2008-11 Vital Source Mag – November 2008
An interview with GIRL TALK (LIVE @ Turner Hall!)
By Erin Wolf “People will be getting naked … having sex up onstage.” Just a day in the life of the MC of one of the wildest dance parties around – Girl Talk. Known otherwise as Gregg Gillis, the 27-year old former biomedical engineer has found Pavlov’s Bell for lewd behavior. Booty-bumping, pulse-thumping song arrangements in mash-up style, manned purely by laptop magic, have made Gillis’ Girl Talk nearly a household name. His latest collection, Feed The Animals, trips hip hop beats with classic and current rock and pop melodies, adding dance beats that make the hits more intensely catchy. Tom Petty, LL Cool J, Air, Dr. Dre, and Of Montreal rub shoulders without making jarring contact – Gillis even manages to smoothly match up Metallica’s “One” with Lil Mama’s “Lip Gloss.” Gillis has been experimenting with different rhythm and melody combinations since he was a teenager. “My band prior to Girl Talk did a lot of experimental stuff – CD skipping, things like that,” he says. Gillis took these experimentations with electronic music and developed his skills alongside his studies at Case Western Reserve University. “I was never into turntables,” Gillis says. “It all started out with electronics, then I started mixing other stuff in. The indie blogs started to pick up on it, and it all snowballed from there.” Using his laptop, Gillis would test combinations of songs in the same key, checking out if beats matched up and if the vocals would be in proper sync. The formula has remained tried and true. “I’ll go through my CDs, songs I’ve heard in passing, stuff I’ve got on my computer – I catalogue a lot of stuff and save the loops and samples. If I have a loop or a vocal track I like, I’ll try to make it evolve [and] add new beats. Most of the arrangements are all thought out already … like any other kid, you’re surrounded by top 40 pop in the supermarket, wherever. Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac – my parents were into smooth stuff like that.” Bet Gillis’ parents didn’t see their son turning their Nicks and Buckingham folk reveries into fodder for maniacal bust-a-movers. “I usually cover my laptop in saran wrap,” Gillis mentions, as testimony to how things can naturally get a bit out of control. “I’ve also got a case for it – I’ve learned my lesson.” His drink-spilling beats inspire spontaneous behavior perhaps because he plays by spontaneous rules. “The transition [between songs] is free-form, and it changes every night. I know loosely what folder I’ll go to on my computer. I’m really stoked about the Grateful Dead remixes I’ve been playing recently! Sometimes, you’ll get a crowd where it won’t sink in. I really like to fine-tune my stuff until something hits. All my music has been an evolution. It used to be so much different from eight years ago – it’s something I’ll be doing for the rest of my life.” Early retirement could be a […]
Nov 3rd, 2008 by Erin Wolf
Popular mechanic
By Erin Wolf Photos by Kat Berger Receptiveness is a valuable quality in audio recording equipment – and an important trait in the person pushing the buttons. WMSE 91.7 FM’s in-studio performance audio engineer Billy Cicerelli is receptive. He also possesses an innate know-how, provides a patient voice of reason, does his homework on every local and national musician he works with and uses his notes to create the optimal sound for everyone he comes across, from hip hop musicians to acoustic folkies. The age-old saying is “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach,” but amazingly, Cicerelli is quite capable on both counts. A naturally curious thinker and problem-solver, Cicerelli has used years of absorbed knowledge to push ahead in his subject of choice – sound. Which came first, though – the music or the mechanics? The mechanics Cicerelli starts from the beginning. “I was bright and inquisitive when I was young, [and] I had an early draw to music. I started out with that little plastic flute-thing and moved on to clarinet. I had a teacher who was a Dixieland jazz player.” An inherent collector, Cicerelli graduated from the Marvel comics he loved as a kid to Marshall music. “When I was in high school, I started really getting into the whole listening part of music, and started to collect stereo equipment. I’d annoy my mom, because I would come home with parts and she’d be like, ‘what do you need that for?’” Collecting led to learning and utilizing with a fateful trip to Flanner & Hafsoos (now Flanners). Cicerelli, always on the lookout for new toys, fell in love with a pair of Klipschorn speakers, amazed by their ‘wall-reinforced’ sound capability. “When I finally got the salesman to give me the time of day, I asked him about the speakers. Next thing I knew, I was filling out a loan application! I had just been dreaming.” Cicerelli’s face lights up with a huge smile. “I come home from