2009-01 Vital Source Mag – January 2009
Trouble in Mind
By Matthew Konkel Are all people the same no matter the color of our skin? Yes, but no, is the conclusion of Alice Childress in Trouble in Mind. The year is 1957 in the backstage area of a Broadway theater. It’s the first rehearsal of a new play and the characters of Trouble in Mind are the actors, director and stage manager of this new show. Two years prior Rosa Parks made her famous refusal to vacate her bus seat to a white person. This is relevant because the characters of Trouble in Mind are comprised of mostly African-Americans and before the play is over a crisis of recalcitrance will rear its head. The first act is comprised of each of the actors and crew arriving one by one for their introduction and familiarization to the play within the play. All the black actors are prepared for their usual stereotypical colored character roles. Wiletta Mayer, our main protagonist, has played numerous characters named after jewels. And she takes time to counsel John Nevins, a young black actor in his first professional production, on the obsequious ways of blacks in the theatre. All the experienced black characters (Wiletta, Millie, and Sheldon) have conformed to their “yes men” roles as black performers because that’s what roles are offered to black performers and the rent needs to be paid. Each one’s temperament is challenged by the events forthcoming. But as the play unfolds, we see it is Wiletta’s character journey that is the spine of the story. All the Repertory actors pull off their roles magnificently. There’s not a weak performance in the bunch. From the quiet Eddie to the loquacious Wiletta, each actor brings physicality, voice, and imagination to their characters. There are so many subtle character nuances that shine like their own stage lights. Stephanie Berry as Wiletta and Lee Ernst as Al Manners are the stand outs. As Sheldon, Ernest Perry Jr. gives an excellent performance. There’s not a moment his broke, submissive actor, is unbelievable, not one ounce of pretense that is noticeable. You will find it hard to breath during his monologue in which he relates being the witness of a lynching when his character is just nine years old. The tightest screw of tension in act one comes when Al Manners, the white director who’s prone to unorthodox methods, asks Wiletta to pick up a crumbled piece of paper he’s thrown to the floor. All the characters are stone-faced and silent, and the pressure is palpable for a full sixty seconds. It’s a testament to the actors. Not many companies have such highly developed acting skills that they can make such a long silence work on stage. The crisis of the story comes as a monologue in act two when Wiletta, playing Ruby (another jewel named character) can no longer contain her passivity about the play and her role in it. Her desire to be a respected actress clashes with what Al refers to as “character parts.” […]
Jan 28th, 2009 by Vital Archives
Roll out the derby!
DERBY VODCAST: VOLUME 2! You know it’s a derby match in Wisconsin when the stands are filled with fans despite the frigid temperatures – and when the half time show features the Beerleaders dancing a polka with audience members to the oom pah pah-powered sounds of “Roll out the Barrel.” Polka hits were provided by the tuba and accordions of The Squeezettes. The Vital Source crew – from the comfort of the Bruisers’ new PRESS BOX – shot track footage and interviews for the vodcast (above! just hit play! -ed.) and sent live updates to Vital Source’s Twitter feed (keep up: twitter.com/VitalSourceMag). We were joined by the talented Geoffrey Saucer of the Derby News Network (derbynewsnetwork.com) who writes recaps on the Bruisers and Madison’s Mad Rollin Dolls. MAIDENS MONKEY WRENCH THE NINJAS! Maiden Milwaukee, 99 wins over Crazy 8’s, 60 It was a great night for the Maidens who won big over the Crazy 8’s in an upset victory. This was the first loss this season for the 8’s who were last season’s championship winners. The Maidens showed a lot of energy and remarkable team work. Jammers Rejected Seoul (with 36 points), Romaniac (38 points), and Super Hera (25 points) tore up the track with incredible performances, zig zagging through the pack. Rejected Seoul and Super Hera both got alone time on the track early on in the game because the 8’s jammers had fouled out. This allowed the Maidens to quickly rack up the points, and just 5 jams into the game they had built a 38-6 lead. Super Hera commented on her team’s success. “Saturday demonstrated the momentum of the Maidens when we work together. We won because we remembered the fundamentals and played as a team. The Maiden blockers really stepped up their game, paralyzing the 8’s defense and making it easy for the jammers to rack up the points. If we continue playing at this level, there is no doubt that you’ll see the Maidens in the championship,” Hera said. The 8’s are still down to twelve players this season due to injury and other factors, and it looks like it might be beginning to wear them down. Blockers and pivots Servin Justice, Termiskater, Kat Scratch Fever, and Little Miss Tuffhit were all out on the track for 60-70% of the game. If you compare that to the other teams, only a couple of skaters were on the track past the 50% mark. Jammers Abba Zabba (15 points), Pabsty Cline (6 points), and team Captain Cookie Ciano (39 points, making her the highest scoring jammer for every bout this season), along with the rest of the short staffed team, couldn’t close the gap. 8’s blocker Andicent Proposal spoke about her team. “The Maidens are an incredible team this season. They have a lot, and I mean A LOT of fierce ladies skating with them. We had an uphill battle during this bout with a number of our players out due to injuries. I think that we […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Tea Krulos
