The Milwaukee Sound – Collections of Colonies of Bees
Fan-Belt's Erin Wolf sits down with Collections of Colonies of Bees to talk about their recent tour to Japan and what the future has in store for this dynamic group.
Jun 17th, 2009 by ThirdCoast Podcast
Red River
For years I thought John Wayne was a bad actor, indicative of that kind of Hollywood movie star who could play only a paper thin character, changing his hat maybe and not much more. I felt the same way about Marilyn Monroe until I saw Bus Stop, The Misfits, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch in a two day span on a little black and white television, hole up in my Lower East Side apartment in New York with no money and nothing to do. When you see them all at once you begin to think about what artists call a "body of work." You can see the subtlety of the changes. You can actually see the artist work, whereas before you were being fooled, as intended, and seeing just character.
Jun 17th, 2009 by Mark Metcalf
By The People, For The People?
The eyes of the world are focused on Iran where the will of the people is struggling to be heard. Here in Milwaukee the people spoke in favor of a paid sick leave mandate. So what's the difference?
Jun 17th, 2009 by Ted Bobrow
The Reunion
Travelers in the area often report that upon entering Porkopolis, it is impossible to tell “what is and what isn’t.” Goose didn’t know the cause of this peculiar sense of confusion. It was easy to point fingers at the ever-present mists hovering over Nodaway Valley, the failing eyesight and upside down memories of the locals, or a factor not easily ignored…God’s Everlasting Will, which carried weight in these parts. As he turned left off Hwy. 71, Goose’s Roadmaster found its way to the town square, where his fiftieth class reunion was in full swing. Was he wrong, or was time already beginning to slip and slide? He parked near a curb lined with dusty trucks, wondering what it was that skittered beneath the left wheel and splattered its guts on the Roadmaster’s grille. Polly Dooley, gone but not forgotten Years ago he’d been a genuine part of Porkopolis, so named because of multiple hog farms and the miles of sweet-sour stench rising from the pens. Porkopolis wasn’t a unique name by any means – in fact, Cincinnati laid claim to it sometime around the Civil War – but all in all (and despite the stink), his hometown stuck in his mind as a place filled with perfumed lilacs and bluebirds and generous girls eager to sprawl on the football field under a harvest moon when Homecoming was over. Lucky for him, his sperm had failed to precipitate a hasty marriage at The Valley Church of Life. He gave thanks that the targets of his sweaty efforts weren’t doomed to spend nine months in the farmhouse of a distant cousin. Porkopolis had more than its share of distant cousins. Goose reckoned that peddling bibles was a sure way to repay the Lord who had steered him clear of trouble during his years at PHS. After graduation, he’d have preferred tending bar at the VFW, but bible-selling was profitable and he’d been able to buy the Roadmaster, with change to spare. Not exactly new, it wasn’t exactly old either, and the holes punched in its chromed sides made a fine statement when he kicked up dust in the driveways of farm ladies. His luck held during his bible hawking rounds, and now and then, a few regulars found the means to scrape together enough to purchase a seven-volume set, bound in fake white calfskin stamped in gold. Goose had a soft spot for extending credit to 18-year-old ladies who promised to pay one way or the other, however, he did not accept Master Card or Visa, and in his long career had never accepted a package of pork tenderloins in exchange for his services. The closest he came to selling out was when he accepted a plate of elderberry cobblers from a Hacklebarney lady, in the days when his ribs were poking through his shirt. What was left of the town where Goose stood with others bent over paper plates of slabs of steaming ham and red-eye gravy wasn’t much. Most everything […]
Jun 16th, 2009 by Stella Cretek
The Reunion, cont’d
As he navigated through the masses of sagging arms and lagging butts and bottle-glass spectacles askew on generic faces assembled for the festivities, Goose felt woozy and disoriented. He was having trouble focusing on folks talking about the house down the road, east a bit, where eight sleeping were felled by an axe. Just across the street from the dusty path leading to the swimming pool, where he once got hopelessly tangled in the lane ropes during a regional swim meet, was where it happened. No one was ever brought to trial, but a few males with darkish skin and squinty eyes were rounded up by bloodhounds trucked in from Omaha. Goose read in the news that whoever did the deed propped a slab of bacon near a bedroom window, an odd detail, to say the least. Memory is tricky though, and Goose’s memory was no exception (yesterday, he actually forgot to wear shoes), so the