• Issue • January 2009 VolVolVIIVII • Issue 1212 • January 2009
inside vital
January 2009 | vol. 7 issue 12
COVERED 6 THIS IS FEARLESS VITAL honors the recipients of our first Fearless Leader Awards, as elected by you, the People of Milwaukee
>> by Jon Anne Willow, Amy Elliott, Erin Lee
24
6
Petersen, Erin Wolf and Brian Jacobsen >> Photos by Erin Landry, cover design by Erin Landry and Maureen Kane
INSIDE 4 THE EDITOR’S DESK >> By Jon Anne Willow 14 REEL MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee Filmmaker Speakeasy
>> By Howie Goldklang
22 BEHIND THE SCAFFOLDING Boards, Committees and Bohl, Oh My!
>> By Dan Corcoran 23 THE FUNNY PAGE 24 VITAL’S PICKS
16 STAGES >> By Ryan Findley
20 EAT THIS!
28 MUSIC REVIEWS + RELEASES
Keeping Warm, Ukrainian Style
>> By Catherine McGarry Miller
>> By Erin Lee Petersen + Amy Elliott
30 SUBVERSIONS
BPA – you’re soaking in it
>> By Lucky Tomaszek
Plus December crossword answers
Co-Publisher, Distribution Mgr. Mehrdad Dalamie mjdalamie@vitalsourcemag.com
One World Lucky Tomaszek ltomaszek@vitalsourcemag.com
Co-Publisher, Editor in Chief Jon Anne Willow jwillow@vitalsourcemag.com
Eat This! Cate Miller eatthis@vitalsourcemag.com
Managing Editor Amy Elliott aelliott@vitalsourcemag.com
SubVersions Matt Wild subversions@vitalsourcemag.com
Production Manager Bridget Brave bbrave@vitalsourcemag.com
REEL Milwaukee Howie Goldklang reelmilwaukee@vitalsourcemag.com
Stages Editor, Administrator Ryan Findley rfindley@vitalsourcemag.com
Behind the Scaffolding Dan Corcoran dcorcoran@vitalsourcemag.com
Music Editor Pete Hammill music@vitalsourcemag.com
Production artists Zach Bartel, Maureen Kane
Picks Editor, staff writer Erin Lee Petersen calendar@vitalsorucemag.com
Erin, a painter by training, got her first starter camera two years ago for Christmas in order to better document her paintings. The new medium quickly took over as her primary source of inspiration and joy. She’s now moving west to pursue photography as a career (and to take a break from Midwest winters). flickr.com/erin_landry
@ VITALSOURCEMAG.COM
31 PUZZLES
THIS MONTH’S COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
Dumb Milwaukee
>> By Matt Wild
21 ONE WORLD NEW!
Where VITAL will be in January
Video intern Noah Therrien vitalvideos@gmail.com
New stuff every day! Blogs, videos, features, reviews, comprehensive arts and gallery guides, local events, weather, news headlines, and more..
Web marketing intern Erin Donohoe
of the publisher. Reprint and copyright inquiries must be made in writing.
Webmaster J. Swan
Subscriptions are available for $27 per year. Send check or money order, attn: Subscriptions, to address below.
Contributors Troy Butero, Coth, Jason Groschopf, A.L. Herzog, DJ Hostettler, Brian Jacobson, Koffeebot, Erin Landry, Melissa Merline, Brian Perkins, David Rees, David Schrubbe, Erin Wolf Distribution Each month, 20,000 copies of VITAL Source are available free at over 600 metro locations. Additional copies $2 each. Send request, with check or money order made to VITAL Source, at the address below. Call to ensure availability of requested materials, or email inquiries to: info@vitalsourcemag.com. Most material herein belongs to Vital Publications, LLC, and cannot be reproduced without the written consent
VITAL Source Magazine 133 W. Pittsburgh Ave., Ste. 409 Milwaukee, WI 53204 Phone: 414.372.5351 Fax: 414.372.5356 On the Web vitalsourcemag.com myspace.com/vitalsource vitalsource.tumblr.com twitter.com/vitalsourcemag PLUS: We’re on Facebook! Search for “VITAL Source” and be our friend.
Vital Source | 3
The editor’s desk Imagine if you will… It’s been a long and grinding year, from the shotgun start of the presidential primaries to the historic election of Barack Obama and the concurrent (though unrelated) collapse of financial markets worldwide. You were there – you know – and you don’t need me to offer up yet another post-mortem on a year that can only be categorized as monumentally historic. Besides, the story of these times is so far from written that summarizing right now seems pointless. Instead, I humbly request that I be among the first to wish you peace, hope and better sleep in the new year. Don’t snort: the chance of my wish coming true is at least as strong as that of me getting a pony for Christmas. Please don’t feel responsible for making my equine holiday wish a reality; at this point in my life, if I ever decide that I must have my own pony I’ll find a way to make it happen. And you can find a way to grant yourself peace and restful nights: it’s actually within your reach, and I’m going to share the secret with you now. Remember when you were little and it was time to get ready for bed? Your parents would have you put away your stuff, take a bath and put on your jammies. Sometimes you’d have a snack and then crawl into your warm bed with a book or the radio playing quietly. Eventually you’d turn off the light and drift down into unconsciousness, thoughts of the day just past or the day ahead curling like mist around your dream factory, priming the pump for the night to come. Your details might be different from these, but the outcome is the same: a graceful transition from the chaos of the day into the solace of sleep, a chance to regenerate and face the new morning head-on. I neglected this ritual for nearly three decades. As a typical young adult I flew from bed to school or work, from obligated time into a frenzied social life, slamming back into bed late and crashing hard (or staring at the ceiling for hours) until my alarm clock pulled me with a squawk from my mattress once again. I didn’t prioritize it as a single mom and new business owner, either. How could I? Time becomes so compressed for grownups, until you look in the mirror one morning and realize that you’ve aged, the lines and gray hair informing you in no uncertain terms that there’s no traveling backwards. You can’t stop time and the inexorable hunger of its advances. Time is like fire: always consuming you, even as it paves the way for new beginnings. But you can steal from time – a moment here and there – and reclaim yourself. I can attest that the moments you take back from the voracity of the daily grind are well-invested, replenishing your under-valued emotional and spiritual reservoir and providing a source of strength from which to draw in times of need. This is how I do it: before I fall asleep, I think about things I’ve learned recently. I try not to masticate on problem-solving or worry, but rather just roam the wide world of knowing. For instance, this year I learned that there is no focused scholarly effort to study, understand or preserve the Great Wall of China. How can that be? I also learned that no matter how hard you try to make everyone happy and healthy, the people in your life have to process situations in their own way, and sometimes things just are what they are until they evolve into something else. I learned a few things about baking – always my culinary weakness – that have opened new doors of kitchen creativity. And every once in awhile I buy a lottery ticket, then lay in bed imagining what I would do with millions of dollars. Everyone has something that fascinates them, whether it’s personal reflection or a random magazine article that unexpectedly resonates beyond the reading. The secret, I believe, to reclaiming yourself (after all, in the end,
4 | editor ’s Desk | Vital Source
>>by jon anne willow
it is your life), is to re-acquaint yourself with your childhood friend, imagination, who waits forever patiently like Pooh for a grown-up Christopher Robin. Imagination doesn’t need your adult self to create fantasy worlds that absorb your waking thoughts for endless summers on end; it’s content to play whatever role you have available. And in these times of great uncertainty, imagination is one of the keys to hope. The daily churn of consuming routine is not serving the world – or the people in it – well, and far-out possibilities must now be imagined. It starts with each of us. At VITAL, we reconnected this month with our collective imaginations in making predictions for 2009. Some may seem absurd, but Amy Elliott’s prediction for 2008 that the 1890s would make a roaring comeback has borne out in the profusion of string bands and crinoline overtaking the local music scene, which proves just about anything can happen. Read these and then take your own guesses – but don’t spend too much time worrying about what’s possible. You just never know. VS JON ANNE WILLOW – CO-PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF No matter how hard Wall Street works to lure private investors back into the market, ordinary citizens will go back to saving the old fashioned way: stuffing cash in their mattresses. By June, Verlo will offer an all-new custom model, The Saver 3000, which will include a hidden chamber accessible only with a card and PIN number. Sure, they’ll be uncomfortable as hell to sleep on, but Verlo will sell scads of them to freaked-out Baby Boomers, not only securing their own financial future but providing hundreds of jobs right here in Wisconsin. The Obama Administration’s new motto will be “A windmill in every yard.” AMY ELLIOTT – MANAGING EDITOR In 2009, the stupid but prevalently held idea that “deaths happen in threes” will take on a whole new level of mystical garbage meaning when a trio of prominent world leaders – Kim Jong-Il, Fidel Castro and, in a “freak accident,” Vladimir Putin – kick the bucket. Somali pirates will take over Cuba, Moscow will be annexed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and North Korea will allow Kim Jong-Il to rule from the grave. Also meeting their demise in 2009: million-year-old and long-presumed-to-be-already-dead Structuralist philosopher Claude-Levi Strauss; actors Sidney Poitier and Peter O’Toole; former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca and the already mostly decayed Amy Winehouse. James Brown, on the other hand, will be crowned the Funk Messiah when he unceremoniously rises from the dead on Christmas day. BRIDGET BRAVE – PRODUCTION MANAGER After its victorious parlay into the national consciousness via the New York Times, the Journal-Sentinel’s “Wasted in Wisconsin” series will continue to spread, resulting in a five-part BBC series, MTV True Life Special (“I Drink in Wisconsin”), and several obscure Family Guy references. Milwaukee will celebrate by doing a shot every time the city is mentioned by name. RYAN FINDLEY – ADMINISTRATOR/FINE ARTS EDITOR Gas will make a head-spinning ricochet back to astronomical prices. This ricochet will bring the boomerang back into style with a vengeance. And speaking of vengeance, God will hold off on striking us dead because, in electing Barack Obama, Americans have bought ourselves a few years with which to prove we’re not the awful human beings and wretched global citizens we appear to be. So, no plagues of locusts or rivers of blood or any of that stuff. Which is kind of a nice thought.
