Casablanca (the restaurant)/ Brandi Carlile and Katie Herzig @ The Pabst 1.20.10

Thanks to the Onion A.V. Club- Milwaukee and WUWM, I won free tickets to the Brandi Carlile show at The Pabst. I’d heard several of Brandi’s songs, but hadn’t had any profound exposure to her music. Nonetheless, my friend Matt is a big fan, so I figured I’d at least enter to win.

And I did win. Matt had given me her last two albums and I’d managed to find a few tracks that I liked, but didn’t have prolonged exposure to either album, so my knowledge of particular songs was very limited.

We had dinner at Casablanca on Brady Street. It was my third time there and then food is awesome (and surprisingly affordable). The food is of middle eastern fare, and we started with their Hummos and pita bread, which was pretty typical and very delicious.

I got a beef kifta wrap and had some jasmine rice on the side. Very good food, this is one of my favorite places to eat between downtown and the eastside.

Then we headed over to the Pabst. We got to our seats, which were two or three rows from the back on the first floor, just in time for Katie Herzig and her band. I’d never heard of her before, but I was convinced after three songs.

Herzig’s band even had a cello player, who was from Milwaukee. She was very charming and about halfway through her set, Matt decided to purchase her album.

Then it was Brandi Carlile’s turn. She started her set with a song that was just group vocals a ukulele. I was very impressed with the passion the fans seemed to have for Brandi, and it seemed well deserved. Carlile also had a cello player.

Early in the show, Brandi decided to test the acoustics in the room by playing a song completely unplugged. The Swell Season finished their last set in the same room with a similar fashion. Carlile’s powerful voice seemed to succeed in reach the top rows while singing “Dying Day.”

The set was cover heavy including “Mad World” (Tears for Fears), “The Times They Are A-Changing” (Bob Dylan), “The Sound of Silence” (Simon and Garfunkel) and “Fulsom Prision Blues” (Johnny Cash). I had commented after the first two that they were both tracks from movies (Donnie Darko and Watchmen), and then the two subsequent tracks were also from films (The Graduate and Walk the Line). The “Mad World” cover was beautiful and the “Fulsom...” cover was reverent and joyous.

The in-between song banter was charming and, in parts, humorous, including a great story about Elton John sending over 100 albums to her house the day after he told her in the studio that she doesn’t know enough about new artists.

The emotional crescendo of the show, for me, was Carlile’s solo performance of her song “That Year,” which is about a friend’s suicide. Surely I wasn’t the only one in the audience holding back tears.

During the encore, Carlile brought Herzig and her band back on stage for a group rendition of Herzig’s excellent song, “Wish You Well.”

Carlile’s final song was “Pride and Joy,” off of 2009’s Give Up the Ghost. It was a worthy closer, as the band honed all of the night’s emotion into an extended rock version of the song.

Awesome show, in the subsequent days, I haven’t been able to stop listening to Give Up the Ghost, and in a way, that is a very good indicator of a great show.

Master P: Rap Moguel-- Bucks v. Raps 1.20.10

Just a couple of notes from Squad 6 at the Bucks v. Raps game:

-First Wednesday that we couldn’t go to Bootlegger’s for $1 burgers because of the 30-day liquor license suspension. Before the season, if someone would have told me Bootlegger’s would be shot down, I would have laughed, after all, I really don’t like any of the Third Street bars, but now, I was bumming... We went to Scooter's instead for $1 beers.

-At one point, someone came up with the idea to chant ‘Avatar’ at Chris Bosh while he was at the free throw line. We’d chanted “pterodactyl,” “RuPaul,” “Predator,” and counted the seconds he had the ball before he shot. He still made everything. Someone suggested Avatar, which led to this exchange:
Zak: Why Avatar?

Jay: It’s topical.

Me: And, he looks like Avatar

Zak: *Displeased, shocked look* Avatar isn’t a character.

