2008-09 Vital Source Mag – September 2008
Spiritualized @ Turner Hall, 9/9/2008
Spiritualized @ The 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago About a decade ago, Spiritualized all but tore down The Rave with an evening of musical pummeling and a head-shearing light show. The several dozen other fans in attendance will back me up. Anyone at Tuesday night’s show realizes how fortunate we are that Jason Pierce and band came back to Milwaukee. Emerging from the fog, Pierce — along with his four bandmates and two backup gospel singers — set the stage with a riveting, heavy version of “Amazing Grace”. With that they set the controls for the dark side of Turner Hall as the band’s modus operandi built on chaotic, driving crescendos and walls of sound only to bring songs back down to stark vocal arrangements. Even the sound man played the board like another instrument. There have been few musical nights like this since the U.S. Government took codeine off the shelves. Touring in support of the album Songs in A&E, whose back story might have been Pierce’s brush with the reaper during a nasty bout of double pneumonia, except the material was writ beforehand. Thus tunes like “Death Take Your Fiddle” (which sounded like an ancient Appalachian ballad) or “Soul on Fire” (which could rival anything on the modern hipster radio stations) already fit like a glove. And incandescent wailing vocals at the end of “Come Together” sounded less like a wake than a Baptist revival meeting down by the river. In the beginning (well, the ’80s at least) there was Spacemen 3, a Rugby, England band that pillaged the best of American music (Velvets, Elevators, Bo Diddley, Suicide, MC5, Sun Ra, Red Krayola), dipped it in morphine and created a quiet storm. Following an acrimonious/not acrimonious split (take your pick) with co-leader Sonic Boom, Jason Pierce (aka J Spaceman) formed Spiritualized in order to take the next logical steps. These days, Pierce’s voice has weathered to a fine, weary patina, reminiscent of Peter Perrett of the Only Ones, a fellow traveler familiar with the power of a script. Never straying far from the twin towers of spiritual transcendence and escapism, at Turner Spiritualized’s take on “Lay Back in the Sun” (“Good dope and good fun”) – something of an homage to Brian Wilson and Beach Boys — made groups like The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Raveonettes seem like kids who just got a fuzzbox for Christmas. “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” was transformed in to an elegiac waltz that segued into just Pierce and the gospel voices singing a stunning last verse of Elvis’ “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”. Thought it’s doubtful that many from the religious right were in attendance, Pierce’s affinity for blending rock and religious themes was well represented on “Lord Can you Hear Me,” as well as Spacemen 3’s “Walking With Jesus” and “Take Me to the Other Side.” All good things must come to an end as the evening’s finale built to a maelstrom […]
Sep 10th, 2008 by Blaine Schultz
Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner
The Sunset Playhouse opens its 49th season with Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner by Pat Cook. The comedy revolves around three aging sisters who’ve created an insular world for themselves in their family home. The three are proud of their independence and of their reputation. When the town doctor tricks them into taking in a boarder who happens to be a nurse, they discover more about their own capabilities and their family history. The sisters, Maggie, Dora and Lydia – played by Dolores Ivanchich, Inge Adams and Frances Klumb respectively – impress and delight from the first moments on stage. In a demonstration that proves why the town thinks they are, indeed, crazy and cranky, all three simultaneously talk, listen and respond to one another. Adams’ impeccable timing makes Dora’s sarcasm crisp and smarting, while Ivanchich radiates sweetness as the slightly memory-challenged sister; she’s especially lovely in the last scene after ‘tasting’ a bit too much egg nog. Klumb is no-nonsense as a former teacher still able to rule over her son and the town doctor. The three connect on stage with such ease that it’s almost impossible to imagine that they haven’t lived with or near each other their entire lives. As Dr. Arnold “Doc” Lomax, Pat Perkins is fresh and able to match the three feisty leads. His physical comedy is authentic – he makes getting wrapped up in a telephone cord while drunk look natural and not a choreographed venture. Less successful is Nasreen Ameri as nurse and boarder Jean Mitchell. Each line is delivered with the same faux enthusiasm no matter what is happening on stage, and she struggled to connect her character with anyone else on stage. Occasionally she even looked uncomfortable, breaking character. An entrance-and -exit comedy can sometimes look cramped if adequate space and doors are not provided, but Scenic Designer Paul Meeusen, interning under technical Director, J. Michael Desper, designed a marvelously open set that provides the room needed for a play that takes place in just one room with a nine-person cast. Meeusen and Despar utilized three levels to make answering the doorbell and going upstairs a more dynamic aspect of each scene. Artistic Director Mark Salentine should be commended for choosing a play that shows elderly women not as just grouchy or doddering, but as individuals with vigor, defiance and love. Though the writing and plot itself in Pat Cook’s play often falters, the problem of children trying to decide when their elderly parents can no longer live on their own is or will be shared by almost everyone. Salentine’s rendition will appeal to multiple generations of families. VS The Sunset Playhouse’s production of Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner runs through September 17th. 262-782-4430, or visit Sunset online.
