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Mar
04

Conor Oberst's "Outer South" Not So Good

Evan Rytlewski On Music
If 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Feb
07

Meet Kerli, the New Goth Starlet

Evan Rytlewski On Music
The 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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May
08

Revisiting Now That's What I Call Music, Volume 1

Evan Rytlewski On Music
Each 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Jun
26

Sonic in Milwaukee?

Nicole Cute Sports
There 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Jun
04

Fairies, Cats and A Chrous Line

Russ Bickerstaff Curtains
The 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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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.
Posted at 06:00 PM
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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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Nov
06

WKTI 94.5 FM Changes Formats for the Worse

Evan Rytlewski On Music
Hat 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Jan
08

Madison's Historic Smart Studios to Close

Evan Rytlewski On Music
Wisconsin'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
Posted at 04:41 PM
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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

Posted at 06:00 PM
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Nov
18

R.I.P. Brian Barney

Evan Rytlewski On Music
It'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
Posted at 10:32 AM
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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
Posted at 11:44 AM
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Apr
13

Aerosmith @ Alpine Valley, June 13

Shepherd Express Staff Concert Announcements
It'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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Feb
05

Pump, pump, pump it up...

Evan Rytlewski On Music
After 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Aug
28

The Game's Descent into Obsolescence

Evan Rytlewski On Music
Despite 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Nov
24

Aesop Rock Does a Great Job Ruining the New Felt Album

Evan Rytlewski On Music
Realizing 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
Posted at 09:24 PM
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Feb
13

The (semi) Official Barack Obama Mixtape

Evan Rytlewski On Music
I 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Jan
31

Planting the Seeds of a N.E.R.D. Comeback

Evan Rytlewski On Music
Although 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Feb
26

Jerk of the Day: Mark Belling

Lisa Kaiser Daily Dose
Dan 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Sep
09

Hanson's Surprising Durability

Evan Rytlewski On Music
I'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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Dec
16

The Best Pop Songs of 2008

Evan Rytlewski On Music
1. 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.
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Apr
09

Collecting or Conquering? An Insatiable Appetite for the East

Aisha Motlani Cityscape
It’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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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Feb
10

103.7 Kiss FM Drops Chris Brown

Evan Rytlewski On Music
First 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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May
19

KISS @ The Marcus Amphitheater, June 27

Shepherd Express Staff Concert Announcements
Summerfest 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
Posted at 06:00 PM
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