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Head Smart: Wisconsin Researchers Make Concussions a Priority ... page 4

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THE COLORS OF CHRISTMAS

PHIL VASSAR & LONESTAR:

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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 | 3 11/21/18 12:21 PM

::NEWS&VIEWS FEATURES | POLLS | TAKING LIBERTIES | ISSUE OF THE WEEK

Head Smart: Wisconsin Researchers Make Concussions a Priority ::BY MICHAEL POPKE

n October, the world’s most comprehensive concussion study received a new infusion of $22.5 million to continue its work examining the impact of head injuries on student athletes. That’s huge news for the Medical College of Wisconsin, one of four educational institutions (along with Indiana University’s School of Medicine, the University of Michigan and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences) leading the NCAA-DOD Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium.

Better known as the CARE Consortium, the study is funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). It began in 2014 with a $30 million grant and the twin goals of understanding how concussions affect the brain and identifying ways to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention. So far, the CARE Consortium has collected data on more than 39,000 student athletes and cadets at 30 colleges, universities and military service academies—including the University of Wisconsin.

More than 3,300 of the study’s participants have experienced concussions.

“It was really our work over the last 20 years that put us in a position to compete for and lead the CARE Consortium project,” says Michael McCrea, professor of neurosurgery and co-director of the Center for Neurotrauma Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), who is one of the study’s leaders. McCrea and his MCW team focus on head impact sensor technologies, advanced neuroimaging and biological markers that include detailed genetic testing. The college’s participation in such a monumental project is indicative of Wisconsin’s status as a leader in concussion research that is changing not only how concussions are diagnosed and treated, but also the way in which people perceive brain injuries.

“Wisconsin is known for collaborative, interprofessional concussion research,” says Traci Snedden, assistant professor and pediatric nurse practitioner at the UWMadison School of Nursing. Snedden’s recent work links concussions in students to academic struggles. “That’s how change is going to happen: by doing research collaboratively.” Snedden (along with several other researchers around the state) is among those whose diverse body of work provides national insight into the ever-evolving science of concussions, which commonly occur not only in football but also in such winter sports as basketball, wrestling and ice hockey. Those researchers also include Alison Brooks—associate professor in UW-Madison’s Department of Orthopedics and principal investigator at the CARE Consortium’s Madison site—and Brian Stemper, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Marquette University and MCW.

Increasing Public Awareness

McCrea, for one, has been at this a long time. In the late 1990s, he and renowned University of North Carolina sports medicine researcher Kevin Guskiewicz co-led the NCAA’s first concussion study, which, though limited to male student athletes, was the largest of its kind at the time. “Back in those days, we were relying on a symptoms checklist, and the athletes self-reported,” McCrea says. “Fast-forward over the past 20 years, and we now have the ability to better understand the effects of this injury on the brain and how long it takes the brain to recover.”

Indeed, concussion awareness among medical professionals and the general public has come a long way from what might as well be considered the dark ages. That was before the term “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy,” a brain condition associated

4 | NOVEMBER 29, 2018

with repeated blows to the head, better known as CTE, became a common part of the vernacular. National Football League (NFL) players such as former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Chris Borland began retiring at the peak of their careers, fearing longterm brain damage, and parents stopped letting their young kids play tackle football.

CTE cannot be detected until death and has been found in several deceased NFL players. The Medical College of Wisconsin will co-lead a study on the potential long-term neurologic health consequences of concussions and sub-concussive injuries sustained by as many as 2,500 former NFL players. McCrea is co-principal investigator on the study, which was announced on Thursday, Nov. 15. “[The medical community has] evolved from doing nothing about concussions to a very awkward and misguided period of ‘cocoon therapy,’ where people were advising athletes to go into a dark room and observe total rest for an extended period of time.

We soon realized that did more harm than good,” McCrea says. “Then, the pendulum swung back, and we’re now studying approaches toward active rehabilitation, meaning that, after an athlete has observed a brief period of rest to let symptoms improve, we introduce low-level exercise that we know is good for brain recovery but also really good for the athlete’s mental health.”

McCrea, who recently was elected president of the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, also spearheads MCW’s Project Head to Head II, an ongoing study of sportsrelated concussions in high school and college athletes in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Additionally, he oversees a study funded by the NFL to determine the role of active rehabilitation strategies in concussion management.

Return to Play or Return to Learn?

Snedden’s work has made headlines for linking concussions to increased academic struggles. Her research indicates that concussed college students (not just athletes) at the University of Wisconsin experience shorter attention spans, more time-management troubles and more difficulty taking notes than students with other injuries, such as broken bones and torn ligaments. She also recently conducted a similar study with high school students (mostly athletes) in the Milwaukee and Madison areas.

“There has been more focus on return to play than return to learn,” Snedden says. “Thankfully, we’re gaining some progress in placing attention on the return-to-learn component after this type of injury.” As evidence, Snedden notes that some high schools in Wisconsin have enlisted concussion-management teams to help students recovering from a head injury better navigate the return-to-learn process. Stemper, meanwhile, is the lead author of a recent study that concludes a football player hit in the head might suffer a concussion not as a result of that single impact but based on the number and severity of hits his head sustained in the days, weeks and months prior to the concussion. His findings provide further support for limiting head-impact exposure during practices and games.

Collectively, the research conducted by Stemper, Snedden, McCrea and others is helping steer the local and national concussion discussion. “When we first got into this work, there were high school athletes rendered unconscious who were returning to play during the same game. Those days are gone,” McCrea says about the combined impact of collaborative research and the subsequent boost in overall concussion awareness among players, coaches, parents and athletic administrators. “In 15 years, return to play has gone from 15 minutes to 15 days.” Meanwhile, “the science continues to grow, and it’s going to get more complex,” Snedden adds. “But every single day, we are learning.”

Comment at shepherdexpress.com.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

December 4, 2018 Miller High Life Theatre

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NEWS&VIEWS::FEATURE

Keep on Busin’

MILWAUKEE COUNTY STRUGGLES TO SAVE ‘JOBLINES’ USED BY HUNDREDS DAILY ::BY DAN SHAW

T

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6 | NOVEMBER 29, 2018

his year was nearly the end of the line for a Milwaukee County bus route used largely to ferry residents of Milwaukee’s inner city to jobs that would otherwise be miles out of reach.

The county’s bus Route 61, although not even four years old, has more than 800 riders on average for its weekday trips to commercial districts found along Appleton Avenue, both in Milwaukee and across the county line in Menomonee Falls. More impressive, the number of people taking this so-called JobLine has increased even as passenger figures for the entire Milwaukee County Transit System have generally declined.

It’s a story that policymakers would seem eager to embrace: a shining example of public transportation living up to its promise to bring people to jobs that would otherwise be too far afield. But, even with such patent benefits, local officials struggled this year to keep the Route 61 JobLine going. As is always the case with public transportation, the biggest source of trouble has been funding. Route 61 was set up in 2015, alongside two other JobLines—routes 6 and 279—using money from a lawsuit settlement reached over the state’s reconstruction of the massive Zoo Interchange.

Activist groups, such as the Milwaukee InnerCity Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) and the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW), argued that the Zoo Interchange project, taking place well west of Milwaukee’s Downtown, would primarily benefit affluent residents of the city’s suburbs. In a settlement reached with the state, the plaintiffs secured $11.5 million for the new JobLines. The money, though, had to be all spent by a specific date: Oct. 1 of this year.

Well before that deadline, local officials had recognized Route 279 wasn’t going to work. The line was canceled in 2016 after generating little interest in its daily trips to an industrial park in Menomonee Falls. The same fate now awaits Route 6, which attracts only between 100 and 150 riders a day for its journeys southwest of Milwaukee to the city of New Berlin.

Getting to Work

With such low passenger numbers, Route 6 probably wasn’t worth keeping around, according to a study released in October by the UWMilwaukee Center for Economic Development.

Route 61, though, is another matter. The Route 61 line, according to the study, provides many inner-city residents with their sole means of getting to nearly 700 employers with 15,000 jobs. They include many of the biggest names in retail— Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Costco, Menards and Kohl’s—as well as manufacturers, various sorts of professional-service firms, smaller shops and restaurants.

Crucially, the biggest employer served by the route—Alto-Shaam Inc., which has about 360 people on its payroll making commercial-kitchen equipment—is in Waukesha County. As noted in the UWM report, the only businesses at risk of losing workers, should Route 61 be shut down, would be those operating across the county line.

Companies in Milwaukee County could still be reached by other routes.

Joel Rast, director of the UWM Center for Economic Development and author of the report, said one of the biggest lessons he learned from studying the passenger numbers is that route design matters a lot. Route 6 was a long haul and took riders on a meandering path through the New Berlin Industrial Park. Route 61 is similarly long, but it goes through parts of the city that give people lots of reasons to hop on and off. There

she and other county officials were able to continue the service in part because of additional transportation-aid money Milwaukee County is receiving from the state. Keeping it going next year will most likely require more from the same source. Dimitrijevic said she thinks county officials have a good case to make for receiving additional assistance. Republicans in Madison have gone to great lengths in recent years to try to get unemployed people off public benefits as quickly possible and back into the workforce. But if people are going to be expected to work, Dimitrijevic said, they have to have a reliable means of getting to a job. “Anyone who runs on getting people to work and economic development must also support public transit,” she said. “The two go hand and hand.”

Dimitrijevic and Rast also said Milwaukee County officials may have to look for support a little closer to home. The two noted that both Waukesha and Washington counties have benefitted from the Route 61 line, yet they have contributed nothing toward it. The time may have come, they said, for the formation of some sort of regional partnership that helps ensure that places with high demand for employees are paying some of the cost of getting people to work.

“It’s simply not fair to be footing the entire bill to get employees out to employers in Waukesha

RAST’S STUDY FURTHER REVEALED JUST HOW DEPENDENT PASSENGERS ARE ON THE JOBLINES. A SURVEY OF RIDERS FOUND THAT ONLY 26 % HAD A DRIVER’S LICENSE AND 14 % HAD ACCESS TO A CAR. A FULL TWO THIRDS OF THE PASSENGERS SURVEYED REPORTED TAKING THE JOBLINES TO GET TO JOBS. are not just jobs, but also places for shopping and food. “So, you have to ask yourself, ‘What are the destinations?’,” Rast said, “and configure a route that people are going to want to get to.”

Rast’s study further revealed just how dependent passengers are on the JobLines. A survey of riders found that only 26 % had a driver’s license and 14 % had access to a car. A full two thirds of the passengers surveyed reported taking the JobLines to get to jobs. “I think that’s appreciated by very few people and only by certain lawmakers, the fact that poor people don’t always have cars, or they don’t have a driver’s license in some cases,” Rast said. “And then these people are very limited in the job opportunities they can get to.”

Waukesha Still on the Line

County officials’ latest budget doesn’t actually save Route 61. Instead, it modifies two existing lines—Routes 57 and 22—to ensure riders can continue getting to the same employers. Most important of all, the plan continues service into Waukesha County until August 2019, when county officials will have to take yet another look at the budget.

County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic said

County and other places that can’t find enough workers,” Rast said.

But Allison Bussler, Waukesha County’s director of public works, said she and her colleagues are not quite ready to add a JobLine to the bus routes Waukesha County now helps Milwaukee County fund. In talks with Milwaukee County Transit officials, Bussler said she has learned that passenger data suggest most riders of Route 61 were getting off the bus in Milwaukee County rather than staying to cross the county line. She also said employer surveys, which were conducted by the Waukesha County Business Alliance, rank a lack of public transportation very low on the list of reasons why local companies sometimes struggle to find workers.

However, the current and future JobLines are to be paid for. Rast said the story of Route 61 has given skeptics reason to doubt at least some of their convictions about public transportation.

Above all, it has shown that there can be great demand for a well-designed service that helps people show up for work. “I think this was an important first step,” he said. “It was at least partially successful, and we can do even better based on whatever we learned from this experience.”

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SHEPHERD EXPRESS

N OV E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 7

::SAVINGOURDEMOCRACY ( NOV. 29 - DEC. 5, 2018 ) The Shepherd Express serves as a clearinghouse for all activities in the greater Milwaukee area that peacefully push back against discriminatory, reactionary or authoritarian actions and policies of the Donald Trump administration, as well as others who seek to thwart social justice. We will publicize and promote actions, demonstrations, planning meetings, teach-ins, party-building meetings, drinkingdiscussion get-togethers and any other actions that are directed toward fighting back to preserve our liberal democratic system.

Thursday, Nov. 29

Anti-Gun Vigil @ Brew City Shooters Supply (2339 S. 43rd St.), noon-1 p.m.

Casa Maria Catholic Worker, a Catholic Worker community which takes in homeless women, families asylees and refugees, will hold a vigil protesting gun violence outside of Brew City Shooters Supply, a local gun store.

MKE Monumental Five @ America’s Black Holocaust Museum (2233 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave.), 6-8:30 p.m.

At the finale of the MKE Monumental series, which honors the 50th anniversary of the open housing marches, attendees will take a deep look at the marches with a program facilitated by Dasha Kelly of Still Waters Collective. The free event includes light appetizers. You can register at zeidlercenter.org/mkemonumental.

Driver Licenses for All @ South Division High School (1515 W. Lapham Blvd.), 2-4 p.m.

This event is a part of Voces de la Frontera’s campaign to pass legislation that will restore driver licenses to immigrants and low-income people. The group will share information on the campaign’s progress and upcoming actions.

Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of America New Member Orientation @ Mitchell Street Library (906 W. Historic Mitchell St.), 1-3 p.m.

The Milwaukee chapter of Democratic Socialists of America will hold an orientation for new members or people who are just interested in learning more about the group. The group will join for food, drink and conversation after the meeting.

Tuesday, Dec. 4

The Future of Milwaukee’s Parks @ The Wisconsin Club’s City Club (900 W. Wisconsin Ave.), 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

This interactive lunch and discussion looks at “the downward spiral of shrinking parks department funding,” according to the event’s Facebook page, and seeks to find ways to hold state and local elected officials accountable. The event is $15 for the public and $13 for Milwaukee Riverkeeper members. You can register at www.milwaukeeriverkeep.org.

An Evening to Promote Racial Justice @ Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (929 N. Water St.), 5-8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 1

Democratic strategist and CNN political commenter Symone D. Sanders will be the keynote speaker at this year’s YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin-hosted awards presentation.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at ywcasew.org.

Every Saturday from noon-1 p.m., concerned citizens join with Peace Action Wisconsin to protest war and, literally, “Stand for Peace.” Signs will be provided for those who need them.

Protesters are encouraged to stick around for conversation and coffee afterward.

To submit to this column, please send a brief description of your action, including date and time, to savingourdemocracy@shepex.com. Together, we can fight to minimize the damage that Donald Trump and others of his kind have planned for our great country.

Peace Action Wisconsin: Stand for Peace @ the corner of Locust Street and Humboldt Avenue, noon-1 p.m.

NEWS&VIEWS::POLL

You Say Tony Evers Should Propose Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Last week, we asked if Governor-elect Tony Evers should propose legalizing medical marijuana in his inaugural budget, given that the public showed more than 80% support for medical marijuana in referenda held throughout Wisconsin. You said: n Yes: 86% n No: 14%

What Do You Say?

Ivanka Trump defended her use of a private email account to conduct government business by claiming that she didn’t know she was violating any rules. Considering that Donald Trump spent months on the campaign trail attacking Hillary Clinton for her emails as his supporters chanted “Lock her up!” do you buy Ivanka Trump’s explanation? n Yes n No Vote online at shepherdexpress.com. We’ll publish the results of this poll in next week’s issue.