work one night … and the whole living room is consumed by these giant boxes. It was kinda like I was on a mission.” That mission lead Cicerelli to twiddling, tweaking and teaching himself – he’d fuss with mix tapes, compose music with his roommate and try his hand at home recording. Eventually, Cicerelli accrued enough experience and equipment to make professional-level recordings at home. Local bands started seeking him out. “I would do demo records for bands at home and was starting to do some really good things out of my house. I learned the ropes at Midwest Studios, but I was able to do stuff in non-studio situations that came out pretty well, and got me noticed. “That tended to irritate people who recorded out of studios,” Cicerelli says. But the gear and the know-how weren’t what turned other audiophiles green. It was his effortless way of interacting with musicians. “You have to be a good people-person to be a good producer. You need to treat people […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Erin Wolf
The Final Chapter
By Matt Wild PART 1 If you’re a frequent victim of the Milwaukee County Transit system, you’re faced with countless indignities while riding the bus: hostile passengers, inane and never-ending cell phone conversations, a smell that could only be described as a mixture of B.O. and quiet desperation. Yet it seems to me that the most insidious evil one encounters is Transit TV, a dumping ground for cringe-worthy “moving entertainment” (I’m looking at you, Clever Cleaver Brothers), as well as a warm, fuzzy blanket for mouth breathers who like to play along with the Pat Sajak puzzle games. Mostly, Transit TV is nothing more than a series of out-of-context quotes from such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King, Jr., and, um, Steven Wright. Recently, one caught my eye. “I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can do. In fact, that’s good taste.”— Lucille Ball Putting aside the fact that I’ve never cared for Lucy – placing her in the “Just Don’t Get It” category along with hardcore animal pornography and John McGivern – it’s a quote that really struck a nerve. For the past 18 (!) years, I’ve defined myself, in one way or another, by my band, Holy Mary Motor Club. Though I never really admitted it out loud (talking about your band is never in good taste), it’s defined me just the same. But in the last few months or so, I’ve taken the former Mrs. Desi Arnaz’s advice and owned up to the fact that being in a band is something I’m not very good at: I’m a terrible singer, a hopeless guitar player and a mediocre songwriter at best. So instead of subjecting myself (and others) to further torment, I recently decided to put my band aside and concentrate on things I’m actually good at, like, I don’t know … needlepoint? All of this is a long way of saying that here we are at VITAL’s annual music issue, and for the first time in three years, I find I have little to say. Looking back at my past “Milwaukee Music Scene™” columns, maybe I never did. If I could offer up any sort of analysis, however, it would be this: the MMS™ is fine, just as wonderful and lousy as it’s always been. The recent rise of Turner Hall and the Pabst Theatre has been something of a mixed blessing, bringing in top-tier indie bands that normally would have avoided Milwaukee while at the same time leaving local joints like the Cactus Club and Mad Planet booking the same local bands every other week (I’m looking at you, John the Savage). At any rate, the scene seems to be in need of a big change, as a lot of the old musical mainstays – as well as the folks behind the scenes – are getting a little long in the tooth. Put simply, things seem to be running on fumes. Or does it just seem this way […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Matt Wild
The Fifth Grade Blues
By Lucky Tomaszek Emma came to me last week with yet another form to sign. This one was a re-do slip from her teacher. She held up her spelling practice sheet for me to see. “I spelled ‘radiant’ wrong on my practice sheet. Forgot the ‘t’ on the end. So, I wrote it out ten times here like I’m supposed to and you need to sign this paper.” As expected, the paper was verification that my daughter had shown me the mistake and the correction. However, the wording was upsetting to me. It said, “My child has shown me both the unacceptable work and the corrections.” Unacceptable? Really? A simple spelling mistake on a practice sheet is now unacceptable? We no longer allow elementary school students to make mistakes? I make no secret about how much I love my kids’ elementary school. The facilities are well-maintained. The support staff is caring and informed. The art program teaches kids how to utilize as many mediums as possible. The physical education classes are structured to teach skill and emphasize teamwork over competition. There is a definite sense of community that spans from four-year-olds in