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DECEMBER 21, 2017 | 5

::NEWS&VIEWS FEATURES | POLLS | TAKING LIBERTIES | ISSUE OF THE WEEK

WE claims the plant is clean but neighbors cite health concerns ::BY ALISON HENDERSON

hanging wind carries a suffocating air along the border of Racine County and Oak Creek. Trains screech by loudly in the middle of the night, rattling windows. Black ash coats windowsills, TVs and cabinets. One of those cabinets is filled with more than a dozen medications to treat a young family’s respiratory ailments, while their neighbors suffer from digestive issues, Crohn’s disease and even cancer.

“That’s part of living near a coalfired power plant,” said Frank Michna.

He lives just south of the Oak Creek Power Plant on property homesteaded by his great-grandfather. Michna, who has lived in the area his whole life, struggles with respiratory issues, while several other family members have developed heart conditions and severe forms of Crohn’s disease. He said of the 12 families living on Michna Road, there’s not one without some sort of respiratory ailment.

Bill Pringle also lived near the plant with his wife and three young children until 2014, when one too many trips to the emergency room forced them to move. In addition to the whole family being on medications for stomach issues, his wife’s life-long breathing issues worsened, his daughter had to be put on an inhaler, and his oldest son was put in a breathing chamber. His youngest son, Jason, was born in the house and started having breathing problems a few months in. By age 3, he’d been in the hospital roughly five times.

One day, Pringle came home as his son was being taken away on a gurney. “He was blue; he couldn’t breathe. His oxygen level was 82. They didn’t find anything wrong with him,” he said. A few months later, his son was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia with a 106.1-degree fever. “It almost killed Jason,” Pringle said. “He looked at me while he was lying in the hospital bed and said, ‘Daddy, am I going to die tonight?’ That was the height of my patience.

I was done.”

It’s a story shared by dozens of residents living near the plant, who have become increasingly vocal about the unfavorable living conditions. There has been extensive coverage of the issue by local media, and local organizations are ramping up involvement in the issue—pressing the energy company to address the concerns and transition to clean energy.

6 | DECEMBER 21, 2017

Responding to Concerns?

We Energies (WE) maintains that the Oak Creek plant is one of the cleanest and most efficient coal power plants in the country and operates in compliance with all environmental regulations. WE spokesperson Amy Jahns said the company has responded to growing resident concerns by voluntarily installing an

Exceeding the Limit A 2011 DNR investigation into the source of those contaminants found some of the area’s wells with molybdenum levels as high as 121 micrograms per liter— the DNR advises residents to avoid drinking any water with more than 90 micrograms per liter—and levels of boron that exceeded the advised limit of 1,000 micrograms per liter. (Michna’s well was one of them, with boron levels reaching almost 1,800 micrograms per liter. He said that WE supplied him with bottled water for SHEPHERD STAFF

Oak Creek’s CoalPowered Problem?

air quality monitor in the area, proactively upgrading water technologies to minimize coal dust, installing video monitoring, improving wind breaks and using foam and crusting agents on the coal closest to the homes. She adds that, “Since 2000, emissions at the site have been reduced by more than 85%,” and that in the nearly two years the air quality monitor has been operating, particulate matter levels have been well within environmental limits.

Over the last decade, tests from We Energies, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and independent agencies have revealed the presence of coal or coal ash in a number of homes surrounding the plant. They also showed elevated levels of molybdenum and boron in some residents’ wells; these two naturally occurring elements can be found in higher concentrations in coal ash and in landfills. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to large amounts of boron over short periods of time can affect the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys and brain and can eventually lead to death. While definitive data on the effects and carcinogenicity of these materials is scarce and often inconclusive, the CDC states there have been potential links to cancer.

WE Energies Oak Creek Coal Plant

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roughly four years while they conducted tests on his well water.) But the DNR report said it did not succeed in identifying the source of the molybdenum and stated that the WE Oak Creek-Caledonia coal ash landfills were not the origin of the boron found in area private wells.

We Energies also did testing at Pringle’s home but said they did not find any evidence of coal ash. As his family’s health worsened, Pringle hired two independent companies to test again. The first, taking 33 samples, found coal in every room, and the second verified that there was coal, but found that there was also fly ash from the smokestacks, according to Pringle. “We Energies denies that there is any fly ash from the plant, but it was in my home,” Pringle said.

Pringle said three medical specialists wrote letters to WE after reviewing the family’s independent test results. “The findings … are consistent with Mrs. Pringle’s worsening asthmatic symptoms,” Dr. David Ross wrote in a 2014 letter. “The raw coal dust particulates are again a pulmonary irritant, and they would obviously worsen asthma and any type of seasonal allergies, including allergic rhinitis. Essentially, individuals who have exposure to this raw dust particulate, especially if it is in and around the home, would obviously continue to suffer down the road. It only makes common sense that an individual with this degree of health issues … would only benefit if completely removed from the offending agent.”

“At a certain point when you have this many people coming forward saying this is affecting their health and sharing their stories, it gets hard to deny that there is no impact,” said Miranda Ehrlich, who is part of the new Clean Power Coalition of Southeast Wisconsin. The group formed around growing concerns of pollution from We Energies’ coal-fired plants and their continued reliance on coal power. Coalition members include local residents impacted by pollution from the Oak Creek coal plants and other concerned community members, as well as groups ranging from the Sierra Club to Greening Greater Racine.

Creating a Buffer Zone

A number of families in the area have been involved in a mediation process with WE, as the company offers to purchase select homes surrounding the plant. Jahns said this is to create buffer property and, according to her, WE has purchased 26 homes since 2009.

A data map from the Racine County Register of Deeds shows that the homes circle the plant and are often sold for up to three times the assessed value. We Energies declined to comment on the details of these transactions, but documents and statements from residents show the sales of these properties include a nondisclosure agreement and an addendum not to sue the buyer. The addendum, which was provided by a resident, states:

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

“For and in consideration of the purchase price, the closing credit and the other covenants of Buyer as set forth herein, the seller covenants not to sue for any claims, losses, causes of action, damages or other relief related to the Oak Creek Power Plant … including but not limited to claims based on negligence, property damage, toxic tort, stigma damages, personal injury, health risks (or fears thereof) and/or diminution of property value.”

The addendum comes with an additional $10,000 payment at closing, according to residents who have turned down the offer but asked not to be named.

Michna was involved in mediation, along with many of his family members. He said he was approached by the company’s lawyers and asked to get a group of his family members to sell their homes together. Though Michna eventually turned down the offer, one of his family members sold his property, assessed at $351,700, for $1.25 million, according to the Racine County Register of Deeds. “They offered me three times the value of my house, plus money to move, but I would have had to sign a nondisclosure,” Frank Michna said. “If they want the property, that’s one thing, but now I can’t sue for my health issues? So, what’s the value of my health? So, I die in 10 years from respiratory issues, but I got $10,000.”

Michna said he is staying put, but is fearful of the future as WE recently announced plans to retire its Pleasant Prairie plant. “I’m scared now. I’m really scared, because now the energy they were selling is coming up here,” he said.

But Jahns said the decision to retire the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant will not affect the operations at the Oak Creek site. The retirement, which the company said is driven by economics of the energy market and customer demand, is part of a larger plan to retire older fossil-fueled generation, build natural gas generation and invest in cost-effective, zero-carbon generation, according to Jahns. “We also announced our intent to invest in utility-scale solar that will add to our already diverse portfolio of renewables such as our operation of the two largest wind farms in the state,” she said.

The Clean Power Coalition praised WE’s recent announcement but pushed for clean energy. “There were, no doubt, many reasons to retire the coal-powered Pleasant Prairie plant in Kenosha; all but a few of these could be used to justify retiring We Energies’ Oak Creek plant as well. Coal, despite recent efforts, is in decline. We hope that closing the Pleasant Prairie plant will not transfer the many negative consequences of burning coal to another location, and we are encouraged by We Energies’ plan to add a new solar farm to their generation mix,” according to a press release from the Coalition.

Meanwhile, Jahns says that there are no plans at this time to retire the Oak Creek plant or to convert it to renewable sources.

Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n

DECEMBER 21, 2017 | 7

NEWS&VIEWS::FEATURE Marriage, Family and the Future

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Swag Get it here: theshepstore.com

Marie Davidson with daughter Vicki

A Pillar of the North Side Community Speaks Out MARIE DAVIDSON, 96, ON THE BACKWARD SLIDE OF AMERICAN POLITICS ::BY JERRY HUFFMAN

A

conversation with 96-year-old Marie Davidson of Milwaukee is like opening a living window on history. A singular voice that has witnessed the administration of every American president since Warren G. Harding, she is frustrated by the one in charge now—the one who seems bent on reversing the progress made in voting rights and equal access to education.

“I had enough of that nonsense growing up,” said Davidson. This Milwaukee grandmother has little patience with foolishness.

Born in Alabama in 1921, Davidson is the granddaughter of slaves and grew up learning life isn’t fair. White school children rode the bus. Black children walked to school, dodging rocks thrown by the white kids. The Civil War was nearly three generations past, but African Americans in the Deep South at that time knew there were still rules. If they forgot their “place” in society, they could be killed. For Davidson, it was the generations who came before her that taught the future teacher her most critical life lessons.

“I remember my granddaddy as a serious man. He came to live with us after his wife passed. His right foot dragged because he was a slave as a boy and they beat him and beat him,” said Davidson. “A proud man, he

8 | DECEMBER 21, 2017

struggled to walk, but he kept repeating: ‘I am a man. I am a man.’” Holden St. Clair was, indeed, a proud man, and he passed that pride to his son, Henry, Marie’s father. Pride and a love of education—especially reading—defined their family. In fact, one of Davidson’s most vivid memories of her father is with a newspaper tucked under his arm, walking toward town, where Henry St. Clair was going to teach other black folks to read. That was dangerous in those days, because teaching blacks to read in the segregated South just wasn’t done.

Already derided for being a “smart n*gger” by his white neighbors, St. Clair was putting his life on the line. Not only could he read, but as a farmer, coal miner and union member, Henry was a threat to the status quo. “Those were scary times because the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) often paraded through our community, and we never knew if Daddy was coming home or not,” Davidson recalls.

St. Clair didn’t stop at reading lessons. Each election, he went into town to vote—knowing all the while that the all-white poll workers wouldn’t allow him to do so. “On his deathbed,” said Davidson, “he made us promise we would always vote.” Just like reading, Henry St. Clair knew someday voting would matter and made sure his children understood that.

1950 was a big year in Marie’s life. She married her high school sweetheart, Andy Davidson, and they moved to Wisconsin. The Davidsons built a life in Milwaukee, with Marie working at the family-owned grocery store. Son Steven came first and Vicki a year later; Andy retired from A.O. Smith after 30 years.

Marie is not just her family’s matriarch but a pillar of her North Side Milwaukee community. Everyone in the Deerwood Crossing neighborhood knows “Miss Marie” or “Mother Davidson,” and while she doesn’t always remember people’s names, she always has time for a kind word.

The light of Davidson’s life these days is her 30-year old grandson, Travis. A manufacturing engineer, the youngest Davidson was blessed with two strong women as primary role models in his life—his mother and his grandmother. “Travis still calls me every Sunday night. Those calls mean the world to me.”

When Donald Trump called the protesting NFL players “sons of bitches,” Davidson was appalled. “Imagine a man of his age—the President of the United States, saying that— an insult to all mothers, including his.” Her biggest fear for the future is that we haven’t hit the political bottom yet. “It’s gonna get worse, because we do not have a sensible man as a leader.” The former teacher says she would give Trump a failing 40% grade. “A leader drops good things along the way. He just drops things to make people angry.”

After the steps forward America took in twice electing Barack Obama, Davidson is sad to see the country tilting back to the bad old days of 80-or-so years ago—when the KKK had almost free rein to persecute minorities. “Nothing has changed. [This president] wants to stop others from being educated. And having an education is the key to controlling your life.”

Somehow it seems unfair that Marie Davidson cannot be more at ease at this point in her life. She wants the president to know how profoundly disturbing his erratic behavior is to her. Her family line stretches from the Civil War through the struggle for civil rights, and now she’s witnessing a U.S. presidential administration that is trying to reverse the progress made during her lifetime. The disappointment she feels in this president is palpable.

Marie Davidson raised her children to always do more than was expected. Do more and you will succeed; do less and you’re a disappointment, not only to yourself but your family.

Just like Trump has been to her.

Jerry Huffman, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, grew up in Milwaukee and has been friends with the Davidson family for 25 years.

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NEWS&VIEWS ::SAVINGOURDEMOCRACY ( DEC. 21 - 27, 2017 )

T

he 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 Trump administration, as well as other activities by all those 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.

Thursday, Dec. 21

End of Year Fundraiser for Dan Kohl @ 3 Sheeps Brewing Company (1837 North Ave., Sheboygan), 6-7:30 p.m.

Dan Kohl, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s Sixth Congressional District, will host a fundraiser at 3 Sheeps Brewing Company in Sheboygan. Sponsorship levels range from $50 to $500, though other contribution amounts are welcomed and accepted.

Annual Holiday Potluck @ Southminster Presbyterian Church (200 Richard St., Waukesha), 7-9 p.m.

The Waukesha County Democratic Party will hold their annual holiday potluck, which is an opportunity to meet Democrats from all over Waukesha in a social, warm environment. They will also have their annual holiday raffle.

Saturday, Dec. 23

Voter and Civic Engagement Campaign @ Acción Ciudadana de Wisconsin (221 S. Second St.), 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Acción Ciudadana de Wisconsin, Latino Voting Bloc of Wisconsin and Citizen Action of Wisconsin have organized a weekly Saturday campaign of knocking on doors and phone banking to get people thinking about the 2018 elections. Volunteers can go out and talk to voters about the issues that they care about and get them involved in different events happening in the community.

Peace Action Wisconsin: Stand for Peace @ the corner of St. Paul Avenue and Water Street, noon-1 p.m.

Every Saturday from noon-1 p.m., concerned citizens join with Peace Action Wisconsin to protest war and “Stand for Peace.” Signs will be provided for those who need them. Protesters are encouraged to stick around for conversation and coffee afterward.

Wednesday, Dec. 27

Democratic Candidate for Governor Matt Flynn @ La Estacion (319 Williams St., Waukesha), 5-7 p.m.

Matt Flynn, a Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor, will speak at La Estacion restaurant in Waukesha. Flynn lived in Mexico as a child and speaks Spanish.

He will talk about how he intends to support issues important to Wisconsin’s Latino population.

To submit to this column, please send a brief description of your action, including date and time, to: savingourdemocracy@shepex.com. Together, we can fight to minimize the damage that the administration of Donald Trump and others of his kind have planned for our great country.

