Sergio
"Revolutionary to the core." Milwaukee Film and HBO present a film about the world's go-to guy
Apr 26th, 2010
Mine
"Mine" cleverly uses the guise of an emotional, animal loving documentary to show just one more way in which the victims of Katrina have been neglected in the storm’s aftermath.
Mar 13th, 2010
Andy Borowitz Talks The Moth In Milwaukee
ThirdCoast Digest talks to Andy Borowitz, writer, satirist, storyteller, creator of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and host of The Moth, coming to Turner Hall Ballroom June 6.
Jun 2nd, 2009
The Legend of Bob Marley
May 11 marks the 28th anniversary of legendary reggae musician Bob Marley’s death. For many people, Marley’s music offered a strong opposition to hatred, oppression and neo-colonialism. But for those with an unfortunately limited worldview, the musician was nothing more than the patron saint of weed. To illustrate the second stance, I’ve decided to turn this playlist over to my cousin, Ryan Schurk. Ryan is a former day-shift manager at the Grafton Costco who lost his job after an ill-fated attempt to turn a defective Slap Chop into a bong. At age 26, he currently lives with my aunt Gina and spends his days blowing smoke in the ear of his family’s cat, Tuff Gong, in an attempt to get him high. Ryan was kind enough to sit down and share five songs with ThirdCoast Digest that he feels are appropriate to commemorate Marley’s life. Sixto Rodriguez – “Sugar Man” I first heard Sixto’s album Cold Fact on a high school service trip to South Africa. I knew right away that it was something special. It’s a shame the R-Man never caught fire in the US. “Sugar Man” has got all the hooks of a Donovan jam, but cuts out the bullshit and directly professes love to my “Sweet Mary Jane.” When I got back to the states, I knew that my life finally had purpose. Cold Fact single handedly convinced me to forego “higher education” and devote all my efforts to being a full-time dude. Was it the right decision? You think that over while you eat your panini on your paid lunch hour. Meanwhile, I’ll be watching an all-day “Cheaters” marathon on G4. The Rolling Stones – “2,000 Light Years from Home” Their Satanic Majesties Request is probably my third favorite Stones album of all time. Whether I’m kicking around town trying to break in a new pair of mules or playing bag toss at my pal Moose’s duplex, there’s no better soundtrack than this underappreciated psych-rock gem. Sometimes I’ll throw “2,000 Light Years from Home” on when Tuff Gong and I are going on one of our “spirit journeys.” Before we know it, we’re tearing through the cosmos on big-ass Harleys in a mad dash to liberate the people of Space Station Zion from the dreaded Downpressor Men. The song’s spacey-synth is like something out of a sci-fi flick, and we’re frickin’ Jedi masters. The only difference: Once our job is done we score some “death sticks” and spit game at those sweet Twi’Lek honeys. Ghostface Killah (Feat. Raekwon) – “Kilo” I’ve never taken a ride on the white pony before, unless you count that nummer I did with the guys from the Costco TV department. Still, I think I know where Ghost and Raekwon are coming from with this song. I’ve dangled my fair share of God’s green herb, and I can tell you that the life of a kingpin isn’t easy. Shariff don’t like it when a small businessman such as myself starts climbing the […]
May 11th, 2009
The World is in the Turlet
The end result was entirely inappropriate for my situation. The song prophesied humorously the end of the world: Hipsters dropping dead on the streets of New York, rivers boiling and food supplies running dangerously low. The chorus especially resonated with my state of mind as the band growled “The world is in the turlet/ The world is in the turlet/ The world is in the turlet and we’re all gonna die.”