junior kindergarten up through the fifth graders. When I hear of children in southeastern Wisconsin going to schools where all of the “specials” have been cut, and even recess time is limited, my heart breaks for them. But with funding down, the economy failing and No Child Left Behind forcing educators to “teach to the test,” this is a reality for a growing number of kids. I can’t imagine not having our school as a choice for my children’s education. All of that said, there is one place where I feel our school could use some serious revision to the current methods being used in the classroom. The fifth grade teachers, in an effort to prepare the kids for middle school, come down very hard on their 10 and 11 year-old students. In the opinion of many parents of fifth graders (myself included), harder than necessary. I went through the fifth grade program three years ago with Lena. I remember many, many nights where she sat in front of her homework for two or three hours, diligently working through page after page of assignments. The curriculum in our school calls for approximately 10 minutes per grade of homework each night, meaning second graders should spend about 20 minutes, third graders should spend about 30 minutes, and so on. When I asked her teacher about the heavy work load (heavy – her back pack regularly weighed more than 20 pounds!), she couldn’t believe the work she was assigning could possibly take that long. I mean, she literally didn’t believe me. My middle girl, Emma, entered fifth grade this fall. She started our school in first grade and has loved all of her teachers and most of her classmates. She’s a good student – does her homework, raises her hand in class, doesn’t interrupt her teacher. Art is her favorite […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Lucky Tomaszek
More than green beans
By Catherine McGarry Miller Photos by Lynn Allen Chef Partner Dustin Green Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar flemingssteakhouse.com At 28, Flemings Chef Partner Dustin Green has mounted the corporate cookery ladder like a firefighter rescuing a baby. His love for cooking started at age 10 and lead to two college degrees in culinary arts and hospitality. “The principles of Fleming’s make it the best company I’ve ever worked for,” he says. These values include excellence, hospitality and respect as well as fun, trust and balance. Hierarchy is eschewed in favor of an egalitarian system of associates instead of employees. The fun comes naturally, says Green. “Fun with the menus, using the best products money can buy – in a professional environment. This makes for a happier and more successful staff.” Pumpkin Bread Pudding 6 cups diced baguette 2 cups heavy cream 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin Five whole eggs 1 1/2 T corn syrup 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar 1 1/4 t vanilla extract 1/2 t ground ginger 1 1/4 t ground cinnamon 1/4 t nutmeg 1/4 t salt Room temperature butter as needed Extra sugar as needed Whipped cream, walnuts, mint sprig (optional) Orange crème anglaise (below) Dice baguette into ½” pieces and place on a sheet pan. Bake in a 250º oven for 8 minutes to dry out. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer. In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whip to blend well. Slowly add warm cream and baguette; mix well. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Spread butter inside five 12 oz. coffee cups, then coat with sugar. Evenly fill each cup with pudding mix, leaving ½” at the top. Place cups in a 2” deep baking pan and fill the pan with 1” of water. Bake in a 325º oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry. Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert the cup to remove the bread pudding. Place 1 ½ oz. orange crème anglaise in the center of a 9” plate. Squirt caramel sauce in a spiral design in the anglaise. Using a toothpick, make a web design. Set the bread pudding on top of the sauce with the crusted side facing up and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve with walnuts and a mint sprig, if you like. Orange Crème Anglaise 1 qt heavy cream 1 vanilla bean 1 cup fresh egg yolks 1 cup sugar 2 cups pasteurized orange juice 2 T orange zest In a saucepot over high heat, add cream. Slice vanilla bean in half lengthwise and add flesh and skin to cream. Heat cream for 10-15 minutes to let cream rise to the top of the saucepot, then turn off heat. Separate eggs and place the yolks in a mixing bowl. Combine the sugar with the yolks and mix well. Temper the egg and sugar mixture by gradually pouring a […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Cate Miller
Under 500