The Bra Project
Over 500 bras complement the weekend production of Danceworks Performance Company’s The Bra Project, which incorporates an A to Z litany of names for the feature of the female anatomy that fills this garment, including the word “Carambas.” As an important but politically and sexually charged garment, the bra provides one clear definition of femininity. From the time a small girl searches her mother’s dresser drawers, to the teenage impatience for “developing,” to the possibility a doctor will deliver a diagnosis of breast cancer, the bra expresses womanhood¾ whether underwire, padded, strapless, longline, nursing, sports, wonder, smooth, lacy, décolleté, uplifting, or corseted. That said, The Bra Project traverses this precarious fashion and emotional history with grace, humor and sensitivity through a combination of movement, music, and poetry. Artistic Director Dani Kuepper, who recently returned, along with the DPC Choreographer Kelly Anderson have produced an evening dressed in ample lingerie accompanied by provocative ideas for contemplation while enjoying the enchanting performances of the dancers. Guest choreographer Elizabeth Johnson adds a flourish with a special number that sardonically suggests she’s “a carpenter’s delight, straight as a board and easy to nail.” This leads to the DPC wistfully cavorting in “Bee Sting and Mosquito Bites,” where each performer tries to stuff their bra with balloons, Kleenex and even socks to enhance their budding endowment. Speaking to a darker sexual side, Christal Wagner dances in lovely black underwear through “A Black Lace Bra Kind of Woman.”For a flirtatious peek from the male point of view, six company members of both genders pick apples from a tree constructed of bras in “Apples: Orgins of a Striptease,” which seductively concerns those tempting “ripe apples.” Two exceptionally poignant numbers use both humor and truth. “Jugs” presents a trio of mothers dancing to Love Potion Number Nine, a symbolic juxtaposition of breasts, defined maternally and sexually, and still controversial in 2009. While Victoria’s Secret may flaunt sheer underwear in their public windows, natural infant feeding repulses others. For the finale, “The Pink Piece” tackles the issue of breast cancer, statistically a terrifying threat to women of any age. Everyone probably recalls a woman, including someone dear, struck with this disease, perhaps even lost prematurely. Danceworks’ new project related more than mere art for the women in the audience. As a member of this sex, the concepts behind the dance transcended the evening completely, combining the two purposes seamlessly. A man may have viewed this production, just as they do Victoria Secret catalogues, through entirely different eyes. Seeing it similarly would be an exceptional feat. Unless a man has ever breastfed a baby, tried to find proper underwear to fit a dress, suffered with a broken underwire or strap, been exposed to a mammogram, or snapped on this clothing almost everyday since becoming a teen how could this performance possibly call to mind the same visions? Yet from either a man’s or woman’s perspective, showing too little or too much, wearing a 32 A or a 38 C– Carambas! […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Witness
Small town Vermont in the 1920s conjures images of a simple, idealistic way of life. America had won the Great War and patriotism was at a high. However, First Stage Children’s Theater’s production of Witness, by John Urquhart, adapted from the book by Karen Hesse, showcases a different side of America during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The play begins with Sara Chickering, an unmarried woman, welcoming Ira Hirsch and his daughter Esther to town. Ira plans to open a shoe store, however, several residents do not welcome Ira and Esther simply because they are Jewish. Several important townspeople, including the general store owner and the church pastor decide to join the Klu Klux Klan and carry out the Klan’s priorities within their town. This also includes harassing an African American girl, Leonora. While the town’s children taunt Leonora and Esther, the adults step it up by sending threatening letters, attempting to poison a well and even shooting a gun through the keyhole of Sara’s house, where Ira and Esther live. All this violence brings out the worst in some people, but also brings out the good in others. The title of the play is in fact the message of the play. The events that happen cannot be attributed to individuals of even a small group of people, as Sara Chickering points out. The town itself can be considered a living organism that must take responsibility for its actions as a whole. Every citizen is a witness and has the ability to step forward and offer testimony. Even though this thought is spoken aloud it is also visually explained by the set and the decision to keep several characters on stage ‘witnessing’ events. Designed by Nathan Stuber, the set is simple, offering a full view of the town including the general store, Sara’s kitchen and the church. Seeing these cornerstones of small town life reinforces the idea that all are interconnected. While focusing on several acts of hate and violence, there are some light moments in the play. Jacque Troy offers several buoyant bits as Viola Pettibone, the wife of a Klan enthusiast. Troy is strong but with a sense of humor in her dislike for the Klan. There are also several sweet moments between Olivia Hammernik, playing Leonora, and Robert Spencer, playing Mr. Field. As Leonora helps out around the old man’s home, he tells her stories about serving in the Civil War and why he felt fighting against slavery was important. Spencer is quietly inspirational in his portrayal. The young characters in Witness are made up of two separate casts that alternate performances. The Hope Cast includes Hammernik who is believable as Leonora and Alex Salter who is endearing as Esther. Even though the heyday of the Klan is long past, the idea of hate without basis is still an important lesson to explore because it still happens today. Witness is a profound experience for children as well as adults. Witness runs through February 22nd. First […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Russ Bickerstaff
