2007-04 Vital Source Mag – April 2007
April 2007
Thoughts on “Low Numbers” Your “Strength In Low Numbers” [Covered, March 2007] piece was a good read, one of the more comprehensive looks at WYMS that has appeared in the local press. I started working there in late 1981, and saw my 21-year career end rather unceremoniously in April, 2004. In between I hosted talk shows and jazz programs, provided commentary for Spelling Bee broadcasts, built an absolutely one-of-a-kind jazz library from scratch, suffered through agonizing fundraisers (or Begathons, as the staff referred to them privately), watched on-air technology change from turntables to CDs, endured countless summer weekends when the heat and humidity in the studios was so bad the equipment would sweat (they turned the AC off on Friday afternoons…), and took out the trash when necessary. I also had the privilege of serving a unique audience that was fanatically devoted to jazz, and that made it all worth while. But the 88.9 radio torch has been passed, and time will tell if RFM’s grand experiment succeeds or fails. Thanks to your article, I now know more about what that experiment entails than I ever did before. Thank you for writing it. Bill Bruckner Former WYMS Music Director In your latest issue, your “Left of the Dial in Milwaukee” states MPS could no longer afford to support the station. What is little known is that when WYMS went to pre-programmed JAZZ, all donations dried up, and MPS ended having to budget almost twice as much to run the station! (I know as I saw the budget). Spence Kortze or whatever his name can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Dan in Milwaukee Ed. Note: I actually stated that “MPS announced that it could no longer afford…,” which is different from me stating it as fact. In a shorter piece it’s hard to go into depth on every point, but I saw the same budget and – Wow! What a mystifying choice the Board made… Jon Anne … More “thoughts” from our online readers: Even after reading the above story of the evolution of your new format on WYMS, I still say, “Bring back our jazz, man.” —Marilyn Holbus You need to consider not throwing out the baby (JAZZ) as you continue to format and develop your programming. I hope there is still someone out there protecting this vital part of distinctly American, music culture.—Paul Carlson The new music is a big mish mash of too many types of music. Milwaukee is a very provincial town with peoples’ tastes pretty well set. The jazz format worked. It is the only music that is truly indigenous to America. Bring it back and dump the musical smorgasbord that can not appeal to anyone. Thanks—Chuck Sable I was skeptical at first, and for the first few weeks it was clear the station was searching for its “special something,” but I think it’s got it now. It works, surprisingly well. This is a station for people who just love music plain and simple: […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Vital Archives
The 2007-2008 Fine Arts Season Preview
By Russ Bickerstaff and Evan Solochek Having survived the uncertainties of a Milwaukee winter, things settle down as our performing arts groups begin to look forward to next season. As usual, 2007-08 events closest to the present happen to also be the furthest from Milwaukee, as spring pushes performances further away from the theatre district for the summer. West of Madison, The American Players Theatre in Spring Green is one of the most consistently satisfying theatre companies in the state. The outdoor repertory group starts its season this June with a production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which may have a difficult time topping Milwaukee Shakespeare’s outstanding production of the same play earlier this season. With a talented APT cast including Michael Gotch and James DeVita, it’s definitely going to be good. Along with the usual Shakespearian bits, the APT will be performing Shaw’s Misalliance and Tennessee Williams’ Night of the Iguana. To the north and east, The American Folklore Theatre in Fish Creek starts its season in June as well with the world premiere of A Cabin With A View. It’s a musical romantic comedy based on E.M. Forster’s novel of the same name, with the AFT’s usual touches of Wisconsin charm. AFT’s season also includes reprisals of two of its biggest hits: Belgians in Heaven and the irrepressible Guys On Ice. Further in the future but closer to home, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre opens its season in August with a production of Ron Hutchinson’s comedy Moonlight and Magnolias. The impressive cast of Michael Herold, Marcy Kearns, Daniel Mooney and Gerard Neugent relate the story of those strange hours that passed as the script for Gone With The Wind was written. The Chamber’s season also includes performances of short monologues (with Talking Heads, which opens in October) and a play based on the very, very long Dostoyevsky novel Crime and Punishment. The Boulevard Theatre opens its 2007-2008 season in August with David Mamet’s brilliant dramatic tribute to the art of the sale with Glengarry Glen Ross. The Boulevard’s