bacon-slab may have been a misfire. The house, refurbished in the 70s by a well-intentioned farmer obsessed with saving stuff, still offered tours during reunions, and Goose figured he’d be bound to follow the printed schedule of activities, including a tour of the town’s “museum.” Formerly the site of a furniture store and coffin-making venue, it had been converted by the same farmer, and was now a dumping ground for crumbling collections of salt & pepper shakers from state fairs, heaps of cherry pitters and apple-corers, and specimens of wicked barbed-wire mounted on dampish cardboard. He prickled at the thought of going there, though truth tell, he felt a certain fascination in viewing the hide of a bear formerly caged at the Conoco on Route 71. It reminded him of Dooley. Whatever the connection, Dooley-in-the-flesh trumped the pelt. She’d had ample flesh and he’d seen all of it. Getting through this day would be a bitch, especially with the sun beating down on his itchy, almost-real hair. Despite his gel-filled arch supports, his feet throbbed, and the moist crotch of his seersucker pants ripped as he reached for his third helping of ham. The towering elms of his youth had died in the blight of ’55, so there wasn’t an inch of shade anywhere. The lilacs had disappeared, replaced by pots of plastic roses. No birds were in sight, except a crow pecking the remains of whatever was sticking to the wheel of his car. Had he only imagined the lilacs and bluebirds? Come to think of it, when was it he’d floated face up in the Nodaway River, pretending the cool water laced with hog shit runoff would carry him all the way south to New Orleans? He regretted (God damn it to hell!) that he’d never even seen the Big Easy. He and the Roadmaster needed to plan a trip south, soon, before his knees gave way, and he bulged out of his seersucker suit forever. Considering all the woes down South, his bibles would surely sell like hotcakes, and anyway, he’d […]
Jun 16th, 2009 by Stella Cretek
Close the Libraries? Lease the Water Works?
Massive layoffs, extended furloughs, service cuts, significant tax and fee increases all are possibilities in the next year for the City of Milwaukee. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but with the gap in the pension fund, a decline in the assessed value of property in the city, and a likely decline in state shared revenue the fiscal picture for the City of Milwaukee doesn't look so bright. At today's Common Council meeting the debate around a snow and ice fee increase and the furloughing of city employees were brought about by this startling economic outlook for the City of Milwaukee.
Jun 16th, 2009 by Dave Reid
Hot*pop’s Guest Artist Series, Featuring Trevor Traynor
Gallery Day Event! Milwaukee, WI — Saturday July 25, 2009 — 4 – 7 pm Please join us for Gallery Day as we welcome Trevor Traynor’s touring show, “I Shoot People.” BBQ refreshments and giveaways throughout the day courtesy of Scion. Music by DJ Kid Cut Up of No Request Sound. Brought to you by hot*pop in conjunction with Big Sky Media. Artist Statement: “I Shoot People” is not only Trevor’s first solo show in Milwaukee, but it also marks the debut unveiling of his HIp Hop photography to collectors, his first step outside of his fine arts background. Trevor has been documenting the culture for the past five years; shooting live concerts, portrait shots, album covers, magazine spreads, and more. Notable artists he’s worked with include Afrika Bambatta, Rakim, KRS-One, Nas, N.E.R.D., Mos Def, Q-Tip, De La Soul, M.I.A., Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan and much more. His portfolio is a who’s who of Hip-Hop culture, from the underground to the mainstream, from the old school to the new school. Hip-Hop culture was a big influence on Trevor early on. Trevor elaborates, “When I was a youngling in the late 80’s, I would try to break dance with my cousins in Long Island and sneak sessions on my brother’s turntables. I started emceeing on a Japanese label and opening for acts like Swollen Members and Souls of Mischief while my brother Shel Shock made beats for artist like AG (D.I.T.C.), Casual (Hiero), and Dres (Black Sheep). I grew up in the golden years of the 90’s and now I get to shoot people that inspire me. I am grateful for that.” http://www.trevortraynor.com http://www.hotpopshop.com http://www.bigskymediallc.com
Jun 16th, 2009 by Laura Heller
TCD’s Comment “Lottery” – where everyone’s a winner!
Thanks to all who tried their "luck" in our comment lottery! You're all winners in our hearts!
Jun 16th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
The 36-Hour Report
The TCD Editorial staff found this crazed dispatch, like a signal from a jam-band-packed corner of outer space, buried at the bottom of the email heap upon arrival at the office this morning. Sounds like quite a time. We've also taken the liberty of bringing you highlights from Howie's Twitter feed, so you can enjoy the madness, even if you're not the Twittering kind.