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
Since the creation of Adam and Eve was there ever a perfect love? The Sunset Playhouse’s presentation of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change celebrates the beginning of 2009 and the glory of love by trying to answer this question. Through 20 delightful comedy and musical sketches, this humorous and often poignant play examines the emotions of a relationship from the first date to the thirty-year marriage with near perfect style. The revue’s book and lyrics (written by Joe DiPietro) and music (composed by Jimmy Roberts) capture the travails of romance portraying vignettes ranging from first love to the ritual of funeral dating for those over sixty. J. Michael Desper’s set is filled with cut-out hearts recalls the heyday of “The Dating Game,” complete with small screens overhead that are very effective in transitioning each scene with words and images. The four stars on stage seamlessly travel this lovelorn timeline with ease with the accompaniment of Donna Kummer’s piano and Jacob Sudbrink’s violin to enhance their engaging performances. Kyle Breitzman, Sarah Laak Hughes, Bill Rolon and Cindy Zauner infuse the script and songs with romantic chemistry, tension and believability. Hughes clearly radiates desire in several solos including “I Will be Loved Tonight” and “He Called Me.” Each unique number possesses an alluring charm, but “A Stud and A Babe,” depicting the awkward ambience to dating, along with “Tear Jerk,” or how a couple survives a ‘chick flick,’ initiate hilarious responses. Others, including “Like A Fine Wine” and the ballad”Shouldn’t I Be Less in Love with You?,” wrap the evening in a warm hug. While the show speaks mildly about sex, the several broader innuendos and remarks spark even more hilarity. The Sunset’s production revisits both the beautiful and shattered moments of passion in a fast-paced two hours. It is thoroughly satisfying and suggests a perfect love may be waiting for someone right around the corner because men and women will always crave, as one melody sings, “to have a soul entangled in mine.” Sitting in the audience reminiscing these glorious moments, even those with tears, creates a flawless evening to enjoy another story remembering the eternal human journey through love and life. Elm Grove’s Sunset Playhouse presents I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change until February 1. For information: 262.782.4430 or sunsetplayhouse.com.
Jan 21st, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
The Dig
Renaissance Theaterworks is certainly known for its provoking plays that quite often challenge standards set by society. Their first show of 2009 certainly falls into these categories. Written by Resident Playwright Marie Kohler, The Dig explores the relationship between a brother and sister from childhood to their adult lives. It also sifts through the interconnection between past and present through the veil of mental illness. Mattie idolizes her older brother, Jamie. When Jamie marries and begins work on an archaeological dig in Lebanon that prompts his struggle with Schizophrenia, their relationship is forever changed. Over time, Mattie becomes responsible for Jamie and his well being. The ownership of an artifact that Jamie discovered becomes contested and the government wants to question Jamie on the validity of his find. Mattie tries her best to keep the questions from Jamie by traveling the country trying to find answers about the vase and also about her brother’s slide into mental illness. She learns not only about her brother’s past but also re-discovers her own from a new perspective. Kohler’s play hits on the hot topics of repatriation of archaeological artifacts and mental illness. The perception of both is undergoing a societal shift and Kohler illustrates these changes in The Dig. Mattie’s attitude towards her adult brother who speaks only in rhymes and cannot answer a direct question moves from exasperation and near-condescension to a kinder understanding and patience. Kohler also hints at the sanctioned looting practiced by American archaeologists until recently. Catherine Lynn Davis as Mattie is passionate as the sister who watches her brother unravel until he is incapable of living a ‘regular’ life. Mattie is often frantic and Davis seemed to have trouble connecting with others as a result of the hasty pace of many scenes, but when Davis was permitted to slow down her character discovery was lovely. Brian Mani, playing the older version of Jamie, gave an incredible amount of dignity to a man participating in the world with schizophrenia. Jamie only speaks in nursery rhymes and this character could be played flippantly, but Mani makes Jamie’s world make sense even if it isn’t quite the one most people live in. VS The Dig runs through February 8 in the Broadway Theater Center’s Studio Theater. For more information call the box office at 414.291.7800 or visit www.r-t-w.com.