freshly announced season features some clever choices for its tiny space, including the holocaust drama The Last Letter, a play about Clarence Darrow, a romantic French farce and Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well. Shakespeare continues to catch the stage in rather unexpected places as The Milwaukee Ballet’s upcoming season features graceful interpretations of both Hamlet (in November) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (in April). In keeping with the production standards of the Ballet, set and costuming for April’s show should be every bit as impressive as the performance itself. In addition to the familiar standards of the Nutcracker and the annual trip to the Pabst, the Milwaukee Ballet’s season also includes what should prove to be a lavish production of La Bayadere, a sumptuous tale of love and jealousy. And now to raise the curtain on the coming season…. ACACIA THEATRE COMPANY Integrating art and faith, Acacia provides occasion for all to consider their lives in relation to God. Season […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Russ Bickerstaff
Cyann & Ben
By Nikki Butgereit Sweet Beliefs, the third album from Paris-based quartet Cyann & Ben, could be a soundtrack to a film comprised of views from a car window on a psychedelic drive. The tracks pile vocals on top of synthesizer effects on top of organ and piano on top of guitar and drums. The effect is a swirling kaleidoscope of sounds where the meaning of the songs comes more from music than lyrics; the nine tracks flow almost seamlessly, building on each other while creating different moods and moments. The twinkling effects and scratch beats in “Sunny Morning” evoke rays of light sparkling on a lake with the persistent, long-held organ notes creating a hum in your head. “Let It Play” sounds like a whirling carousel that picks up speed as the song goes along, making your head spin slightly as the music intensifies to an exuberant crescendo. The track drops off abruptly and the next song, “Somewhere In The Light,” is a spare and melancholy, featuring Cyann’s sweetly lilting vocals, a piano and little else. Cyann & Ben’s music is reminiscent of Sigur Rós, particularly “In Union With…,” where the different instruments seem to be doing their own thing, like each part was created independently and then mashed together to form something that sounds richer for its spontaneity. With the promise of spring whispering all around, Sweet Beliefs is the perfect music to surround you and stir up daydreams as you cruise along the highway. VS
Apr 1st, 2007 by Vital Archives
String of Pearls
Michele Lowe’s String of Pearls follows the title object through 30-years, as it passes from owner to owner to owner. Slowly, the necklace makes its long journey full circle as it leaves its mark on the lives of a large number of characters. Featuring some impressive talent in a small space, Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of the play is an enjoyable collection of dramatic moments. For the most part this is a string of disjointed moments held together by a single prop. The prop itself isn’t always extremely prominent in each of the stories that the play consists of, so it ends up feeling like more of a symbolic gimmick than a character that mixes with the rest of the play. The action onstage is largely spoken directly to the audience, making String of Pearls feel like a collection of monologues that aspires to be a single, cohesive play. It may not quite make it, but there are so many genuinely touching moments here that it hardly seems worth the effort to string them together at all. Renaissance has put together a cast for its production that not only captures attentions and imagination throughout the play’s many stories, it also manages to keep things flowing gracefully enough that each story seems to naturally flow from the one before it. And though we are, for the most part, watching a string of monologues, the actresses here have a strong enough chemistry as a whole to make it feel like they are all interacting with each other in a single story. Each actress holds several roles over the course of the play. None are so pleasantly wide-ranging as those performed by long-time Milwaukee stage actress Mary MacDonald Kerr. The butch, overweight lesbian gravedigger she plays at the end of the show may not fit her physically, but she plays it sympathetically with more than enough heart to make her performance truly engaging. Earlier on, she plays a comically annoying mother of an adult daughter, the comically hip mother of a much younger daughter and more. Kerr stands out in a script that hands many of the fun roles to her with only a smattering of truly heavy drama. While Tracy Michelle Arnold plays a number of roles herself, nowhere is she more memorable than in the role of an Irish funeral home employee who is looking after her aging mother. Arnold plays both high comedy and endearing drama from the subtle, Irish intonations of a woman whom seems to have spent a great deal of time pummeling. She’s brilliantly reserved in the role. So much comes out of so little in her performance here. Making her Renaissance debut in this production, it’s nice to see the American Players Theatre actress on a much smaller local Milwaukee stage. Tammy Workentin and Laura Birmingham round out the cast. Birmingham renders some really powerful moments as a woman looking back over her life at the beginning of the play and perhaps looking forward to new life […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Russ Bickerstaff