Sep 8th, 2008 by Russ Bickerstaff
Tantalizing belly dancers shake it
The Shape Up Shoppe has been a fixture on Kinnickinnic Street since 1980. The building features an exercise room geared toward women, a whirlpool and sauna. On the second level, there are a few spaces for classes, and even a Magaritaville-themed deck that overlooks the neighborhood. Tina Skenadore has been an instructor at the Shoppe for 17 years. She teaches many classes, including aerobics and Zumba. When I admit I don’t know what “Zumba” is, she informs me that it is an aerobic exercise combining Latin flavors including tango, salsa, merengue, reggaeton, hip hop, mambo and calypso. Skenadore also teaches belly dance classes and heads the belly dance troupe India, which has had a steady flow of festival gigs this season including at the Wisconsin State Fair, during halftime for the Brew City Bruisers and at Pridefest. They will perform outside the Shape Up Shoppe at the upcoming Bay View Bash on September 15. Belly dancing as a dance form can probably be traced to ancient Egypt; famous advocates include Alexander the Great, Thomas Edison and the Mata Hari. The art has enjoyed a popular resurgence in recent decades, and troupes can be found in most major cities, shimmying and shaking from coast to coast. I talked with Skenadore at the Shape Up Shoppe and then sat in on a class. In the large room, one wall was covered with mirrors, a giant trampoline rested against the wall and a cargo net held a dozen exercise balls. The class consisted of six women – normally there are more, but several students were on summer vacation, Skenadore explained. The group started with some stretching and warm up moves, the abdomens flexing dramatically, the arms waving and flowing. The women were wearing T-shirts, shorts, and coin-covered hip scarves. The jingling from the hip scarves sounded out in a rainy splash. They moved into a dance routine, and Skenadore counted off the moves. “Up up up up, up 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Up … and down. Up … and down. Up for two, down for two. Up up, down down.” They move into a new routine. “You’re gonna LOVE this one!” One of the students yells to me as they break into a routine heavy on the thrusting, rotating and swaying of the chest. Then they fling their arms up, spin, CLAP CLAP CLAP, shake shoulders and hips, CLAP CLAP CLAP. The next routine involves moving to the left eight steps, then to the right eight steps. “Now, without getting too crazy, let’s move a little faster!” Skenadore instructs. Skenadore says they are always looking for new students to learn this ancient art of sensual intrigue, so sign up for a class and shake it! VS The Shape Up Shoppe is located at 2697 S. Kinnickinnic Street. You can find a performance schedule for India and info on belly dance classes at bellydanceinbayview.com. More information about the Bay View Bash available at bayviewbash.org.
Sep 8th, 2008 by Tea Krulos
Isn’t it Romantic?