Jan 21st, 2009 by Russ Bickerstaff
The Musical
It’s yuppy hour! This sums up the first 2009 selection in The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret, Dogpark: The Musical. The tag line drolly reflects the production written by Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner, a husband and wife team, and Michael J. Hume. The night is spent ascertaining the love lives of “two-legged” canines in this premiere offering from the writers who brought They Came from Way Out There to the venue in 2007. In this new collaboration from Beecham, Hillgartner and Hume, four personable dogs longingly search for their soul mate (or pup and paw mate) at the neighborhood dogpark: Champ, Bogie, Itchy and the leading lady to these tramps, Daisy, who effortlessly steals a dog’s heart and an ample portion of the show in her white plush skirt and platinum head of hair. Without the gifted talent and comedic aptitude displayed by all the performers, the musical could easily slip into a series of one liners and puns poking fun at man’s best friend. Yet Lenny Bonavez, Chip Duford, Jonathon Spivey and the lovely Katherine Strohmaier elevate the story line to humorous performance art, rather than merely a melodic discussion of a dog’s life. Whether dressed in costumes and hats trimmed in fur (especially Bonavez wearing poodle fuzz), singing with the hand puppet trio created to stand in as Daisy’s back-up singers, or dancing to Suzanne Seiber’s inventive choreography, each canine character comes alive on stage to the audience’s delight. Strohmaier, who recently graced the stage of the Pabst Theatre in A Christmas Carol, enlightens the production through both song and dance, a fitting feminine counter part for these three stooges of male dogs. Her stage presence dominates but doesn’t overwhelm the other actors, each giving their dogged personifications bright sparks (along with literal barks) of humanity. The plotline’s twists and turns in this particular dogpark become immaterial. When the musical showcases songs titled “Dogs in Heat” and “Deep Dog Doo Wop” performed by these expert actors, sit back and sip a drink in the Stackner Cabaret while laughing¾ enjoying the sheer entertainment of DOGPARK: The Musical, completely believing when Daisy says to Bogie, “You had me at woof.” The Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents DOGPARK: The Musical in the Stackner Cabaret until March 1. For information and tickets: 414.224.9480 or at milwaukeerep.com.
Jan 14th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Keeping warm, Ukrainian style
Vasyl Lemberskyy Owner/Chef – Transfer Pizzeria Café 101 W. Mitchell St. 414-763-0438 • transfermke.com (photos by Melissa Merline) The economy may be suffering, but you’d never know it from the percolating patronage of a restaurant less than a year old: Transfer. Co-owner and, in his own words, “Chef Extraordinaire” Vasyl Lemberskyy grew up in Kiev, Ukraine when it was still a Soviet Socialist Republic. There, the economy left people so destitute that hunger was rampant, and the Chernobyl disaster occurred just a few hours away. Lemberskyy made pizza for 20 years in Ukraine and later studied with a Master chef in Italy. When he moved to the United States in 2001, he thought he’d sworn off restaurant work for good. “It’s hard work. I’m tired all the time, not enough time for my family or myself.” Nonetheless, he worked for Polonez and then opened several restaurants alone and with partners, among them Primavera and Fresche. At Transfer, the focus is on Lemberskyy-style pizza, pasta and paninis. He is not overly boastful about his cred as a pizza maker, especially considering his product: his crusts, all made daily by hand, are thin enough to be crispy with enough body to hold a luscious chewy center. The garlic pizza is lavished with a creamy sauce and cheese and slides down the throat without being greasy. You won’t find any Ukrainian dishes on Transfer’s menu, so you’ll have to try this hearty winter favorite in your own kitchen. Zrazy – Vasyl’s Favorite Ukrainian Dish Zrazy are small potato pancakes filled with meat and fried in fat. Zrazy are usually served with fried pork fat. 2 lbs potatoes 1 lb beef 2 large onions, chopped and fried 2 cups sunflower oil Salt to taste Grate half of the potatoes finely. Boil another half in skins. Peel off, grate and add to the uncooked potatoes, then blend and salt to taste. Boil meat, then grind in a food processor and combine with fried finely chopped onion. Shape small cakes and fill in with meat. Fry in oil until light brown. Serve at once. We want you! Submit your recipes for consideration to eatthis@vitalsourcemag.com. We might use them in a future edition of Eat This! Ulana Tyshynsky Ulana Tyshynsky, a fourth grade teacher at Forest Home Avenue School, proudly