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APRIL 2012 | VOLUME 12, NO. 4
A P R IL FOOLS EDITION [p . 1 ]
the free press
Cover photo by: Ashly Conrad
A
Digest
of
Coulee
Region
Culture
Bullied on the playground, dismissed by society, discounted at the ballot box. Meet
Mickey Mouse: The Man Democracy Disowned [p. 3]
The plebeians rehearse the uprising Wisconsin Spring springs eternal
[p 4]
Fat Sams Sandwiches for all tastes
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2// April 1, 2012
Second Supper | The Free Press
FIRST THINGS FIRST
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This month in local politics The paradox of a city administrator By Adam Bissen
adam.bissen@secondsupper.com
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According to the “butterfly effect” — the intellectual concept, not the Ashton Kutcher vehicle— any alteration to a nonlinear system may bring about unintended consequences. This may explain how the Occupy Wall Street movement, which I originally decried as aimless, introduced income inequality into the national conversation, helped turn public opinion against Mitt Romney and somehow spurred the rise of Rick Santorum. On the state level, the butterfly effect may yet bring the downfall of Wisconsin Republicans. On paper, they had one of the most successful political runs I’ve ever seen. The GOP dominated the 2010 election and the 2011 Legislature, but their hubris to pass unpopular laws may cost them both the senate and the governorship via citizen recall, which could set the party back decades. These are the sorts of ideas I’ve been ruminating on as I considered the debate over La Crosse’s proposed city administrator. Let me say outright that I support an administrator, but not because of any study or unprovable claim. It’s because I’ve been a small-town government reporter, and in every municipality I’ve ever covered, the administrator is always the most stable technician in the room. Politics may make for entertaining drama, but it’s terrible for the workplace. There are cost-saving arguments and expertise arguments and many other defendable claims, but I’m not really interested in discussing why we need a city administrator. I’m fascinated by why we probably won’t get one. Of all the political skirmishes I’ve covered in La Crosse, few seem to be talked about less than this one. Only in the past
week have I seen op-eds or mailings from pro-administrator groups, yet this has been on our agenda since last summer. What have we been discussing all this time? (Oh yeah, Scott Walker.) This could be due to over-analysis or conversational deference or other rigmarole I’ve come to expect from the plutocratic Midwestern left. But in the meantime, the common voter has been almost completely ignored — neither educated on the issue nor even asked their opinions. And given this lack of motivation, voters are likely to say “Eff it. Keep it the way it’s always been.” There is no reliable local polling on the issue, but from where I sit, the pro-administrator side isn’t making a strong case. Two months ago I explained how the deck is already stacked against their cause, since next week’s referendum will skew heavily Republican due to the presidential primary. I like to keep my ears open, but when it comes to this administrator debate I’ve heard only apathy and opposition, when I hear anything at all. And I think that’s a shame. A professional administrator could be a real boost to La Crosse as it lays its path for the 21st century. However, the pro-administrator camp — which includes some of the city’s most accomplished business and political leaders — will have no one else to blame when their arguments fall on deaf ears. If (the optimist in me is reluctant to say “when”) the administrator referendum fails on April 3, it will probably never be brought up for discussion again, not for a generation anyway. It would be political suicide. And that’s where the butterfly effect comes into play. Because by starting this administrator debate — a good idea whose time has come — but not following through with it, the people who most want a city administrator are ensuring they’ll never get one.
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Second Supper | The Free Press
THE BLUFF
April 1, 2012 // 3
Mickey Mouse: The man democracy disowned By Adam Bissen
adam.bissen@secondsupper.com “It’s not easy being Mickey,” Mickey Mouse sighs above a mug of fair trade coffee. The 58-year-old La Crosse man has heard it all through the years, the jokes in the sandbox, the rejection by society, and — worst of all — his disenfranchisement at the ballot box. All he ever wanted to do was make a difference in this mixed-up world. All he ever got were cheap laughs. By day, you’ll fi nd Mickey Mouse whiling away the hours at Jules’ Coffee. He’s the world-weary upper-middle-aged man with bags under his eyes despite a perpetual cup of black coffee, idly stirring while reading every article in regional newspapers. If you can’t tell which one is him, just walk in, exclaim “Hey, Mickey!” and clap four times. He’ll be the one rolling his eyes and grumbling curses into his Ethiopian roast. By night, Mickey Mouse sorts mail at the La Crosse post offi ce. The mechanized labor suits him fi ne. He likes the solitude and the cool effi ciency of postage rates, ZIP codes and collectible stamps. But come winter, Mickey will be out of a job, his lifelong occupation relocated to a more effi cient regional mail center outside Minneapolis. Once again society has turned its back on Mickey Mouse. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, not in his mother’s eyes. Gloria Moonbeam Marcus Garvey III was born in Onalaska, educated at La Crosse State University and lived most of her days on a soybean and sorghum cooperative outside of Viroqua. She was a radical academic, a card-carrying communist in the era of Joe McCarthy. She was once called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee but was bumped in favor Elia Kazan. She never forgave the sleight. For the rest of her days, Gloria committed herself to combating American cultural imperialism and the evils of mass entertainment, and she instilled those virtues in her only son, Mickey Mouse. “Mom saw me as a foot soldier in the war on cultural hegemony, but she never realized the irony would be lost on 9-year-olds,” Mickey told Second Supper in his fi rst interview with a mainstream press. For a while, Mickey tried to rebel. He collected comic books, joined the Boy
Spring break needed to get over Craig
Four and a half months after breaking up with Craig, and three months after taking an open-ended break from her studies, UW-La Crosse sophomore Sara is confi dent that a parent-funded Cancun vacation will provide the therapeutic release necessary to sort out her fractured forays into romance. “Kaitlin is like, 'You so need to get over Craig,' and I'm like, 'Whatever Kaitlin.' So anyway, just because I'm, like, not taking any classes doesn't mean that spring break isn't still, like, applicable. Before they gave
Photo by .Ashly Conrad
Scouts, and tried to form Viroqua High School’s fi rst glee club. But despite his best efforts at fi tting in, no one would ever take Mickey Mouse seriously. “It’s tragicomic, I guess, that all people ever wanted to do was give me mouse ears and ask about Pluto or Goofy, ” Mickey mused. “And don’t even get me started on high school girls.” After graduation, Mickey hitchhiked around British Columbia, spent most of 1977 on Grateful Dead tour and ultimately enrolled at Evergreen State University in Washington where he fell in line with the emerging philosophies of Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. He laughs at the “Mickey Mouse classes” he took at Evergreen — dialectical materialism, introduction to Engels, the collected writings of Che Guevara — but it opened his eyes to the world of political activism. After dropping out of the narco-anarchist university he considered too bourgeois, Mickey rode down Highway 1 in a classic Norton 500 motorcycle, his eyes fi xed steely on the horizon. But Mickey wasn’t looking for Zen. He was going to Disney World. “I did everything I could to turn the visitors against consumerism and monocul-
me the money to go, my parents were all like 'GRRRR!' and I was all 'You guys need to understand. This is a huge opportunity for me to fi gure out how to move on, like, post-Craig,’” Sara confessed from her Xbox headset while playing Gears of War 2 in her parents' basement. According to Ilene Skoom, Ph.D., a socio-psychologist specializing in the residual effects of Craig interacting with society, Sara's story refl ects the struggles of a growing demographic in the Craig breakup epidemic. “The widely held notion that Craig's former girlfriends recover from breakup along a natural six-week curve, I believe, is a
ture, but all they did was rush past me to buy Chinese-made rubbish and take snapshots with guys in anthropomorphic suits,” Mickey remembered. “Am I not Mickey Mouse, a man, and a brother?” After his Waterloo in Anaheim, Mickey returned to the Coulee Region to spread his idealism in a more grassroots fashion. He started networking with the coffee shop politicos, sitting in on City Council meetings and writing letters to the editor of the La Crosse Tribune. In moments of fi tful passion, he’d buy out billboards to spread his missives to disinterested drivers. But Mickey’s favorite political action came as a write-in candidate. There was never a race Mickey didn’t enter. His political backers at Jules were always good for a few dozen votes, and while he polled fairly consistently over the years, the Powers That Be always discounted his tally. “No matter what I was running for, I always had about 20 votes, but the clerk would see that name Mickey Mouse and just dismiss me out of hand,” Mickey sighed. “Now I know how Ron Paul feels.” But the worst offense of all came late last year, when waves of Wisconsinites were beginning to catch on to Mickey’s brand of Gonzo politics. A recall effort against a sitting governor encouraged nearly 1 million residents to vote with their signatures, petitioning their government for redress of grievances. At the stroke of midnight on Nov. 15, 2011, Mickey Mouse clutched a recall petition and proudly scrawled his name across half a page. Never has there been a more triumphant John Hancock. Yet in typical fashion, the Establishment made a joke of Mickey Mouse. Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald and Gov. Scott Walker both took shots at Mickey, saying he wasn’t real, that he was emblematic of a broken political class and that their entire opposition was a joke. “I fi gured they’d come after me like that. That’s what cowards always do, put down the weak to entrench their power, but they’re not going to get away with it this time.” Mickey shook his head, and for the fi rst time in two hours, La Crosse’s most misunderstand son cracked a smile. “I’d sure rather have a Mickey Mouse campaign than a John Doe investigation.”