Six things you should know about VITAL
Dear readers, Anyone who’s ever worked in the business of communication knows this to be true: Professional communicators are some of the most ineffective personal communicators. Anyone who’s ever owned a small business knows this to be true as well: By the time you do everything you have to do to get your “product” out there, it’s often the part about explaining what you’ve got that gets neglected. Here at VITAL, we sometimes forget to tell people about the cool things we’ve been working on, so absorbed are we in creating it. So this month I want to take a few minutes to tell you about some things of which you might not be aware, but might enjoy if you knew about them. 1. VITAL is much bigger than it looks. We have a pretty great new website and we publish new content almost every day. There are blogs by myself (Up All Night), Lucky Tomaszek (Oh, Mama!), Russ Bickerstaff (Between Stages), Matt Wild (Please Send Help), Mehrdad (The Prescient Persian) and a biting and often hilarious conservative-leaning perspective from acidic local comic Michael Gull (Messiah Simplex). We publish online-exclusive show, film, music and concert reviews all month, plus articles and interviews – including a recent chat with the Decemberists – and a much more comprehensive events calendar. You can comment on stories, download content via RSS or check out our numerous image galleries. You can print, send to a friend or contact anyone on our staff. Visit us soon at vitalsourcemag.com. 2. VITAL is very popular in the UK. We have a Myspace page, and in the last six months hundreds of people, publications, bands and (for whatever reason) modeling agencies from the UK have not only “friended” us, but have been very active on our page. Tracking our website traffic, we see that a surprising number of our online viewers hail from there as well. They send us letters and leave us comments. They think we’re ahead of our time, for whatever that’s worth. Check out our page at myspace.com/vitalsource. 3. VITAL loves you back. In February we launched VITAL’s eNews You Can Use. It goes out twice a month and keeps you up to date on everything new we’ve published to the website as well as upcoming VITAL events. And, to show our love, we give away stuff to our subscribers in every edition, from concert tickets to sexy VITAL t-shirts and sometimes even bigger gifts. All you have to do is write us back and tell us what you’re interested in – no catches. You can subscribe from our home page at vitalsourcemag.com and unsubscribe any time. Naturally, we’ll never spam you or sell your name. We also offer amazingly cost-effective advertising for local businesses, so you can be better communicators than us. Contact me personally to learn more about our “Love to the Independents” program. 4. VITAL is everywhere. Some people still think that because our offices are in Riverwest and we’re active in our […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Jon Anne Willow
Downhill, you’ll go mach speed
By the time you read this, I’ll already be dead. No, no! Really, I’m fine. Really! I’ve just always wanted to open with something like that, and now seemed as good a time as any. I suppose I could chalk it up to some kind of April Fools’ gag, but to be honest, it could be the middle of October and I still would have run with it. Anyway, this month’s column is a somewhat random mish-mash of the painful disillusionment of growing old and the utter futility of getting up in the morning. There’s a small glimmer of hope near the end, however, when the author’s faith in mankind is briefly restored after getting drunk at 11a.m. and helping an old lady to a bus stop. Also, a supporting character will relate a delightful story of how she nearly shaved off her right nipple while taking a shower. Wake the kids, mom; this one’s a doozy. My typical day, in a nutshell: wake up at 10 a.m. and eat a bologna sandwich; watch two episodes of The Cosby Show (skipping past the ones involving either the Huxtable grandparents or choreographed dance numbers); catch a few minutes of Springer (skipping past the ones where Steve the bodyguard assumes hosting duties); go to work; come home at 9 p.m. and eat another bologna sandwich; weep uncontrollably for 20-25 minutes; go to bed and dream of boogie boarding. On the weekends I walk through my soon-to-be defiled Downer Avenue neighborhood, mentally composing letters in my head to the land-developing outfit that has recently made it their mission to suck all remaining character out of the area: Dear Party People, Hi, you don’t know me, but I’ve lived on Milwaukee’s Fashionable East Side? for nearly 