8 | NOVEMBER 29, 2018

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

NEWS&VIEWS::TAKINGLIBERTIES

Happy Holidays from Trump’s ‘Vicious’ World ::BY JOEL MCNALLY

D

onald Trump’s chilling Thanksgiving message this year, that “the world is a very, very vicious place,” wasn’t the usual uplifting encouragement for the American people to celebrate their blessings as loving families gather around a bountiful table. But, at least, it was fair warning about his own grim vision of our future together.

It’s normal whenever presidents call attention to the horrors of the world to promise nothing can prevent Americans, united in common purpose, from triumphing over adversity. But it’s often been said that Trump defies presidential norms. In a hostile, vicious world, he’s more of an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” kind of guy.

Trump was explaining why he doesn’t intend to order economic sanctions or end arms sales to Saudi Arabia just because U.S. intelligence agencies say the Saudi crown prince ordered the barbaric murder and dismemberment of a critical Saudi journalist who lived in the U.S. “Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place,” the deeply philosophical Trump philosophized.

Trump sees nothing immoral or un-American about a U.S. foreign policy that curries favor with savage dictators around the world. Besides, the crown prince is a good pal of Trump’s own princely son-in-law, and the Saudis spend millions of dollars buying Trump real estate and renting whole floors in his luxury hotels. Such a foreign policy devoid of morality or democratic values should come as no surprise since Trump has completely removed morality and American values from his domestic policies as well. Despite that, many of Trump’s strongest supporters continue to call themselves evangelical Christians and patriotic Americans. No one knows why.

For Trump and his Republican supporters and apologists, there are far more terrifying concerns than Saudi Arabian butchers: Muslim assassins brandishing bone saws are our friends, but impoverished Latin Americans escaping poverty and gang violence are plotting to rape and kill you. Especially dangerous are women and children fleeing violence in Central America on foot across Mexico to invade the U.S. and murder Americans in their beds. Mixed in are lots of sinister Middle Easterners, and they aren’t those nice Saudis, either; they’re from those other scary Muslim countries from which Trump called for a travel ban— whichever countries those are.

As fast as undocumented immigrants could stream across the border, they lined up at polling places to cast illegal ballots for Democrats in the midterm elections. As Trump explained publicly, as soon as they voted, they would go outside and change shirts or put on a different hat and come back in and vote again.

That’s why Georgia purged hundreds of thouSHEPHERD EXPRESS

sands of African Americans from the voting rolls, closed polling places in black communities and passed an “exact match signature” voter registration law to prevent illegal votes for African American Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams. Trump demanded Florida stop even counting votes and declare Republican candidates who were ahead on Election Night the winners.

In Wisconsin, Republicans were fortunate to continue controlling both houses of the state legislature through dishonest gerrymandering, even though Democrats defeated Gov. Scott Walker and every other Republican running statewide. As was true of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the election of Barack Obama in 2008, the first concern of Wisconsin Republicans is to make sure Governor-elect Tony Evers doesn’t succeed in improving the lives of Wisconsinites. If voters get what

they voted for, they’ll just elect more Democrats. That will be easier when Evers forces the creation of fair voting districts after the 2020 census.

On a more positive note, an honest report by scientists within Trump’s own government documenting the growing destruction from deadly wildfires, hurricanes, floods and droughts caused by climate change will finally alarm Trump and Republicans into reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to end the catastrophic human, economic and environmental devastation. Unfortunately, just kidding.

There really was such a report mandated by Congress. Trump released it on Black Friday, hoping that everyone would be too busy fighting over large-screen TVs to pay any attention.

Whenever the temperature drops, Trump still sends out ignorant tweets pretending climate change doesn’t exist. He won’t stop destroying

environmental regulations that protect life on Earth until forced to do so by either Congress or the courts.

Trump escaped his own vicious world for a brief moment of quiet reflection over Thanksgiving. When he was asked what he was most thankful for, Americans already knew his answer: himself. He was clearly proud of everything he’s accomplished as president for himself and his family; you know, like that whopping big tax cut for the richest people in America.

The rest of us got loose change out of that, but the midterms gave us plenty to be thankful for as well: Most of all, the results of the midterms have now created a real congressional check on Trump, rid Wisconsin of Walker and flipped Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania back into the Democratic column heading into the 2020 presidential election. Happy holidays!

Comment at shepherdexpress.com.

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Wisconsin Voices’ Markasa Tucker BRINGING ACTIVISTS TOGETHER WITH THE COMMUNITY ::BY ERIN BLOODGOOD

M

arkasa Tucker was never really involved in civic engagement, until April 30, 2014, when Dontre Hamilton was shot and killed in Milwaukee. “That is what struck a nerve for me,” she states. New to activism, Tucker responded to the call when the Hamilton family asked people to join them in protest at Red Arrow Park following the shooting. She felt drawn to the protest and wanted to show support for the family, becoming one of many to demand justice and accountability from the police department.

That same year, Tucker took a job at Wisconsin Voices, knowing that her career was heading down a new path. Wisconsin Voices is an organization that connects social action organizations with one another to build a collective that jointly has a stronger voice to make Wisconsin better. Once Tucker got a taste for activism, she couldn’t turn back. As she got more involved, she noticed “the community is often left from the table” when talking about policy changes and social justice, but she has made it her mission to bring them front and center. In 2016, the Coalition for Justice (CFJ)—an organization started by the Hamilton family focused on vindicating Dontre’s death and holding police accountable—

asked Tucker to join their core team. That topic of police accountability would become one of the core issues that Tucker would work to improve.

A turning point for Tucker came in 2016, when Dontre’s brother, Nate Hamilton, personally asked her to speak at a rally in front of a crowd.

After speaking with a bullhorn for the first time, she realized that is where she is meant to be. “I’m a connector and collaborator,” she says. “Continue to connect and engage people, because there’s value in all of us.” That year, she began incorporating the work of the CFJ into her work in the African American Round Table (AART), which is a monthly meeting of black leaders from the organizations that partner with Wisconsin Voices. Their goal is to create a unified partnership that empowers African Americans to lead and change policies through civic engagement.

Tucker is now a lead facilitator of public protests, community meetings and organized lobbying efforts that push to open conversations between Milwaukee’s police and its citizens.

‘Don’t Get Comfortable!’

“With Wisconsin Voices, I’ve learned that sometimes we show up in spaces as if we’re going to be a savior. We’re not the saviors,” explains Tucker. “The people who are affected and impacted by the situation, those are the people whose voices should be up front.” She goes on to say that, now that the election has ended, more than ever our citizens need to be present.

The AART will be hosting community meetings with the elected office holders before Tuesday, Jan. 1, to educate people about each role and to allow people to ask the elected candidates questions. Whether people call their alderperson or simply show up at a meeting, there are plenty of opportunities to jump into the movement.

“Find a way to plug in,” states Tucker. “Just don’t lose this momentum. Don’t get comfortable!”

To learn more about Wisconsin Voices and the AART, visit wisconsinvoices.org.

For more of Erin Bloodgood’s work and to find ways to get involved, visit bloodgoodfoto.com.

Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n SHEPHERD EXPRESS

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::DININGOUT

For more Dining, log onto shepherdexpress.com

COURTESY OF SABOR TROPICAL

FEATURE | SHORT ORDER | EAT/DRINK

Sabor Tropical

New in Milwaukee New locations, new flavors and a new chain comes to town ::BY LACEY MUSZYNSKI The East Side gets a new café-restaurant combo, a Downtown spot rebrands itself, and more Latin flavors move into Bay View. Plus, a new spot from the owners of McBob’s (minus the corned beef).

East Town Kitchen & Bar

Millioke has rebranded and changed formats to an upscale comfort food venue.

East Town Kitchen & Bar has a focus on Milwaukee and local ingredients, just like its new name. The space features a new layout with a subway tile-backed relocated bar and new banquette seating. Small plates include BLT deviled eggs, a jumbo pretzel with cheddar beer cheese and Widmer’s cheese curds. Two burgers feature Fred Linz Farms beef and toppings like white barbecue sauce and thick-cut peppered bacon. Beer-battered walleye, fried chicken with a hot honey drizzle and baked macaroni and cheese round out the entrees. Brunch includes items like biscuits and gravy and an appropriately named 32-ounce “Big Ass Bloody Mary.”

323 E. Wisconsin Ave. • 414-847-3162 easttownkitchenandbar.com

Freshii

A Canadian-based fast casual chain has opened in the Two-Fifty Building Downtown. Freshii serves salads, wraps, bowls, burritos, frozen yogurt and fresh juices to health-conscious diners. Salads and wraps can be ordered in styles like Cobb and Southwestern fiesta or as build-your-own. Bowls are made with bases like brown rice, quinoa or rice noodles with flavor influences from the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. This is the first location in Milwaukee, but not the first in the state.

Madison’s two locations closed last month, leaving an Appleton, Wisc., location outside of our area.

250 E. Wisconsin Ave. • 414-921-0819 freshii.com/ca/en-ca/milwaukee

Interval

A café by day and restaurant by night has opened in the former Pleasant Kafe space. Interval is operated by the guys behind Pilcrow Coffee and aims to be a casual meeting space for the neighborhood all day long. Breakfast includes homemade biscuits served with or without sausage ($4-$6), banana bread ($4) and nitro, pour-

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over, espresso and Brazilian drinks. At dinner, the atmosphere will remain relaxed and comfortable in the minimalist space, while the menu will serve upscale small plates, pasta and larger plates for sharing. Dishes will change frequently, but expect items like pork belly with popped sorghum, vegetable salads with black garlic, pork fat madelines with cheese foam and steak tartare—all for around $10.

1600 N. Jackson St. • intervalmke.com • $-$$$

Merge

A modern bar and restaurant serving Korean-style fried chicken wings has opened in the former Yokohama space. Merge owners Choonghoon Lee and Lane Kim also own Char’d, a Korean restaurant that opened earlier this year. The fusion menu will include bar snacks and appetizers like Korean-influenced loaded fries, tacos and burgers. The signature item will be Korean fried chicken, which is known for its extreme crispness and sweet-and-spicy sauce. Cocktails with homemade syrups and weekend brunch will be available. The interior of the space is sleek and playful, and includes custom murals inspired by Black Cat Alley next door.

1932 E. Kenilworth Place • mergemke.com

Sabor Tropical

A Caribbean and Latin American-inspired restaurant has opened in the former Riviera Maya spot (which has moved about a block down the street). Sabor Tropical serves dishes from Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico and Cuba, among others.

Plantains play a big role on the menu in items like tostones rellenos ($8-$10) stuffed with your choice of meat; mofongo rellenos ($15-$24), an entree made of mashed plantains with chicharrónes and topped with shrimp, lobster or fish; and el jibarito ($11), a sandwich with smashed plantains taking the place of bread. Other options include Cuban ropa vieja ($12) with shredded flank steak and olives, pechuga con mole ($12) and gazpacho with shrimp, cucumbers and onion served with chicharrónes ($10). Tropical drinks like mojitos, caipirinhas and piña coladas are the bar’s specialty.

2258 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. • 414-988-8030 sabortropicalmke.com • $$

Tusk

A new restaurant named after the owner’s appreciation for elephants has opened in Washington Heights. Tusk is run by Christine McRoberts, who also owns McBob’s just a few blocks away. The restaurant will be collaborating with the new Vennture Brew Co. next door to incorporate their beer, coffee and brewing byproducts into the menu, as well as several items for customers with special diets.

A make-your-own board item includes meats, cheeses and accoutrements for sharing, along with apps like tempura green beans and chicken wings. Beef ramen made with stout ($15), sandwiches like grilled cheese and pulled pork and entrees such as blackened salmon ($14) round out the menu.

5513 W. North Ave. • $$

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::WHERETHEYEAT Joe Schreiter, Executive Chef, Mistral

2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. • 414-539-6469 • mistralmke.com

Kim’s Thai

938 W. Layton Ave. 414-282-8687 kimsthairestaurant.com

Holy Land Grocery and Deli 2755 W. Ramsey Ave. 414-817-1959 holylandgroceryanddeli.com

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Joe Schreiter, executive chef at Mistral, loves trying all the new restaurants in Milwaukee as they open, but it’s comfort food that he craves. One of his favorite foods in the city are stuffed chicken wings from Kim’s Thai. “They’re stuffed with vermicelli rice noodles, flavored with lemongrass and ginger and served with a soy-based sauce,” he says. “I don’t mind saying that I’ve often made a meal out of this appetizer.”

Chef Schreiter also finds comfort in the form of a falafel sandwich at Holy Land Grocery and Deli. “Their falafel is green from herbs, crispy on the outside and almost creamy inside,” he says.

“They also have great chicken shawarma, tabbouleh and hummus.”

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::SHORTORDER

Hotel Madrid’s “Secret” Lucha Bar ::BY TEA KRULOS Your journey into a bar called Mucha Lucha Milwaukee begins by approaching the bartender at the Hotel Madrid and saying a secret password (we’ll let you find that on your own). You’re given a card that acts as an entry pass, and you’re led to a bank of wood panels in a nearby wall that opens into a doorway. You walk down a flight of stairs to a dimly lit basement that feels like a rec room decorated by an obsessive fan of lucha—the Mexican wrestling sport made famous by its colorful mask-clad combatants. Lucha has long been popular in Mexico and has a following in the US; here, in Milwaukee, lucha is present with the locally-produced Mondo Lucha wrestling events.

On the walls of Mucha Lucha, you’ll find framed posters of classic lucha adventure movies starring famous luchadors, like Santo Contra el Doctor Muerte (“Santo Versus Doctor Death”). Loud hispanic hip hop blares from speakers while a flat screen TV shows lucha wrestling.

Hold a battery-powered candle up to the menu in the dark and you’ll find a mezcal and tequila connoisseur’s dream. The small basement bar serves classics like margaritas, palomas, and a spin on classics, like an anejo tequila version of an Old Fashioned. Clever specialty drinks like “Mezcal me in the Morning,”“I Caz ‘adore’ You”, and “Jarritos Locos” fill out the menu. There’s Mexican beer in stock for those not tequila inclined.

Limited to weekend hours only, Mucha Lucha is much the same appeal as the Safe House—the password and clandestine passageway into a unique spot is what makes the bar interesting—a fun place to bring friends, a date and, of course, anyone that loves tequila and lucha wrestling.

Mucha Lucha Milwaukee is located in the secret basement of the Hotel Madrid (600 S. Sixth St.) and is open Friday-Saturday 10 p.m.-2 a.m. and Sunday 5 p.m.-2 a.m. More info at muchaluchamilwaukee.com.

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DININGOUT::EATDRINK

Cannabidiol Food and Drink in Milwaukee ::BY SHEILA JULSON

C

annabidiol (CBD) has grown to become one of the most popular compounds of the hemp plant due to its touted anti-inflammatory and antianxiety properties without any psychoactive effects. Since the State of Wisconsin legalized the growing of industrialized hemp nearly a year ago, growers, producers and sellers of hemp and hemp-infused food and beverages have gotten in on the ground floor of this budding industry.

John Ross Ferrell, a.k.a. Johnny Stallion, founder of PhiloÇoffia, launched a line of CBDinfused cold brew and bottled espresso shots this past fall. He partners with Waukesha’s Café de Arts for roasting, and he bottles at Lincoln Warehouse in Bay View.

Ferrell first learned about CBD through a neighbor at Lincoln Warehouse, Mary Pellettieri of Top Note Tonic, which prompted him to research CBD’s medicinal benefits. He began experimenting and found that adding full spectrum CBD to coffee moderated some negative effects from coffee like “the jitters,” while enhancing relaxation and mental focus.