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Vital Source | 5
This is FEARLESS Introduction by Jon Anne Willow, photography by Erin Landry The idea of leadership has been receiving a lot of play lately, not only in the media but also in the conversations of everyday people. Too often, in the last several years in particular, the term “leadership” is modified by adjectives like “vacuum,” “lack of” and “inadequate.” When we at VITAL began planning these awards in early 2008, it was in response to a general feeling that our community and our nation were in the grips of a collective malaise brought on in part by the sinking sensation that things were spinning out of control and nobody was stepping up to do anything meaningful about the country’s direction. We could relate, and there wasn’t much good news coming from the top. Nevertheless, we could all think of individual citizens who apparently missed the memo to abandon all hope and continued to work within their communities for positive change, keeping their chins up, chests out and heads down
6 | FEARLESS LEADERS | Vital Source
but not bowed. In fact, we thought of so many that we realized there must be hundreds more right here in Milwaukee. So instead of picking people we knew in a closed-door staff meeting, we put the vote to the people of our city. And over 3,000 of you weighed in. That’s democracy in action, and we thank each of you sincerely for taking the time to recognize the efforts of all our nominees and award winners. Most of you who read this will be familiar with the larger concept of leadership, though you may not have thought about it much until the recent presidential election brought the idea back into vogue. The term has since gained momentum, first as a campaign slogan and now as a very real expectation of our next president, who takes the helm in such troubling times. Leadership is not about being in charge – some of the best leaders are peers, not bosses – nor is it about being the face connected with a name
more at vitalsourcemag.com
or cause. Leadership comes from within, and very often lies dormant until required. After all, what sane person grows up wanting to go down with the ship, lead the charge to battle or otherwise commit to exposing themselves to all sorts of hopelessness and unpleasantness on a daily basis? The answer is that nobody sane would think this is a good idea. But as William Shakespeare famously wrote: “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” The latter circumstance, I believe, is how most greatness is uncovered. It is human nature to follow, to fit in and to believe that doing no harm is doing enough. It’s how most of us are wired, so if this is you, you’re in good company with most of the human race. But in your heart, don’t you ever yearn to hear a call that you can’t resist, a resonance that pulls you inexorably to a higher cause? Don’t most people desire on some level to live a life filled with that ever-elusive “meaning” we hear so much about? In truth, the scratch for that itch can’t be found in a self-help book, through meditation, self-medication or idle talk. And rarely does the seeker find. Leadership, meaning, greatness – these are all elegant terms, but the reality of living them is mostly very pedestrian. The winners of VITAL Source’s 2009 Fearless Leader Awards do not seek recognition, but simply wish to continue the work to which they’re dedicated, and which they each believe is their higher calling. Most of them stumbled into their situations through a life-changing experience that created the path to purpose and the opportunity to be part of a solution. None of the Leaders we interviewed consider themselves fearless, per se, just busy, focused and sometimes afraid. And that is exactly what makes them so amazing. We hope you’ll join us on January 22nd at the Eisner Museum as we present the 2008 Fearless Leader Awards. Ceremony information is on page 11. And in the coming year, think about someone you know who’s fearless. We’ll open nominations for the 2010 awards in the fall. Congratulations to all our nominees Sharon Adams James Godsil Biko Baker Anita Gulotta-Connelly Victor & Dawn Barnet Lloyd Levin Joe Bartolotta Jeanette Mitchell Renee Simone Bebeau Michelle Sieg Shari Comstock Br. Bob Smith Tom Crawford Dale R. Smith Genyne Edwards Julia Taylor Jennifer ‘Kya’ Espenschied
Kari Behling By Brian Jacobson
“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.”– Henrik Ibsen While Kari Behling is excited to have been chosen for VITAL’s Fearless Leader Awards, she isn’t sure she fits the profile. “It’s something I struggle with. I’m often afraid,” she says. “But I guess I don’t let it stop me. I have a bigger fear of giving up.” In October 2007, she became the National Director of the Milwaukee-headquartered American Association of Children’s Residential Centers. This came at age 39 after a lifetime of advocacy, volunteering and being a foster parent to dozens of infants, adolescents and teens. What’s extraordinary about her new organization is its focus on dealing with foster children who have challenging behavioral health issues. This means advising foster agencies and parents on how to cope with children who have experienced trauma and now might act out by setting fires, being sexually active or abusive or becoming physically violent. The AACRC also researches and sets policies on handling genetic-based behavioral issues such as Asperger Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, autism, dyslexia or bipolar disorder, to help provide the most innovative care possible. Behling’s work would make most people crumble under the often-intense pressure. But whether she’s traveling to different cities for conferences or taking phone calls from troubled caregivers at her Lake Drive office, she never loses the individual and tactile need to care. As an adopted child herself, she feels strongly about giving children safe shelter and “a really good support system.” Kari is currently a single mom living in Riverwest
with two biological children (Brady, 13, and Ariel, 11), one adopted child (Jaida, 7) and now another foster child (who is 8). It was her oldest kids who persuaded her to take in one more. “You know, I’m 40 now – I’m tired. But it’s kind of like you practice what you preach. [Brady would say] ‘It’s what we do, and we do it well.’ He even offered up the extra space in his room for a bed.” Behling believes that her experiences in Milwaukee, specifically, gave her a real, usable perspective when looking at other places and how they deal with behavioral issues. She says that although she went to college, it was on the streets and in communities that she gained a real knowledge of racial disparity issues as well as positive aspects. Along with championing foster parenting issues, Behling works as a tutor for new refugee families from countries like Myanmar and is involved with the ‘soccer-for-all-kids’ club called Milwaukee Kickers. Listening to her, you can feel the enthusiasm and kindness in her voice. She peppers the conversation with truisms like, “You know it’s the right thing to do, but you want to do it right.” Behling strongly believes that honesty and kindness lay the foundation for all of her relationships. She doesn’t expect the parents or children she meets to be perfect, but she does desire that they strive for sincerity, generosity of spirit and personality. And while she herself may not claim to be fearless, others see a brave face and follow her lead.
Vital Source | F EARLESS LEADERS | 7
MacCanon Brown By Amy Elliott
“Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” – Robert Jarvik
In 1990, MacCanon Brown was floundering – she had no job, little money and a room in an attic that she thought she was going to lose. “My world had just completely shattered,” she says. But while she was waiting in a meal program line at St. Ben’s, she met a priest who changed the direction of her life – and subsequently, the lives of countless others. The priest introduced MacCanon to the landscape of Milwaukee’s homeless-serving organizations and the people who led and administered them. “I could just tell,” she says, “that was what I was going to do. I became emotionally healed.” In 1992, MacCanon joined Repairers of the Breach and within months was elected president of the board. Repairers of the Breach began in 1989 as a community movement that would give a voice and public presence to homeless and formerly homeless people. Repairers created the first newspaper produced by and for the homeless, founded a speaker’s bureau and produced and distributed videos. But the group lacked a headquarters – a place for board members
8 | FEARLESS LEADERS | Vital Source
to meet and plan, and a center for homeless people to come together to help each other. One of the group’s founders, Tony Lee, had advocated a center for the group from the start. “Tony was a homeless Vietnam veteran who came back from the war addicted to heroin and in a rage,” MacCanon says. “Another homeless person showed compassion on him – [and] it changed him so much that he got into recovery, got back with his family and organized his life. “He carried that message about the power of what happens when a person in a plight reaches out to another person in that plight.” Due in part to MacCanon’s efforts, Tony’s vision was realized in 1994 when Milwaukee’s first daytime homeless shelter – which took the name Repairers of the Breach from the publication the group had founded – opened its doors. Tony died in 1996, but Repairers still builds on the two main tenets of his mission: that homeless people have a place to govern, and that homeless people are enabled and encouraged to reach out and help each other. Repairers offers a constellation of over 50 programs and services, and the shelter helps over 150 people a day. They provide a mailing address and a phone and message system for homeless job seekers, as well as showers and toiletries, clothing, food, computer and email access – even haircuts. And most notably, everyone who uses the shelter participates in the governing, maintenance and operations of the shelter and abides by the rules they create. “Everyone is moving forward,” she says. “We don’t allow people to stay stuck.” MacCanon works about 70 hours a week – “I don’t even think of it as work,” she says – and finds her greatest rewards in the moments where she can “bear witness to a homeless individual who owns our unique vision, to the extent that he or she leads and mentors out of a commitment that is pure and genuine.” Among her most gratifying encounters was with a woman who had been on the streets for almost 20 years. She came to Repairers because she heard there were free donuts and coffee. “She was an addict – she had been rejected by her family and came to our center as someone without any resources,” says MacCanon. “At the bottom of the barrel.” But as Pamela returned to Repairers, her life turned around. She received health care, restored her self-esteem and began to look for transitional living. “She bloomed,” says MacCanon. In 2004, Pamela was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee. Today she works for several volunteer organizations throughout the city. MacCanon can’t say what path her life will take in the future, but for now, she feels like she’s living the dream, unglamorous though it is sometimes. “I think we’re dreaming for the wrong thing. What I’m doing is the American Dream – to be in the service of people who are the most rejected, [and] probably offer the most to unify our very broken and divided society. The love in that little place on 14th and Vliet – it’s an ingredient. If you really mix it in, it could unify Milwaukee. To me, that’s the dream.”
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Sarah Exley By Erin Lee Petersen A little over two years ago, Sarah Exley, a communications specialist at Northwestern Mutual, and her husband, Ryan, were living a peaceful life in Germantown as they looked forward to the arrival of their first child. In April of 2006, Sarah gave birth to a lovely little girl named Avery. At first everything seemed fine, but within about three months Sarah and Ryan noticed that Avery’s right hand was always in an increasingly tight fist. Several doctors over repeated visits assured the couple that their little girl was fine, but the parents persisted in looking for answers. After almost a year, Sarah and her husband received the startling news that Avery had suffered a stroke in utero. “I was shocked,” Sarah says. “That was the last thing that had crossed my mind.” Immediately after her daughter’s diagnosis, Sarah started researching pediatric stroke, hoping to find support and helpful information. She was dismayed to learn that very few resources were readily available, even though, while rare, pediatric stroke is as common in children as leukemia or brain tumors, affecting about 2.3 per 100,000 children. So Sarah took it upon herself to raise awareness of the condition, networking with other affected families, joining support groups and telling Avery’s story to anyone who would listen. She even lobbied Capitol Hill for research funding. In 2007, Sarah started working with the American Heart Association’s annual Start! Heart Walk, and along with friends and family has helped raise over $14,000 to fund research for pediatric stroke in the past two years.
