt Jones
The Beer Review Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale New Glarus Brewing Company New Glarus, Wisconsin I don’t know Dan Carey, brewmaster for New Glarus. I’ve never met him, don’t know what he looks like, and other than a podcast I downloaded, I’ve never heard him speak. But I have such a flaming beercrush on the guy it’s ridiculous. His latest creation, the Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale, represents everything I love about the contemporary craft beer scene. For one, it’s overflowing with Midwestern pride. Putting “No Coast” right there on the label is a not-so-subtle dig at the extreme Pacific Coast IPAs that are the darlings of the national beer press (and yes, there is such a thing). But whereas those Left Coast breweries seem engaged in a kind of hoppy arms race to pucker lips and slam livers, Moon Man is like the ambassador of Midwest non-confrontation. Its aromatics are pure artistry, but the flavors are easygoing. The Moon Man doesn’t aim to put you into orbit — like a true Wisconsinite,
it’s completely down to earth. The first sign this isn’t your Bay Area pale ale comes at the pour. While most of the lauded styles come out a rusty amber color, the Moon Man looks light and golden, almost like a Miller but with an effervescent head. The aroma, though, is pure hophead Appearance: 8 bliss. Carey spent six Aroma: 10 months selecting the hop blend for this Taste: 7 recipe (four from the Yakima Valley and Mouthfeel: 6 one from New Zealand) and then dry- Drinkability: 9 hopped it using two and a half times the regular amount. The Total: 40 result is a blend that touches on every note of the hop spectrum, from sugar to citrus to pine trees. Following that introduction, the taste is surprisingly unassuming. The first note is crisp, but the flavors pull back and let theretofore hidden malts sweeten the palette. Really, this is the pale ale for people who hate pale ales. It has all the enchanting properties of hops, but none of the bitterness. Personally, I wish it had a thicker body and some more challenging drinkability, but I can tell I’m not the target demographic for this beer (which replaces the underloved Hearty Hop IPA on the New Glarus roster). Somehow, Carey set off to make the thinking man’s pale ale and emerged with an effortless session beer that’s going to be beloved by the masses. Enjoy the summer of Moon Man. AB + DC = TLA! — Adam Bissen
ACROSS 1 1973 snake movie starring Dirk Benedict 8 Hard workers? 14 "The Life ___ with Steve Zissou" 15 One of many in Las Vegas 16 Former Campbell's Soup slogan 18 Atlanta suburb 19 Enthusiastic assent, in Spanish 20 Bikini part 22 Back muscles 23 With 31-across, quadruple platinum R&B album of 1992 26 Beauty's counterpart 30 River that passes through Essen, Germany 31 See 23-across 34 Presidential monogram of the 1950s 37 Actress Lathan of
"The Cleveland Show" 38 "___ was saying..." 39 Financial advisor and TV host Suze 41 ___ Maria (liqueur) 42 1953 Looney Tunes short where a student daydreams 45 Make a sad face 46 Part of a lunar cycle 47 Some all-female band members 52 Moby Dick chaser 53 Hydrocarbon suffix 54 "I'm rippin' up ___ doll..." (Aerosmith lyric) 58 Chests 61 1990's "Groove Is In the Heart" dance band 64 Beekeeper's place 65 Month of fasting 66 Took out for a spin 67 Last name of Southern rapper Bubba DOWN
Answers to April 8 puzzle 1, 2, 3, 4 ... Know the rest?
1 ___ Club (Wal-Mart offshoot) 2 Unit used to measure a city's area: abbr. 3 Totals 4 "____ am" 5 Type of silver associated with British money: abbr. 6 Silicon monoxide, for short 7 Prefix for "phobia" that means "dark" 8 Alternatives to Pepsis 9 Electrical unit of resistance 10 Waco university 11 She backed Barack 12 Like J, alphabetically 13 Former Guns N' Roses guitarist 17 "Scooby-___, Where Are You!" 21 Actress ___ de Rossi of "Arrested Development" 23 Baseball Hall-ofFamer Mel 24 "Positive," to Pierre 25 "What an unfortunate situation" 26 ___ B'rith 27 Active Sicilian volcano 28 "Just as I suspected!" 29 Sailor's visibility hazard 31 East, in Germany 32 "The other," in Spanish 33 Newspaper published since 1908, for
short 34 Prohibited areas in combat: abbr. 35 Stupor 36 '80s rockers Split ___ 40 Wu-Tang Clan producer 43 Czech play where 8-across came from 44 Does some high school vandalism 45 Naval vessel commanded by JFK 47 Morocco's capital 48 Wishful thought 49 "Champagne Supernova" band 50 Boxing match div. 51 Lusty looks 54 Banned apple spray 55 Hyphenated septic system treatment brand 56 "I never knew ___ that was not odious" (John Sherman) 57 Demographic for characters in "Reality Bites" 59 Modern version of a K-ration 60 Aust. city 62 "The Raven" monogram 63 Transatlantic MTV honor, for short For answers, call (900) 226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Or to bill to a credit card, call (800) 655-6549. Reference puzzle #0463.
