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::NEWS&VIEWS
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FEATURES | POLLS | TAKING LIBERTIES | ISSUE OF THE WEEK
Solar installation at Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center
Milwaukee Steps Up to Fight Climate Change
T
::BY MARY SUSSMAN
he United States Global Change Research Program released its Fourth National Climate Change Assessment in late 2018 with more than 300 federal and non-federal experts collaborating on the report. The report notes that, in the Great Lakes region, lake surface temperatures are increasing, ice cover is declining, seasonal stratification of temperatures in the lakes is occurring earlier in the year and summer evaporation rates are increasing. In addition, storm impacts are increasing, while coastal water quality is declining, putting coastal communities at risk. While several coastal communities have expressed a willingness to integrate climate action into planning efforts, access to useful climate information and limited human and financial resources have constrained municipal action. The federal report found that human health and safety, quality of life and economic growth are increasingly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, and efforts to respond to climate change thus far have been insufficient to avoid these impacts. This was not helped by a climate-change denying president’s tweets and 78 reversals and proposed rollbacks on environmental regulations during Donald Trump’s presidency. The report also found that, without concerted and sustained global efforts to reduce climate change and buffer its impacts, climate change will result in increased losses to our infrastructure and property, as well as impede future economic growth.
4 | FEBRUARY 14, 2019
Climate Change’s Effects on Southeastern Wisconsin In Milwaukee, we will continue to see higher levels of humidity, changes to the kind of plants that grow here, more extreme storms, higher precipitation levels and more flooding, says Russell L. Cuhel, senior scientist at the Great Lakes WATER Institute at the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences. “It is our politicians and big money that are controlling our national approach to climate change,” he says. “It would be stupid not to mitigate the likely effects that we will see in the near future no matter what happens, but it would also be stupid not to make an effort to reduce the insult.” Cuhel also says that our mid-latitude region will likely see more severe climate change because we are at the interface of climate zones. “The change that we will see here is likely to be more substantial or more erratic than the changes that are predicted for the [rest of the] United States,” he continues. “We are likely to see more extreme events than other places. But for us in Milwaukee, Lake Michigan will moderate a lot of that through its giant inertia.” In Wisconsin, local municipalities are taking things into their own hands to reduce their carbon footprints, despite the fact that the U.S. withdrew from the Paris agreement, and the Environmental Protection Agency has actively dismantled Barack Obama-era regulations designed to mitigate climate change. Like 50 other cities across the country at the front lines of pushback against climate change, Madison, Middleton and Eau Claire recently adopted resolutions to work toward becoming 100% clean-energy cities that use carbon-free renewable energy. Since 2008, the city’s Milwaukee Shines program has assisted with getting 3.8 megawatts (enough to power almost 4,000 homes) of solar energy installed on homes and businesses. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is one of more than 400 “Climate Mayors” across the country who committed to adopt, honor and uphold Paris Climate Agreement goals. The City of Milwaukee has also adopted a goal of utilizing 25% clean energy by 2025 in city buildings and facilities as outlined in its ReFresh MKE sustainability plan.
The Rocky Path to Clean Energy
Recently, however, Milwaukee encountered a roadblock in realizing its clean-energy goals. Milwaukee contracted with Eagle Point Solar, an Iowa-based company specializing in solar installation. Fully expecting to connect solar installations on six city buildings to the WE Energies electrical grid, WE Energies denied the city’s application to do so because the utility claimed that the project was illegal under state law. WE Energies contended that, because Eagle Point Solar will initially own a large share of the project, it would be considered a public utility that is “selling” power to the city. This argument was made previously in an Iowa lawsuit involving Eagle Point Solar. In 2014, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Eagle Point Solar did not act as a public utility when it attempted to enter a third-party power-purchase agreement with the city of Dubuque. Climate continued on page 6 >
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
SHEP H ERD EXP R E SS
F E B R U A R Y 14 , 2 0 1 9 | 5
NEWS&VIEWS::FEATURE STEPHANIE KELLEY
> Climate continued from page 4
Cold morning on Lake Michigan
Brrr! It’s Cold Outside!
After denying the City of Milwaukee’s application to connect to the power grid, WE Energies unveiled two pilot solar programs of its own. WE Energies claims its solar program would allow the city to get nearly 40% of its energy from renewable sources, reduce energy costs and generate $80,000 a year in lease payments, says Amy Jahns, senior communications specialist at WE Energies. Solar developers say that such a program would stifle competition in the booming solar industry and create a monopoly for solar distribution by preventing third-party ownership, as reported in the Energy News Network. Alderman Nik Kovac says WE Energies is protecting its own interests in denying Milwaukee’s application. “How can you pretend you care about solar when you deliberately misinterpret the law and change your mind on an application when you know you will lose in court,” Kovac says. “It’s obvious to see what is going on. WE Energies can’t even pretend to be for solar,” Kovac continues. “They are clearly protecting their monopoly on power, no matter how it’s generated. If anyone else tries to be innovative or efficient with money, they will throw their body in front of it. Not because it has anything to do with the world or their customers, but to protect their monopoly. WE Energies has more power than anyone else in our region and has used
their power to expand their carbon footprint rather than reduce it.” Kovac says he’s happy WE Energies is getting into the solar business, but he’s unhappy they are doing it by blocking the existing solar deal. “We may turn out to take their deal on every other city building,” he says, “but we have a deal for six city buildings ready to go, with the panels in a warehouse, and they’re blocking it. It would have been ready to go in November.” The matter has yet to be resolved. In December, the Public Service Commission unanimously approved both of WE Energies’ pilot solar programs. Elizabeth Ward, conservation programs coordinator for the Sierra Club’s John Muir Chapter, says the local movement for clean energy is a response to back pedaling at both the federal and state levels. “Four or five years ago, the state legislature was putting up barriers to clean energy, and so were the utilities,” she says. “The Legislature was trying to change the legislation around wind farms, making it more difficult to get wind farms in Wisconsin, and the utilities proposed mandatory fees or fixed charges for solar, making it less economical for a person to go toward clean energy. “Voters want to see 100% clean energy,” Ward continues. “They are demanding it from their utilities, and they’re demanding it from their governments as well.” Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n
::BY MARY SUSSMAN
As January ended, Milwaukee—along with a huge swath of the country—plunged into the deep freeze, the result of Arctic air breaking out into the mid-latitudes in North America. The extreme cold was a factor in more than 20 deaths and may result in about $5 billion in economic losses according to AccuWeather. It is somewhat counter-intuitive that our sub-zero temperatures may have been the result of climate change and warming global temperatures. During the past 50 years, the Arctic has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Warmer temperatures caused more ice to melt and exposed more heat-absorbing dark ocean water that contributed to warmer temperatures at the poles. A warmer Arctic means that the polar vortex winds are weakened and disrupted by the reduced temperature difference between the Arctic and lower latitudes. The jet stream, which normally swirls below the polar vortex, is also weakened by these decreased temperature differences, which cause the jet stream to meander and to drag frigid Arctic air into the lower latitudes. Conversely, the meandering jet stream also drags warmer lower-latitude air to the polar region, compounding the polar vortex disruption and causing more polar warming. Paradoxically, even with a warming climate, these extreme temperature polar vortex weather events at mid-latitudes are becoming more frequent, according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Meteorological Society. We know that when Lake Michigan freezes over, this generally results in less evaporation, which causes lake levels to rise. With more polar-vortex events likely, wouldn’t this lead to higher lake levels and cooler lake (and air) temperatures in southeastern Wisconsin? Maybe, maybe not, says Steve Vavrus, senior scientist at the Nelson Institute Center and expert on global climate change, Arctic climate, Wisconsin climate and extreme weather. “All other things being equal, we do expect less evaporation when the lakes freeze over, but in order for them to have frozen over, there must have been a lot of cold air beforehand and thus a lot of evaporation,” Vavrus says. “Also, frozen lakes mean less lakeeffect snowfall, so that results in less meltwater eventually going into the lakes during spring. The first of these effects favors higher lake levels, while the latter favors lower levels.” Residential solar in Bayview PHOTO BY CHRIS M. COLLINS 6 | FEBRUARY 14, 2019
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
::SAVINGOURDEMOCRACY ( FEB. 14 - FEB. 20, 2019 ) The Shepherd Express serves as a clearinghouse for all activities in the greater Milwaukee area that peacefully push back against discriminatory, reactionary or authoritarian actions and policies of the Donald Trump administration, as well as others who seek to thwart social justice. We will publicize and promote actions, demonstrations, planning meetings, teach-ins, party-building meetings, drinking-discussion get-togethers and any other actions that are directed toward fighting back to preserve our liberal democratic system.
Harambee Police and Resident Listening Circles @ Bader Philanthropies (3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.), 6-8 p.m.
The Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion has organized a series of listening sessions between Milwaukee Police Department officers and community members. The sessions aim to build trust and further public safety. A free community meal is provided before the session.
Environmental Justice Matters II @ West Allis Public Library (7421 W. National Ave., West Allis), 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The Sierra Club’s Great Waters Group will bring together diverse voices from organizations such as Cream City Conservation, YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin and Escuela Verde to talk about how a traditionally white movement can engage in environmental issues in Milwaukee’s central city.
Thursday, Feb. 14
Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of America Happy Hour @ Lakefront Brewery (1872 N. Commerce St.), 6-8 p.m.
The Milwaukee chapter of Democratic Socialists of America will host a happy hour for new members and people who are interested in the organization to come learn more about democratic socialism.
Tuesday, Feb. 19
Saturday, Feb. 16
MPS School Board District One Candidate Forum @ Villard Square Library (5190 N. 35th St.), 6-7:30 p.m.
Every Saturday from noon-1 p.m., concerned citizens join with Peace Action of Wisconsin to protest war and, literally, “Stand for Peace.” Signs will be provided for those who need them. Protesters are encouraged to stick around for conversation and coffee afterward.
Wednesday, Feb. 20
Milwaukee students, staff, parents and community members are invited to meet the candidates for the Milwaukee Public Schools’ Board of Directors. District One candidates Shyla Deacon and Marva Herndon will be in attendance.
Peace Action of Wisconsin: Stand for Peace @ The corner of Capitol Drive and Teutonia Avenue, noon-1 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 18
CLOSEmsdf Picket @ Milwaukee County Courthouse (901 N. Ninth St.), 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
The Democratic Party of Milwaukee County meets once a month at the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 998 to discuss party issues, priorities and goals for moving Milwaukee County forward.
To submit to this column, please send a brief description of your action, including date and time, to savingourdemocracy@shepex.com.
Democratic Party of Milwaukee County Meeting @ ATU Local 998 (734 N. 26th St.), 6-8 p.m.
A coalition of Milwaukee organizations gather at the Milwaukee County Courthouse every month to picket the treatment of people incarcerated in the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. The group is hoping to eventually shut down the facility.
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NEWS&VIEWS::TAKINGLIBERTIES
STATE SUPREME COURT ENFORCES LAW, NOT RELIGION ::BY JOEL MCNALLY
F
reedom of religion, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, protects the rights of all Americans to follow their own religious beliefs. It’s amazing how many people who consider themselves deeply religious fail to understand religious freedom and instead want to impose their own religious beliefs on everyone else by law. That threat has become an issue in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Appeals Court Judges Brian Hagedorn and Lisa Neubauer to replace retiring former Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. Hagedorn, appointed to an appeals court by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker after serving as the latter’s legal counsel, is an evangelical Christian who once wrote a blog taking what can only be called an extreme, rightwing, religious view of the law. There once was a time in this country when there was absolutely nothing controversial about anyone running for election identifying himself as a strong Christian. The teachings of Je-
sus Christ most of us learned in Sunday School growing up were all about loving one another and treating others with the same decency and kindness we wanted to be treated in return. God was love, right? Well, not in Hagedorn’s version.
Religion of Hatred
Hagedorn’s religion seems to focus on hate. “Another reason why I hate Planned Parenthood” was the title of one entry, describing the women’s health organization as far more devoted “to killing babies than to helping women.” Actually, Planned Parenthood’s widespread distribution of contraceptives drastically reduces unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The organization devotes far more of its resources to health screenings that protect women’s lives than to any other services. The other religious view most important to Hagedorn appeared to be absolute contempt for same-sex relationships. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage equality, Hagedorn condemned the court for striking down anti-sodomy laws used to criminalize private sexual activity—almost exclusively enforced against same-sex partners. Hagedorn compared the decision protecting consensual sexual activity between human beings to legalizing sex with horses or dogs. “There is no right in our Constitution to have sex with whoever or whatever you want in the privacy of your own home (or barn),” Hagedorn wrote. “What if the dog liked it and frequently initiated it? Shouldn’t the ACLU come to the
rescue of the man for having sex in the privacy of his own home (or here, his own doghouse)?” As we’ve said, freedom of religion allows Hagedorn to hold whatever religious beliefs he chooses, no matter how bizarre. His views didn’t become anyone else’s business until he was appointed to the appeals court and now wants to make decisions about our lives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In both positions, his own personal and extreme religious beliefs could be imposed upon everyone in the state by law.
Mockery of Ethics
Cases involving Planned Parenthood—which Hagedorn says he “hates” and the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), which he ridicules as advocates for sexual liberation of dogs—frequently come before the courts. Would Hagedorn recuse himself from such cases? Doubtful. The rightwing Republican justices already dominating the state court make a mockery of ethics. The court’s code of ethics was actually written by pro-business lobbyists who contributed millions to elect the current rightwing majority. The code specifies justices don’t have to recuse themselves from cases involving parties that have contributed millions to their election. Of particular concern is Hagedorn’s view of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that, for 46 years, has protected the constitutional right to abortion for women, now supported in polls by two out of every three Americans. Hagedorn called it “the worst and most unjustifiable decision in history.” Republican courts around the
country are setting up new barriers to destroy the constitutional protections of Roe v. Wade assuring women access to safe, legal abortions. Hagedorn clearly is champing at the bit to start creating similar barriers in Wisconsin. Fortunately, Chief State Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer, Hagedorn’s opponent, is a far more qualified candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court with a history of enforcing laws rather than mocking them. Neubauer’s victory would continue to restore integrity on the court, which has been a national embarrassment ever since the current corrupt, rightwing majority seized control and became a rubber stamp for anything Walker and Republican legislators wanted to do. The role of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has become even more crucial since November, when Democrats swept statewide offices, and Republicans retained control of the State Legislature through such dubious tactics as gerrymandered districts and voter suppression. State Republicans immediately began displaying their contempt for democracy by stripping Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Atty. Gen. Josh Kaul of the political power to carry out the agenda chosen by voters. This is a moment in our political history when it’s more important than ever for Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions to be based on a cleareyed view of the rule of law and constitutional rights and protections. Bizarre religious beliefs about what goes on in barns and doghouses are irrelevant. Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n
NEWS&VIEWS::POLL
You Don’t Think a Border Wall Would Curb Illegal Drugs Last week, we asked if you thought that building Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” border wall would cause any significant reduction in the amount of illegal drugs coming into the United States. You said: n Yes: 18% n No: 82%
What Do You Say?
Do you think that, within this congressional term, some version of a Green New Deal will be taken seriously? n Yes n No Vote online at shepherdexpress.com. We’ll publish the results of this poll in next week’s issue.