Jun 15th, 2009 by Amy Elliott
Twitter recap
For those of you who just can’t find it in your heart to Tweet, we present you with our favorite selections from Howie’s live coverage of Bonnaroo on the internet’s most adorable social media platform. If you’re one with the Twitternation, follow him now at twitter.com/easyotis or join your TCD friends at twitter.com/TCDigest. –Ed. June 11 1:44 AM #bonnaroo. We have arrived http://twitpic.com/73tu5 4:45 AM Feel good after an @magichat n 2 hrs sleep. Everyone who works at this Wal Mart hates hipsters n hippies alike. http://twitpic.com/73zkz 7:23 AM Unbridled enthusiasm abounds in #bonnaroo press office @bonnaroonews, where u at? http://twitpic.com/747qq 4:23 PM Alberta Cross: vocals like My Morning Jacket, lazy bass n kick drum like The Verve. UK accents like Arctic Monkeys http://twitpic.com/75jk7 4:33 PM @carlinkacarlota and a dude with parrot on his shoulder watching #alberta cross http://twitpic.com/75ki4 4:55 PM On top of ferris wheel…..aahhhhjh http://twitpic.com/75mmz 9:07 PM My fav port o poop http://twitpic.com/768y9 June 12 5:20 AM Good morn! Day 2 @bonnaroo. Press meeting at fri 11am, Girl Talk at sat 2am. What should we do in between? 7:35 AM Just overhead: dude, ” dude, I’ll trade u a pabst for a cigarette.” “dude, I’ll totally do that” #bonnaroo 7:37 AM Randomly seeing parrot guy again kicking it with Biker hippies n blow up doll #bonnaroo http://twitpic.com/772is 9:31 AM These walls were blank yesterday. #bonnaroo http://twitpic.com/77c7c June 13 7:00 AM Bon iver justin vernon (center) talks strategies used at fests to engage peeps: “ask the crowd to be your chorus” http://twitpic.com/7a6ly 7:03 AM Um, ground control to major tom, I think we’ve lost him #phish http://twitpic.com/7a6w2 11:03 PM Glowstick war at NIN. Ha June 14 5:02 PM RT @bonnaroonews: Trent Reznor says Bonnaroo his last US concert #bonnaroo ^JL http://bit.ly/1c4BxK 5:02 PM RT @SpinnerTweet: Final day #Bonnaroo. Did life ever exist before this? Is there still an outside world? Are showers still around? 5:03 PM RT @stereogum: Bonnaroo Sat. recap: Trent says goodbye, Bruce says Merry XMas. Lots of pics + video of new MGMT tune http://is.gd/11UdC
Jun 15th, 2009 by Howie Goldklang
June 16 to June 22
Gotta sing, gotta dance! Gotta thrill the whole world without pants! There's a great benefit show for the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center at the end of this week, a Chorus Line kick-steps off at the beginning of next week in what's lining up to be a stellar national tour season for the Marcus Center -- all the while Every Little Step screens in Milwaukee running up to that live show. Plus, the Florentine Opera plans on getting lots of fresh air at two events.
Jun 15th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Schwartz void filled by community book co-op
Shorewood, WI. A group of Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and North Shore community activists plans to open and operate a cooperative bookstore, to be located in Shorewood. “It will be a bookstore for the community, created by the community, said organizer Keith Schmitz. “The closing of the Harry W. Schwartz bookstore on Oakland Ave. created a big void in the community. “It’s a void we plan to close,” said Schmitz. “We see it as an important quality of life issue.” The new store, known as Open Book, is expected to open by fall 2009. Open Book will offer new books, including a children’s section, as well as a limited quantity of quality used books, magazines and books on CD, all at competitive prices. Open Book will also provide customer searches for hard-to-find titles. The group’s preliminary business plan calls for a quality store with a comfortable atmosphere that promotes browsing, exploration and community involvement, says manager Lisa Zupke. Zupke previously managed the Schwartz store on Oakland. Open Book will be more than just a bookstore, Zupke added. “We want it to be a community gathering place where friends and neighbors meet for coffee, and small groups hold meetings. That’s something the community sorely needs.” Open Book’s organizers see the East Side and North Shore as the ideal location for a community-based bookstore. “It’s an area chock-full of literate people who understand the importance of a local independent bookstore in the community, and who choose to support well-run local businesses,” says Kit Vernon, a retired marketing executive. Plans for the store are for 3,500-4,000 sq. ft., to be used for the store, a café/coffee shop, office and storage. The store’s inventory will be tailored specifically for the market, based on Zupke’s local experience. Open Book will also host special events such as author readings, children’s story hours, music and book clubs. Open Book will be a limited liability corporation, run on a cooperative model like the Outpost stores, REI or the Packers. Cooperative members will help provide start-up capital and operating funding with their memberships. They will receive discounts on purchases and an annual dividend when possible, plus invitations to special events. In the approximately one month the group has been planning, it has attracted nearly 400 people who have expressed interest in becoming coop members.
Jun 15th, 2009 by Amy Elliott
