Mar
04
Conor Oberst's "Outer South" Not So Good
Evan Rytlewski On MusicIf Conor Oberst must dedicate himself to a band that isn't Bright Eyes, couldn't he at least reunite Desaparecidos? This Mystic Valley Band that he's spent the last couple years with just isn't cutting it, yet Oberst doesn't seem to be getting the message
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Feb
07
Meet Kerli, the New Goth Starlet
Evan Rytlewski On MusicThe latest doll-sized singer being groomed for major-label stardom, Kerli presents herself as an irreverent, sassy Avril Lavigne-style mallpunk in her press photos, complete with pouty lips, a Hot Topic fashion sense and an affinity for black eyeliner. He
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May
08
Revisiting Now That's What I Call Music, Volume 1
Evan Rytlewski On MusicEach old Now That’s What I Call Music compilation is a time capsule, a one-disc summary of the state of popular music for a given month. Since its American debut 10 years ago, the compilation has released over 25 installments, but few tell a more vivid st
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Jun
26
Sonic in Milwaukee?
Nicole Cute SportsThere are unconfirmed reports on tonight's 9 pm news that there will be
20 Sonic restaurants opening in the Milwaukee area. A search of the
interwebs reveals no details. The first Sonic opened in Minnesota last
week and hopefully this is a harbinger of gr
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Feb
26
Yet Another View: A New Velvet Underground Song
Evan Rytlewski On Music
It's the type of news that usually turns out to be a hoax. Late last week, an unreleased 1967 Velvet Underground bootleg with a never-before-heard song hit the Internet.
Even without the new cut, this would be a huge deal. While the Velvet Undergroun
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Jun
04
Fairies, Cats and A Chrous Line
Russ Bickerstaff CurtainsThe summer seems to have arrived. And I suddenly find myself without theatre for two straight weeks. It’s kind of a huge vacancy considering the high volume of shows that I’ve seen in April and May . . . those being some of the busiest months
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Feb
09
Holistic method of unblocking a tear duct (without surgery)
SaraM Health
As mentioned in my previous blog, I am not a medical professional. I often try alternative treatments instead of or in addition to mainstream medical treatment. Today I'm writing about my daughter, Maddie, who had a problem with both tear ducts.
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Apr
23
A Few Words on Tokyo Police Club and MGMT
Evan Rytlewski On Music
Tokyo Police Club? I’d read about their impending full-length earlier this year, but couldn’t quite pinpoint why they sounded familiar. Hmmmm. I raked my brain before recalling that I’d seen them a year ago at a curious little concert at the Rave with C
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Nov
06
WKTI 94.5 FM Changes Formats for the Worse
Evan Rytlewski On MusicHat tip to my friend Beth, who alerted me to the news in an e-mail titled "Wow ... Another Milwaukee Radio Station that Plays 'Whatever.'"
In a confounding move, one of the few Milwaukee radio stations that played contemporary-pop music, WKTI-FM
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Jan
08
Madison's Historic Smart Studios to Close
Evan Rytlewski On MusicWisconsin's most famous music studio, Smart Studios in Madison, will shut down this spring, the Shepherd Express has learned. An employee of the recording space confirmed the news. No final date has been set, though March 1 has been discussed. The reason
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Dec
31
Lil Wayne @ The V100.7 Holiday Jam
Evan Rytlewski On Music
The V100.7 Holiday Jam was probably the cruelest concert I have ever attended.
It began promisingly enough: V100.7 DJ Reggie Smooth, the evening's emcee, announced that scheduled opener Soulja Boy wouldn't be performing, since the day's snow storm trapped him in Cleveland. This elicited more cheers than boos
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Nov
18
R.I.P. Brian Barney
Evan Rytlewski On MusicIt's a sad day in the Milwaukee music scene as well as in the Shepherd Express office. Brian Barney, a longtime local-music writer for the Shepherd and Maximum Ink and a staple of the local scene who played in many bands, including The Buggs and Guido's R
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Oct
21
This is What Rap Music Sounds Like to Bill Cosby
Not good.