farce. A simple cross-sectional analysis controlling for primary indicators such as elevated Tanning Quotient, Kardashian Komplex, and elevated PH (Paris Hilton) levels reveals a much more dire situation represented by the 6-month to 12-year curve illustrated here,” said Skoom, pointing to one of several dozen monitors in her research lab. In order to treat chronic Craig withdrawal, Skoom typically prescribes a heavy regimen of Oxycodone. Although Sara is not under professional care, Skoom postulates that she should have no problem scoring plenty of it in Cancun.
the free press 444 Main St., Suite 310 La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Sales: Mike Keith mike.keith@secondsupper.com Cover and Ad Design: Jenn Bushman Regular Contributors: Amy Alkon, Erich Boldt, Mary Catanese, Ashly Conrad,Ben Deline, Marcel Dunn, Brett Emerson, Shuggypop Jackson, Jonathan Majak, Matt Jones, Nate Willer Second Supper is a monthly alternative newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 444 Main St., Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters to the editor to Second Supper, 444 Main St., , Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 or by e-mail to editor@secondsupper.com.
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4// April 1, 2012
COMMUNITY
Second Supper | The Free Press
The plebeians rehearse the uprising The Wisconsin Spring springs eternal, or so it seemed one sunny afternoon
By Bob Treu
Special to Second Supper Saturday, March 10. It was a nice day for a protest rally in Madison: a spring sky of the lyrical blue variety, and temperatures promising to reach the 60s. Lake ice was confined to a few secluded bays, and the breeze that freshened Capitol Square was not troublesome. In fact, some of us worried the weather might be too nice, and people would go fishing rather than remind the governor they are still here. A year ago the bus was filled with people who were reacting to the passing of the governor’s budget repair bill. You could see their anger in their faces and hear it in their voices. This year the buses were less crowded and people traded early bluebird sightings and talked about gardening. I brought Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” along because I had seen a review of the current film version, in which Ralph Fiennes plays the lead and directs. “Coriolanus” is possibly Shakespeare’s least popular play, crammed as it is with undemocratic sentiment, but it was arguably the first portrayal of political insurrection on the European stage. I didn’t find time to read much Saturday, so it was a few days later when I realized how much the play had to suggest about the Wisconsin uprising. As the bus cruised up East Washington toward Capitol Square we passed a group of people enjoying the sun in some sort of tentative campground. It turned out to be the Occupy Madison site. There is something appropriate in the Occupy Movement nesting in Madison, since it may have had its origins in last spring’s protests, but while a few occupiers waved, they showed little interest in joining us. Nonetheless, some of the Occupy Movement’s indifference toward party politics may have seeped into the Recall movement, so if any of the Occupiers did make their way to Capitol Square, they very likely felt at home. What happened Saturday in Madison didn’t have all that much to do with traditional politics. Instead, the mood at Capitol Square was festive, heightened by satiric gestures that seemed to combine rebellion with Mardi Gras. There was, for example, the wonderfully wacky and colorful group that calls itself the Forward Marching Band, followed by a giant Walker robot-zombie that dominated the skyline wherever it appeared. I confess I found him nearly as scary as the real item. There was also a smaller Walker dummy busily collecting money for the governor’s legal defense fund. Walker did implement such a fund recently, but I can’t verify that any money collected Saturday ac-
tually went there. This sort of rowdy street theater was a welcome relief from the stark grimness of “Coriolanus.” When movement leaders took turns addressing the crowd in front of the State Street entrance to the Capitol, La Crosse was very well represented, first by State Sen. Jennifer Shilling, who looked around and quickly concluded it was time to do some spring cleaning, and then by Ed Ludwig, of the La Crosse Education Association, who gave voice to the anger and frustration felt by teachers and by all those who care about public education in Wisconsin. He spoke of the unfairness of a system where a teacher can be fired without a convincing reason. He explained that even vocational classes like welding are being cut, depriving young people of the education they need to make decent lives. He described the incalculable damage being done to the democratic tradition of an educated workforce. His refrain was, “That’s not right,” a reminder that this is a moral, as well as a political fight. The final speaker was John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation and regular commentator on MSNBC news programs. He pointed with pride to his family’s long history in the state, and he could say, without sounding phony, that “Wisconsin is not just a state. It’s the greatest state.” He followed this with references to Robert La Follette taking on the monopolies in the early 1900s, and Gaylord Nelson signing the nation’s first collective bargaining law for state employees in the ‘50s. By the time Nichols finished, someone estimated the crowd to be in the neighborhood of 62,500. Nichols then said he had found another 2,500 souls on the other side of the building and revised the figure to 65,000. Not all the estimates were so generous. The La Crosse Tribune coverage, if you could find it on page eight of the Sunday C section, put the crowd at 35,000. It’s worth remembering that when the Occupy Wall Street movement brought out 20,000 people in the streets of New York it was reason to celebrate, so the Madison rally did well by either estimate. Although the governor was the focus of much of the activity in Capitol Square, it did not feel much like a political campaign. Kathleen Falk was the only candidate visible and she didn’t speak. If other potential candidates were roaming the area, they were doing it incognito. It wasn’t clear why most of the candidates kept such low profiles, but it did not seem to be a good sign for the recall movement. While Falk shows enormous energy and determination, no candidate has seized control of the energy latent in the recall movement.