The Milwakee Rep opens its 2008-2009 season at the Stackner Cabaret with a classy, romantic evening of music. The first of three openings in as many weeks for the Rep, Isn’t It Romantic? features the powerfully rich voice of singer Jimi Ray Malary leading William Knowles on piano, Don Linke on bass and Scott Napoli on Drums. The jazzy quartet swims through a selection of songs assembled by playwright and director David Hunter Koch, whose work last graced the Stackner stage in last year’s Hula Hoop Sha-Boop. Koch also put together Ellington: The Life and Music of the Duke for the Rep Cabaret’s 2005-2006 season — a show which also featured Malary, Knowles and Napoli. Isn’t it Romantic? carries a series of songs through a typical cycle of romance: Solitude “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” among others) gives way to new love (“S’Wonderful,” a particularly swinging version of “My Funny Valentine” and more), which follows through into the deepening of the relationship (“Lady is a Tramp”) and moving in together (“Love is Here to Stay’) before exploring the difficulties that come with a long-term relationship (“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”). After intermission, the cycle swings in the other direction, peppered with clever, poetic observations about love and relationships from David Hunter Koch – marriage, he says, is life’s way of keeping you from arguing with strangers. Scenic designer Susannah M. Barnes has put together a beautiful art deco set for the show that is stylish and rich in detail. Four paintings show the backs of four women dancing with four men. Light spills onto the stage through stained glass. The atmosphere may lack the smoky clinking of glasses and ambient chatter one might expect from a traditional romantic cabaret atmosphere, but Barnes’ set gives the impression of a jazzy little slice of virtuoso perfection. You’re not hearing the scratches or pops and imperfections that make this style of music so appealing to modern ears, but the clarity and purity of the experience here makes for some really great cabaret theatre. VS Isn’t it Romantic? runs through November 2nd at the Stackner Cabaret. 414-224-9490 or visit the Rep online.
Sep 8th, 2008 by Russ Bickerstaff
The Wonder Bread Years
John McGivern returns to the Marcus Center this month for another run of Pat Hazell’s comedic monologue The Wonder Bread Years. One of the most recognizable actors in town, McGivern’s memories of growing up in a quirky Milwaukee has natural appeal for his fellow boomers and beyond. While Hazell wrote The Wonder Bread Years as something of a cross between a motivational speech and a standup comedy routine, John McGivern’s distinctive performance style turns it into a theatrical monologue that maximizes an audience’s empathy. McGivern’s enthusiastic delivery infuses these stories with the commonality of American youth – even for those of us not a part of the generation in question. McGivern mixes his own memories of childhood with those written for the stage by Pat Hazell, which localizes the monologue in Milwaukee – just enough. The show hopes to remind everyone of the wonder of their childhood regardless of age, but for someone born in the mid-1970’s, it’s interesting to see people from another generation audibly reacting in unison to pop cultural references from nearly half-century ago and commenting on them during intermission and idle moments. From those tiny boxes of cereal to tough skin jeans, bag lunches and a number of other icons of a generation, much of the show is pretty specific. As pop culture continues to fragment into an endless miasma of pop subcultures under the engine of emerging user-driven media, it’s fun to hang out with one of the last generations to share the same narrowly slices of pop Americana as they are brought to the stage and rediscovered one by one. There is no question that McGivern is the primary reason why so many people see this show, and the reason why continues to be sparklingly clear. He has incredible stage presence that is alarmingly natural, even when he’s delivering the same story he did dozens of times at the Marcus Center last year. When he interacts with the audience, he seems to have a genuine appreciation for the people who have come to see him perform. Clearly he’s enjoying what he’s doing here and it’s an enjoyment that is conveyed to the audience in a way that seems almost effortless. VS John McGivern stars in Pat Hazell’s The Wonder Bread Years now through September 21 at the Marcus Center’s Vogel Hall. 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org.