PhiloÇoffia’s CBD-infused coffee products are sold at Outpost Natural Foods, Beans & Barley, Good Harvest Market, Café de Arts, Health Hut’s Brookfield location, Sugar & Flour Bakery Café and MOR Bakery & Café.

Ferrell said the CBD-infused cold brew and espresso now comprise over half of his sales.

Ferrell also has other products in the works:

CBD edibles from ErthScentials’

Zuss—a play on Zeus, the Greek god—is a sports tablet that combines CBD with caffeine and vitamins that’s designed for a convenient pre-workout boost.

Ferrell currently gets CBD from Colorado but plans to source from Wisconsin growers once our state’s hemp industry takes hold. In an effort to promote the local hemp businesses, he founded Cannabisconsin (cannabisconsin.com), an organization to serve as a resource for farmers, retailers, processors and consumers. “It’s a place where consumers can find content or articles about legal issues surrounding cannabis, as well as anything new in Wisconsin.”

Canni Hemp Co. (810 S. Fifth St.) is a play on the question “Can I?” and was founded by local musician Colin Plant, who had always had an appreciation for cannabis and led a holistic lifestyle for much of his adulthood. His work in the tech industry brought him in contact with cannabis operations in Colorado.

“The recreational and medicinal markets

seemed very lucrative, and I dove into what would eventually be a giant wave that’s sweeping the country at this point,” Plant said. He researched the therapeutic and health benefits of CBD oil, and he and his wife noticed their quality of life improve. Opening a shop seemed like a logical next step. Canni Hemp Co. officially opened on Saturday, Oct. 20, with CBD infusededibles, oils, health and beauty products and pet care. “We created a comfortable, embracing, boutique ambiance for all ages, versus a feel that’s like a head shop,” Plant said.

Canni Hemp Co. is constantly expanding their CBD-infused edibles. They carry coffee and tea by Florida-based Green Roads, Pure Bliss granola bars and dry-roasted hemp seeds and hemp hearts, which can be sprinkled on salads or snacked on right out the bag. Canni Hemp Co. carries three flavors of CBD-infused chocolates from Vermont-based Pryzm Hempworks and tonic oils flavored with black pepper or maple syrup, ideal for cold dishes or smoothies.

Plant plans to offer “cooking with CBD” classes, and he’s partnering with local restaurants to work on infusion ideas under a Canni brand of cooking oils. He’s also in the midst of producing a line of CBD hot sauce.

Jennifer Kawczynski, a clinical aromatherapist and owner of ErthScentials, has been in business for two years selling natural health and beauty products at events and local retail outlets.

She will open a brick-and-mortar store on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 1200 E. Oklahoma Ave., where she will feature a line of hemp cooking products likes hemp-leaf seasoning and CBD-infused coconut oil.

Other edibles include CBD gummies in almost every animal shape and CBD-infused lollipops, chews, hard candies, chocolate bars and hemp chocolate chunks. Because Kawczynski strives to educate consumers about CBD, she plans to continue doing community events after the store opens. ErthScentials will also offer CBD coffee drinks, energy drinks and their own CBD tea line. “There are so many exciting things coming!” Kawczynski enthused.

According to Matthew Wetzel of Laughing Grass Hemp (1412 S. 72nd St.), his shop is one of the first Colorado-style, CBD-only dispensaries in the Milwaukee area. Open since Wednesday, Sept. 19, Laughing Grass offers CBD rolled joints, oils, creams and hemp flowers, as well as a full line of edibles such as gummies and lollipops. They’ve recently partnered with MKE Kitchen, which provides commercial kitchen space in Riverwest to craft CBDinfused bakery.

414 Hemp, owned by former Milwaukee alderman Michael McGee Jr. and partner Maya Mays, offers hemp-infused cookies, savory and fruit snacks and dog treats, as well as lotions and oils at a store in Mayfair Mall. They also have a presence at Brookfield Square and have expanded into markets in Madison and Appleton, with names based on the local area codes.

There’s also High Tea, owned by Jodi Denton, that offers CBD honey infusions in sticks and bottled form, in six flavors (highteamke.com).

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Holiday Happenings

SHOP LOCAL

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Get shoppers through your doors by advertising your holiday specials and gift ideas If you’re interested in advertising in the Gift Pages, please contact your Account Executive or contact Jackie at 414.292.3814 or jackie@shepex.com.

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Holiday Gift Pages Browse pages 15 - 19 for holiday gifts that will make the season bright!

To advertise on these pages, please contact your Account Executive or contact Jackie at 414.292.3814 or jackie@shepex.com.

AMERICAN SCIENCE & SURPLUS

BRADY STREET FESTIVUS

Don’t stick just anything in their stockings…shop with geeks, treasure hunters, artists and mad scientists for the most incredible stuff in Milwaukee! From robotic lizards and wooden catapult kits to beaker mugs and ludicrously-bright flashlights, American Science & Surplus has thousands of unique items to educate, entertain and most certainly give you a reason to giggle.

Brady Street celebrates the return of Festivus on Saturday, December 8th, 3pm til 1:30am. Registration required for the 3rd Annual Festivus One Mile Beer Run and Feats of Strength. The Festivus for the Rest of us…

ART BAR Art*Bar’s 12th annual “mini” show is the biggest and best tiny art show of its kind.

Tiny art @ tiny prices: Everything is smaller than 8” x 8” and sells for less than $100!

More than 150 local artists and more than 1,800 pieces of art. The show is reloaded with new art every day from now until Christmas; show ends Sunday, December 30.

BAY VIEW PRINTING COMPANY

BREW CITY BRANDS Established in 1986, Brew City Brand is a family-owned, Milwaukee-based clothing company that designs and prints incredibly local products—it celebrates everything that makes Milwaukee iconic. You’ll find the perfect gift for that special someone (or for yourself!) to show off that unique Milwaukee pride—think t-shirts, glassware, can coozies, sweatshirts, socks and even beer-scented candles. Brew City has three retail locations at the Milwaukee Public Market, General Mitchell Field Airport and Southridge Mall or online at www.brewcityonline.com.

A community-focused design and letterpress print shop, their days are spent crafting one-of-a-kind impressions on paper and, by night, opening up type drawers and teaching you how to do the same. Treat your peeps to a Drink&Ink gift card this season, and you’ll be gifting an amazing night of drinks and poster printing at their weirdly awesome, 100-year-old letterpress print shop—an experience they’ll never forget!

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Buddy Squirrel combines the best of both worlds when it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth or craving for salt. Whether you’re looking for confections, nuts or gourmet popcorns, Buddy Squirrel offers a wide selection of award-winning specialties at three, convenient retail locations. Treat yourself or that special someone to delicious indulgences that are handmade using traditional recipes to make the perfect gift, holiday treat or party favor!

A 4th generation local, family business that has proudly served the Milwaukee area since 1928 that takes pride in their quality, pricing and personal service. Their specialties include affordable, better quality furniture and mattresses, mostly USA- and Amishmade, and small-scale furniture. They have a huge in-stock selection as well as affordable custom options with your choice of fabric, leather, wood, finish and hardware.

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In the bottom of a house on the East Side’s Historic Brady Street lies a brightly colored, delightfully warm and homey cafe. Brewed serves up all-day breakfast, sandwiches and weekly homemade soup specials in a cozy space. You are invited to sit, relax and enjoy a cup of their excellent coffee or mull their eclectic art over a glass of wine or beer.

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CASCIO MUSIC Join this 72-year-old musical instrument

retailer in celebrating Small Business Saturday! You will find endless savings with special sales starting on Black Friday that carry over right into Saturday with even more doorbusters. Their experienced music team looks forward to serving everyone from the budding musician to the seasoned rock star and everyone in between!

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CBD Therapeutics of WI is a local, family business of Organic CBD products in Southeastern WI. All products are made from organic fair-trade ingredients, contain 99% pure CBD isolate and are THC free.

Come celebrate their first Small Business Saturday! There will be door prizes, giveaways with super-cool, free tote bags, CBD infused refreshments, and a SALE! CBD Therapeutics HOLIDAZE Gift Bags will be loaded with products at a steep discount that’s perfect for gifting.

CHRISTMAS IN THE WARD Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this old-fashioned Milwaukee favorite! It doesn’t get more “holiday” than fireworks, a tree lighting ceremony, live reindeer, and so much more. And don’t forget to stop and visit the big guy himself—Santa! On Friday, November 30 (5:30-8:00pm) a festive month of holiday fun and shopping is kicked off in the Historic Third Ward.

DAVID BARNETT GALLERY Have you been to David Barnett Gallery?

Located within the historic Button Mansion overlooking Lake Michigan, the gallery houses over 6,000 artworks from around the world in a variety of styles and prices. No wonder it has been revered as a Wisconsin art destination! The gallery offers custom picture framing, art appraisals, restoration, installation, and giclée printing. Gift Certificates available!

FISCHBERGER’S VARIETY Fischberger’s Variety, a one-of-a-kind gift shop masquerading as an old-time variety store, aims to have the finest and freshest build-your-own $20 gifts for all ages. You’ll find unique, thoughtful gifts including a large selection of books, quality toys, home goods, yarn and fun, cool stuff guaranteed!

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Just about everyone loves chocolate, especially at the holidays, and Kilwins selection is made from the finest ingredients on earth. You’ll melt their hearts as it melts in their mouths. Don’t forget their luscious caramels, creamy ice cream or fudge. You can even take a class!

Great things come in small packages at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers. Since 1899, they have offered beautiful engagement rings, jewelry and timepieces. Their longstanding reputation of outstanding customer service, with onsite gemologists, goldsmith and watchmaker has made them one of the most trusted and respected jewelers in the Milwaukee area. This holiday season, shop local at Schwanke-Kasten!

SPARROW COLLECTIVE A brick-and-mortar boutique and gift shop featuring contemporary clothing and artisan goods. Their local gallery sells handcrafted items such as printed tees, jewelry, accessories, bath and home goods, candles, gifts and so much more. Featuring monthly metalsmithing, jewelry, calligraphy and fiber classes in their Milwaukee shop. Stop in and check out their specials on Small Business Saturday!

URSA Come visit URSA and enjoy a unique shopping experience in their relaxing, sun-filled boutique. You’ll find a unique collection of gifts and goods to make your home look and feel it’s best. You’ll also find women’s & men’s apparel, jewelry, apothecary goods, houseplants and a wide selection of space cleansing incense, smudge sticks and candles. Shop with them on KK in Bay View. Free parking available in their lot.

THE WAXWING Find a unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade gift for nearly every occasion at The Waxwing, a Milwaukee boutique giftshop that features the work of more than 350 local and national makers! You’ll find this treasure located on Milwaukee’s East Side at the corner of North and Oakland avenues.

GREAT NORTHERN DISTILLING Is one of your favorite gifts to give or receive a bottle liquor? If so, Great Northern Distilling has what you need. Distilled in Plover, WI, they embrace the ingredients grown in the fields around them. Visit their distillery to see the process in action and stay for a tour and tasting--it’s just a quick road trip away! Pick up a bottle for a gift and don’t forget one for yourself; after all, it is the holidays.

JEWELERS GUILD Besides the typical jewelry store amenities, the Jewelers Guild offers beautiful retail jewelry showcasing 100% handcrafted works by talented jewelers that are ready to go home with you. However, their specialty is custom pieces designed just for you! Stop in for their Make & Take Ornament event during their Small Business Saturday Open House—open to all ages and skill levels!

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DAVE ZYLSTRA

::FEATURE

Scrooge Returns!

An Interview with the Milwaukee Rep’s Jonathan Wainwright ::BY TEA KRULOS

A

transplant from Georgia, Jonathan Wainwright was raised by a mother involved in the liberal arts and play productions, so he spent much of his childhood hanging around the theater. He occasionally filled kid roles in productions like Fiddler on the Roof and Brigadoon. In middle school, Wainwright moved from Georgia to Hales Corners and returned to theater in high school, acting in Whitnall High School’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He attended Carrol College to study theater but “my adviser suggested I didn’t enjoy school as much as I enjoyed acting, so maybe I should go act. He was a smart man,” Wainwright laughs. His first play for The Rep was a role in Translations, and he went on to perform in Othello, and Of Mice and Men, among others.

This is Wainwright’s third season portraying Ebenezer Scrooge for the last three seasons of The Rep’s popular production of A Christmas Carol.

eryone. It’s called A Christmas Carol, so it’s a Christian theme, but if you look at it, is it? It’s not—it crosses the gamut. Be kind. Do what you can do to help out. Don’t be a jerk. What it boils down to is that you have control and there’s room for redemption, reinvention—it’s not too late. You can always find time to make a change that’s going to make things better somehow, someway, and even what your influence can be.

If you look at the people in the world right now that have influence and what they can do with it and what they are doing with it both positively and negatively, it’s insane. Especially now how quickly things can be spread and changed and influenced, it’s mind-boggling.

Tell us more about your background with A Christmas Carol.

This is my third year playing Scrooge, but I played Bob Cratchit for four years before that and understudied Scrooge for two of those years.

Around 1995, I interned—they call it EPRs (Emerging Professional Residencies) now. So, I was in the production that year. I don’t really even remember it, it was a completely different version. Lots of sets on wires, so you had to be careful not to get run over by stuff!

What’s the most powerful part of the play?

One of the things I enjoy the most is the singing of “Joy to the World” at the end. We were so glad when we added it back last year, it was gone for a year. It’s a nice moment for everybody— the audience, us… A lot of hard work is done by everyone and everyone’s enjoying themselves, the cast goes out and people put money in our hats (The Rep collects money for a charity). One of my favorite parts of the show is the end. Not like “Thank God, the show is over,” but more like “We did it again!”

The Rep’s A Christmas Carol has multiple shows every week through Dec. 24. Find tickets and more info at milwaukeerep.com.

Why do you think A Christmas Carol resonates generation after generation?

I think part of it is that it’s accessible to evSHEPHERD EXPRESS

What’s your favorite part of playing Scrooge?

The whole reclamation. As an actor, it’s just so fun to go down that rabbit hole and then climb back out. There’re not too many roles like that, where you get to go all the way from bad guy to good guy. He’s an interesting character that way, both antagonist and protagonist.

HISTORIC THIRD WARD ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

Christmas in the

WARD

30 th Anniversary

Christmas in the WARD FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 5:30PM TO 8:30PM CATALANO SQUARE

BROADWAY AND MENOMONEE

Visit historicthirdward.org for all the details!

Shop sweet deals this holiday! the

www.ShepStore.com N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 19

::A&E

Brought to you by The Milwaukee Art Museum

DAVE ZYLSTRA

FEATURE | FILM | THEATRE | ART | BOOKS | CLASSICAL MUSIC | DANCE

Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival at Cathedral Square Park

Music, Dance, Theatre and Santa Claus Highlight Milwaukee’s Holiday Lights Festival ::BY JOHN JAHN

he Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival returns for its 20th year as the city’s official kick-off to the holiday season. It all began on Thursday, Nov. 15, at Pere Marquette Park (900 N. Plankinton Ave.) with pre-show entertainment followed by a holiday variety show and the city’s largest switch-flipping ceremony. Downtown Milwaukee is now thoroughly bedecked with lights, making for something of an enormous, urban version of Santa’s North Pole headquarters.

Indeed, the jolly man himself was on hand for this festive occasion. Accompanying him were performances by area musicians, dancers and actors. The “Kick-Off Extravaganza” featured music by Platinum, Jenny Thiel and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. There were dance numbers from members of Young Dance Academy, theatrical excerpts from Black Arts MKE’s production of Black Nativity and fiery performance art by Prismatic Flame. Also, Milwaukee Repertory Theater actors performed scenes from A Christmas Carol.