But if the recall effort fails, it won’t be the governor’s fault. He has gone a long way toward destroying public education in a state where education is highly prized; he has removed environmental protections in a state where outdoorsy types are highly motivated and political; he has taken health care from the needy and elderly wherever he could; and some of his political associates are lining up for places in the state’s correctional facilities. Finally, his promise to create jobs, jobs, and more jobs has turned out to be disappointing at best. In fact, Wisconsin has the worst track record in the country in that department. Even if the situation has improved the last month or so, we may be simply catching the wave of the national recovery, and contrary to the Republican vision, economists actually think much of the improvement has to do with fewer people being dropped from public sector jobs. Who could ask for better campaign material? But without compelling leadership in the opposition, it won’t matter. Don’t get me wrong. Kathleen Falk may well be able to provide the needed leadership. So might Tom Barrett or any of the other declared candidates, but people keep waiting for Russ Feingold or Ron Kind to come charging in on a horse of any color to take up the banner. There’s even talk of Jon Erpenbach coming in. All of this needs to be resolved before the Democratic primary on May 8, and it’s safe to say if that process is particularly rancorous, the governor will benefit. But none of that muddle seemed to dispel the carnival atmosphere on the square. For the moment, the 12-foot zombie puppet impersonating the governor had my attention. “Coriolanus” suddenly seemed more relevant as I watched this figure stumble through the crowd without ever changing his expression, portraying a personality so frozen in self-admiration it cannot understand why people are angry. Indeed Scott Walker and Shakespeare’s hero share some important traits, particularly their contempt of the plebeians, the people we call the working class, the poor, or sometimes the middle class. Coriolanus feels they are useless and unworthy of being fed, unless of course they are willing to make war on Rome’s enemies. He seems to be obsessed by their collective bad breath and is against their being represented in Roman government. Walker is less personal in his attacks, but he isn’t interested in their voting either. Coriolanus and Walker both represent the interests of the patricians, the 1 percent, and neither is likely to give up any patrician corn simply because the plebeians are hungry. Still, Coriolanus can have their support if he will simply humble himself enough to acknowledge their part in governance, just as Walker might have accepted the deal when state workers offered to give
up some of their corn (a great deal of the corn, actually) if they could continue to be represented by their unions. Neither Coriolanus nor Walker is interested in the democratic process of negotiation. When the plebeians finally support Coriolanus’ election, they regret it almost instantly, and the Elizabethan version of union thugs soon move the people against him. What follows is a kind of recall (without the protection of a year’s grace in office), which can take either of two forms: the offending politician is tossed from Rome’s Tarpeian Rock (pretty much always fatal) or he is forced into exile. In Coriolanus’ case, the first is briefly considered before the second is chosen. At this point, the reader can tease out appropriate analogies without further help. There is, however, another point to be made about class warfare, especially since the term has been used by the Right to disparage their opponents, as if we were all really one happy family, as if Republican policies, beginning with Ronald Reagan, haven’t opened the largest gap in American society since the late 1920s. The all-one-family, trickle-down sort of political logic works as long as most people have decent incomes and hope to see their children prosper to a reasonable degree, but when people lose their homes and the food kitchens start to come up short and college seems as distant as Dorothy’s Oz, there comes a tipping point and everything changes. Then we can sound like Shakespeare’s rabble: “Care for us? True indeed! They ne’er cared for us yet: suffer us to famish, and their storehouses crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act established against the rich, and provide more statutes daily to chain up and restrain the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and there’s all the love they bear us.” Right on. Still, it was hard to feel that sort of bitterness in the crowd Saturday. That air of good natured festivity never seemed to wane, even in the face of the lingering possibility of defeat. Oh, people are serious enough. Everyone knows a story about someone who has dedicated his or her life to public service and is now facing the loss of a job, a home, or both. There’s plenty of reason for bitterness, but something subtle has happened to these people in the last year. Perhaps singing about Solidarity so often worked some magic on them. Or perhaps they have concluded this is not going to be a quick battle and they may as well get used to one another. There’s something else about these people: They are informed. I don’t mean they all have advanced degrees, but they watch the news and read papers. They are not the mob Coriolanus despises for its ignorance. They have what no citizenry had
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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Plebeians CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
until the 20th century in America: an education that fits them for participatory democracy. In other words, Walker looks at them through the wrong end of the historical telescope. If he could only wreck their schools, or at least control them ideologically through privatization, the rabble he faces would be a lot less troublesome. I was about to write that even if the Walker recall falters Wisconsin politics won’t be the same. With Republican Dale Schultz voting with the Democrats on issues such as the mining bill, things have already changed. But as soon as I formed that sentence revisions began to parse their way into it. To show they won’t brook disobedience, the Republicans just announced that they will find someone to run against Schultz in the primary. They will also find some-
April 1, 2012 // 5
STREET BEAT one to run against Bob Jauch, who, with Schultz, authored an alternative to the mining bill the governor favors. To make things more complicated, Pam Galloway, a Republican Senator from Wausau who was slated for recall, has resigned. As of right now the two parties are tied in the Senate and it will stay that way until the spring storm of recalls is over. It isn’t likely the Republicans will regain control of that body, but in the shifting, swirling winds of Wisconsin political discourse, it is certainly possible. Spirits remained buoyant on the ride home. Jokes were made about the governor, but no one seemed to be talking about the elections. Instead they shared stories from their lives and compared notes about favorite restaurants. But here’s some advice for the rich and powerful: When the angry rabble appear at your gates you should worry; when they start to enjoy each other’s company, you’re in deep trouble.
Speak Your Mind
with Ashly Conrad
What would you like to see happen with the Hollywood Theater?
Name: Matt Moon Age: 23 Occupation: Root Note/Student of brewing A. I'd like to see the Hollywood Theater turn into a bomb diggity music venue, or turned inside out!
Name: Lauren Wilker Age: 22 Occupation: Student A. An old-school theater, keep the old-school culture going, kinda like the Rivoli.
Name: Kathy Hollon Age: 35 Occupation: Administrative staff A. A nice place to take the family to see a great new film or play.
Name: Anna Hageness Age: 20 Occupation: Student A. A black-and-white theater with films like "Casablanca" or Cary Grant films. Keep it old and classic!
Name: Joe Kensok Age: 28 Occupation: Bartender A. Concert venue with bigger out-of-town acts.
Name: Brett Smith Age: 40 Occupation: Financial service rep A. Well, the Rivoli does pretty well. I’d like to see a bigger, better vintage theater in town, maybe some music or dancing, too!
Name: David Sayotovich Age: 57 Occupation: Gundersen Lutheran A. Theater that plays foreign/ educational/art films, films we wouldn’t usually see at a regular theater around here, like at a film festival.
Name: Hanna Stetter Age: 21 Occupation: Waitress A. Plays and live performances would be awesome!
Name: Matt Corger Age: 32 Occupation: Analyst A. It would, of course, be great to see it stay a theater, but have it be available to hold large party events, maybe have a small restaurant inside.