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NEWS&VIEWS::ISSUEOFTHEWEEK

Family Medical Leave Reform Would Give Workers More Flexibility ::BY JANIS RINGHAND AND SONDY POPE

L

egislative Democrats have introduced the Wisconsin Family Medical Insurance Act to reform Wisconsin’s Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In 1988, Wisconsin became one of the first states to pass a statelevel FMLA. The U.S. Congress followed Wisconsin’s lead and passed a federal FMLA in 1993.

It is now time to update our FMLA to make it more flexible so people can take off to care for their grandparents, grandchildren, siblings and eligible family members deployed overseas by our military. Currently, the law allows people to take up to eight weeks off to care for their child, spouse, domestic partner or parents. In addition, the threshold requiring employer participation in FMLA

would be reduced from 50 employees to 25 in order to allow more Wisconsinites to take advantage of this family friendly program. We also expand the time an employee can take off from work to up to 12 weeks.

A prime component of our proposal will be the creation of the Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Insurance Act. The insurance program would be funded by employees who would contribute a percentage of their paycheck into a trust fund that will be used to compensate them a percentage of their pay while they are on family or medical leave. The Department of Workforce Development, in consultation with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, will determine the percentage each employee contributes.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, most workers in the private sector service industry do not have paid sick leave. In addition, many lower-waged workers cannot afford to take a sick day because they simply can’t afford to miss a day’s pay. Studies have shown that workers without access to paid sick leave are more likely to get injured on the job and expose co-workers and customers to contagious diseases. These reforms will give more people the option of taking time off to care for sick family members—or themselves—when they have a serious health condition that prohibits them from working while still receiving some income.

Senate Bill 490

While Legislative Democrats are fighting to expand

opportunities for employees to care for sick family members as well as themselves, our Republican colleagues are seeking to reduce Wisconsin’s family medical leave benefits. The GOP-sponsored Wisconsin Senate Bill 490 is an attempt to “federalize” the Wisconsin FMLA, which would reduce access to family and medical leave and reduce the quality of leave for many Wisconsin workers.

If the Republican proposal is passed, fewer Wisconsin part-time employees would be covered. In addition, the Wisconsin FMLA is less restrictive regarding how employees can choose whether to substitute accrued paid or unpaid leave that is provided by their employer for their qualifying FMLA leave. Furthermore, Wisconsin’s FMLA is more permissive regarding the ability of employees to take intermittent leave.

Wisconsin was once was a leader in providing family medical leave, and we need to reclaim that position. Family dynamics have changed since Wisconsin passed FMLA in 1988; today, we need a law recognizing that providing healthcare to a sick family member entails generations of family chipping in. Additionally, we need to join California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York and Washington as states that provide paid family leave insurance so people can afford to take off and care for themselves or a sick relative.

Janis Ringhand is a Wisconsin state senator from Evansville; Sondy Pope represents Mount Horeb in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

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NEWS&VIEWS::POLL

You Believe Republicans are Deliberately Spiking the Deficit Last week we asked if, after years of running on fiscal responsibility, Republicans were deliberately pushing a tax plan that spikes the deficit in order to justify future cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. You said: n Yes: 87% n No: 13%

What Do You Say? Should Democrats run on a platform that includes impeaching Donald Trump in 2018? n Yes n No Vote online at shepherdexpress.com. We’ll publish the results of this poll in next week’s issue.

10 | D E C E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

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NEWS&VIEWS::TAKINGLIBERTIES

Alabama’s Good News for Wisconsin ::BY JOEL MCNALLY

W

hen one of America’s most ultra-conservative and racially backward states stuns the nation by rejecting a Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate endorsed by the president, there’s no state in the union where Republicans running for election next year aren’t in danger.

That goes for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the state’s incumbent Republican legislators and congressmen (including House Speaker Paul Ryan) who thought they were safely gerrymandered into lifetime jobs.

Virtually no one predicted Democrat Doug Jones’ upset victory over Republican Roy Moore in overwhelmingly Republican Alabama until the votes actually starting coming in hours after the polls closed. But both Republicans and Democrats now see the toxic toll that hateful Republican rhetoric and policies under Donald Trump have taken on the president’s party. If Republicans can’t win in Alabama, they’re not safe anywhere. The shocker in Alabama followed total wipeouts for Republicans in statewide elections in Virginia and New Jersey a month earlier.

Here are a few emerging political truths that appear to be propelling Republicans toward their well-deserved, imminent destruction:

This is a terrible time to be identified as the party of sexual predators with Trump and Moore as your poster boys. Decent men who care about women are beginning to learn about the inhuman treatment many women face throughout their lives. Alabama women were far from raging feminists: 63% of white women voted for Moore. But the women’s vote overall, powerfully influenced by women of color, went 57% to 41% to Jones.

Never a Good Idea to Nominate Reprehensible Candidates

That Old-Time Religion Ain’t What It Used to Be

Sure, Republicans somehow got away with nominating Trump, but only temporarily. Since his election, Trump’s raw racism and religious bigotry, vile misogyny and steady stream of outrageous lies have suppressed the Republican vote and passionately energized Democrats.

Roy Moore, an accused child molester, claimed he didn’t remember dating underage girls as a prosecutor in his 30s, but if he did, he got their mothers’ permission first.

The important Alabama lesson for Democrats is, for God’s sake, support good candidates.

As the prosecutor who convicted two Klansmen for killing four little girls in the notorious civil rights-era bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, Doug Jones was always a strong candidate. But the national Democratic Party didn’t put any substantial funding into the race until Jones had already raised enormous amounts of money from progressives across the country. Sure, it was an uphill battle, but Democrats can now win uphill battles with good candidates in the Trump era.

Black Votes Matter

The mutual admiration between Trump and white supremacists is powering phenomenal voter turnout among all racial minorities. Alabama’s black turnout of 29% of the electorate in an off-year special election for Jones, a white candidate, actually exceeded what are usually much higher turnouts in the presidential elecSHEPHERD EXPRESS

tions of 2008 and 2012 when Barack Obama, the nation’s only African American president, was on the ballot. And that black vote went 96% for Jones.

Jones campaigned in black communities with prominent African Americans including Alabama native Charles Barkley and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Jones’ candidacy also was boosted by former Republican Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice—a childhood friend of the four girls murdered in Birmingham. Moore’s black support was limited to former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke appearing with white supremacist Trump strategist Steve Bannon to proclaim electing the deplorable Moore was vital to “the survival of this republic.”

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In another potentially revolutionary change, opposition to abortion appears to be losing its punch as a political issue. In both Virginia and Alabama, Southern voters elected Democrats who openly supported abortion rights and funding for Planned Parenthood as women’s health issues. That could be significant in Wisconsin where not a single female Republican legislator supports a woman’s right to choose—including State Sen. Alberta Darling, a former board member of Planned Parenthood.

Evangelical voters are giving Christianity a bad name by supporting morally repugnant politicians such as Trump and Moore. An evangelical minister even compared accusations of Moore preying on young girls to Joseph’s relationship with the teenage Virgin Mary. Joseph was never banned from a mall.

Just a year after one of the most morally shocking national election victories in American history, Republicans suddenly find themselves in a completely new world. That explains why they’ve decided to use their fading power to grab millions of dollars in tax benefits for themselves and their wealthy friends while they still can.

In Wisconsin and in every other state where Democrats and working people have been completely shut out of power, the opportunity to throw off the corrupt Republican perversion of democracy under Trump has arrived ahead of schedule.

Comment at shepherdexpress.com.

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Santino’s

Santino’s HighCaliber Italian Kitchen

Pizza occupies a big slice of the menu. Santino’s Chef Vasyl Lemberskyy is a Michelangelo among pizza makers. He insists on the finest Italian flour and cheeses. The crust is medium thin, almost airy, lightly toasted and oven singed outside but soft as homemade bread within. Some 16 varieties are on the menu ($14-$16), including a marvelous Greek pizza with artichokes, feta, mozzarella and Kalamata olives; a European chicken with fried potatoes, chicken and mozzarella; a vegetarian with seasonal vegetables; and the Deluxe with mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, onion, black olives and green bell pepper. You can also customize your own.

If pizza doesn’t tempt you, the menu also includes antipasti, salads and pastabased entrées. The Sicilian potato arancini ($8) could be called a stuffed potato, ::BY DAVID LUHRSSEN but that would be an injustice. Fried with skin on, it’s filled with tasty pesto and feta cheese and is light enough to serve as an appetizer. The Caesar salad, a speophia Loren is usually behind the bar—not filling wine glasses cial on a recent visit, is big enough for two and drizzled with light creamy garlic but on the big screen in colorful scenes from Italy via vintage dressing and shaved cheese. Likewise, the Gigante Meatball Plate ($14), boastmovies. The music, purring at conversation level, suggests ing a 10-ounce meatball with little filler surmounting a deep bowl of mostacelli, that same mid-century era (although here and there Billy Joel mozzarella and tomato sauce, is more than enough to share. is heard). The long bar-dining room is dark and comfortable as a Given the ample portions, it might not be a bad idea to womb but also suggests something theatrical— work backwards by starting with the desserts. There are the perfect setting for a restaurant that refines homemade Galati family recipe Italian cookies ($7) and fluffy Italian classics to a high level. layered tiramisu ($6) with a light-roasted coffee flavor. The Santino’s Little Italy Nothing remains of the dive bar on the wine list is well curated and Italian libations seldom seen in Bay View corner now occupied by Santino’s 353 E. Stewart St. Milwaukee restaurants, such as Fernet-Branca and grappa, Little Italy. Before it opened last winter, are available. Check out happy hour for food specials and $3 414-897-7367 | $$-$$$ owners Santo Galati, Greg Huber and Nick bargains on wine and rail drinks. santinoslittleitaly.com Anton gutted the place, installed a new bar Santino’s has become so popular on Friday and Saturday and a gleaming new exposed kitchen with Handicapped Access: Yes that most of the outdoor patio is being enclosed into a an Italian-made hybrid gas-wood pizza oven second dining room, which will nearly double the seating.

CC, FB, GF, OD, RS capable of baking five pies simultaneously Come summer, a few outside tables will remain plus a newly Hours: Tu-Th 4-10 p.m., over fragrant cherry wood. That the results are installed bocce ball court. Santino’s is another reason Bay delicious is no surprise.

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Madam J’s Jams

Madam J’s Sticky Fingers Jams and Jellies ::BY SHEILA JULSON

J

eanine Becker grew up in a large family, and her parents regularly canned and pickled foods from her father’s garden. At age 4, Becker was put to work scrubbing pickles. She made jams and jelly throughout her childhood, and that hobby led to Madam J’s Sticky Fingers Jams and Jellies, Becker’s line of small-batch, low-sugar jams and jellies in more than 15 varieties ranging from classic to more unusual flavors.

Becker often gave her jams and jellies as gifts. When she bought her first house in 1983, it was near State Fair Park, and she was inspired to enter her jams in the Wisconsin State Fair.

She won many ribbons, and soon people started calling her to ask if the jams were available for

purchase. Seeing a business opportunity, Becker was inspired to act.

So without any formal business plan, Becker dove in. “I just started talking to anyone who would listen—store owners and people with other businesses—and asked where to start,” she said. Through this approach, she learned about commercial kitchens, packaging and label information. She put together sample product and approached specialty grocers to gauge interest and price point information, which led to her first order in 1998.

Becker has been a vendor at Bay Views’s popular South Shore Farmers Market since its beginnings, and her jams and jellies are still a draw. She uses her mother’s recipes, and some recipes she developed, to craft 14 basic jam flavors including strawberry, strawberry-rhubarb and raspberry. She also makes raspberry-jalapeño, red pepper and limited quantities of crabapple jelly, red currant and other unique flavors when produce is available. Becker also sources Wisconsin ingredients such as local strawberries, Door County cherries and blueberries from the Baraboo area.

Madam J’s jams are low-sugar. “When our grandmas made jam, they were putting in more sugar than fruit. That’s the way everybody made it,” Becker said. “I use more fruit than sugar, and when you look on the label at the ingredients, the fruit is always listed first.” Becker also offers two sugar-free varieties, raspberry and blueberry, sweetened with apple juice.

Becker said without hesitation that strawberry-rhubarb is her most popular flavor, “I think that’s because that flavor is so evocative; it reminds customers of the jams their mothers or grandmothers made. It takes them back to another place or time.”

Although Becker usually participates in the Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market, she’s taking a break this season, but her jams and jellies can still be found at Outpost Natural Foods, River Valley Ranch in Burlington, West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe, and Great Harvest Bread Company’s Delafield and Oconomowoc locations.

She will be at the South Shore Farmers Market next summer.

Becker is also a certified master preserver through State of Wisconsin. She teaches food preservation classes for the Greenfield and Greendale recreation departments, and she partners with Groundwork Milwaukee to teach hands-on food preservation classes throughout the community.

Having a good product is just one aspect of launching a business, and Becker cites a “go for it” approach as an additional key to starting a food business. “I strongly encourage those interested in starting a food business to just give it a shot, rather than to be overwhelmed by what they perceive as barriers,” she said. “There are a lot of people out there willing to help; you just have to put yourself out there and talk to people.”

For more information, email madamjsjams@ gmail.com.

BEST FOOD WRITING 2017 ::BY DAVID LUHRSSEN Each December for the past several years, a collection of food writing is published in book form, culled from essays that appeared in the preceding months online and in print.

Edited by Holly Hughes, Best Food Writing 2017 explores large topics. Essayist Greg Rosalsky wonders about “the difference between a $240 sushi roll and a $6.95 sushi roll” and what this says about haves and have-nots, hedonism and the shameless consumption of the 1 percent. Some of it is dumb: Who has the right to cook or write about someone else’s cuisine? Laura Shunk asks. Really?

Only Koreans can review kimchi or open a Korean restaurant?

The answer might come down to how some reviewers carelessly praise prominent restaurants while ignoring smaller eateries off the usual path. As Luke Tsai points out in his essay, “Cooking Other People’s Food,” many purveyors of ethnic food “are actually chefs without family ties to those particular cultures.” The real question, he wonders, is why many of the most acclaimed restaurateurs tend to be middle-class whites.

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SHEPHERD EXPRESS

::SPORTS

::BY PAUL NOONAN

I

do not believe Brett Hundley could have won the most recent Packers game (a loss to the Carolina Panthers); however, it was clear that Aaron Rodgers was impacted by his broken collarbone as his throws lacked zip, and more importantly, distance. Rodgers made smart reads as he always does, but his arm simply couldn’t cooperate, which led to an unusually high number of turnovers, as well as several big incompletions on out patterns. This was clearly a surprise to Rodgers as he attempted many throws he simply couldn’t make and failed to adjust to his limitations with shorter throws or more frequent run calls.

All interceptions are bad, but every one of Rodgers’ created a huge swing in the game.

