Nov
17
Milwaukee Hip-Hop in Photos
Evan Rytlewski On MusicIf you're a Milwaukee rapper who plays out with any regularity, there's a good chance that local photographer Damon Joy has taken your picture. Joy collects some of the photos he's taken at area rap shows over the past year in a new exhibit at the Jackpot
Posted at 02:52 PM
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Nov
16
Michael Jackson Lives (in laser form)
Evan Rytlewski On MusicWell this was inevitable:
From the guys who bring the Pink Floyd LaserSpectacular to Milwaukee every year comes a new laser tribute, the Michael Jackson LaserSpectacular, an epileptic celebration of the King of Pop's legacy. From the press release:
Posted at 11:19 AM
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Nov
12
Walter Becker Assesses Grizzly Bear, Talks like a Beastie Boy
Evan Rytlewski On MusicOne particularly interesting snippet from my phone conversation with Walter Becker that I wasn't able to get into this week's Steely Dan write-up: When I asked if he heard his influence on contemporary bands, Becker, who's incredibly self-honest and self-
Posted at 02:39 PM
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Nov
11
Pezzettino Gives Away Digital Covers Album
Evan Rytlewski On MusicMilwaukee singer/songwriter/accordionist/busker Pezzettino compiled her Covers album from songs recorded by request, and it shows in the tracklist, which leans heavily toward the type of songs audiences shout out as jokes: Ol’ Dirty Bastard's "
Posted at 02:15 PM
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Nov
11
Radio Milwaukee to Broadcast Free Brendan Benson/Cory Chisel Performance
Evan Rytlewski On MusicIn advance of their $10 show at the Turner Hall Ballroom later that evening, the Exclusive Company on 1669 N. Farwell Avenue will host a free performance from The Raconteurs' Brendan Benson and Appleton songwriter Cory Chisel on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.
Posted at 01:03 PM
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Nov
10
Wyclef Jean's New Album Will Make You Feel Sorry for Wyclef Jean
Evan Rytlewski On MusicOn “The Streets Pronounce Me Dead,” the striking mission statement of Wyclef Jean’s back-to-basics album From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion, Wyclef imagines himself as his own funeral, where his career is eulogized in brutal t
Posted at 04:26 PM
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Nov
10
Tom Barrett Who? Readers Vote Danny Gokey Milwaukeean of the Year
Evan Rytlewski On MusicSure Milwaukee's popular mayor Tom Barrett withered a beating with a tire iron after valiantly responding to a grandmother's cries for help, but apparently it takes more than that to top former "American Idol" contestant Danny Gokey in the heart
Posted at 11:13 AM
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Nov
06
Wow, the New Danny Gokey Song Is... Just, Wow
Gokster praises Jesus, takes veiled swipe at the stimulus package
Evan Rytlewski On Music
Milwaukee's country station, FM 106.1, this morning debuted Danny Gokey's first single, "It's Only," and it's a country song alright, a weepy, string-swept ballad with ample twang and an inspiration message that reminds us no matter how bad the
Posted at 09:11 PM
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Nov
06
The New Loud Invite You to Their Video Shoot
Evan Rytlewski On MusicMilwaukee's delightful alterna-synth-pop trio The New Loud are calling for extras for the video shoot of their new single, "Don't Dance." The video shoot will be held over two days, first Monday evening, Nov. 23 at the Cactus Club at 8 p.m., the
Posted at 03:56 PM
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Nov
06
Best of Milwaukee, 2009
Monday's party is open to the public
Evan Rytlewski On MusicJust a quick, off-topic reminder: The Shepherd Express is hosting its Best of Milwaukee Awards party Monday evening from 6 to 10 p.m. at the InterContinental Hotel, and it's open to the public with just a $5 donation to the Hunger Task Force. It's always
Posted at 03:33 PM
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Nov
05
Pacino: Another Milwaukee Rapper to Watch
Evan Rytlewski On MusicThe Milwaukee rap scene is still too scattered to be defined by one style, but over the last several years one sound in particular has emerged that seems to fit the city as perfectly as an old pair of sneakers. It’s a geographically appropriate soun
Posted at 03:03 PM
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Nov
03
Decibully Cements Release Show Plans for World Travels Fast
Evan Rytlewski On MusicAfter a long period of purgatory, World Travels Fast, the ambrosial new record from the Milwaukee ensemble Decibully, will finally see release this December. The band will self-release the album for free download—with optional tip jar, a la Radiohea
Posted at 04:11 PM
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Nov
03
Norah Jones' "Rock" Album Doesn't Ruffle Many Feathers