Sep 5th, 2008 by Russ Bickerstaff
Chances are
In America, life is dangerous. We hear ominous factoids all the time about the ways we’re in danger every time we eat, breathe, talk on our phones or walk down the street. In a very general way, we all have a sense that something bad could happen at any time. And it’s true! To illustrate, I’ve created a quick “Chance Chart” which is by no means complete but which gets the point across: Incident: Chance it will happen A man will develop cancer: 1 in 2 A woman will develop cancer: 1 in 3 A woman will be sexually assaulted: 1 in 4 A man will be sexually assaulted: 1 in 33 You’ll die from heart disease: 1 in 3 You’ll have a stroke: 1 in 6 You’ll be the victim of a serious crime: 1 in 20 You’ll lose a child this year: 1 in 5,000 Kind of puts things in perspective, don’t you think? All I’m saying is that there’s a lot out there to genuinely worry about, but I’ll make a gentleman’s bet with anyone that on a daily basis, we worry about a whole lot of stuff that’s a lot less important. Take, for example, our recent stress over what the rest of the world was going to think of us for throwing up a statue of Fonzie on the Riverwalk. It wouldn’t have been my choice, but then again I’m not the one who got my butt in gear and made an attention-garnering piece of public “art” happen. Love it or hate it, it brought in the national morning news shows and a handful of 20th century TV actors who wouldn’t have dropped in for breakfast otherwise. And in the end, how many New Yorkers are going to pass by Milwaukee for their summer vacation next year because our city has lame taste in bronze statues? The other day I was enjoying a cup of coffee at Anodyne and indulged myself in eavesdropping on two women who spent almost 15 minutes worrying (loudly, hence the indulgence) about what kind of First Lady Michelle Obama will make. According to them, Obama comes off as cold, bitter, even unpatriotic and racist. Seriously? Did either of them take the time to read her “controversial” Princeton thesis? And the “whitey” comment supposedly caught on video? Doesn’t exist. Here’s why some people really don’t like her: she’s Condoleezza Rice’s doppelganger, only younger and with better hair. And everybody – even Republicans – is scared of Condi, for more established reasons. But here’s my favorite. When VITAL published its August issue with Nikki McGuinnis’ contest-winning photograph of a little boy nestled on the shelf of an open refrigerator on the cover, we received a veritable blizzard of calls, emails and even real live letters on the subject. Some were positive, with remarks ranging from the issue’s general attractiveness to our “artistic daring.” Needless to say, there was also negative feedback. One, obviously written by an elderly woman, went so far as […]
Sep 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
Ready for the new
By Amy Elliott, Introduction by Jon Anne Willow It’s often the case that when performing arts budgets are tight, new work by emerging artists finds its way to more stages more readily. It can be less expensive to license and easier to obtain, and it’s uncommon for a company to collaborate directly with the author, choreographer or composer. The results can be heady stuff, born of constrained circumstances but giving birth to artistic expression of great imagination. But, there is another reason an abundance of new work might be seen in one community in one season: the patrons are ready for it. It’s a promising mark of Milwaukee area audiences’ evolving tastes that so many well-established companies are eager to offer more never-before-seen programs. What follows is just a sampling – listed alphabetically by company – of the premieres awaiting adventurous lovers of theater, dance, music and art. Danceworks Have a Seat November 7 – 9, 2008 This eclectic evening of dance features choreography by Guest Artistic Director Janet Lilly, including “The Weight of Skin,” based on a poem by Milwaukee Poet Laureate Susan Firer. The show includes work by Isabelle Kralj choreographed for members of the Slovenia National Ballet, as well as a solo premier by New Delhi-based performer Navtej Johar. The Bra Project January 23 – February 1, 2009 Danceworks’ Resident Choreographer Kelly Anderson presents an irreverent evening of dance dedicated to the history, design, social influence and pop-culture significance of that bust-loving bane and blessing, the bra. A Guy Thing March 6 – 8, 2009 Ah, the male dancer: a rare bird indeed, and this performance celebrates them in all of their perplexing, complicated and handsome glory. See guest dancers from the Milwaukee Ballet, collaborations and partnerships between dancers, solo and group