His first pick should have been a big gain for Davante Adams (who had beaten his man), and his second—a deep shot to Randall Cobb—probably should have resulted in a touchdown. Jordy Nelson also managed to get behind his man on the third pick of the game, but by the time the ball arrived a few yards short, that huge opening became double coverage. Until he is fully healed, Rodgers needs to play to his strengths and keep his throws in the short-to-medium range.

Even with all of the turnovers, the Green Bay Packers still had a real shot to tie the game in the waning minutes, and they likely would have done so if Adams was still on the field. The incredible cheap shot by linebacker Thomas Davis that landed Adams in the concussion protocol—but did not even result in an ejection for Davis—completely changed the game. Adams, who caught five of seven targets for 57 yards and a touchdown before exiting, dominated the Carolina secondary.

oman

i

NYE MAN UP! W oman MAN W UP!

He was open on nearly every play and contributed yards after the catch consistently.

Adams would likely have been the target on the final slant pass of the game, which was fumbled away by Geronimo Allison and, based on the spacing on that play, there is a good chance that Adams would have taken it all the way. There’s an even better chance that the Packers would have simply produced enough offense to avoid having to recover an onside kick in the first place.

Carolina played well, but they also received several breaks including a ridiculous call on a touchdown pass to Damiere Byrd.

The play was originally ruled incomplete as Byrd landed half out of bounds, however the replay official inexplicably overturned the call, ruling that half of Byrd’s posterior landed in bounds first. This is ridiculous for a number of reasons, and even the on-field official was unable (or unwilling) to provide any rationale, stating that Byrd was “down by contact in the end zone.”

It is possible the Panthers would have scored on this drive anyway, but it’s more likely that they would have settled for a field goal try and, in any case, awarding a touchdown was unfair.

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The Capers Conundrum It is well established that the most important part of any defense is the pass rush, and while the secondary has suffered injuries to key starters for two consecutive seasons, that situation would have been mitigated if the team possessed a consistent pass rush. The best gift you can give a secondary is time, and a consistent pass rush from your front four is crucial. Dom Capers’ defenses specialize in generating pressure from blitz packages, which leads to a lack of consistency even if it does generate sacks. The result is that when a blitz doesn’t get home, the secondary is hung out to dry, and that was frequently the case against the very mobile Cam Newton.

It is far too easy for opposing teams to neutralize Nick Perry and Clay Matthews, and while Mike Daniels does create some interior pressure, the sum of these parts is lacking. Matthews may have actually changed the game had he not fallen down on more than one occasion. The current defense is built to create random sacks and create turnovers.

Their challenge going forward will be to put their resources toward a more consistent pass rush and forcing punts. It’s possible that such a project will require a complete overhaul.

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Browse pages 16-21 for holiday gifts that will make the season bright!

Listed here are just a few local businesses in the area to explore and enjoy. Plus, visit our Online Holiday Gift Guide under the Around Milwaukee tab at shepherdexpress.com, then get shopping!

BRADY STREET FUTONS

Looking for versatile seating? Look no farther than Brady Street Futons—your source for durable and stylish futons with an efficient use of space. The multi-purpose bed, sofa and loveseat options are ideal for the holiday guests coming to stay. They’ll love to cozy up on everything from funky to classic designs. This furniture is a great gift idea for the new homeowner or renter in your life or just for that guest room in need of some help.

BREW CITY BREW GEAR Family owned since 1986, they turned a “good idea into a crazy business.” This gear is downright playful and fun. It celebrates everything that makes Milwaukee iconic (you know, beer, old fashioneds, the lake and beer). Shop their selection of items at the Milwaukee Public Market or one of their other locations, where you’ll find T-shirts, glassware, beer koozies, sweatshirts, socks and even beer-scented candles—all with a Milwaukee or Wisconsin theme. Stop in 16 | D E C E M B E R 2 1, 2 0 1 7

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and find gifts for them or you. Perfect for the person who unthinkably moved away… let them wear, show off and display their Milwaukee pride!

GARDEN OF EDEN KINGDOM LIVING Garden of Eden Kingdom Living provides their customers with all-natural products: hot sauce, dressing, syrups, soups, seasoning and juices. They promote a healthy eating and drinking life style to their customers by keeping their natural products in their richest forms.

KNUCKLEHEADS Love to vape or have a smoker (of any sort—you know who you are) or cigar lover in your life? This is the store for you! Give the gift they’ll actually savor with e-liquids, tobacco and papers, cigars, and the most beautiful blown-glass hookahs and pipes.

Plus, the knowledgeable staff will help you with your purchase or to explore and taste some of their wares.

LANDMARKS GALLERY Landmarks Gallery offers an array of paintings at reasonable prices by artists from around the world. With the largest selection in town of frames and mats, their custom framing service can add distinction to your artwork or family photos.

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MARCUS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS When they open the gift of a Marcus Center gift card, they’re getting so much more than the usual gift. You’ll open their world to the arts. A gift card is their ticket to and glimpse inside the wonderful worlds of the Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, First Stage, Broadway or Off Broadway. The music, the dance, the drama, the laughter…watch their eyes light up! Gift cards are available in any amount from $10 and up. Give them a memory; give them the gift of the arts.

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM While you’re taking an afternoon stroll through the galleries featuring some of the best art in the world, don’t forget to stop in the gift shop. You’ll find museum-quality pieces ideal for gift giving. That discerning person in your life deserves a museum piece.

SALVATION ARMY Attend the Red Kettle Christmas Spectacular on Thursday, Dec. 21 at the Wisconsin Club. Be transported on waves of music and support the Salvation Army’s mission to help those who need it most in our community. Visit redkettlecs.com to purchase your tickets for this sparkling event. Or, join us for the Free 28th Annual Christmas Family Feast on Monday, Dec. 25 from 11am-2:30pm at the Wisconsin Center.

THE JEWELERS GUILD The Jewelers Guild was created for access and success. It was made and designed for jewelers by jewelers. The Jewelers Guild is a multifaceted store, classroom and workshop. Their promise is to offer classes for all ages as well as to showcase aspiring and accomplished jewelers. Begin or continue your jewelry education at The Jewelers Guild. They provide access to stateof-the-art equipment and give jewelers the opportunity to sell their jewelry in their very own showcase. Their showroom spotlights exceptional jewelers in our community. Learn, create, sell. That is The Jewelers Guild.

WEST ALLIS CHEESE AND SAUSAGE SHOP They offer the largest award-winning cheese selection and delectable gift boxes that can be shipped anywhere. Looking for catering at your holiday office party? Look no further than this locally owned treasure with two locations and an online cheese shop. Stop by the Public Market location on North Water Street to drink and dine at the NEW Raclette Bar and try two new signature dishes with piping hot raclette cheese melted over them right before your eyes.

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WISCONSIN STATE FAIR Don’t forget about the fair! In Wisconsin, the State Fair is the highlight of the summer and something to look forward to during the long winter months. It’s the perfect time to get your tickets! Now through Dec. 31, buy your tickets and save 50%. Get individual tickets for $7 and Fair Bundles for $40 (includes four tickets, six cream puffs and a bargain book!). Buy online at wistatefair.com or at Milwaukee-area Bank Mutual offices. Deck their halls and fill their gifts with tickets to the State Fair. We’ll see you there!

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David Lean:

A Gentleman’s View of Action Cinema ::BY STEVE SPICE

or David Lean the camera was as vital a part of the storytelling process as the screenplay itself. Peter O’Toole’s haunting performance in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), despite its androgynous ambiguity, does not magnify or diminish the relentless momentum of Lean’s story but remains absorbed within the visual context. The cast is often reduced to specs on a Petri dish lost in sand.

Lean’s early work in cinema gave only slight indication of the spacious energy that would distinguish his later work and earmark his true style. Beginning as a film editor for Gaumont productions, he graduated to full scale directing with This Happy Breed (1945). He would soon distinguish himself with some of the finest Charles Dickens adaptations ever put on screen, especially his sophisticated, dramatically well-pieced adaptation of Great Expectations (1946) cited by Leonard Maltin as one of the greatest films ever made. Who can forget the haunted shadows of Miss Havisham’s cobwebbed room, or Lean’s equally unique, poignantly idiomatic adaptation of Oliver Twist (1948) with Alec Guinness, who became a reliable standby in Lean’s more-celebrated films.

Perhaps Lean’s greatest British film was the memorable, excruciatingly poignant Brief Encounter (1946) in which two married individuals fall accidently in love.

Their habitual meetings inadvertently develop into a romance with an intensity that threatens their cautious sense of security. Lean creates a dramatic scenario of rushing trains surrounded by billows of smoke and newspapers casually blowing across the pavement as the lovers depart. The disingenuous beauty of the film has inspired some to claim it as Lean’s greatest achievement, which from an emotional standpoint, it may very well be.

His more renowned films had generous budgets financed by American producer Sam Spiegel and were filmed in beautifully produced color. Lean’s signature style had developed gradually by the time he filmed The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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in the steamy jungles of Ceylon. The story concerned a clash between a Japanese POW commander and a captive British officer played by the redoubtable Guinness and became a classic of moral ambiguity. Obsessed with the superiority of British engineering as he constructs a bridge for the Japanese, Guinness forgets the initial plan is to destroy the structure. Under Lean’s subtle manipulation, what might have been construed as a conflict between patriotism and pride becomes the ironic fulcrum of a test between pride, duty and belated realization of the facts. It’s the most telling example of how subtly Lean developed character within a tightly hewn adventure framework. The camera focuses on the bridge with the two protagonists as unwitting pawns in the hands of fate. Dialogue is minimal. The dauntless images of the bridge tell all.

Lawrence of Arabia is less ambiguous but even more beguiling. The eloquence of Lean’s direction is that one becomes engrossed in the narrative without knowing what it’s all about. Lean’s structure compels us along whichever route he chooses to take. His films at this juncture resemble views through a transparent gauze without any loss of detail. Are we really following the story or are we simply caught in the majesty of the desert?

The most financially successful, and perhaps, the most beloved of Lean’s films is Dr. Zhivago (1965). The director had the difficult task of pulling together Boris Pasternak’s rather rambling novel with flashbacks and a wide assortment of characters interacting inconsistently. But by now Lean’s developmental sense of cinematic storytelling had reached its peak. Long stretches of hardships under the Russian Revolution, clashes between the Red and White armies and characters floating intermittently between conflicting forces are captured brilliantly by alternating track shots with brief stretches of dialogue. Who can forget stunning shots of snow-covered dwellings resembling the icing on wedding cakes, or the transition to the blooms of springtime? Once again Lean’s cinematic narrative provides its own raison d’être.

Lean’s influence on other filmmakers may not have been as profound as Alfred Hitchcock’s or Steven Spielberg’s. But his determination to tell stories in cinematic terms, allowing the camera to show the story without a surplus of dialogue, was marked with unusual elegance and grace. Considered the ninth greatest director of all time by Sight & Sound magazine, one might ask how the other eight could have been greater than Lean.

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::THISWEEKINMILWAUKEE THURSDAY, DEC. 21 Grand Opening @ 1983 Arcade Bar, 4 p.m.

This month, Old World Third Street welcomes a distinctive new bar: 1983 Arcade Bar, a gaming destination with more than two dozen arcade games (including classics like Dig Dug and Konami’s 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaption) and several pinball machines. To kick things off, the first 50 customers at this grand opening will receive 20 free tokens, and there will be happy hour deals all night, including $1 discounts on all beers and $2 off of all cocktails.

FRIDAY, DEC. 22 Another One: A Grateful Dead Christmas @ Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 9:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 22

A Charlie Brown Christmas @ The Marcus Center, 7 p.m.

First Stage Theatre presents this kid-oriented retelling of one of the most beloved Christmas specials of all time, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” You already know the plot: A depressed Charlie Brown gets the chance to direct a Christmas play, but his friends question his tastes in Christmas trees. Even without the endearingly shoddy animation of the TV original, the story holds up. (Multiple performances through Friday, Dec. 29.)

Toronzo Cannon w/ Altered Five Blues Band @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Buffalo Gospel w/ Nickel & Rose @ Anodyne Coffee Walker’s Point, 8 p.m.

RICK EBBERS

Anodyne Coffee hosts this pairing of two of the city’s most alluring American acts. Buffalo Gospel earned a fast following with their debut album, We Can Be Horses, and their subsequent EPs—both of which blend rustic country and modern roots influences. They’ve got a new album in the pipeline, which they recorded with Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens producer Brian Joseph and plan to release next year. Also on the bill is Nickel & Rose, the collaboration between guitarist Carl Nichols and upright bassist Johanna Rose. The two offer an especially expansive vision of roots music, drawing not only from roots and bluegrass music but also blues, soul, jazz and African music.

Toronzo Cannon is acutely aware that being a blues guitarist from Chicago carries certain expectations, and even more so than many of his peers he’s eager to live up to them. Taking cues from city legends like Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and Luther Allison, Cannon specializes in an especially searing brand of electric blues, which has made him a favorite of regional blues festivals. He also caught the ear of possibly the most prestigious blues label of the moment, Alligator Records, which released his 2016 album, The Chicago Way (Alligator’s president Bruce Iglauer was so excited about the project he co-produced it).

CHRIS MONAGHAN

The Grateful Dead almost single-handedly laid the template for jam music as we know it, so it’s no surprise that bands continue to line up to pay homage to the legendary group. This tribute will feature players from local bands including Coyote, Reckless & Darlene and VB’s Jeebies, who will perform some of Jerry and company’s best-loved songs.

Toronzo Cannon

SATURDAY, DEC. 23 Soul Low w/ Duckling @ Cactus Club, 10:30 p.m.

Milwaukee’s Soul Low specialize in a particularly squirrely brand of indie rock, lacing their chipper pop tunes with scribbles of jazz and punk. Their tunes never quite go in the direction you expect them to, yet they worm their way into your head nonetheless. This year, they released one of their strongest albums yet, Cheer Up—one of our picks for Milwaukee albums of the year.

They’ll be joined on this post-Packers game bill by a Milwaukee band behind one of the most endearing debuts of the year, Duckling, whose idiosyncratic EP, Sup From a Duck, blends oddball alternative and whimsical power-pop, embracing its intrinsic silliness.

Nuthin’ But ’90s Dance Party @ Mad Planet, 9 p.m.

Buffalo Gospel

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Mad Planet’s long-running Friday night retro dance party has gradually expanded its playlists to include more hits from the ’90s, but for those who really want a full-on immersion in the sounds of the Bill Clinton years, this party promises to go even deeper. The playlist will include all manner of hip-hop, techno, alternative, ska, swing and Brit pop—including more than a few one-hit wonders. Get ready to feel nostalgic.

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Happy Holidays from the Tai Chi Chuan Center of Milwaukee!