Beyond the entertainment aspects of the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival Kick-Off Extravaganza, guests feasted on complimentary cookies and warmed up with hot cocoa, as well as embarked upon Jingle Bus rides throughout Downtown. The evening’s celebration wrapped up with a fireworks display. It was a terrific way to kick off the holiday season.

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Places to Go, Things to Do, Ride the Jingle Bus!

Each 40-minute Jingle Bus tour—narrated by Milwaukee Downtown public service ambassadors imparting stories about landmarks and attractions along the way—is a fuss-free means to view all the holiday magic. Riders begin in the Jingle Bus Warming House outside the Plankinton Clover Apartments (161 W. Wisconsin Ave.); therein, they can enjoy complimentary holiday treats before embarking upon their Jingle Bus tour. These rides continue throughout the season, departing between 6 p.m. and 8:20 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, through Sunday, Dec. 30. Jingle Bus rides are $2 per person (cash only).

The festival is coordinated by Milwaukee Downtown, BID (Business Improvement District) #21, and includes themed installations in three parks: “Community Spirit” at Cathedral Square Park; “Candy Cane Cove” at Pere Marquette Park; and “Santa’s Lighted Lodge” at Zeidler Union Square. Street decorations now abound throughout the area, with an 18-block stretch of lights suspended above Wisconsin Avenue. After the Thursday before Thanksgiving’s official throwing of the “on” switch, more than 500,000 lights and dozens of animated displays will remain to brighten Milwaukee early-winter evenings through New Year’s Day. The plaza at 310W (310 W. Wisconsin Ave.) has been decorated with light-adorned trees and colorful yarn creations by Retailworks, Inc. Inside the lobby, carolers, cocoa and cookies await visitors on Wednesdays, Dec. 5 and 19. Santa and Mrs. Claus welcome all to “Cocoa with the Clauses” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at Cathedral Square Park; it’s a free outdoor event in which children can personally present their wish lists to Santa.

Indeed, now through Sunday, Dec. 9, “Santa’s Mailbox” at Cathedral Square Park is open for ready correspondence with jolly old St. Nick. Letters to Santa should include a return address but require no postage. Santa and his helpers will ensure that each return-addressed letter gets a personal, written response. Receiving much attention is the first-ever traditional German holiday market—Christkindlmarket—at the Fiserv Forum, complete with food, drinks, collectibles and gifts. There’s free admission to Christkindlmarket, which is open now through Monday, Dec. 31 (closed Christmas Day).

New this year, certainly, is the Downtown Milwaukee streetcar, The Hop, which enables shoppers and other visitors to Downtown Milwaukee throughout the season to connect with all the holiday festivities and myriad local businesses. Rides aboard The Hop remain free, courtesy sponsorship by Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. The Hop runs from the Intermodal Station (433 W. St. Paul Ave.) and continues past the Milwaukee Public Market (400 N. Water St.), with Burns Commons (1300 N. Franklin Place) as its final destination. Our sleek streetcar line links Downtown Milwaukee with the Historic Third Ward and the Lower East Side along a route filled with shops and attractions.

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 is an organization that was established 20 years ago to support the interests of the Downtown-area business community. Launched through privatesector leadership, Milwaukee Downtown is a management district organization that oversees 150 square blocks, representing approximately 500 property owners in the center of Downtown Milwaukee. The organization funds specific initiatives aimed at creating a clean, safe, enjoyable and friendly environment—including the annual Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS CONCERT TRIPLE PLAY

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GET TICKETS AT THERAVE.COM, THE RAVE BOX OFFICE OR CHARGE BY PHONE 414-342-7283 SHEPHERD EXPRESS

DRINK SPEC IA AT EACH SH LS OW!

N OV E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 21

::THISWEEKINMILWAUKEE ANDREW FELLER

FRIDAY, NOV. 30

THURSDAY, NOV. 29

Christmas in the Ward @ Catalano Square, 5:30 p.m.

Punk House Kegger 5 @ Burnhearts, 5 p.m.

Like skateboards and clove cigarettes, house shows are one of those traditions that punks tend to gradually age out of—once you hit legal drinking age, the idea of drinking flat PBR out of a plastic cup loses some of its appeal. Once a year, though, Burnhearts invites patrons to relive their wilder, younger days with its annual Punk House Kegger party, which cleverly swaps the usual watery domestic beer with genuinely great beer from Three Floyds. Now in its fifth year, the event will feature sets from the Milwaukee thrash metal band Population Control and street-punk enthusiasts Law/Less.

Once again, Historic Third Ward celebrates the holiday season with this outdoor gathering, now in its 30th year. The event features a tree lighting ceremony, live reindeer, photo opportunities with Santa Claus, a cookie sale, horse-drawn carriage rides and hot chocolate, in addition to a winter fireworks display over the Milwaukee River. There will also be music and performances from Rhythmic MKE, the Bach Chamber Carolers, Trinity Irish Dancers and the Sussex Hamilton A Cappella Choir.

FRIDAY, NOV. 30

Mac Miller Tribute Show @ Company Brewing, 9 p.m.

Though few would have expected it from his early releases, which played hard to hiphop’s college crowd with party-minded music, Mac Miller evolved into one of the most thoughtful, influential rap artists of his era. His final album, Swimming, was his most sophisticated yet, a beautifully soulful account of addiction and depression that sadly foreshadowed his own death. He died of an overdose in September at age 26. Miller had been scheduled to return to The Rave for a show this weekend—“He was one of those magical artists with an infectious laugh, always smiling and always putting others first,” the venue wrote in tribute to him—but in his absence, some of his fans in the Milwaukee rap scene have arranged this tribute show. Nile, Shle Berry and Airo Kwil will perform, along with a Mac Miller tribute cypher featuring assorted local musicians and DJ sets from Moses.

Proceeds from this benefit will go to The New State, a planned all-ages Milwaukee venue with an ambitious vision.

Brewers Clubhouse Sale @ Miller Park, 8 a.m.

Milwaukee Brewers fans can get their holiday shopping done early—or just treat themselves to a little something during the offseason—as this annual tradition returns for its 38th year. For two days, the team will hold this sale in the visiting clubhouse, with up to 80% off Brewers apparel and souvenirs. There will also be a huge variety of game-used baseballs, bats, helmets, bases and even clubhouse name plates. Bernie Brewer and the Racing Sausages will be available for photo opportunities at 11 a.m. each day. (Also Saturday, Dec. 1.)

Howard Levy 4 @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Howard Levy 22 | N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8

SATURDAY, DEC. 1 Tengger Cavalry @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m.

Here’s one for metal fans who think they’ve heard it all. The Mongolian folk-metal band Tengger Cavalry draws deeply from traditional Mongolian sounds, blending hard riffs with Khoomeistyle throat singing and native instruments like the Mongolian flute and the Morin Khuur, an ancient fiddle. The band promises to show their range on this tour. “We will showcase two sets every night, featuring both traditional Mongolian folk music (inspired by the success of our Carnegie Hall performance) and brutal, heavy, nomadic metal songs,” frontman Nature G said in a statement. “The goal is for us to broaden the musical minds of our audiences on this tour.”

Death Cab For Cutie w/ Jungle, Albert Hammond Jr. and Barns Courtney @ The Rave, 7:30 p.m.

After emerging as one of the biggest indie-rock bands of the ’00s, Death Cab For Cutie went through something of a wilderness period a few years ago. They parted on good terms with Chris Walla, their guitarist and also the producer who shaped their sound, and they sounded somewhat driftless on their final record with him, Kintsugi, which featured unusually pronounced synthesizers. The response from fans and critics has been much warmer for the group’s new album, Thank You For Today, which marks a return to form that doesn’t tinker all that much with the band’s classic formula. The band is joined by U.K. retro-funk outfit Jungle and rockers Albert Hammond Jr. and Barns Courtney on this FM 102.1 Big Snow Show bill.

ELIOT LEE HAZEL

When most people think of the harmonica, they understandably think of the blues, but that’s not the only genre the instrument lends itself to. As a co-founder of The Flecktones along with Béla Fleck, Howard Levy has spent decades demonstrating how versatile the harp can be, applying it to play jazz, Latin and world music, while debuting new playing techniques that have allowed for a fuller harmonic range. His new ensemble, the Howard Levy 4, pairs him with three ace Chicago musicians, including guitarist Chris Siebold and bassist Larry Kohut, both veterans of “A Prairie Home Companion.” The group draws heavily from Brazilian and Latin music.

Tengger Cavalry

Death Cab For Cutie SHEPHERD EXPRESS

DANIEL ARNOLD

Read our daily events guide, Today in Milwaukee, on shepherdexpress.com

Phosphorescent

SUNDAY, DEC. 2

Phosphorescent w/ Liz Cooper and the Stampede @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.

Before recording under the pseudonym Phosphorescent, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based musician Matthew Houck traveled the world playing under the moniker Fillup Shack, releasing the album Hipolit in 2000. Houck soon changed his recording name to Phosphorescent, an exploratory alt-country guise under which he released A Hundred Times or More in 2003.

Several albums later, Houck paid homage to one of his most enduring influences on the 2008 Willie Nelson tribute To Willie, which he followed up with a batch of outlaw country originals called Here’s to Taking It Easy. This fall, he released his first new studio album in five years, an intricately arranged, reflective record called C’est la Vie.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5 Thom Yorke w/ Oliver Coates @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.

Radiohead’s last tour skipped Milwaukee, which is par for the course for the band, but this is a nice consolation prize: Frontman Thom Yorke will play this show as part of his current tour, joined by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead’s longtime producer) and visual artist Tarik Barri. The three first toured together in 2015, following the release of Yorke’s second solo album Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes. The tour will include songs from that album and Yorke’s solo debut The Eraser, as well as from Atoms For Peace, Yorke’s side project with Godrich.

The opener on this tour is British electronic producer and cellist Oliver Coates, who worked with Radiohead on their latest album, A Moon Shaped Pool, and has collaborated with Jonny Greenwood on his soundtrack work.

Milwaukee Krampusnacht @ Bavarian Bierhaus, 5 p.m.

In Central European lore, every December 5th, children are visited by St. Nick and a less welcome visitor: Krampus the Christmas demon, an unsavory figure who punishes bad children. After a sold-out first year, Milwaukee Krampusnacht returns to a new location, the Bavarian Bierhaus, to celebrate the darker side of the holiday season with a night of live music, food and drink, craft vendors (at the Krampus Market) and a freaky Krampus parade. The Squeezettes, Sunspot, Xposed 4heads and Sweet Sheiks will provide the music, and the Bavarian Bierhaus has brewed a special barrel-aged whiskey doppelbock for the event called Bells & Chains. Tickets are priced between $1-$5, and attendees are encouraged to bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

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PAUL RUFFOLO

A&E::INREVIEW

THEATRE

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s World Premiere, ‘Christmas in Babylon’ ::BY TEA KRULOS

First Stage’s ‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

First Stage Brings Music to its Annual ‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

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::BY ANNE SIEGEL

ISASTERS SOMETIMES BRING OUT THE BEST IN US. In The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical, an untimely accident puts the unsuspecting Mrs. Bradley (Karen Estrada) in charge of directing the church’s Christmas pageant. Not only is she reluctant to take the thankless job, she is soon inundated by a family of unruly children who practically shut down the entire event.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has become a popular tradition at First Stage. This is the ninth production of Barbara Robinson’s story that the theater company has presented since 1990, but it’s the first time the show has been done as a musical. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical opened last weekend at the Todd Wehr Theater at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

The musical aspect of the show works well with the written text. Newly written songs, such as “Baskets for the Needy” and “On a Night Like This”, showcase the vocal talents of the adult performers as well as the students in the Holly Cast (which appeared at the early Saturday afternoon performance on opening weekend). Many of these catchy songs have a ’60s flavor.

Youngsters in the audience will be particularly delighted by some of the wackier tunes led by the “horrible” Herdman children, such as “Take My Lunch” and “Die, Herod, Die.” The finale, “Let There Be Joy,” includes more than 25 children and adults in the show’s cast. The show’s book and lyrics are by Jahnna Beecham, with music and lyrics by Malcolm Hillgartner. Jeff Schaetzke serves as music director for the 90-minute show.

The Christmas pageant is nearly canceled after the Herdman children decide to show up for auditions. Since their threats keep other children from auditioning, they end up “winning” all the key parts, including Mary, Joseph and an angel. Mrs. Bradley is beside herself at this development, but she soldiers on.

Credit costume designer Daryl Harris for bringing back memories of makeshift Christmas pageants from days gone by. Remember when the Three Wise Men wore long patchwork quilts, dish towels and headbands? And shepherds wore bathrobes while carrying hockey sticks for their staffs? The nativity scene reaches a humorous highlight when a pregnant Mary (Isabella Hansen as Imogene Herdman) arrives at the manger and promptly goes into labor. Her breathing coach is played by Liam Jeninga, as Joseph. Eventually, a fully-swaddled Jesus is born and laid in one of those baskets sent to needy families.

Some members of the cast and production team have ties to the very beginning versions in 1990 and 1992.

Molly Rhode, who directs, was a First Stage student actor in the 1990 version. Karen Estrada, who now plays the main character of Mrs. Bradley, was a youngster in the 1992 version. In addition to Estrada, the other adult cast members include: Lachrisa Grandberry, Bree Beelow, Cynthia Cobb, Jonathan Gillard Daly, Laura Gordon and Chase Stoeger.

In the program notes, Rhode explains that the play’s long-running success can be attributed to its lessons in compassion, empathy, inclusion and the power of community. Estrada adds that her character extends love and care to those who may not be easy to love. Those sentiments are front and center during every scene in this delightful holiday show.

Through Dec. 26 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Todd Wehr Theater, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, visit firststage.org or call 414-273-7206.

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HE HOLIDAYS ARE A WONDERFUL BUT OFTEN STRESSFUL TIME OF THE YEAR, AND SUCH IS THE CASE IN BABYLON—specifically North Babylon, a suburb on Long Island, home to the McShanes.

Terry (Tom Klubertanz), his wife Denise (Mary MacDonald Kerr) and their daughter Abby (Sara Zientek) struggle with their frustrations and anxieties of dealing with their blue-collar life. Terry hems and haws about the good old days and his seemingly unambitious daughter, while Denise rolls her eyes. The McShanes already drive each other crazy, but their lives are turned even more upside down when Terry’s high school girlfriend, Kathleen O’Rourke (Laura Gray), and her daughter, Kelly (Eva Nimmer), enter the picture. Terry is puzzled why Kathleen, who is now a trippy, dippy, self-help guru, and her daughter, studying to be a doctor, have an interest his life after such a long absence. Their lifestyles seem to be as different as can be—the McShanes eat pizza from paper plates while Kathleen stays in a $400 a night hotel, treating herself to an Icelandic masseuse. Terry and his family are pushed off the deep end as they evaluate their lives after Kathleen reveals a 25-year-old secret.

The world premiere of Christmas in Babylon, presented by Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, has a script written by James DeVita (a native of Long Island, who studied at UW-Milwaukee). It’s a nice mix of comedy and some tender sarcastic but sweet family moments. Christmas in Babylon delivers a solid and funny performance from the entire cast. It shows that family should stick together through thick and thin, even (and maybe especially) if you drive each other up a wall.

Through Dec. 23 at Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, visit milwaukeechambertheatre.com.