“It’s my passion to get the word out,” she says. Because the Exleys recognized Avery’s condition relatively early, they’ve been able to make a significant difference in Avery’s development with the assistance of occupational, speech and physical therapy. Now Avery’s right hand is functional and she’s able to do most of the things other children her age can. “She’s a normal kid,” Sarah says, “and she’s incredibly bright.” Though they have had success with Avery’s therapy, when she starts preschool next fall she’ll no longer be covered by Wisconsin’s Birth to 3 program and will have to rely on the school system for her therapy needs. Sarah says this is one of the biggest obstacles facing her family in the upcoming year, but she remains optimistic and is already in discussion with Pupil Services in the Germantown school district about the possibility of broadening the Early Education program to make services more accessible for children with different needs. She hopes that one day more government funding will be available to ensure that survivors of pediatric stroke don’t slip through the cracks and are able to get the services they need. In the meantime, she’ll continue to fight. “You have to keep pushing,” she says. “You are your child’s best advocate.”
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
Vital Source | F EARLESS LEADERS | 9
Mary Lou LaMonda By Erin Wolf
“Did you know that there is more ant mass on the planet than human mass? LaMonda says that her work with the Milwaukee community is symbiotic That’s an astounding fact,” says Mary Lou LaMonda. “Ants are not causing – building sustainability on a community level, and building personal relationglobal climate change and the devastation of species.” ships brick by brick. “Everyone is a unique expression of the life force and has Arguably one of Milwaukee’s foremost experts on green living, Mary Lou something to offer to the world that no one else does, and it’s important that LaMonda is teaching folks in our city to live more environmentally sustainable I listen and learn from anyone that shows up in my life.” lives. LaMonda has worked as a leader of the Milwaukee Urban Agriculture LaMonda’s goals are widespread, and considering her track record, the Network (MUAN) and has contributed to many projects and causes, includ- results of her actions could ultimately be wide-reaching. She envisions a ing the first Green Roof Symposium in Milwaukee (focusing on green jobs world of true sustainability and thoughtful lifestyle design, creating and and growing edible market crops), the Michael Fields Agriculture Institute, celebrating stronger communities, developing renewable energy and engiSlow Food WiSE, the Kane Commons project (organizing the first straw bale neered renewability and decreasing the amount of waste that we produce, building workshops in Milwaukee), the Oz Biodiesel Cooperative, Riverwest’s reintroducing art and music into school systems, promoting equal rights and Yogashala, Conocer (a fair trade cultural exchange program to Michoacan, a viable health care system … just to name a few. Mexico) and Elaine’s Project (for healthy inner city kids). “We have always been ‘the change we are waiting for,’” she affirms. “We LaMonda says the key are standing on to community organizing is the shoulders of “In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves a positive mindset. “In the the many that beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer words of Howard Zinn,” came before us, she says, “‘Small acts, so we have a when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world’ … If we see broader view. [We] see how much more needs to be done in our communities, only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember in our country and around the planet. We never really know the full impact those times, places – and there are so many – where people have behaved of what we do, and whatever acknowledgment or success we receive is magnificently, this gives us energy to act, and at least the possibility of send- only because of those shoulders and the folks we are now walking with arm ing this spinning top of a world in a different direction … to live now as we in arm, who are doing the same as we are. We are preparing the earth and think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is wrong around us, is planting the seeds for whatever will grow in the future.” itself a marvelous victory.”
10 | FEARLESS LEADERS | Vital Source
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Vital Source | 11
Matt Nelson By Erin Wolf “I believe that the People have the responsibility, ability and right to organize that come at the expense of such programs, and seek reforms promoting themselves, and I will fight for the right to self-determination and the right to greater community participation in their design, effectiveness and administraorganize, and defend human rights for all.” tion. We need to invest in public works projects that hire community residents So says Matt Nelson, who has been called a “watchdog for social injustice” at family-supporting wages; improve and expand job training; offer child care for very good reasons – he has tirelessly promoted change through innovation assistance for families, assistance to neighborhood organizations and services and awareness. As owner of Brewing Grounds for Change (est. 2004), Milwau- and accommodations for people with disabilities; provide domestic violence kee’s first 100% fair trade coffee shop; he has organized campaigns with the prevention, public health and legal services and education for everyone; mainMitchell Street Farmers Market Coalition; worked with the Milwaukee Police tain our libraries, parks and public areas for meetings, assembly and art. Our Accountability Coalition and the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union; is co-founder Milwaukee must stand up for the health, safety and comfort of workers and of the Freedom Now! Collaborative in Milwaukee, and writes and teaches. the general public and support local laws that restore the public involvement Nelson realizes the importance to act upon words as a public ambassador. and trust back into local government.” While he supports many movements in which he sees value, his core causes “I value efforts based in integrity, a commitment to justice for all … I feel revolve around access to the basic necessities for all people in Milwaukee: great respect and solidarity with all of the fearless leaders that have come transportation, safety, food and free trade. before me who have taught me to listen and to give back.” “High quality, accessible public transportation will positively impact the economic development in our city and has the power to bridge gaps in social and economic mobility, improve our environment, reduce traffic congestion and lower the costs of “You don’t lead by pointing many public services,” he says of Milwaukee’s and telling people some public transit needs. place to go. You lead by Nelson also advocates for higher standards in going to that place and police accountability in Milwaukee, through his work with The Milwaukee Police Accountability making a case.” – Ken Kesey Coalition (MPAC). “MPAC unites the many voices of families and individuals who have been victimized by police violence into effectively addressing Milwaukee’s police brutality crisis. We expect Chief Edward Flynn to show leadership and publicly acknowledge systemic issues within the MPD and officially commit to profoundly changing the culture of the department that allows for police misconduct and brutality to continue. We want a professional police force in Milwaukee that protects civil rights and protects neighborhoods. No one is above the law.” Nelson’s work for “food justice” has focused around the Mitchell Street Farmer’s Coalition and its efforts to find a permanent home. In 2006, the Mitchell Street Market was the only local market serving Milwaukee’s Latino community. Commercial development plans for a city-owned property threatened its existence. He led an organizing effort that brought together local residents, patrons and city officials and resulted in an annual sublease agreement with the city for the market. “Our community must have the right to define our own food future and to be able to feed our community healthy, locally grown food that benefits local farmers and builds economic growth in our community,” affirms Nelson. “A way to reduce poverty and improve neighborhood stability is through local economic development, preserving green space, and economic security.” Nelson believes it all starts from the ground up, fighting for the basic human rights to food, clothing, shelter, health and safety. Unfortunately, these basic rights don’t come for free. Nelson realizes the tireless effort that the Milwaukee community must collectively make for positive change. “We as community organizers and civic participants must offer more than dry meetings with patronizing leadership, pandering liberals and arrogant conservatives who attempt to contain real transformation,” he says. “I believe it is important for the City of Milwaukee to improve and sustain high-quality health and safety-net programs. Accordingly, we should resist budget cuts
12 | FEARLESS LEADERS | Vital Source
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Deon Young By Erin Lee Petersen Deon Young has some interesting ideas regarding what it means to be fear- that he’s “ecstatic” about less in today’s society. To him, fearless means having the courage to tell your the outcome but that there story and fight against stereotypes, dedicating yourself to your passions even is still much more work to when you’re met with opposition, and working to bridge the gap between be done. While the LGBT Center has what Deon where you are and where you want to be. Deon works as a Community Organizer with the Milwaukee LGBT Com- calls “natural allies” in munity Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the Milwaukee like Planned quality of life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Parenthood and ACORN, Milwaukee. Deon started volunteering at the center in 2001 and has been a he would like to see the full time staff member since 2005. Working for a non-profit often requires a LGBT community branch lot of volunteer hours and doesn’t come with a particularly glamorous salary, out into other areas and perhaps partner with orgabut that’s of little concern to Deon. “There’s a reason why you do this job ... even when it could be easier to nizations like the NAACP or the Milwaukee Urban do less work for more pay,” he says. For Deon, that reason is simple: to educate people in the LGBT community League. The LGBT Center is about legal, social and personal issues, and to give them a voice so they can already making progress toward this goal by participating in the Wisconsin Civic Engagement Program, a coalition of progressive non-profits educate others. He most recently worked with the OutVote who represent vastly different interests, yet still work together to “If your actions program, designed to engage LGBT voters in a nonpartisan manner and increase LGBT turnout at the polls, a program inspire others to address public concerns and social issues. Inspired by the election, Deon hopes that confidence in the Deon says also helped build bridges to other minority comdream more, learn grassroots movement will be restored in 2009 and that undermunities and mobilize voters in those areas. Deon also works more, do more and represented groups will be more willing to collaborate with one with LGBT youth outreach programs and was active with Fair become more, you another to achieve common goals. Wisconsin, organizing and participating in door-to-door camare a leader. ”– John “It’s a new day,” he says. “I look forward to what these new paigns prior to the gay marriage referendum vote in 2006. leaders will bring.” VS Now that the presidential election is over, Deon says Quincy Adams
Vital Source | F EARLE SS LEADERS | 13
Milwaukee Filmmaker Speakeasy
>>By Howie Goldklang
Lemon Lounge @ Oakland and Locust … So I told Grandma I loved her and then Grandpa ambled onto the phone. We did the wife, dog, salon updates and I heard about the latest movies to sneak into at the budget cinema and how there will never be peace in Israel in his lifetime. I um-hmm along and the call (as always) ended with “Give Carly a big kiss and say hello to the boys in the back room.” Kissing the wife is no prob, but the boys in the back room? That’s kinda sick. I want a back room. We are on the top of Mt. 2009, so cut me some slack and allow me to gently dissect one of the challenges I experience as a fringe filmmaker and late-night screenwriter in Milwaukee. There is no spot. No filmmaker’s speakeasy. Bike messengers have the Swingin’ Door on Michigan to talk about short-billed hats and fixed gears; fat cat lawyers and judges pop over for lunch at Jake’s Deli on North to feel out pleas and city nominations. Filmmakers need that softly lit, sideways bar to hunch over and steal a look when the door creaks open to see if a comrade has entered. We need a place to drink in the anomalous delights of speaking the same, strange film language, a place to go to procrastinate, offer condolences for projects that die, do shots to films that spring to life, argue about this editor or that scene and just talk shit in general. A filmmaker’s back room if you will. Will you? I thought you would. So then, the mission is set! And I think I gots it: Michael Sottile at the Lemon Lounge Lemon Lounge on Oakland. Owner/bartender Michael Sottile has been around the block of the independent film world. Since 1992, he has appeared in Reservoir Dogs, Speed, Outbreak and a few indie feature films starring opposite Julie Bowen (ER, Weeds, Lost, Boston Legal) and Traci Lords (amazing!). Sottile’s latest appearance is in Modus Operandi (directed by Frankie Latina; trailer on myspace.com/frankielatina), which was shot on Super 8mm in Milwaukee on a self-proclaimed budget of CHEAP. For those keeping score, that is some dirt-under-the-nails filmmaking.