-Streetlife beat us to the punch and played their own rendition of 'Pants on the Ground.' For those of you keeping score at home, they've now added both 'Pants on the Ground' and 'I Got A Feelin'' to their already potent repertoire guaranteed to make fans yawn in apathy...

-Also, the one and only Master P was court-side last night. The BC crew decided to go with "Rap Mogul" over more reasonable titles such as "Former Rap Moguel," "Failed Basketball Player" or "Former Dancing With the Stars cast-member" or "Celebrity Dad." Members of Squad 6 hung around to serenade him with "Make 'em say Uhh..." chants, to no avail...

The Lovely Bones/Noodles Tasting/Waukesha Bars 1.16.10

Comparing and contrasting experiences and art is a dangerous game. Whether its books to movies or one dining experience to another. Often, if we wouldn’t have had these great experiences or enjoyed this great art in one format, the subsequent experiences would be more enjoyable because we wouldn’t have those prior experiences to compare and contrast.

Alas, this was the theme of the night for me.

It is safe to say that there is no movie that I looked more forward to in 2009 than The Lovely Bones. About two years ago, Michelle chose the book as her submission to my first book club. The cover art made me slightly worried, at the time, that the book was going to be very girly.

It was not. After reading and being astounded by the depth, complexity and transcendence of the book, I went ahead and read Alice Sebold’s other two works, her memoir, Lucky, and her second novel, The Almost Moon. Alice Sebold fact that makes me immensely happy: she took a short fiction class from Raymond Carver while she was at Syracuse.

When I saw that Peter Jackson would be adapting the novel, I thought it was can’t miss. Michelle, Matt and I went to see the movie at the Marcus Majestic in Brookfield. We’d all read the book and we’ve all seen Jackson’s work.

Unfortunately, for me, the film missed. It never resonated with me, emotionally, the way that Sebold’s novel did. Some critics seemed to bristle at the CGI, which for me was vivid and beautiful. The CGI wasn’t the problem; the problem was that the movie did not provide many moments for us to be emotionally invested with the characters, in my opinion.

The bad guy was great, the acting was, for the most part, good, but the script just seemed to void of emotion. Perhaps the film can get there emotionally for people who never read the book, but it didn’t get there for me.

That is not to say this was a bad movie, it just didn’t live up to is literary predecessor.

With a slight taste of disappointment still in my mouth, me and seven friends went to the Noodles & Co. in Brookfield to enjoy the second free tasting I’ve won. The last one was great so we were all very excited.

I have my favorite dish and hardly ever stray (the Chinese Chop Salad w/braised beef), so it is nice to get a chance to try some different things.

When we arrived they had a table set for us and we started by getting some free fountain drinks. Breanne was the only one in our group to buy a beer, and probably the only one who did so at Noodles all day. Again, we were started with a plate of Noodles’ delicious flat bread and cibatta bread. No potstickers this time though. I showed Breanne how I mix the two sauces on the table, soy and sarachi, to make a delicious sauce for the bread.

Next they began to bring out the food:

• The first round was from the American menu: the Spaghetti and Meatballs and the Mushroom Stroganoff. The Spaghetti dish was workmanlike, the meatballs were okay. I didn’t try the stroganoff because, although I’d asked on the phone for them to put cheese on the side of the dishes and reiterated the request when I arrived, they’d forgotten with one of the first two dishes they brought. (I’m not trying to sound ungrateful here, I realize this was a free meal, just saying).

• The second round was from the Mediterranean menu: the Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine w/ Chicken and the Pesto Cavatapi w/ Chicken. I was familiar w/ the second one because Michelle gets it rather often. The first dish didn’t taste good the instant that it was in your mouth, but was actually pretty delicious after that first taste. The pesto dish was tasty, but unremarkable.

At some point, they brought out another plate of their two varieties of bread out.

• The third round was from the Asian menu: the Pad Thai w/ shrimp and the Japanese Pan Noodles w/ beef. The Pad Thai was very good; unfortunately, all of the shrimp was gone by the time it got to me. The Pan Noodles I’ve had before and enjoy them very much.