Social Networking That's my little secret.
what is your beverage of choice? Tie: WATER and Jagermeister ... Pimms a distant third
celebrity crush: Tie: number two, Jason Schwartzman, Justin Theroux and Scarlett Johansson
What is your biggest pet peeve? People who don't follow thru; second option, smells that are upsetting.
What book are you currently reading? "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"
tell us your guiltiest pleasure: Late nights
NAME AND AGE: Kay M. Mazza, ageless? WHERE WERE YOU BORN? In a small room filled with love in La Crosse, Wis.
CURRENT JOB:
tell us a joke: What is a lamb with no legs? A cloud.
What one person alive or dead would you want to have dinner with? Woody Allen first. If he's busy, Cornel West. Either way, conversation would not be an issue.
Herberger's Store Manager
what's the last thing you bought?
DREAM JOB:
A plane ticket to New York
Making creative greeting cards with quirky, witty, thoughtful comments
last thing you googled: 4 OHIO teams in the sweet 16 a new record
if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? A little place called Utopia, where the living is easy and the drinks are free and we dance till dawn every night
what is Something you want to do before you die:
what's in your pocket right now?: Lip-gloss and a penny
If a genie granted you one wish, what would you ask for? The elimination of violence in the world. Yes, ALL violence gone.
FIRST CONCERT YOU WENT TO: The deep southern rock of Kansas — Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson,
6// April 1, 2012
The Month in Theatre In case you missed it:
March may be the time of ides, madness and basketball, but it was also populated with a slew of shows at the various theatrical venues in town. What they lacked in 3-pointers, they more than made it up in entertainment value. UW-L’s production of the musical comedy “The Drowsy Chaperone” was a good-verging-on-great production that got lots of mileage out of its cast, even if some suffered from an acute deficiency of charisma. Particular delights were Jake Voss as the sheltered theatre aficionado listening to his recording of “Drowsy.” Lewis Youngren and Seth Von Steidl showed off what a superb comedy duo they make, something that was established in UW-L’s production of “Shakespeare In Hollywood.” Also standing out was Lindsay Van Norman, who belted the show’s signature song, “As We Stumble Along,” aka the catchiest song about drinking this side of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” with a careful mix of wry wit and heart. Over at Viterbo, “The Secret Garden” succeeded in spite of itself. To be frank, “The Secret Garden” is the sort of show that mistakes lethargic pacing with emotional resonance, but the direction by Dana McConnell kept things moving even if the plot sometimes felt stalled. What also made Viterbo’s rendition of the show enjoyable, other than the gorgeous set and costume design, were strong performances, such
Second Supper | The Free Press
THE ARTS as Aubrey McCarthy as orphaned Mary Lennox, Charlie Ward as a scheming relative and Paige Hauer as an advice-giving chambermaid. Jill Iverson delivered her outstanding vocals on “How Could I Ever Know.” “How Could I Ever Know” is probably what the characters from LCT’s cross-dressing extravaganza “Leading Ladies” were saying to themselves by the end of the delightfully zany show. As the leading ladies, Kevin Laumbach and Michael Marcou bounced off each other, pushing each other to new comedic heights throughout the show. The ensemble of the show was more than game enough to keep up with the duo as the show brimmed with energy and abandon necessary for a farce as gleefully ridiculous as “Leading Ladies.” And while the leading ladies kept us chortling most of the show, The Pump House’s production of “The Movie Game” left yours truly, unlike the audience who seemed to love it, searching for laughs. A romantic comedy that was slim on both the romance and the comedy, the story is about what happens when a movie lover, played well by Brandon Harris, goes to a celebrity therapist who has the idea of said movie lover playing the lead role in the movie of his life. Wacky, sub-sitcom-level shenanigans mar what could’ve been a fascinating show, particularly since it had such strong performances from Harris as well as Amanda Wiese as his gal pal who develops feelings for him. Predictable to a fault, the show left me feeling I would’ve been better served get-
Arts Directory
ting something from Redbox instead.
On stage this month:
It’s a double bill of Greek tragedy as UW-L stages “Antigone”at Toland Theatre and Viterbo does “Hippolytos” at the La Croix Black Box. Both shows run from April 20 until April 29. — Jonathan Majak
Children's Museum offers indoor Easter egg hunt The La Crosse Children's Museum understands how fickle Mother Nature can be. So, it's offering two indoor egg hunts to ensure the Easter Bunny's work is not in vain. The museum's Easter EGG-Stravaganza will be offered from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, April 5, and from 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, April 6. The event, for ages 2 to 7, includes an egg hunt, games, crafts, treats and prizes. The fee is $5 per child for museum members and $10 per child for non-members (adults free). Pre-registration and prepayment are required. For registration or information, call 608-784-2652 or visit www. funmuseum.org. Holiday hours for the museum, 207 Fifth Ave. S., La Crosse, are noon to 5 p.m. Friday, April 6 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 7. The museum will be closed on Sunday and Monday, April 8 and 9.
Thursday, April 5 VIVA Gallery, Viroqua — Jaimie Heiden (artist reception) • 5 p.m. Friday, April 6 Gallery La Crosse — “First Fridays" Reception • 6 p.m. UW-L Planetarium — The Shins' “Port of Morrow” (album encounter) • 8 p.m. Saturday, April 14 Viterbo Fine Arts Center — Platinum Edition (show choir) • 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19 Viterbo Fine Arts Center — Viver Brasil (Afro-Brazilian dance) • 7:30 p.m. Friday April 20-21, April 26-29 Viterbo Black Box Theatre — “Hippolytos” (Greek tragedy) • 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. on Sunday Friday April 20-22, April 26-29 UW-L Toland Theatre — “Antigone” (Greek tragedy) • 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. on Sunday Tuesday, April 24 Viterbo Fine Arts Center — The Step Crew (dance) • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28 Viterbo Fine Arts Center — “BubbleMania” (soap bubble artist) • 3 p.m.
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Second Supper | The Free Press
APRIL
The Month in Preview Wed., April 4 STRIKE A POSE @ Downtown Mainstreet Attention beautiful people, the fashion conscious, and the runway-inclined: Downtown Main Street wants you. In preparation for the fundraising fall fashion show this September, DMI will be holding an open casting call for models on Wednesday, April 4, at 5 p.m. sharp. DMI seeks both male and female models, ages 18 and up. Models must commit to being in La Crosse at the end of August for fittings and the fashion show on Sept. 6 (with a dress rehearsal the preceding day). For more information, contact Kick Shoes at 608-782-5425. Work it, La Crosse!
Thur., April 19 TSO YEAH! @ the La Crosse Center If you like lasers, grand musical narratives, and symphonic prog rock, you’re probably awesome. And you probably love TransSiberian Orchestra, too. This touring musical spectacle defies easy classification, but it needs to be seen to be believed. You can have your chance on Thursday, April 19 when TSO and their multiple semi-trailers of stage gear will load into the La Crosse Center for a 7:30 p.m. concert that you
April 1, 2012 // 7
THE PLANNER
music | entertainment theater | fine arts festivals | things to do | easter | shows bands | earth day | beer, wine & cheese
will not soon forget (although we’re a little hazy on the storyline involving Ludwig Von Beethoven and Mephistopheles). Tickets are $39.50, $49.50 or $59.50 depending on seating – which is probably the best value you’ll find on laser retina attacks per minute.