MCT’s ‘Christmas in Babylon’ PHOTO BY PAUL RUFFOLO SHEPHERD EXPRESS

::PERFORMINGARTSWEEK For More to Do, visit shepherdexpress.com

THEATRE

Midnight and Moll Flanders Midnight and Moll Flanders is a new play by Wisconsin playwright Marie Kohler that’s based on a novel by English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy (!) Daniel Defoe (1660-1731). Moll Flanders was an important work in the development of the novel, as it challenged the common perception of femininity and gender roles in 18th-century British society.

Moll herself is a larger-than-life character whose drive for love and survival leads to sexual adventures, multiple marriages and a career as a thief. On the eve of her hanging at Newgate Prison, the infamous rogue tells her story to a minister bent on offering her one last, unlikely chance at salvation. The play traces a parallel journey of transformation for Moll and the minister who, despite himself, is mesmerized by her free-wheeling, life-affirming tale. Midnight and Moll Flanders deftly and poignantly explores the influence of gender, class, free will and circumstance in an era as fiercely entrepreneurial as ours. (John Jahn) Nov. 30-Dec. 9 at UW-Parkside’s Black Box Theatre, 900 Wood Road, Kenosha. For tickets, call 262-595-2564, email boxoffice@uwp.edu or visit uwp.edu.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL Book and Lyrics by Jahnna Beecham Music and Lyrics by Malcolm Hillgartner Based on the Play by Barbara Robinson Presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing (www.broadwaylicensing.com)

TICKETS START AT $15!

Nov. 23 – Dec. 26, 2018 Suggested for families with young people ages 4 – 14+ F I R S T S T A G E . O R G / P A G E A N T

Spring Awakening The winner of eight Tony Awards, Spring Awakening is a folk-infused, hardhitting rock musical based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play exploring coming of age in 19th-century Germany. With music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, it was re-introduced into the national spotlight through NBC’s “Rise,” as well as through subsequent high-profile productions across the country. Spring Awakening explores the hard issues of teenage life in a restrictive environment mixed with exuberant rock music and edgy style.

Following its conception in the late 1990s and various workshops, concerts, rewrites and its Off-Broadway debut, the original Broadway production of Spring Awakening opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in December 2006. In addition to its eight Tonys, the production also garnered four Drama Desk Awards, while its original cast album received a Grammy Award. Continuing success throughout the 2000s has been exemplified by Spring Awakening receiving several more awards and nominations for revivals. (John Jahn) Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in the Nancy Kendall Mainstage Theater on the campus of Cardinal Stritch University, 6801 N. Yates Road. For tickets, call 414-410-4171, email boxoffice@ stritch.edu or visit stritch.edu.

MUSIC

‘On Display Global’ Here’s a backstage look. At noon on Sunday, Dec. 2, some two dozen of us will gather in the front lobby of the Haggerty Museum of Art on the Marquette University campus. We’ll change to all white clothing and begin a much-needed warm-up led by our director, choreographer Catey Ott Thompson. This is our third annual performance of an hour-long physical improvisation set among the artworks on the museum’s ground floor. We know the score: With eyes shut, move as slowly as humanly possible according to the needs of your body and the thoughts and feelings that every tiny shift of position arouse in you. When you reach a new state, inner or outer, pause, open your eyes and hold your gaze and body still.

You’re a living artwork available for viewing from every angle. After some moments, close your eyes and resume moving. Continue for one hour.

We are bodies of all sizes, ages and abilities. Similar performances will take place that day globally in honor of the United Nations’ International Day for the Disabled.

Warmed-up, we’ll claim our spots, practice a while, breathe, get focused and begin the free performance at 2 p.m. Come wander, watch and wonder. (John Schneider) 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W. Tory Hill St.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

CHRISTMAS IN BABYLON

by James DeVita | NOV 21 - DEC 23

WORLD PREMIERE! directed by C. Michael Wright featuring Laura Gray, Mary MacDonald Kerr, Tom Klubertanz, Eva Nimmer & Sara Zientek

When Terry’s ex-fiancée contacts him out of the blue, it’s a Christmas collision 25 years in the making!

Don’t miss this brand-new holiday comedy!

Broadway Theatre Center | 158 N Broadway | Milwaukee 414.291.7800 | milwaukeechambertheatre.com N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 25

A&E::VISUALART

Two Milwaukee Artists in Dialogue at Galerie Kenilworth’s ‘Within and Against’ ::BY SHANE MCADAMS

A

RTISTS BRENNEN STEINES AND EMILY TRIPP share a penchant for jarring, colorful and tactile formal painting. They also share recently-minted diplomas from the art program at UW-Milwaukee, and a studio in Bay View, where their work is generated in close proximity. This raft of affiliations begs one to consider how much each artist’s practice feeds off the other; whether their relationship is complementary or simply coincidental. Those questions, along with 17 paintings, are on display at Galerie Kenilworth in their two-person show “Within and Against”, through Jan. 6.

Whatever the conditions of their mutual studio setup, it’s hard to imagine that workspace allows their paintings to sing like they do in Galerie Kenilworth’s palatial ground floor setting. With its polished terrazzo floors, high ceilings and glorious natural light, the gallery presents about as desirable a setting to show paintings as one could dream up.

Tripp’s painting is more intuitive and gestural than Steines’. Her piece The Struggle of Fish Swimming Upstream promises representational meaning but ultimately satisfies on non-representational terms. Whatever it wants to be called, it is a manifestly gorgeous work of art, with lus-

SPONSORED BY

Galerie Kenilworth’s ‘Within and Against’ exhibition PHOTO BY DANIEL MCCULLOUGH

cious light blue and off-white passages rising up the face of a 6-foot x 4-foot canvas. But, as handsome as it is, it’s also a structurally inventive and well-choreographed display of confident and thoughtful brushwork that will bring pause to nerdy painters and casual viewers alike. She hits similar notes with smaller paintings in the show, such as the icy cool Chicago, whose title further suggests the personal and symbolic inspiration for her paintings. It’s a bite-sized delectation, but her larger works ultimately take the day, especially when one considers the macho history of large-scale formal painting from abstract expressionism through zombie formalism–seeing monumentally bold, gut-punching paintings from a young female artist’s perspective just happens to be extra-satisfying.

Tripp’s and Steines’ works are interspersed throughout the gallery in quiet and tastefully curated dialogue. They are finally easy enough to distinguish from one another. Neither sacrifices painterly independence on the altar of the group exhibition, and thus the question about symbiosis and/or coincidence finds a partial answer. Steines’ paintings unpack alternative and post-painterly strategies on top of traditional abstraction, leaving them with a residue of mechanical orderliness. Their titles, too, contribute to this read.

Names like Strata and Vestige refer to the space and circumstances of painting, where Tripp’s refer more to the act of living and feeling outside it; compositional analysis versus representational synthesis. Strata is a small canvas that looks to have emerged from a murky sequence of additive and subtractive steps, maybe involving sand-

ing, troweling, and corrugated cardboard. It helps that he’s a naturally good composer and colorist; this one in complementary deep-blue and rust of roughly the same value. Its visual appeal prevents his analytics from turning solipsistic.

Some of his paintings flirt with a faux-finished superficiality, but the risks and inventions clearly visible in the surrounding work confirms the rigor of his practice. Because of this, Steines (like many process-heavy painters) benefits from showing in series and multiples. Two small paintings nearby, Anemia 1 and 2, take his love of process in a different direction, employing a clever combination of erasures and layered reworking, where the canvas ends up degraded and frayed in some areas and built up in others. They’re weird, they’re smart and very well-proportioned. Brains as well as brawn. This goes for the larger canvases, too. His vision and voice build with each painting, leaving one greedy for more.

“Within and Against” profiles each artist’s independent visions as well as their complementary relationship. Tripp’s intuitive looseness emphasizes Steines’ procedural rigor, and vice-versa. One continues to wonder how much this balance developed inside the crucible of the studio. In other words: how much “within” and how much “against?” Imagine two goldfish living in a shared bowl, each bringing its own biology and returning productive and symbiotic biofeedback, growing all the while to exactly the right size for their mutual environment. In the process, they make us look and wonder how large each will eventually grow outside that shared fishbowl.

OPENINGS: “Fifth Year Collective Exhibition”

Opens Friday, Nov. 30 • Var Gallery • 643 S. Second St. Var started with the simple idea of having a collective, creative space, shared by a few artists. Within a mere five years, the gallery has not only lived up to its name (Var as in “variety”), it has certainly surpassed it. Starting with just seven artists in a space, Var now hosts 54 artists in residence. The Var’s Fifth Year Collective Exhibition offers not only new work by resident artists, but also invites all past residents to participate. The collective exhibition will feature more than 40 artists—both emerging and established—working in a range of disciplines: painting, drawing, multimedia and more. The installations span interests of identity, community, social relations, trauma, conflict and peace-making. For more information, visit vargallery.com.

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SHEPHERD EXPRESS

A&E::FILM

‘Green Book’

‘Green Book’ an Odd-Couple Comedy of Segregation

water” swim the same treacherous current. Tony er to pen eloquent love letters to his wife. The Lip thinks Atlantic City when told he’ll be work- fastidious if not persnickety Dr. S. is a character ing in the Deep South. A bouncer with Mob ties, seldom seen in American films. He’s an Afrihe’s fast with his fists and his defiant pugilism canist utterly divorced from African American will come in handy defending the pianist from culture and would rather be Arthur Rubinstein than Ray Charles. One intention the deplorables they encounter. behind Green Book is to show Don—right, he prefers Dr. Shirhow individuals transcend steley—is mortified when thrown Green Book reotypes, however, Tony Lip and into the boisterous company of every one of his Italian cousins Southern blacks and yet will Viggo Mortensen and in-laws fit perfectly into annever be fully accepted by many Mahershala Ali other set of stereotypes. of the whites who applaud his Directed by And yet, Green Book makes performances. As for Tony Lip, Peter Farrelly its point by reminding older in the eyes of rednecks, Italians Rated PG-13 viewers and showing younger are only one step up the ladder ones how racial prejudice was from blacks. once accepted in America as a The South is Green Book’s primary setting, but Hollywood is seldom far fact of life. The problem is still with us, but nowfrom view. It’s a road picture and an odd-couple adays, unapologetic racists—noisy as they may comedy as Tony Lip teaches Dr. Shirley how to be—are no longer accepted, except online and in eat fried chicken and the pianist helps the bounc- the White House.

::BY DAVID LUHRSSEN

F

rank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga gives the black repairmen the fish-eye when they arrive at his Bronx home and stares warily at the glasses they drank from after his wife offers refreshments. When she isn’t looking, he drops the glasses in the trash. For Tony Lip, such intimate contact with African Americans is almost unthinkable, and yet, within weeks, he’s cooped up in a Cadillac with a black concert pianist on tour through the South.

“Inspired” by real events, Green Book is set in 1962 and based on a screenplay cowritten by

Tony Lip’s son, Nick Vallelonga. The title refers to the era’s directory for black travelers in segregated states, listing “colored-only” accommodations. Racism was rank in those years, undisguised and pervasive. Tony (Viggo Mortensen) will learn a thing or two about the other—and his own otherness in others’ eyes—while working as the concert tour driver for Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a respected musician who puts himself out of his New York comfort zone by performing in Jim Crow country.

The set up by director Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber) is comedic, as two “fish out of

[ HOME MOVIES / NOW STREAMING ] “Who is America”

It’s not fair to say, as the hype proclaims, that Sacha Baron Cohen “hoodwinked” Bernie Sanders.

The senator from Vermont held his own and conceded nothing while interviewed by Cohen’s madeup “citizen journalist” (read: boob) and Confederate flag-waving conspiracy theorist Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr. Ted Koppel also refuted Ruddick’s pointedly absurd blather about “liberal media” machinations and “fake news.” However, most targets of Cohen’s latest sting operation looked duped.

The menagerie of characters Cohen created for his Showtime series are so preposterous that it’s hard to believe anyone was gulled. But then, most of his targets are absurd. Cohen’s Israeli counterterrorism expert, Erran Morad, had no trouble convincing NRA hacks of the merits for arming school children from age 3 or prompting a Georgia legislator to repeatedly shout the “N” word. Cohen successfully skewers idiocy from many walks of life, including his self-righteously PC activist Nira CainN’Degeocello and British ex-con Rick Sherman, who had no trouble peddling his feces to a pretentious gallerist who exclaimed: “Wow, that’s art!”

Midaq Alley

Salma Hayek plays Alma, the alluring yet innocent young woman combing her hair in a window overlooking her close-packed Mexico City neighborhood. Transposed from a novel by Egypt’s Naguib Mahfouz, Midaq Alley is a set of overlapping tragedies and personal stories. The 1995 prize-winner by director Jorge Fons explores anger between father and son, an abusive husband, criminality, immigration to the U.S. and many dreams deferred. The performances are vivid and touching, when they aren’t heartbreaking.

The Sound of Music Live!

It probably won’t eclipse the Julie Andrews version, but fans of the sentimental favorite will find much to like in The Sound of Music Live! Drawn from the Broadway version, it was a theater performance broadcast live with a bright cast capable of tackling the song and dance as well as the love story and the escape from the Nazis. A making-of documentary captures the cast’s high adrenaline as they prepare to “Climb Every Mountain.”

—David Luhrssen

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Meet the Artist Saturday, December 1 | Anytime from 2:00–5:00 Drop in for casual conversations with Craig Blietz. Plus, purchase your copy of the exhibition catalogue in the MOWA Shop and get it signed by the artist.

205 Veterans Avenue, West Bend 262.334.9638 | wisconsinart.org N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 27

A&E::BOOKS

Introducing the NŌ STUDIOS® Film Series www.nostudios.com | 1037 W. McKinley Ave.

Public parking : Brewery Parking Garage 1213 N. 9th St.

BOOK|PREVIEW

The Midwest Charm of Milwaukee Poet John Koethe

Documentary

First Wednesday Series

Recent Release

Mon., Dec. 3 • 7PM An exploration of the spirituality of long distance running.

Wed., Dec. 5 • 7PM Filmmaker Cris Sequeira will be present for the screening and Q&A.

Fri., Dec. 7 • 7PM India’s official entry to the 2019 Oscars®

Members and Invitees Only

Members FREE Non-Members $10

Members and Invitees Only

NŌ STUDIOS® presents the first in a series

Wine Tasting and Music Fri., Nov. 30 • Members FREE • Non-Members $25 6PM: Wine and Cheese Tasting by Bright Cellars and Music by Dream City Strings 8PM: Music Performance by Amanda Huff

P

::BY JENNI HERRICK

oet John Koethe taught at UW-Milwaukee for more than 35 years, where he served as a distinguished professor of philosophy.

True to form, his poems combine existential, introspective questioning with a keen attention to language and word usage.

Koethe has published more than a dozen books of original poetry during his illustrious career, and many of his best pieces have been collected in the new anthology Walking Backwards: Poems 1966-2016.

Despite being born on the West Coast and educated at Princeton and Harvard, Koethe embraced life in Wisconsin and adopted a humble Midwestern charm in his writing that illuminates his poems with universal tenderness and broad appeal. In this collection, readers travel through space and time with John as he explores his own experiences and questions the relevance of our universal existence. Despite an unapologetic bleakness, Koethe’s stories both embrace and highlight the communal ties that connect our human experience. Rich descriptions and vivid memories capture both the bitter sorrows and elusive moments of joy that define life as art.

Milwaukee honored Koethe in 2000 as the city’s inaugural Poet Laureate. He has also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers.

Koethe will speak at Boswell Book Co. at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30.

BOOK HAPPENING

Milwaukee Author ‘Never Wanted to Be a Rock Star’ “So, you want to be a rock 'n' roll star?” goes the old song. Not really, if you’re Peggy O’Donnell. Reinventing herself as the more rhythmically named Maggie Morgan, she climbs toward the slippery top of the rock pile as one circumstance led to another.