8 | FEBRUARY 14, 2019
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
NEWS&VIEWS::ISSUEOFTHEWEEK
Reforming Criminal Justice by Cleaning Criminal Records ::BY GRETCHEN SCHULDT
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he Wisconsin State Legislature may finally inject some common sense and compassion into our criminal justice system through good ol’ record-scrubbing expunction reform that could benefit thousands of people. Please call your state legislators and tell them to support the expunction reform bill. Then, call your parents, friends, aunts, uncles and grannies and tell them to call their legislators. This is our chance to see positive change. Let’s not blow it. There is no end to the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction. They can include losing the right to vote, ineligibility for certain vocational licenses, loss of public housing and ineligibility for student assistance. Once convicted of a crime, “that record follows you around forever,” said state Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee), a prime mover behind the latest expunction reform push. “People change; people reform themselves.” The state already allows expunctions in some cases, but the law is so restrictive that it is only slightly better than useless. First, it applies only to offenders who committed their crimes when they were younger than 25 years old (a nice bit of age discrimination written into the statute). The law also requires the judge to decide at sentencing whether expungement should be allowed. The decision must be made, in other words, before the judge can possibly truly know whether the defendant simply made a mistake or is a complete knucklehead who, indeed, poses a “threat to society.” The new proposal would get rid of the age limitation and allow a defendant—if the judge does not, at sentencing, allow for expunction—to apply for expunction after successfully completing their sentence. The sentencing judge may also order that a record not be made eligible for expunction. But some things would not change under the new bill. The offender would have to have no previous felony convictions, and the crime at issue could not be a violent felony. Certain traffic crimes (i.e. drunk driving) would not be eligible for expunction, and the crime involved in the expunction request could carry a maximum penalty of no more than six years imprisonment. Most importantly, perhaps, the changes would retroactively apply to people convicted of eligible crimes before the bill’s passage. A woman who wrote a bad check in 1980 could have her record wiped out in 2020; a man who sold weed in 2015 could have his record cleaned in 2024. No one is sure exactly how many people this change could affect. Rep. Goyke suggests it could be tens of thousands, as does a Wisconsin Policy Forum report on expunction published last June. No one knows, of course, exactly how many people would actually apply for expungement, but drafters of the reform bill, anticipating a potential rush, are proposing a one-year delay before the new law would take effect to allow judges and court staff to get ready. “This is a big change for the judicial system,” Goyke said. The benefits to individuals are huge. The court files and records from expunged cases would disappear from public view and access. Expunged crimes would not be considered convictions for employment purposes. Employers and potential employers who ask about them would be committing employment discrimination. But the bill is not flawless. It does not apply to municipal court records, for example, and the definition of what constitutes a successfully completed sentence is vague, which could mean future battles over who is or is not eligible to apply for expunction. More iterations of the bill may well be offered in the future, Goyke said. “We also see the need to address something now and pass it,” he said. Gretchen Schuldt is executive director of the Wisconsin Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that advocates for progressive change in the Wisconsin justice system by educating the public about its real-life impacts and partners with other organizations to achieve more just outcomes. Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
ENOUGH POLITICS, LET’S CUT TAXES FOR WISCONSIN FAMILIES ::BY GOV. TONY EVERS
I
made a promise to you and the people of our state when I was running for governor: I promised I would cut taxes by 10% for middle-class families. So, just last week, I set out to make good on that promise, introducing my plan to cut taxes for Wisconsin’s working families by 10%. If you’re a single filer making less than $80,000 or your family makes less than $125,000, you’ll get a full 10% tax cut on your taxes next year. And, if you’re a single filer making less than $100,000 or your family makes less than $150,000, you’ll still see a tax cut on your taxes next year, too. As I’ve said all along, I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I won’t propose things we can’t pay for.
So, I didn’t just promise to cut taxes by 10%. I promised you that I’d cut taxes for middleclass families—and that I’d do it responsibly— by making sure we have a plan to pay for it in the long run. This year, 21 millionaires in Wisconsin, who make more than $30 million a year, are projected to receive $38.9 million in tax breaks without having to create or retain any jobs in Wisconsin to get them. That’s just not right. And that’s why I promised that I’d help pay for this tax cut by rolling back handouts to millionaires while protecting farms and small businesses and giving that money back to families like yours. I had hoped my plan to cut taxes would have bipartisan support in the Legislature. But, instead of working together to cut taxes for middle-class families, Republicans in the Legislature have introduced a competing proposal. Here’s the kicker: Not only will you not see the tax cut on your taxes next year, they also don’t have a plan to pay for it. Republicans are protecting these million-dollar handouts to millionaires, which means taxpayers in Wisconsin will be forced to foot the bill. That’s just fiscally irresponsible. Hard-working families in Wisconsin deserve a tax cut. But you also deserve for it to be done responsibly and to make sure we know how we’re going to pay for it in the future. It’s time to set politics aside and get to work on this critically important issue. Please contact your legislators and ask them to support my plan to cut taxes for Wisconsin families. Tony Evers is the governor of Wisconsin.
FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 9
::CANNABISCONNECTION THE GO-TO SITE FOR EVERYTHING CANNABIS IN WISCONSIN
We will keep you informed each week about the growing availability of legal cannabis products in Milwaukee and what’s happening at the state level with respect to Wisconsin’s movement towards legalization, what’s happening in other states and in the rest of the world.
Verdant Provides Boutique Experience for Cannabidiol Products ::BY SHEILA JULSON
A
s the availability of cannabidiol (CBD) products throughout Milwaukee keeps growing, each establishment brings their own exclusive ambiance to the mix. Verdant (2680 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), a CBD boutique located in the Joyce Skylight Court in Bay View, carries tinctures, capsules, vape oil, CBD-based topical pain remedies, all-natural skin care, sleep aids, women’s wellness products and pet products. James Valona and Tony Davenport opened Verdant on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, on Small Business Saturday. Products are elegantly displayed on glass shelves and on an illuminated counter similar to an upscale department store. “Our goal was to create a space that feels truly professional and welcoming to anyone and everyone who enters and would also serve as a background to the development of long-term relationships with our customers,” says Davenport. “We truly believe in the benefits of CBD, and we feel we would be doing our products and clients a disservice by creating an atmosphere that may be perceived as intimidating and stony.” Valona and Davenport have extensive backgrounds in the health care industry. They had heard from clients about how CBD had helped relieve everything from opioid addiction to arthritis. Seeing first-hand the benefits associated with CBD, the idea for Verdant was born, and they set their sights on creating a business dedicated to providing high-quality CBD products to the public. As Bay View residents, Valona and Davenport also wanted to be a part of its diverse, thriving business district. When an ideal spot opened, they grabbed it. They are also looking to expand and open locations in Madison and Green Bay. Verdant Hemp-Derived Full Spectrum CBD Oil is actually manufactured for them in Kentucky, a state some people might not associate with hemp. “Most people do not realize that Kentucky is a leader in hemp-derived CBD research,” Valona noted. “In our opinion, the quality of product we are able to produce in Kentucky is unmatched at this point.” Kentucky was one of the first states to embrace hemp’s comeback after the signing of the Agricultural Act of 2014, which included an amendment permitting farmers to grow industrial hemp as a pilot program in conjunction with state agriculture departments and universities. Section 7606 of that bill authorized agriculture departments in states that have legalized hemp, such as Kentucky, to also develop pilot programs for industrial hemp research. Like Wisconsin, Kentucky was once a top hemp producing state prior to the midcentury. Valona and Davenport emphasize they are extremely selective when choosing products for the store. “They must meet the absolute highest standards for quality, while being fully compliant with state and federal regulations,” Davenport says. “As an example, Verdant Private Label CBD products are produced in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-registered and inspected, food-grade, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-compliant facility, and they are tested by third parties for safety and quality.” Verdant’s products are also organic, non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free and full spectrum (meaning the oil contains all cannabinoids in the hemp plant such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, protein, chlorophyll, terpenes and fiber). Verdant’s Hemp-Derived Full Spectrum CBD Oils are their most popular products, but demand for topical pain remedies and pet products do not fall far behind. “The number of people requesting pet products is actually growing every day,” Valona says. For more information, visit verdantmindandbody.com; Instagram @VerdantCBD; and Facebook @verdantmindandbody.
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Marijuana Legalization Would Save Wisconsin Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Every Year A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF CANNABIS REFORM
::BY JEAN-GABRIEL FERNANDEZ
P
roponents of marijuana legalization often bring up nebulous claims that legalization would bring “more revenue through taxes” and “save money on law enforcement,” while rarely offering actual facts and figures. What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof, so let’s look at the facts. From a fiscal standpoint, what would marijuana legalization really mean in Wisconsin?
How Much Additional Income Would Wisconsin Receive?
This is relatively easy to answer: More than $138 million per year from sales taxes at the state level with the excise tax of 15% proposed by the bill and more than $2.7 million per year in local sales tax revenue. The revenue could be much higher if the state imposes a higher tax rate. Following a 2017 bill proposed by Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly Melissa Sargent to legalize cannabis, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue published an estimate of the benefits of full legalization. It concluded that $138 million annually after 3 years is a likely outcome. This is an extremely conservative estimate, as “the department estimates that Wisconsin consumers will purchase 55.36% of the volume of marijuana purchased in Colorado,” but Wisconsin is slightly more populated than Colorado. Besides direct tax income, legalization brought Colorado a lower unemployment rate. A study by the economic consulting firm Marijuana Policy Group estimates that 18,000 jobs were created by the cannabis industry, as well as soaring real estate value: Research published in Economic Inquiry found that legalizing marijuana increased housing values an
average of $15,600 per home. Wisconsin could benefit from similar economic boons. This is unquantifiable income, but it represents massive profits for local communities. “When marijuana is legalized, you now have an entirely new industry that is utilizing the services and products of other existing industries,” says Mason Tvert, spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project. “All cannabis businesses need to hire employees; they need to purchase real estate, growing supplies, nutrients, lighting, electricity, paper, marketing, printing, tax services... They will be creating business for many others throughout the state.”
How Much Money Would Wisconsin Save?
Prohibition costs money as it involves law enforcement institutions, as well as the legal and correctional systems. It is extremely complex to determine how much money would be saved if law enforcement stopped tracking down cannabis aficionados as cannabis represents only a fraction of the total cost. There are countless sources presenting varying figures, but most vary from a bit less than $50 million per year to more than $100 million, sometimes much higher. The American Civil Liberties Union estimated in a 2013 study that Wisconsin would save an average of just $44.3 million of taxpayer money per year if cannabis was legal, which is on the lower end. An older study, led by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron in 2010, was more scathing. He concluded that the U.S. would save $13.7 billion per year in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement if marijuana was legal. Additionally, tax revenue would increase by $6.4 billion annually. In Wisconsin specifically, he estimated that $170.5 million were spent in 2008 on marijuana prohibition and that, even without a special tax rate, full legalization would bring Wisconsin $61.12 million annually through sales taxes. Again, depending on the special tax rate for cannabis the state imposes, this increase in revenue would be significantly higher. Presently, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) estimates that 53.4% of all drug-related arrests in the Midwest are for marijuana possession (48.1%) or sale (5.3%). That ratio is consistent every year in recent history. In 2016, the FBI estimated that 28,025 people were arrested on drug-related charges in Wisconsin, which means that roughly 15,000 people were arrested that year because of marijuana offenses; that represents more than 5% of all arrests made by law enforcement agencies that year. As it happens, arresting someone is not free. “As of today, each stop a police officer makes for simple marijuana possession costs taxpayers $425, on average,” says Sargent. That number is similar to the one found in a UW-Madison study, which estimated that one drug-related arrest costs an average of $439 to Wisconsin taxpayers. Therefore, in 2016, marijuanarelated arrests cost roughly $6.5 million. Our state still considers marijuana possession a felony (after the first offense) punishable by up to 3.5 years in prison. In Wisconsin, the cost of keeping SHEPHERD EXPRESS
::CANNABISCONNECTION an adult in prison for one year varies between $32,000 and $40,000. A study by the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice determined that in 2015, a Wisconsin inmate cost an average of $38,644 per year to state taxpayers. That data corroborates official statistics by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, which claims that male inmates cost $32,394 and female inmates cost $39,724. There are currently 23,641 inmates in Wisconsin, and in 2016, 10% of inmates were in prison for drug offenses, so $75.6 million to $94.6 million are spent exclusively to keep drug offenders imprisoned. Unfortunately, there are no official statistics telling us how many inmates are currently imprisoned specifically for cannabis-related offenses, but we do know that 15,000 people were arrested for marijuana offenses in 2016. Each person incarcerated for possessing marijuana costs up to $19,000 (for a six-month sentence) for a first offense and up to $133,000 (3.5 years) for subsequent offenses. Every 1% of the arrests that led to a conviction for the maximum sentence cost taxpayers nearly $20 million. Moreover, calculations do not consider legal costs—such as the cost of judges, bailiffs or public defenders—nor collateral damages. A drug-
related arrest is likely to end a career and destroy many future employment opportunities. That means that each of the 15,000 people arrested every year in Wisconsin will earn less money through employment, spend less money at local businesses and, therefore, decrease their overall contributions to the local economy. While our businesses decry the lack of skilled employees, our marijuana criminalization polices are exacerbating the problem. “Police are spending time and resources arresting adults for simple marijuana possession, which they could be using for more serious crimes,� Mason Tvert adds. “Tens of thousands of people are being punished, whether it is by appearing in court, paying a fine, going to prison or having a permanent mark on their record, which comes at a significant cost. It can harm people for the rest of their lives; they lose their jobs or find it difficult to gain employment in the future.� Moreover, according to the FBI’s data, more than 1/4th of people arrested on drug charges are African American. Most of the victims of the current system are poor people—often people of color—who can’t afford a lawyer, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n
EACH PERSON INCARCERATED FOR POSSESSING MARIJUANA COSTS UP TO $19,000 (FOR A SIX-MONTH SENTENCE) FOR A FIRST OFFENSE AND UP TO $133,000 (3.5 YEARS) FOR SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES. EVERY 1% OF THE ARRESTS THAT LED TO A CONVICTION FOR THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE COST TAXPAYERS NEARLY $20 MILLION
SIGN THE CANNABIS PETITION On Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, the voters of Wisconsin spoke and overwhelmingly supported the legalization of marijuana. The referenda were on the ballot in 16 counties and two cities throughout the state. Both rural and urban, both red and blue, and the referenda were big winners in every place the voters had a chance to express their opinions. For medical marijuana, the voters came in at about 80% in favor, and in Racine County, for example (the home county of Republican Speaker Robin Vos), voters wanted to legalize medical marijuana by a vote of 85% for to 15% against. The vote for legalized adult use of marijuana came in at almost 60%. Few public policies ever have the backing of majorities in such strong percentages. Please consider signing change.org’s online petition titled “Fully Legalize Cannabis� because, as they explain, “It is critical that Gov. Tony Evers supports criminal justice reform and FULLY legalize cannabis and include FULL legalization in his 2019-21 budget proposal.� We have a link to the petition on the Shepherd’s website. Please visit shepherdexpress.com to let your voice be heard!
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FEATURE | SHORT ORDER | EAT/DRINK
Onesto Brunch
ONESTO REVISITED
bustling. A warm welcome by an attentive server set a positive tone for the meal. It may be very busy at peak times, so reservations are recommended. If possible, request a table by the window (or outside in summer) and enjoy watching some downtown nightlife. There are several great ways to begin a meal at Onesto. First, keep it simple—the complementary freshly baked bread with infused olive oil is a delight. Or, allow yourself to be tempted by one of the “Jars” ($8), mason jars with tasty, layered spreads, served with fresh bread as well. The Smoked Ricotta, Tomato Jam and Orange Zest jar is a deceptively simple combo, yet worth savoring every bite. Another excellent starter is the Burrata ($12), a soft, creamy cheese presented with tomato confit, pistachio pesto and more of the wonderful fresh bread. There are also a variety of salads available ($5-$11) which looked good. ::BY SUSAN HARPT GRIMES While it’s possible to make a meal of the appetizers at Onesto, you’d be missing out on some of the best handmade pasta in Milwaukee. Mushroom he Third Ward is full of great places to grab a bite lovers will be in heaven over the Wild Mushroom Ragu ($12-$17) served over and have drinks, so it could be difficult for new pillowy fresh gnocchi. Not a fungus fan? Try the fantastic Bolognese ($14-$19) restaurants to stand out. But it’s possibly an even made with tender brisket meat, served over spaghetti. If you’re not in a noodly bigger challenge for a restaurant mood, go for the cherry balsamic glazed Braised Short Ribs to make a name for itself and keep ($26), which are cooked to perfection and paired with seared the people coming back, year after polenta. Whatever you choose to order, seriously consider addOnesto year. In the nearly five years since ing a side of the incredible Caramelized Cauliflower ($5). opening, Onesto has not only succeeded 221 N. Broadway Onesto offers several options for those who want to have in making a name, but they’ve kept it. Popular wine, beer or cocktails with dinner. The solid wine list is domi414-308-1600 • $$ weekday lunches, nightly dinners and a recently nated by Italian and Californian wines, most of which are availonestomke.com added weekend brunch have served to further able by the glass or bottle. Local beers are featured on tap, Handicap reinforce Onesto’s place in Milwaukee’s with more variety in bottles. Cocktail lovers will enjoy Onesto’s Accessible: Yes restaurant scene. creative options, but the homemade Sangria is always a safe CC, FB On a recent evening visit, Onesto was bet if you have any trouble deciding.