maintains the Ukrainian culture passed on by her immigrant parents. Cuisine is one of the things she values from her heritage. This bread is a holiday tradition but is also made though out the year. It’s best stored in plastic for several weeks to let the honey mellow before serving. A fun fact: many Ukrainians worship in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and celebrate Christmas on January 7. Medivnyk (Ukrainian honey loaf) ½ cup butter 1 cup dark honey 6 eggs, separated 1 cup powdered sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour ½ t ground cloves ½ t ground cinnamon 1 t baking soda 1 cup golden raisins (optional) 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Melt honey and butter over […]
Jan 1st, 2009 by Cate Miller
Boards, committees and Bohl – oh my!
In this edition: BOZA gets a new chair, Alderman Bohl blows up and the mainstream media once again misses the mark. Big news! New BOZA head: Outside of city government, not many people know or care about the Board of Zoning Appeals, affectionately known by insiders as BOZA. (Pronounced with a long “o” and a short “a,” so it rhymes with “Rosa.”) But if you live in the City of Milwaukee, run a business here or watch the city government station on TV (Channel 25), you know how vitally important BOZA is to maintaining a good quality of life in Milwaukee. Whenever a daycare wants to open in a residential neighborhood, or someone wants to put up an extra-large billboard, or a corner store is up for renewal, the Board, made up of private citizens, votes on whether or not exceptions (i.e. “variances”) to land use restrictions should be granted. Typically, an alderman or his/her aide will go before BOZA and tell why he/she is for/against the variance. There is often a lot of good neighborhood testimony, too, and the hearings can go well into the night. This is local government at its finest, and the chairman – for more than a decade – has been well-respected tax attorney Craig Zetley. In November, Zetley announced his resignation. This announcement sent shockwaves throughout City Hall and beyond, but it was barely mentioned by most Milwaukee media outlets. The replacement is long-time BOZA member Catey Doyle, who also happens to be sister to Governor Jim Doyle. Catey, the staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society, is passionate about Milwaukee and a great person for a job that would be demanding for anyone. Tune in to Channel 25 on any Thursday night when BOZA is in session and see how she runs her meetings. The general expectation seems to be that Ms. Doyle will be extremely fair with aldermen and citizens alike, but maybe not has hard line as Mr. Zetley when it comes to the interpretation of city code. Doyle is known for being empathetic and understanding of special circumstances. Like church, but for liquor licenses: Speaking of running city meetings, there was quite a bit of commotion at the Licenses Committee hearing in early December. Alderman Jim Bohl, known for his integrity, sincerity and long-winded analogies, is chair of the committee that grants a variety of alcohol and other licenses. He took over that role for Ald. James Witkowiak in April, but it’s Bohl’s second turn at being the chair of Licenses. (He’s one of the most veteran aldermen, having represented the west side of Milwaukee for more than a decade.) During this particular hearing, Bohl blasted citizens in attendance for not turning off their cell phones. “This should be like church,” he said at one point, exhorting people to be respectful of the proceedings. He even kicked out one person whose cell phone continued to ring. Many observers thought Bohl crossed the line. The castigation of Milwaukee residents – many […]
Jan 1st, 2009 by Dan Corcoran
This is Fearless
By Amy Elliott, Brian Jacobson, Erin Petersen, Erin Wolf Introduction by Jon Anne Willow, photograph by Erin Landry The idea of leadership has been receiving a lot of play lately, not only in the media but also in the conversations of everyday people. Too often, in the last several years in particular, the term “leadership” is modified by adjectives like “vacuum,” “lack of” and “inadequate.” When we at VITAL began planning these awards in early 2008, it was in response to a general feeling that our community and our nation were in the grips of a collective malaise brought on in part by the sinking sensation that things were spinning out of control and nobody was stepping up to do anything meaningful about the country’s direction. We could relate, and there wasn’t much good news coming from the top. Nevertheless, we could all think of individual citizens who apparently missed the memo to abandon all hope and continued to work within their communities for positive change, keeping their chins up, chests