2004-11 Vital Source Mag – November 2004
Reeve Oliver
By Jeremy M. Rottgen In teen-angst TV shows like Dawson’s Creek or The OC, soundtracks featuring music that boosts the drama of adolescence are linchpins of the genre. From a songwriter’s perspective, the subject matter of those tumultuous years will never run dry. Reeve Oliver may not be as sappy as the aforementioned television programs, but they do have their moments of post-adolescent rock. “I Want Burns” starts out with an acoustic strum-along evolving into an almost Weezer-esque distorted progression. “Young and Dumb” features a cool intro of major to minor chording which spins into a sweet music box-type love song. “Until Someone Loves You” opens with softly blended vocals and piano keys, then reverts back to a distorted, happy guitar sound. “Revenge” is probably the hardest-hitting track, with a flying-fingers kind of riff. Guitarist Sean O’Donnell is singularly talented, both vocally and on the six-string. If only the subject matter could change up from teen romance and break out of the formulaic. Nevertheless, R.O. are successful at what they do and can certainly take charge of the pop-music spectrum. It’s not exactly the toughest music in the world, but they probably get a ton of groupies.—Jeremy M. Rottgen
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
A High-Velocity, Low-Stress Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days
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Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Re-Branding the Brewers
By John Shivers Twelve years ago, I wrote a column for the local weekly that asked a simple question: can we build the park and lose the Seligs? Needless to say, it didn’t exactly make me a favored member of the Milwaukee Brewer press corps. Still, I believed that the then-heated issue of a new Miller Park was really two separate issues – did Milwaukee need to build a new baseball park (arguably, yes) and did the state of Wisconsin have to bail out Bud Selig for his financial losses (arguably, no). Yet, a dozen years later, the Brewers and their long-suffering fans are looking at a brave new world – major league baseball without the Seligs. What will it look like? Will it be better? Will the new ownership spend to build a winner? You’d have to think that the new guy in charge will increase the payroll from its present $27.5 million status, currently the lowest in the National League. Commish Selig likes to trot out so-called “small market” teams like Oakland and Minnesota as proof that it’s not all about the money. Still, the A’s were defeated in the American League West by the free-spending Anaheim Angels, and those plucky Twins have been dispatched by the New York Yankees (a.k.a. The Best Team Money Can Buy) in each of the last two playoff seasons. In the case of the Brewers, it can certainly be argued that they got what they paid for – a miserable offensive club that finished last in the league in batting average (.248), slugging percentage (.387) and tied for last in home runs (135). Manager Ned Yost did a superlative job in the first half of the 2004 season, but the team’s subsequent slide after the All-Star break was one of the worst in major league history. Who should stay and who should go? The Brewers’ best offensive player was first baseman Lyle Overbay, but he may be merely filling the position until Prince Fielder makes it to Milwaukee. All of the highly prized farm talent is still a year or so away, so the Brewers are not looking at seriously contending for a 2005 playoff berth. A key question is which Scott Podsednik will show up next season – the sparkplug who emerged from minor league obscurity two years ago or the slumping sophomore who couldn’t make adjustments last season? The answer might be somewhere in between, which would make finding a new leadoff man/center fielder a top priority. Off the top of my head, I see three positions where the Brewers need immediate help: third base, right field and catcher – if not in that particular order. Wes Helms played his way out of consideration at the hot corner, and his replacement Russell Branyan is a strikeout machine – another in a long line of Brewer mascots from Gorman Thomas to Rob Deer. While the top free agents will likely be out of Milwaukee’s price range, a couple of middle-tier stars […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Now What?