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::DININGOUT
Sabor Tropical a Respite from the Cold ::BY LACEY MUSZYNSKI
I
t was fortuitous that I scheduled a visit to Sabor Tropical during the recent polar vortex. If the city was turning into a popsicle, at least I could eat dinner in a place that reminded me of being back in Miami. The restaurant, which opened late last year, took the place of Riviera Maya in Bay View. The space’s meandering layout and furniture is the same, but it’s brighter and more cheerful thanks to a new coat of yellow paint and some Latin dance-themed artwork. I hope some more lush plants appear in the warmer months to amp up the “Tropical.” Owners Jesse Fonseca and Carmen Muñoz have experience in the restaurant industry: They run Blue Agave, a Mexican restaurant and lounge, in Madison. And Chef and owner Stephen Gonzalez also has 20 years of cooking experience. That all resulted in a tight dining experience, including a friendly, attentive server, good pacing and noticeable little touches. A complimentary snack of lightly toasted baguette slices brushed with a bit of garlic butter and scattered with fresh pico de gallo is appreciated, if a little soggy from the tomato juices. I imagine that Sabor’s Caribbean and Latin American menu would prompt some diners to expect free chips and salsa. This is a nice way to avoid disappointment while also establishing that this is not a Mexican restaurant. Empanadillas come with three fillings: picadillo Cuban ($3), spicy chicken ($3) and Creole shrimp ($4). They’re large, nicely filled and deep fried with crisp little bubbles in the dough. The Creole shrimp filling is made with small whole shrimp in a light tomato-based sauce that needs more flavor. Try the heavily seasoned ground beef picadillo studded with cubed potatoes and chopped green olives in instead, which was gobbled up quickly. Plantains play a large role in Caribbean cuisine and are well represented at Sabor. Tostones rellenos ($8-$10) shape a deep-fried green plantain slice into a small cup that gets filled with chopped steak, pork or chicken and topped with chimichurri and avocado cream. Three small cups make up the appetizer, but they’re more filling than they appear. An El jibarito ($11) is a sandwich that replaces bread with massive, flattened and fried whole plantains. As a tostone lover, I was happy to finally get to order this sandwich, filled with thin skirt steak, grilled onions and a mild aioli. It was somewhat of a letdown though, thanks to the soggy lettuce and tomato that had wilted quickly under the just-from-the-fryer plantain bun. The aioli turned soupy from the SHEPHERD EXPRESS
heat, and there were only a few onions. Thankfully, the beef was tender and tasty enough to make a plain sandwich with the plantains once the other toppings had fallen out. Mofongo, a starchy mash of fried green plantains, was the best thing I ate. It was full of garlic, as it should be, and with chunky bits of plantain and a few pork rinds. Get it as an entree ($15-$24) stuffed with chicken, shrimp, fish, lobster or a seafood combination. Though the wooden pilon—the tool mofongo is made in—is a novelty, I’d rather be able to see my food on a plate. Pernil al horno en salsa de chile guajillo ($12) is shredded roasted pork in a deep red guajillo chili sauce served with Puerto Rican rice and a side of tostones or sweet plantains. The pork was moist and delicate, and the sauce was rich and slightly smoky. I wished there was more. Chopped green olives, pigeon peas and small bits of pork dotted the orange, wellseasoned rice. There are a number of seafood entrees to choose from, including salmon tropical ($18) with mango and avocado compote over mashed potatoes; gambas al ajillo ($15), shrimp sautéed with lemon, wine and garlic; and mero entomatado ($15), grouper in a Creole sauce with bell peppers, onions and fried yucca. The salmon’s presentation is lovely, but the grouper is a more unique dish around here. Tropical drinks ($8-$10) are the bar’s specialty, including a blended piña colada served in a hollowed-out pineapple. It’s a novelty to have delivered to your table in the dead of winter. Fruit mojitos are made with flavored rum and not enough mint, so stick to a paloma or coquito, an eggnog-like creamy drink with coconut and cinnamon. With drinks like these and more fried plantains than you can shake a stick at, it’s easier to ignore that snow storm outside.
Located in the Country Inn & Suites • 350 E Seven Hills Rd • Port Washington (414) 803-5177 • www.lepantobanquet.com F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 13
::A&E
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PHOTOS BY NATHANIEL DAVAUER
FEATURE | FILM | THEATRE | ART | BOOKS | CLASSICAL MUSIC | DANCE
Aleix Mañé
Kenneth Tindall
Cass Mortimer Eipper
International Choreographers Compete in Milwaukee Ballet’s ‘Genesis’ ::BY JOHN SCHNEIDER
t’s terrifying creating a new work,” said Michael Pink, who has created many. “It’s even more terrifying going to an unknown country and an unknown company and beginning work.” Pink did that too, in 2002, when he moved here from England to become Milwaukee Ballet’s artistic director. But, this time, he was empathizing with the three young choreographers who’d just arrived from Spain, Great Britain and Australia to create one-act ballets for the company’s biannual choreographic competition, “Genesis.” “I think we really are the only truly international one,” Pink continued. “But the competition aspect is somewhat irrelevant. It’s a nice thing for the audience because they get to vote for their favorite. But it’s just the unique experience of having three choreographers work with our dancers, and the impact that has on the art and the organization. It’s not for money; the cash awards are small. It’s about process, opportunity, exposure and the winner coming back and creating another piece. Every now and then I fantasize bringing them all back—all eight years of “Genesis.” I’d love to have a festival like that, recreate all the works, how about that?”
ALEIX MAÑÉ (SPAIN)
A native of Catalonia, Aleix Mañé became a dancer with the Spain’s National Dance Company in 2006 and a soloist in 2013, worked with many celebrated choreographers, then left the company last summer because, he said, “I’ve been lucky to do all I wanted to do but I want to do more and more. So, I need to improve myself.” He choreographed a solo for a friend to perform in a best emerging dancer competition at London’s Sadlers Wells Theatre. The friend won and Mañé’s choreography was credited. The London audience included Milwaukee Ballet dancer Alana Griffith, who befriended Mañé and urged him to apply for “Genesis.” At first, it seemed too big, he said, “but I need to be brave and try things.” He came across a paper he’d written for school at age 11 about his grandparents’ experiences during the Spanish Civil War. His republican great uncle had been executed. Other family members, lovers of democracy, were exiled in France, Miami and Cuba. “As a child, I didn’t understand it as I do now,” Mañé said. “Catalonia was the last of Spain to be conquered, and people suffered hugely. For ‘Genesis,’ I proposed to do a piece for those people, not to be cool or interesting, but to show the hurt and fear.”
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CASS MORTIMER EIPPER (AUSTRALIA)
Melbourne-born Cass Mortimer Eipper went to Australian Ballet School with Milwaukee Ballet dancer, resident choreographer and 2009 “Genesis” winner Timothy O’Donnell. They then danced together in West Australian Ballet and, in 2010, co-founded a small contemporary dance company. O’Donnell returned to Milwaukee but Eipper spent three years with that company, writing grants and winning awards. He called it “a mind-opening experience, a kind of grad school.” But he wanted to “utilize any physicality I’d been developing over the years,” as he put it, so he joined the Sydney Dance Company and toured the world. “I pushed myself hard as a dancer. I think that gives me insights now as a choreographer. I know what it’s like on the other side.” “I’m much more of a contemporary dancer,” he continues. “I trained through ballet, so I may have built a sort of hybrid form. I like a ‘slightly uncoordinated’ look, but the body that’s achieving that needs to feel incredibly coordinated for it to be effective. I composed the music for the piece. It also has some narration. It’s kind of exploring an abstracted notion of the evolution of the universe and consequently what it is to be human or to be alive; kind of humorous, kind of poignant.”
KENNETH TINDALL (GREAT BRITAIN)
Kenneth Tindall from Dundee, Scotland, danced with Milwaukee Ballet’s Patrick Howell in England’s Northern Ballet where Tindall is now choreographer-in-residence. “It was actually Pat who said to me, ‘Why don’t you send your stuff to Michael?’” Tindall said. He sent Pink a tape of his first full-length story ballet, Casanova. “Not for ‘Genesis’, just for feedback from a person that I think is doing narrative well. And Michael wrote me the loveliest email. He took the time to go through the entire two-hour production and give me his thoughts. Then, he said ‘How would you feel about coming to do ‘Genesis’?’” “I want to be brave in my career, to take chances, and this is a chance to take a chance. I tried to make no choices before I came because I didn’t know the dancers. We’re formulating as we go, which I’ve never done. My piece is completely abstract, but there’s no such thing as an abstract dance. You’re thinking about physicality, but wherever you are in your journey, with your partner, with everything in your life, that’s the creative pool you’re drawing from.” Genesis: International Choreographic Competition runs Feb. 14-17 at the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. Call 414-902-2103 or visit milwaukeeballet.org. Also at the Pabst, Milwaukee Ballet II performs Momentum 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16.
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::THISWEEKINMILWAUKEE
Joe Pug PHOTO BY TODD ROETH Milo
THURSDAY, FEB. 14
Milo w/ Pink Navel and Sb the Moor @ Cactus Club, 9 p.m. Moving from Milwaukee to Maine did little to slow down Milo, one of the most critically acclaimed rappers ever to call Brew City their home. The poetic, philosophyminded lyricist released a trio of excellent projects last year: a sensational album under his Scallops Hotel alias, a collab project with New York rapper Euclid under the moniker Nostrum Grocers, and best of all an album under his Milo moniker called budding ornithologists are weary of tired analogies, his most substantial record yet. Like its predecessors, ornithologists is unflinching in its examinations of race in America—Milo opens the record thinking about Amadou Diallo, and there are reminders of Black Lives Matter throughout—but by and large it’s a lighter, freer record than its predecessors, a little less fraught and a good deal funnier, with some of his dreamiest beats yet. Milwaukee also looms large over the record, which features a couple of killer production cameos from Randal Bravery and Q The Sun, and a guest lecture from Milwaukee artist Reggie Baylor. Milo has billed his current shows as his final U.S. Tour, though it seems highly unlikely that an artist this in the zone would retire from music completely.
Trippie Redd w/ Lil Keed, Coi Leray and Lil Duke @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Atlanta rapper Trippie Redd parks his music at the intersection of several of the hottest sounds in rap music right now, touching on experimental SoundCloud beat, radio-minded trap and emo-inspired pop-rap, complete with guitars. That he blends them all with the showmanship and artistic sophistication of his sometimes tour mate Travis Scott makes it easy to see why the 19-year-old has so quickly become a star. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Redd also has a penchant for viral antics and headline-grabbing feuds, most prominently a heated beef with disgraced rapper 6ix9ine. Redd was one of too few rappers in the industry to denounce 6ix9ine for sexually exploiting a minor, but he shouldn’t be mistaken for a moral authority: He was arrested himself months later for allegedly pistol-whipping a woman. That controversy didn’t stop Redd’s debut album Life’s a Trip from debuting at number four on the Billboard albums chart last summer.
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FRIDAY, FEB. 15
Joe Pug w/ Michaela Anne @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Austin folk singer Joe Pug earned a name for himself (and plenty of requisite Bob Dylan comparisons) with his straightforward Americana of his self-released 2008 EP Nation of Heat and its full-length follow-up, 2010’s Messenger, but he’s not afraid to branch out. Recorded with Califone veteran Brian Deck, his 2012 record The Great Despiser, featured a richer instrumental palette (and a vocal assist from The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn on its title track), while his 2015 effort Windfall modernized his sound with more contemporary production.
WAVY V w/ Warhola Cats and Soda Road @ Anodyne Coffee, 8 p.m.
The Milwaukee chamber-pop sextet WAVY V mine a highly specific era of psychedelic music, the window of the mid to late ’60s that yielded a riches of paisley-colored pop; lavish, British folk; and a variety of brilliant recordings from Van Dyke Parks. The group channeled their love of those ornate sounds into their debut EP W last year, and this month they’re following it up with a new EP titled A. You can probably guess what their third EP might be titled. WAVY V will share this bill with the Milwaukee indie-pop quartet Warhola Cats and the indie-rock trio Soda Roda.
SATURDAY, FEB. 16
Mama Tried Motorcycle Show @ The Rave, 10 p.m.
Nobody will mistake them for paintings or sculptures, but to motorcycle enthusiasts custombuilt bikes are truly a thing of art. The Mama Tried Motorcycle Show treats them as such, displaying more than 100 vintage bikes and unique custom choppers built by some of the country’s finest craftsmen. The show runs for two days, Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17. As the event’s popularity has ballooned in recent years, so have the concerts and after parties around it. Satellite events this year include a kickoff party Thursday, Feb. 14, at Fuel Cafe with a Black Sabbath vs. Metallica spin from DJ Frank Straka, a ‘70s-inspired red carpet party at the Harley-Davidson Museum that same night, flat-track races at the UWM Panther Arena Friday evening, and a party with an AC/DC cover band at The Cooperage on Friday night. For the complete schedule, visit mamatriedshow.com. SHEPHERD EXPRESS
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Illuminati Hotties
SUNDAY, FEB. 17 Illuminati Hotties w/ CRLSS and Ako @ Cactus Club, 8:30 p.m.
Illuminati Hotties is the nom de plume of Los Angeles singer/songwriter/guitarist/ producer Sarah Tudzin, a one-woman hook factory whose nostalgic power-pop has earned her comparisons to Best Coast and Angel Olsen. She channeled her biting lyrics and punky pep into a debut album for Tiny Engines last year called Kiss Yr Frenemies that has all the hallmarks of a future cult classic. She’ll be supported by an inspired pair of Milwaukee acts on this bill: the electro-pop project CRLSS and the indie-pop group Ako, who like Illuminati Hotties have a gift for writing catchy songs with an edge.
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TUESDAY, FEB. 19 Elton John @ Fiserv Forum, 8 p.m.
The great stars of the Baby Boom generation have been slowly but surely aging their way out of the spotlight for some time now, but there are still some voices that it’s hard to imagine the world without. One of them is Elton John’s. He’s been such a fixture of rock ’n’ roll for a half century, and his film and Broadway compositions have only furthered his legacy. As exits go, though, John’s looks to be a soft one: The 71-year-old began his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour in September and says he expects it to last about three years. He also hasn’t ruled out future studio recordings—in fact, he signed a new agreement with Universal Music Group that will cover any new music he releases for the rest of his career. And to judge from his good-spirited most recent album, 2016’s Wonderful Crazy Night, John is still enjoying himself as much as ever in the studio.
More information at mpm.edu/beer
Mass Appeal Presents: Fashawn, Stro, Eri, Cantrell and 070 Phi @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Since it was founded by Nas in 2014, Mass Appeal has developed a reputation as a rap lover’s rap label, with a roster of critical favorites young and old. This free concert, as part of the label’s “Starting 5 North American Tour,” presents five of its acts: Stro, Eri, Cantrell, 070 and, most prominently, Fawshawn, the Fresno rapper who’s been turning heads since his Exile-produced 2009 debut Boy Meets World. Nas executive-produced Fashawn’s first album for Mass Appeal, 2015’s The Ecology.
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 17
::PERFORMINGARTSWEEK For More to Do, visit shepherdexpress.com
THEATRE
“Lightwire: The Show”
In 2014, Lightwire Theater introduced a strange and fascinating new world to audiences in a live performance piece they term “Lightwire: The Show.” In the show, birds grow 16 feet tall, cats fight with light sabers and 60 electroluminescent creatures light up the stage in what must surely be quite the visual spectacle. There is a plot at work here. The story begins with an outcast young bird trying to come to terms with a strange new power he’s been given. Banished from his tribe for being different, he wanders his planet where danger lurks everywhere. A chance encounter with a warrior cat creates an unlikely friendship and together they have the potential to save their world from an alien species seeking to destroy it. Lightwire Theater has been featured as semi-finalists on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The group combines theater and technology to bring stories to life in complete darkness and are internationally recognized for their signature brand of electroluminescent artistry. (John Jahn) Friday, Feb. 15, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Ave. For tickets, call 414-766-5049 or visit southmilwaukeepac.org.
Image of an Unknown Young Woman Thur & Fri
Feb 21 & 22 2019
In the New Chamber
In a story seemingly ripped from the headlines, Image of an Unknown Young Woman asks the question, what happens when an online picture (or, in this case, a shocking video) goes viral? In this compelling play, a video of a young woman being shot sparks an uprising. When uploaded to the internet, this image takes on a life and momentum of its own, profoundly affecting the array of characters in their separate lives. Image of an Unknown Young Woman, being presented by Marquette University students and faculty, is a play that boldly examines the intersections of society, revolution and social media. It provides a gripping reflection on what grabs our attention and on our unacknowledged capacity for rage and violence. It is recommended for mature audiences. (John Jahn) Feb. 15-24 at Marquette University Helfaer Theatre, 525 N. 13th St. For tickets, call 800-222-6544 or visit marquette.edu.