works. Choreographed by Ed Burgess and friends – all of them men. First Stage Children’s Theatre Gossamer September 19 – October 5 This landmark collaboration between Lois Lowry, First Stage Children’s Theatre and Portland’s Oregon Children’s Theatre is Lowry’s first attempt to adapt one of her novels for the stage – though audiences may remember Eric Coble’s 2006 adaptation of The Giver. The show premieres in Milwaukee this monthThe imaginative story follows a young dream-giver who helps a troubled child and a lonely woman overcome nightmares. Jeff Frank directs. The MacDowell Club For more information on the decorated past of one of Milwaukee’s most historic arts organizations, check out our feature on page 11 – after you avail yourself of this impressive season calendar. We’re especially excited for the April 19 performance of a song cycle by Paula Foley Tillen based on poems by Wisconsin’s first poet laureate, Ellen Kart. Farruca for Cello and Guitar By Peter Baine November 9 – Cardinal Stritch University Poem for Cello and Strings By Minh Tam Trinh December 14 – Cardinal Stritch University Song Cycle for Tenor and Piano By Paul Fowler January 25 – Cardinal Stritch University The Road to Emmaus for Voices and Organ By Hildegarde Fischer […]
Sep 1st, 2008 by Amy Elliott
Calexico
Someday, the members of Calexico will be considered trailblazers. While they travel through the terrain of Latin, folk, indie, country, western, film score and rootsy rock, they possess the uncanny ability to pick up pieces of these landscapes and simply bring them along to their next destination. They also possess a profound gift to weave all of these sonic threads into wonderfully cohesive textures, and Carried To Dust, their sixth collection proper, is their most ambitious tapestry yet. Opening with the Latin sprite of “Victor Jara’s Hands,” they deftly ease into “Two Silver Trees,” the first song to offer a faint whisper of vocal delivery. Unfortunately, this voice is used too much throughout the rest of the songs. “Inspiracion,” upbeat with bountiful horns, is a highlight among many, and “Contention City” is a beautiful lullaby soaked in melancholia. The production and instrumentation are exceptional, and a multitude of guest musicians – including the stellar Pieta Brown, Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam, and Willie Nelson sideman Mickey Raphael – add tastefully plaintive touches that pique the emotion. Erstwhile travelers, explorative craftsmen, and artisan weavesmiths: Carried To Dust is the embodiment of genuine expression that proves Calexico is all of these. It’s a recording of the highest caliber, featuring gales of dusty ruminations sun-steeped in experience and empathetic storytelling.
Sep 1st, 2008 by Troy Butero
Behind the curtain
This month, to an even greater extent than usual, you can leaf through the pages of VITAL and find calendar listings, phone numbers, websites and profiles of the people that power the ships, as well as evidence, photographic and otherwise, of creative output. With a little imagination you can envision a setting: a proscenium stage, a row of footlights, dusty makeup rooms and wardrobes stuffed with spangled costumes. You might think about musical instruments or ballet shoes, or you might imagine the barely-controlled chaos of ticket offices and sales departments. But what else happens inside a performance company? And how wide of an audience do arts groups reach? What is their relevance or value to the wider world? The truth is, with public schools more strapped for cash than ever and cultural resources dwindling, arts organizations are sometimes a community’s most powerful force for education, outreach and enrichment resources. Members and affiliates of the United Performing Arts Fund alone touch over a million people every year, including more than 400,000 area children, according to UPAF Vice President of Community Relations and Marketing Linda Edelstein. Here, four major Milwaukee arts institutions share their most compelling initiatives for the coming season and the value they’ve brought to the city. Training and growth It’s a big year for the Milwaukee Ballet, whose acclaimed Ballet School is rated among the very best in the nation. In late August the School opened its largest branch at the Sendik’s Towne Centre in Brookfield, and this fall, the ink should be dry on the accreditation forms sent in to the National Association of Schools for Dance. If accredited, the Milwaukee Ballet School – established in 1975 – will be the only dance institution in the region that has met the NASD’s standards. But the Ballet’s outreach programming extends beyond sprung dance floors, lofty studios and kids in tutus. Their education