Evan Rytlewski On Music
News of Bill Cosby producing a rap album was greeted with understandable skepticism, what with, you know, Bill Cobsy infamous hatred of rap music. That the Cosby rap album, State of Emergency, spreads a positive message about youth living up to their
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Apr
13
Aerosmith @ Alpine Valley, June 13
Shepherd Express Staff Concert AnnouncementsIt's been five years since Aerosmith's last album, a 2004 collection of blues covers, and a full eight years since the veteran hard-rock band's last album of all-original material, 2001's Just Press Play. By their own admission they're long overdue for a
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Feb
05
Pump, pump, pump it up...
Evan Rytlewski On MusicAfter 98.3's Basement Crew played this track a couple weeks back—damn the "embedding disabled by request" option on YouTube—I finally broke down and got Joe Budden's 2003 debut album. I'm glad I waited until the price dropped to about a dollar o
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Aug
28
The Game's Descent into Obsolescence
Evan Rytlewski On MusicDespite his modest talents, I've long had a soft-spot for The Game and his stubborn adherence to the increasingly antiquated conventions of '90s gangsta rap. At a time when even 50 Cent, once viewed as the possible savior of West Coast gangsta rap, has fo
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Nov
24
Aesop Rock Does a Great Job Ruining the New Felt Album
Evan Rytlewski On MusicRealizing that Aesop Rock produced the latest album by Felt, the sporadic side project from rappers Slug and Murs, is an awful lot like looking forward to a long-planned night out on town with two of your favorite friends only to learn at the last minute
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Feb
13
The (semi) Official Barack Obama Mixtape
Evan Rytlewski On MusicI ducked out of the office for a couple of hours today to catch Barack
Obama’s afternoon town hall appearance in Waukesha. The candidate was
running a bit late—apparently an auto factory tour in Janesville went
long—so I had plenty of time to take in t
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Jan
31
Planting the Seeds of a N.E.R.D. Comeback
Evan Rytlewski On MusicAlthough their days of being guaranteed hitmakers may be behind them, the Neptunes production team has had a surprisingly long run. A decade after their beats cracked the charts, they continue to work with just about every big-name rapper and pop star in
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Feb
26
Jerk of the Day: Mark Belling
Lisa Kaiser Daily DoseDan Cody at Left on the Lake, has the audio of WISN-AM’s Mark Belling hitting a new low.
On breastfeeding:
“It’s a crude practice.”
On breastfeeding mothers:
“Sows. That’s an approp
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Sep
09
Hanson's Surprising Durability
Evan Rytlewski On MusicI've long admired Hanson for their sheer tenacity. Unlike most one-hit wonders, especially kiddie one-hit wonders, they've refused to go away, fighting tooth and nail to remain in the spotlight. Adept at turning proverbial lemons into lemonade, the Hanson
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Dec
16
The Best Pop Songs of 2008
Evan Rytlewski On Music1. Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love"
For an expensive, industry-produced ballad, "Bleeding Love" sure is violent. With Pussycat Doll looks and Mariah Carey's voice, reality TV winner Leona Lewis sings of scars and severed veins.
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Apr
09
Collecting or Conquering? An Insatiable Appetite for the East
Aisha Motlani CityscapeIt’s difficult for any exploration of the Oriental-inspired 19th-century Victorian
interiors to remain entirely uncolored by the strident assertions of Edward
Said on the subject. Even the mild-toned lecture which John Eastberg, the Pabst
Mansion&rs
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Feb
10
103.7 Kiss FM Drops Chris Brown
Evan Rytlewski On MusicFirst Wrigley gum dropped Chris Brown's promotional campaign yesterday, now the Milk Campaign has pulled Brown's "Got Milk" ads. But more troubling for the R&B singer: Radio stations have stopped playing his music, too.
I called
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May
19
KISS @ The Marcus Amphitheater, June 27
Shepherd Express Staff Concert AnnouncementsSummerfest revealed its final 2009 Marcus Amphitheater headliner today, and it's an inspired one: KISS, the iconic, heavily merchandised hard-rock band. Though Ace Frehley (the Spaceman) and Peter Criss (meow) left the band earlier this decade, Gene Simmo
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Today in Milwaukee
Says You
ova collective:sad but often times true
Amanda Roslansky:This is the worst line-up I ever heard. PitchFork has ...