• The final round was two dishes we hadn’t gotten that we wanted: I chose the Indonesian Peanut Sautee w/ chicken and let the others pick the Mac ‘n Cheese w/ chicken. Peanut Sautee is another dish that I’ve gotten before and enjoy. Obviously, I didn’t try the other dish.

At the other tasting we did, they told us they’d keep bringing us dishes until we were full. I think there were a few folks around the table who wouldn’t have minded another dish or two. I was pretty full, but they brought out two plates, one with cookies (chocolate chip and snickerdoodle) and the other with Rice Krispie treats.

Furthermore, at the first tasting, they asked us several times if we wanted them to box any dishes for us to take home. We were all too polite that first time to do so, and we weren’t offered this time.

All and all, despite a few disappointing aspects, the experience was still immensely enjoyable.

We returned to my apartment for a while where we watched the Saints destroy the Cards and played some Apples to Apples (which may be one of the best games of all time).

Then we headed to The Nice Ash. This is my favorite Waukesha Bar, and with the recent renovation, it is more spacious and aesthetically pleasing. I was the only one smoking and purchased a Romeo Y Julieta cigar.

Good conversation was had and after a couple hours, we decided to shift venues (at around 1:00 a.m.) to Guinness. Unfortunately, it was closing, so we ended up at Main Street’s worst bar, Donnie Boys & Chubbys. We found a spot in the corner that was suitable, but in the end, we could only stomach having one beer there.

When we returned to my apartment, Michelle, Chris and Scott ordered Toppers. Well, none of them were at all happy with the “Triple Order” that they received, so Michelle called and complained (which was fun to hear as it is somewhat out of character). They told Michelle her next order would be free. We watched SNL from earlier that evening and soon, everyone was full and ready for sleep.

MAM After Dark: Greener & Mad Planet 1.15.10

MAM After Dark: Greener & Mad Planet 1.15.10

It is always confusing when you see someone you went to school with in a place you don’t expect to see them. It is also difficult if you are in close proximity to that person for over an hour, yet have no desire to speak with them.

Both Michelle and I were treated to this experience at the Mad Planet last Friday. Neither of us exchanged a word with the classmates in question. It is usually Michelle that sees people she “knows” everywhere we go. At Summerfest or the Brewers game we have contests, the winner is the person who sees someone they know first. Michelle almost always wins.

Anyways, neither of us knew anyone at the Art Museum. It was the first After Dark event of the New Year, and also, Michelle and my first event as members (Thanks, Dad!). When we walked in, we got a couple drinks and then met up with the rest of the group. The theme was Greener, so everything had to do with the environment. Michelle and I tried some green tea and also got a little pin that had a picture of Wisconsin and said “Tea Capital of the World.” Hmm... not too sure about that, I would have thought England or India, but Wisconsin? Never asked for more details.

We finished our drinks and decided to head to the gallery. About three or four After Dark events ago, we were there with a large group of people and waited in a long line to get into something called the “Infinity Room.” Apparently, when you are inside the room, lights and mirrors make the space look infinite, maybe like space, you even have to wear booties over your shoes. Anyways, when our group was two or three people from the front of the line, an employee came around and told us that the gallery was closing (we had our booties on and were ready to go in).

Well, this time, I led as we walked hurriedly toward the location of the Infinity Room, but just like last time, that area of the gallery was dark. Damn. I am sure it isn’t as cool as I think it is in my head, but I really need to see it! I ended up talking to an elderly lady who was a volunteer at the Museum. We talked about the room and then I asked her how she got into volunteering. She told me some of her story and then also that she was a volunteer at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Eventually, Michelle kicked me out of view of the volunteer, silently suggesting that I’d been talking for too long.

Later, she told me that she just thought everyone was getting bored. She also told me she knows how much I enjoy speaking with older people (as I had everyday at my old job), and that I was enjoying this conversation. Nonetheless, she was right, we had to go. It was time for the Wearable Sculpture Fashion Show.