42 Years of Promoting Health, Relaxation, Self-defense, Balance and Mobility through the Practice of Tai Chi. Located in Riverwest Milwaukee – 733 E. Locust St.

New Classes starting in the new year, time/date TBA

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822 E. Chambers St. Milwaukee, WI 53212 // 414.395.3369 D E C E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | 25

A&E::INREVIEW

THEATRE

Off the Wall’s “Arsenic and Old Lace”

Doug Jarecki’s Light Prenatal Jesus Comedy ::BY RUSS BICKERSTAFF

THEATRE

Off the Wall’s ‘Arsenic’ a Screwball Success

O

::BY SELENA MILEWSKI

ff the Wall Theatre’s production of Joseph Kesselring’s 1941 classic Arsenic and Old Lace is a holiday delight for those with a morbid sense of humor. The dark comedy is famous for its artfully conceived structure, which juggles multiple plotlines and contains many internal references to Kesselring’s contemporary playwrights as well as the business of theater criticism. After all, his protagonist, Mortimer Brewster, is a pretentious, prone-to-pan New York critic.

Director Dale Gutzman charmingly imbues the play with his personal penchant for Rat Pack-style music and grandiose Golden Age film reference. He also plays maniacal criminal brother Jonathan Brewster, ably channeling Boris Karloff (who both originated the role on Broadway and is referenced many times in the script for the character’s “resemblance” thereto). As Mortimer, Mark Neufang is alternately delightfully arrogant and comedically horrified by the unravelling of his insane family on the eve of his engagement to lovely Elaine. As the fiancé, Brittany Meister delivers well on the straight-man role the wacky plot absolutely requires; her realistic reactions to the hubbub around her ground the story well. The central figures, aging spinsters Martha and Abby Brewster, are pitch perfect in the hands of Michelle Waide and Marilyn White, respectively. They are consistently hilarious for their disarming delivery of lines minimizing the horror of murder, as well as their spot-on physical comedy.

Many fine performances come from the supporting actors as well. Jeremy C. Welter takes on no less than four characters—the funniest being Mr. Gibbs, a hopelessly pathetic fellow whom the sisters view as ripe for mercy killing. Lawrence J. Lukasavage is likewise commendable for his entertaining and committed portrayal of the third brother, Teddy, who raucously lives out a delusion that he is President Teddy Roosevelt (complete with ear-splitting bugle).

Scenically, Off the Wall’s Arsenic is well appointed. The intimate environs are convincingly transformed into the Brewster sisters’ sitting room, and the allusion to the all-important cellar door is well handled with lighting and sightlines. Costumes (supplied by Marilyn and Randy White and Sunset Playhouse) are gorgeously period appropriate, lending much to the setting as well.

Have a cup of cocoa at intermission and enjoy a screwball classic staged for diverse mature audiences. As always, Off the Wall has your festively ghoulish streak covered.

The show runs through Dec. 31 at Off the Wall, 127 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-484-8874 or visit zivacat.com/offthewalltheatre.

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T

he story of Mary, Joseph and the three wise men is cast as comedy in Doug Jarecki’s ’Twas the Month Before Christmas. The pleasantly anachronistic sitcom features Jarecki as a carpenter named Joe who has married a pregnant woman named Mary.

Jarecki delivers a touching complexity to the

MUSIC

MSO’s Mixed Take on Handel’s ‘Messiah’ ::BY RICK WALTERS

L

ast week, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra gave five performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. The Wednesday performance was at St. Mary Catholic Faith Community; Thursday (which I heard) was at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist; the remaining performances were at the Basilica of St. Josaphat.

Former MSO Associate Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong found good tempos for the faster movements, which usually settled into a Baroque groove, but I found some of the slower tempos less convincing. Some of the recitatives, such as those sung by the tenor soloist in Part II, seemed exaggerated and la-

role of a blue collar guy dealing with circumstances beyond his control. Sara Zientek shows great inner strength as Mary—someone given the burden of a really important gift by a higher power.

A comfy sitcom kind of feel echoes through three different plots. In addition to the story of Joe and Mary, we get the journey of the three wise men as a buddy road trip comedy.

The three men are drawn to Bethlehem in the interest of getting a king’s smitten mind off a servant girl he’s quite taken with. There’s also a father-daughter story with Lindsey Gagliano playing the daughter of a man who runs a hotel in Bethlehem. The daughter is ready to take over the business, but her father (a charming John Cramer) isn’t quite ready to allow her to do so.

Jarecki’s dialogue has a clever rhythm to it. Everything flows so smoothly that it’s easy to forget that there’s deeper stuff at work in a story that’s been culled from biblical texts.

Jarecki avoids political and religious satire without completely closing the door on deeper comedy. There is depth here for an audience that wishes to find it. There’s also the opportunity for light, character-driven situation comedy based on a popular story for those who want something less heavy.

Through Dec. 23 at the Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets, visit nextact.org or call 414-278-0765.

bored. To be fair, Lecce-Chong doesn’t claim to be a Baroque specialist. It was obvious that he had some definite ideas. In general, the performance needed more crispness and detailed articulation. The pacing was questionable at times, with pauses between some movements that felt too long.

Soprano soloist Maeve Höglund’s fresh voice was beguiling. She sings with effortless sound that has natural nobility about it. With a voice of attractive color and agility, bassbaritone Michael Dean created engaging renditions of “Why do the nations so furiously rage?” and “The trumpet shall sound” with authority. It was a pleasure to hear David Cohen, associate principal trumpet, so stylishly render the long solo in the latter. Marjorie Maltais was lovely in the mezzo-soprano solos, though her voice sounded as if it would be happier in a higher range. Though he has a pleasing tone, tenor soloist William Ferguson struggled with pitch at times.

Approximately 60 members of the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus often created a very good ensemble, sounding attractive and buoyant in many of the fleet movements. The tenor section was a bit vague in soft, exposed stretches. It’s not easy to take a portion of a large chorus principally designed for largescale romantic works and make it a Baroque chamber choir.

It’s irresistible to think about what the MSO will do for holiday season programming when fingers crossed it has its own hall in the Grand Theatre as early as 2019, with the complete freedom of scheduling. My guess is that Messiah will remain part of the mix.

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Struggling with depression…

Rogers Behavioral Health is currently recruiting individuals, ages 18 to 65, to participate in a clinical research study aimed at reducing the symptoms associated with Major Depressive Disorder. The study, delivered on a smart phone in a controlled setting, includes brief sessions twice per week for four weeks, and participants will receive compensation for time and travel.

To learn more, call 414-865-2600 or visit rogersbh.org/depression-research.

W h it e f i s h Bay TA L K S w i t h S t e v e n Wa l l a c e Tuesday, January 23 | 6:30pm Wallace founded the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company which pioneered the marketing and export of chocolate and cocoa products manufactured entirely on the African continent.

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A&E::FILM

‘Downsizing’ a Brilliant Satire from Alexander Payne ::BY DAVID LUHRSSEN

T ‘Darkest Hour’

Gary Oldman Shines in Britain’s ‘Darkest Hour’

I

::BY DAVID LUHRSSEN

n the spring of 1940, Western civilization was in retreat across Europe as Adolf Hitler’s armies pushed north and west, overrunning Scandinavia and the Low Countries, driving across France and trapping the defeated British army on the coast at Dunkirk. Odds were that Britain would sue for peace but the oddsmakers weren’t counting on Winston Churchill, barking and snapping at his chain like an enraged bulldog guarding his island home.

Darkest Hour is the latest in a string of recent films by young British directors that take measure of their grand and great grandparents during a time when their actions held the world in the balance. Darkest Hour is a necessary companion to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk for showing the chain of decisions that resulted in history’s greatest evacuation.

Unlike Nolan, Darkest Hour’s director, Joe Wright, breaks no cinematic ground and tells the story in old-fashioned, heart-swelling terms.

And yet, Wright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten complicate the oft-told story of British heroism in the face of Hitler. Darkest Hour indicts the pessimism of a ruling class willing to cut a deal rather than continue fighting. Churchill is shown as often delusional, usually intoxicated (by alcohol as much as his own words) and occasionally befuddled like a man about to have a stroke. But in his resolute refusal to acknowledge the scale of Europe’s catastrophe and recognize defeat, he set in motion the wheels that would crush the Nazis five years on.

Superb in his role as the jowly old warrior, Gary Oldman’s Churchill swallows his vowels in slurry speech, scowls like the wrath of God and fulminates in outbursts of rage against the stupidity and cowardice before him. Churchill was thrust into the prime minister’s office against the wishes of his own party, the Conservatives. With his exuberant idiosyncrasies, he was always an uncomfortable benchmate with his Tory colleagues who distrusted his rogue Churchill came to power at the behest of the Labour Darkest Hour brilliance.

Party, whose leaders despised Churchill’s predecessor, the ConGary Oldman servative appeaser Neville Chamberlain. Britain resorted to him Lily James rather than embraced him.

Directed by In Darkest Hour, Churchill, for whom politics was war by other means, barely survives the machinations of the Tories Joe Wright who want him out. He almost loses heart. Despairing, he begins Rated PG-13 to ponder surrender until George VI, the stuttering diffident monarch, urges him to carry on, and a spontaneous ride on the London Underground buoys his confidence in a country whose everyday citizens he had scarcely ever met.

While Oldman dominates every scene, he receives solid support from veteran British actress Kristin Scott Thomas as Churchill’s wife, Clementine, a no-nonsense patrician who keeps her husband’s feet to the fire, and “Downton Abbey’s” Lily James as his secretary, tasked with transcribing Churchill’s eloquent mumbling into the ringing flights of speech for which he is remembered.

Where Nolan’s Dunkirk visualizes the power of masses of people to work together toward good ends, Darkest Hour tells the story’s other half by illustrating the power of a single person to change history. If not for Churchill, Hitler might have won, verstehen Sie?

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he white mice in a snow-fringed amount of assets you can liquidate and supported Norwegian institute are injected by tax breaks. It’s promised as a gated commuwith a serum and the head scientist nity without crime. The promotional hype shows is delighted. The mice have shrunk a set of tiny “conflict-free diamond” jewelry in a rapid process at the cellular selling for $83, same price as the average twolevel. Originally endowed by profits made from month cost of groceries for a downsized couple.

Paul and Audrey sign up—and his first shock World War I mustard gas, the institute is an organization with a guilty conscience that seeks to comes in the recovery room when the nurse promote “the wonders of science to help man- brings a cellphone with his wife on the other end. kind.” When the experiment is demonstrated At the last second, she backed out. “Don’t hate at an international conference whose keynote me,” she pleads lamely.

Meanwhile, the outside world sees increasing speaker is that head scientist—fit, healthy and standing five inches—its avowed purpose is to problems with downsizing, despite the benign solve the population crisis, a task made urgent by Norwegian image of a community in organic wool sweaters and Birkenstocks, gathered in climate change.

Thirty-six volunteers had already joined that drum circles and living a well-endowed neoscientist in a “self-sustaining community” pro- hippie lifestyle. Some folks think the downsized tected from predators by a transparent dome. should be allowed only 1/8 of a vote, given their The rustic village along a picturesque fjord looks contribution to a consumption-based economy idyllic: the tiny residents consume and produce is proportionately reduced. The undocumented less waste as well as occupy less space. Small is downsized are pouring through the borders, good. The population bomb is defused. Utopia spurring fear of crime and terrorism. In a muchpublicized incident, a Vietnamese environmenis in reach.

Or not? As the seriously ill mother of Down- tal activist was punished with downsizing and sizing’s everyman protagonist Paul (Matt Da- shipped to the U.S. with other dissidents in a TV mon) grouses: They can spend all that money container. Seventeen dead bodies were found in downsizing people, “but they can’t cure my fi- the crate; the environmental activist survived but bromyalgia?” It’s the opening note in a sour cho- lost a leg.

And it gets worse. Paul’s divorce settlement rus that will dog all that ungrounded optimism.

Downsizing’s director, Alexander Payne deprives him of his McMansion, forcing him (Election Day, Nebraska), has never shown to work at a call center to support himself. much patience with trendy pieties. His new film Turns out the American class system has replicated itself among the “small is a brilliantly devastating satire people.” He meets a pair of of many things, beginning with cosmopolitan hustlers (marscientists who don’t understand velous performances by Chrishuman dynamics and rising Downsizing toph Waltz and Udo Keir) who through the buzz-phrase salesMatt Damon have turned the global network driven banality of everyday life Christoph Waltz of small villages into a herd and the widespread willingness Directed by of cash cows. Their homes to embrace solutions without exare cleaned by Hispanic and amining their consequences. It’s Alexander Payne Asian women who live behind a comedy with Lilliputian sight Rated R walls in a tenement slum. The gags that treat its science-fiction plucky one-legged Vietnamese scenario lightly, at least for the activist has organized them first hour, until life grows darker and darker. Paul and his wife, Audrey (Kristen into a cleaning service. She will become sigWiig), their lives dead-ended by student loans nificant in Paul’s life.

Written by Payne with long-time collaboraand bills and unhappy in a society that promises happiness, decide to downsize. Like most tor Jim Taylor, Downsizing lets no side of any people, they’re not helping the planet but help- issue off with easy answers. It wonders about destiny and chance, the power of faith and deing themselves.

The procedure is painless if irreversible. ception, the naiveté of liberals and the blindTheir promised future is inside a domed com- ness of conservatives, against the backdrop of munity where everyone gets a McMansion and changes in the global climate that threaten the health care—the package level depending on the survival of humans, large and small.

‘Downsizing’

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[ HOME MOVIES / OUT ON DIGITAL ]

Complete film coverage online at shepherdexpress.com

n Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story

The documentary’s title comes from the way they played onstage. Guitarist Mick Ronson wasn’t just a backing musician or even a sideman but almost a partner in the glittering extravaganza that was a David Bowie concert in the early ’70s. Ronson, who comes across as a working-class bloke amid the eye shadow and androgyny, had already traded rock for a gardening job before Bowie recruited him. Beside Bowie includes interviews with friends, relatives and associates.