By Brian Whitney Fun fact: In my pre-teens, I subscribed to Disney Adventures magazine, perhaps fulfilling a secret craving for pictures of the voice actors from Beauty and the Beast or Andrew Keegan’s thoughts on his three minutes of screen time in Independence Day, though I honestly don’t remember. One thing I do remember is a DA story about the potential for the nascent internet, which discussed in great detail how we would be doing homework, playing games, “instant messaging” friends and watching movies all at the same time, all on one computer. I immediately equated the article with stories about flying cars and personal space travel. We all know what happened next. Five years ago it would have been difficult to think of a world without the internet. Now it seems difficult to picture the internet without YouTube, the video sharing site that consistently averages about 14 million hits daily. YouTube makes it possible to fluster or celebrate – but ultimately publicize – anyone, almost instantly, from the insanely famous to – well, someone like me. It, and its budding counterparts like Google Video and Hulu, are the new, great playing-field levelers, and nowhere are their effects more manifest than in the music industry. Observe the case of OK Go, a marginally successful major label band who raised the stakes in the music world when they posted a video for the song “Here It Goes Again,” featuring a choreographed dance on treadmills. The video vaulted them to fame, earned them a performance on the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and ultimately won them a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. Not too shabby for a vid filmed by the singer’s sister on a borrowed camera. So, have local bands embraced this brave new world? Most web videos in general end up looking like local television commercials, replete with poor lighting, shoddy audio and bad performances all around. But several Milwaukee musicians have made compelling pieces of cinema on the cheap and utilized internet video technology for personal gain, notoriety and perhaps even minor fortune. Like Juiceboxxx. The Milwaukee rap wunderkind has made quite a name for himself on the national stage, performing frantic, sweaty shows around the country and appearing on MTV2’s Subterranean with the video for his song “Thunder Jam III.” While “Thunder Jam” cost more than some musicians make in a year ($11,000+, according to producer Lew Baldwin), the shoot for his follow-up video “I Don’t Wanna Go Into The Darkness” was a wildly unglamorous affair. The premise is simple enough: Juiceboxxx rocks a crowd with his usual stage antics. He packed sometimes-venue the Vault with various Milwaukee music scene mainstays and supplied them with free PBR. The production crew erected a makeshift stage that probably cost about $30, depending on how much duct tape they purchased. After the free beer was consumed and the crowd was visibly buzzed, Juiceboxxx took the stage, performed the single a few times, then blasted out a couple more songs. […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Vital Archives
From sausages and mansion to the mayor’s pajama party
By Dan Corcoran In a nutshell: Regardless of whether Mayor Barrett’s budget is the one Milwaukee ends up with, cuts are going to happen. And somebody’s going to get hurt. It seems that there’s just not enough money to do everything and the federal “aid” recently delivered to the city to help with its impending mortgage crisis fell far short of expectations. In the meantime, Barrett has been out and about, cavorting with sausages and holding town hall meetings on a budget he’s already submitted. The Sanitation and Forestry departments have nothing nice to say about each other, but it’s probably not personal. Then there’s that Goll Mansion thing. Oh yeah, and the mayor’s car almost got towed — but, luckily, he’s the mayor. So read on, and feel free to drop me a line at dcorcoran@vitalsourcemag.com. I welcome your additions, corrections and general feedback. Federal Foreclosure Dollars: The City of Milwaukee expected $15-$20 million, but we only got $9.1 million. According to the Fed’s Housing and Urban Development Office, Milwaukee was only the 55th hardest-hit city in the nation; Wisconsin, on the other hand, was the 17th hardest hit state. Rural and suburban areas have been hit harder by foreclosures than we have, apparently. California will get a full quarter of the HUD funds – around $500 million (That’s a headline all on its own: Wall Street whines over puny $700 billion bailout; Main Street grateful for $4 billion). But the formula that HUD used hurts Milwaukee, simply because so far we’ve lagged behind in the nationwide housing slump. Now, with our unemployment rate climbing and the global markets reeling, I, along with many others, predict that next year will see far more foreclosures in Milwaukee than 2008 or 2007. Barrett spends quality time with Hot Dog and Polish Sausage: In early October, our Mayor crossed the street with the Klement’s Racing Brat to kick off StreetShare Pedestrian Safety Week, intended to raise awareness that Wisconsin State Law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk whether it is marked with paint or unmarked. Just days earlier, he presided over the unveiling of a giant Brewers banner on City Hall as part of the celebration of Brewers Day, so declared by his Mayorship to commemorate the Brewers’ first playoff trip in 26 years. Listening sessions: Aldermen have been having them on all sides of the city to hear how residents feel about the 2009 City budget. Now Barrett is having town hall meetings on the subject as well. Not too many folks at his Miramar Theater meeting — maybe 20 people. Maybe a good idea to get out in the neighborhoods, but he has already presented this budget to the Common Council, so there’s not much the mayor can do when he gets public comment on the decisions he already made. Oh well, better late than never. Sour Sanitation: On a recent stroll with some Milwaukee Sanitation workers, they had nothing good to say about the Forestry Department. […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Dan Corcoran
We’re all in this together
Occasionally I find myself in the awkward position of having to file this column in the figurative hours just before a momentous event. This time, of course, it’s the race between Barack Obama and John McCain for the presidency. I could have gone ahead and predicted the ’04 elections and written from that perspective, and I think I can predict this one. But in this sense, I’m not much of a risk-taker. So if you’re reading this after November 4, understand that this was written in October and check this space in December, where I might share some thoughts on the election. Then again, I might be as weary of the whole thing as you, ready to move on and just see what comes next. On second thought, I’m pretty sure I’ll be all done thinking about the election by December, so I won’t bore any of us with ruminating further on the implications of its outcome – you hereby have my solemn promise on that. But I can’t guarantee that I won’t still be thinking about the mess we’re in and how we’re going to get out of it. Barring the end of the world, I believe we can recover from this, even if the global power structure shifts dramatically. We may not come out on top of the super-power dog pile in the end, but either way it’s going to take a few years before we can tell how things are going to shake out. And whatever form the new world order takes, it, too, will be impermanent. Just ask the Macedonians. For years I’ve been obsessing over the now-arrived (and amazingly predictable) financial market collapse. I’ve been writing about our dangerously over-valued economy since 2003 and moved my money (what little there is of it) to CDs and long-term growth funds in 2006. I’ve only ever borrowed $500 against my house (to help pay for new gutters) and I drive a 1996 Corolla that’s been paid off for ten years and gets 35 mpg in town. I don’t have cable and my kids don’t freak out about hand-me-downs. Sure, my business could go belly-up in 2009 (though things look stable right now), but if it does, we had a good run and I’m probably qualified for some sort of job that will keep food on the table and a roof over our heads should VITAL’s little house of cards be blown away by the winds of changing fortune. Am I pessimistic? Absolutely not, in part because in my studies, I’ve learned at least one thing: nobody is invulnerable. A recent decline in demand for Chinese steel, coupled with stagnant or falling fossil fuel consumption in many developed countries, has driven oil prices down to less than $100 per barrel (at this writing). OPEC responded recently by signaling it would cut production to stabilize prices, but Saudi Arabia, the world’s single largest oil producer, broke ranks and declared it would continue with plans to increase production, partly to […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
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 by Nick Schurk
Crossover Appeal
By Erin Wolf, DJ Hostettler and Amy Elliott Photos by Erin Landry No musician is an island, and in the music biz, it’s all about who you know, whether you’re a mainstream corporate unit-mover or a DIY street punk. Even the rare musician who does it all – writing, designing, photographing, recording, mixing, mastering, promoting, booking and fixing – needs to collaborate to stay fresh (and sane). And in Milwaukee, “it’s who you know” tends to take on an egalitarian, community-based context. You can have the songs, the chops and the style, but what do you do when you need band photos – and everyone needs to be in front of the camera? We caught up with four local musicians and the local artists, photographers, technicians and production teams that help them get the job done to discuss their working relationships and the friendships they’ve formed. We may not have built this city on rock and roll, but in the end, it’s all about the love. The mechanics of instrumental romance “I’ve screwed up my guitars plenty of times,” says