14 | reel milwaukee | Vital Source
Walk into Lemon and shut the door quickly behind you, because chances are you’ll let out all the heat. The place is tiny, the size of a forgotten box office more than a bar, sitting in the shadows of the Miramar Theater on Oakland. Dimly lit with candles and white Christmas lights, Lemon comes on like a Brooklyn cellar bar or a Parisian lounge with its own Hemingway story. Hanging from the exposed brick walls are sentimental paintings, a few old film posters and a framed Rolling Stone’s Let It Bleed record. You can’t fuck with that. Bottom line: you get the feeling that this is a place where stories are told and business gets done. Lemon frequently hosts private screenings or showings of works-in-progress on their flat screen/DVD/stereo sound set up. In fact, walk-in, impromptu rounds on the DVD player are encouraged. Film industry or not, patrons become part of the same conversation, backpatting or critiquing the latest flickering film segments. Pushing into 2009, the film community in Milwaukee needs a place like Lemon. The Filmmaking Life is a long love affair with moments from transcendent to ridiculous and, like a love affair, you romanticize the great moments – the things that drew you in and the things that keep you coming back for more. In the same conversation is bittersweet reminiscences and everything in between. What better way to experience it than over drinks at a Milwaukee-born place where you can size up and define your inspiration and meet like-minded people ready to do the same. Your back room. VS On a side note: THANK YOU, ATOMIC RECORDS. The element of cool you brought to Milwaukee will be missed and impossible to replace. I remember trying to angle the inside artwork of the Smashing Pumpkins album Pieces Iscariot to figure out what shirt Billy Corgan was wearing. Yes, people, it was an Atomic Records shirt – in ’94. You can’t get much cooler than that.
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Vital Source | 15
STAGES
HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL 1/6 – 11
>>BY RYAN FINdLEY
17 HIPPIES 1/17
THEATRICAL PREVIEWS HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL The gang’s all here as the characters of the beloved TV series take the stage in this musical rally to save Arnold’s Drive-In. At the Marcus Center, January 6 – January 11. 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org DOGPARK: THE MUSICAL Opening January 9 at the Stackner Cabaret, this canine comedy takes place at the dog park, where very dog has his day and love conquers all. 414-2249490 or milwaukeerep.com DEARLY DEPARTED Deep in the Bible Belt, the Turpins (poster family for dysfunction) attempt to pull together after their patriarch dies. The Racine Theatre Guild presents this comedy of errors and familial relationships January 9 – February 1. 262633-4218 or racinetheatre.org THE BFG Marquette University Theatre presents this stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic as part of its Theatre for Young People series. January 10-11 in the Mainstage Theater; 414-288-7504 or marquette.edu/theatre THE DIG Renaissance Theaterworks offers this tale of lasting sibling relationships and the search for answers about unpredictable events at the Studio Theater in the Broadway Theater Center January 16-February 8. 414-291-7800 or r-t-w.com I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE A musical comedy exploring all aspects of dating and relationships, from the asking to the agony of family car trips, presented by Sunset Playhouse. 262782-4430 or sunsetplayhouse.com TROUBLE IN MIND The Milwaukee Rep stages this fierce look at the half-truths we tell ourselves about race, identity and opportunity in America. At the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, January 20 - February 15. 414-224-9490 or milwaukeerep.com
16 | stage s | Vital Source
ROMANTIC JOURNEYS 1/23 – 24
WITNESS In Vermont circa 1924, a small town must come face-to-face with its bigotry and belief in this adaptation of Karen Hesse’s novel staged by First Stage Children’s Theater. January 23 – February 22 in the Todd Wehr Theater. 414-273-7206 or firststage.org MIRANDOLINA The battle of the sexes come to life in this eighteenth-century Italian comedy about an independent-minded woman and the men in her life. At the Milwaukee Rep’s Steimke Theater, January 28 – February 22. 414-2249490 or milwaukeerep.com GOING TO ST. IVES This emotionally and intellectually stimulating story of culture clash is brought to Milwaukee by Next Act Theater. January 29 – February 22. 414-2780765 or nextact.org I DO! I DO! The Skylight brings us this intimate and nostalgic musical following one couple through 50 years of marriage. January 30 - February 15 in the Cabot Theater. 414-291-7800 or skylightopera.com THE WOMEN Clare Booth Luce’s classic examination of the modern world through female eyes is brought to the stage by the Shorewood Players as a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club of Milwaukee. January 16 – 25. 414-737-3421 or shorewoodplayers.org
MUSIC OF NOTE CLOSE UP The virtuosity of Present Music is highlighted January 9 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center in this eclectic mix of works that brings the fun of chamber music to the forefront. January 9-10. 414-271-0711 or presentmusic.org
more at vitalsourcemag.com
STAGES RACHMANINOV & HOLLYWOOD The Waukesha Symphony Orchestra continues its Russian-themed season with this performance of Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony as well as movie scores from the 1940s. January 25 in the Shattuck Auditorium. 262547-1858 or waukeshasymphony.org DARKNESS AND LIGHT The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents works by Haydn, Mozart and Ravel conducted by Gilbert Varga and featuring William Barnewitz on the horn. January 16 - 17. 414-291-7605 or mso.org 17 HIPPIES Alverno Presents brings Berlin’s “orchestra spezial” to share its unique blend of Eastern melodies, Balkan rhythms, French chanson, Anglo song writing and Cajun tunes at the Pittman Theater January 17. 414-382-6044 or alvernopresents.alverno.edu SENIOR SYMPHONY FOUNDERS CONCERT The Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s flagship Senior Symphony performs in the Bader Concert Hall of the Zelazo Performing Arts Center on January 18. 414-267-2950 or myso.org ROMANTIC JOURNEYS Vasily Petrenko conducts the Milwaukee Symphony in this program of Romantic composers featuring Louis Lortie on the piano. January 23 - 24. 414-291-7605 or mso.org
JAZZ HERITAGE FESTIVAL All of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Jazz Combos will perform at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center January 25. 414-267-2950 or myso.org ALL OUR OWN: WE SIX SERIES The perennial favorite in the Wisconsin Conservatory’s We Six series features the original works of the We Six Ensemble members. January 29. 414-276-5760 or wcmusic.org MY FAVORITE THINGS: A TRIBUTE TO RICHARD RODGERS The MSO Pops and the MSO Chorus collaborate on this program of songs from Rodgers’ most beloved musicals, including Carousel, The King and I, Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, South Pacific and State Fair. January 30 – February 1. 414-291-7605 or mso.org
DANCE THE BRA PROJECT Choreographed by Danceworks resident choreographer Kelly Anderson, this full-length show explores the history of the bra using pop culture, fashion design, social reform and the personal perspectives of Milwaukeeans. 414277-8480 or danceworksmke.org
Vital Source | stages | 17
Service, art and self-expression By Ryan Findley
The Women brings two local non-profits together
Clare Boothe Luce as photographed by Carl Van Vechten
I
n these troubled economic times, the news reports are full of dire predictions about the fate of non-profits of all types, from the organizations supported by United Way to arts organizations of all descriptions. The Baltimore Opera recently declared bankruptcy and the New York Metropolitan Opera has been having a tough year. Here at home, our own Milwaukee Shakespeare has closed its doors after funding bottomed out, and the Greater Milwaukee Committee says that its grant levels this year will be below those of last year. And these are just the most transparent examples of the tightening atmosphere. So it’s remarkable that the Shorewood Players Theatre’s upcoming production of The Women, written by Clare Boothe Luce, is also a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club of Southeastern Wisconsin, a cancer support organization serving communities all over the United States. Gilda’s Club is named for comedian and actor Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. The club takes its name from a quip attributed to Radner: “Having cancer gave me a membership in an elite club I’d rather not be a part of.” The philosophy behind the club was developed by Radner, her husband Gene Wilder and Radner’s cancer psychotherapist, Joanna Bull. The support structure that the club is committed to providing is extremely important to surviving any type of cancer, for all involved. All of the club’s services and activities are free, so its survival absolutely depends on outside funding. Gilda’s Club of Southeastern Wisconsin is located in a storefront on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood and provides emotional support, educational programs and social activities for men, women and children facing cancer, as well as their families and loved ones. One of
18 | CULTURE FEATURE | Vital Source
Gilda’s Club’s key philosophies is that this kind of support must take place in a warm, welcoming and non-institutional environment – somewhere away from the hospital. Appropriately, one of the central themes of The Women is the support that the main characters provide to each other. Through all the challenges that the women of Luce’s modern, cosmopolitan world face, they have each other as an antidote to the roles they must assume to the outside world. While many have criticized the play as depicting vain and shallow women with no sense of how privileged their lives are, the Shorewood Players under the direction of Carol Zippel, Windfall Theatre’s Artistic Director, find something very different in the story. Zippel’s vision is of our modern world and the challenges that it poses to all of us, seen from the viewpoint of women and told in spectacularly entertaining fashion. The entire ensemble is female, and no male characters appear on stage. Both film adaptations of the play (1939 and 2008) have gone so far as to only show pictures of women and to clear the street scenes of all men. Major productions of The Women attract A-list talent, from Norma Shear to Annette Bening and Jada Pinkett Smith. The show holds the record for longest-running non-musical show on Broadway and has enjoyed numerous revivals over the years. Clare Boothe Luce, the playwright, had a successful career as a journalist, serving as both a correspondent for Life Magazine during World War II and later as editor for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Later in her life, she was a member of the House of Representatives serving Connecticut and an ambassador to Italy under President Eisenhower. Luce’s life was dedicated to art, self-expression and service, as was Radner’s. In 2009, one non-profit group, the Shorewood Players Theatre, will combine those same elements into one important, amazing evening for the benefit of another, Gilda’s Club. In this climate of shrinking donations and uncertain futures, the Shorewood Players are planning to give away all concession sales and about two-thirds of ticket sale profits to Gilda’s Club. They are doing this because they have received so much generous support from the community over their nearly 80 years of operation and feel the obligation – and privilege – to give back. We should all be so unselfish with our resources. VS The Shorewood Players Theatre will present The Women at the Shorewood High School Auditorium from January 16 through 25. A representative of Gilda’s Club will be on hand before each performance to answer questions and speak about the organization’s mission.