Evan Rytlewski On MusicPre-release hype has a way of making mountains out of mole hills, so it shouldn't be too surprising that Norah Jones' upcoming "rock" album, Fall, isn't much of a departure for the whisper-quiet songstress. The album, which is streaming on NPR's
Posted at 12:58 PM
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Nov
02
Halloween and the Case for Cover Bands
Evan Rytlewski On Music“Milwaukee is a cover band city,” countless local bands have fumed. It’s a complaint I could never sympathize with, one that seems to stem from resentment more than anything else. There’s a perception that cover bands steal opportu
Posted at 03:03 PM
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Oct
30
Throw Some Change in WMSE's Cup
Evan Rytlewski On MusicWMSE is the rare radio station where the programming actually becomes better during pledge drives. During its on-air drive, WMSE DJs host all manner of special and themed shows, and break out music rare even by the station's already esoteric standards&mda
Posted at 12:09 PM
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Oct
29
This Is It: Michael Jackson as an Ordinary Guy
Evan Rytlewski On MusicImmediately after Michael Jackson’s death, grotesque rumors circulated about the singer’s poor health. He was covered in needle wounds and facial scars, these reports insisted, his body withered to be a point where he could no longer sing or d
Posted at 12:27 PM
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Oct
28
Choir of Young Believers' Stunning Radio Session
Evan Rytlewski On MusicThe folk-pop ensemble Choir of Young Believers hasn't yet made anywhere near the impression they have in American as they have in their native Denmark, where they've been nominated for six Danish Grammys. But CMJ last week, and in particular a studio sess
Posted at 11:24 PM
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Oct
27
Justin Bieber Will Make You Feel Very Old
Evan Rytlewski On MusicWhether they admit it or not, most adults secretly disdain child pop stars. These kids seem to spring up from nowhere and make us feel old and out of touch. And few pop singers make me feel older or more out of touch than overnight sensation Justin Bieber
Posted at 04:48 PM
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Oct
26
Weezer's Raditude: Another Curveball from Rivers Cuomo
Weezer's Patrón-popping, well-meaning new album
Evan Rytlewski On Music“Can’t Stop Partying,” Weezer’s collaboration with Jermaine Dupri, is essentially a litmus test for the entire new Weezer album, Raditude. With its flossy, Top 40 synths, Lil Wayne guest rap and Rivers Cuomo shout-outs to Patr&oacu
Posted at 04:03 PM
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Oct
23
Many Questions Remain in Lil Wayne Gun Case
Will the rapper really do jail time?
Evan Rytlewski On Music
At the risk of sounding like David Simon, journalism is
suffering from a dearth of good court reporters, and seldom has that been more
apparent than this week, when Lil Wayne plead guilty to gun charges in a New
York court. It may not be the trial
Posted at 10:49 AM
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Oct
22
Circle-A Cafe Re-Opens Halloween Weekend
And celebrates with Plasticland
Evan Rytlewski On MusicBeginning Halloween weekend, Riverwest's most underused bar, Circle-A Cafe, will re-open on a regular basis—or at least a regular basis by Circle-A's standards. A low-key venue for DJs and punk bands, Circle-A has been dark most nights since 2007, o
Posted at 11:01 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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Oct
20
Vampires Are Really into Sea Wolf These Days
The perplexing (but pretty good) "New Moon" soundtrack
Evan Rytlewski On MusicI've never read any of the Twilight books or seen any of the films, but judging by the mopey soundtrack for the upcoming New Moon, I'm guessing that Stephenie Meyer's vampires don't indulge in much ass kicking. They probably blog, and maybe they knit, som
Posted at 03:23 PM
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Oct
19
The Points: D.C.'s Last Great Punk Band?
Evan Rytlewski On MusicWhatever happened to D.C.? For the better part of two decades, the city housed one of the country’s most lionized music scenes, but after the mid-2000s break-ups of Q and Not U, Black Eyes and other Dischord Records bands prophesized to carry the ci
Posted at 11:13 AM
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Oct
18
Tegan and Sara's Anxious Sainthood
Evan Rytlewski On Music
Though they passed themselves off
as heartbroken victims, Tegan and Sara were the real villains on their 2007
album, The Con, charming their way into relationships with feigned, flirtatious
quirk, then trapping their prey in a web of guilt and emotio
Posted at 12:09 PM
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Today in Milwaukee
Says You
Matt Mattingly:Hey Russ. Thanks for all the great comments. You are ...
Robin Marohn:Bingo. Good piece.
anonymous:iwas in the march to madison