Quinn Scharber, head of Milwaukee four-piece Quinn Scharber and The … “I can specifically recall winding my strings backwards on the tuning pegs multiple times in my younger days.” Quinn started playing on his brother’s cheap electric guitar, then got an acoustic, which he still uses, when he was sixteen. “I’m glad I started on electric, because all I really wanted to play at that time was ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin, and that song is pretty hard to rock on an acoustic guitar.” ‘Rocking’ a guitar can take its toll. Constant strummings, pickings, tunings, jolts, cable ins and outs, amp fry-age and normal bumps and bruises require maintenance and repairs. Scharber’s first experiences in instrument mechanics came up short. “I think the first time I had work done on my guitar was when I was in college and I needed the electronics replaced on it … They charged me a lot and I had to take it back in two times to get it done right,” he recalls. Scharber soon started to shop around, and found a trusty and skilled ‘guitar mechanic’ in Jeff Benske of Top Shelf Guitar Shop in Bay View. “I just stopped in there one day about five or six years ago with [bandmate] Thom Geibel when we were having a ‘let’s go check out some guitars’ day. I’ve pretty much been hanging around Jeff’s shop and pestering him with questions ever since.” Says Benske of his first impression of Scharber, “He started off buying the usual parts and then came in with some non-standard projects … some custom stuff,” he said. Quinn’s whip, a tricked-out Epiphone Casino, hasn’t changed over the years. “We’ve done the electronics in it, and it’s set up just the way he wants it.” Scharber appreciates the work that Benske has done with his Epiphone. “I take my guitars to Jeff because he’ll do it right the first time, […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Amy Elliott
Stranger in a strange land
By Judith Ann Moriarty Now – January 11, 2009 I’m bound to the past. I approach the very idea of “interactive” art with a wary eye. To view a painting, sculpture or photograph is a personal event shaped by my education in the arts and my philosophy of what art is. I enjoy being pleased by the sublime. Joining the masses headed for the next big thing is not my idea of a great art experience. So I asked myself, “Is interactive art a passing fancy or a fancy pass?” It’s certainly not a new form of expression. It’s been around for at least half of my seven decades on earth. As a kid I touched on it (marginally) when I sat in bed with a flashlight and used my fist and a few digits to cast shadow “animals” on the wall. Maybe that was more generative than interactive, but it came close. Act/React opened in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Baker/Rowland galleries on October 4. The pre-show hype trumpets a 10,000 square-foot installation featuring “talking tables, virtual snowstorms, paths of fluorescent light and glowing pools of organic patterns … all dependent upon and subject to the physical influence of the visitor and groups of visitors in the gallery space” (MAM Insider, Fall 08). The first of its kind, exclusive to MAM, it hasn’t yet been described as a “blockbuster” event, but I couldn’t help fearing it would be eerily similar to a ‘60s disco with weird lights, paisley overkill and total immersion in total funk. And so it was that I spent hours entering and exiting the Baker/Rowland galleries, attending lectures, panels and gallery talks. I studied the online history of the interface. I slogged through virtual games, ‘60s Happenings and video art and learned that the computer-controlled IA idea began in 1969 with Glowflow, a space with pressure-sensitive sensors on its floor, loudspeakers in the four corners of the room and tubes with colored suspensions on the wall. As the movement gained speed, artists Robert Rauschenberg and James Seawright latched on to the moveable sensory feast. The Museum’s Sensory Overload, with Erwin Redl’s mathematical marvel, Matrix XV, 2007, Landsman’s Walk-In Infinity Chamber, 1968 and Sonic II, a wall-hung piece which reacts with noises to the presence of visitors, garnered mixed reviews, but the show set the stage for Act/React, which runs through January 11, 2009. Here’s an excerpt from Katherine Murrell, co-publisher of susceptibletoimages.com. Written for their June 11, 2008 issue, it speaks to at least some of my wariness about IA: “The quest for interactivity is one that seems to be on the mind of many cultural institutions. With a society so accustomed to being entertained, to having sensory experience on-demand and in all forms, whether it be the high definition DVD on the giganto plasma screen or Lawrence of Arabia squashed down to fit your cell phone, we usurp images into our medium of choosing within the informal context of our lives.” Daniel Keegan, the new executive […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Stella Cretek