programs alone reach over 20,000 kids a year through in-school performances, workshops and collaborations with other arts organizations. Merging training, performance, enrichment and the continuity that a successful arts education program requires, Relevé, an inner city youth dance program, provides ballet training to over 175 students at four MPS elementary schools: Allen-Field, Dover, Maple Tree and Vieau. Children start small with once-a-week, in-school ballet classes in 3rd grade and advance through 4th and 5th grade with training at the Milwaukee Ballet studios in the Peck Center. All of their dancewear is provided for free, and their study is enriched with free tickets to shows at the Ballet, in-school performances, meeting with company dancers and end-of-the-year recitals. “Relevé allows us to work with girls – and boys – who wouldn’t otherwise see these same kinds of opportunities,” says Alyson Vivar, Director of Education at the Ballet. “They really learn so much more than ballet – they learn discipline and self-confidence, and they have fun.” Training young people doesn’t have to stop with school kids. Art depends on fresh faces and the collision of new ideas with established practices […]
Sep 1st, 2008 by Amy Elliott
Beneath The Gold Sticker
September: this is the month when writers, editors and sometimes readers in massive polls are asked to pick winners from the tsunami of venues, programming and promising stars careening toward the shore. I have to say it reminds me of scratching off a gold sticker, a sticker that perhaps conceals THE winning number, which you already know isn’t likely to be yours, or if it is, blame it on dumb luck! If I’ve learned anything about the arts over the years, it’s that sublime moments are seldom hidden beneath gold stickers: in fact, I would venture to say that the more the sticker glitters, the duller the “win.” When swamped by hype, I cast a wary eye. Should I desire the sublime, I stick with civilized, tried and true venues simply because they don’t shout or tout like shills at a circus. And no local gallery fills the bill quite like Dean Jensen, an informed survivor with a logo resembling something stamped from steel. Jensen’s shows rarely disappoint, and the man himself, though a poetic writer at heart, is no-nonsense in his approach to art. Should you care about what art “is,” he’s available to share thoughts. Jensen is cut of the cloth I admire: grey flannel, neatly tailored and forever admirable. On fall Gallery Night – October 16 – stop by for Newspaper House, an installation by former Milwaukeean (and current Brown professor) Joan Backes that is just what it sounds like: a space made from newspapers that visitors can walk through and explore. Tory Folliard Gallery also takes a subtle approach, and the staff doesn’t posture in order to outshine the art. Fat chance that would happen, anyway, with the likes of glorious painters Patrick Farrell, Fred Stonehouse and the many other luminaries who will return in 2008-2009. On September 12, Folliard opens a new exhibition by Milwaukee artist Mark Mulhern, featuring the artist’s abstractly naturalistic and softly-lit works, and come February, Folliard will mount their first-ever Photography Showcase highlighting some top (and up-and-coming) state photographers. Folliard gives generous consideration to Wisconsin-based artists, which in turn gives lie to the myth that artists from our state get screwed when it comes to gallery shows. Come on. Can you think of a single gallery or museum that eschews Wisconsin-based artists just because they’re from Wisconsin? The loudest screamers are probably those artists whose works aren’t yet (and perhaps never will be) up to snuff. Time was when I rarely visited the Charles Allis Art or the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museums; if I did, it was to enjoy the summer gardens and a few moments of quiet contemplation. However, their recent shows have been on the upswing, due at least in part to the efforts of Ms. Laurel Turner, a young curator who will be leaving the institution (dang!) to return to academia. But I look forward to the coming season and their competent ongoing Wisconsin Masters series. While a bit uneven in quality, the series is still a […]
Sep 1st, 2008 by Stella Cretek
100 Years of Beautiful Music