Call Me by Your Name R Not many movies merit a cover story for Elle Décor magazine. Call Me By Your Name earns that distinction for its setting, a terrazzo-floored Italian villa where meals are served on a terrace overlooking fruit orchards. The gay coming-of-age story stars Armie Hammer as Oliver, an American research

n Viceroy’s House

assistant working the summer semester at the villa, residence of an expatriate archeologist, his Italian

The 1947 partition of Britain’s Indian Empire into two rival nations, India and Pakistan, displaced and killed millions of people. In this glossy Anglo-Indian production, “Downton Abbey’s” Hugh Bonneville plays Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, tasked with guiding the subcontinent to independence and trying to keep animosity between Hindus and Muslims at bay. Gillian Anderson co-stars as his socially conscious wife, Edwina. A Romeo and Juliet Hindu-Muslim love story provides romantic interest.

wife and their 17-year-old son, Elio (Timothée Chalamet). The undercurrent of attraction-repulsion develops into a sexually and emotionally complicated situation for both protagonists. Written by James Ivory and directed by Italy’s Luca Guadagnino, the pace drags a bit (maybe like a warm summer day?), but the setting is unfailingly enchanting—not just for its architecture and landscape but as a place of art, intellect and tolerance. (David Luhrssen)

Father Figures R

n The Weight of Honor

Owen Wilson and Ed Helms play Kyle and Peter Reynolds, fraternal twins pushing 40 when their

The statistic is daunting: 2.8 million service members were deployed in the Afghan and Iraqi wars from 2001-2012. Some have marveled over the relatively low American fatalities, but the survival rate was due less to battlefield tactics than to improvements in battlefield medicine. Stephanie Seldin Howard’s documentary points out that the Veterans Administration was unprepared for the homecoming of so many seriously maimed veterans; the burden of caregiving has often fallen on the wives of veterans.

mother (Glenn Close) reveals that one of four men is their unwitting biological dad. A road trip leads to meetings with potential fathers—played by Christopher Walken, J.K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw and Ving Rhames—each waxing on about the fantastic physical assets belonging to the twin’s mother. Meanwhile, the twins are a pair of real dim bulbs that no man, nor audience, wants to claim as their own. The subject of searching for a parent offers numerous comedic possibilities, but this

n Brannigan

script seeks only the lowest-hanging fruit. (Lisa Miller)

“I wouldn’t try it unless you want to sing soprano,” says John Wayne in a signature line from Brannigan. In this 1975 action flick (out now on Blu-ray), Wayne stars as Chicago Police Lt. Jim Brannigan on special assignment in London. Speaking tersely and waving a six-gun, he’s chasing a Windy City mobster kidnapped by rival criminals and raising eyebrows all over Scotland Yard for his barbaric Yankee police procedures. The London car chases are fun.

—David Luhrssen

The Greatest Showman PG Using the musical to reimagine the life of P.T. Barnum, this larger-than-life subject is portrayed by Hugh Jackman as he struggles to achieve fame and fortune. Among throngs of naysayers, Barnum invents a spectacular show to become a resounding success. However, the film tries to have it all ways, positioning the story as a period drama, only to feature stylized silhouettes that recall All That Jazz topped off by songs performed in a modern pop format. (L.M.)

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle PG-13 In the 1995 film, Jumanji’s characters were released into our world. Here, four high schoolers are magically transported to the jungle to play a game they must win in order to return to our world.

Each teen arrives in the body of a game avatar: The nerdy kid becomes a muscular hunk (Dwayne

Enter for your chance to win an admit-two pass to any* showing at Landmark Downer

Johnson); the jock becomes a diminutive Albert Einstein (Kevin Hart); the shy girl becomes an acrobatic heroine (Karen Gillan); the hot girl becomes a middle-aged male professor (Jack Black). Comedy arises from grappling with their new personas, as well as battling the mythical beasts and villains the teens must outsmart and outlast in what looks a lot like an episode from TV’s “Survivor.” (L.M.)

Pitch Perfect 3 PG-13 Now college grads, the former all-female, a capella world champions regroup to compete on the European stage. However, the girls soon discover that their competition uses instruments to augment their vocals, leaving the girls at a distinct disadvantage. In most regards, this threequel hits all the same notes, in a story similar to that from the previous two films. Time to sing a new song. (L.M.)

tinyurl.com/ DarkestHourLandmark *Pass will be valid for any Monday through Thursday showing excluding holidays beginning Tuesday, December 26, 2017. See pass for details.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Limit one admit-two pass per person. Entries must be received by 3:00pm CST on 12/22/17. All federal, state and local regulations apply. A recipient of prizes assumes any and all risks related to use of prize, and accepts any restrictions required by prize provider. Focus Features, Allied, and their affiliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of prizes. Prizes cannot be exchanged, transferred or redeemed for cash, in whole or in part. Not responsible if, for any reason, winner is unable to use their prize in whole or in part.

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A&E::VISUALART

VISUALART|REVIEW

Apocalypse Past and Present at the Haggerty Museum of Art ::BY KAT KNEEVERS

R

ick Shaefer’s massive charcoal drawings confront you with swirling figures in tumults of chaos and disaster. Through finished works and preparatory drawings that pay homage to historical masters, Shaefer’s The Refugee Trilogy makes visible the agony and plight faced by people taking precarious, uncertain journeys to unknown homes. It is one

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Tune in at 8 a.m. every Wednesday for “Arts Express”

to a gallery of James Rosenquist’s work. He was formed by the Pop Art sensibilities of the 1960s and his background as a billboard painter. Working with images of the American military-industrial complex, a bridge is formed between his iconic F-111 mural, a work that conjoins the Vietnam War and postwar consumerism, and more recent compositions about the American military, mired in never-ending conflict in the Middle East.

Leaving off with “Kirsten Leenaars: (Re)Housing the American Dream, A Message from the Future” we see video and audio installations that are a sequel to her project shown last year at the Haggerty. She leads classes with middle school students and they explore their visions of the Rick Shaefer, Border Crossing, Charcoal on vellum, 96 x 165“, 2015-2016 future by considering social justice, themes of prosperity of four shows on now at the Haggerty Museum social commentary. There is also a good deal and success as an American. Building monuof Art that address social upheaval and future of musing on an impending End of Days, com- ments and participating in dialogue, they offer prophecies. In these exhibitions, visitors find ing in a firestorm of Biblical wrath. For artists a reminder of hope and responsibility for the like William Blake and John Martin, there was younger generation. They are just beginning resonance with our own times.

Entering the museum, you might first view a sense of the supernatural coming to beat down to comprehend the world and anxieties that “The World Turned Upside Down: Apocalyptic upon England. Indeed, there was much unease began well before their young lives.

Imagery in England, 1750-1850.” It is an instal- during this time in the aftermath of the American Through Jan. 14 at the Haggerty Museum lation of predominantly small pieces that require and French Revolutions. of Art, 530 N. 13th St. Moving forward and back in time, we come attention for the details of political satire and

JOSEPH MOUGEL

VISUALART|PREVIEW

UWM’s Emile H. Mathis Gallery Houses Treasures of Art History ::BY TYLER FRIEDMAN

“W

hat the world needs now,” Hal David and Burt Bacharach wrote in 1965, “is love, sweet love.”

The sentiment stands but, faute de mieux, Milwaukeeans can make do with another world-class art gallery. UW-Milwaukee’s new Emile H. Mathis Gallery, located in Mitchell Hall, Room 170, adds 2,400 square feet of state-of-the-art exhibition space to house the treasures of the university’s art collection. “Legacies: ReVisioning the UWM Art Collection” sets a high bar with a selection of the most salivation-inducing works by sanctified figures including Rembrandt van Rijn, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Robert Rauschenberg, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Edgar Degas and Joan Miró.

The gallery derives its name and funding from Emile H. Mathis II, a Racine-based connoisseur, collector, conservationist, framer, dealer and philanthropist who died in 2012. In addition to a multimillion dollar donation, which made the gallery’s construction possible, Mathis donated his collection of more than 1,700 prints spanning 500 years and more than 600 pieces of African art from the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Joseph Mougel, ‘Still River’

“Joseph Mougel: Still River”

Lynden Sculpture Garden | 2145 W. Brown Deer Road “Still River” is the second of two site-specific performances conceived and executed by Joseph Mougel, local multimedia artist currently serving as the head of the Photography and Imaging area of UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. The performance investigates the ways that manual labor transforms the brute fact of nature into distinctly human spaces. Mougel uses these transformed environments as the stage for performances that give further contour to the singularities of a particular place. The one-time performance of “Joseph Mougel: Still River” takes place over nine hours on Thursday, Dec. 21, from 7:19 a.m. through 4:20 p.m.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

A&E::OFFTHECUFF DAVE ZYLSTRA

Animal Portraiture at Timo Gallery OFF THE CUFF WITH JEREMY WOLF ::BY SELENA MILEWSKI

I

n October, Timothy Meyerring’s Timo Gallery welcomed a new artist. Jeremy Wolf is a Wisconsin native and 1999 graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) with a degree in sculpture.

His current body of work is comprised of what he terms “animal portraiture”: woodcarvings of animals featuring anatomically possible expressions that allude to human emotion. Wolf mainly uses found or repurposed wood along with oil paint. Off the Cuff interviewed him to learn more about his technique and philosophy.

What are your artistic influences and philosophy?

When I was learning how to carve, two Italian woodcarvers kept popping up, Bruno Walpoth and Gehard Demetz.

While their work is decidedly different from what I’m trying to do—they depict people, not animals—they were a great inspiration as far as how they handle wood as a medium.

The way that they treat the wood and the process that they use for painting and mark making has been pretty influential for the stuff that I’m doing right now.

As a whole, I’m drawn to artwork where you can really tell that the artist is having fun. I admire people who are conceptual with their artwork, but I’ve been finding that I just can’t work that way. If I think too much about what something means or how people react to it, it kind of takes the fun out of it for me. I put concept into my work in a general sense through the subject matter, but once I start working, I try to forget about all of that, step away and look at how things are working visually. It’s interesting to see the things other people get out of it, which a lot of times are totally different than what I was thinking about, but I think it’s still

Jeremy Wolf with one of his sculptures

valid. The moment when a viewer is looking at a piece— that’s the art right there.

Tell me about your process.

I usually make models of things before I carve them, and some of the stuff will happen in the model, and some of it will happen in the sculpture. It’s a push-and-pull between the two. I’ll work on them simultaneously and make changes to one and then make changes to the other. The models are usually in oil-based clay, so it stays workable indefinitely.

Keeping things spontaneous working in wood is difficult. You have to have everything planned out because you need to make sure you’re not removing too much.

One of the most fun parts about carving wood is you’ll be doing all this math—you have your model, sometimes you take pictures of it, you grid it out, take lots of measurements, figure out the ratio between the sizes and map measurements onto the piece. You have to be so careful when you start carving, and then all of the sudden you get to this point where you start to see what’s happening, and then you can push all of that aside and start being more spontaneous.

How did you come to focus on animal portraiture?

It started in the past when I was doing more papiermâché stuff. I was doing a lot of masks, and I realized that the part of it that was grabbing me wasn’t exactly that it was a wearable mask, but that it was dealing with the face. Also, the portrait bust is such a traditional, known art object, and it’s fun to put a spin on it just by making it of an animal not a person.

Have animals always been important to you?

Oh yeah. Ever since I was a little kid that’s all I would do— draw animals, draw animals, draw animals. Whatever I could find pictures of I would try to copy. It’s always been what I’ve had the most fun doing. I enjoy figuring out how the animal’s put together and how to recreate the anatomy and then have fun with it. If I analyze it after the fact, I feel like whenever you look at an animal, you can’t help imagining what its consciousness is like or what it’s thinking.

To view Jeremy Wolf’s artwork, visit jeremywolf.com or stop by Timo Gallery (207 E. Buffalo St., Suite 110) MondaySaturday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

TM © 1986 CMOL

THE MUSICAL PHENOMENON March 27 - April 1 • MARCUS CENTER MarcusCenter.org • Ticketmaster.com • 414-273-7206 • Groups 10+ Save! Call 414-273-7121 ext 210

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A&E::BOOKS BOOK |REVIEW

The Moderns: Midcentury American Graphic Design

(ABRAMS), BY STEVEN HELLER AND GREG D’ONOFRIO Boldly juxtaposed shapes and colors, drastic geometries converging with text—elements of the extraordinary designs that poured out of American advertising agencies and graphic studios from the 1940s through the ’60s.

The Moderns is a hefty survey of that striking period in commercial art with many pages of full-color illustrations and tightly packed page-long biographies of some 60 artists, nearly a third of them émigrés who brought the Bauhaus into American homes. A few are well known, such as Hollywood poster artist Saul Bass. Most remained obscure even if their images brightened everyday life through everything from book and magazine covers to ads for furniture and pharmaceuticals. (David Luhrssen)

Circulation Drivers NEEDED

Beauty’s Rigor: Patterns of Production in the Work of Pier Luigi Nervi

(UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS), BY THOMAS LESLIE

The Shepherd Express, Milwaukee’s best news, arts and entertainment publication, has a need for Circulation Drivers (Milwaukee Route). The qualified candidate must have a good driving record, an appropriate vehicle with insurance, be reasonably physically fit, and available every Wednesday beginning in the morning.

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Technology and design inspired one another in the architecture of Pier Luigi Nervi. The Italian artist-engineer was called a poet of concrete for his rigorously imaginative use of functional building material. Like the author of a sonnet, he worked within tight constraints, pre-fabricating parts and assembling them manually. Nervi reached the apogee of fame in the 1960s with his stadiums for the Rome Olympics. As Iowa State University architecture professor Thomas Leslie writes in his illustrated monograph, Nervi’s ribbed concrete forms “bear direct comparison” to Santiago Calatrava— indeed, the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Windhover Hall resembles photographs of Nervi’s work included in Beauty’s Rigor. Yet, as Leslie continues, Nervi’s structures were simpler, his structural components integral to the design rather than concealed amid sensational forms. (David Luhrssen) SHEPHERD EXPRESS

88NINE’S LIST

MY LIST

10. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up

10.

9. The xx - I See You

9.

8. Stand of Oaks - Hard Love

8.

7. Spoon - Hot Thoughts

7.

6. Electric Guest - Plural

6.

5. Thundercat - Drunk

5.

4. Mac Demarco - This Old Dog

4.

3. Fast Romantics - American Love

3.

2. Beck - Colors

2.

1. Sylvan Esso - What Now

1.

Share your Top 10 Albums of 2017 with us @RadioMilwaukee!

HANG OUT WITH THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Winners will be revealed on Tuesday, January 16

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Saturday, April 21, 2018 | WI State Fair Expo Center 1-2pm VIP, 2-6pm General Admission

your favorite beer, cheese & sausage festival is back!

Pre-sale tickets are $40. $70 for 2 tickets through the end of the year!

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FOOD, MUSIC, CASINO GAMES AND MORE GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS ARE LIMITED. GRAB YOURS NOW!

S H E P H E R D E X P R E S S . C O M / B O M PA R T Y 2017 Best of Milwaukee finalists do not need to purchase tickets.

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No appointment needed.

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Dec. 20: Holiday Wine Sale & Happy Hour at D.I.X. (739 S. First St.): Finish up your Christmas shopping with some help from this popular watering hole! A wine expert will be on hand, offering up tastings, answering questions and taking orders. Enjoy $5 flights and $6 pours for a great 5-8 p.m. night.