Fri., April 20 HIGH FIDELITY FRIDAY @ Popcorn Tavern & JB’s Speakeasy Ahh, April 20, the feast days of both St. Agnes of Montepulciano and Oda of Brabant. It’s the birthday of Steve Spurrier, George Takei, Tito Puente and – wouldn’t you know it? – Stephen Marley. But despite being the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, April 20 is actually a really good day to listen to music. While we’ll be spending much of that Friday at the Mid West Music Fest, when night falls you’ll find us pulling into one of our all-time favorite venues for one of our favorite local bands. Yes, Nimbus will be lifting the roof off the Popcorn Tavern — which will perfect, because we could all use the ventilation. Big Tree Bonsai, a Shoeless Revolution side-project of sorts, will open the 10 p.m. show. There’s sure to be a grip of great music around town that night — including The Homeland Conspiracy, Sowbelly Bitchhog and Porcupine at JB’s Speakeasy — so if you see us about, say hi.
Sun., April 22 LOVE YOUR MOTHER NATURE @ the Myrick Hixon EcoPark Every day may be Earth Day, but the Coulee Partners for Sustainability’s 2012 Earth Fair will be held Sunday, April 22, at the Myrick Hixon EcoPark beginning at 11 a.m. This will be the fourth year CPS, a local environmental nonprofit, has hosted Earth Fair. It succeeds an Earth Day cel celebration on the UW-La Crosse campus, and it seems to incorporate more local organizations and events every year. Highlights of the 2012 Earth Fair will include animal demonstrations, gardening workshops, the first farmers market of the season, wilderness tours, storytellers, door prizes and much more. For more information, includ-
ing details on the affiliated Spring Cleanup Day and Recycling Fairs, visit www.cpslax. org/earthfair.
Thur., April 26 AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT AN OFFICE PARTY @ La Crosse Center If there’s one thing we all love it’s a party, and if there’s one thing we all tolerate it’s an office, so if you think the World’s Largest Office Party on April 26 would be an above-average time, you would be incorrect. It’s actually an awesome time! Do you love ‘80s music? (If not, too bad for you, and sorry about all the exclamation points.) Of course you love ‘80s music! Well, the WLOP has two of the best ‘80s bands in the land, beloved purveyors of spandex, Brat Pack Radio and Hairball. What’s that you say? You enjoy country music and sometimes country-rock? Well, you’re in luck because they’ve also booked the Back Home Boys! Like all great parties, the details are a little sketchy at the moment. We do know that it will be held at the La Crosse Center on Thursday, April 26 from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. Tickets go on sale April 3. No one’s told us yet how much they cost or how stocked the bar will be, but neither of those should be a reason to skip out. See you ‘round the world’s largest water cooler!
Sat., April 28 A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS @ Southside Oktoberfest Grounds If an overlord ever imposed some strict rationing policy where we could subsist only on beer, wine and cheese, Second Supper: The Free Press would probably survive just fine. In fact, it might take a few months before we even noticed a difference. That’s why we’re mega-amped this month for our favorite celebration of local gastronomic delights: the 10th Annual Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine, and Cheese Festival. More than 200 beers from 35 breweries will be flowing at the Southside Oktoberfest Grounds on April 28. But that’s not all! Regional vintners will offer nearly 50 different kinds of wine, while some of the world’s finest cheesemakers will share their wares. Musical entertainment will be served up by local favorites the Smokin’ Bandits as well as the Fabulous Baloney Skins, but we’re just as excited to chat up the artisans who make all of our favorite things. VIP tickets have already sold out, and the $30 advance tickets are going fast. For more information – including pre-tasting events and homebrew competitions – visit /www.betweenthebluffsbeerfest.com. Don’t forget your pretzel necklaces!
8// April 1, 2012
The Beer ReVieW Lupulin Maximus O'So Brewery Plover, Wisconsin I was eating a black bean burrito and reading the New York Times last week when I detected an odd food particle on my tongue. It was bristly but fl avorful, and when I picked at it I just assumed it was cilantro. I wasn’t necessarily shocked by the possibility I had spilled my dinner, but when I looked down into my pint glass — what the ? Floating right under the gray head was an eminently familiar sight — a hop! — but how did it get
Second Supper | The Free Press
CONSUMPTION into my beer? I checked the label and sure enough, it sported a tag I never bothered to read before purchase: “WARNING: bottle may contain hop cone.” Well, that would explain why it poured so funny, and why there was a hop cone fl oating in my beer. As far as packaging and marketing goes, the fl oating hop concept was genius, but would it make this imperial IPA any better? O’so has always been a peculiar brewery, one more inclined to go its own way than follow traditional recipes. In fact, most of its bottles don’t even mention established styles, only evocative descriptors like chewy, juicy and robust. This Lupulin Maximus is actually the fi rst O’so label I’ve seen with any
traditional style indicator. That it’s an Imperial Pale Ale, rather than the established Imperial IPA, should have been my fi rst hint that this wouldn’t be the typical high-gravity beer. Well, other than the hop trapped inside the bottle, of course. Purchase: Four-pack of Lupulin Maximus from the People’s Food Co-op, $9.99 Style: Imperial IPA Strength: 9 percent ABV Packaging: The label depicts a close up photo of several hops, which resemble Brussels sprouts, superimposed with the limegreen O’so logo and the aforementioned hop warning in a yellow box. Appearance: The beer pours an opaque, unfi ltered ochre with a thin head that barely conceals the walnut sized hop. Of my four bottles, three of the hops were intact but the fi rst one – the cilantro doppelganger – had splintered. Aroma: The aroma is extremely hopforward, which you would imagine when there’s a hop fl oating a quarter inch from
your nostrils. It also smells like pine needles, lemongrass and caramel. Taste: Despite housing a marinating hop fl ower, the initial fl avor isn’t especially hoppy. There’s a heavy breadiness and molasses-y malts that make me think this would be better after a few months in the cellar. But then I gnoshed on the hop and sucked all the bitter, sagey goodness from the most delectable additive this side of a tequila worm. It was worth it. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, which puts it on the thin side for an imperial pale. Drinkability: It doesn’t seem too strong, so you could probably drink a few of these, if you were so inclined. Ratings: BeerAdvocate scores it an 87, while RateBeer gives it a more charitable 97. Other than the innovative bottling, this isn’t an especially notable imperial. For a more heavenly treat, hold onto your Hopslams and toss in a fresh hop with the harvest comes.
— Adam Bissen
Beer Directory Pearl Street Brewery Tasting room 1401 St. Andrew St.
The Casino 304 Pearl St.