By Tea Benduhn Part one of a series. We all have dreams. For those who count among theirs “making it” as artists, that dream usually has a “first” milestone. Publishing a novel. Making and showing a film. Opening a show in a major city. Releasing a CD. And it’s kind of amazing how many hard-working creative types actually achieve that first major goal. But for most artists, as the dust settles after the intense effort, anticipation and planning of pushing your debut work out into the world, a question arises: Now what? Very few artists write their own ticket after their first at-bat, and they are left with the reality of their everyday lives. Things didn’t change much, after all. Not this time. Surely the next. If there is a next time. Vital Source is publishing a series of personal essays written by artists who’ve jumped the first hurdle. They’ll address the creative forces that propel an artist to reach a milestone, how they gear up for a repeat performance (or choose not to) and what it all really means. In our first installment, Tea Benduhn, an author who achieved her goal of publishing a novel before she was 30, reveals how she got there, why she struggles with how she stacks up to others and questions her identity as a writer. Five formative instances led me to write a novel. One: My dad was an insurance adjuster when I was a kid, before he decided to quit his practical job and follow his dream of being a radio DJ. He used to bring home office supplies. Various colored highlighters, pens, and the most precious of all: white cardstock three-hole-punched, tabbed folder dividers. He brought home packs and packs of these, all with the word Miscellaneous written on the front, saying to me “Use the back.” I took my sidewalk chalk, crayons and markers, and drafted my first novel on the Miscellaneous dividers. It was about talking fish and a furry turtle named Fignatasia, from Venus. Two: My parents had their favorite punishment for my brother and me when we were little. Any time we did something of which they disapproved, we would have to write 100 times, in Bart Simpson chalkboard style, “I will not….” and fill in the blank with our infraction of the day. My brother devised and instructed me in the method of writing a column of I’s all the way down the page, followed by a column of will’s, etc., until each sentence was completed. What my parents didn’t know was that while my brother loathed this exercise and did everything in his power to cheat, I happily wrote out each sentence to its fullest, getting lost in the rhythm of pen against paper. Three: After my father began his steady stream of getting laid off (probably due to showing up at work drunk or hung over and the company finding a polite way of firing him – unemployment was never his fault), he spent […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Cher Helps Liz Wagner Mend Her Broken Heart
by Liz Wagner High school graduation brought with it the end of many things: long waits in hot lunch lines, crammed lockers, gym class and my first love. I had been dating the same guy throughout high school, and like the youngsters we were, we thought it would last forever. But school was over and decisions had to be made. He was going off to college in Michigan, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Even with all the uncertainty, one thing I was sure of was that I needed some time, at least a few months, to “find myself.” In order to do that, I needed to distance myself from everything, basically from my life as I knew it. I decided to make some big changes like taking a year off before starting college, moving out of my parents’ house, and the big one: leaving my boyfriend. It was such a hard decision, because he was a great guy, but, like Guns N’ Roses sings, “Sometimes I need some time on my own.” The day I got the courage to tell him our time together was over, I packed up all the stuff I had of his: his high school ring, some CD’s and a shirt he’d left at my house. It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, the grass was green and the birds were chirping. Perfect for a drive through the country – he lived just outside of Wausau. The beauty of the day almost made me forget my heartbreaking mission. I took off in my parents’ car and arrived at his house, which sat lonely in a field, a few minutes later. We met out front, I gave him his things, an awkward hug and a quick goodbye, then left with tears in my eyes. Although it happened very quickly, it seemed like time was standing still. I sat in the car crying, wondering if I would soon regret my decision. Breaking up with my boyfriend was the hardest thing I had faced up to that point in my young life. But I also felt something strange. Only later did I recognize it as relief, for finally doing the deed and for doing what I needed in order to figure out who I was and what I really wanted. Our goodbye that day was the last time we spoke. He was upset with me–not surprisingly–and wasn’t exactly interested in pursuing a friendship. After all, we had promised ourselves to each other, and often talked about our future. We had planned on going to college together, raising a family and even growing old with each other. And although he was sure of his life path, I was too mixed up about mine to follow through with our “plan.” As I drove away down the dusty road (yeah, it was literally dusty), Cher’s “Believe” came on the radio. I don’t usually listen to pop rock, […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Vital’s 2004 Giving Guide