CLASSICALMUSIC
“Brilliance and Romance”
presentmusic.org
Wisconsin Lutheran College’s energetic Philomusica String Quartet remains the school’s resident string quartet for this, its 11th season. As such, these polished professionals continue to delight their loyal, growing audiences with jewels of the vast and variegated string quartet repertoire. The works on the quartet’s February concert, titled “Brilliance and Romance” aptly enough, are Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1; Antonín Dvořák’s Romance from his String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 9; Anton Bruckner’s Rondo in C minor for String Quartet; and Edvard Grieg’s String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27. (John Jahn) Monday, Feb.18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for Arts and Performance at Schwan Concert Hall, 8815 W. Wisconsin Ave. For tickets, visit wlc.edu.
Experimental Exceptional Extraordinary (in the Jan Serr Studio) 18 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
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F E B R U A R Y 14 , 2 0 1 9 | 19
A&E::INREVIEW
‘Grey Gardens’ Explores the Complexities of Family and Shared Experience ::BY BLAINE SCHULTZ
Theatre Gigante’s ‘Enemy of the People’
THEATRE
When a Public Servant is Branded as an ‘Enemy of the People’ ::BY RUSS BICKERSTAFF
E
conomy and ecology lock in an uneasy dance of politics delicately reflected on a small stage as Theatre Gigante presents Enemy of the People. Isabelle Kralj and Mark Anderson’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic opens with song and movement celebrating the opening of a new health spa. Flowers, chocolates and samples of lotion are jubilantly handed out to the audience to promote the birth of a bustling tourist economy in a small town. Emmitt Morgans marches a troubled heroic path through the narrative as a doctor who has discovered that the water in the spa is a threat to public health. David Flores asserts a slimy, duplicitous, politician’s presence as the town’s mayor, who looks to discredit the good doctor in order to maintain the strong economy generated by the spa. The conflict between doctor and mayor is supported by an emotionally energetic ensemble led by the voice and acoustic guitar of Ben Yela, who also serves as the doctor’s strongest ally through the turbulent journey of someone determined to serve the public good. Catchy songs throughout the production written by Jason Powell and the impressive charm of the ensemble serve to cut some of the overwhelming frustration Kralj and Anderson have carved into their adaptation. The politics covered in the show are tragically familiar to anyone who has been paying attention to the current administration’s anti-environmentalist policies. Theatre Gigante deftly highlights the complexities of contemporary politics echoing through Ibsen with a small ensemble on a very small stage. Overwhelmingly complex issues of human survival become tragically comprehensible in a humble 80-minute narrative. Through Feb. 16 at Kenilworth 508 Theatre, 1925 E. Kenilworth Place. For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit theatregigante.org.
E
dith Bouvier Beale (aka Big Edie) sits in her comfortable chair, swaddled in a housecoat, her stream-ofconsciousness commentary ricochets from her short-lived singing career to the menagerie of cats to anything else of little consequence. Then, like a bolt from the blue, she aims a savage comment at her daughter, Edith Bouvier Beale (Little Edie). Based on the film by the same name, the musical Grey Gardens examines the dissolution of American royalty, recrimination and regret as played out in a symbiotic-yet-dysfunctional family dynamic. After filming documentaries on the Monterey Pop Music Festival and The Rolling Stones, Albert and David Maysles released Grey Gardens (1975), a documentary on the mother and daughter who were living in a shambolic, 14-room mansion in East Hampton, N.Y. When tabloids picked up on code violations and eviction proceedings, the Bouvier’s cousins/aunts Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Caroline Lee Radziwill temporarily bailed them out financially. Windfall Theatre’s production of the 2006 musi-
cal by Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie splits the chronology into two acts: 1941, when Little Edie recalls her engagement party to Joseph Kennedy Jr., an event sabotaged by her own mother (in fact, all her potential suitors are run off in similar fashion); and 1973, which involves mother and daughter’s tortured pas de deux, blaming each other for lives squandered. Michelle Waide as Big Edie and Amanda Hull as Little Edie portray the duo as scathing and resignedly supportive. Songs move the story along at a good clip; Donna Kummer’s piano accompaniment is wonderful. At times, the principals singing over each other intensifies the underlying tension. Humor and sadness exist side by side in the Mayslesinspired second act, which finds Big Edie benignly begoggled behind her thick glasses and her daughter shabbily fashioned in her safety-pinned creations. Mom’s husband long ago got a Mexican divorce, and her boogie-woogie piano playing gigolo (Adam Qutaishat as her “soul mate,” a boozy but pragmatic George Gould Strong) is but a recurring memory. Her daughter’s aspirations of stardom in the Big Apple and her (imagined?) dreams of happiness with Kennedy vanished long before he died in World War II. The future Jackie O (Robin Lewis) and Princess Lee (Hayley San Fillippo) show up as precocious teenagers. Tom Marks works double duty as patriarch J.V. Major Bouvier Jr. and a spirited Norman Vincent Peale leading the company in “Choose To Be Happy.” Does social standing qualify the Bouvier’s behavior as eccentric when mental illness might be more accurate in explaining the blurred lines between reality and denial? Edie’s claim the she is not her mother’s daughter but her shadow, rings true. When mother requests a snack of pate, her daughter obliges with a tin that just might be cat food. That thin line again. Grey Gardens presents a family dynamic as rich and tragic as Tennessee Williams: Those on the outside are clamoring to get in, and those on the inside are dying to leave. Through Feb. 23 at Village Church Arts, 130 E. Juneau Ave. For tickets, call 414-332-3963 or visit windfalltheatre.com.
Windfall’s ‘Grey Gardens’ 20 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
THEATRE
Village Playhouse Captures the Characters in ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ ::BY ANNE SIEGEL
F
or some of the best acting in the Milwaukee suburbs, head over to West Allis’ Village Playhouse for Driving Miss Daisy, playwright Alfred Uhry’s Valentine to respect and friendship. Village Playhouse has 50 seats and is situated within an art gallery. The art deco chandeliers both inside the playhouse and in the concession room are well worth admiring. The building’s restored lights, molding and cast-iron railing help to transport audiences to 1948—the year in which a crochety Southern lady and her black chauffeur begin their 25-year relationship. Things are prickly in the play’s beginning, before the highly independent Miss Daisy (Mary Buschel) begins to trust Hoke Coleburn, her new driver (Andre Lee Ellis). The whole idea was pushed by Miss Daisy’s adult son, Boolie (Scott Sorensen), who fears for his mother’s life after she crashed her old Packard while backing the car out of the driveway.
Many readers will be more familiar with the 1989 film, which was adapted by the playwright. Uhry’s play won a Pulitzer Prize for its clear-eyed look at racism, but it also has a lot to say about the aging process, as well as the social norms of the period. As Daisy, Buschel offers a convincing portrait of an aging Southern lady. Although wealthy by current standards, Daisy has never forgotten the sacrifices her family made when she was growing up. Under Mary Breitrick’s direction, Buschel’s character is never sentimental or overly sweet. Her hard-won independence, born of necessity, contributes to her strength in old age. While Daisy is the centerpiece of the play, several scenes are practically stolen by the animated Ellis as Hoke. Dressed nattily in a suit and tie of the period, Hoke manages to take Daisy’s demands in stride—to a point. When they are driving to a relative’s birthday party, Hoke tells Daisy he needs to stop by the roadside and relieve himself. She says she doesn’t understand why he didn’t use the bathroom at the filling station they just passed. Hoke must spell out the Jim Crow laws that forbid African Americans from using “whites only” toilets. Similar incidents are included throughout the play that represent the world in which they live. An equally fine performance is turned in by Sorensen as Boolie. An Atlanta businessman, Boolie is genuinely concerned about his mother’s welfare. Sorensen does a fine job of balancing his role’s devotion to, and frustration with, his mother. Uhry’s play has much to say about the power of love and understanding over the cultural misunderstandings that remain to this day, and this cast delivers all these delicious moments in a well-crafted production. Through Feb. 24 at the Village Playhouse, 1500 S. 73rd St. For tickets, call 414-2074879 or visit villageplayhouse.org.
Village Playhouse’s ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ SHEPHERD EXPRESS
PAUL RUFFOLO
A&E::INREVIEW
Danceworks’ ‘Torch and Glamour’
DANCE
Danceworks Performance Company Delights with ‘Torch and Glamour’ ::BY JOHN SCHNEIDER
A
fine torch song like Sara Bareilles’ “You Can Have Manhattan”— rendered so intimately by Ryan Cappleman near the end of Danceworks Performance Company’s Torch and Glamour that he seemed to be composing it—casts a glamor. A hush falls on the audience; we’re spiritually bonded, each in private reverie. The ability to cast such spells is easily glamorized and, therefore, a fit subject for comedy. This is a funny show that delights in silliness and camp humor without losing sight of its subject. Capplemann’s co-star is Andrea Moser. Both are outstanding. Moser plays Love, the show’s emcee. Her performance is firmly grounded in intelligent compassion. Cappelman, as Sex, is no-less kind. The evening is arranged as numbers in a splashy, flashy, noclass lounge act. Brazen performances from the cast keep it defiantly vulnerable. After a tiny prologue on the fun of dress-up and make-up, the overture from Judy Garland’s great late-career Carnegie Hall performance introduces Zach Schorsch’s “Making a Comeback.” The dressed up, made-up cast roll around the stage floor to the music of “Over the Rainbow”—bittersweet and no mean feat—then imagine themselves as Garland, lip syncing her version of “When You’re Smiling.” It’s perfect material for comic performances by the likes of Melissa Anderson and Kim Johnson. Anderson continues with a comic ballet she made with Schorsch and Dani Kuepper to a song from Disney’s Aladdin. Schorsch (a human magic carpet) partners her in lifts, but their low-ceilinged apartment makes ballet precarious. Dancers improvise a meeting-and-marriage-proposal story, easily solicited from the audience. Kuepper, in great voice, belts “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” while dodging a barrage of beach balls. From audience suggestions, West Side Story is enacted with the (name a sea creature) versus the (name a mode of transportation) as its rival gangs. On crutches and with one foot in a cast, Christal Wagner sang well and tapped cautiously to “Hopelessly Devoted,” her real-life injury making it all the more pathetic. An audience member’s “awkward date story” is transformed to dance by the company in tutus to the thunderous climax of Swan Lake. Kuepper follows with a personal story I won’t spoil. Andy Zenoni raps impeccably as Cupid with a back-up group that includes Liz Licht and Maggie Seer. Cappelman as Dracula casts his glamor, turning all the dancers into practicing vampires, while Elizabeth Roskopf plays a lovely “Moonlight Sonata.” Through Feb. 16 at Danceworks Studio Theatre, 1661 N. Water St. For tickets call 414277-8480 or visit dancworksmke.org.
For reviews of the Florentine Opera’s “Con Amore,” Cooperative Performance’s Allusion/Illusion and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, visit shepherdexpress.com. F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 21
A&E::FILM
‘Valley of Love’
STRONG tough DEFENDER ‘Taxi for Tobruk’
VERUCASSAULT BR EW CI TY B RU ISE R WATCH V ID EO O N RA DI O MI LWAU K E E.ORG
Festival of Films in French Back for 22nd Year ::BY DAVID LUHRSSEN
Shepherd Swag Get it here: theshepstore.com 22 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
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his year’s Festival of Films in French include 16 films spread across nine days in one venue at UW-Milwaukee. The annual event’s name is significant. Originally called the Milwaukee French Film Festival when it began 22 years ago, the festival’s mission quietly expanded to include the entire French-speaking world. This year’s program is not among the most diverse in the festival’s long run, but it includes films from Quebec, Niger and Belgium as well as France. Anita Alkhas, assistant professor of French at UWM, has been involved with the festival for 19 years. She describes herself as the “logistics person” and recalls how the event grew from five films chosen by its founder, UWM French professor Gabrielle Verdier. “We have established a group of fans and our connections to the wider community has grown stronger,” Alkhas says. “I see familiar faces at the door year after year.” She cites
‘Elevator to the Gallows’
the positive influence of the Milwaukee Film Festival on local film culture and adds that for cineastes, the Festival of Films in French has become a midwinter destination. This year’s festival includes old and new. Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows (7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18) features a score by Miles Davis. African American dancer Josephine Baker appears in the 1927 silent film Parisian Pleasures (7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19). As usual, the festival includes one movie with a North African connection, a 1961 war film starring Charles Aznavour, Taxi for Tobruk (7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 21). Among the contemporary selections are Valley of Love, starring Isabelle Huppert and Gerard Depardieu (9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 15, and 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16); and Django (7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16, and 7 p.m., Sunday, Festival of Films in Feb. 17), dramatizing the wartime-in-Paris experiFrench ences of the great gypsy UWM Union jazz guitarist Django ReCinema inhardt. Special events at this Feb. 15-24 year’s festival include a sing-along before Taxi for Tobruk (the French-Armenian Aznavour was a popular singer); a discussion with “Wisconsin Foodie’s” Kyle Cherek on the documentary Modified (Wednesday, Feb. 20); and talk-backs after Little by Little (Saturday, Feb. 23) and One Sings, the Other Doesn’t (Sunday, Feb. 24). The Festival of Films in French runs Feb. 15-24 at the UWM Union Cinema, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., second floor. Admission to all films is free and all films are subtitled in English. For more information, visit uwm.edu/ French-film-festival. SHEPHERD EXPRESS
[ FILM CLIPS ] Alita: Battle Angel PG-13
Co-written by James Cameron and drawn from Yukito Kishiro’s manga series, this adaptation captures Rosa Salazar’s performance using dozens of censors. Six hundred years hence, cyber-doctor Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) finds a discarded cyborg head and spine, which he fuses with the body of dead teen girl. Alita is born without memory of her past as an extraterrestrial weapon. She loves our war-torn world, defending it from both human and machine attackers. An elite combatant, Alita fights fiercely while loving cautiously and chastely with local boy, Hugo (Keean Johnson). Though Cameron delivers another technological film breakthrough, his perfunctory script fails to hit the “next level.” (Lisa Miller)
‘Black Love Through a Black Lens: Part Two’
The Black Lens series celebrates Valentine’s Day with a program of short films focused on African American perspectives on romance. Included are the London-set UR Mines (directed by Jeff Lucky), the foodie film French Fries (directed by Janine Sherman Barrois), the love triangle of B Love (directed by Shahari Moore), the dating story 90 Days (directed by Nathan Hale Williams) and the coming of age comedy Their Eyes Were Watching Gummy Bears (directed by Raafi Rivero). Dasha Kelly-Hamilton will moderate a post-screening panel discussion. (David Luhrssen) 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Oriental Theatre.
Happy Death Day 2U PG-13
[ HOME MOVIES / NOW STREAMING ] n Charly Cliff Robertson earned an Oscar for his performance as Charly, a developmentally disabled man who becomes the lab animal for an experimental procedure to boost IQs. His intelligence soars with unnatural acceleration—maybe he suddenly knows too much? A period piece with splitscreen visual interest (plus auditory input from Ravi Shankar), Charly (1968) critiques a technology driven, soulless society and wonders if “whatever we say the mind is, we’ll find that it is not.”
n Desert Fury
A technicolor film noir? Adding to the oddness of Desert Fury (1947) is a desert landscape more familiar from westerns than crime dramas. Its smalltown setting is populated with emotionally turbulent characters banging their heads against the trapdoors of life. The editing and hardboiled dialogue is encoded with implications of things left unseen and unsaid. Lizabeth Scott plays the rebel, Mary Astor the strong woman in a man’s world and Burt Lancaster the rodeo rider-turned-cop.
n The Haunted Castle / The Finances of the Grand Duke
In the sequel to the surprising 2017 hit Happy Death Day, college student Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is once again stuck in a time loop that concludes each cycle with her death and the deaths of her friends. While the baby-masked killer returns, the murderer from the first film was killed, leaving the new killer’s identity unknown. Injecting humor into its plot, the first film demonstrated a selfaware streak that audiences appreciated. If this sequel can pull off that same hat trick, writer-director Christopher Landon and studio head Jason Blum (of Blumhouse), promise a threequel, which may finally close their time loop. (L.M.)
An uninvited guest turns up at the castle to the dismay of the lord and his guests. The mysterious Count Oetsch, suspected in his brother’s murder, brings only ill omens to The Haunted Castle (1921). The beautifully restored film by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) is slight but includes foreshadows of greater things. The Haunted Castle is coupled on its Blu-ray debut with another early Murnau film, a light comedy, The Finances of the Grand Duke.