Beer list D.T.B Pale Ale El Hefe That's What I'm Talkin' 'Bout Stout Rubber Mills Pils Tambois Raspberry Framboise Java Lava Dankenstein Double IPA
Beer list Wittekerke Franziskaner Hacker-Pschorr Weiss Weihenstephan Kristall 16.9 oz Delirium Tremens 750 ml Melange A Trois Reserve 750 ml Pearl Street Pale Ale Paddy Pale Ale Moon Man Crooked Tree Hopslayer Centennial Hop Stoopid 22oz LambickX 750 ml Petrus Aged Pale 750 ml Goudenband 750 ml Smuttynose Farmhouse 22 oz Spotted Cow Prima Pils Golden Pheasant 16.9oz Brew Farm Select Lager Grain Belt Nordeast Lost Lake Light Rhinelander Export-7 oz La Crosse Lager La Crosse Light Spaten Optimator Huber Bock Doppel Weizen 22oz Downtown Brown Hobgoblin Founder's Porter Cappuccino Stout 22oz Founders Breakfast Stout Matacabras Dark Ale Gouden Carolus 750 ml Achel Trappist Extra 750ml Kasteel Donker 750ml
Music collectors' show April 15 The fi rst music collectors' show in La Crosse in more than 10 years will be held Sunday, April 15, at the All-Star Lanes Banquet Hall, 4735 Mormon Coulee Road. Hosted by Tim Schloe and Rich Franson, the La Crosse Music Expo will feature a dozen-plus dealers from the Midwest, including dealers traveling from as far away as Nebraska and as close as the Rochester area. The expo includes records, CDs, concert posters and music memorabilia from all types of music. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with early admission available at 8:30 a.m. Admission is $3 per person or $2 per person with the donation of two cans of nonperishable food. Donations benefi t the Wafer Food Bank. Early admission is $10 per person. “We are very pleased to be able to bring this 'music store' to collectors in Southeast Minnesota and Southwest Wisconsin and collect food for the Wafer Food Shelf,” Tim Schloe said in a press release. Rich Franson added, “The show’s not just for people who want to buy music. If people have records they’ve been holding onto for years and are wondering what to do with them, we will have people on hand who are interested in purchasing them.” More information is available at www. mspmusicexpo.com/lacrosse.
happy hour: $1 off all beer over $3 $3 off all beer over $6 $6 off all beer over $18
Second Supper | The Free Press
April 1, 2012 // 9
CONSUMPTION
Dining Out
"Drink up" It's getting hot out there
Fat Sams 412 Main St., La Crosse 608.782.7267
By Matt Jones
Answers on Page 11
By Marcel Dunn Special to Second Supper If there is one trait that most, if not all, critics share, it is that we tend to compare that which we criticize to an invisible and impossible standard. I could not describe the perfect restaurant to you, nor could I give you the address and directions. It is an idea in my head and I believe I’ll know it when I see it, and that is one of the things people hate about us. But the unspoken truth is that there is no such thing as the perfect restaurant, and so just like anything else that receives criticism and scores (though I’ve never put a score on these reviews because I believe that to be unfair toward any restaurant), it’s all just a matter of opinion. So here are the facts: Fat Sams is a fine sandwich shop and worthy of your time. Located in the middle of downtown La Crosse on Main Street, Fat Sams is a fairly new establishment that caters to that great and wonderful idea called the sandwich. In theory, this simple approach is nothing new. Sandwich shops with clever names for all of their creations have been a staple of downtown America for as long as anyone can remember. However, the owners seem to have a firm grasp on the old belief that there are no new ideas, only new ways of making them felt. For Fat Sams, this new way of feeling is a restaurant with the soul of a casual sandwich shop and the body of a sit-down restaurant. Within this balancing act, Fat Sams could have fallen prey to taking itself too seriously, but the atmosphere is wonderful and the furnishings clean and elegant. Old photographs adorn the cream-colored walls and the lighting is soft and bright. High-backed chairs surround short and tall tables in the front of the restaurant, with several booths and tables further back. A short black bar stands in the corner to your right upon entering and it is stocked with a well-chosen selection of beer and wine that would have been awfully tempting had I not been there at one in the afternoon, on St. Patrick’s Day, in the middle of a training regimen for the Tough Mudder, which leads me to my next thoughts on the service and atmosphere. For whatever reason, I completely forgot that it was St. Patrick’s Day, so I was a bit taken aback to find myself in a packed house where nearly everyone was in green and my host was dressed as a leprechaun. Of course, this could have led to an understandably bad experience but instead I found myself instantly attended to, seated and perusing my menu before my mind ever registered the fact that the guy handing me my menu looked like the mascot for Lucky Charms. I was then swiftly greeted by my waitress who was helpful and relatively quick throughout the meal, which was impressive under the circumstances. In fact, I can’t rave enough about the staff, the
Photo by .Ashly Conrad
Fat Sams offers 15 different sandwiches, along with a variety of salads and appetizers at its shop in downtown La Crosse. warmth that they exude and the fun atmosphere that could have been tacky given the day and my mood, but was instead a great way to spend an hour inside on such a beautiful day. On the menu at Fat Sams you will find a small variety of appetizers and salads to start your meal with and 15 different concoctions in the sandwich portion. The sandwiches come with a side of kettle chips and pickle, which can be substituted for fresh fruit or potato salad if you so choose. A cup of soup can also be added if you wish, and the selection changes daily. This variety of sides and appetizers is an excellent addition to the sandwich menu, but to be honest, it’s the sandwiches that will keep you coming back. After some deliberation I decided to just close my eyes and point a finger because, minus The Fat Elvis and The O’ Mother Earth, everything looked good, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Big Easy is a New Orleans-inspired creation of smoked ham, hard salami and provolone layered between Italian bread with a spicy olive relish in between. In spite of the Italian bread being more panini than “rustic,” like the description in the menu, it was a delicious sandwich whose ingredients integrated seamlessly. The sour bitterness of the olives and the spice of the red peppers in the relish complimented the salty, smoky flavor of the ham and hard salami perfectly. Apart, these flavors don’t sound like they would go together but on your palette they sing. And, of course, provolone is one of those smoky cheeses that are never wrong when salami and ham are in the mix. A thumbs up, as well, for the balancing crunch of kettle chips instead of some lame, lesser cousin like Lays. All told, Fat Sams has the feel of an establishment that received a lot of love and care in its creation. It’s the kind of place where you can sit down, order a good beer and your favorite sandwich and feel your mood instantly brighten. The food is good, the people are friendly and you’re never more than a few paces away from alcohol. In other words, a solid La Crosse restaurant.