ENJOY YOUR SUPPER ONLINE AT www.secondsupper.com
Second Supper
April 15, 2010 // 15
THE LAST WORD
Y Marks the Spot
By Brett Emerson brett.emerson@secondsupper.com
Ah, April 20th. Spring is in the air! It’s Hitler’s birthday, the anniversary of the Columbine school shooting, and the day when our fair nation’s potheads rise as one — and then flop back down on their couches. I’m not saying that Hitler, Columbine, and potheads are related, but 4/20 is proof that stoners are often untrustworthy to make safe decisions. In any event, they picked a really bad day to throw a holiday. But really, who cares anymore? As a culture, we’re so past marijuana. It’s to the point where the fact that the drug remains illegal seems like an oversight, something we had been meaning to take care of but (appropriately) forgot about. Head shops sell pipes to all comers (but only for tobacco use —wink, wink). Weed magazines, stoner films, and, of all things, books that actually teach one how to grow pot are
sold everywhere. I’d have thought that the grow books, at least, would be banned for promoting illegal behavior, especially in a country where rubes question the legality of sex education because it apparently encourages statutory rape. And while we’re on the topic of corruption of the youth, “That 70’s Show” was a prime-time series which regularly depicted minors sitting around a table and getting high. So sure, a cop might give you a ticket if he catches you with a full onehitter, but nowadays he’s more likely to sympathize with the offender than act like he just collared a domestic terrorist. The days when pot use was treated as a grave crime against society are gone. So who cares? Parent groups are a big remnant, but they don’t really seem to single out particular drugs, but all drugs. Fair enough. Dependency counselors and addiction groups care, but again it could be any drug (or other addiction), not just pot. Employers who conduct random piss tests care, but it’s kind of an empty caring, more PR than conviction (as though groups can have human convictions). So really, all that’s left are the stoners —and those who they piss off. Of course, there are the abstracted people for whom pot is just another social ill which heralds the imminent rapture of America. For many of this type, potheads aren’t much different from pregnant (and aborting) teens, socialists, or people who
want to take away their guns. There are more who look at the floppy, unkempt stereotypes — the spawn of Cheech and Chong — and assume that everybody who smokes up is a parasitic leech on society. Then there are the people (and I’m putting one of my toes in this camp) who have had real dealings with people who have based their whole lives around pot and who have come off poorer. Being annoyed by random hippies doesn’t really count; I’m talking about people who have been ripped off in the course of someone else’s pursuit of the high. It happens. I’ve dealt with it. Whether it’s a roommate who just can’t be bothered to help with the bills or someone who steals and sells your stuff, these people serve as real and legitimate reasons against the culture. An interesting little stash of stoner hate comes from an unexpected source — the medicinal marijuana field. Many advocates of marijuana’s use for curative purposes are furious at stoner culture for hijacking a legitimate movement for their own gratuitous purposes. A recent Wall Street Journal article described the rising tension in Colorado’s medical scene, where high-end dispensaries are at odds with dingy little stores who are likely to pay lip service to the medical side of medical marijuana. Many of the people who are serious about legalization say that its greatest enemy is in fact the stoner culture which glorifies the drug.
Finally, we come to that very culture. What’s most fun about these schmucks is the perpetuated attitude that legalization will cure every social ill and fix every problem with the world. Sure, the laws are outdated, but anyone who places the fate of the world in the legal status of a substance is likely to be the type of person for whom the substance is illegal in the first place. But you know what? A big part of me wants to pop their illusions. What happens when the candy-coated stoner utopia that was promised with legalization doesn’t come through? When the sight of an obnoxious burnout lighting up in the street is treated with the same disdainful indifference that it is now? Worst of all, what happens when the pot business is regulated by the government? When will weed get watered down? Will there be moonshine marijuana? Will there be rebels without a cause? My theory is that, like the devil it has occasionally been partnered with, weed’s best friend is the outlaw status that it has cultivated. Its illegality has always been its best selling point. Take that away, and all that’s left is a drug that people might enjoy, and might not, but it will no longer be a substance that defines the people who use it. Let’s do that. Then maybe the burnouts will stop putting High Times among the bibles, you goddamn revolutionaries, you.
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