Isn’t It Romantic PG-13
One might expect to find rivalry between British film and television’s grand dames—make that Dames, they’ve earned the title! Instead, it turns out the quartet of actresses—Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith— hang together. In Tea with the Dames, director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) watches as they swap their conflicting memories of their early days at the Old Vic, their theater background and some thoughts on how not to perform Shakespeare. —David Luhrssen
New York City architect Natalie (Rebel Wilson) hopes to get noticed for her work, but her supervisors have Natalie delivering coffee and bagels. A nonbeliever in romantic love, Natalie suffers a hard bump to the head, and awakens as the star of her own romantic comedy. She’s beset by handsome men (especially one played by Liam Hemsworth). Natalie’s cluttered apartment is transformed into a Park Avenue showplace, her walk-in closet brimming with high fashion clothes and accessories and a personal trainer. Likewise, her rundown neighborhood becomes a mecca of charming stores and eateries where residents spontaneously burst into song and dance. To escape this special Hell, Natalie must fall in love and have her feelings requited, a task she finds as distasteful as living in a rom-com world. (L.M.)
n Tea with the Dames
Never Look Away R
The Nazis planned to “improve” humanity by killing those they deemed undesirable, including the mentally ill. At the center of the Oscar-nominated Never Look Away is eminent gynecologist Carl Seeband, an SS officer who transitions into a Communist dignitary in East Germany before emigrating to the West. The life of the protagonist, Kurt Barnert, threads across Seeband’s arc; Seeband euthanizes Kurt’s beloved but unstable aunt and years later Kurt falls in love with a fellow art student, the doctor’s daughter. Rambling but full of interesting thoughts on art under Nazism, Communism and capitalist democracy, the German film was inspired by the life of painter Gerhard Richter (who had denounced it) and a recurring statement redolent of German Romanticism: “Everything that’s beautiful is true.” (David Luhrssen)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part PG Though it sometimes feels like an extended Lego commercial, this sequel sends up pop culture with wit and verve. In the Lego city Bricksburg, things are no longer “awesome” due to an extended siege from space invaders who wreck the city faster than it can be rebuilt. To defeat these interlopers, Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett) and their friends need courage, creativity and master building skills. Their mission will take them to faraway worlds where pop music is used for brainwashing. Yep. Screen writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller hit that nail on the head. (L.M.)
The Prodigy R Sarah (Taylor Schilling) finds an advanced facility to mentor her genius young son Miles (Jackson Robert Scott). However, when he suddenly exhibits sinister behaviors, Sarah comes to believe that an evil, supernatural force has overtaken the child. Fearing for her family’s safety, she looks to the past for answers, only to discover that the line between fantasy and reality is frequently blurred. Viewers also struggle to solve this riddle so no napping allowed. (L.M.)
What Men Want R Taraji P. Henson portrays Ali Davis, a successful sports agent who can’t make partner at her firm because it’s a “good old boys’ club.” On a lark, Ali’s friends persuade her to consult with psychic Sister (Erykah Badu), who has Ali drink a magic potion. Suddenly, Ali can read men’s minds—whether she wants to or not. Confused, insulted and angered by their thoughts, Ali realizes she can use this intel to sign basketball’s next great superstar. Her eyes fixed on the prize, Ali pays a hefty personal price, but hey, no one ever said getting to the top was easy. (L.M.)
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A&E::VISUALART
SPONSORED BY
OPENINGS: “Bouguereau & America”
Feb. 15-May 12 Milwaukee Art Museum 700 N. Art Museum Drive
Todd Mrozinski ‘Trees Among Us’ is Satisfyingly Weird
T
odd Mrozinski’s work might be familiar to local art enthusiasts; his work has been in shows at a number of local galleries, including Portrait Society and Frank Juarez Gallery. He also had a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac last year. His artistic output is worth marveling over. He painted literally hundreds of portrait silhouettes when he was the 2015-2016 Pfister Hotel artist-in-residence. If you didn’t know better, you might assume that all his output was the product of a studio collective calling themselves “Todd Mrozinski.” Of course, that’s not the case, and one can tell from the work itself that it’s all of a single mind and hand. He tends to work on a single subject in series—such as the aforementioned silhouette project—exploring it exhaustively. Examples of one of those journeys into subject matter, in three separate bodies of work, is on display in the Marian Art Gallery at Mount Mary University (through Friday, Feb. 15), where Mrozinski offers 31 recent works on paper of trees in a show appropriately titled “Trees Among Us.” The subject matter itself isn’t particularly enthralling; after all, trees are well represented in the annals of art history. However, Mrozinski’s use of graphite, India ink and printmaking in concert with odd compositional choices outpaces the limitations baked into the content. Given the quaintness of Mrozinski’s chosen subject, mostly in suburban rather than sublime settings, his willingness to go large is satisfyingly weird. It’s rare that scaling up in size benefits a composition. More often, it masks inadequacies. But the five-foot by two-foot graphite-on-paper drawing Winter Walk, and a handful of others, takes advantage of size and scale–or more accurately, our expectations about those issues in relation to his settings. The work also takes advantage of the velvety wonders of graphite itself, especially where he’s burnished the powdered pigment onto the paper. The manner in which Mroz-
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::BY SHANE MCADAMS
inski renders branches and foliage owes a lot to French Barbizon painters like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Charles-Francois Daubigny, which I’m sure he’s happy to admit, though he magpies scrupulously, winks a little and moves on in his own direction. This drawing in particular features two somewhat sad and defoliated winter trees foregrounded against a side street and sidewalk receding into the distance. Dark late afternoon shadows paint their bases and dramatically anchor the foreground. Verticality also serves his drawings well. One of several works titled Summer Walk features a perfectly plumb telephone pole rising in the space where the missing foliage of an adjacent misshapen tree should be. It’s another sad asymmetrical misfit. The rising odd couple interact incongruously with the suburban street setting, almost as if they are aware of the strangeness of the relationship. Even more than scale and verticality, what distinguishes “Trees” is the volume of work. Not works, though there are many, but work itself, as a trace of dedication, observation and cumulative experimentation. There are, of course, pieces in the show that aren’t as successful as others. I’m not as drawn to his prints, for instance; however, even those strike the viewer as ongoing research for the greater project of seeing and making. Pablo Picasso famously said, “inspiration exists, but it has to find you working,” which makes a lot of sense for someone as productive as Picasso was. I’ve wondered if this quote was merely the convenient rationalization of an artist who produced like a genius on amphetamines. I think my skepticism is due to the fact that I, and many others I know, are more likely to have to wait for creative revelation while scrubbing in the shower, while others can simply chase it down by scrubbing pigment onto paper. It begs the question: Is art-making and thought one moment or two? A chicken-or-egg-issue, perhaps, but combining it all into one thoughtful, kinetic motion has paid dividends for Mrozinski.
“Bouguereau & America” showcases more than 40 masterful paintings by French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905). The exhibition (in MAM’s Baker/Rowland Galleries) will explore the artist’s remarkable popularity throughout our nation’s Gilded Age (late 1860s to the early 1900s). During this time, owning a Bouguereau was de rigueur for someone who wanted to be seen as a serious collector. His grand canvases brought a sense of classic sophistication to newly formed collections. Their chastely sensual maidens, Raphaelesque Madonnas and improbably pristine peasant children mirror the age’s beliefs, mores, social problems and desires. For more information, visit mam.org.
Fused Silver Loop Earrings: A Workshop with Leslie Perrino Sunday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Lynden Sculpture Garden 2145 W. Brown Deer Road
“Fusing” is an ancient technique used to permanently connect precious metals; in this case, fine (that is, pure) silver wire. Cleaner, faster and less toxic than soldering, fusing involves the use of a hand torch. Leslie Perrino shows workshop attendees how to fuse this wire into loops that can then be made into earrings—complete with earwires. Once the techniques have been learned, participants can move on to creating their own earrings. There’s no prior experience required; this workshop is suitable for complete beginners to those looking to expand their jewelry making skills. All materials and tools will be supplied (though you’re welcome to bring along your own beads to add to your earrings). For more information, call 414-446-8794 or visit lyndensculpturegarden.org.
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A&E::BOOKS
BOOK|REVIEWS
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Doing Philosophy: From Common Curiosity to Logical Reasoning
(OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS), BY TIMOTHY WILLIAMSON Not everyone will be convinced by Timothy Williamson’s assertion that philosophy is a science or that “thought experiments� are analogous to lab work. However, one doesn’t have to agree with all points in Doing Philosophy to enjoy the author’s unusually clear exposition on philosophical methods—doing so without trying to bring the subject down to some imagined “street level.� The Oxford University professor is especially illuminating in his remarks on being skeptical of skepticism. After all, it’s been the project of tobacco giants, climate change deniers and militant postmodernists to raise doubt about the certainty of any knowledge. As Williamson puts it: “A life that never engages with philosophical theories is not fully reflective.� Of course, he would admit that he wasn’t first to think of that axiom. (David Luhrssen)
Last Days of Theresienstadt (UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS), BY EVA NOACK-MOSSE
For years Eva Noack-Mosse tried to convince her cousin, the distinguished University of Wisconsin history professor George Mosse, to publish her concentration camp memoir in the U.S. How appropriate that her account has finally surfaced as part of the UW Press’ George L. Mosse Series. Noack-Mosse tells an unusual Holocaust story. As a Jew married to an “Aryan,� she enjoyed special if precarious status until February 1945, when the Nazi regime began to kill all remaining Jews under their control. Her captivity in Theresienstadt, the camp the Nazis showed to foreign visitors, was less abysmal than that which was endured by Elie Wiesel or most other Holocaust survivors. She had access to a lending library and obtained a mattress in trade for a bread ration. And yet the clock ticked. Sustaining her was the hope that the Third Reich would perish before her turn on the assembly line of death. (David Luhrssen) 26 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
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A&E::BOOKS
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS - ISABELLE KRALJ & MARK ANDERSON : PRESENT :
ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE featuring: Ben Yela | David Flores | Emmi! Morgans Hannah Klapperich-Mueller | Katie Gesell Leslie Fitzwater | Ron Scot Fry directed by: Isabelle Kralj music by: Jason Powell, Frank Pahl and Li!le Bang Theory lighting design by: Alan Piotrowicz
Michael W. Twitty
BOOK|PREVIEW
MICHAEL W. TWITTY TALKS ABOUT ‘THE COOKING GENE’
Based on Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy Of The People, this engaging theatrical work, typical of Gigante’s hybrid style, addresses a number of challenges that remain highly relevant today. Environmental issues vs. economic interests, policy debates, and the moral dilemmas and tensions involved in speaking truth to power.
FEB. 8–16, 2019
CREATED BY ISABELLE KRALJ & MARK ANDERSON Kenilworth 508 Theatre • 1925 E Kenilworth Place
tickets: $25 general • 20 seniors • 15 students giganteenemy.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006 info: www.theatregigante.org
supported and sponsored by
::BY JENNI HERRICK
W
hat can American slaves from the past teach us about food justice today? Southern cuisine—from barbecue to soul food—is integral to American culture, but like so much of the African American experience, even the origin of the Southern culinary traditions has been largely appropriated and used to oppress generations of black Americans. From plantation kitchens to rice fields and tobacco farms across the South, food culture and who “owns” it has long been a divisive issue. In 2011, food historian Michael W. Twitty began an ambitious project to trace the history of Southern food and to restore America’s awareness of its culinary identity by repositioning the conversation of race in America. Twitty is the creator of the award-winning blog, Afroculinaria, which is the first website devoted entirely to understanding and documenting African American food history and its legacy. In 2018, Twitty released his book The Cooking Gene, an illuminating personal memoir that was named the James Beard Foundation Book of the Year. In his quest for culinary justice, Twitty travels through the South to retrace his own family’s history and to document the culinary traditions of generations of marginalized men and women. The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South invites everyone to a seat at the table of culinary history for a fresh perspective on food, race and family legacy.Twitty will appear at the UW-Milwaukee Golda Meir Library, 4th Floor Conference Center, for a panel discussion at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The panel will be moderated by “Wisconsin Foodie’s” Kyle Cherek and is co-sponsored by UW-Milwaukee’s Stahl Center for Jewish Studies and Boswell Book Company.
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 27
::OFFTHECUFF
CRAFTING ROMANCE
Off the Cuff with author Molly Maka ::BY TEA KRULOS
O
n Valentine’s Day, people are expected to get in touch with their inner romantic, but creating passion is a job that romance writers like Molly Maka explore year-round. Maka specializes in the historical romance subgenre, weaving her love stories through a World War II backdrop. She’s also a historical re-enactor and currently president of the Wisconsin chapter of the Romance Writers of America, an organization that helps romance writers hone their craft and network.
What was your introduction to romance writing and what made you want to try your hand at it? I started reading romance in high school. A classmate introduced me to the spinning racks at the library and I never looked back. I decided to write the genre because I believe everyone deserves a happily ever after, and I wanted to try my hand at writing a genre I enjoyed reading. You write World War II era romantic fiction. What draws you to that particular era? For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in World War II. Something always draws me back to that period. From a writer’s perspective, it’s a great era to write because of the various conflicts, the love stories that came out of it and some of the fantastic stories that veterans have shared. What would you say is an important ingredient to a good romance story? Conflict. Both the hero and the heroine need to grow in the story as they are finding their happily ever after or their happily for now. The only way to do that is to throw everything you can to stop it. It not only makes the resolution sweeter, but it brings them closer together and makes them stronger. Tell us more about the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. What type of things do you do as an organization? WisRWA is the Wisconsin chapter of the Romance Writers of America, a national writing organization. We have area groups all over the state and we host monthly programs on topics such as writing craft, marketing and research to name a few. We hold a biennial conference where we bring in speakers, literary agents and editors. Our next one is coming up April 5-7, 2019, in Milwaukee. Any words of advice for anyone looking for romance this Valentine’s Day? Be patient and be true to yourself. If you’re looking for the person to find your happily ever after or happily for now with, be true to yourself and don’t try to be someone who you are not. Be the hero or heroine of your own story.
Molly Maka PHOTO BY STUDIO 16 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Molly Maka’s work can be found on her website, mollymaka.com. The Wisconsin Romance Writers of America are at wisrwa.org.
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F E B R U A R Y 14 , 2 0 1 9 | 29
::HEARMEOUT ASK RUTHIE | UPCOMING EVENTS | PAUL MASTERSON
::ASKRUTHIE SPONSORED BY
Is Milwaukee Going Soft? When it comes to cooking up a little fun in the bedroom, it seems some guys are blowing their lids before the pot boils. This is a bigger problem than a lot of people think, and I held off on answering these questions “prematurely,” particularly because I ain’t no doctor! That said, let’s review a few emails I received on this sticky situation.
Dear Ruthie,
The guy I’m dating is a premature ejaculator. Sometimes, he pulls the trigger before I even get my jeans off. I don’t think I can take it anymore because our sex life sucks. Is there any hope for him or this how it’s going to be?
Help please, Mr. Clean Up Dear Ruthie,
I think my boyfriend ejaculates way too fast. He says it’s normal. I’ve never timed it, but it’s really quick. What can I do to talk with about this because so far, he doesn’t listen to a thing I say? Any ideas?
(Signed) Quick on the Draw Dear Ruthie,
After my husband turned 50, he started climaxing in a fraction of the time he did in the past. Is this normal for men as they age?
Sincerely, Feeling Confused Dear Clean, Quick and Confused,
Sounds like a lot of guys are shooting their rocket before the countdown even begins. If your guy is jettisoning his bomb before the mission is complete, he might be suffering from premature ejaculation or PE. This happens with a lot of men but fear not! There are several treatments your guy can consider after he discusses this with his doctor. Let your honey know that, like any other medical concern, this is of importance to you. Remind him that you need him to be the healthiest he can be, so it’s key that he discuss this with his doctor or a urologist. After all, with a little input from a medical professional, the action in the bedroom will improve for both of you!