11 (!) years. I’m a gainfully-employed college graduate with a strong hairline and a modest criminal record. Lately, you’ve been going ahead with plans to erect an eleven-story dorm tower and a 40,000-level parking garage in my charming little neck of the woods. You’ve snatched up most of the nearby commercial space as well, raising leases and driving away even the most established of chains, all of which – as none of the kids say – is really harshing my mellow. Now, I know that behind your misleading, Patriot Act-esque corporate name, there must be an actual group of human beings, though I prefer to imagine you as a ravenous pack of cave-dwelling, baby-eating mutants, swallowing up everything that’s good and decent about my neighborhood (the houses and restaurants, not the babies). Assuming for a moment that you’re not really a loosely-knit band of Morlocks, let me say this: I know that change is inevitable and all that jazz, but seriously, can’t you show a little compassion? To belabor the baby thing a bit more, if the day ever passes that you require every resident to sacrifice their first-born child in order to continue living in this neighborhood (and I wouldn’t put it past you), I would have […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Matt Wild
Cheryl Pawelski
Photo by Audrey Bilger Some people make mix tapes for fun, but Milwaukee native Cheryl Pawelski can list that on her resume. As far as music fans go, Pawelski’s 17 years beat most people’s lifetime of participation. As a young music maven she worked at the old downtown Radio Doctors learning record distribution. She moved to California and in 1990 began a 12-year run at Capitol Records, and in 2005 moved over to Concord Records to run their catalog development. In January of this year she began what many consider a dream job, heading up A&R at Rhino Records. Though music is what pays her bills, she remains a devoted fan. In her words, the whole trip “…only took 17 years. I’d do it all again, too – it’s been a ball.” 1. What is your dream project? Well, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a couple dream projects. In fact, at this point, I’d have to say I’m working on my dream project in that I’m heading up A&R at Rhino and the catalogs under the Rhino umbrella are some of my favorites. That having been said, I would indeed drop everything to go and work as Bruce Springsteen’s archivist and special project producer. 2. Is there any Milwaukee-related artist or project you’d like to work on? Yes. For years I’ve wanted to cut out enough time to put together a double CD release I’d like to call The Real Happy Days. It’s not a single artist anthology but a Wisconsin-based one. I’ve long been a fan of the single and by that I mean the 45 rpm or 7” vinyl slab. I started collecting records on local labels from the ‘50s and ‘60s a long time ago – Cuca and Raymond among others. I would like to pull together a nice collection of those but just haven’t had the time. 3. What project so far do you think reflects your own personality? The Band box set, A Musical Journey, certainly reflects my detail-oriented, “everything must be right” kind of work ethic. The rockabilly box, Rockin’ Bones, is four discs of really fun and sometimes surprisingly absurd early rock & roll and there’s an earlier compilation I did at Capitol called Rebels & Outlaws, which is basically filled with all kinds of songs about carryin’ on and makin’ a racket, so those all collectively add up to something. I guess sometimes projects can be an extension of a personality but only a small fraction, and at that, the fraction may be based in fantasy or wishful thinking. 4. What do you like best about California? I like everything in California between about Big Sur and Point Reyes (just north of San Francisco). LA for me has been something that I put up with as a trade for getting to do what I do. The best parts of LA seem to be hidden and certainly not advertised – so uncovering the history of LA is a lot of fun. […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Blaine Schultz
Low
Two years ago, The Great Destroyer marked a period of incredible transition for Low. Not only did the album itself bristle with challenges to the band’s established method of slow and steady and hauntingly beautiful, but the period shortly after its release also saw bassist Zak Sally leave the band and founding member Alan Sparhawk check into the hospital for mental health treatment. Clearly, there were shakeups, and Drums and Guns refracts the altered configuration of thoughts and people. Producer Dave Fridmann returns to work the subtle transformations that informed his efforts on The Great Destroyer (and with bands like The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev) ; new bassist and vocalist Matt Livingston fills no one’s shoes but his own and the album feels constantly unsettled. Even now, with listeners braced for new directions, Low’s music surprises. The opening track, “Pretty People,” crackles in with static and feedback as it raises a golem of Eastern-flavored psychedelic meditation. “Always Fade” sets an electronic whirl in the background of a jazz-funk bass line and a thunderous cardboard-like snare snap. And “Take Your Time” drops chiming bells over a deliberately skipping loop of church-like vocal cadences and a tinny drum-machine rhythm. Even in relatively familiar territory – the vocal harmonizing between Sparhawk and wife/drummer Mimi Parker is as tenderly hushed as ever on “Belarus” – Low orient themselves to see and hear things differently. Drums and Guns mesmerizes listeners to do the same. VS