At the holidays, we remember that is truly better to give than to receive. In that spirit, Vital Source offers a guide to giving in the Milwaukee area. Toys for TotsDonations of new toys.www.toysfortots.org Contact Sgt. Penny Knade 414-481-3860 American Red Cross (Greater Milwaukee Chapter)Monetary donations and volunteers.414-342-8680www.redcrossinsewis.org Blood Center of Southeastern WisconsinBlood donations and volunteers.414-937-6364www.bloodctrwise.org Make a Wish Foundation of WisconsinMonetary and frequent flyer mile donations and volunteers.262-781-4445www.wish.org/wisconsin Ronald McDonald House of MilwaukeeMonetary donations and volunteers. 414-475-5333www.rmhcmilwaukee.com Sojourner Truth HouseMonetary donations, used clothing and volunteers. 414-643-1777www.sojournertruthhouse.org Volunteer Center of MilwaukeeVolunteers for a variety of organizations.414-273-7887www.volunterrmilwaukee.org Hope HouseDonations of food, furniture and household goods.414-645-2122www.hope-house.com Salvation Army of Greater MilwaukeeMonetary donations and volunteers. 414-302-4300www.samilwaukee.org United Community CenterMonetary donations and volunteers.414-384-3100www.unitedcc.org Northcott Neighborhood HouseMonetary donations and volunteers.414-372-3770www.northcotthouse.org United Way of Greater MilwaukeeMonetary donations. 414-263-8100www.unitedwaymilwaukee.org Independence FirstMonetary donations. 414-291-7520www.independencefirst.org Easter Seals of Southeastern WisconsinMonetary donations needed.414-449-4444www.easterseals.com Repairers of the BreachMonetary donations, toiletries, large size clothing and household items.414-934-9305www.repairers.org Casa Maria Hospitality HouseDonations of food, clothing, household goods and appliances are needed.Pick up is available.414-344-5745www.geocities.com/casa_maria_worker/ COA Youth and Family CenterMonetary donations and volunteers.414-263-8383www.coa-yfc.org America’s Second Harvest of WisconsinMonetary and food donations.414-931-7400www.secondharvertwi.org Hunger Task Force, Inc.Monetary and food donations.414-777-0483www.hungertaskforce.org
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Wine Wisdom for the Holidays
By Nathan Norfolk How do holidays turn into horror days? You’re shopping for kids only to realize you don’t know the difference between Shrek and Sponge Bob. You’re making food for a million in-laws, each with different dietary restrictions. You’re buying wine and you don’t know Bordeaux from Burgundy. That first glimpse of smiling cardboard pilgrims and paper snowflakes can truly make you lose sleep. And while the only way out of most holiday stress is through the middle, here’s something to ease at least the pain of buying and serving wine. Don’t get too fancy. If you’re going to bring wine to a gathering and you won’t be pouring it yourself, do yourself two favors: keep things simple and be frugal. It will only hurt your pride and your pocketbook when you see your unopened bottle of thirty dollar “chateau what’s it called” next to a half empty jug of red rot-gut. Just offer a red and a white. Holiday gatherings are usually not the type of affair where you’ll talk to your grandmother about the subtleties of French viniculture. This is exactly where those wines that everybody’s heard of play a nice part. As far as reds go, Merlot is a good start. It’s on the heavier side, so it’s great for the colder fall and winter months. Most inexpensive Californian Merlots aren’t too dry either. Let’s face it – the stuff is popular for a reason. Castle Rock 2002 Napa Valley Merlot ($10) is a steal – it has a soft berry fruit and just a touch of warm oak and vanilla on the finish, and it won’t clash with most food. Pinot Grigio is Merlot’s white counterpart. Some still can’t live without Chardonnay, but most of the inexpensive stuff on the market is so woody and flabby, it ruins the food you pair it with. This is exactly why Pinot Grigio is so popular in restaurants – it can do what most Chardonnays only dream of. Placido 2003 Pinot Grigio ($8) is amazingly light and crisp with the faintest hint of refreshing lemon. It’s perfect for all poultry and pork, and even spicier foods. For gifts of thanksgiving. The pilgrims didn’t have an infinite array of gastronomic choices. This made things easy for them, but it also gave us turkey – for better or worse. You have the opportunity to spice things up by adding some great wine. One of the benefits of the jaw-dropping selection of wine available is the many that complement a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Shiraz is on everyone’s lips – it’s big, bold and spicy. Black Wing 2002 South Australian Shiraz ($10) is thick, unctuous and peppery. If you’re a fan of heavy reds, this is your turkey wine. Fuedo Monaci 2002 Primitvo Puglia ($9) is inexpensive and less acidic than Shiraz (Primitvo is like Chianti’s little brother) and medium-bodied, with an herbaceous fennel taste, pairing nicely with seasoned stuffing. Holiday meals are also perfect for the guilty pleasure of light, slightly […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Technology for All of Us