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Vital Source | 19
eat this Keeping Warm, Ukrainian Style >>Catherine McGarry Miller + photos by Melissa Merline
Vasyl Lemberskyy
Zrazy – Vasyl’s Favorite Ukrainian Dish
Owner/Chef – Transfer Pizzeria Café 101 W. Mitchell St.
Zrazy are small potato pancakes filled with meat and fried in fat. Zrazy are usually served with fried pork fat.
414-763-0438 • transfermke.com The economy may be suffering, but you’d never know it from the percolating patronage of a restaurant less than a year old: Transfer. Co-owner and, in his own words, “Chef Extraordinaire” Vasyl Lemberskyy grew up in Kiev, Ukraine when it was still a Soviet Socialist Republic. There, the economy left people so destitute that hunger was rampant, and the Chernobyl disaster occurred just a few hours away. Lemberskyy made pizza for 20 years in Ukraine and later studied with a Master chef in Italy. When he moved to the United States in 2001, he thought he’d sworn off restaurant work for good. “It’s hard work. I’m tired all the time, not enough time for my family or myself.” Nonetheless, he worked for Polonez and then opened several restaurants alone and with partners, among them Primavera and Fresche.
2 lbs potatoes 1 lb beef 2 large onions, chopped and fried 2 cups sunflower oil Salt to taste
At Transfer, the focus is on Lemberskyy-style pizza, pasta and paninis. He is not overly boastful about his cred as a pizza maker, especially considering his product: his crusts, all made daily by hand, are thin enough to be crispy with enough body to hold a luscious chewy center. The garlic pizza is lavished with a creamy sauce and cheese and slides down the throat without being greasy. You won’t find any Ukrainian dishes on Transfer’s menu, so you’ll have to try this hearty winter favorite in your own kitchen.
Grate half of the potatoes finely. Boil another half in skins. Peel off, grate and add to the uncooked potatoes, then blend and salt to taste. Boil meat, then grind in a food processor and combine with fried finely chopped onion. Shape small cakes and fill in with meat. Fry in oil until light brown. Serve at once. We want you! Submit your recipes for consideration to eatthis@vitalsourcemag.com. We might use them in a future edition of Eat This!
Medivnyk (Ukrainian honey loaf) ½ cup butter 1 cup dark honey 6 eggs, separated 1 cup powdered sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour
Ulana Tyshynsky Ulana Tyshynsky, a fourth grade teacher at Forest Home Avenue School, proudly maintains the Ukrainian culture passed on by her immigrant parents. Cuisine is one of the things she values from her heritage. This bread is a holiday tradition but is also made though out the year. It’s best stored in plastic for several weeks to let the honey mellow before serving. A fun fact: many Ukrainians worship in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and celebrate Christmas on January 7.
20 | eat this | Vital Source
½ t ground cloves ½ t ground cinnamon 1 t baking soda 1 cup golden raisins (optional) 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt honey and butter over low heat, just to the point of boiling. Cool to room temperature. Beat yolks with sugar until very light and thick, 10-15 minutes. Add spices and baking soda. Gently add honey/butter mixture. Beat whites until stiff. Fold whites into yolk mixture. Gradually add flour to batter, stirring gently after each addition. Add raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour mixture into two well-buttered loaf pans. Bake at 300º for about an hour. Cool on wire rack. Wrap when cool.
(From Ulana: Instead of buttering my pans, I line them with aluminum foil, being careful not to tear the foil and avoiding air pockets in the corners. Bonus points: no buttery fingers, no loaf sticking to the pan and no dirty pans to scour. When completely cooled, the loaves, still wrapped in foil, are placed in a freezer bag for mellowing. The aluminum foil peels off very nicely when it’s time to cut into the loaf.)
more at vitalsourcemag.com
BPA – you’re soaking in it About ten years ago, I started hearing quiet murmurs about Teflon pots and pans, Styrofoam cups, plastic dishes and disposable flatware. They were just rumors, really. Things mentioned quietly, in passing. At first I ignored it. Then I started asking a few questions. None of the people doing the whispering really seemed to know a lot about it – they had all just heard similar rumors and were passing it on. Finally, I got a short summary. There were a few theories being tossed around about the safety of consuming hot foods and beverages using any of these kitchen supplies. Maybe it wasn’t as safe as it seemed. A little online digging (in the very early days of the internet – pre-Google!) afforded me more parts of the rumors. The potential danger stemmed from the possibility that certain chemicals might be leached from the plastic by heat and absorbed by the macaroni and cheese or hot chai that was about to be ingested. This concept rocked my whole world. If this theory was true, there were so many things I had been doing for years that could be dangerous. It didn’t seem possible to me – everyone I knew used Teflon and plastic spoons and Styrofoam cups. No one seemed to be suffering any ill effects. There were no cases of cancer, no ongoing or mysterious illnesses. I tried to dismiss it. But the rumors persisted and I started noticing things. Like, how some of my plastic cups changed colors when I put hot cider in them, or how you could burn a hole clean through the layer of plastic wrap by overheating it in the microwave. I watched my food bubble up through those holes and realized it was entirely possible that whatever was in the plastic could be in my food. And though I didn’t know any of the science behind it, I knew that humans shouldn’t be eating plastic. Slowly, we started changing the way we did things around the house. No more foam dishes, very little plastic flatware. Hot food was served on regular old dishes, always. I ditched the coated pans, upgraded for cast iron one piece at a time. For the most part I did these things quietly. The whole concept was still so new, and I was well aware that it could all turn out to be a wave of hysteria that would be laughed at a decade later. At the same time, I wasn’t willing to risk it.
So, what’s the problem? The theoretical risk is from one particular component of some plastics, bisphenol A (or BPA as it’s commonly known). BPA is used in almost every product that is made from clear, hard plastic. It is also used in to make nonstick coating for pots and pans. When it is heated, it begins to break down and release an environmental estrogen. This estrogen is then absorbed by the food or drink in the plastic, which in turn is ingested by you, me, our kids, the neighbors and pretty much everyone. As most of us know, hormone balance for men and women is a pretty delicate thing. In general, a person’s body makes each hormone in the right amount to keep us up and running. When that balance gets upset, it can make a serious impact on our general well-being. In fact, there are so many things that could happen, it’s sometimes hard to take any of it seriously. It’s overwhelming to think that exposure to a specific chemical, in this case BPA, could be responsible for infertility, female cancers, male cancers, birth defects, spontaneous abortions, learning disabilities, mood disorders, low
sperm count, hyperactivity, early puberty, obesity, small testes size and enlarged prostates.
Back and forth I tried to keep up with research on the dangers of plastics, but it was difficult. Every six months or so, one researcher would announce that the last study was backwards, biased or in some other way flawed. However, in the last year, the arguments have changed slightly. Whereas the debate had always centered around whether or not BPA was dangerous, now it’s looking at how dangerous it is and under what circumstances. Some researchers say that BPA doesn’t pose a risk unless it is old. They believe that you can tell when you’ve reached the expiration date on your water or baby bottle because it will start to get cloudy. At that point, you should discard the bottle. Other researchers insist the issue is temperature. They say that heating BPA causes the release of the hormone, so you’re moderately safe if you only use them for cold or temperate substances. Though plastics manufacturers and the FDA want us all to feel safe using plastics containing BPA, the Canadian government has decided to take action. After reviewing 150 studies concerning the effects of BPA, they banned the use of the chemical in baby bottles. Currently in the U.S., 90% of baby bottles contain BPA and the Canadian pre-ban numbers were consistent with ours. This ban has led many plastics manufacturers to modify their products in preparation of a potential and more widespread ban. Fortunately, we stand to benefit from Canada’s legal action despite the fact that our government refuses to follow suit. To simplify manufacturing and distribution, many companies have started replacing their BPA-containing goods with BPA-free ones. Also, many Americans heard about BPA for the first time because of Canada’s ban. The more people know, the more power they have to affect change at home. At the beginning of this new year, I feel good about the decisions I made for my family a decade ago. Realistically, there is no way to completely avoid BPA (see below for a partial list of common products containing BPA). But lowering our exposure to something so potentially dangerous has got to help, even just a little. And for now, that’s all we can do. VS
BPA is all around you…in: The lining of metal food cans Plastic water bottles Baby bottles Child drinking cups
Some #3, #6 and #7 recyclables Dental sealants and “white” fillings
Teflon/non-stick surfaces
Vital Source | ONE WORLD | 21
Behind the Scaffolding
>>By Dan Corcoran
Boards, Committees and Bohl, Oh My! In this edition: BOZA gets a new chair, Alderman Bohl blows up and the Common Council President Hines has a reputation for making sure that all mainstream media once again misses the mark. his chairs show respect for residents. Maybe that’s why Bohl’s bad behavior Big news! New BOZA head: Outside of city government, not many has been the topic of conversation from the halls of the Mayor’s Office to the people know or care about the Board of Zoning Appeals, affectionately Department of City Development. The word is that Pres. Hines is putting Bohl known by insiders as BOZA. (Pronounced with a long “o” and a short “a,” on a shorter leash and will scrutinize future Licenses hearings. so it rhymes with “Rosa.”) But if you live in the City of Milwaukee, run a Nobody’s plum: And speaking of Licenses, December marked the first business here or watch the city government station on TV (Channel 25), you meeting of the Alcohol Beverage Licensing Task Force, which the Common know how vitally important BOZA is to maintaining a good quality of life in Council set up to evaluate how the Licenses process was abused by former Milwaukee. Ald. Michael McGee. Former State Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler Whenever a daycare wants to open in a residential neighborhood, or is chairing the task force, which will give its recommendations to Pres. Hines. someone wants to put up an extra-large billboard, or a corner store is up Some of the recommendations will undoubtedly center around the so-called for renewal, the Board, made up of private citizens, votes on whether or not “aldermanic privilege” debate. There are a variety of definitions of aldermanic exceptions (i.e. “variances”) to land use restrictions should be privilege out there, but the main one seems to be a myth granted. Typically, an alderman or his/her aide will go before One thing that the that a local alderman can push his agenda through commitBOZA and tell why he/she is for/against the variance. There tees without any checks and balances. If you’ve watched mass media never a Licenses hearing (or any other committee hearing), you is often a lot of good neighborhood testimony, too, and the hearings can go well into the night. This is local government managed to mention know that local alderman are often frustrated by the comat its finest, and the chairman – for more than a decade – has mittee process. when the McGee been well-respected tax attorney Craig Zetley. One thing that the mass media never managed to In November, Zetley announced his resignation. This mention when the McGee saga was going down was the saga was going announcement sent shockwaves throughout City Hall and fact that Licenses is a committee that no aldermen want beyond, but it was barely mentioned by most Milwaukee down was the fact to be on. The committee hearings typically start at 8 am media outlets. The replacement is long-time BOZA member and go well past 8 