Apr 1st, 2007 by Jon Gilbertson
The Fall
The mid- to late ‘70s was a time of musical change. If the ’60s “free love” culture, though hopeful, was not enough to transform mass awareness, then the “fuck you” attitude of punk and post-punk was the necessary conduit for change. Though The Ramones and The Sex Pistols captured the spotlight, no other band was quite as prolific and influential as The Fall. Throughout their history, which spans 30+ years, 50-some lineups and over 20 records, The Fall remain true to their roots. The Fall approach each release with a freshness orchestrated by stoic frontman Mark E. Smith and Post-TLC Reformation!, is no exception. The first track, “Over, Over,” begins with a menacing laugh and segues into, “I think it’s over now/I think it’s ending/I think it’s over now/I think it’s beginning.” Accompanied by a droned-out bass, a simple guitar progression and ambient sounds, “Over, Over” is an homage to cycles. This album is raw and some tracks sound improvised. “Insult Song” is a narrative, almost abrasive recounting of past show experiences interlaced with dark imagery and a satirical, intermittent chuckle from Smith. The beat is steady and syncopated, with a slap bass progression and melodic guitar solos. The overall effect complements the development of the story it tells. Post-TLC Reformation! is dark, but not depressing. The vocal style is consistently dreary, but the upbeat bass and uncompromising guitar riffs create a harmonizing juxtaposition that never lets the listener get too far down to get back up again. It’s groovy. VS
Apr 1st, 2007 by Blaine Schultz
Kawoomph!
Photos by Kevin C. Groen Mason Street Grill 425 East Mason Street 414-298-3131 www.masonstreetgrill.com Kawoomph” is the term Mark Weber coined to describe the explosive sound brandy makes as it hits a searing pan of steak au poivre. Mason Street Grill adopted it as the name for its logo: a steer with a chicken hat and flying fish grazing its shoulders representing the breadth of its offerings. Under Weber’s stewardship as Managing Director, the Pfister Hotel’s new flagship restaurant is now at street level and accessible to diverse customers. If you’re with friends, settle into the comfortable leather chairs and banquettes for a memorable feast. Solo diners can pony up to the kitchen counter where they’ll find company watching all the action through the pass. Dinner fare ranges from an exquisite herb-crusted New York Strip steak at $48.50 to a grilled hot dog bun crammed with lobster salad for just $16.50. Steaks come with salad and a side (like the inspired fresh creamed spinach scented with nutmeg) and sandwiches include fries or gingered cabbage slaw. The crispy cracker-crusted pizzas (all under $10) topped with tomatoes and fresh herbs taste like summer. The vanilla-flecked cheesecake is light as mousse. And with a Kenwood Yulumpa Brut for $6.50 a glass, even I, a pauper writer, can afford it. Those who have followed Weber’s luminous career from Arby’s (!) to the Riversite to his own restaurant, WaterMark, would not be surprised by his current appointment, for his cookery is inspired in any setting. He’s received great critical acclaim, but none greater than that of French Novelle Cuisine innovator Paul Bocuse. Among classically trained culinarians, Bocuse (not Emeril or any other TV celebrities) reigns as pope. Thus, it was like Da Vinci honoring a protégé when Bocuse himself complimented a meal Weber had prepared for him at Lake Park Bistro as the closest to his own cuisine that he had ever tasted. He was bred for the food and beverage industry. The chef’s ancestors were brewers in Germany who brought their trade to the U.S. His great grandfather worked for Pabst and his great uncle Clem, as a Miller Brewing VP, brought Lite beer and Lowenbrau to the brand. With thumb and forefinger a couple inches apart, Weber says, “We had our own kiddy mugs this big as long as I can remember.” Weber grew up in Rochester, New York, where his father was a VP for French’s Mustard. The position involved a lot of entertaining that opened portals of extensive gustatory experimentation for his son. Weekends and vacations were spent at the family vineyard in nearby Canandaigua where there was work for all seasons. Three years into an engineering degree at Monmouth College, Weber was bored stiff and left. By then, his parents had moved to Mequon and after a few weeks on their couch Weber ventured out to find employment. He put in a desultory application at the Midway Motor Lodge’s fine dining restaurant, Café Manhattan, hoping they wouldn’t call. “I had […]
Apr 1st, 2007 by Cate Miller