By Lightburn Designs The holidays are just around the corner and that means two things – shopping, and spending quality time with Aunt Betty! If you are like me, you may not fully appreciate the art of dodging little tikes in the mall, walking eight blocks in a slushy parking lot or dealing with a 16-year old cashier with an attitude. As the malls grow busier and time more scarce, it’s no surprise online shopping has grown exponentially over the last few years. It’s perfect for those of us who prefer to shop in our PJ’s late at night while watching reruns of Cheers. eCommerce, my how you’ve grown!Compared to other tools we use to trade and purchase goods, the Internet is by far the fastest-growing of all time. The telephone took 38 years to reach 50 million users and the television took thirteen. The Internet? Four years. According to the Census Bureau, eCommerce sales in the second quarter of 2004 were $15.7 billion (yes, billion!), up 23.1rom the second quarter of 2003. It is projected that eCommerce transactions will increase annually by 22�compound). Part of the appeal is selection. Without leaving your house, you can find everything from digital cameras and designer clothes to rare wine. I did a search for the phrase ‘Holiday Gifts’ on Google and it returned 5.1 million results! New shoppers might want to start with the more popular, established sites that offer a larger variety of items across multiple categories. Amazon, Blue Nile and eBay are three of the biggest. Many even have the ability to cross-match potential gifts or mention items that others have purchased, offering shoppers even more options. And if you have absolutely no idea what to get your second Uncle Steve, try www.surprise.com or www.findgift.com for suggestions. Shop safely.Online shopping is convenient, and most gift-type vendors are legit. But anytime you’re giving out your personal information, common sense must rule the day. Just as you could get robbed at the mall, or taken by a merchant with bad intentions, the same can happen to you online. But there are simple ways to protect yourself. Reputable merchants should always use Secure Socket Layers (SSLs) for transactions, which scramble, or encrypt, the information you send to a vendor (billing address, credit card numbers, etc.). The best way to see if a vendor is using a SSL is to look in the lower right-hand corner of your browser for a little padlock icon or an unbroken key, or for a web address that starts with “https:” – the ‘s’ stands for secure. If a site is not using SSL, when you submit the information, a pop-up box will notify you that the site is not secure, at which time you can cancel the transaction (strongly encouraged). I also recommend you start with small purchases the first time you shop at a particular online store and keep a personal record of your online transactions. Keep Your Private Info Private.A simple rule to follow: never […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
November 2004
Dear Readers, Years from now, I hope to re-read this particular blog and laugh, picturing myself propped up on pillows trying to balance my keyboard on my lap, cursing over not breaking down and getting the laptop which would come in so handy now as I try to type without throwing my back into another painful spasm. I have restricted myself to ibuprofen until this column is finished, but my head is nevertheless filled with fog from the pain in my back and leg. I shift again. I cannot get comfortable. I should see a doctor. Maybe I can wait until tomorrow… It seemed like a good idea at the time. I awoke before everyone else and, as is my wont, began thinking about how I could maximize a few stolen moments of “alone time” before the demands of breakfast and soccer and an all-day production marathon took over the rest of my waking hours. I was feeling a little toxic after a long week of work, and decided a nice bike ride to my local coffee shop on North Ave. would be just the thing. I’d pick up donuts and be back before anyone even knew I was gone. It had been raining earlier, but it was fairly warm, just a little misty. I live on the east side of Wauwatosa. The residential streets in my neighborhood are quiet and mostly level, perfect for an easy ride. I took Meinecke west about three blocks past Cranky Al’s, then headed back east on North, riding in the bike lane. As the lane came to an end, I tapped the brakes. I remember my wheels locking up on the wet pavement, then the quick realization that yes, I was actually going down, then a full spin in the middle of the normally busy street, my body twisting most unnaturally. My right cheek kissed the pavement as my bike landed on top of me. I lay there for a second. A nice older lady was standing over me, trying to lift my bike and urging me to get out of the street. At first I thought the cuts and bruises on my leg were the worst of it, but as the minutes wore on, it grew increasingly difficult to breathe. Every inhale brought a stab of pain and not enough oxygen. A steel band formed quickly around my torso. I had seriously messed up my back. Like an idiot, I still stopped at Al’s for donuts, refusing rides home from several of the good neighbors there, insisting that I could make it on my own. Stupid. By the time I stumbled in to my house, I could barely stand. Eight hours later, I am sitting up for the first time. Call it instant karma. Three days ago, my art director, Tony, flipped his truck on the same off-ramp he takes every day. He’d realized too late as he took a tight turn that he hadn’t compensated enough for the wet road conditions. […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Jon Anne Willow