May 8th, 2009
Live at WMSE Vol. X Release Party
TONIGHT! 91.7 WMSE and Decider Milwaukee celebrate the release of Live at WMSE Vol. X with a CD release party at the Miramar Theater. This new collection of songs features the best in-studio performances from 15 local and national acts. The station’s staff handpicked the tracks from more than 100 live performances that were broadcast on WMSE in 2008. According to WMSE Promotions Director Ryan Schleicher, the compilation leans toward the indie rock side of the musical spectrum. “Some of the live volumes are more themed than others,” Schleicher said. “Volume X doesn’t have any blues or Chicken Shack type stuff because those genres tend to get their own release.” The staff’s selections include cuts from national acts like Jones Street Station and Joe Pug. WMSE also pays tribute to its home base by presenting recordings from Milwaukee favorites like The Championship and The Peder Hedman Quartet. Mysteriously absent from the lineup is the local, nu-metal/jazz fusion outfit Noose Call, which was first presented to the world on the ThirdCoast Digest Podcast: Episode 2 (co-produced by the WMSE team). Quinn Scharber and the … In addition to a full spin of the new album and live performances from Testa Rosa and Quinn Scharber and the… (both featured on Volume X), Schleicher speculates that the party will be feature appearances from some of Milwaukee’s finest and most fun-loving residents. “Our listeners know how to whoop whoop and what what!” Schleicer says. Admission to the event is $10 and includes a copy of Live at WMSE Vol. X. All proceeds go directly to the station’s spring pledge drive, which begins Monday, April 27. “WMSE does not exist without substantial financial support from our listening community,” Schleicher says. “Listeners keep us breathing. Especially right now, we can’t lay any extra burden on already taxed listeners, so we have to keep finding more ways to generate income.” After tonight’s festivities, WMSE and its tireless employees will almost immediately begin to compile material for Volume XI. The station has already lined up two on-air gigs for next week’s broadcasts. “I’m personally looking forward to Robbie Fulks’ [performance] on April 30th,” Schleicher comments. “Locally, I’m really excited to hear what Adebisi and the Fresh Cut Collective bring this coming Tuesday, the 28th, on Local/Live.” The Live at WMSE Vol. X release party begins at 7:30 pm and features the “optical mayhem” of Paka Paka, the lightshow team that provided on-stage visuals for the Atomic Valentine concert.
Apr 23rd, 2009
Way to go, Iowa!
Earlier this month, the Iowa Supreme Court voted unanimously to uphold a lower court decision to allow same-sex couples to marry. In less than two weeks, the state will begin to officially recognize unions between homosexual partners. It brings me great pride to see my home state make such a momentous (and surprising) decision. There will undoubtedly be the usual flurry of angry, religious fundamentalists and other party poopers, but one can only hope that those in power will stick to their guns. No matter what happens, the situation in Iowa is still a victory for supporters of basic human rights. That’s why I’ve put together a short play list of songs that apply to the gay-marriage debate, civil rights, and the wide range of emotions that accompany these issues. Arcade Fire – “My Body is a Cage” Feelings of repression are inescapable while listening to the closing track of 2007’s Funeral. Front man Win Butler may or may not have written the song to deal with issues of gay rights, but the sentiments expressed in “My Body is a Cage” have undeniably strong parallels to the topic. Canada’s Arcade Fire made a shockingly accurate prediction about a post-Prop 8 America and foresaw the despair of those “living in an age that calls darkness light.” Win’s crushing confession of “My body is a cage/ That keeps me from dancing with the one I love” is especially poignant. The statement is a perfect metaphor for the outrage of those who have ever been told who they can and can’t be with. Stevie Wonder – “Living for the City” A beloved former teacher once addressed my history class, saying, “Some day we’ll look back on the way the United States is handling same-sex marriage and feel as ashamed as we do about segregation.” This was a bold statement for a Catholic high school teacher in suburban Green Bay, and the lecture has stuck with me more so than almost any other from the course of my education. It’s hard to think of any wide scale injustices of the past, present or future without the synthy narrative of “Living for the City” coming to mind. Stevie Wonder tells a story of crushed innocence and lost hope through vivid