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Dec. 21: Holiday Sing-a-Long at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center (1110 N. Market St.): Fa-la-la! Warm up your pipes for this delightful, family friendly feast for the ears. The center provides the treats, you provide the cheer and everyone provides the entertainment during the free 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. event.

::ASKRUTHIE

Get Your Jingle On!

I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year…let’s party! I don’t care whether you spend Christmas with family, friends or your guinea pig, I want to make sure you surround yourself with those you love most this holiday and make it a Christmas to remember.

Even if you enjoy quiet, comfy, cozy nights at home (as Jack Frost wreaks havoc outside), try to get out and relish even just a pinch of the yuletide experience Milwaukee offers.

Call some friends, meet up with cousins, take co-workers out for a bit of fun. Enjoy the season before it’s over.

Check out my Christmas Calendar and head out for a good time this week. You’ll be glad you did! And if you see me out please say hi…and then let’s hit the mistletoe!

With that, I want to wish you all the happiest of holidays. I’ll be back next week with some ideas for New Year’s celebrations, advice for the lovelorn and more, but until then…Merry Christmas!

Dec. 21: Opening night of ‘The Santa Diaries’ at Urban Harvest Brewing Company (1024 S. Fifth St.): If Santa only works one night a year, what the hell does the man in red do with the rest of his time? Find out during this improv show where you get to put Santa in all sorts of crazy situations. Let the Mojo Dojo Comedy troupe jolly up your holiday. Get your $10 tickets for shows Dec. 21-23 at mojodojocomedy.com.

Dec. 21: Mary’s Holiday Party at Mary’s BeerCade (734 S. Fifth St.): It’s time to say “Mary” Christmas with the gang at Milwaukee’s popular burger joint. Shop local vendors at the holiday marketplace, meet the cast of “Christmas with the Golden Girls,” and enjoy a free appetizer buffet! Sign up to sing a holiday song during MaryOke Karaoke and receive a free shot. Drink specials, Absolut Vodka samplings and more make this 8 p.m. to midnight bash one for the books.

Dec. 21: Up-North Christmas at This Is It (418 E. Wells St.): This LGBTQ hot spot heats up Cathedral Square with its 8 p.m. holiday party, featuring plenty of drink specials and a rumored visit from Santa himself. Dress in hunting gear, flannel or anything else that gives you an “up nort” feel.

Dec. 22: An Evening of Naughty Christmas Carols at Club Charlies (320 E. Menomonee St.): Spice up the yuletide with this bawdy evening of nasty holiday songs. Not for the fainthearted, these uncensored versions of Christmas favorites are sure to make spirits merry and bright. Join the “sin-sational” sing-a-long from 6-10 p.m.

Dec. 22: Opening night of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life: Live!’ at Marcus Center for The Performing Arts Center (929 N. Water St.): The longtime holiday classic comes alive during this performance where the story is retold as a live radio program set in the 1940s. Enjoy the Golden Age of Radio as you watch the magic of sound effects combined with live acting, incredible costumes and more. Visit marcuscenter.org for curtain times and tickets. (Through Dec. 23) Dec. 23: Transformation Showgirls Christmas Revue at La Cage NiteClub (801 S. Second St.): Celebrate the season with the cast of Milwaukee’s hottest dance clubs. The girls hit the stage at 11 p.m. with a sparkly, sequined holiday show you won’t soon forget. Enjoy a silent auction and 50/50 raffle benefiting Courage MKE when the doors open at 10 p.m.

Dec. 25: Christmas in Milwaukee (Everywhere!): Relish this special day with those you care for most. Make this a day of joy, compassion, consideration and love wherever you celebrate and however you celebrate. Merry Christmas, my friends!

Want to share an event with Ruthie? Need her advice on a situation? Email DearRuthie@Shepex.com. Be sure to follow her Facebook (Ruthie Keester) and Twitter (@ DearRuthie).

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

::MYLGBTQPoint of View

Having Happy Holidays

Working every day to build a pro-fairness business community in Wisconsin

::BY PAUL MASTERSON

A

friend of mine just told me about her yuletide celebration.

It’s about light, she explained.

Then came Hanukkah. It’s about light, too, as is Kwanzaa and Christmas when Christians welcome the Light of the World. And, although it may not have such seasonal overtones, the recent defeat of bigotry in Alabama (of all places) provided a light-atthe-end-of-the-tunnel moment for those hoping for the end of the political darkness that has befallen us. Symbolically, that small victory fell on the eve of Hanukkah.

Meanwhile, other friends, a pair of gay uncles, posted a photo of their 5-year-old nephew, Ethan, on social media. He was busy decorating freshly baked cookies. Ethan knelt on his chair to negotiate the height of the kitchen table, intensely focused on the task at hand. I mentioned him here months ago when I told the story of his response when asked, “What do like best about Christmas?” He replied, “making Christmas cookies.” So here he was again, seriously frosting cookies, completely immersed in the preparations for the holiday, doing the one thing he liked best about it, and sharing that joyful experience with his family.

It’s that same family spirit we foster as a community to support each other. GAMMA, one of Milwaukee’s oldest organizations, just donated a carful of toys, school supplies, clothes and, of course, a whole sleigh of teddy bears to Pathfinders Q-Blok program for LGBTQ homeless youth. It was part of the group’s charitable program, GAMMA Gives. Now an annual tradition, members bring a child’s gift to its holiday party.

Last year, Penfield Children’s Center received a similar donation.

Other LGBTQ groups do the same but yearround. This Is It, the city’s oldest gay bar, has its regular Pink Hat Party fundraisers. Hamburger Mary’s holds Charity Hambingo Nights twice weekly. Both invite groups and organizations to host fundraisers for their own or other causes.

Most are specific to the LGBTQ community.

However, some beneficiaries are non-LGBTQ but are supportive through their missions that help marginalized and otherwise underserved people. Milwaukee Pride has its Plus One Campaign each year. That program asks guests to add

$1 to their PrideFest ticket price to be donated to a selected beneficiary. Over the years these have included the Healing Center and the ACLU, among others. Individuals, too, are sometimes in need and the community has rallied its resources to help them as well. Recently, the Harbor Room raised money for one of their long-term customers who is seriously ill.

Then there are our philanthropic organizations, Cream City Foundation (CCF) and the G/L Community Fund. CCF functions on a larger corporate scale. Adding to its long list of funding recipients over its 35-year history, it has recently introduced a scholarship program for LGBTQ students and allies. G/L Fund focuses on supporting smaller groups but this year recommended Diverse & Resilient to its donors to help compensate for cuts in government grants to that organization.

So as the days grow longer, when we contemplate these moments of our natural kindness to each other, perhaps our optimism will grow as well. Happy Holidays to all!

Join more than 470 businesses and organizations as a member today Memberships start at $100 per year Learn more at www.WisLGBTChamber.com

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::MUSIC MUSIC

For more MUSIC MUSIC, log onto shepherdexpress.com shepherdexpress

JACOB BLICKENSTAFF

FEATURE | ALBUM REVIEWS | CONCERT REVIEWS | LOCAL MUSIC

new year’s eve brings

the record company back to milwaukee hen former Milwaukeean Chris Vos learned that his Los Angeles-based band The Record Company would be performing New Year’s Eve at the Riverside Theater, the singer and guitarist was beyond ecstatic. Not only was he getting the chance to return and play in front of friends and family, but he now had the opportunity to play a venue where he had seen artists such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan years before. “It’s such an amazing place, and I’ve seen so many tremendous shows there,” says Vos. “It was really an honor to get asked to do that. So, we’re getting ready to put on the best show we can and have some new tricks up our sleeves.”

For the past couple of years, Vos and fellow band members Alex Stiff (bass) and Mark Cazorla (drums) have rolled up their sleeves for the long haul, as they’ve been on a steady diet of touring all over the world. Vos estimates that the band has played more than 200 shows in the past year and a half. “Touring so much reinforced that every single opportunity and every single day is a precious thing and to enjoy it and not sweat the small stuff,” he says. “And if you’re doing something you really enjoy, fully engage in that. I relearned over and over how much I loved to play music and how thankful I was to have the opportunity to play and how much I wanted to work hard to stay worthy of it.”

They’re playing so frequently thanks to the success of their critically acclaimed debut album, Give It Back to You, which was released in February 2016.

Music listeners around the world have been drawn in by the the band’s raw and honest mix of rock ’n’ roll and Delta blues.

One place Vos didn’t see raves coming was the Grammys. He had to pinch himself when he learned that the album was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album. “That’s something I never thought would come to pass in my life,” says Vos. “I never had considered the possibility of that ever happening.” In fact, the week before the Grammy nominations came out, he laughed

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::BY JOSHUA MILLER

when his wife joked about the possibility. “Guys like me don’t get nominated for Grammys,” he thought. But the morning of the nomination rollout, he awoke to his wife screaming wildly and learned the band had been nominated. “My reaction was stunned silence,” Vos says. “The whole experience of going to the Grammys and getting to see all that was truly something else.”

Likewise, the band has enjoyed some unreal moments thanks to the artists they’ve performed with and locations they’ve played. That includes getting to open this year for 11 dates of John Mayer’s first solo tour in several years.

It included stops at venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“One of the great things was that John [Mayer] was such an approachable guy.

He came right into our dressing room the first night of the tour in Albany, New York, and right before we went on he welcomed us,” Vos says. “That was really cool because that took the edge off … Maybe he remembers what it was The like to be scared in the green room before you play one of Record the biggest shows of your life.”

Vos also recalls the magic and beauty of Red Rocks AmCompany phitheater in Colorado and getting to play a music festival Riverside in Australia (“to be on a continent I’ve never been on and Theater have these festival crowds having fun while you’re playSunday, ing was a pretty cool experience”). The band is currently Dec. 31, about three quarters of the way through the process of recording and writing their sophomore record, which they 10 p.m. hope to release some time next year. They plan to roll out a few new tunes at the New Year’s Eve show. “I feel great about this record. I feel with the songwriting we’re being honest,” says Vos. “We’re not trying to recreate anything. We’re being true to who we are today. The material is something I care deeply about and something I believe.”

The Record Company perform at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 at the Riverside Theater with opener Field Report.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

MUSIC::LISTINGS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21

Amelia’s, Jackson Dordel Jazz Quintet (4pm) Angelo’s Piano Lounge, Acoustic Guitar Night Cactus Club, Rich P. /AG Da Gift w/Supah Cash & A.D.H.D.w/ hostTon Johnson DJ Inferno Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Nicholas Kehoe & the Darkest Day Company Brewing, Hear Here Soiree w/Strangelander, Pleasure Thief & Q the Sun County Clare Irish Inn & Pub, Acoustic Irish Folk w/Barry Dodd Dorsia, Jeff Stoll & David Miller (6pm) Jazz Estate, Blues Night: Father and Sons w/Jim & Matt Liban and Kurt & Andrew Koenig Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, Open Jam: Roadhouse Rave Up Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Lil’ Rev & Friends Mason Street Grill, Mark Thierfelder Jazz Trio (5:30pm) O’Donoghues Irish Pub (Elm Grove), The All-Star SUPERband (6pm) Paulie’s Field Trip, Erock Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, Paulie’s Christmas Party w/Eric Barbieri Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Phil Norby (8pm), In the Fire Pit: Chicken Wire Empire (8:30pm) The Bay Restaurant, Ian Gould The Packing House Restaurant, Barbara Stephan & Peter Mac (6pm) Transfer Pizzeria Cafe, Olivia Gonzales Trio Up & Under Pub, A No Vacancy Comedy Open Mic Urban Harvest Brewing Company, The Santa Diaries Woodland Pattern Book Center, Formations Series: Trench & Tontine Ensemble

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22

American Legion Post #449 (Brookfield), Do-Wa-Wa Angelo’s Piano Lounge, Piano Night Anodyne Coffee (Walker’s Point), Buffalo Gospel w/Nickel & Rose Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Willy Porter & Carmen Nickerson Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: 18 Strings w/Little Blue Heron (8pm); DJ: Fazio (10pm) ComedySportz Milwaukee, ComedySportz Milwaukee!

Company Brewing, The Aluar Pearls County Clare Irish Inn & Pub, Traditional Irish Ceilidh Session Frank’s Power Plant, The Demix w/Astral/Subastral & Tapebenders Harry’s Bar & Grill, Kyle Feerick (6pm) Iron Mike’s (Franklin), Jam Session w/Steve Nitros & Friends Jazz Estate, Rick Germanson Trio (8pm), Late Night Session: Scott Currier Trio (11:30pm) Jokerz Comedy Club, Nathan Timmel Lakefront Brewery Beer Hall, Brewhaus Polka Kings (5:30pm) Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, “Another One” - A Grateful Dead Christmas! w/members of Coyote, Reckless & Darlene, and Vb’s Jeebies Los Mariachis Mexican Restaurant, The Jammers Mamie’s, Robert Allen Jr. Mason Street Grill, Phil Seed Trio (6pm) McAuliffe’s Pub (Racine), Georgia Rae w/Nick Ramsey & The Family, and Donoma O’Donoghues Irish Pub (Elm Grove), Generation Gap, w/CP & Tom Anderson (6pm) Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, Romeo’s Charm Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Jason Ray Brown (9pm), In the Fire Pit: The UnXpected (9pm) Shank Hall, Toronzo Cannon w/Altered Five Blues Band Site 1A, Vanilla Ace & Treasure Fingers w/Vega Smitty’s On The Edge (Mequon), Matt MF Tyner & Rolf Wessel Tally’s Tap & Eatery (Waukesha), Tomm Lehnigk The Bay Restaurant, Trevor Mihalski The Cheel (Thiensville), Jack and Jill Jazz w/Jack Grassel & Jill Jensen (6:30m) The Packing House Restaurant, Dave Miller Jazz & Blues Quartet (6:30pm) Up & Under Pub, Whiskey Urban Harvest Brewing Company, The Santa Diaries

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23

American Legion Post #449 (Brookfield), Rev. Raven’s Christmas Party w/The Blues Disciples (3pm), Nite Trax (7:30pm) Angelo’s Piano Lounge, Piano Night

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Anodyne Coffee (Walker’s Point), 5 Card Studs w/Radio Radio Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Krause Family Band Cedarburg Roadhouse Bar & Grill, The Mantz Bros.

Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: The Natural Facts & Friends w/Wall Of Pauls (8pm); DJ: Seedy (10pm) ComedySportz Milwaukee, ComedySportz Milwaukee!