That was Easy…
By Paul McLeary One might dare hope that during an election cycle where intelligence gathering and national defense are the big issues, the nomination and appointment of a new CIA Director would spur some serious-minded policy debate. As with so much else in American political life, however, the chasm between what should happen and what does happen is big enough to throw a stack of policy briefings through. On September 22nd, after a mere six and a half hours of questioning by its Intelligence Committee and a sadly familiar rollover of the Democratic leadership, the Senate approved the nomination of Republican Congressman Porter Goss as the nation’s new spy chief on a 77-17 vote. The reason for the easy confirmation of a career Republican politician to the country’s most sensitive intelligence post? Call it the Patriot Act jitters: Democratic lawmakers told several news outlets off the record that they were afraid that fighting the nomination would leave them open to GOP charges of obstructionism and a disregard for America’s security. Looking at Goss’s record, one sees that not only is he not independent, but that in many respects he is a Republican ideologue who could scuttle any attempts at intelligence reform that might prove inconvenient to a second-term Bush administration.Goss’s lightweight questioning before the Senate in September was emblematic of the fear of negative spin that pervades Washington in the Age of Rove. Democrats didn’t want to risk getting themselves—or their presidential candidate (who didn’t even bother to vote on the nomination)—into trouble. This could explain why, during Goss’s milquetoast questioning before the Senate, several problematic areas of his past record were ignored. For starters, he was not asked about a comment he made in June during a conference call with reporters that chemical and biological weapons are ‘more dangerous’ than nuclear weapons. One wonders if this was simply a partisan attempt to attack John Kerry’s anti-nuclear proliferation proposals, or if it points to the more problematic issue of a man who has forgotten about all that loose nuclear materials floating around the Russian republics. Who’s reality is this, anyway?During the aforementioned conference call, Goss also stated that he wasn’t concerned at all about North Korea’s active nuclear program because he believed that the United States had ‘called their bluff successfully’ and, thus, they were ‘not making any progress’ on the nuclear-weapons front. This flies directly in the face of U.S. intelligence estimates that suggest North Korea has developed plutonium for six new warheads over the last two years. In whose reality does this not constitute progress? Perhaps Goss believes the president when he says that the CIA analysts are “just guessing” when they write their reports based on intelligence gathering and empirical evidence. If this is the case, he is clearly an inauspicious choice to head the agency. Also in the dustbin of unasked questions is the hotbutton issue of the ‘house arrest’ of Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist, A.Q. Kahn, who has treated his country’s nuclear program like a […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Interpol
as it is to loathe, but Interpol actually make it comprehensible and appealing. Because, even more on their current album Antics than on their 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights, the NYC quartet view that time through their own artistic lens, focusing the best of the (largely non-American) music of that period into something more than a slavish reveling in the past. The best, subjectively considered: the eternal loneliness of the Smiths, in which Morrissey held hands with himself; the crisply supine melodies of the Go-Betweens; the resolute affectation of New Order (plus the curiously romantic realism of New Order’s predecessor, Joy Division); and above all, the sense that emotion finds its fullest literate expression in obliquely impressionistic lyrics. On Antics, there is even a distinct insinuation of the recklessness that drove bands like the Replacements and Sonic Youth. On a basic level, Interpol remain a rock band, with the syncopation of bassist Carlos D. and drummer Sam Fogarino, and the noisy riffs and angular solos of guitarist Daniel Kessler. Across the intense electricity these three generate in the dark liveliness of “Public Pervert” and the Pixies/Talking Heads snap of “Evil,” singer Paul Banks can be by turns regretful, introspective, furtive, shy and indirect. But he can never be entirely hopeless. Antics unfurls its diverse shades of blue moods against a bright light that never goes out.—Jon M. Gilbertson
Nov 1st, 2004 by Jon Gilbertson