imagery and a disturbing, surreal spoken-word interlude. While Wonder’s portrait of a broken and prejudiced society may seem like a distant memory, the overall theme is still (unfortunately) applicable to today’s human rights struggles. Big Star – “The Ballad of El Goodo” It’s all too easy to feel utterly hopeless when thinking about the ignorance and ass-backwards policies surrounding same-sex marriage legislation. Indignation can be a powerful tool in the fight to change the world around us, but it’s also necessary to hold on to at least a few shreds of optimism as well. Few songs capture the feeling of hope in the face of adversity better than Big Star’s “The Ballad of El Goodo.” The track teeters dangerously close to being defined as complete […]
Apr 17th, 2009
Meanwhile … at the Alchemist …
When improv group Meanwhile started last November, it was a simple way for six local comedians to do what they love best: make people laugh with original, unrehearsed material. But before long, the group was selling out Bayview’s Alchemist Theater twice a month. ThirdCoast Digest sat down with Vince Figueroa, Beth Lewinski and Lee Rowley, three of Meanwhile’s six members, for a brief chat and a cup of coffee that turned out to be a bit too trying for one comedian. TCD: How would you describe Meanwhile to someone who has never seen the show before? Lee Rowley: I would describe it as an improv show that tends to be funny and is in a longer format than something like Comedy Sportz. Beth Lewinski: There are six of us. We generally have a guest host who does a monologue, and then we do improv based off of those monologues. We usually have a more open second half, but we could change the format at any time. Lee: … And Vince is in it. Vince Figueroa: … Yeah. I Show up and don’t contribute. TCD: Who are some of the guest hosts you guys have had? Lee: On Friday we had the wonderful Bo Johnson who was one of the founding members of the Dead Alewives, another sketch and improv group from the early ‘90s. I feel like they are probably the most famous group of improvisers to come out of Milwaukee Vince: Not too long ago we had Dave Bogan, who’s a pretty big deal over at Comedy Sportz and is also responsible for teaching us improv. Beth: Yeah, for most of us he was our first teacher in improv, so that was cool. Then we had Kevin Gerrity. He’s a high school student who does short and long-form improv around the area. That was really cool, to get a high school perspective on stuff Lee: In two weeks we have Stephanie Graham, who is a producer at TMJ4. She actually won an Emmy. Vince: So this is going to be beneath her. TCD: What role does crowd participation play in a Meanwhile performance? Beth: There is crowd participation, but we don’t have audience volunteers. We have the person who is doing the monologue. We try to get people who have different backgrounds, and then the subject matter we get varies from show to show. The host bases their monologue off of questions from the audience. Vince: That style of game is called an Armando Diaz, after the guy who made it. Lee: We try to get relatively deep questions. Our first show we had someone from the audience ask “boxers or briefs?” Other than that we’ve had some really good questions. Beth: On Friday it was “Why did you get into comedy?” and “What is your favorite thing about comedy?” Lee: We try to get deeper questions, because the more realistic the monologue is, the better we do. Vince: It’s a great dynamic for the audience too, because they […]
Mar 12th, 2009
Under 25
With the country’s current, sorry economic state, many are preparing for a Cratchit-like holiday season. If plummeting stocks have crippled your finances and threatened your stockings, you have two options: The first is to pull a “Gift of the Magi” and trade in your most prized possession for presents for your loved ones. But let’s be honest, your season one DVD box set of Wings isn’t going to get Ralphie that Red Rider BB gun he’s been clamoring for. Your best bet is to stick with your friends at VITAL, and let us show you some thoughtful, spirited local gifts that cost $25 dollars or less. Keep your wallet, your family and friends happy, and keep your Wings DVD. VS PinoFunnel + more $17 – $25 hot*pop 414-273-1301, hotpopshop.com hot*pop opened in the Third Ward this spring, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen in Milwaukee: they advocate “good living through good design” and at their colorful store you can find apparel, sneakers, comic books, skate deck art, urban tableware, Hong Kong-inspired vinyl toys, as well as a gallery of local and national art. Among the dozens of bright, cheeky delights available, you can find a small funnel shaped like Pinocchio’s face (his nose is the funnel) that lets you get wine back into the bottle from the carafe. Great for the young at heart, street art lovers and people who obsessively collect small things. Recycled t-shirts $7 Teecycle Teecycle.org We all know how fun it is to find a hip, hilarious or just plain nice t-shirt buried in the racks at the thrift store. It’s great to wear it and tell people who like it that you paid a dollar for it. But if you’re not so into the thrill of the chase, the hours of digging or the funny smell of thrift store clothing that never quite washes out, you’re in luck. Not only does Teecycle take all of that nasty hard work out of it, they donate $1 from every shirt sold to the River Revitalization Fund. Everyone wins! Teecycle’s cute gently used shirts are a bargain at $7 per, so buy one for everyone in your family. Hand-made crafts $7 – $25 John Michael Kohler Arts Center 920-458-6144, jmkac.org The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is well- known for its visual and performing arts offerings, but the center’s ARTspace breaks the mold by merging a traditional museum gift shop with a curated exhibit of art with One and Only: Gifts Made by Hand. So if that special someone would love a decorative ceramic tumbler, a one-of-a-kind glass ornament (incorporating ash from Mount St. Helens), decorative felt wool flowers – all delivered with gorgeous hand-made cards – One and Only is sure to have just what you need. Organic fair trade tea and gift sets $20 – $24 Rishi Tea rishi-tea.com If the nerves of some of your gift recipients are still shot from a turbulent election year, help them forget that a real life Ebenezer Scrooge […]
Dec 1st, 2008
A sort of venue guide
By Nick Schurk The good news: the laudable efforts of the booking talent behind large and medium-sized concert venues in Milwaukee have utterly negated our city’s former reputation as the fly-over zone between Chicago and Madison. Even better, Milwaukee’s ever-fertile local music scene now rests within the context of our newly-minted and fast-rising status as a “music city,” our name increasingly bandied about alongside Chicago, Minneapolis and even Austin. Seattle? So 20th century. Now is our time to shine, and in every neighborhood you can barely throw a rock without hitting a favorite spot to experience live local music in the best possible way – up close and personal. Just in case you don’t get out much, here’s a guide to some of the city’s best – or at least most interesting – intimate venues. Are you a poor college student? Does the thought of leaving campus via public transportation frighten and confuse you? The UW-Milwaukee Union Gasthaus (2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.) offers big-name performances most Thursdays by locals like Fever Marlene and Maritime as well as national up and comers like We The Living and Good Asian Drivers. Head up one flight of stairs and catch a show at UWM’s 8th Note Coffee House, which offers free, all-ages rock shows to students and the general public. Riverwest, the bohemian epicenter of Milwaukee’s East Side, supplements its basement-party reputation with a fair share of legit venues. For almost two decades, Mad Planet (533 E. Center St.) has been fueling the neighborhood’s subculture with every kind of music under the sun. From Midwest flavored hip-hop (Mac Lethal, Juiceboxxx) to sludgy, Japanese metal (Boris), Mad Planet books some of the best and most unique acts from around the world. Two things to keep in mind: All shows are 21+ and the club’s Retro Dance Party (held every Friday night) is the best way to get that earful of The Smiths/Split Enz/Bow Wow Wow you would never publicly admit to craving. And it’s just a short stumble to Stonefly, where excellent local and national rock acts regularly share a bill. For a more intimate evening, head over to the Jazz Estate (2423 N. Murray Ave.). This smoke-choked cube on Milwaukee’s East Side hosts weekly performances from artists like folk songstress Amy Rohan and the unruly, improvisational The Erotic Adventures of the Static Chicken. Still, the scene never stagnates thanks to an ever-changing lineup of jazz and jazz-inspired ensembles. Not far, on pretty, gritty Brady Street, the Estate’s kindred spirit The Up & Under (1216 E. Brady St.) offers some of the best blues performances in the area. Of course we would be remiss not to mention The Cactus Club (2496 S. Wentworth Ave.), arguably the crown jewel of Milwaukee’s music venues. This tiny Bay View club has managed to snatch some major headliners (Queens of the Stone Age, Death Cab for Cutie, Interpol, etc.) from the clutches of venues with more pull like The Rave and The Pabst. But more importantly, The Cactus […]
Nov 1st, 2008