ACROSS 1 Donkey was temporarily turned into one, in "Shrek 2" 6 Final decision 11 ___-droppingly bad 14 Receive, as a penalty 15 Far from lewd 16 The end of winter? 17 Where to play games like Little Red Riding Kombat and Jack and Jill's Skee-Ball? 19 Pork pie, e.g. 20 Golfer ___ Aoki 21 Paperless tests 23 Meat preparation in "Up in Smoke"? 29 Big band leader Tommy 30 It's a perfect world 31 Yani Tseng's org. 32 Leavened 34 Question from viewers if TV's Robin will get a cohost? 40 Camped out in line, maybe 41 Green ice cream flavor 43 Greg's mate, in a sitcom
46 Flick where you might see planets held up by fishing line 48 Imaginary cutoff of supplies? 51 Language we got the words "basmati" and "juggernaut" from 52 Gp. against workplace discrimination 53 Fifth qtrs., so to speak 54 Where cartoon character-shaped balloons fly? 61 Expert 62 Got hitched again 63 James T. Kirk, by state of birth 64 Wrath or sloth 65 Hollers 66 Topic for the marriage counselor DOWN 1 Nuclear fam member 2 NBA airer 3 Prefix meaning "green" 4 It's north of Afr. 5 Fog maker at a haunted house 6 Get the heck outta
there 7 One of the 30 companies comprising the Dow Jones Industrial Average 8 Supporting vote 9 Regrettable 10 Small game of b-ball 11 "Holy warrior" in the news 12 Common shrub 13 Hoses down 18 Pale gray 22 Genre for Schoolly D 23 CCXXV doubled 24 Kachina doll maker 25 Rowing machine units 26 Morales of "NYPD Blue" 27 Son in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" series 28 Tabloid pair 32 Out in the sticks 33 Speck in the Pacific: abbr. 35 Like yellow-green and red-orange, on the color wheel 36 Weekly academic mag for docs
37 Nutty way to run 38 Female megastar, in pop music 39 British children's author Blyton 42 It holds a golfer's balls 43 Periodic table creator Mendeleev 44 Jim who brought us Kermit 45 "Then what happened?" 46 Betty of cartoons 47 Obama opponent of 2008 49 Diagonal slant 50 City the Sisters of Mercy and Corinne Bailey Rae come from 51 Microbrewery's need 55 Quilting get-together 56 Bird that can turn its head 135 degrees in both directions 57 Caviar, e.g. 58 You may be struck with it 59 Another nuclear fam member 60 Naval rank: abbr. ©2012 Jonesin' Crosswords
wE have moved! 444 main St., Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601
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10// April 1, 2012
MUSIC
Second Supper | The Free Press
Tapes ‘n Tapes headlines Mid West fest By Jason Crider
jason.crider@secondsupper.com
The Majak Mixtape By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com Oh Mixtapers, other than being a panelist on “The View,” there is no faster way to let the world know what a jackass you are than a well-placed tweet, is there? Members of “The Hunger Games” fandom found that out quickly. As the film raked in huge bucks, it did so with a bit of controversy over the casting of people of color in some key roles because some people are SHOCKED that black people are actually playing black people. Though we admittedly have little to no knowledge about the intricacies of “The Hunger Games,” other than the guy who plays Peeta looks like a Lego come to life, that isn’t stopping us from putting together this Mixtape we’re dubbing “Prejudice? Wrote a Mix About It. Like to Hear It? Here It Goes.” We kick off the Mixtape with the “Goldilocks Zone” by Grass Widow as folks seemed particularly concerned that the character Rue was not the blond girl they had imagined despite being described IN THE BOOK THEY LOVE SO DAMN MUCH as a dark-skinned girl. Someone actually tweeted, according to the awesome Tumblr “Hunger Games Tweets,” “Why is Rue a little black girl? Stick to the books, dude.” Really, that’s like renting “Memoirs of a Geisha” and being surprised by all of the Asian folks in it. And side note, we here at the Mixtape are pretty sure that whenever the word “dude” is used in a critique of something, it completely invalidates it, bro. The scary thing is that that is one of the milder tweets that came out in regards to the situation. One person even went as far as writing, “Sense [sic] when is Rue a nigger.” This leads us to our next song “Tumbling Backwards” from Young Wonder. When we live in a world where a hoodie can effectively put a target on your back, it’s hard to dismiss such comments being made. And let us be real for a moment, you know that 80 percent of these folks raging about a black girl in “The Hunger Games” are the same ones that were blowing up their Facebook accounts with links to KONY 2012 and don’t see the slightest bit of irony whatsoever. So what exactly does all of this say about the world we live in? Probably nothing that we didn’t already know. This leads us to our last song “Dumb Hope” by Shady Lane. The reaction to the controversy was swift and often times brilliantly hilarious as people took folks to task for their reading comprehension fail/racism. Well it’s time for us to go watch a Tyler Perry film we rented. Hope there aren’t any black folks in that. Tumblr For You: Garfield Minus Garfield All A-Twitter: Ron Paul’s Drag Race YouTube: Got 2B Real
While we don’t have a nearby Lollapalooza or Coachella to nurture our outdoor musical fanaticism, Winona’s Mid West Music Fest is shaping up to be one hell of a good time. Coming April 19-21, MWMF 2012 will boast more than 120 bands spread across 17 stages, with a lineup that includes folklegend Greg Brown, Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches fame, pop-punk outfit The Melismatics, dance-duo Koo Koo Kangaroo and, last but not least, the indie-rock awesomeness that is Tapes ‘n Tapes, whose appearance at the festival may be your last chance to see them for a very long time. Formed in late 2003, Minneapolis alternative indie-rock quartet Tapes ‘n Tapes got together after amassing copious amounts of “tapes ‘n tapes” of experimental recordings, at which point they decided to make it official and record an EP. When I asked about their process — expiring to a cabin deep in the Wisconsin woods for solidarity — in a recent phone interview, lead singer Josh Grier laughed, replying, “We did the Bon Iver thing before Bon Iver, if that’s what you’re asking.” It was. The band was able to achieve rapid,
nationwide popularity through the Internet, leading to them being referred to as a “blog band.” “We were fortunate enough to come along at a time when that sort of stuff was sort of exploding,” Grier said. “It was right around the time people were really starting to look to the Internet for music, so I think we were just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.” In late 2005 the group released its first full-length album The Loon, which was quick to reach notoriety and critical acclaim, eventually even being praised by David Bowie, describing the first single off the record as “cracking.” “I don’t know if there’s anybody cooler that could have said anything (about us),” Grier said. The success of the album led to the band’s hybrid, vintage rock style being compared to both newer groups such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Arcade Fire as well as bands from the late ‘80s/early ‘90s such as Pavement and the Pixies. Tapes ‘n Tapes followed up the success of The Loom with two more albums and extensive touring that included sets at Coachella and Lollapalooza. Their music has been featured in several major films, commercials and video games, and the band was featured
in MTV’s show “Human Giant.” Despite all of this, the guys view their popularity with a healthy indifference. “People ask to use our music and we’re like ‘Yeah, sure,’ and then you forget about it,” said Grier. “I was watching it [Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist] the other day and our song came on for like 10 or 15 seconds and I was like ‘Oh yeah! We’re in this!’ you know? It’s pretty cool I guess.” The band is in no hurry to record again. “We’ve got a bunch of stuff lined up, but we’re all busy with different music projects for the time being, so there’s really no urgency when it comes to getting back into the studio,” Grier said. Grier expressed a lot of enthusiasm for their upcoming set at the Mid West Music Fest on April 19, explaining, “We’re taking a break from touring (after this) for the time being, probably a year or so, so this is probably the last chance you’ll get to see us live for a while.” MWMF 2012 will be showcasing quite a few acts from La Crosse as well, including 1,2,3 Walrus!, Porcupine, Brahman Shaman, Talk O Destiny, Hyphon, Urine, Gregg “Cheech” Hall, Cool Kids Committee, Jolly Roger Protocol, Cheez Land Uke Band and Click Track, so be sure to make it out and show your support.