pm. Freshman alders always have to that Licenses is Catey Doyle, who also happens to be sister to Governor Jim pay their dues and sit on this committee, which is why Doyle. Catey, the staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society, is was on it – and why Coggs and Kovac now serve a committee that McGee passionate about Milwaukee and a great person for a job that there. Even in McGee’s taped conversations, released by would be demanding for anyone. Tune in to Channel 25 on any no aldermen want the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he complained about having to Thursday night when BOZA is in session and see how she runs serve on Licenses. (In one tape, he profusely complained to be on. her meetings. The general expectation seems to be that Ms. about having to sit on the same committee as Ald. Willie Doyle will be extremely fair with aldermen and citizens alike, Wade – no love there, apparently – maybe because they but maybe not has hard line as Mr. Zetley when it comes to the interpreta- once ran against each other.) But obviously McGee tried to use the committion of city code. Doyle is known for being empathetic and understanding of tee for his own purposes. He probably would have done the same thing if he special circumstances. was on a powerful committee – like Zoning & Neighborhood Development Like church, but for liquor licenses: Speaking of running city meetings, or Finance. Scary. there was quite a bit of commotion at the Licenses Committee hearing in early Sometimes it’s amazing how little interest many journalists have in December. Alderman Jim Bohl, known for his integrity, sincerity and long- understanding and reporting the facts. To many local reporters, Licenses is winded analogies, is chair of the committee that grants a variety of alcohol perceived as the plum assignment for a council member. During the McGee and other licenses. He took over that role for Ald. James Witkowiak in flap, the vast majority of media outlets perpetuated the fiction that Licenses April, but it’s Bohl’s second turn at being the chair of Licenses. (He’s one of the was the most powerful committee in city government. But who can blame most veteran aldermen, having represented the west side of Milwaukee for them? Unless you pay attention to what’s going on in City Hall, you might more than a decade.) During this particular hearing, Bohl blasted citizens in not know the difference between Public Safety and Public Works. Even attendance for not turning off their cell phones. “This should be like church,” Mayor Barrett seems to join whichever media chorus is currently singing he said at one point, exhorting people to be respectful of the proceedings. in the news echo chamber. Here’s the real deal: if you live close to a bar that He even kicked out one person whose cell phone continued to ring. Many should be closed, Licenses is an important committee. But if you think that observers thought Bohl crossed the line. the city’s power brokers are doing business in that committee, think again. The castigation of Milwaukee residents – many of whom take off work to All you have to do is watch a few hearings with Ald. Bohl to know that it’s come and testify about a nuisance bar or other establishment – is not typical. not where most aldermen want to be. VS
22 | behind the s ca ffolding | Vital Source
more at vitalsourcemag.com
funny page drawing from memory
GET YOUR WAR ON
>>by dwellephant
>>by david rees
vital source | funny page | 23
Vital’s Picks >> By erin lee petersen
Cool Kite Festival January 1 – Veterans Park While many of us will choose to welcome the New Year in a decidedly more indulgent manner, it’s good to know that there are more family friendly alternatives. The annual Cool Kite Festival kicks off 2009 by sending over 50 beautiful kites to the skies, braving near-freezing temperatures to decorate the Milwaukee skyline. Event organizers expect over 3,000 people to gather on Milwaukee’s lakefront where they can take in the view, watch live ice sculpture and maybe even take a horse-drawn buggy ride through the park. 414-305-3145 or giftofwings.com Rock & Roll Record Swap January 6 – Frank’s Power Plant Nowadays, with iTunes and Limewire at our fingertips and thousands of cheap songs just a click away, it seems that no one really buys their music anymore. Some don’t see a need for it – why buy an album when you can download it to your iPod where it is easily accessible and not to mention portable? Convenient, yes, but attitudes like this have the potential to put locally owned record stores out of business. Luckily, there’s still a devout set of music collectors in Milwaukee to keep the hope alive – folks who cherish the tangible object and what it represents – and, you know, love music. The Exclusive Company teams up with Frank’s Power Plant for a rock & roll record swap. Bring in any unwanted vinyl, CDs and even cassette tapes (for the über old school) and enjoy a cold Blatz and music courtesy of DJ Ryan King while you’re there. 414-481-9200 .357 String Band January 10 – Turner Hall Ballroom At some point in the last four years, you may have had the opportunity to catch a .357 String Band show either at some balmy summer street festival, local bar or dingy basement punk club. What you saw was four rough-andtumble looking fellas playing what sounded like bluegrass on speed with a pack-a-day habit and possibly a drinking problem. Possibly. Think punk rock meets bluegrass topped with mountain folk and finished off with a hint of southern gospel, and you’ve got .357. Their energetic live shows bring together an interesting crowd and are one of the few times you can see peace loving hippies, hardcore punks, fashionable hipsters and your parents (grandparents if they’re ultra-hip) in one room, dancing their asses off. Show your love for these Milwaukee natives when they blow into town this month with special guests Black Diamond Heavies and Joe Buck Yourself. Tickets are only $10! 414-286-3663 or turnerhallballroom.org Camp Home: A Transformation of Home and History January 15 – Inova/Kenilworth 2007 Nohl Fellow Kevin J. Miyazaki presents his Camp Home project as part of the Fifth Annual Nohl Fellowship Exhibition. In Camp Home, Miyazaki exhibits photographs that document buildings used to house Japanese Americans during World War II, which were later offered as homes for returning veterans. The exhibit depicts the lives lived within these outbuildings, barns and houses and also explores “19617,” the internment number given to Miyazaki’s family, in the hopes of providing a continuation of these stories. 414-229-5070 or arts.uwm.edu/inova
24 | VITAL’S picks | Vital Source
Updated all month long at VITALsourcemag.com Monster Jam January 16 – Bradley Center That’s right, I’m listing a monster truck rally in Picks this month. I’d like to think that some small part of everyone is secretly fascinated by these gas-guzzling behemoths, or perhaps more puzzled by their status as a sort of cultural icon. Even those whose interest in the, uh ... sport is purely ironic must get a certain amount of childlike joy watching the larger-than-life vehicles – shiny, brightly colored and crushing everything in sight. Indulge your inner child (the one who quietly hoots and hollers in your brain every time you see cars doing break-stands – I know you’ve got one) and check out the Grave Digger, Devastator and Captain’s Curse at the Bradley Center this month. They also sell beer at the Bradley Center, if that sweetens the pot for you. monsterjamonline.com International Year of Astronomy 2009 Kickoff January 10 – Manfred Olsen Planetarium 2009 is a special year in human history, as it marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of a telescope to look at the heavens. Thusly it has officially been dubbed the “International Year of Astronomy” by the United Nations and the International Astronomical Union. Planetariums and astronomy enthusiasts worldwide will celebrate throughout the year with activities and programs dedicated to bringing the joy of astronomy to the general public. In Milwaukee, the Manfred Olsen Planetarium kicks off this landmark year with an indoor viewing of their program “Winter Skies,” and for those tough enough to brave the cold, an outdoor viewing of Saturn, The Moon, Orion and more! planetarium.uwm.edu Gallery Night and Day January 16 – Various Locations Most of you already know this, but I’ll say it anyways: winter Gallery Night is hardcore. At this time last year, Milwaukee saw record low temperatures, with a wind chill in the negative double digits. But we Milwaukeeans are a tough breed, ready to brave the iciest of temperatures for good art and lucky for us, the first Gallery Night of 2009 is chock full of it. Of course, you’ll want to visit the gang at VITAL for Uncovered, a retrospective of Vital’s cover art from 2008. We thought it only fitting to pay tribute to all of the wonderful artists who graced our humble magazine in the past year, and we want everyone to join us as we raise a PBR toast to our pals. Take a short jaunt to the Third Ward’s Tory Folliard Gallery to check out Streetwise, featuring metal sculpture by Kendal Polster, aka “The Weld Guy,” and paintings by Barry Leibman and Jeremy Pinc. Though none of the artists have had any formal training, each has been motivated by personal vision to create interesting pieces that employ simple techniques and explore new directions within their respective medium. Our friends at The Armoury invite you to Western States, featuring work by San Francisco-based painter Colleen Sanders and William Hundley, who lives and works in Austin, TX. Sanders offers a series of wonderfully painstakingly detailed paintings that seemed to be ripped from the pages of a fairy tale. Hundley creates amorphous figures by draping human models in fabric and then capturing their image while in mid-air, which he then juxtaposes against everyday landscapes and street
more at vitalsourcemag.com
scenes. On display at the Dean Jensen Gallery is Big, Big Bangs/Small, Small Bucks, an exhibit that explores the idea of whether it’s possible to acquire intelligent art at a reasonable price. This is the largest exhibit ever organized by Dean Jensen Gallery presenting about 100 works by 40 artists, with each piece tagged at $750 or less. Before the night is over, stop into ArtBar to warm up, have a nightcap and check out Wearable Art, a collection of – you guessed it – art you can wear. So grab your coats and hats, maybe even your snow pants, and take in some local flavor. We dare you to stay indoors! vitalsourcemag.com, toryfolliard.com, wpca-milwaukee.org, thearmourygallery. com, deanjensengallery.com, artbar-riverwest.com
playing songs from France and Quebec at this benefit concert, and for a mere $10 donation at the door, you can enjoy a night of great music and know that your money is going to a good cause. 414-534-4612 or afmilwaukee.org or the-coffee-house.com
Erotic Milwaukee January 19 – Miramar Theatre Ooh la la! Monday, widely held as the worst day of the week, is about to get a rather risqué reputation. Starting this month the Miramar Theatre will feature Erotic Milwaukee every Monday night, an evening of sensual poetry and short stories to get your week started off right. Dim lights, ambient music and seductive performances will take place throughout each reading before the floor is opened up for an audience discussion about relationships, sex and the art of foreplay. This will be an interesting event for couples or individuals looking for new ways to keep warm this winter. 414-967-0302 or myspace. com/eroticmilwaukee
PBR 2009 Art Contest and Party January 29 – Cafe Lulu Calling all painters, scultptors, poets and creative minds: Pabst Blue Ribbon wants you! PBR is looking for entries of all kinds in any medium — from drawing and sculpture to written work — for its annual art contest. There is a catch, however: all entries have to be PBR related. That could mean original sculpture made entirely out of Pabst cans, an ode in verse to the Milwaukee brew or just about anything in between. All entrants will receive some sweet PBR swag and the winner walks out with a fly PBR cruiser bike. The winning art work will be displayed on the side of a Milwaukee building throughout 2009. The winner also has the chance to win cash, PBR for a year and have their art tour the country in 2009. The contest wraps up with a party at Bay View favorite Cafe Lulu, featuring music by DJ Madhatter and, of course, all the Pabst you can drink. 414-294-5858 or pabstblueribbon.com/art_new/rules
Johnny Naugahyde: Just In Case January 20 – Inova/Zelazo Center Kansas City based artist Johnny Naugahyde’s visual work explores a wide range of topics near and dear to the American experience. Naugahyde will display seven mini-tableaux in the showcases of the Mary L. Nohl galleries, featuring paintings, fiber art, photographs, drawings and tooled leather pieces that explore the concept of the intimacy being made public and embellishing the public persona as part of this ongoing exhibit. Through April 3. 414-229-5070 or arts.uwm.edu/inova