::RUTHIE’SSOCIALCALENDAR Feb. 14—‘Shred Your Ex & Find the Next’ Day at Harbor Room (117 E. Greenfield Ave.): It’s time to shred ’em and forget ’em at this Levi/leather bar. Bring a photo of your ex anytime between 11 a.m. and midnight, put it in the bar’s paper shredder and enjoy a free drink. Stick around to celebrate Valentine’s Day and remember that men who take their shirts off get a discount on beverages. Feb. 14—LGBT+ Adults Game Night at Milwaukee LGBT Community Center (1110 N. Market St.): Enjoy a safe and sober space this Valentine’s when you take in a night of socializing, board games and light, nonalcoholic refreshments. Bring your own game or play one from the center during the free 5-7:30 p.m. get-together. Feb. 14—‘That’s Amore Valentine’s Day’ at Hamburger Mary’s (730 S. Fifth St.): Treat your special someone to a night of food, laughs and prizes when Karen Valentine emcees a heartfelt night of Valentine’s Day bingo. Doors open at 6 p.m., featuring an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet. Enjoy bingo at 7:30 p.m., champagne and more! See brownpapertickets.com for your $15 reservation. Feb. 14—‘Love on Top’ Vers Party at This Is It! (418 E. Wells St.): It’s Beyoncé a-go-go at this week’s “Vers” party at This Is It! Enjoy Beyoncé tunes all night (starting at 8 p.m.) as well as the bar’s legendary drink specials... and let’s not forget the friendliest bartenders in town! Feb. 15—Fetish Night at Club Icon (6305 120th Ave., Kenosha): If you’re swooning over an extra naughty Valentine this year, your dreams might come true down south. Just a hop, skip and jump from Cream City, this incredible club hosts a monthly fetish party that’s not to be missed. Dress in your favorite gear and get your kink on during the 10 p.m. festivities. Feb. 16—Valentine’s Day Glitter Ball at Milwaukee LGBT Community Center (1110 N. Market St.): The Gay-Straight Alliance of North Division High School hosts this free glittery dance for youth ages 13 to 24. Dress to impress in your glitziest glam for the 5-8 p.m. party which includes pizza and snacks, music, DJ and more. Contact jerdheim@mkelgbt.org for information on the ball, including the Gay-Straight Summit taking place earlier in the day. Feb. 17—‘Queens of Heart Drag Revue’ at Lakefront Brewery (1872 N. Commerce St.): If Valentine’s Day slipped past you, don’t worry! This 6:30 p.m. drag show has you covered. A $10 door charge gets you into the show and access to the cash bar and full menu. Felix Valentine hosts the kooky night of postValentine’s bliss. Feb. 19—‘Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ Concert at Fiserv Forum (1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave): Considered one of the greatest performers of our time, Elton John brings his goodbye tour to Milwaukee with an 8 p.m. concert that’s sure to go down in history. Nab your tickets via ticketmaster.com (price starting at $45.50). Don’t miss this chance to wish Sir Elton a Brew City farewell. Ask Ruthie a question and share your events at dearruthie@shepex.com. Follow her on Instagram @ruthiekeester and Facebook at Dear Ruthie. Don’t miss her hilarious reality show on YouTube—“Camp Wannakiki!”
LOVE // LIFE // ENTERTAINMENT ADVICE
Dear Ruthie says,
“Hear Me Out!”
AND FOR EVEN MORE FUN VISIT RUTHIE AND CYNTHIA AT RUTHIE’SBITCHINKITCHEN.COM 30 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
::BLACKBLUE
::MYLGBTQPoint of View
Off the Wall Stages Tennessee Williams’ Rare ‘Small Craft Warnings’ ::BY PAUL MASTERSON
P
romoted as a “once in a lifetime theatrical experience,” Off the Wall Theatre’s upcoming production of Tennessee Williams’ 1972 play, Small Craft Warnings, will, no doubt, be precisely that. Rarely staged, this later experimental work by America’s leading playwright of the 20th century (or at least, depending upon whom you ask, among the top three, but certainly the top gay one), presents a curious cast of eight characters, all of whom should be familiar in their commonly human way. Set in the redoubt of a beat-up bar (think Cheers in Pandemonium rather than Boston), the play’s non-linear structure focuses solely on the characters’ immediate interaction and their attempts at connection. Although there are comedic moments, it’s neither a comedy nor a tragedy. Rather, according to director Dale Gutzman, it’s an “irony.” Reviewing the play’s opening in 1972, New York Times critic Clive Barnes called its tone “seedy honesty,” so expect a certain familiarity. Noteworthy too, is the first staging’s original cast included a transgender actor playing the role of Violet, the flirt. During a recent rehearsal, I asked Gutzman the obvious question, why stage Small Craft Warnings in the first place? Gutzman replied without hesitation. “Why? Because it’s late and it has some of best writing William’s has done with marvelous monologues. Everybody does the others.” Although the others show Williams at his best, they don’t show him as his most experimental. When he became older, his last 10 plays or so, (that have largely been ignored), are considered the most experimental and avant-garde. That’s where theater is going today. In traditional theater, you had to like the characters. In today’s new plays, you don’t have to like them, but you have to see into them and their souls. Especially interesting are Small Craft Warnings’ characters: all are aspects of Tennessee Williams. Writers naturally put themselves into their characters, but Williams uses all of them in this play to portray his personal demons. Of those demons, there are two gay guys, an elderly bitter alcoholic screenwriter who can’t like anyone who likes him and his hopeful, much younger pick-up. A third appears as a memory. Jim Strange plays Quentin, the older of the two. “I admit I identify with him,” Strange said, “perhaps more than I should.” His temporary other half, starry eyed Bobby, is portrayed by Jake Russell. “It’s one of the most challenging roles I’ve ever done. It’s a lot of staying out of my head. What keeps him in the bar is how interesting everyone else is. It’s Tennessee Williams before he started writing,” Russell said. The remaining characters are easily recognized distillations of Williams’ desperately flawed stock characters. Doc (Mike Pacaro) is a Big Daddy while heroine Leona (Marilyn White), who bears the brunt of the action, is, although equally damaged, the brassy antithesis of delicate flower Blanche DuBois. Gutzman, among Milwaukee’s black box theater directors, has given us decades of exceptional, often quirky, gender-bending or otherwise off-the-beaten-path performances. This rare production shouldn’t disappoint. Small Craft Warnings runs Feb. 21-March 3 at Off the Wall Theatre, 127 E. Wells St. SHEPHERD EXPRESS
&RAINBOW
Well, it’s Valentine’s Day ::BY CHRISTOPHER WALTON
I
decided to talk about love for this column, specifically from my point of view as a black gay man. That radical love in a time where being just a black male in some spaces can cause purse clutches and snarls. That self-love to say I am worth it—not only to love someone of the same gender but also of the same race openly (and proudly). Love in this world, and in the LGBTQ community, is difficult to find at best and exhausting at worse. In a society where swiping left or swiping right will generally get you a date and potentially more, finding that real, everlasting love that can withstand the growing pains of bringing two separate people together is both remarkable and possible. To be in a gay relationship, especially two gay black men in a relationship, is to grab the bull by the horns and say, “Alright world, let’s go!” You have to fight for acceptance and validation. You have to prepare for the inevitable moment where you might get an odd stare from your own tribe, which cuts a little harder as a group within an already oppressed minority. You have to deal with the potentially unwelcoming family member or the zealot screaming from across the street because they know better than to actually approach. You have to be certain that your partner, without a shadow of a doubt, has your best interest at heart at all times and that you have their complete and total trust. This is your loyal sidekick in the buddy comedy that is potentially the rest of your life. There’s a little bit of luck to find someone you feel is worth the trials that may come and being willing to support them through it all. I’ve been lucky in my life to find that love, because age doesn’t always equal wisdom. I fell in love with a person I truly believe is quite possibly the most amazing person in the world. He’s probably reading this and preparing to dig himself into a hole to hide from such a public display of affection, so I will keep it brief: His smile, his eyes and his personality. The way the sun shines off of his flawlessly perfect skin just amazes me. Yep, I’m still butterflies in the stomach, disgustingly sweet over him. We are not close to perfect. It’s hard trying to balance out a relationship with things like work, family, friends and maybe your own personal moment to just silently read a book and decompress from the stresses of life. We both had moments where we probably checked our bank accounts to make sure we had enough money to bail ourselves out of jail because one left dishes in the sink and didn’t wash them for a few days or one just abandoned their towel on the bed of all places after drying off while getting dressed... But the love was there and that’s all that matters. Maintaining that love is a constant job that demands and deserves the attention required. Communication, Compromise and Caring are the three Cs to happily ever after. Making sure there is less “I” statements and more “us and we” is important. Open honest communication is the most important thing. Being equally yoked on issues like finances, career ambitions, educational attainment and life goals are the difference between happily ever after and deleting pictures off of Facebook. Being able to compromise for the sake of relationship. Knowing when you’ve found that moment where your partner will ask “Can we do this for me” and it won’t be a selfish request but a decision to be made about what direction you are both headed. And yes, you absolutely have to do the little things. Drop off random gifts and tell him you love him more today than yesterday, more tomorrow than today. I personally hope everyone has the chance to experience love this Valentine’s Day or in their lifetimes. Someone to place your head and your cares on their shoulders, and in return for you to do the same. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 31
::MUSIC
For more MUSIC, log onto shepherdexpress.com
FEATURE | ALBUM REVIEWS | CONCERT REVIEWS | LOCAL MUSIC
There’s obviously never been a shortage of political references in Gang of Four’s lyrics, but there’s also a very dry sense of humor, ranging from a line like “Show me a ditch and I’ll dive in it” on the Solid Gold album to that “Girls will love to see you shoot” refrain on “I Love a Man in a Uniform.” Did people tend to overlook that part of the band’s approach, back before irony and cynicism became the norm? Yeah, it’s caught on. But when Jon King and I were writing lyrics back in the day, people didn’t used to get the humor. They were like, what? The third album is called Songs of the Free, and obviously, that’s ironic. And of course, a song like “I Love a Man in a Uniform” is just one dirty joke after another. With this latest album, you’re incorporating a lot of electronics into the Gang of Four sound, including some electronic drum parts and that wobbly bass and synth on “Paper Thin.” Would you say your production values have changed through the years? I mean, yeah, I’m the opposite of one of these bands that has a sound they keep doing exactly the same way. I suppose you could say I make things difficult for myself. I’m not some guy stuck in 1980, I’m here now, and I’m responding to the world around me, both in the words that I write and the music that I come up with. And with this record, I was really into a lot of these kind of wobbly bass sounds and tortuous effects. A lot of what sounds like electronic stuff is actually my guitar going through some kind of weird effect. Andy Gill
Andy Gill Talks 40 Years of Gang of Four ::BY BILL FORMAN
f Andy Gill has smiled even once during a live performance, it would surely have been with his back to the audience. Gang of Four’s co-founding guitarist, songwriter and sometimes-vocalist instead prowls the stage with a perpetually glaring countenance—one-part post-punk rock star, one-part political provocateur—while coaxing staccato funk riffs, stripped-down power chords, and waves of feedback from whatever guitar he happens to be punishing at the moment. Like his band’s music and lyrics, Gill’s playing is somehow both cerebral and blunt at the same time. It’s one of a number of contrasts that have characterized the band, whose origins go back to the late ’70s, when Gill first met Jon King, soon to become Gang of Four’s primary lead vocalist, while attending Leeds University. It was there that their shared worldview first came into focus while taking theory-heavy classes with Marxist-feminist scholar Griselda Pollock and art historian T.J. Clark, the latter a prominent figure in the avant-gardist Situationist International political movement. Fast forward to 2019, which finds Gill as sole proprietor of the Gang of Four name and legacy. The band is currently on tour promoting the soon-to-be-released album Happy Now—their second since King’s somewhat contentious 2012 departure—while celebrating the 40th anniversary of Gang of Four’s influential debut album Entertainment! When it comes to live performances, current singer John “Gaoler” Sterry does an admirable job of evoking King’s urgent vocal style, which has always served as a stark contrast to Gill’s more deadpan delivery. Bassist Thomas McNeice and drummer Tobias Humble are no less impressive when it comes to recreating the band’s angular funk style. We caught up with Gill to discuss Gang of Four’s life and legacy, as well as the prospects of reuniting with King.
32 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
You and Jon King keep getting back together, and I’ve heard rumors that will happen again this summer. Is that true? No, it’s not true. What about the following year? No. No, that will never happen. Really? What happened between the two of you? [Pauses.] Well, OK, in a nutshell, when Jon quit about seven years ago, I said “Well, I hope you don’t mind if I work with another singer.” And he said, “No, of course, that’s fine.” He subsequently got irritated and suggested that, no, I shouldn’t work Gang with anybody at all. And I think that’s not a reasonable position. So it’s a little of Four tiresome working with someone who Shank Hall then quits, and then you work with Thursday, them again, and then they quit again. Feb. 14, It’s like “OK, are you in or are you out?” 8 p.m. And he was like, “I am definitely out.” I’m really, really happy with the band that I’m working with. You know, Gaoler is a brilliant stage man. Thomas is a great friend—he’s been playing bass for longer than any other person that has ever played bass in Gang of Four—and he’s superb. And damn good-looking, as well. I think you said that once about yourself on Twitter. I probably did. That was a while ago. Age is catching up with me, mate. Gang of Four play Shank Hall on Thursday, Feb. 14, with The Quilz at 8 p.m.
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
::::LOCALMUSIC
::CONCERTREVIEW
Soul Legend William Bell Celebrated Stax’s Legacy ::BY ANDY TURNER
W
alking casually toward the front of the stage as the song was ending, William Bell pulled his microphone up and down from his mouth slowly and purposefully as he sang “Everybody Loves a Winner,” sending out solid soul shivers to an enthusiastic audience at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino’s Northern Lights Theatre Friday night. Bell, who will turn 80 in July, introduced the song—which he wrote in 1967 after returning from a stint in the military to find his star had dimmed some—as one about “life.” Despite his dramatic mic moves, Bell is famously not flashy or full-throated like his one-time labelmate and friend, the great Otis Redding. Bell was Stax Record’s first star, and the label billed him as a pipe-smoking intellectual, according to Peter Guralnick’s Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom, where you’ll also learn that Bell once performed as Stanley Kowalski in an Atlanta production of A Streetcar Named Desire (!). Indeed, Bell connects through his introspection and a softness that is still deeply soulful on songs like “Everybody Loves a Winner” and the oft-coved “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” which he also delivered with simmering intensity. Backed by a 10-piece band, Bell delighted the crowd while celebrating the Stax legacy by performing Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood,” The Big O’s “Hard to Handle” (which he also encored) and “Born Under a Bad Sign,” a song made famous by Albert King that Bell co-wrote with Booker T. Jones. He also paid tribute to soul music history at large by including song snippets and references to artists such as his hero, Sam Cooke, Ben E. King and others throughout the show. Bell took a brief break while backup singer Phyllis Smiley, wearing a wonderful flapper dress, saluted Stax legend Carla Thomas with a heart-tugging take on “Gee Whiz” followed by a spin through “B-A-B-Y.” Bell joined Smiley for an enjoyable update (Instagram, Facebook, etc. referenced in the intro) of “Private Number,” which Bell originally performed with the late Judy Clay. An incredible, extended jam of “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” was a definite highlight, as was “The Three of Me,” which leads off Bell’s Grammy Awardwinning 2016 album, This is Where I Live, on Stax. Bell, who has written and performed several of the all-time greatest soul songs, is not necessarily speeding up as he enters his eighth decade, but, as evidenced by his performance at Potawatomi, he’s certainly not slowing down, either, and he deserves every bit of attention and affection he gets.
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
Milwaukee Rockers Yipes! Reunite For a Very Belated Third Album ::BY JOSHUA MILLER
M
ilwaukee’s Yipes! are ready for another encore. The band, which features singer/ songwriter Pat McCurdy, guitarists Andy Bartel and Mike Hoffmann, bassist Pete Strand and drummer Teddy Freese, like to think of themselves as a hard-working rock band with memorable tunes and a great sense of humor. Between 1977 and 1981, they were a staple in the Milwaukee music scene for that very reason. They toured through the Midwest and landed a deal with RCA/Millennium Records, where they would release two successful albums. Their self-titled 1979 debut charted in Billboard’s Top 200, while its follow-up, 1980’s “A Bit Irrational,” earned them a Top-60 single on Billboard. When they played their farewell show in 1981, it seemed like their story may have run its course. However, when they were inducted into WAMI Hall of Fame in 2013, they were compelled to reunite. As they performed together on the live stage for the first time in more than 30 years, everyone felt fortunate to be able to perform together again. “It was really a surprise and great honor to receive the award, to be remembered,” Bartel says. “The best thing was playing those songs on stage for the first time in years, looking across and seeing my friends in the same spots as the last time we played a show. It was surreal, amazing and something I never thought would happen. Quite emotional.” McCurdy also enjoyed the chance to front a “loud rock ’n’ roll band again.” While Hoffmann has been part of two other reunions with E*I*E*I*O* and SemiTwang, this reunion felt more personal for him. “The Yipes! experience has deeper roots, back to junior high with Pat and first grade with Pete,” Hoffmann says. “Yipes! was the beginning, and it’s great to be seen in that light again.”