Company Brewing, Arte Para Todos Presents: 7th Annual Holiday Hip-Hop Benefit Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Kirk Tatnall G. Groppi Food Market, Trio Du Monde (5pm) Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Vocals & Keys Hops & Leisure (Oconomowoc), Maple Road Blues Band Jazz Estate, CNJ Latin Jazz (8pm), Late Night Session: Jeno Somlai Trio (11:30pm) Jokerz Comedy Club, Nathan Timmel Mason Street Grill, Jonathan Wade Trio (6pm) McAuliffe’s On The Square, The Biscaynies Christmas Party Miramar Theatre, RCKT PWR’s End of the World Party w/ Teknicolor, Wolfbiter & Tombz (ages 17-plus, 9pm) Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, In Bar 360: Matt & Karla as Subtle Undertones Sabbatic, Lovanova w/Staff & DJ Paul H Shank Hall, Pat McCurdy Silver Spring House, Rick Holmes Jam The Bay Restaurant, Sherwood Alper & Jeff Stoll The Packing House Restaurant, Carmen Nickerson & The Carmen Sutra Trio (6:30pm) Up & Under Pub, Workingman’s Dead Urban Harvest Brewing Company, The Santa Diaries Wauwatiki, Surf Rock w/The Tikinauts

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24

Angelo’s Piano Lounge, Live Karaoke w/ Julie Brandenburg Circle-A Cafe, Alive at Eight: Circle A presents... (8pm); DJ: Sextor (10pm) Dugout 54, Dugout 54 Sunday Open Jam Iron Mike’s (Franklin), Jammin’ Jimmy Open Jam (3pm) Rounding Third Bar and Grill, The Dangerously Strong Comedy Open Mic

MONDAY, DECEMBER 25

HANG OUT WITH THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Winners will be revealed on Tuesday, January 16

Mason Street Grill, Joel Burt Duo (5:30pm) Paulie’s Pub and Eatery, Open Jam w/Christopher John Up & Under Pub, Open Mic w/Marshall McGhee and the Wanderers

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26

C Notes Upscale Sports Lounge, Another Night-Another Mic Open Mic w/host The Original Darryl Hill Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), Syd Hartha & the Monkeyminds Frank’s Power Plant, Duck and Cover Comedy Open Mic Jazz Estate, The Erotic Adventures of The Static Chicken Mamie’s, Open Blues Jam w/Stokes Mason Street Grill, Jamie Breiwick Group (5:30pm) Miramar Theatre, Tuesday Open Mic w/host Sandy Weisto (sign-up 7:30pm) Silver Spring House, Rick Holmes Jam The Astor Cafe & Pub, The Chris Hanson Band w/Robin Pluer (6pm) The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, Jazz Jam Session Transfer Pizzeria Cafe, Transfer House Band w/Dennis Fermenich

B E S T O F

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27

Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson), The Merry Horde Food Pantry Benefit Conway’s Smokin’ Bar & Grill, Open Jam w/Big Wisconsin Johnson Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, Polka Open Jam Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Acoustic Open Stage w/feature Greg (sign-up 8:30pm, start 9pm) Mason Street Grill, Jamie Breiwick Group (5:30pm) Nomad World Pub, 88.9 Presents “Locals Only” w/Matt MF Tyner & Brecken Miles Paulie’s Field Trip, Humpday Jam w/Dave Wacker & Mitch Cooper Tally’s Tap & Eatery (Waukesha), Tomm Lehnigk The Packing House Restaurant, Carmen Nickerson & Kostia Efimov (6pm) Yardarm Bar and Grill (Racine), MRS. FUN

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D E C E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | 37

::ALBUMS

::ONTHECOUCH

Something bugging you? Find out what the Shrink thinks

Avoiding the Trap of New Years’ Resolutions Tangled Lines

Negative Press Project

The History of Blue Eyes The folk music of Great Britain was a building block of American country music. Milwaukee’s Tangled Lines reinterprets that root source for a fresh sound that at once threatens to be a genre unto itself. Tenor-voiced James Davies makes no effort to squelch the Celtic brogue as he sings of reminiscence, trepidation, hope and reconciliation. The lyrics are astute and realistically sad when necessary, but not so self-deprecating as to make one’s beer taste of teardrops.

Tangled Lines’ instrumental approach may be what sets them apart furthest from country/Americana acts. Their from-across-the-Atlantic influences make peace with traditional American sounds without overpowering them. Employing that sort of alchemy to dance beats apropos for a rustic honkytonk, a ’90s boot-scooting country bar’s dance floor and an ’80s goth haunt is but another hallmark of Tangled Lines’ singular, yet easily approachable aesthetic. The crossover possibilities abound, and the band sounds ready to tackle them with heart.

—Jamie Lee Rake

Eternal Life / Jeff Buckley Songs and Sounds

(RIDGEWAY RECORDS) Not unlike his father Tim Buckley, with whom relations were distant, Jeff Buckley performed music informed by folk, rock and jazz while floating free of commitment to any genre. His music has endured since his death in 1997 at age 30 as a touchstone. San Francisco’s Negative Press Project, ideally positioned to interpret his music, has released an album of Buckley’s songs as well as music inspired by him like the turbulently rolling “Wolf River” (Buckley drowned in its waters) that opens the CD. Negative Press Project comes out of a jazz setting but with younger members open to all possibilities. The group, led by bassist Andrew Lion and keyboardist Ruthie Dineen, has no trouble transforming Buckley’s “Mojo Pin” and “Grace” into melodious frameworks for instrumental improvisation within a focused ensemble setting. It’s jazz, it’s chamber music and it often involves the dynamic energy of rock.

—David Luhrssen

12/21 Marc Waldoch 12/28 No 414 Live Holiday Break 38 | D E C E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

E

very year at this time I think about making New Years’ Resolutions. I try not to over-extend myself, so I pick just a couple of things I want to work on. After years of attempts at personal improvement, I have never successfully changed all that much. So what can I do to not feel like I’m a pathetic, undisciplined loser once again?

There’s something seductive about the idea of “out with the old, in with the new” as we get a chance at an annual fresh start.

Fresh starts, however, can happen anytime, so the whole mythology of the New Years’ resolution is kind of a setup. We all know those folks who happily sign up for a gym membership in January and by April Fools’ Day (or sooner!) are bemoaning the money gone down the tubes.

People generally have no problem at all making a list of their flaws, and they might even start out with vim, vigor and best intentions to shake things up in a positive way. But lasting change is elusive, so you are in good company; lots of us resolution-makers end up feeling bad about ourselves by the time mid-February rolls around.

The thing about change is that people change when they’re good and ready, which doesn’t necessarily match up, on cue, to the line-inthe-sand of Jan. 1. And sometimes people need to be in a heck of a lot of pain—failed relationships, the consequences of repeated bad choices, unhealthy behaviors that result in various illnesses of mind and body, etc.— before they decide they’ve had it and vow to do it differently. Still, sticking with a new, healthy habit (or quitting an old, destructive one) takes some critical ingredients.

Here are some things to think about that might make you a bit more successful this time around: Have a realistic plan.

You aren’t going to lose those 30 pounds by your cousin’s wedding in February. You can do all of the things you can think of to head

in that direction (you know, eat more veggies, get off your butt and move, etc.) but don’t set yourself up to feel like a failure with that size10 dress you bought “for motivation.” Think tiny changes, not heroic ones.

Rehearse ahead of time and build in a plan for when you slip up.

Lasting changes happen when people put a lot of thought into the details of what they’re trying to accomplish before they jump in with both feet. They also have a strategy for what to do when a setback happens—which it will because you’re human. If you don’t have a plan for how to get back on the horse, don’t saddle up. Google “stages of change,” or read the article found at experiencelife.com/ article/the-stages-of-change about what it takes to make successful changes. The “Five Steps” will make you feel much better about the process, and how missteps along the way don’t translate into “You’re a loser!”

Cut out the self-loathing self-talk.

Easy to say, but really hard to do. We are our own worst enemy, and we often say things to ourselves that we’d never in a million years say to another human being. What’s up with that? Crazy. But human. We all have mental chatter that is all too ready to incriminate and torture us instead of cheer us on. I’d say, “Do some positive affirmations,” but you’d roll your collective eyeballs. Figure out your own version of what you’ll say to talk back to the inner judges. Tell them to shut their yaps and leave you alone. It takes a lot of conscious effort to exorcise the critical voices inside, so make sure your plan includes a strategy to drown them out.

Put a carrot on the end of the stick.

Build in some rewards along the way. For some, the reward will be that size-10 dress that might fit in June as opposed to February or not having your Saturdays hijacked by a nasty hangover. For others, something tangible to shoot for like running a 5K in June with your kid or finally having enough money socked away that you can go on an actual, outof-town vacation. You deserve some kind of treat for your efforts.

So good luck with your changes and may the New Year bring good things to bear. Let’s all resolve to make our own personal world, and the bigger world around us, a little better.

On the Couch is written by a licensed mental health professional. Send your questions to onthecouch@shepex.com.

Comment at shepherdexpress.com.

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

HAVE MONEY QUESTIONS?

MUSIC::LOCAL

Ask Kim

from Summit Credit Union

R.I.P. Peder Hedman

B

Submit your questions at MoneySmarts@ SummitCreditUnion.com

::BY MICHAEL CARRIERE

Peder Hedman with his family

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

DWELL Since

1935 A room of your own and good old-fashioned meals The Clark

Boarding House

me about bands I thought he should check out and what I was listening to. And I knew he was always down to go with me to a show that I thought was worth attending. He valued my musical opinion as a good friend would. We shared the belief that stagnation of any kind was bad— that there was always something new out there just waiting to inspire you.

This attitude carried over into his musical career. Many people were puzzled when they heard Bicentennial Rub, the band that Peder played in with Kurt Bauer, Zak Holochwost and me. Bicentennial Rub was a punk band that sounded very little like Peder’s earlier bands, and he loved that. He loved the fact that he was trying something different—that he was able to craft songs that drew from bands that he admired like Flipper and Black Flag that had never had the chance to influence his work before. I never told him this, but I was so impressed with his willingness to take a chance on our band. I will be forever grateful that he did.

In hindsight, I have come to realize that Peder agreed to play in Bicentennial Rub because of our friendship. I was going through a tough time in 2011, and Peder was always there for me.

While talking with him, I often mentioned my desire to play in a band as a way to deal with my emotions and issues. We had discussed a potential collaboration in the past, but something always seemed to get in the way. This time, nothing did. Peder made it happen just when I needed it the most. Such a willingness to help others is ultimately Peder’s legacy.

Peder Hedman was so much more than a generous musician: He was a devoted husband and father, a loyal son and a talented painter. And I’m so happy that he was also my friend.

Goodbye, Peder.

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COURTESY OF THE HEDMAN FAMILY

etween 2011 and 2014, I was lucky enough to play in a band with Peder Hedman. More importantly, between 2003 and 2017, I was lucky enough to call Peder a friend. For Peder—who passed away this week following a heart attack—those two things, music and friendship, were always inextricably linked.

We both approached our relationship in the band as an extension of our friendship, which isn’t the way musicians usually engage with one another. We didn’t always agree on how a song should sound, but the trust and openness established in our practice space pushed me in new directions as a writer. I will always remember how our friendship allowed me to develop into a better musician.

On this sad day, there are countless musicians and music fans alike reaching similar conclusions across Milwaukee and beyond. Through his playing in such acts as Liquid Pink and Tweaker, Peder inspired a generation of players here in town. For those lucky enough to have seen these seminal bands perform, Peder’s presence was the key to their success. A gifted songwriter, guitarist and singer, Peder radiated warmth and sincerity whenever he got on stage.

Offstage, he was never aloof or unapproachable; he would talk to anyone at any time about music or any other topic. Not surprisingly, inspiration often became mentorship for many of his fans, myself included. Peder would go out of his way to encourage up-and-coming musicians and was more than happy to suggest records that he thought such musicians needed to hear. After all, that’s what friends do.

Yet what I will always remember most about Peder was his curiosity. He was always asking

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414.292.3816 D E C E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | 39

THE COST OF GIVING

By James Barrick

THEME CROSSWORD

PSYCHO SUDOKU! “Greater-Than Sudoku”

For this “Greater-Than Sudoku,” I’m not giving you ANY numbers to start off with!

Adjoining squares in the grid’s 3x3 boxes have a greater-than sign (>) telling you which of the two numbers in those squares is larger. Fill in every square with a number from 1-9 using the greater-than signs as a guide. When youíre done, as in a normal Sudoku, every row, column, and 3x3 box will contain the numbers 1-9 exactly one time. (Solving hint: try to look for the 1’s and 9’s in each box first, then move on to the 2’s and 8’s, and so on). psychosudoku@gmail.com

72. Al Capp creation 74. Illumination unit 75. -- -a-brac 76. Laid-off 77. Arches 78. Father or son 79. Go to ruin 80. Finger cymbals 81. -- -courier 82. Delayer’s motto 83. At present 85. Cubic meter 86. Kind of island 87. Application 88. Fragrant compound 90. Lampblack 91. End of the quip: 4 wds.

97. Cover 98. Be useful to 99. Beaten 100. Crucifix 103. Jason’s vessel 104. Twin crystal 105. Cave-dweller 106. Old stringed instrument 107. Noble gas 108. Penetrate 109. Marten 110. Bear or Berra DOWN 1. Contemptible 2. “-- -- my brother’s keeper?”

3. Abbr. in grammar 4. Outmoded word 5. Breed of sheep 6. Be real 7. Conduit 8. The same 9. Potter 10. Equivalence 11. Came to light 12. Manner of speaking 13. Precipitate

14. Held dear 15. Old scrolls 16. Hodgepodge 17. Stead 18. Youngster 28. Magical symbol 29. In a huff 30. Siestas 34. Cliques 35. With all one’s strength 36. Fitness 37. Doyen 38. Girl in Johannesburg 39. -- of March 40. Condense 41. Treasure -42. Went off course 44. Rag 45. Skeletal part 46. News bits 49. Gray like stone 50. Tropical fish 51. Seals 53. Not concurrent in time: Abbr.

54. Youths 55. Up to now: 2 wds.

57. Of ancient Carthage 58. Ecclesiastical council 59. Fathers 61. Harden

62. A la carte items 63. Civet cousin 64. Native-born Israeli 65. A Great Lake 68. Dynast 69. Put forth effort 71. Cattle 72. Chinese gelatin 73. Part of NB 76. Tom, Dick or Harry, e.g.

77. Emotes 78. Consummate 80. Nonsense!

81. Done to -- -82. Uris or Trotsky 84. Meat variety 85. Salon worker 86. Drawing 88. Dead-on 89. Set of steps 90. Olfaction 91. Sported 92. Villain in Shakespeare 93. -- Rachel Wood 94. -- avis 95. Snoot 96. Simple toy: Hyph.

97. Tin 101. Assoc.

102. Agnus --

L C R A Z Y A H U O R R U P T E D K T O E V E R B A L S I E Y O U R B G B A R R E L S R A U T H R O P I C E E H I M O N E Y E D

12/14 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 23 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

High Country Solution: 23 Letters

© 2017 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

© 2017 United Feature Syndicate, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication

ACROSS 1. Buddhist monk 5. Corpsman 10. San Diego player 15. Survey 19. Grandson of Esau 20. Secrete 21. Rich tapestry 22. Inter -23. One of the states: Abbr.