Nikki Giovanni January 30 – Harry W. Schwartz, Downer Ave. Acclaimed poet, activist, humanitarian, womanist and professor Nikki Giovanni makes a special visit to Milwaukee for a reading of her latest publication Bicycles: Love Poems. Since 1967, Giovanni has written 28 books, inspired by her life experiences as a female African American activist, as a mother and also as a cancer survivor. In the years preceding this book, Giovanni lived through tumultuous times, personally and professionally. She lost her mother and sister to lung cancer also witnessed the massacre at Virginia Tech, where she is a Distinguished Professor of English. Bicycles is a rediscovery of love, and a response to a society that seems to be spinning out of control. 414-332-1181
Les Freres Soucie January 24 – The Coffee House The Alliance Francaise teams up with The Coffee house for an evening of traditional French to raise funds for their organizations. The Coffee House has been a staple in Milwaukee since 1967 when it opened its doors as a performance space and a forum for community activists, and is one of the longest running non-profit coffee houses in the country. The Alliance Francaise is also a non-profit, devoted to promoting French language and culture and encouraging a cultural exchange. To keep these sorts of programs running, The Coffee House and Alliance Francaise need your help. The Brothers Soucie will be
15th Annual Poetry Marathon Benefit Reading January 31 – Woodland Pattern Each year on the last Saturday in January, Woodland Pattern hosts over 100 writers, poets and performers for its Annual Poetry Marathon and Benefit. Artists from Milwaukee and around the country present their work in support of Woodland Pattern, collecting pledges to help fund the book center’s community programming and drawing in hundreds of people for an evening of original performances. Everyone and anyone is invited to attend (and perform at!) this event to help enrich and invigorate the literary community in Milwaukee. woodlandpattern.org
Vital Source | V ITAL’S picks | 25
visual arts picks >> Amy Elliott
Last Call
The work of Victor Cartagena in Personal Culture: New Art from Latin Americans at MIAD, 1/16
January is usually a month for fresh starts: resolutions, new opportunities, brightened-up attitudes. It’s like a cosmic reboot button. Except this month on the arts page, VITAL is giving you one final chance to not screw it up again and miss all of the terrific exhibitions that are closing this month. Forever. Act/React, the dazzling and much-talked about new media installation at the Milwaukee Art Museum, closes on January 11. This is your last chance to dance in light and shadow, touch an old talking table, whisper through a neon forest or throw a quick dance party on Brian Knep’s Healing Pool. If your tastes are more austere, you can join Pulitzer-winner Richard Rhodes, author of John James Audobon: The Making of an American for a lecture on January 22 in conjunction with the Catesby print show. Or, stop by for MAM After Dark on January 16 for a beer tasting, a break dancing battle (!), food, photos and music from Tarik Moody of 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. The collection galleries are open until midnight! Also closing on January 11 is kathryn e. martin’s installation Flotant at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan – delicate, ethereal structures made entirely from discarded Styrofoam. You can also see martin’s work – but only through January 3 –at the Armoury Gallery’s show Milwaukee’s Own, also featuring the work of Harvey Opgenorth, Colin T. Dickson and Mary DiBiasio. On January 16, stop by the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center for the closing celebration of Hu(man), featuring the self-portraiture of Max Estes and tasteful nudes and semi-nudes by Mike Kasun. And January 18 is your last chance to see the Nohl Fellowship exhibition at Inova/Kenilworth, featuring a dark and politically charged carnival by Colin Mathes, creepy automotive structures by Mark Klassen, a haunting photography series by Kevin Miyazaki, films by Dan Ollman and Annie Killelea and the created worlds of Gary John Gresl. Or should you venture to Brookfield this month you can see his work at the Ploch Art Gallery through January 31, with a lecture by the artist on January 17. Both the Charles Allis Art Museum and its far-from-evil not-quite-twin the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum close great shows this month. At the Allis, catch Wisconsin Masters Series: Richard Earl Thompson, an impressionist-influenced nature painter, before January 25. At Villa Terrace,
26 | ViSUAL ARTS PICKS | Vital Source
last call for Richard Hass, a muralist, painter and architect best known for his trompe l’oeil style. Okay, okay. We’ll give you a couple of fresh listing heads ups for reboot month. But don’t flake out! For the Germanophile in you, or the industriophile, or the workaholic, stop by the Grohmann Museum on the MSOE campus as they open their new show, Cradle of Industry, featuring 40 works from the Rhineland Industrial Museum in Oberhausen, Germany and focusing on the coal, steel, rail and construction of the Ruhr Valley Coal Basin from 1874 to 1989 – and the social implications and effects that industry had. Think about it: this is a great way to encourage your own personal industrial behavior in the new year. Har har. The show opens on January 16. On the same night at MIAD, check out Personal Culture: New Art from Latin Americans, in which Santiago Cucullu, Mirta Kupferminc, Victor Cartagena, Tatiana Parcero and Rafael Francisco Salas tease out what exactly “Latin America” is, means and suggests. So drink up and close your tab. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Luckily there are plenty of great art spaces that will take you in this month and offer you something stiff. VS
more at vitalsourcemag.com
Vital Source | 27
music reviews The Gourds Haymaker!
Crooked X S/T
Yep Roc • thegourds.com
MPM/EMI/Capitol Records• emigroup.com Considering that Haymaker! is the Gourds’ 11th release in just 11 years, I’d say that these fine Texans know a thing or two about making hay while the sun is shining. That’s not saying that this recording is merely more product, though … oh no. This outing is much more streamlined stylistically than last year’s explorative, contemplative Noble Creatures, and as such, the live quality of their production is
much better suited to these songs. Haymaker! pendulums between straight-up country and The Gourds’ unique brand of alt-country. Of course, their lyrical witticism is prominently on display throughout these 14 songs. “Fossil Contender” is a perfect second track with jangly rhythm guitar, tasteful slide and emotive vocals. “The Way You Can Get” keeps the pace rollicking and offers the disc’s most wistful lyrics, while “Shreveport,” a welcome addition to the truckin’ pantheon, even name checks Geddy Lee. Yessir. Overall, the contrast of Kevin Russell’s twang-dipped vocal delivery and songwriting to Jimmy Smith’s plaintive approach keeps the entire disc entertaining. Their styles have never sounded as cohesive as they do here. The Gourds have certainly created a catalog of worthy music thus far; Haymaker! is perhaps their most refined and therefore their most rewarding too. –Troy Butero
Record Releases January 6 Glasvegas s/t Columbia
The Gourds Haymaker! Yep Roc
Neil Sedaka Waking Up Is Hard to Do Razor & Tie
Various Artists Undone: A MusicFest Tribute to Robert Earl Keen
Right Ave/Dickson Productions
January 13 Bryn Christopher My World Interscope
Crooked X The New Generation of Rock MPM/Capitol
Billy Ray Cyrus Back To Tennessee Lyric Street
Heather Headley Audience of One
With the demise of Atomic Records looming, now’s as good a time as any to re-examine the myriad problems that have beset the music industry as a whole: downloading, the collapsed economy, and most relevant to this review, the lack of quality in most major label product. With things so tough all over, I can’t help but listen to the self-titled debut from Oklahoma high schoolers Crooked X and wonder: the industry’s in the shitter, and this is the best they can come up with? The ten songs that comprise Crooked X’s debut sound about 14 years too late; ironic, since that’s the age of each band member. But who the hell is trying to ape Alice in Chains in 2009? Are their parents frustrated ex-grunge rockers? Songs like “Fade,” with its opening “Rooster”-style flange, and the horrifically clichéd “Rock and Roll Dream” (“I had a rock and roll dream/and I was a star/I went around the world/playin’ my guitar”— Jesus, really?) are lifted almost by the numbers from the Alice in Chains playbook, but with just enough Panteraflavored cock-rock licks to imply that they might be closer to Alice ‘N’ Chainz (Layne Staley’s hair band before Jerry Cantrell joined him — look it up!). How bereft of new ideas are the major labels if signing a band of teenaged Creed wannabes sounded like a good idea (what’s next, is GM going to try to avoid bankruptcy by selling more Hummers)? Maybe it sounds unduly harsh to slam a band this young, but as they say on their MySpace, “We want people to hear our music, decide what they think, and THEN find out, ‘wow, they’re 14.’” Sounds fair – Crooked X would represent what’s wrong with the music biz no matter how old they were. – DJ Hostettler
>>By Erin Wolf
Varsity Fanclub s/t Capitol
January 20 Antony & the Johnsons The Crying Light
Jane Monheit The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me Concord
Ben Nichols The Last Pale Light in the West
Secretly Canadian
The Rebel Group
(hed) p.e. New World Orphan
The Beyman Bros Memories of Summer As a Child
The Odds Cheerleader
Suburban Noize
5 Points
Renee Olstead Skylark
Cut Off Your Hands You & I
Reprise
Frenchkiss
Too Pure to Die Confess
Fiction Family s/t
Trustkill
ATO
The Derek Trucks Band Already Free
Lisa Hannigan Sea Sew
EMI Gospel
Columbia
28 | music reviews | Vital Source
ATO
429
Ciara Fantasy Ride Jive
dälek Gutter Tactics
Ipecac Recordings
Damon Fowler Group Sugar Shack
Second Motion
Umphrey’s McGee Mantis
Blind Pig
Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
SCI Fidelity
Domino
January 27 The Bird and the Bee Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future Blue Note
Toni Childs Keep the Faith
Pat Green What I’m For BNA
The Guggenheim Grotto Happy the Man United for Opportunity
more at vitalsourcemag.com
music reviews New Odds Cheerleader
Ben Nichols Last Pale Light in the West
Liberty & Lament/The Rebel Group • myspace.com/lucero Ben Nichols, frontman for gritty rebel rockers Lucero, presents his first solo release, Last Pale Light In the West, a self-dubbed “mini-LP.” The mini LP is seven story-songs, pulling their tales from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian (1985), a bleak, violenceridden novel, packed full of historical and religious references. Each song Nichols pens in Last Pale Light in the West is built around the novel and its characters; the title track sets the scene as Nichols leads, “Dark clouds gather round me / to the West my soul is bound.” The next introduces the novel’s protagonist, The Kid. In “The Kid,” Nichols sings, “Your mother died night you were born / her name you never knew / look away, look away / nothing to lose / left East Tennessee at fourteen / wandered to the West / look away, look away / born into death.” With Lucero, Nichols has proved himself a natural-born storyteller, tales of bars and brawls narrated by his raspy drawl. This time around, his stories are not just of bars and brawls; those bars and brawls are scenes for something far deeper and more sinister, echoing McCarthy’s unblinking, soulless style. The music itself bucks up and simply tells the tales, not overdrawing a dark mood but lending a stripped down and plainly pretty backdrop, letting the lyrics do all of the novel’s dirty work. Nichols, on acoustic guitar, paired with Rick Steff (Cat Power) on accordion and piano and Todd Beene (Glossary) on pedal steel and electric guitar, rolls ballads out slow and sure, like the rising and setting of the sun in a dusty Western sky, while the musicality of the songs shine up the rough pages within. Although more of a novella in terms of length, Last Pale Light in the West is all-encompassing of its original source, embodying a sense of history and depth and issuing an effect that’s fresh and endlessly intriguing, as the best stories often are. – Erin Wolf
It Dies Today Lividity
Sepultura A-Lex
LeATHERMOUTH XO
Duncan Sheik Whisper House
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes Eye-Legacy
Bruce Springsteen Working On a Dream
Magnetic Morning A.M.