That excitement spilled over to additional reunion shows, including one at Summerfest. The band also decided to record a new song called “Blink of an Eye,” which McCurdy calls a “powerful, melodic, romantic, yet really wistful” song. “It really captured the bittersweet of the experience of time flying by and the joy of making music together again,” says Strand. The popularity of the song made them realize it was time to go into the studio and record a new album. “After we played our last show in Minneapolis, we said if we did anything else, it would be to record,” says Bartel. “We liked the way the band was sounding, and we wanted to make a Yipes! record that would reflect that.” To achieve this, they set up a studio in the living room of mutual friend Ernie Holtz’s house. “We set up our own studio in the living room of the house we have rehearsed in since the WAMI reunion,” says Bartel. “Mike engineered the sessions, and we recorded all the basic tracks as a band. Then, Pat and Mike moved on to Mike’s studio for vocals, overdubs and the first mixes.” “They sent them to me in Knoxville where I was living at the time, where I added guitars, vocals and Yipes! the final mixes. We tweaked a few Shank Hall things, and there you have it. We did it all ourselves, so it’s a good Saturday, picture of how we see our music.” Feb. 16, “It was the way we did things 8 p.m. from the beginning of Yipes!,” adds Hoffmann, “hands on, recording demos as best we could.” As a result, the songs on the band’s third album, Yipes!!!, play like a natural extension of their past work. “We wanted to show our roots, but with some added maturity that might have been lacking in the first time around,” says Bartel. “I think that years and years of constant playing with other bands has only helped to make us all better musicians and singers,” Freese adds. As the band’s primary songwriter, McCurdy thoroughly enjoyed writing and showing songs to his bandmates. “Some were old, some were ones I’ve played in my solo show and some written specifically for this album,” he says. “I used to be wary of showing the band new songs. This time it was ‘OK, guys—here’s what I’ve got.’” The album also features covers of The Searchers’“Each Time” and Adam Faith’s “It’s Alright,” two songs that remain highly influential for the band. “The covers are indicative of Pat and Andy’s original concept of Yipes! before the beginning,” Hoffmann says. The band’s future past the release show is uncertain for now, though McCurdy says he’s writing songs for a follow-up and there’s also talk of putting out unreleased material. “I think we’ve been given a great gift, to get back together and record and perform together again,” says Strand. “I want to really stay in the moment and take it all in without thinking about what’s next.” Yipes! play Shank Hall on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m.
F E B R A U R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | 33
MUSIC::LISTINGS
::ALBUMS Boy Dirt Car
Grava and Neptune is a Power Station (AFTER MUSIC RECORDINGS) Veteran industrial music provocateurs Boy Dirt Car moved from their native Milwaukee to Minneapolis more than a decade ago. Their cacophony continued unabated, yielding two recent statements of unsettling power. Grava, inspired in part by the upheavals of 1968, is as riotous as that year; bandleader Darren Brown and cohorts derive from all that unrest occasional snatches of mantric melody amid their ambient brutality. Those occasional melodic rudiments are interspersed among electronic gurgles, acoustic abrasions and sinisterly buried vocals rife with conspiracy and apocalypse. Neptune is a Power Station reframes most of Grava’s elements in a more compact dose, with the addition of bleating free-jazz trumpet and bells that wouldn’t be out of place in a high-church liturgy. It was composed as the soundtrack to director Christopher Powers’ 19-minute movie capturing the group in their foreboding, ritualistic concert glory. —Jamie Lee Rake
Townes Van Zandt Sky Blue
(TVZ RECORDS/FAT POSSUM RECORDS) For fans, the release of a new Townes Van Zandt album is like finding one more Dead Sea Scroll or a third tablet with five more Commandments. It’s further guidance in the art of living. Sky Blue drops on March 7, the date that would have been Van Zandt’s 75th birthday. Recorded in 1973, the 11 songs are lean, spare and soulful with fine displays of flatpicking and heartfelt lyrics. In other words, it’s classic Townes. Early drafts of “Pancho and Lefty” and “Rex’s Blues,” along with some obscure covers, make this an album of previously unreleased material worth owning. But the true gems are two never-before-heard songs—“Sky Blue” and “All I Need”—that add significantly to the singer/songwriter’s legacy. “All I Need” is another examination of life by a troubled artist trying to make sense of things, while “Sky Blue” paints a lyrical picture of the natural world touched with the artist’s unique vision, summed up in the lyrics: To me, livin’s’ to be laughin’ In satisfaction’s face Like I said, classic Townes. —Michael Muckian 34 | F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Arcade Theatre at The Underground Collaborative, Jackie Kashian Cactus Club, Milo w/Pink Navel & Sb the Moor Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), The New Pioneers County Clare Irish Inn & Pub, Acoustic Irish Folk w/Barry Dodd Jazz Estate, Songs for Lovers Night w/The Eric Jacobson Trio Kelly’s Bleachers (Big Bend), JJ Eckl Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, One Lane Bridge w/That’s What She Said Lucky Joe’s Tosa, Matt “Hot Love” Tyner Mason Street Grill, Mark Thierfelder Jazz Trio (5:30pm) Mezcalero Restaurant, The Jammers Miramar Theatre, The Funk Hunters w/JackLNDN (all-ages, 9pm) NO STUDIOS, Gears & Roses: Mama Tried Pre-Party O’Donoghues Irish Pub (Elm Grove), The All-Star SUPERband (6pm) On the Bayou, Open Mic Comedy w/host The Original Darryl Hill Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, Scott E. Berendt Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Eric Barbieri Acoustic Duo Rave / Eagles Club, Trippie Redd w/Lil Keed, Coi Leray & Lil Duke (all-ages, 8pm) Rounding Third Bar and Grill, World’s Funniest Free Comedy Show Saloon on Calhoun with Bacon, Amplified Artist Sessions presents: Xposed 4Heads Shaker’s Cigar Bar & World Cafe, The Valentine’s Romantic Jazz Trio Shank Hall, Gang of Four w/The Quilz Sheryl’s Club 175 (Slinger), Acoustic Jam w/Milwaukee Mike & Downtown Julius The Bay Restaurant, Harold Stewart & Friends The Packing House Restaurant, Barbara Stephan & Peter Mac (6pm) Transfer Pizzeria Cafe, Martini Jazz Lounge: Manty Ellis Trio Up & Under Pub, A No Vacancy Comedy Open Mic
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Alley Cat Lounge (Five O’Clock Steakhouse), Brian Dale Group American Legion Post #399 (Okauchee), Nite Trax American Legion Post #449 (Brookfield), Tomm Lehnigk (6:30pm) Angelo’s Piano Lounge, Julie’s Piano Karaoke Anodyne Coffee, Wavy V record release show w/Warhola Cats & Soda Road Art*Bar, Ian Leith Cactus Club, Droids Attack w/Full Vinyl Treatment, Powerwagon & Preomnor Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), A Rose Among Thorns Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: Silk Torpedo (8pm); DJ: Chopper & Slicer (10pm) Clarke Hotel (Waukesha), Steve Vaughn (6pm) ComedySportz Milwaukee, ComedySportz Milwaukee! County Clare Irish Inn & Pub, Traditional Irish Ceilidh Session Fire On Water, The Sunkin Suns Iron Mike’s (Franklin), Open Jam Session w/Steve Nitros & Friends Jazz Estate, The Two Tenors (8pm), Late Night Session: Brett Westfahl Quartet (11:30pm) Lakefront Brewery, Brewhaus Polka Kings (5:30pm) Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, All Messed Up 9 - The Showcase Los Mariachis Mexican Restaurant, Larry Lynne Revue Mamie’s, Kenny J. & The Shadows Mason Street Grill, Phil Seed Trio (6pm) Miramar Theatre, Thriftworks Two-Night Run: Goopsteppa w/ Supertask (all-ages, 9pm) Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom, Matt MF Tyner Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, Robert Allen Jr. Band w/Paul Martin Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Joe 2.0 (9pm), In the Fire Pit: Saddlebrook Trio (9pm) Quarters Rock and Roll Palace, Dance Dance Romancé
Riverwest Public House, Get Lit Showcase Route 20 Outhouse (Sturtevant), Shallow Side (ages 18plus, 8pm) Shank Hall, Big Bang Baby (STP tribute), Ten (Pearl Jam tribute), Super Unknown (Soundgarden tribute) The Back Room at Colectivo, Joe Pug w/Michaela Anne The Bay Restaurant, Mark Meaney The Brass Tap, Joe Kadlec The Lakeside Supper Club & Lounge (Oconomowoc), Tallan Noble Latz The Packing House Restaurant, Mike Prusinsky & The Carmen Sutra Trio (6:30pm) The Underground Collaborative, Insult & Battery: Comedy Roast Battle Unitarian Church North, Wisconsin Singer/Songwriter Series presents: John McCutcheon Up & Under Pub, Billi Russo
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 American Legion Post #449 (Brookfield), Whiskey Flats Art*Bar, John Gay Big Head Brewing Company, Jonny T-Bird Cactus Club, Magnum Opus release show w/Yogie B & Keez, Triple 6 Seoul, Sharrod Sloans, Ayour23, Nile, Larryoung, Burby & Mvgic Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: Michael Sodnik Band w/Max Devereaux Band (8pm); DJ: PsycheDelicatessen (10pm) ComedySportz Milwaukee, ComedySportz Milwaukee! Company Brewing, Mama Tried Afterparty w/Whips & Get Rad Crush Wine Bar (Waukesha), Dave Miller Trio w/Mike Cascio & Hal Miller Cue Club of Wisconsin (Waukesha), Jesse Marie & The Rippers Final Approach, Larry Lynne Solo Fire On Water, Will Pfrang and The Good Land Gang - Post Valentine’s Day Show Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Gabriel Sanchez Fixture Pizza Pub, Matt MF Tyner (2pm) Glen Cafe, Jim the Piano Man (5pm) Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Vocals & Keys Jazz Estate, Mitch Shiner Latin Vibes (8pm), Late Night Session: Ryan Meisel Quartet (11:30pm) Kelly’s Bleachers (Big Bend), Koltrane Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, Honkytonkitis Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, All Messed Up 9 - The Showcase Mad Planet, House Your Body (Jonn Hawley & Elechronic) Mason Street Grill, Jonathan Wade Trio (6pm) Matty’s Bar & Grille (New Berlin), Winter Music: Acoustix McAuliffe’s Pub (Racine), Rock For Vets Concert Series w/ Altered State, BRB (Blues Rock Band) & Krispy Brothers Milwaukee Ale House, Mt. Olive Miramar Theatre, Thriftworks Two-Night Run: Goopsteppa w/ Supertask (all-ages, 9pm) Motor Bar & Restaurant, Bulleit Bourbon Presents BBQ & Blues: Andrew Gelles (5pm) Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, HedCat 13 w/Brett and The Dandy’s Pistol Pete’s, Gimme Skynard Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Michael Sean of Bellevue Suite (9pm), In the Fire Pit: Christopher’s Project (9pm) Riverwest Filling Station, Eccentric Acoustic Route 20 Outhouse (Sturtevant), Mushroomhead w/Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue, Ventana & Worldwide Panic (ages 18-plus, 8pm) Shank Hall, Yipes! The Back Room at Colectivo, Rachael & Vilray w/Taylor Ashton The Bay Restaurant, Anne Davis The Brickhouse (Racine), “Shake the Brickhouse” w/DJ Robert Fleischman The Cheel (Thiensville), Sweet Sheiks The Granville Connection, Pop Up Jazz Club: Joe Jordan & J Vocal (6pm) The Knick, 5 Card Studs Valentine’s Lovesplosion! The Lakeside Supper Club & Lounge (Oconomowoc), The Playlist
The Packing House Restaurant, Lem Banks, Jeff Stoll, Alvin Turner & Omar (6:30pm) The Underground Collaborative, Body Language: Comedy & Burlesque Up & Under Pub, Spare Change Trio
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Angelo’s Piano Lounge, Live Karaoke w/Julie Brandenburg Beulah Brinton House, “Heart and Soul” Valentines Concert w/Rick Fitzgerald and David HB Drake (4pm) Cactus Club, Illuminati Hotties w/CRLSS & AKO Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: John Stano w/Tom Schwark (8pm); DJ: John Riepenhoff & Sara Caron (10pm) Delafield History Center (Hawks Inn), SummerStage Winter Concert Series: Chris Hanson Band w/Robin Pluer (4pm) J&B’s Blue Ribbon Bar and Grill, The Players Jam Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, Katz Sass w/The Spectaculars (2pm) Miramar Theatre, Afton Presents: HarveyGanG, H.G.O.D, Tmac KDB BabyKeish, Koala Z, Big Zan, Dollamann, Emvael, Jay Anime, Guests (all-ages, 6:45pm) Rave / Eagles Club, Ashley McBryde (all-ages, 6:30pm) Rounding Third Bar and Grill, The Dangerously Strong Comedy Open Mic The Back Room at Colectivo, Gospel Brunch (12pm)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Jazz Estate, Latin Jam Session w/Cecilio Negrón Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Poet’s Monday w/host Timothy Kloss & featured reader Tom Erickson (sign-up 7:30pm, 8-11pm) Mason Street Grill, Joel Burt Duo (5:30pm) Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, Open Jam: Christopher John & Friends w/featured band Up & Under Pub, Open Mic w/Marshall McGhee and the Wanderers
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Jazz Estate, Funk Night Mythic Mystics Kim’s Lakeside (Pewaukee), Robert Allen Jr. & Friends Mamie’s, Open Blues Jam w/Marvelous Mack Mason Street Grill, Jamie Breiwick Group (5:30pm) McAuliffe’s Pub (Racine), The Parkside Reunion Big Band Miramar Theatre, Tuesday Open Mic w/host Sandy Weisto (sign-up 7:30pm, all-ages) Parkside 23, Andrew Gelles (6pm) Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Al White (4pm) Rave / Eagles Club, Token (all-ages, 8pm) Riverwest Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, Jazz Jam Session The Back Room at Colectivo, Mass Appeal Starting 5 Tour Transfer Pizzeria Cafe, Transfer House Band w/Dennis Fermenich
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Caroline’s Jazz Club, Jimi Schutte American Blues Conway’s Smokin’ Bar & Grill, Open Jam w/Big Wisconsin Johnson Glen Cafe, Jim the Piano Man (5pm) Hudson Business Lounge and Cafe, Jazz at Noon: Don Linke and Friends Iron Mike’s (Franklin), B Lee Nelson Acoustic Jam Jazz Estate, Klassik X Araminati Duo Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, Polka Open Jam Lakefront Brewery, Ex Fabula StorySlam: “Damaged Goods” Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Acoustic Open Stage w/feature Anson Obvious (sign-up 8:30pm, start 9pm) Mason Street Grill, Jamie Breiwick Group (5:30pm) Paulie’s Field Trip, Wednesday Night Afterparty w/Dave Wacker & guests Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Al White Sunset Grill Pewaukee, Robert Allen Jr. & Friends Tally’s Tap & Eatery (Waukesha), Tomm Lehnigk The Cheel (Thiensville), Tracy Hannemann & Theo Merriweather (6:30pm) The Packing House Restaurant, Ellen Winters & Kostia Efimov (6pm)
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MILWAUKEE CAMPUS Evey is a beautiful cat with some of the softest fur you’ll ever touch. This stunning lady is 10 months old and enjoys people-watching, neck massages, and soft blankets. Like all of our cats, Evey is spayed, microchipped, and has received all of her initial vaccinations. If you’d like to meet Evey, stop by the Wisconsin Humane Society Milwaukee Campus today! F E B R U A R Y 14 , 2 0 1 9 | 35
NOT SO TRICK(E)Y
THEME CROSSWORD
By James Barrick
Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
© 2019 United Feature Syndicate, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication
36 | F E B R U A R Y 14 , 2 0 1 9
DOWN 1. Vesicle 2. Before 3. Hebrew letter 4. One held in custody 5. Off-color 6. Annoys 7. Hallux 8. In all places 9. Bird in falconry 10. Aids and — 11. Youths 12. Umbrella part 13. — ferox 14. Doomed 15. Antiquity
16. Pt. on a compass 17. Small amount 19. Investment option 23. More coarse 25. — Ababa 28. Sound system: Hyph. 30. Having size but no direction 31. Ohio neighbor: 2 wds. 32. Looping shape 34. Public address: 2 wds. 35. Moon of Jupiter 36. Rest 37. Nippers 38. Ability 39. Fabled archer 40. Canadian whisky 41. A fabric 43. Angry email 44. Roundabout way 45. Postulate 48. The higher-ups 50. Violin name 52. Efforts 53. Fish of the herring family 54. People 56. Wounds with horns 57. Trumpet call in old drama 58. Austronesian language 60. Wine variety
61. Hirsute 62. Snares 63. Went after game 64. “Thou — not...” 65. More down 66. Sums 67. Having winglike parts 69. River in France 70. Lopsided 73. Reggae precursor 74. Exposed 75. Knocks down 77. Agnew the veep 78. Sculls 79. Introductory comment 81. Rose of Sharon 83. Eye socket 85. Roofing piece 86. Ziggurat 87. Office worker 89. — -relievo 90. Helper: Abbr. 91. Old Phoenician city 92. Kipling title 93. Time 94. Tasty tuber 95. — de Javelle 97. Kind of ideal 98. Drivel 99. Wall Street event 100. Superlative suffix
Solution to last week’s puzzle
2/7 Solution
WORD FIND This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 12 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.