The debut novel by Milwaukee’s Lisa Kaiser, I Never Wanted to Be a Rock Star: A Novel, jumps around the time line but begins in the Midwest of the ’60s as shy college girl Peggy navigates through a world of male entitlement. Pot and acid enter the scene and folk music is edged out by louder sounds and the call of the wild. But as the reinvented Maggie learns, stardom doesn’t shine so bright when experienced up close. Kaiser will take part in “Author Fest,” 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec.1 at Oak Creek Public Library.

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SHEPHERD EXPRESS

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SHEPHERD EXPRESS

N OV E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 29

::HEARMEOUT ASK RUTHIE | UPCOMING EVENTS | PAUL MASTERSON

::ASKRUTHIE

SPONSORED BY

Santa’s Delivered Seasonal Shows for Good LGBTQ Folks!

L

ast Christmas, I starred in a little holiday show titled. “A Golden Girls Christmas.” I was lucky enough to fill Bea Arthur’s shoes (well, not really... I mean, that dame had some major hooves), and the entire run of the kooky parody sold out in days.

Lucky for me, the team at Purse String Productions and the gang at Hamburger Mary’s are back for more with an all-new show featuring everyone’s favorite golden gals. Our entire run sold out in days (even after adding shows), but there are plenty of toe-tapping musicals, laughout-loud comedies and caroling concerts for you to enjoy this season. Don’t believe me?

Check out the list of events in my Social Calendar this week, darlin’! Take in a show, a recital or simply have some fun with your honey, buddies or family. Milwaukee has so much to offer during the holidays, so take advantage of its offerings! I’ll be back next week with advice to the lovelorn, but, until then, celebrate the holidays in style!

LOVE // LIFE // ENTERTAINMENT ADVICE

Dear Ruthie says,

“Hear Me Out!”

AND FOR EVEN MORE FUN VISIT RUTHIE AND CYNTHIA AT RUTHIE’SBITCHINKITCHEN.COM 30 | N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8

::RUTHIE’SSOCIALCALENDAR Nov. 29—Jolly Holly Folly at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (929 N. Water St.): The gang at ARCW is decking the halls and hauling out the holly with their 23rd annual fundraiser. This popular night of holiday cheer features a 5 p.m. cocktail hour with tastings from local eateries, before the 7:30 p.m. performance of Doug Jarecki’s “’Twas the Month Before Christmas.” See arcw.org for tickets, information and more.

Nov. 30—The Twelve Dates of Christmas at Next Act Theater (255 S. Water St.): What happens when a gal gets dumped on Thanksgiving? Find out how a holiday heartbreak leads to comical Christmas with this delightful production by Ginna Hoben. Featuring the fun of 50s doo-wop girl groups, this toe-tapping musical promises to light up your holiday heart no like no other. The show stars the Doherty Sisters and Jack Forbes Wilson, and it runs through Dec. 9. See nextact.org for tickets and show times.

Dec. 1—Christmas Belles at Sunset Playhouse (700 Wall St., Elm Grove): When all hell breaks loose before the debut of a southern church’s Christmas program, hilarity ensues to keep you laughing well into the New Year. Three nutty sisters, a crabby Santa, a vengeful director and a hot-flash mamma round out the cast of merry misfits. Prance your way over to sunsetplayhouse.com for your tickets to the show, which runs through Dec. 23.

Dec. 1—World AIDS Day Commemoration: 30th Anniversary at South Division High School (1515 W. Lapham Blvd.): Enjoy a 6 p.m. interfaith service to honor this special day, remember those lost and reaffirm our pledge to protect those with HIV/AIDS. This event is free and open to the public. Take advantage of free HIV testing at 5 p.m.

Dec. 1—Repeal of Prohibition Party at The Iron Horse Hotel (500 W. Florida St.): Shake up your Christmas plans by stepping back in time for this 1920s shindig.

Wear your flapper vest or gangster get-up to the 7-11 p.m. party and celebrate the 85th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition with cocktails, dancing and a costume contest. Local diva BJ Daniels acts as your emcee for the night.

Dec. 2—“The Where?House” A Musical Performance by Women’s Voices Milwaukee at Milwaukee LGBT Community Center (1110 N. Market St.): Let this 3 p.m. concert get you in the seasonal spirit! The free performance is great for families and features classic carols and new favorites.

Dec. 3—Monday Moonlight Karaoke at This Is It! (418 E. Wells St.): Can’t get tickets to a holiday show? Make your own fun with a performance during moonlight karaoke! Discounts on rail drinks, and the infamous “disco two-for-one” special rounds out the fun.

Dec. 4—A Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater (144 E. Wells St.): The granddaddy of all Christmas shows magically reappears in Brew City for its annual run (through Dec. 24). The Milwaukee Rep hosts this classic family favorite, sure to put the biggest Scrooge in the mood for a bit of holiday cheer. See milwaukeerep.com for tickets.

Ask Ruthie a question and share your events at dearruthie@shepex.com. Follow her on Instagram @ruthiekeester and Facebook at Dear Ruthie.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

::MYLGBTQPoint of View

World AIDS Day is Coming ::BY PAUL MASTERSON

I

f you missed Boulevard Theatre’s recent production of Terrence McNally’s Mothers and Sons, you did yourself a great disservice. It recalled memories and emotions of times past, but also reminded us of the power of hope. It also provided a prelude to the 30th World AIDS Day, which takes place on Dec. 1.

The play reminded me of living through those days of unrelenting obituaries and funerals. At the time, I worked in Germany for Lufthansa. Our crew center had a memorial wall for photos of recently deceased employees, usually long-retired flight captains. But when AIDS hit Germany and struck down young male flight attendants in its wake, it was rare to see their images on the wall. Like the mother in McNally’s play, there was a pervading denial.

Parents, loath to admit their sons were gay, let alone dead of AIDS, wouldn’t permit their fallen child’s photo to be displayed. They simply disappeared, their fate only revealed when you happened to ask a mutual friend, “have you seen Hans (or Rolf or Stephan or Markus)?”

Silence was the typical reply.

But we had hope. Abandoned by family and government, we fended for ourselves. We created our own health care infrastructure. Locally, it was the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), now a national health service model. We raised the funds required to protect ourselves, and we held the hands of the dying. If anything united us, it was hope in the face of catastrophe. Engagement was unavoidable. In fact, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is credited with creating the LGBTQ community, mixing that amalgam of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender individuals and queers, motivated by that common cause, a political will and common hope.

Returning to Milwaukee in the early 1990s, I became an inadvertent activist when I went to ARCW to donate an item for its Make-A-Promise Dinner’s fundraising auction. I left the building as SHEPHERD EXPRESS

the auction’s volunteer chairman, and I served in that capacity for five years. The ARCW staff member I worked with that first year later died of AIDS, as did several auction donors who, knowing their inevitable fate, consigned their prized possessions to help others.

Then, antiretroviral therapies were introduced. San Francisco’s newspaper, the Bay Area Reporter, celebrated Aug. 13, 1998, when, for the first time in 17 years, it ran no AIDS-related obituaries. Since then, the once death sentence diagnosis has become one of a manageable chronic infection.

Still, new infections persist. Worldwide, 9.4 million people live with HIV and don’t know it.

Many only get tested after they become ill. Earlier this year, Milwaukee’s HIV cluster was evidence of the struggle to convince risk groups of the need to know one’s status. Stigma and fear, however, dissuade them from getting tested.

So, this year’s World AIDS Day theme is “Know your status.” A recent local media campaign to encourage testing recently featured familiar personalities who are HIV-positive. The community’s task remains to convince others, especially our youth, to take it to heart. Meanwhile, human trials of an AIDS vaccine begin in 2019.

A World AIDS Day Commemoration on Dec. 1, at South Division High School, includes free HIV testing and a community interfaith service.

::BLACKBLUE&RAINBOW

It’s Time for a Black Gay Pride Fest in Milwaukee ::BY CHRISTOPHER WALTON

I

ndianapolis, Rochester, Fayetteville, Seattle, Portland, Birmingham, St. Louis, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Akron, Lexington, Dallas, Baltimore, Nashville, Gainesville, Jackson, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Houston, Minneapolis, Provincetown, Harlem, Austin, Albany, Memphis, Cincinnati, Little Rock, Chicago, Los Angeles, Richmond, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Charlotte…

What do all of these major American cities have in common? Capital cities? Sorry, neither Houston nor Dallas are the capital of Texas. Big liberal cities? Mostly, but I don’t think Fayetteville (N.C.), Gainesville (Fla.) or Birmingham (Ala.) would qualify as anyone’s idea of liberal bastions of progressiveness. So, what is it, you ask?

They all have Black Gay Pride Festivals.

I believe it’s more than time for Milwaukee to join the ranks of major American cities to have a Black Gay Pride Festival. According to the Center for Black Equity, “Black Gay Prides became popular because they provided a safe space for members of the black LGBTQ communities to come together to celebrate the duality of being both black/African American and members of LGBTQ communities.”

Historically, there is often very little room at the “traditional” LGBTQ pride events to do so.

Black LGBTQ communities celebrate at Black Gay Prides in the same spirit in which other ethnic Americans are encouraged to celebrate their heritage with Columbus Day, Von Steuben Day, Israel Independence Day, St. Patrick and the Pulaski Day parades. Black Gay Prides have an added inherent cultural experience that is LGBTQ Afro-centered poetry slams, film festivals, music, theater, fashion, literature, visual arts, etc. Furthermore, Black Gay Prides have traditionally provided an opportunity for HIV/AIDS education, outreach and testing, which has disproportionately impacted black gay men and black communities more than any other group in the US. In addition, information on LGBTQ issues (e.g. same-sex marriage, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, ENDA), health concerns (breast cancer, hypertension, heart disease, etc.) and critical issues (faith/spirituality, combating homophobia, domestic violence, adoption, health care reform, etc.) are disseminated to tens of thousands of people each year at Black Prides across the United States and abroad.

Seems simple enough, as Milwaukee is known for its numerous summer ethnic festivals, so we can check that box. Milwaukee, clearly being an African American plurality city, should have something like this. Now more than ever, Milwaukee needs to have a serious public discussion over the need for more black LGBTQ spaces, including LGBTQ bars, nightclubs, organizations and events focused on more than just HIV/AIDS. The black LGBTQ community, like the entire LGBTQ community, like the entire community of Milwaukee, is about more than one issue.

With all of the racial strikes against the city of Milwaukee for being segregated, for being the worst place to raise a black child in America as well as having the most incarcerated and impoverished zip code in America, we clearly aren’t doing something right. It is time Milwaukee starts taking serious, purposeful steps to be inclusive of all of its communities. If anything, we must make certain that we maintain that newly earned 100—the top score!—on the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index, which measures the effects of municipal ordinances on LGBTQ communities. We’ve earned it, now can we keep it?

NOW MORE THAN EVER, MILWAUKEE NEEDS TO HAVE A SERIOUS PUBLIC DISCUSSION OVER THE NEED FOR MORE BLACK LGBTQ SPACES, INCLUDING LGBTQ BARS, NIGHTCLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS AND EVENTS FOCUSED ON MORE THAN JUST HIV/AIDS.

N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 31

::MUSIC MUSIC

For more MUSIC, log onto shepherdexpress.com

THOM JACKSON

FEATURE | ALBUM REVIEWS | CONCERT REVIEWS | LOCAL MUSIC

Reverend Horton Heat

THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT RECOMMITS TO ROCK ’N’ ROLL ::BY ALAN SCULLEY

t a recent performance at a private event, Reverend Horton Heat frontman Jim Heath had an unusual encounter with one of the attendees.

“There were these young people there, and this young girl came up—and I say young, she was late teens/early 20s—and she said, ‘You guys are going to bring back rock ’n’ roll,’” Heath recalled. The observation struck a chord with him. “I said (to her), ‘Well, that is the goal. It’s astute of you to notice that,’” he said. “That’s what I’m thinking here.”

Lately rock ’n’ roll has been on Heath’s mind. “See, I have a very tight idea of what rock ’n’ roll is,” he said. “What I want to do is bring back rock ’n’ roll. We can play rockabilly, we can play country, we can play our old stuff and whatever is fine. But just straight rock ’n’ roll—and we have those songs that are on all of our albums—I’m about to start bringing those back. To me, rock ’n’ roll is that straight eight, Chuck Berry (with) Johnnie Johnson pounding straight eights on a rock ’n’ roll piano, or Little Richard. I’m influenced a lot in my playing by piano players, Jerry Lee (Lewis), and that straight-eight kind of feel.”

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As Heath suggested, he has been recording songs that fit his strict definition of rock ’n’ roll since he formed the Reverend Horton Heat in the late 1980s. But with the group’s new album, Whole New Life, he is focusing more on creating songs in the vein of music’s early pioneers.

That isn’t the only thing that makes Whole New Life stand out in the Reverend Horton Heat catalog of 12 albums. This album marks a new era for the band itself. After being a trio for nearly all of its 30-plus-year history, the group is now a quartet, with Matt Jordan playing piano and organ.

There’s also a new drummer, Arjuna “RJ” Contreras, who took over just prior to the recording of Whole New Life for Scott Churilla, who over two stints behind the drum kit spent 16 years with the Reverend Horton Heat—easily the longest tenure of any of the five previous drummers that have played in the band, which also includes long-time bassist Jimbo Wallace.

Contreras is making his presence felt with his command of a variety of styles of rhythm and an ability to put a bit more swing into the Reverend Horton Heat sound. But it’s Jordan, whose piano is the most noticeable new ingredient in the music and helps the band achieve more of the early rock ’n’ roll sound that Heath wants to emphasize going forward.

Heath points to the title song, “Wonky,”“Perfect” and “Got It In My Pocket” as prime examples of songs from “Whole New Life” that embody the early rock ’n’ roll sound.

These songs still feature Heath’s guitar work (especially on the latter pair of tunes), but are aided greatly by Jordan’s driving piano lines and the high-octane tempos being laid down by Contreras.

Whole New Life, though, is not a one-note album by any means. “Tchoupitoulas Street” is a rare—for the Reverend Horton Heat—foray into New Orleans R&B. There’s a bluesy, barrelhouse feel to “Hog Tyin’ Woman,” a tune that continues Heath’s tradition of writing the occasional off-thewall funny song. The ballad “Don’t Let Go Of Me” is one of the few songs that downshift the tempo, mixing rock and hints of classic R&B over a measured beat. The song also gives Heath the opportunity to showcase his vocal range as he croons his way through the Reverend song’s strong melody.

Horton Heat Heath also brings a bit of a Shank Hall different tone to Whole New Life Thursday, as a lyricist. “It’s by far the most Nov. 29, 8 p.m. positive album I’ve ever written lyrically,” he said. “Most of my stuff is kind of dark and blue, and this one has some positive ideas going on.”

Now touring has resumed and fans can expect to hear upwards of five songs off of “Whole New Life” when the Reverend Horton Heat comes to town. Heath reports that the new material was going down well with fans, even ahead of the album’s release on Nov. 30. The addition of piano is also allowing the group to put a fresh spin on some of its older songs.

“We’ve got Matt playing on pretty much the whole set,’” Heath said. “We’ve been throwing in solos on some of our old songs. It sounds killer.”