Gracious. Elegant. Gifted. Enthusiastic. These classical characteristics describe Thallis Hoyt Drake, recording secretary and publicity chair of the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee, and the prestigious organization itself, celebrating its centennial in May 2009. Drake, a past president and member of the MacDowell Club for 50 years, describes the vision of the first 38 women who were strong minded, talented, and desired a stage to perform and display their musical skills back in 1909, well before women achieved the right to maintain property or to vote. As Drake says, “It wasn’t considered proper for a woman to perform in public,” but these women signed the charter for the club on May 19th of that year, which provided them with a new venue to use their abilities and education. Following through on this original charter, the MacDowell club initiated an all-female chorus and orchestra, conducted by a woman, which presented a series of yearly concerts at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, still a historic presence in contemporary Milwaukee. Members either performed or supported the club by attending the productions free of charge. Guests were allowed to listen for a 25-cent admission fee. The concerts, student organizations and musical study groups that developed in the succeeding decades illustrated the MacDowell Club’s mission statement: furthering musical interests in Milwaukee, providing incentive for progressive work for both professional and amateur musicians and acquainting the public with the number and excellence of local musicians. This includes Drake, an excellent violinist and founder of Early Music Now, along with hundreds of music teachers over these years. The club offered an opportunity and outlet for these musicians to enhance their own artistry and a platform to continue performing. Drake believes that the club saved her performance skills and helped her find long-standing friends and colleagues with exceptional gifts who all shared a passion for performing classical music. Membership throughout these years was earned through a blind audition, which continues to the present day. Annual dues now require a $25.00 check instead of three dollar bills as in 1910, but still include free admission to all the performances given in public places and private homes by the members. Today, the Club welcomes members of both genders, but still embraces the mission it was founded upon: the inspiration of the wife of Edward A. MacDowell. Edward MacDowell is one of the first American composers to receive international recognition for his career. After his death in 1908, Marion MacDowell played private piano concerts in people’s homes to raise money for the MacDowell Colony, now based in New Hampshire, which provides sabbaticals and housing for all artists to dedicate solitary study time towards their chosen area of expertise. The MacDowell Colony flourishes, as do numerous MacDowell Clubs throughout the country, all as a result of Marion MacDowell’s efforts. In 2008, Milwaukee’s chapter focuses on their 99th season, leading up to their centennial on May 19, 2009. Drake enumerates the club’s special events for this 100th year. Erin Biank, a graduate student in […]
Sep 1st, 2008 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Stereolab
The avant-garde has always been the comfort zone for Stereolab, the lounge-y, psychedelic pop/rock outfit whose ardent fans are enamored with the untraditional krautrock sound, blending odd ‘60s-style department store music with fuzzy guitars, the famous ‘motorik’ time signature and the uninflected English/French vocals of Laetitia Sadier. Sadier and co-writer Tim Gane have paired with string and brass arranger Sean O’Hagan (High Llamas) for this release – an odd melding of styles that is even more symphonic, pastoral and spritely than ever. Still, there’s not much differentiation from prior albums. Like a run-on sentence with a giant semicolon after 2004’s Margerine Eclipse, Chemical Compound jumps back into the same subjects and the same quirky song titles (“Cellulose Sunshine,” “Daisy Click Clack,” “Vortical Phonotheque” and “Neon Beanbag”) – a tribute to Gane’s eccentric, electronic, surrealisticdreamland mind. Chemical Compound might be telltale, but it’s solid, with the excellent “Neon Beanbag” leading off the set, its fidgety organ buzzing insect-like in the background, the tempo uplifted into airy and snappy heights. The ore voluptuous, brass-induced follower, “Three Women,” is a brain re-charger after the nervous energy of the lead track. The rest of the CD equalizes itself in similar fashion, and its middle track “Valley Hi” possesses enough energy to carry the rest of the album, with bell-like guitars, uptempo percussion and a warbling but sturdy piano layer. Stereolab shouldn’t be faulted for not being innovative, but perhaps could be chastised for creating their own sticky mess by being too clever before their time and all too happy to stay put. Good for them that it doesn’t seem to be a conundrum, and good news for those who appreciate consistency.
Sep 1st, 2008 by Erin Wolf