Music Directory featured shows
Tuesday, April 3 Cavalier — Talking Computron, The Ring Toss Twins, East Side Robots, Gimp & the Violin, Dr. Bob's Puppet Cabaret, Jammin George (WTF variety show) • 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 4 Del’s — Ultrasonic Duo (acoustic) • 9 p.m. Recovery Room — Joe Cody (open jam) • 7 p.m. Thursday, April 5 Dewey’s — Randy’s Corner (songwriters) • 6 p.m. Red Pines — Dan Sebranek and Mary (folk) • 6:30 p.m. The View — Don Harvey (“Moonshine Matinee”) • 6 p.m. Friday, April 6 4 Sisters — Michael Patrick (vocal jazz) • 7 p.m. Popcorn — The Histronic (electronic) • 10 p.m. Saturday, April 7 JB’s — G5 Entertainment (hip-hop) • 9:30 p.m. Robin’s Nest — Two Shots to Memphis (classic rock) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Howard “Guitar” Luedtke and Dave Rogers (blues) • 10 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel, Ryan Holweger & Meg Ashling (Americana) • 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12 Dewey’s — Randy’s Corner (songwriters) •
6 p.m. Friday, April 13 4 Sisters — Michael Patrick (vocal jazz) • 7 p.m. JB’s — No Sleep Squad (hip-hop) • 9:30 p.m. Popcorn — Sans Souci Quartet (bluegrass) • 10 p.m. Root Note — Pieta Brown & Bo Ramsey (roots, folk) • 8 p.m. Saturday, April 14 4 Sisters — Michael James • 7 p.m. The Starlite — The Larry Price Trio with Miles Johnston (jazz) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Sterbus (jamband) • 10 p.m. Thursday, April 19 La Crosse Center — Trans-Siberian Orchestra (epic) • 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 20 4 Sisters — Mark Harrod • 7 p.m. Robin’s Nest — The All Stars (4/20 show) • 8 p.m. Varsity Club — Julica Rose (rock, R&B) • 9 p.m. Popcorn — Nimbus w/ Bigtree Bonsai (jamband) • 10 p.m. Saturday, April 21 Riverjack’s — Julica Rose (rock, R&B) • 8 p.m. Robin’s Nest — The Fabulous Baloney Skins (classic rock) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — The Regulars (jamband) • 10 p.m. Thursday, April 26 La Crosse Center — Hairball, Brat Back Ra-
dio, The Back Home Boys, Back Home Boys (World’s Largest Office Party) • 5 p.m. Friday, April 27 Popcorn — Nicholas Mrozinski and the Feelin Band (world pop) • 10 p.m. Saturday, April 28 4 Sisters — Michael James • 7 p.m. Fieldhouse — Julica Rose (rock, R&B) • 10 p.m. Oktoberfest Grounds — Smokin’ Bandits, Fabulous Baloney Skins (Beer Fest) • 12:30 p.m. Popcorn — fdakar (jamband) • 10 p.m. Pump House — Steven Marking (“American Art Songs”) • 7:30 p.m.
WEEKLY SHOWS
Sunday Popcorn — Innocuous Voodoo (funk) • 10 p.m. Monday Del’s — Cheech’s Open Jam • 10 p.m. Popcorn — Grants Open Jam • 10 p.m. Tuesday Popcorn — Paulie • 10 p.m. Root Note — 3rd Relation Jazz • 7 p.m. Wednesday Cavalier — Jamal’s Jazz Jam • 7 p.m. Popcorn Tavern — errapin Shells/Open Jam • 10 p.m. Thursday Popcorn — Dave Orr’s Blues Jam • 10 p.m. Root Note — Open Mic * 8 p.m. Starlite — Kies & Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m.
Second Supper | The Free Press
April 1, 2012 // 11
THE LAST WORD
The ADVice GoDDess By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com Manure and wife
My fiancee insists on having our wedding at “THE most magical place to get married,” this beautiful lake resort. Her family’s well-off, but having it there creates a financial hardship for my relatives and our friends, who are working crappy jobs in a terrible economy. Our guests mostly live in our hometown, and the lake is a four-hour drive each way, and there are no affordable places to stay. I’ve suggested that we have the wedding in this beautiful space on my uncle’s farm, just outside of town, but my fiancee, who’s typically unselfish, remains inflexible. — Concerned She’s So Unyielding Brides-to-be can easily lose touch with reality. They start by pricing the VFW hall, and before long it’s “Oh, is the International Space Station booked? OK then, we’ll rent the Grand Canyon for a white-water rafting
wedding. Not to worry, Grandma — you can use your oxygen tank as a fl otation device!” Destination weddings are great if you can send the private jet to pick up Grandpa Lou, Great-Auntie Myrtle, and all your Ph.D.equipped barista friends and then put them up in a vast estate you rented for the weddingganza weekend. But, in a tough economy, maybe your special day doesn’t have to be other people’s special day to go bankrupt: “Please join us after the ceremony for dinner and dancing, followed by credit counseling.” Because boys don’t grow up having misty daydreams about someday being a groom, it can be hard for a man to understand how an otherwise sweet and reasonable woman can go all weddingzilla: “My dress must have a 50-foot train, trimmed with the skins of puppies!” The question is, is this just a case of bride fever — temporary blindness to all forms of sense and reason related to wedding planning — or is it that her true colors are graduating shades of bossy selfi shness (one part Kim Kardashian and two parts Kim Jong Il)? When two “become as one,” decisions need to be a product of “we” and not “she” (as in, she decides and then tugs the leash for you to come along). A stumbling block to compromise is self-justifi cation — the ego-protecting tendency to stubbornly defend ourselves, insisting we’re right and shoving away any information that suggests otherwise. (To err is human — as is doing everything in our power to avoid admitting we’ve erred.)
Preventing this takes putting marriage before ego — and making a pact to resolve confl icts by really listening to each other, putting yourselves in each other’s shoes, and working out solutions that work for you as a couple. Ask her to explain why this location is so special to her. Let her know that you truly appreciate her efforts, but that what’s special for you is having everybody there (and without feeling guilty about what it cost them to come). Offer to help her fi nd someplace closer; maybe suggest having a pre-wedding photo shoot at Lake Perfectweddingspot. Since there’s no wiggle room for friends and relatives who are broke, let’s hope she’ll come to understand that your guests won’t cry fewer tears of joy if you’re saying your vows in your uncle’s pasture. As for what’s “truly special,” anybody can have a fancy hotel wedding; how many women get the opportunity to have bridesgoats?
palpated my groin was a ringer for Lou Ferrigno.” Most people get that merely having a thought isn’t reason to release it and let it bound around like a puppy. That’s a good thing, because contrary to what women want to believe, pretty much all men are checking out all women at all times. That said, if your boyfriend is a sweet guy, chances are his message wasn’t so much “She’s hot” as it was “I’m hot. Hot women want me.” The implication being “Better hang on to me!” Let him know that hanging on to you takes respecting what you don’t want to hear. As for the doctor’s intentions, considering the prospect of license revocation and men’s tendency to mistake friendliness for interest, it’s possible she saw something in him — and probable it was something like two benign polyps.
Doctors without borders
My normally very sweet boyfriend told me that the doctor who gave him his physical was hot and flirted like she was into him. I told him he could’ve kept all that to himself. Clearly, he was checking her out, and I think it’s disrespectful to tell me about it. — Dismayed A person might “get points for honesty,” but if he’s somebody’s boyfriend, he’ll get lots more points if his honesty involves statements like “The lady doctor who just
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12// April 1, 2012
Second Supper | The Free Press