Reverend Horton Heat plays Shank Hall on Thursday, Nov. 29, with Big Sandy, Junior Brown and The Blasters at 8 p.m.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

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DANNY WORK

::::LOCALMUSIC

::CONCERTREVIEW

The Koch-Marshall Trio

The Koch-Marshall Trio Updates an Old Sound with Contemporary Flair ::BY GRAHAM MARLOWE

M

ilwaukee guitarist Greg Koch is an established presence in the creative world—as a musician, brand ambassador for instrument manufacturers and forward-thinking solo artist. And yet, even with all those accomplishments under his belt, he’s surprised by the recent success of his latest effort Toby Arrives, an organ-trio album that feels like a drive through the genre’s best historical moments while also modernizing the music’s best trademarks.

With the help of the freshly out-of-hiatus, Minneapolis-based Hammond B3 wizard Toby Marshall and Koch’s son Dylan, the trio’s forever locked-in-the-pocket timekeeper, the group manages to fuse and re-spin all of that music’s classic, vintage attributes into something uniquely accessible.

The Mascot Label Group was so confident in Toby Arrives that they chose it to be the first release on its new imprint The Players Club, and also submitted the record for Grammy consideration. “We’re nominated...to be nominated for a Grammy,” Koch says jokingly. They’ll find out if they made the cut on Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Ahead of their show at Shank Hall on Saturday, Dec. 1, Koch spoke to the Shepherd about the group.

The material on Toby Arrives could either be slickly arranged or spontaneously composed. Would this band ever evolve into a two-set and/or three-hour experience?

What’s on the internet so far is deceiving, as those were special cases—40 minutes here, 60 there. When we do a club gig, like at Shank Hall, we’ll do two sets. The other night we made a setlist, and then just called audibles all night. We’d like to stay as all-original as possible, and let that speak for itself, since playing covers feels like force-feeding unless we’re revamping them.

As inimitable as the group is, do you fear being pigeonholed?

Even though this band hasn’t played venues or festivals that are jam-oriented, we are totally a jam band. By the same token, non-musicians seem to get it more than musicians. They’re the first to tell me it’s groovy, and having that big, archaic-device presence of the Hammond organ breeds curiosity. People just respond to it. And with the lack of vocals… Vocals can be really polarizing if they don’t like the sound of your voice, especially with roots-oriented music. With the organ roaring and playing all the bass parts, on top of Dylan The pounding away like an old-school, young-and-hungry [John] Bonham, it gets loud. In fact, at NashKochville NAMM someone had to go to the bathroom and vomit because of it.

Marshall Trio

Shank Hall Saturday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m.

Are there are extra-musical influences that have infiltrated your lexicon?

It’s all being reflected in what I’m doing. I find humor in everything, even the impending ecological debacle that’s in our future, because even if we’re doomed we’ve still gotta laugh. That’s what’s great about the instrumental aspect of this: There can be all kinds of elements, both in the subtle and not-so-subtle titles of songs (ex: “Sin Repent Repeat”; “Enter the Rats”), and just the improvisation and intensity of the tunes can be reflective of things without polarizing people by locking a particular attitude in stone.

What are your main goals for 2019?

I have an acoustic record coming out soon, hopefully before Christmas—a fun “first” for me. I’ve been doing more acoustic stuff in general, and for a lot of the clinics I’ve done over the years, I typically tell stories and then play. This trio often plays for listening rooms, so I see the talk-play-talk element getting fleshed-out more going forward.

I’m really satisfied with this trio, though. It’s the perfect template for what I do, so adding anything to it could dilute the power of it. I’m not really thinking about another aggregation at this point.

Maxwell Broke Out Some Serious Moves at the Riverside ::BY EVAN RYTLEWSKI

M

YSTIQUE IS AN ELUSIVE COMMODITY. Though Maxwell has recorded several of the most visionary soul records of the last quarter century, he never captured the greater public’s imagination the way ’90s neo-soul contemporaries like D’Angelo and Lauryn Hill did, in part because he’s never been interested in playing the tortured artist. Even though he retreated from the public eye for much of the ’00s and has made fans wait seven or eight years between his recent albums, his relationship with fame isn’t complicated. On his active social media feeds, he comes across as a happy, well-adjusted guy who really enjoys the beach, and on stage he never disguises how much he enjoys being there.

If all that means that Maxwell will never rival D’Angelo’s cachet, then so be it. It’s a fair trade-off for his fans, who have the luxury of seeing one of their generation’s greatest living soul men when he swings through their city every year or two.

For his return to the Riverside Theater Tuesday night, as part of his “50 Intimate Nights” tour, the 45-year-old singer proved he can still move like a teenager. And his dance moves only grew more limber as the night went on, as his blazer came off and his setlist worked its way backward, from his recent urban adult contemporary hits—his comeback singles “Pretty Wings” and “Bad Habits,” and an island-inspired reworking of 2016’s gorgeous “Lake by the Ocean”—toward the harderthumping jams of his breakthrough 1996 debut Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. By the end of the night, even fans in the balcony were dancing in the aisles.

Maxwell’s artier ambitions were on display throughout the night, too. Along with his six-piece band, he performed on a pristine white stage with a set design that looked like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Midway through the show, a video package celebrated the 20th anniversary of his most difficult album, 1998’s Embrya. It was a reminder of how ahead of the curve he’s been throughout his career— Maxwell was making odd, aquatic, alternative R&B nearly 15 years before that kind of project became a shortcut to prestige.

But, mostly, it was a reminder of how little he cares about critical approval. Embrya confounded critics at the time, but now it’s seen as one of his best works. The album that followed are similarly ripe for rediscovery, too, but Maxwell didn’t seem remotely concerned about that Tuesday night. He had a party to attend to.

The Koch-Marshall Trio will perform at Shank Hall on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m.

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SHEPHERD EXPRESS

MUSIC::LISTINGS To list your event, go to shepherdexpress.com/events and click submit an event

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Linneman's Riverwest Inn, Beaumont James & The Wild Claims album release w/Steering Ships & Empty Bottles Los Mariachis Mexican Restaurant, Larry Lynne Band Lucky Chance, "Last Chance @ Lucky Chance Open Jam": Craig Omick & Friends All Star Open Jam w/Jeff Arnold, Ricky Orta Jr. & Matty Jay Mamie's, Kenny J. & The Shadows Mason Street Grill, Phil Seed Trio (6pm) Milwaukee Ale House, 5 Card Studs Milwaukee Ave Pub (South Milwaukee), Charles g Love live Miramar Theatre, Aqueous w/EGi (all-ages, 9pm) No Studios, Wine Tasting and Music w/Dream City Strings & Amanda Huff (6pm) Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Chris Schmidt Acoustic (9pm), In the Fire Pit: Sweet Diezel Jenkins (9pm) Public Table, The Fainting Room Rave / Eagles Club, Underoath w/Dance Gavin Dance, Crown The Empire & The Plot In You (all-ages, 7pm) Riverside Theater, Conan and Friends: An Evening of Stand-Up and Investment Tips Route 20 Outhouse (Sturtevant), P.O.D. w/Nonpoint & Islander (ages 18-plus, 8pm) Shank Hall, Howard Levy 4 Site 1A, Derrick Carter The Back Room at Colectivo, Joe Richter Band The Bay Restaurant, Mark Meany The Packing House Restaurant, Peter Mac Group (6:30pm) The Shops of Cedar Creek Settlement, Derek Byrne Solo (5:30pm) Turner Hall Ballroom, Dispatch w/Raye Zaragoza Up & Under Pub, Rare Element

Burnhearts, Punk House Kegger 5 w/Population Control & Law/ Less Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Song Circle w/Tricia Alexander (6:30pm) County Clare Irish Inn & Pub, Acoustic Irish Folk w/Barry Dodd Jazz Estate, Samba Da Vida MKE (7pm), Bossa Nova Night (8pm) Mason Street Grill, Mark Thierfelder Jazz Trio (5:30pm) Mezcalero Restaurant, Ultimate Open Jam w/host Abracadabra Miramar Theatre, The Showcase Tour On the Bayou, Open Mic Comedy w/host The Original Darryl Hill Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Al White Duo Public Table, Matt MF Tyner Rave / Eagles Club, Tech N9ne w/Futuristic, Dizzy Wright & Krizz Kaliko (all-ages, 8pm), Elle King w/Flora Cash (all-ages, 8pm) Riverside Theater, Kip Moore Room to Spare: Acoustic Tour w/ Charlie Worsham & Jillian Jacqueline Riverwest Public House, Indigo Kidd w/Bum Alum & The Unitaskers Rounding Third Bar and Grill, World's Funniest Free Comedy Show Shank Hall, Reverend Horton Heat w/Big Sandy, Junior Brown & The Blasters The Bay Restaurant, Julie Thompson N’ Troy The Packing House Restaurant, Barbara Stephan & Peter Mac (6pm) Transfer Pizzeria Cafe, Martini Jazz Lounge Turner Hall Ballroom, The Motet w/Mungion Up & Under Pub, A No Vacancy Comedy Open Mic

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30

American Legion Post #399 (Okauchee), Back Draft American Legion Post #449 (Brookfield), Indigo Dog Angelo's Piano Lounge, Julie's Piano Karaoke Anodyne Coffee , Porky's Groove Machine w/Funk Summit Bass Team Art*Bar, Sam Luna Blu Bar & Lounge at the Pfister, Scott Napoli Quartet w/Mark Davis, Clay Schaub & Johnathan Greenstein (8pm, 9:30pm &11pm) Cactus Club, BLAHA w/Dorth Nakota & Fox Face Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Friction Farm Catalano Square Third Ward, Christmas in the Ward (5:30pm) Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: Spud Bucket w/Atheists & Airplanes (8pm); DJ: Captain Recess (10pm) Clarke Hotel (Waukesha), Dick Eliot Jazz Guitar (6pm) Club Garibaldi, The Rascal Theory ComedySportz Milwaukee, ComedySportz Milwaukee!

Company Brewing, Mac Miller Tribute Show - A Freespace Benefit for The New State County Clare Irish Inn & Pub, Traditional Irish Ceilidh Session Explorium Brewpub, Matt MF Tyner Iron Mike's (Franklin), Open Jam Session w/Steve Nitros & Friends Jazz Estate, Hood Smoke (8pm), Late Night Session: Sam Winternheimer Group (11:30pm) Lakefront Brewery, Brewhaus Polka Kings (5:30pm)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1

American Legion Post #449 (Brookfield), The Ricochettes Arcade Theatre at The Underground Collaborative, Improv Comedy Night Beulah Brinton House, Bounding Main Holiday Concert (6:30pm) Cactus Club, Tengger Cavalry Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Bill Miller Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: Nineteen Thirteen (8pm); Alive at TenThirty: Code Purple (10:30pm); DJ: Theresa Who (11:30pm) ComedySportz Milwaukee, ComedySportz Milwaukee!

Company Brewing, Eric Blowtorch and the Bodyguards w/Gnarrenschiff, Mike Plaisted & DJ Avets Cue Club of Wisconsin (Waukesha), Crank The Radio Elkhorn Saloon (Elkhorn), Carole & the DV8's Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Vocals & Keys Jazz Estate, Donna Woodall Group Just J's, The Carpetbaggers Linneman's Riverwest Inn, Wurk w/A-Z Mason Street Grill, Jonathan Wade Trio (6pm) Matty's Bar & Grille (New Berlin), Winter Music: Matthew Haeffel Miramar Theatre, Peekaboo w/WolfBiteR (all-ages, 9pm) Plymouth Church UCC, The Coffeehouse presents Food Pantry Benefit: Ann Elizabeth-Nagel, John Higgins, and Jym Moody

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2

Angelo's Piano Lounge, Live Karaoke w/Julie Brandenburg Anodyne Coffee , The New Vintage Frets & Friends Cactus Club, Milwaukee Record Halftime Show: Saebra & Carlyle (11:30am) Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: John Stano (8pm); DJ: Trail Boss Tim Cook (10pm) Dugout 54, Dugout 54 Sunday Open Jam Miramar Theatre, Afton Presents: Lil Jordan, J Dawg & guests (all-ages, 7pm) Riverside Theater, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas By Chip Davis Rounding Third Bar and Grill, The Dangerously Strong Comedy Open Mic Shank Hall, Savoy Brown The Back Room at Colectivo, Red Sun Rising w/Spirit Animal & Dube The Tonic Tavern, Third Coast Blues: Jim Liban Combo w/Roger Brotherhood & Jimi Schutte (4pm) Turner Hall Ballroom, Phosphorescent w/Liz Cooper and the Stampede

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3

Cactus Club, Wonky Tonk w/S.S. Web & Pay The Devil Jazz Estate, Jazz Estate Jam Session Linneman's Riverwest Inn, Poet's Monday w/host Timothy Kloss & featured reader Carmen Alicia Murguia (sign-up 7:30pm, 8-11pm) Mason Street Grill, Joel Burt Duo (5:30pm) Paulie's Pub and Eatery, Open Jam: Christopher John & Friends w/featured band

Up & Under Pub, Open Mic w/Marshall McGhee and the Wanderers

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4

Cactus Club, Fotocrime w/Nasty Boys Club Garibaldi, WMSE Live Local (6pm) Jazz Estate, Extra Crispy Brass Band Kim's Lakeside (Pewaukee), Robert Allen Jr. & Friends (6pm) Mason Street Grill, Jamie Breiwick Group (5:30pm) Miramar Theatre, Tuesday Open Mic w/host Sandy Weisto (sign-up 7:30pm, all-ages) Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Al White (4pm) Riverwest Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, Jazz Jam Session Transfer Pizzeria Cafe, Transfer House Band w/Dennis Fermenich Turner Hall Ballroom, Adam Conover

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5

Cactus Club, Eliot Lipp w/Joe Nice Caroline's Jazz Club, Jimi Schutte American Blues High Dive, The Voodoohoney Pirates Hudson Business Lounge and Cafe, Jazz at Noon: Don Linke and Friends Iron Mike's (Franklin), B Lee Nelson Acoustic Jam Jazz Estate, The Bad Plus Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall, Polka Open Jam Linneman's Riverwest Inn, Acoustic Open Stage w/feature Wolfgang Maximilian (sign-up 8:30pm, start 9pm) Mason Street Grill, Jamie Breiwick Group (5:30pm) Morton's (Cedarburg), Third Coast Blues: Perry Weber & Madison Slim (6:30pm) Paulie's Field Trip, Wednesday Night Afterparty w/Dave Wacker & guests Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Al White Riverside Theater, Thom Yorke w/Oliver Coates Shank Hall, Ike Reilly w/Johnny Hickman Sunset Grill Pewaukee, Robert Allen Jr. & Friends (6pm) Tally's Tap & Eatery (Waukesha), Tomm Lehnigk The Back Room at Colectivo, Middle Kids w/The Shacks The Packing House Restaurant, Carmen Nickerson & Kostia Efimov (6pm) Turner Hall Ballroom, Dave East w/Shooter and D Jones

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11/29 Cashfire Sunset 12/6 No 414 Live Radio Milwaukee Music Awards

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: The Stangs (9pm), In the Fire Pit: Rebecca & The Grey Notes (9pm) Rave / Eagles Club, Death Cab For Cutie w/Jungle, Albert Hammond Jr, & Barns Courtney (all-ages, 7:30pm), 3OH!3 + Emo Nite w/Lil Aaron (all-ages, 8pm) Riverside Theater, Straight No Chaser Saloon on Calhoun with Bacon, Rumour Has It - The Music of Adele Shank Hall, Sprecher presents: Koch-Marshall Trio The Cheel (Thiensville), Pierre "Mr. Untouchable" Lee The Packing House Restaurant, Mauree! (6:30pm) Up & Under Pub, Hallow Point w/w/Monorail

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GAME CHANGER

THEME CROSSWORD

By James Barrick

PSYCHO SUDOKU! “Sum Sudoku”

Put one digit from 1-9 in each square of this Sudoku so that the following three conditions are met: 1) each row, column, and 3x3 box (as marked off by heavy lines in the grid) contains the digits 1-9 exactly one time; 2) no digit is repeated within any of the areas marked off by dotted lines; and 3) the sums of the numbers in each area marked off by dotted lines total the little number given in each of those areas. Now do what I tell you—solve!! psychosudoku@gmail.com 20

21 4

10

6

16

13

9

14 17

7

11

ACROSS 1. Without 5. — the Horrible 10. Spud 15. Gold, hammered thin 19. Mass 20. Mountain ridge 21. Growing outward 22. Kimono accessory 23. Aliform 24. — bean 25. Rare instrument 26. Kind of British gun 27. Start of a quip by 90-Across: 2 wds.