A girl’s best friend Solution: 12 Letters
© 2016 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.
71. Place in Eur. 72. Tiny colonists 73. Grooming event 74. Moneylending 75. Cheese type 76. Sch. gp. 77. Passe-partout: 2 wds. 79. Fold 80. Isolate: 2 wds. 82. Pt. of AAA 83. Priest in ancient Greece 84. Lunchtime destination 85. Scarecrow stuffing 87. Effervesces 88. — -la-la 90. At — — 91. “Lost Horizon” setting 92. Cutting tool: 2 wds. 96. Custard dessert: 3 wds. 101. Dies — 102. Preference 103. Leggy creature 104. Dozes 105. “I Remember —” 106. — Hebrides 107. Active one 108. Pip
anklet aquamarine badge bangle beads bezel bracelet brooch carat chain clasp cloisonne cluster coral cost crystal
diadem diamond drop earrings emerald engrave eternity facet garnet gems inset jade jasper lapis lazuli link locket
necklace onyx pave pearl pendant pin rhinestone ring ruby sapphire signet silver topaz trinket
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2/7 Solution: A device for every conceivable task
Solution: Looking great
ACROSS 1. Kind of dollar 5. Rama’s wife 9. Native-born Israeli 14. Penny 18. Fit of shivering 19. Tycoon 20. Seething 21. Skeletal part 22. Cousin to Shift and Tab: 2 wds. 24. Entered computer data 26. Relations 27. Sharpens 29. Pub. people 30. Liable to cause sliding 32. Drones 33. Ten: Prefix 36. Views 37. — de cuisine 38. Loud and harsh 42. Coating 43. Tropical area of North America: 2 wds. 46. Side-to-side movement 47. If not 48. Din 49. Outcast one 50. Girl in Cannes 51. — and run 52. Conical net 53. Not sparkling 54. Kind of bomb 55. Radio shows 57. Bobbin 58. Like a castle, often 59. Interference 60. Whey 61. Terre — 62. “— no business like show business...” 64. Echolocation device 65. Old military engine 68. Tricks 69. Intone 70. Nom de plume
S HE P HER D EX P R ES S Date: 2/4/16
::NEWS OF THE WEIRD
::FREEWILLASTROLOGY ::BY ROB BREZSNY AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “A freshness lives deep in me which no one can take from me,” wrote poet Swedish poet Gunnar Ekelöf. “Something unstilled, unstillable is within me; it wants to be voiced,” wrote philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In accordance with your astrological omens, I propose we make those two quotes your mottoes for the next four weeks. In my opinion, you have a mandate to tap into what’s freshest and most unstillable about you—and then cultivate it, celebrate it and express it with the full power of your grateful, brilliant joy. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to the Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, the word “obsession” used to refer to the agitated state of a person who was besieged by rowdy or unruly spirits arriving from outside the person. “Possession,” on the other hand, once meant the agitated state of a person struggling against rowdy or unruly spirits arising from within. In the western Christian perspective, both modes have been considered primarily negative and problematic. In many other cultures, however, spirits from both the inside and outside have sometimes been regarded as relatively benevolent and their effect quite positive. As long as you don’t buy into the western Christian view, I suspect that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to consort with spirits like those. ARIES (March 21-April 19): When directors of movies say, “It’s a wrap,” they mean that the shooting of a scene has been finished. They may use the same expression when the shooting of the entire film is completed. That’s not the end of the creative process, of course. All the editing must still be done. Once that’s accomplished, the producer may declare that the final product is “in the can” and ready to be released or broadcast. From what I can determine, Aries, you’re on the verge of being able to say “it’s a wrap” for one of your own projects. There’ll be more work before you’re ready to assert “it’s in the can.” TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to create your own royal throne and sit on it whenever you need to think deep thoughts and formulate important decisions. Make sure your power chair is comfortable as well as beautiful and elegant. To enhance your ability to wield your waxing authority with grace and courage, I also encourage you to fashion your own crown, scepter, and ceremonial footwear. They, too, should be comfortable, beautiful, and elegant. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1995, astronomer Bob Williams got a strong urge to investigate a small scrap of the night sky that most other astronomers regarded as boring. It was near the handle of the constellation known as the Big Dipper. Luckily for him, he could ignore his colleagues’ discouraging pressure. That’s because he had been authorized to use the high-powered Hubble Space Telescope for a 10-day period. To the surprise of everyone but Williams, his project soon discovered that this seemingly unremarkable part of the heavens is teeming with more than 3,000 galaxies. I suspect you may have a challenge akin to Williams’, Gemini. A pet project or crazy notion of yours may not get much support, but I hope you’ll pursue it anyway. I bet your findings will be different from what anyone expects. CANCER (June 21-July 22): A study by the Humane Research Council found that more than 80 percent of those who commit to being vegetarians eventually give up and return to eating meat. A study by the National Institute of Health showed that only about 36 percent of alcoholics are able to achieve full recovery; the remainder relapse. And we all know how many people make New Year’s resolutions to exercise more often, but then stop going to the gym by February. That’s the bad news. The good news, Cancerian, is that during the coming weeks you will possess an enhanced power to stick with any commitment you know is right and good for you. Take advantage! LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are there two places on earth more different from each other than Europe and Africa? Yet there is a place, the Strait of Gibraltar, where Europe and Africa are just 8.7 miles apart. Russia and the United States are also profoundly unlike each other, but only 2.5 miles apart
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where the Bering Strait separates them. I foresee a metaphorically comparable phenomenon in your life. Two situations or influences or perspectives that may seem to have little in common will turn out to be closer to each other than you imagined possible. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo basketball star Latrell Sprewell played professionally for 13 years. He could have extended his career at least three more seasons, but he turned down an offer for $21 million from the Minnesota team, complaining that it wouldn’t be sufficient to feed his four children. I will ask you not to imitate his behavior, Virgo. If you’re offered a deal or opportunity that doesn’t perfectly meet all your requirements, don’t dismiss it out of hand. A bit of compromise is sensible right now. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In 1992, an Ethiopian man named Belachew Girma became an alcoholic after he saw his wife die from AIDS. And yet today he is renowned as a Laughter Master, having dedicated himself to explore the healing powers of ebullience and amusement. He presides over a school that teaches people the fine points of laughter, and he holds the world’s record for longest continuous laughter at three hours and six minutes. I nominate him to be your role model in the next two weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will be especially primed to benefit from the healing power of laughter. You’re likely to encounter more droll and whimsical and hilarious events than usual, and your sense of humor should be especially hearty and finely tuned. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science suggests that people who use curse words tend to be more candid. “Swearing is often inappropriate but it can also be evidence that someone is telling you their honest opinion,” said the lead researcher. “Just as they aren’t filtering their language to be more palatable, they’re also not filtering their views.” If that’s true, Scorpio, I’m going to encourage you to curse more than usual in the coming weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, it’s crucial that you tell as much of the whole truth as is humanly possible. (P.S. Your cursing outbursts don’t necessarily have to be delivered with total abandon everywhere you go. You could accomplish a lot just by going into rooms by yourself and exuberantly allowing the expletives to roll out of your mouth.) SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In the mid-1980s, a California carrot farmer grew frustrated with the fact that grocery stories didn’t want to buy his broken and oddly shaped carrots. A lot of his crop was going to waste. Then he got the bright idea to cut and shave the imperfect carrots so as to make smooth little baby carrots. They became a big success. Can you think of a metaphorically comparable adjustment you could undertake, Sagittarius? Is it possible to transform a resource that’s partially going to waste? Might you be able to enhance your possibilities by making some simple modifications? CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Mongolia is a huge landlocked country. It borders no oceans or seas. Nevertheless, it has a navy of seven sailors. Its lone ship is a tugboat moored on Lake Khovsgol, which is 3 percent the size of North America’s Lake Superior. I’m offering up the Mongolian navy as an apt metaphor for you to draw inspiration from in the coming weeks. I believe it makes good astrological sense for you to launch a seemingly quixotic quest to assert your power, however modestly, in a situation that may seem out of your league.
::BY THE EDITORS OF ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
Quang Tri Triage
I
n a whole new twist on stomach pumping, doctors in Quang Tri, Vietnam, saved 48-year-old Nguyen Van Nhat’s life in January by transfusing 15 cans of beer into his stomach. As Dr. Le Van Lam explained to the Daily Mail, alcohol contains both methanol and ethanol, and the liver breaks down ethanol first. But after a person stops drinking, the stomach and intestines continue to release alcohol into the bloodstream—even if the drinker has lost consciousness—and alcohol levels continue to rise. In Nhat’s case, upon arrival at the hospital, his blood methanol level was 1,119 times higher than the appropriate limit. Doctors administered one can of beer every hour to slow down his metabolizing of methanol, which gave them time to perform dialysis. Nhat spent three weeks in the hospital before returning home.
A Job for Anger -Management Man! Officers in Madison, Wis., were called to a home on Jan. 20 by an unnamed 34-year-old male resident who went on a spree of destruction when he thought his wife had destroyed his prized collection of action figures. Madison Police Chief Mike Koval wrote in his blog that officers arrived to find an ax buried in the windshield of a car. The man explained to them he had overreacted and used the logsplitting ax to chop up a TV, TV stand, laptop computer and other items in the house before going outside to attack his own car, chopping off both side mirrors and breaking out the windshield, reported WMTV. He was charged with disorderly conduct and felony damage to property.
man, known only as Adel, removed a PlayStation 4 from a supermarket shelf on Sept. 17 and took it to the produce aisle, where he weighed it and printed out a price sticker for fruit. Then, he used the self-checkout line to pay for the “fruit” and left the store with a $389 piece of electronics for about $10. Adel sold the PlayStation for $114 to buy a train ticket. The next day, he tried the same scheme, but police caught him in the act. He will only have to serve his sentence if he re-offends, reported Kotaku.com.
Just a Tad Bit Creepy For UNC-Greensboro student Maddie (no last name provided), there really was a ghost in her closet… or at least a guy named Drew. After returning to her apartment on Feb. 2, Maddie heard strange noises coming from her closet. She put her hand on the door and said, “Who’s in there?” “My name’s Drew,” came a voice from behind the door, according to WFMY TV. She continued talking with him, and when she opened the door, Drew (that is, Andrew Clyde Swofford, 30) was sitting on the floor of the closet, dressed in her clothing. He also had a bag full of her clothes, shoes and socks. He begged her not to call police, and she chatted with him for another 10 minutes, “everything about his life and basically how he got in my closet,” as she later reported. Swofford left when Maddie’s boyfriend arrived, and police caught up with him at a nearby gas station, where he was arrested for misdemeanor breaking and entering. Maddie told reporters she thinks Swofford has been in her apartment before: “We always joked that there’s a ghost in here, because I’ve been missing clothes since I’ve been living here.” She signed a lease for a new apartment a few days later.
Wax On, Wax Off, Purse Gone
and Daily Text Message Horoscopes. The audio
Not So Nice
A BP gas station in Swansea, S.C., was the setting for a reprise of at least one iconic moment from 1984’s hit movie, The Karate Kid, according to Fox News. On Jan. 26, as surveillance cameras looked on, an unidentified man struck Mr. Miyagi’s signature “crane technique” pose ( twice) just before stealing purses from parked cars nearby. The Swansea Police Department posted the video on its Facebook page and, with the public’s help, officers were able to identify the man and issue a warrant for his arrest.
horoscopes are also available by phone at 877-
A 19-year-old man from Nice, France, has received a four-month (suspended) sentence for a clever plot he hatched in September. The
© 2019 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
Homework: Read free excerpts from my most recent book: bit.ly/JoyLuckLove Go to realastrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s Expanded Weekly Audio Horoscopes
873-4888 or 900-950-7700.
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::ARTFORART’SSAKE
It’s the Cupidity, Stupid ::BY ART KUMBALEK
I
’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? And to whom it may concern, I was reminded the Valentine’s Day is just around the corner when I was in the tavern last night honing the final shellac to this essay. I heard one guy say, “My wife’s an angel.” And the guy next to him says, “You’re lucky. Mine’s still alive.” So I’d like to remind all the fellas at this late date to not forget the focking flowers ’cause the ladies go for them in a big way, I kid you not. Like this one woman who was talking to the neighbor lady “over the fence” when she sees her husband coming home carrying a bunch of some kind of flowers. “Isn’t that nice, he’s bringing you flowers,” the neighbor lady says. The woman says, “Oh, great. Looks like another weekend flat on my back with my feet up in the air!” And the neighbor says, “What—you don’t have a vase?” Bading! And I’d also like to remind the gents that I’ve read that the ladies supposedly really go for a guy with a sense of humor. You might want to take that with a grain of salt though, ’cause if that was so true how
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come my name’s Art Kumbalek and not Don focking Juan? You tell me. And then I’ll tell you that it couldn’t hurt to try out a little humor on your gal while you strap on the feedbag at your fancy-schmancy Valentine’s dinner, especially if it’s the first time you’s are out together. Here’s a couple, three little stories freeof-charge that are guaranteed to impress and which you should memorize so you don’t get caught with your pants down in the humor department, what the fock. Two cannibals, father and son, were elected by the tribe to go out and get something to eat. Deep into the jungle they went and waited near a path. Before long, along came a little old man. The son says, “Hey Pops, how ’bout that one?” And the dad cannibal says, “No son. Not enough meat to even feed the dogs. We’ll wait.” Little while later, along comes a really large woman. Son says, “Hey Dad, she’s plenty big enough, ain’a?” The dad says, “We’d all die of a heart attack from the fat in that one. We’ll wait.” And an hour later, strolling along is an abso-focking-lutely gorgeous gal. Son says, “She’s perfect. Let’s eat her.” Dad says, “No, we’ll not eat her either.” Son says, “Why the heck not?” Dad cannibal says, “Because we’re going to take her back alive and eat your mother.” Ba-ding! If you’ve heard the next one, now you’re going to hear it again: Man goes to see the Rabbi. “Rabbi, something terrible is happening and I have to talk to you about it.” The Rabbi asked, “What’s wrong?” The man replied, “My wife is poisoning me.” The Rabbi, very surprised by this, asks, “How can that be?” The man then pleads, “I’m telling you, I’m certain she’s poisoning me, what should I do?”
The Rabbi says, “Tell you what. Let me talk to her, I’ll see what I can find out and I’ll let you know.” A week later the Rabbi calls the man and says, “Well, I spoke to your wife. I spoke to her on the phone for three hours. You want my advice?” The man anxiously says, “Yes. “Take the poison,” says the Rabbi. Ba-ding! This guy walks into a bar and orders an ice-cold bottled beer, swigs it down, looks in his pocket, shudders and orders another. He gulps that one down, looks in his pocket again, cringes and orders another tall and frosty. This goes on for about two hours. Finally the bartender says, “Hey pal, it’s none of my business but I got to ask. What’s with the ‘drink, look in pocket, cringe, and order another’ routine?” And the guy says, “There’s a picture of my wife in my pocket. When she starts to look good, it’s time for me to go home.” Ba-ding!
And if you plan to propose the betrothal on Valentine’s Day, here’s one your bride-to-be may enjoy: Two old friends meet each other on the street. The one says to the other, “What brings you my way today, after so long?” The other says, “I’m coming from the cemetery. I just buried my mother-in-law.” The one says, “I’m sorry to hear the news. But why is your face scratched all over?” And the other says, “The burial was difficult. She put up a hell of a fight.” Ba-ding! So with the Valentine’s Day and all, good luck and god speed with your love and romance. And as tradition here dictates, let me remind you what the famous Greek philosopher Anonymous said about that: “The ideal relationship can only be achieved when one partner is blind, and the other is deaf,” ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.
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