Various Artists Just Like Heaven: A Tribute to The Cure
Trustkill
Epitaph
Koch
Friend or Foe Recordings
Mark Olson & Gary Louris Ready for the Flood New West
Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women Havin’ the Last Word
Second Motion • thenewodds.com Nostalgia often leads to impaired decisions, and odds are high that the romantic reminiscing drove these ‘90s alt rockers toward “getting the band back together.” Former Canadian top-40s the Odds are now pacifying midlife crises by validation – not with shiny sports cars, but by releasing a debut record under an appended moniker, the New Odds. The new Mustang would have seemed less desperate. At best, Cheerleader is a poor man’s Nada Surf Let Go — a comeback slurry of brainless pop and heart-sick sentiment, sans the indie-rock edge. Instrumental solos are deficient, and each track tamely bleeds into the next. Affixed in the adult contemporary rut, tracks like “Cloud Full of Rocks” and “Jumper” meet the criteria for a Friends soundtrack in the series’ heyday. On the more animated side, “Leaders of the Undersea World” brings a Rastafarian beat, excitable energy and comic-book adventure plot. “Good Times Rolled Away” and “Always Breaking Heart” provide some country fusion, but nothing the Wallflowers didn’t already accomplish a decade ago. Whether they’re rusty, or early senility is setting in, the Odds double-dip on a metaphor —inexcusable on a 50-minute disc. “Sugar and fat are easy scores/ that’s why they call them convenience stores” they sing on “Getting My Attention,” while “Feel Like This All The Time” mimics the lyric. Nostalgia, like reiterated junk food, is only a cheap fix — a lesson for Cheerleader and the Odds’ resurrection overall. – Amber L. Herzog
SPV
Sneaky/RCA Victor
Columbia
Columbia
Various Artists The RZA Presents Afro Samurai: The Resurrection Wu Music Group
Alligator
Vital Source | mu sic re view s | 29
wild >> words by matt
Dumb Milwaukee For all its charming neighborhoods, diverse ethnic fests and numerous places to get shitfaced, Milwaukee remains a uniquely dumb city. Just look back at 2008: between fighting off “hordes” of tourists pouring in by the hour to catch a glimpse of the Bronze Fonz (thanks, Visit Milwaukee!), and playing host to the “countless” not-shot-on-crappydigital-video films starring non-local, non-crappy actors (thanks, Film Wisconsin!), Milwaukee still found time to let its residential streets go to hell, mull a city-wide smoking ban and continue to employ both Scott Walker and Gus Gnorski. Truly a banner year. So, as we roll up our collective sleeves and prepare for yet another year in our dear city, I thought it might be useful to provide a preview of a few dumb things Milwaukee will almost surely have in store for us in 2009. Please note that the following are more of the “roll your eyes and gently shake your head” variety of dumb, as opposed to downright evil (New Land Enterprises building more condos) or aggressively stupid (oh, I don’t know, Riverwest printing its own money).
More dumb events A surefire way for Milwaukee to remain dumb in 2009 is to continue appropriating dumb events that other cities started doing five or ten years ago. This isn’t to say Milwaukee is “behind the times” in any way; I’m just suggesting that stupid shit like bondage shows and the thing where people read from their junior high school diaries should stay in the stupid cities from whence they came. Like Chicago. So for coming year, get ready for a whole lotta dumb: drunken spelling bees, warmed-over trivia nights, headache-inducing burlesque shows, and – God help me – Pecha Kucha. What’s Pecha Kucha, you ask? (Believe me, in about two minutes, you’ll wish you hadn’t.) Basically, it’s your oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to pay $15 to watch a bunch of slide shows. Yup. Slide shows. There are a bunch of dumb rules involved, though the only one you’ll be interested in is the one that limits each presentation to six minutes. What’s more, Pecha Kucha is a trademarked, nationally-branded event, making it something of a T.G.I. Friday’s in the realm of homebrewed hipster slide shows. (Unlike similar columns of the past, I’m not including roller derby in this list, a phenomenon I once wrote off as “ridiculous” and “not a real sport.” After some first-hand research throughout 2008, I can now attest that roller derby is indeed a real sport, partly because of the tremendous amount of athletic talent on display, and partly because attending a single bout costs about as much as a real sport.)
30 | subversions | Vital Source
More cool places closing, more dumb ones opening By now, we’ve all heard that after nearly three decades of service, Atomic Records will close up shop this February. While this is undoubtedly a tragedy (albeit one in which we have no one to blame but ourselves), it still pales in comparison to the knowledge that a criminally stupid place like Farwell Avenue’s Shag can manage to re-open. Yes, Milwaukee, we can all bask in the knowledge that while we’re down to just a handful of independent records shops, we have a “new” overpriced boutique that specializes in “funny” and “ironic” t-shirts. Aficionados of “Erin Go Braless!” apparel and/or genital herpes rejoice!
More dumb local celebrities While nearly every city worth its salt has a few homegrown celebs, Milwaukee seems to have some of the dumbest. And after you consider that “Crazy Ray” and that one eXpressions Journal dude are amongst our colorful local personalities, you’ll realize just how right I am. In 2009, expect John McGivern to periodically drop in on local newscasts shilling his latest cornball comedies, the guy from Animal House and that Twisted Sister video popping up on the radio (and always refusing to talk about the two things that made him semi-famous approximately 200 years ago), and Mark Borchardt being inexplicably interviewed for some local publication’s “What have you been up to, dude?” pieces. Of course, all the Mark Metcalfs and (shudder) Frank Caliendos in the world can’t possibly tarnish the luster of our best and brightest local star, Mr. Baseball himself, Bob Fucking Uecker. Disclaimer: Let me just say that I truly do love our city – it’s just that mentioning how everything is wonderful and interesting isn’t very funny, and better left to other writers and publications. Also, I’ve been listening to the excellent new Quinn Scharber and the… album, Being Nice Won’t Save Milwaukee – and have perhaps been taking the title a little too much to heart. It’s a really good album, and one you should definitely check out. See? There’s something good about this town. Oh, and that other band, Canyons of Static. Have you heard these guys? Have you seen these guys? Incredible. Absolutely incredible. VS
Matt Wild will be presenting at the next Pecha Kucha. Be there.
more at vitalsourcemag.com
puzzle page CryptoQuip The CryptoQuip below is a quote in substitution code, where A could equal R, H could equal P, etc. One way to break the code is to look for repeated letters. E, T, A, O, N and I are the most often used letters. A single letter is usually A or I; OF, IS and IT are common 2-letter words; and THE and AND are common 3-letter words. Good luck! Clue: T = A, M = T
Crossword
Across 1 Limit
39 Tense
Down 1 Locust pod
4 Trade punches
40 Alias
2 Bicker
8 Dejected
41 French impressionist painter
3 Pastry
42 Gamut
5 Luau dish
11 One of the Osmonds 13 Spaghetti western director Sergio
43 Gem mineral
14 Top gun
46 Urban center
45 Via
4 Japanese coin 6 Lit. collections 7 Restoration
47 Bratislava natives
8 Mediterranean island native
51 Donnybrooks
9 Role player
53 Bullfight cheer
10 View as
54 Grassland
11 Might
56 Samuel’s teacher
12 Mystery
25 Small dam
57 Belgrade native, once
13 Actress Kudrow
26 Current unit
61 Carte start
27 Decree
62 Chip away at
21 Waikiki wear
30 Asp
63 Like a dryer trap
33 Courtroom event
64 Heavy weight
34 Wrath
65 Lifeless
37 Arduous
66 Latin foot
15 Patagonia native 17 Map abbr. 18 Not me 19 Apr. addressee 20 Rarely 22 Ghent native
38 A Smothers brother
16 Excursion 23 Fat 24 Cherbourg natives, once 28 Lens holders 29 Calendar square 30 Chinese tea 31 Furniture wood 32 São Paulo native 33 African nation
December Crossword Answers
Sudoku
35 Carpet 36 Summer on the Seine 38 Gumshoe, to some 39 Mitchell mansion 41 Free from tears 42 Divulge 44 Mineral suffix 45 After straw or exit 46 Bowed stringed instrument 48 Misplace 49 French Kiss star Kevin 50 Chairs 51 Butcher’s stock 52 Certain 55 Unspecified number 58 Indian state
To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1-9.
59 Eccentric 60 Big shot
Vital Source | puzzle page | 31