24. Item for a cook 25. Swelter 26. Skewbald 27. Start of a quip by anonymous: 4 wds.

31. Second-degree relative 32. Tourist court 33. Lug 34. “-- Royale” 37. Market section 39. Irreverence 43. Tickle 44. Perfume ceremonially 45. Fronti nulla -47. New Deal org.

48. Cripple 49. Bias 50. Distributed (with “out”) 51. Barge 52. Crater 53. Unattached 54. Scholarly books 55. Tonsorial service 56. Speaks sharply to: 2 wds.

58. Watery fluid 59. Supercharged (with “up”) 60. Part 2 of quip: 4 wds.

64. Climb 66. Dingbat 67. Deletion of a kind 70. Of royal courts 71. Accolades

S A C K F U Q L A U N I N T E M H A D R A W E R T R G R O W L J R A T O M I C G C P P H I L A N S M L E X T R A

Solution to last week’s puzzle

Atop Beautiful Botany Brisk Bush Cafes Cliff Cold Creek Crisp Great Guide Holiday Lawson

Leura Linden Line Megalong Mist Motels Mount Victoria Open Optic Parks Rail Range Rest Rock

Sites Skyway Snow Space Thrill Tracks Train Undergrowth Views Vintage Warmth Wentworth Falls

12/14 Solution: William Shakespeare

40 | D E C E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Solution: Many world famous outlooks

Creators Syndicate

737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-337-7003 • info@creators.com

Date: 12/21/17

::NEWS OF THE WEIRD

::FREEWILLASTROLOGY ::BY ROB BREZSNY SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The blunt fact is that you can’t be delivered from the old demoralizing pattern that has repeated and repeated itself—until you forgive yourself completely. For that matter, you probably can’t move on to the next chapter of your life story until you compensate yourself for at least some of the unnecessary torment you’ve inflicted on yourself. Now here’s the good news: 2018 will be an excellent time to accomplish these healings.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 2018, one of your primary missions will be to practice what you preach; to walk your talk; to be ambitious and masterful in all the ways a soulful human can and should be ambitious and masterful.

Live up to your hype in the coming months, Capricorn! Do what you have promised! Stop postponing your dreams! Fulfill the noble expectations you have for yourself! Don’t be shy about using exclamation points to express your visions of what’s right and good and just!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Years ago, when I started my career as a horoscope writer, my editor counseled me, “Always give priority to the Big Three. Romance, money and power are what people care about most.” After a few months, he was disgruntled to realize that I wrote about how to cultivate psychological health and nourish spiritual aspirations as much as his Big Three.

He would have replaced me if he could have found another astrology writer whose spelling and grammar were as good as mine. But his edict traumatized me a bit. Even today, I worry that I don’t provide you with enough help concerning the Big Three. Fortunately, that’s not relevant now, since I can sincerely declare that 2018 will bring you chances to become more powerful by working hard on your psychological health…and to grow wealthier by cultivating your spiritual aspirations…and to generate more love by being wise and ethical in your quest for money and power.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What binds you? What keeps you closed down and locked up? I urge you to ponder those questions, Pisces. Once you get useful answers, the next step will be to meditate on how you can undo the binds. Fantasize and brainstorm about the specific actions you can take to unlock and unclose yourself. This project will be excellent preparation for the opportunities that the coming months will make available to you. I’m happy to announce that 2018 will be your personal Year of Liberation.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your life in the first half of 2018 will be like a psychological boot camp that’s designed to beef up your emotional intelligence. Here’s another way to visualize your oncoming adventures: They will constitute a friendly nudge from the cosmos, pushing you to be energetic and ingenious in creating the kind of partnerships you want for the rest of your long life. As you go through your interesting tests and riddles, be on the lookout for glimpses of what your daily experience could be like in five years if you begin now to deepen your commitment to love and collaboration.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll soon have a chance to glide out into the frontier.

I suggest you pack your bag of tricks. Bring gifts with you, too, just in case you must curry favor in the frontiers where the rules are a bit loose. How are your improvisational instincts? Be sure they’re in top shape. How willing are you to summon spontaneity and deal with unpredictability and try impromptu experiments? I hope you’re very willing. This may sound like a lot of work, but I swear it’ll be in a good cause.

If you’re well prepared as you wander in the borderlands, you’ll score sweet secrets and magic cookies.

Here’s more good news: Your explorations will position you well to take advantage of the opportunities that’ll become available throughout 2018.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): These days it’s not unusual to see male celebrities who shave their heads. Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, Seal, Tyrese Gibson, and Vin Diesel are among them. But in the 20th century, the bareheaded style was rare. One famous case was actor Yul Brynner. By age 30, he’d begun to go bald. In 1951, for his role as the King of Siam in the Broadway play

SHEPHERD EXPRESS

The King and I, he decided to shave off all his hair.

From then on, the naked-headed look became his trademark as he plied a successful acting career. So he capitalized on what many in his profession considered a liability. He built his power and success by embracing an apparent disadvantage. I recommend you practice your own version of this strategy in 2018.

The coming weeks will be an excellent time to begin.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Northern Hemisphere, where 88% of the world’s population resides, this is a quiescent time for the natural world. Less sunlight is available, and plants’ metabolisms slow down as photosynthesis diminishes. Deciduous trees lose their leaves, and even many evergreens approach dormancy. And yet in the midst of this stasis, Cancerian, you are beginning to flourish. Gradually at first, but with increasing urgency, you’re embarking on an unprecedented phase of growth. I foresee that 2018 will be your Year of Blossoming.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you’ve had an unfulfilled curiosity about genealogy or your ancestors or the riddles of your past, 2018 will be a favorable time to investigate. Out-of-touch relatives will be easier to locate than usual. Lost heirlooms, too. You may be able to track down and make use of a neglected legacy. Even family secrets could leak into view—both the awkward and the charming kinds. If you think you have everything figured out about the people you grew up with and the history of where you came from, you’re in for surprises.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Most of us regard our ring fingers as the least important of our digits. What are they good for?

Is there any activity for which they’re useful? But our ancestors had a stronger relationship with their fourth fingers. There was a folk belief that a special vein connected the fourth finger on the left hand directly to the heart. That’s why a tradition arose around the wedding ring being worn there. It may have also been a reason why pharmacists regarded their fourth fingers as having an aptitude for discerning useful blends of herbs. I bring this up, Virgo, because I think it’s an apt metaphor for one of 2018’s important themes: A resource you have underestimated or neglected will be especially valuable—and may even redefine your understanding of what’s truly valuable.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In fairy tales, characters are often rewarded for their acts of kindness. They may be given magical objects that serve as protection, like cloaks of invisibility or shoes that enable them to flee trouble. Or the blessings they receive may be life enhancing, like enchanted cauldrons that provide a never-ending supply of delicious food or musical instruments that have the power to summon delightful playmates. I bring this up, Libra, because I suspect that a similar principle will be very active in your life during 2018.

You’ll find it easier and more natural than usual to express kindness, empathy and compassion. If you consistently capitalize on this predilection, life will readily provide you with the resources you need.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Like all of us, you go through mediocre phases when you’re not functioning at peak efficiency.

But I suspect that in 2018 you will experience fewer of these blah times. We will see a lot of you at your best.

Even more than usual, you’ll be an interesting catalyst who energizes and ripens collaborative projects.

You’ll demonstrate why the sweet bracing brightness needs the deep dark depths, and vice versa. You’ll help allies open doors that they can’t open by themselves. The rest of us thank you in advance!

Homework: Write a parable or fairy tale that captures what your life has been like in 2017. Freewillastrology. com Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s Expanded Weekly Audio Horoscopes and Daily Text Message Horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

::BY THE EDITORS OF ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Love is in the Air

M

ale residents of Ringaskiddy, Ireland, have at least one compelling reason to set down roots there. According to local lore, the nearby Pfizer plant, where Viagra is produced, emits “love fumes” that give men free erections. “One whiff and you’re stiff,” bartender Debbie O’Grady told The Times of London. Pfizer, however, disputes the tales, with a spokesperson saying, “Our manufacturing processes have always been highly sophisticated as well as highly regulated.” Still, locals speak of something of a baby boom after the plant first opened in 1998. Local men apparently regularly gather near the facility to inhale the fumes.

Cheech and Chong’s Long-Lost Sister?

Arielle Bonnici, 26, of Huntington, N.Y., responsibly arrived at the Northport Police Department and Village Justice Court on Dec. 4 to answer a summons issued in May for possession of marijuana. But before she could even park her car, Bonnici (who was talking on her cellphone) attracted the attention of officers by cutting off an unmarked police vehicle and wheeling into the spot reserved for the chief of police. The Long Island News reported that when officers approached the car and Bonnici rolled down her window, a cloud of marijuana smoke poured out, and she was promptly arrested for possession again, along with getting a ticket for using her cellphone while driving.

Is that Meth in Your Pants or…?

In Newberry, S.C., 31-year-old Franklin Dell Hayes of Midlands appeared on Dec. 6 at his trial for his third charge of possession of methamphetamines. As the first day of the trial came to a close, The State reports, Hayes was ordered into custody, but when Newberry County sheriff’s deputies searched him before locking him up, they found four grams of meth in his pants. Hayes was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Bringing New Meaning to ‘DUI’ It was all fun and games until a drunk, na-

ked man and his likewise naked companion crashed into a tree near La Grande, Wash., on Nov. 22. Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Brooke Bova told The Olympian that the couple were engaging in intercourse when the driver missed a curve and left the highway.

The woman was hospitalized with broken bones—but her 3-month-old child, who was in the back seat, was thankfully unharmed.

The driver—who has three prior DUI convictions—was charged with felony driving under the influence, vehicular assault and endangering a child.

Recognizably Weird Popeye’s preferred diet of spinach to pump up his biceps must be healthier than what a Russian man has been using. Kirill Tereshin, 21, from Pyatigorsk, Russia, has concocted a dangerous muscle-enhancing solution composed of olive oil, lidocaine and benzyl alcohol—which he then injects directly into his arms—resulting in a situation that doctors say may result in permanent paralysis, amputation or even death. Tereshin has so far used 6 liters (more than one and one-half gallons) of the fluid; though his biceps measure 23 inches in diameter, he plans to continue injecting until they reach 27 inches. “I would like to get more than one million subscribers on Instagram and to stop working,” Tereshin told The Daily Mail, and he’s also considering an offer to become a porn star. “I want to be recognizable.”

Thanks for the Warning, Don In Parkland, Wash., state troopers and Pierce County sheriff deputies responded to a call on Nov. 25 about a man who had stopped his SUV in the middle of an intersection and was waving around an AK-47 and screaming about “lizard people.” The 54-year-old Eatonville man obeyed when officers ordered him to lie on the ground, but resisted being handcuffed until officers Tased him. He reportedly told the arresting officers that he had “snorted methamphetamine to lose weight” and that “President Donald Trump called me at home to warn me that the lizard people were coming” and that his family members had already been captured and were being “held hostage by the Alpha Dragon,” according to The News Tribune. “The lizard people are real,” he insisted to police, explaining that he wanted to attract attention so that his “story could be documented for history.” © 2017 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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THEBACK::ARTFORART’SSAKE

Everybody Knows a Turkey ::BY ART KUMBALEK

I

’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, I choose not to belabor the craft of a finely honed essay for you’s this week ’cause I’m guessing you’re just too damn busy to read anything important I got to tell you this time of year aren’t you, what with your holiday this and your holiday that. Yeah, bet you a buck two-eighty you’re probably getting ready to go out and do some shopping right now, ain’a?

(Just so you know, I take a 40-42 regular and I can always use some socks, but cash always makes for a nice gift, you betcha. But what I could really use is my own private compartment on all county buses that run the No. 30, No. 15 and Green lines.

Hey, one of my favorite movies all-time is Tod Browning’s Freaks, but I’d rather watch it than be in it, I kid you not. How many times I got to tell you that, what the fock.)

Or maybe you’re mixing another hot focking toddy and are too goddamn drunk to read whatever I got writ, or maybe you’re up to your hinder in holiday cookie dough. But regardless of whatever

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kind of holiday bug you may have up your butt, I know for many of you’s it just wouldn’t be the Christmas without the once-in-a-while annual retelling of a Christmas classic you first read here— a traditional holiday treat not unlike the pinching of the Yule log Christmas morning and the hot focking toddy slam-binging to come later in the day, ain’a? And what is tradition but the same goddamn thing over and over? You tell me.

And then I’ll tell you that TV has its “Charlie Brown Christmas,” the performing stage has its Nut-focking-cracker and A Christmas Carol, the city has its property tax bills, every dog has its day, and “Art for Art’s Sake” has one version or another of what follows for you and the family, guaranteed to roast the cockles of your godblessed chestnuts.

OK, story has it that these three so-called kings loaded up with a bunch of gifts are from out of this place called Orient Are, wherever the fock that was supposed to be. To this day I still can’t find it on a map, I kid you not. But you got to remember, this was way-back-when in the olden days when wise men knew the world was flatter than a ballerina, so what the fock.

Anyways, these three guys were traipsing to and fro, checking out all the towns of the thenknown world in search of an infant recently conceived out of thin air, a child who was not only rumored but also proclaimed verily to those on high to be the son of god.

One of the kings queried, “Which god?” One

of the other king guys says, “What, like I should know from ‘which god’? A god is a god is a god.

Who cares which one, for crying out loud.” And the third wiseguy said, “Yeah, forget about it. I don’t care if he’s the focking son of the god of focking rodeo clowns for focking crying out loud, we still got to go pay our respects on general principles. It’s the right thing to do, understand?”

So they’re carting these gifts all over creation, gifts that even a kid back then would think sucked ass. I mean “frankincense,” an aromatic gum resin? Give me a break. Eventually, these three guys came across a lowly stable and decided enough’s enough. They asked a guy who was hanging around there if he’d like some gifts ’cause they were sick of carrying them all over creation. The guy says “you betcha” and invites them in for a nice hot focking toddy.

The wise men waltz into the stable but the guy with the myrrh, who was a bit taller than the other two Einsteins, cracked his head on the top of the doorway. “Jesus H. Christ!” he shouts. The stable guy, whose name was Joseph, calls out to the wife, “Hey hon! You hear that? ‘Jesus H. Christ.’ I like that a lot better than Leonard, ain’a?”

Ba-ding! So there you go, as do I. One last thing, again: Remember, one and all, to be damn sure to celebrate this holiday good and plenty. You just can’t ever be 100 per-focking-cent sure that it may not be the last one you’ll get; so make it a good one, what the fock, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

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