out and heads down but not bowed. In fact, we thought of so many that we realized there must be hundreds more right here in Milwaukee. So instead of picking people we knew in a closed-door staff meeting, we put the vote to the people of our city. And over 3,000 of you weighed in. That’s democracy in action, and we thank each of you sincerely for taking the time to recognize the efforts of all our nominees and award winners. Most of you who read this will be familiar with the larger concept of leadership, though you may not have thought about it much until the recent presidential election brought the idea back into vogue. The term has since gained momentum, first as a campaign slogan and now as a very real expectation of our next president, who takes the helm in such troubling times. Leadership is not about being in charge – some of the best leaders are peers, not bosses – nor is it about being the face connected with a name or cause. Leadership comes from within, and very often lies dormant until required. After all, what sane person grows up wanting to go down with the ship, lead the charge to battle or otherwise commit to exposing themselves to all sorts of hopelessness and unpleasantness on a daily basis? The answer is that nobody sane would think this is a good idea. But as William Shakespeare famously wrote: “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” The latter circumstance, I believe, is how most greatness is uncovered. It is human nature to follow, to fit in and to believe that doing no harm is doing enough. It’s how most of us are wired, so if this is you, you’re in good company with most of the human race. But in your heart, don’t you ever yearn to hear a call that you can’t […]
Jan 1st, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
Crooked X
With the demise of Atomic Records looming, now’s as good a time as any to re-examine the myriad problems that have beset the music industry as a whole: downloading, the collapsed economy, and most relevant to this review, the lack of quality in most major label product. With things so tough all over, I can’t help but listen to the self-titled debut from Oklahoma high schoolers Crooked X and wonder: the industry’s in the shitter, and this is the best they can come up with? The ten songs that comprise Crooked X’s debut sound about 14 years too late; ironic, since that’s the age of each band member. But who the hell is trying to ape Alice in Chains in 2009? Are their parents frustrated ex-grunge rockers? Songs like “Fade,” with its opening “Rooster”-style flange, and the horrifically clichéd “Rock and Roll Dream” (“I had a rock and roll dream/and I was a star/I went around the world/playin’ my guitar”— Jesus, really?) are lifted almost by the numbers from the Alice in Chains playbook, but with just enough Pantera-flavored cock-rock licks to imply that they might be closer to Alice ‘N’ Chainz (Layne Staley’s hair band before Jerry Cantrell joined him — look it up!). How bereft of new ideas are the major labels if signing a band of teenaged Creed wannabes sounded like a good idea (what’s next, is GM going to try to avoid bankruptcy by selling more Hummers)? Maybe it sounds unduly harsh to slam a band this young, but as they say on their MySpace, “We want people to hear our music, decide what they think, and THEN find out, ‘wow, they’re 14.’” Sounds fair – Crooked X would represent what’s wrong with the music biz no matter how old they were.
Jan 1st, 2009 by DJ Hostettler
The Gourds
Considering that Haymaker! is the Gourds’ 11th release in just 11 years, I’d say that these fine Texans know a thing or two about making hay while the sun is shining. That’s not saying that this recording is merely more product, though … oh no. This outing is much more streamlined stylistically than last year’s explorative, contemplative Noble Creatures, and as such, the live quality of their production is much better suited to these songs. Haymaker! pendulums between straight-up country and The Gourds’ unique brand of alt-country. Of course, their lyrical witticism is prominently on display throughout these 14 songs. “Fossil Contender” is a perfect second track with jangly rhythm guitar, tasteful slide and emotive vocals. “The Way You Can Get” keeps the pace rollicking and offers the disc’s most wistful lyrics, while “Shreveport,” a welcome addition to the truckin’ pantheon, even name checks Geddy Lee. Yessir. Overall, the contrast of Kevin Russell’s twang-dipped vocal delivery and songwriting to Jimmy Smith’s plaintive approach keeps the entire disc entertaining. Their styles have never sounded as cohesive as they do here. The Gourds have certainly created a catalog of worthy music thus far; Haymaker! is perhaps their most refined and therefore their most rewarding too.
Jan 1st, 2009 by Troy Butero