29. Part 2 of quip: 4 wds.

32. Notes 34. Herring sauce 35. River in Germany 36. Medieval tunic 39. Glacial deposit 41. Out of order 43. Deplete 46. Henri — Benoit Matisse 47. Letter grade 48. Like an almond 51. Part 3 of quip: 2 wds.

54. Crewmen 55. English queen 56. — -de-France 57. Ages 58. Black gold 60. R-W link 61. Moderated 64. As indicated 65. Part 4 of quip: 2 wds.

68. Greek letter 69. Scriveners 72. Middle or mental 73. Part 5 of quip 77. Lariat 78. Lampooner 83. City in France 84. Minds

86. A tunicate 87. Ear: Prefix 88. Made a hole-in-one 89. Map 90. Speaker of the quip: 2 wds.

93. Certain toy: 2 wds.

96. Goal 97. Papal vestment 98. Depot: Abbr.

99. Beyond 100. Musical work 102. Items for tea 103. Cover 105. Dray 106. Of a marriage dowry 108. Part 6 of quip: 3 wds.

112. End of the quip: 2 wds.

116. — — were 117. French river 118. Angered 121. Jazz great 122. Descartes or Coty 123. Witch of — 124. Forty- — 125. Back 126. Religious title: Abbr.

127. Abounds 128. Profits 129. Join or link DOWN 1. Cheat 2. Collaborator 3. Beery, Jr. or Sr. 4. Pinecones 5. Bother 6. Disney mermaid 7. Gosh!

8. Off-road wheels: Abbr.

9. Bring back 10. Mosaic piece 11. Caper 12. Mountain lake

13. Coup d’— 14. Carrottops 15. Cotton thread 16. Forms a part of: 2 wds.

17. Domain 18. Affectionate 28. Ascended 30. Cakes and — 31. Old Norse tales 33. More food 36. DeMille or Rhodes 37. Plant with detergent properties 38. Mummers 40. Bastes 41. Twosome 42. Marsh bird 44. Per — 45. Annoyance 49. Shiner 50. Struck with a knout 52. Of a factor in heredity 53. John — 58. Casino items 59. Rustic 62. Uses up 63. Superlative suffix 64. “Iliad” setting 66. Marx, not Karl 67. Conceit 70. Part of Greece

71. Sent junk mail 73. Sings, in a way 74. Implied 75. Doing again 76. Retains 79. Sch. subj.

80. Waterloo denizen 81. Mode 82. Dial and muscle 85. Lure 86. Uttered 89. Thrombocyte 90. Cooking a certain way 91. — color 92. Wry humor 94. Moonfish 95. Books for students 101. Number prefix 102. Guides 104. Water mammal 105. Data disk: Hyph.

107. Regularly 108. Yeasty foam 109. Employs 110. Lane blocker 111. — -de-camp 113. Margarine 114. Criticism 115. Get along 119. Estuary 120. Black cuckoo

A B A S E N J R I X P E A R C W H

A T E R Q U A D S I A S A L I T I N G M E L A I N G T T I A L N Y E E L

7

30 4

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14 17

10 16

4

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12 11

19 10

7

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11/22 Solution

WORD FIND This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 26 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Among the stars Solution: 26 Letters

© 2018 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

© 2018 United Feature Syndicate, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication

A F T E R S H O T H A C K A Z E P L

I N G E R A G O T V L O D E R E E N W A H E E R W L M O O R U M P

7

8

7 U S C A R A X P E C R

16

Solution to last week’s puzzle

Apogee Atom Awe Beam Big bang China Comet Cosmic Dim Doppler effect Earth Ecliptic Energy

Future Gas Gravity Heavenly Kelvin Kulper belt Leo Minor Lunar Map Mars Mass Mystery Neptune

Ozone Pluto Radio Resonance Scans Shuttle Sky Sun Time Tracking Ursa Major USA Walk

36 | N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8

11/22 Solution: Let’s escape the rat race SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Solution: Space. The final frontier... still

Creators Syndicate 737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-337-7003 • info@creators.com

Date: 11/29/18

::NEWS OF THE WEIRD

::FREEWILLASTROLOGY ::BY ROB BREZSNY SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Blackjack is a card game popular in gambling casinos.

In the eternal struggle to improve the odds of winning big money, some blackjack players work in teams. One teammate secretly counts the cards as they’re dealt and assesses what cards are likely to come up next. Another teammate gets subtle signals from his card-counting buddy and makes the bets. A casino in Windsor, Ontario pressed charges against one blackjack team, complaining that this tactic was deceptive and dishonest. But the court decided in the team’s favor, ruling that the players weren’t cheating but simply using smart strategy. In the spirit of these blackjack teams, Sagittarius, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to better your odds in a “game” of your choice by using strategy that is almost as good as cheating but isn’t actually cheating.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What has become of the metaphorical seeds you planted during the weeks after your last birthday?

Have your intentions flourished? Have your dreams blossomed? Have your talents matured? Have your naive questions evolved into more penetrating questions? Be honest and kind as you answer these inquiries. Be thoughtful and big-hearted as you take inventory of your ability to follow through on your promises to yourself. If people are quizzical about how much attention you’re giving yourself as you take stock, inform them that your astrologer has told you that December is Love Yourself Better Month.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If you want to play the drinking game called Possum, you and your friends climb up into a tree with a case of beer and start drinking. As time goes by, people get so hammered they fall out of the tree. The winner is the last one left in the tree. I hope you won’t engage in this form of recreation anytime soon—nor in any other activity that even vaguely resembles it. The coming weeks should be a time of calling on favors, claiming your rewards, collecting your blessings, and graduating to the next level. I trust your policy will be: no trivial pursuits, no wasted efforts, no silly stunts.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his song “Happy Talk,” Academy Award-winning lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II offered this advice: “You got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?”

Where do you stand in this regard, Pisces? Do you in fact have a vivid, clearly defined dream? And have you developed a strategy for making that dream come true? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to home in on what you really want and hone your scheme for manifesting it. (P.S. Keep in mind Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s idea: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”)

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Every year the bird known as the Arctic tern experiences two summers and enjoys more daylight than any other animal. That’s because it regularly makes a long-distance journey from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again. Let’s designate this hardy traveler as your inspirational creature for the next eleven months. May it help animate you to experiment with brave jaunts that broaden and deepen your views of the world. I don’t necessarily mean you should literally do the equivalent of circumnavigating the planet. Your expansive adventures might take place mostly in inner realms or closer to home.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When the American Civil War began in 1861, the United States fractured. Four years later, the Union was technically restored when the Northern states defeated the Southern states. At that time, African American slavery became illegal everywhere for the first time since the country’s birth decades earlier. But there was a catch. The Southern states soon enacted laws that mandated racial segregation and ensured that African Americans continued to suffer systematic disadvantages. Is there a comparable issue in your personal life? Did you at sometime in the past try to fix an untenable situation only to have it sneak back in a less severe but still debilitating form? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to finish the reforms; to enforce a thorough and permanent correction.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Does an elusive giant creature with a long neck inhabit the waters of Loch Ness in northern Scotland? Al-

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

leged sightings have been reported since 1933. Most scientists dismiss the possibility that “Nessie” actually exists, but there are photos, films, and videos that provide tantalizing evidence. A government-funded Scottish organization has prepared contingency plans just in case the beast does make an unambiguous appearance. In that spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I recommend that you prepare yourself for the arrival in your life of intriguing anomalies and fun mysteries. Like Nessie, they’re nothing to worry about, but you’ll be better able to deal gracefully with them if you’re not totally taken by surprise.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Does moss really “eat” rocks, as Cancerian author Elizabeth Gilbert attests in her novel The Signature of All Things? Marine chemist Martin Johnson says yes.

Moss really does break down and release elements in solid stone. Gilbert adds, “Given enough time, a colony of moss can turn a cliff into gravel, and turn that gravel into topsoil.” Furthermore, this hardy plant can grow virtually everywhere: in the tropics and frozen wastes, on tree bark and roofing slate, on sloth fur and snail shells. I propose that we make moss your personal symbol of power for now, Cancerian. Be as indomitable, resourceful, and resilient as moss.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Let’s shout out a big “THANKS!” and “HALLELUJAH!” to the enzymes in our bodies. These catalytic proteins do an amazing job of converting the food we eat into available energy. Without them, our cells would take forever to turn any particular meal into the power we need to walk, talk, and think. I bring this marvel to your attention, Leo, because now is a favorable time to look for and locate metaphorical equivalents of enzymes: influences and resources that will aid and expedite your ability to live the life you want to live.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground,” writes author Judith Thurman. I’m guessing you will experience this feeling in the coming weeks. What does it mean if you do? It may be your deep psyche’s way of nudging you to find an energizing new sanctuary. Or perhaps it means you should search for fresh ways to feel peaceful and well-grounded. Maybe it’s a prod to push you outside your existing comfort zone so you can expand your comfort zone.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Venice, Italy consists of 118 small islands that rise from a shallow lagoon. A network of 443 bridges keeps them all connected. But Venice isn’t the world champion of bridges. The American city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania holds that title, with 446. I nominate these two places to be your inspirational symbols in the coming weeks. It’s time for you build new metaphorical bridges and take good care of your existing metaphorical bridges.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): To aid and support your navigation through this pragmatic phase of your astrological cycle, I have gathered counsel from three productive pragmatists.

First is author Helen Keller. She said she wanted to accomplish great and noble things, but her “chief duty” was “to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” Second, author George Orwell believed that “to see what is in front of one’s nose” requires never-ending diligence. Finally, author Pearl S. Buck testified that she didn’t wait around until she was in the right mood before beginning her work. Instead, she invoked her willpower to summon the necessary motivation.

Homework: Hug yourself as you tell yourself your biggest secret. Go to freewillastrology.com.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob

::BY THE EDITORS OF ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Satanic Poses

P

astor John Lindell of the James River Church in Ozark, Mo., took the opportunity presented by Halloween to compose a paranormalthemed sermon that warned against the evils of Halloween, fortune-telling, Wicca and…yoga. According to the Springfield NewsLeader, Lindell warned his parishioners on Oct. 28 that yoga positions were “created with demonic intent to open you up to demonic power; Hinduism is demonic!” He went on: “To say the positions of yoga are no more than exercise are (sic) tantamount to saying water baptism is just aqua aerobics!” Local yoga instructors are not amused, especially because, in the wake of

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NFL DUI Christopher Greyshock, 57, of West Milford, N.J., used the old disappointed football fan excuse to explain how things went wrong after he was involved in a traffic accident in Wayne on Nov. 11 that injured two people: “I drank too much because the Jets suck.” According to News12, as first responders were attending to the injured, Greyshock staggered toward them smelling of alcohol and railing against the New York Jets football team. A field sobriety test confirmed Greyshock was inebriated, and he was arrested. On the front seat of his car were a bottle of bourbon and marijuana. This just in: The Jets still suck.

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Lindell’s religious rants, fewer people have been showing up to their classes.

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::ARTFORART’SSAKE

Shelfie Shtick ::BY ART KUMBALEK

I

’m Art Kumbalek, and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? Listen, with the holidays heating up big time, I figure that the way I can be of most service to you’s this week is rather than whip out an essay about how the Republicans suck, I’d take a look back (with a few changes) at my still relevant holiday hotline where I responded to a couple, three queries I got in the mail in regards to the turbulent times ahead, what the fock.

Hey Artie, is there anything that can be done so that the Christmas and the New Year’s can always be on the same days every year? I got a heck of a time keeping track of when they’re supposed to be year to year and sometimes I end up missing them altogether.

And when the Christmas comes on the weekend, the workingman really gets screwed, ain’a?

—Your buddy Little Jimmy Iodine I’m with you, pally. The holiday days need be made more convenient and just gosh darn more focking practical for the modern man. Behold, let’s say we could give a rat’s ass as to when the actual Dec. 24 fell and instead always put the Christmas Eve on a Monday with the Christmas Day always on the Tuesday. Eureka!— most of us could worm a four-day weekend out of a setup like that and we’d arrange the New Year’s likewise.

Sure, there’d be plenty of heat coming out the ears of your blubbering, blabbering traditionalists. Screw ’em.

Where were they when the powers-that-be dicked with Lincoln, Washington, King and Columbus and made

38 | N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8

their big day always be a Monday? Hey, Jesus may have died for our sins but the Ol’ Railsplitter freed the slaves and that ain’t beanbag.

Dear Sir: A lady friend of mine believes that Santa can’t possibly be a man. Logic tells her Santa is a woman for more than the reasons I’ll mention here: Men can’t pack a bag. Men don’t answer their mail. They aren’t interested in stockings unless someone’s wearing them, not to mention that being responsible for Christmas would require commitment.

—Stormy Daniels I would suggest that your friend simply consider the symbolic imagery that surrounds the Santa mythology to know that the fat man is no “skirt.” To deliver his goods, Santa comes in and out a hot chimney repeatedly rather than slide up and down on a big ol’ candy cane. According to my good book, that alone qualifies him as a male of the heterosexual nature who really knows from around-the-world in a single night, ain’a?

Hey turkey neck, how come you’re so full of crap all the time?

—Ernie Yes, holiday stress has been known to smite the best of us, even the knobshine who sent me the above letter. This stress can cause some to lash out at the ones they love and/or respect the most, not to mention their intellectual and social superiors. I would advise this correspondent to consider the three-step stress-buster program I follow religiously at the first sign that I may ring in the new year by wringing someone’s neck: One, light up a nice, relaxing cigarette. Two, crank up the thermostat. Three, mix another hot focking toddy. And

here’s a bonus tip specifically for the letter writer: kiss my sorry ass, dickweed.

Dear Mr. Kumbalek, I’m having a problem with my husband. He thinks he’s a refrigerator. I consulted a psychologist about this who told me not to be too concerned, that it’s a relatively harmless complex.

But the problem is that my husband snores with his mouth open and the light keeps me awake. What am I to do?

—Mrs. Youngman I don’t know what your focking problem has to do with the holidays, but try pulling his plug.

My son, do you foresee peace on Earth any time soon?

—Pope Francis

Well sir, betweenst you and me, if not for the bullshit that organized religion and its goddamn followers spew out all the time like crap through a goose—yeah yeah, you betcha we could have “peace on Earth” sooner rather than later. On this topic, allow me to quote crooner-as-god Mr. Frank Sinatra (The Chairman of the Board, or depending on your gender, also known as the Chairman of the Broad), from a 1963 Playboy interview, words, if taken to heart, just might calm down the hullabaloo in the Middle East for starters: “I’ve always had a theory that whenever guys and gals start swinging, they begin to lose interest in conquering the world. They just want a comfortable pad and stereo and wheels, and their thoughts turn to the good things of life—not to war. They loosen up, they live and they’re more apt to let live. Dig?” “Dig” I do, Ol’ Blue Eyes, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek, and I told you so.

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