Every MAM After Dark is themed differently and has different events to partake in. The fashion show actually attracted a very large crowd, packed around a runway, in the atrium. Some of these costumes were pretty impressive. They were all created from recycled materials. (There is a good photo of my favorite costume (right) at the top of this page, called East Meets West ).

Michelle and I skipped the second half of the runway show to go and make something at the arts and crafts table. Initially, she was going to make a clutch, however there wasn’t enough material, so we settled on calendars made out of recycled CD jewel cases. When we were done, we decided it was time to head to the Planet.

A good number of friends were there already when we arrived. This is when I first spotted the aforementioned classmate. When I went and got beers for Michelle and I, we made brief eye contact, but I looked away almost instantly before he had the chance to make a move toward me. I hate conversations with old school chums almost as much as talking to hairdressers, if not more. They are so awkward and forced.

Anyways, shortly after, we headed out to the dance floor. The DJ was really good, playing a ton of recognizable songs. The song that got me out on the floor was The Smiths, “How Soon is Now?” After that, we nary left the floor except to get more beer or empty our bladders.

A wise, older man once told me that you rent beer, you don’t buy it. I love that line.

A bit later, they played “Friday, I’m in Love” by The Cure. I always love when they play the song, but for the first time ever I realized how un-danceable it is. My chum and his buddy came out on the dance floor. They danced for several minutes, but when, shockingly, no women matriculated around them, they left the floor. Look, I’ve been to Mad Planet without my girlfriend before, but you at least have to go with a group that includes girls. I wanted to tell this guy that we weren’t on Water St. and this wasn’t really a good place to troll for women, but again, I didn’t want to talk to him at all. Later, I saw him semi-wistfully looking at the floor, but he never rejoined the ranks of the dancers.

Soon after, Michelle whispered in my ear that she had spotted her old chum and pointed her out. Michelle felt the same level of ambivalence toward this person, but I don’t believe they ever made eye contact. Near the end of the night, I went to the DJ booth and wrote three requests, one of which was honored: Madonna’s “Like A Prayer.”

Thankfully, they never played “99 Red Balloons,” which Mike, Shannon and a lot of the others like. I, for one, can’t stand that song.

And we stayed until the final song, and then exited to a crisp Wisconsin, all danced out.

Mixtape Exchange: Volume 1 1.9.10

Is a mixtape a secret window into someone’s soul? Is it just a randomly compiled grouping of songs that share nothing but a context?

Last year, thanks to the prompting of my friend Matt, I made my first ever year-end mixtape. I gave it to a bunch of people I know, including my friends TJ and Scott. This year, as 2009 winded down, I began to prepare another mixtape. TJ had the great idea that all of the people we regularly attend concerts with should go ahead and make their own and then we would share them with each other.

Eventually we settled on a day. Luckily, the Packers game was on Sunday and didn’t interfere with the event that we had already scheduled. Michelle and I got to TJ’s place in Bay View at around 7. Scott was already there. We cracked some beers and soon Diana, Cindi and Adam arrived.

We headed to Honey Pie Café (2643 S. Kinnickinnic) where I enjoyed a Furthermore (from Spring Green) Three Feet Deep. I really enjoyed it, even though the others that tried it suggested it tasted like meat (really? Meat?). It took a while to get our table, but it was a nice chance for everyone to catch up. Eventually, we were seated and went around the table and talked about or mixtapes that we’d made.

I suggested the theme of mine was love, after all the word is in the title of three of the songs and is the subject of at least five others.

I ordered a sandwich called the Turkelator, which was basically a turkey sandwich. I also switched to PBR tallboys. It came with a bowl of corned beef minestrone, which was delicious. I made a fool of myself by asking for my soup after Scott got his, I was told mine was with my meal so they were waiting to bring it out. The sandwich was good, it didn’t have any special ingredients or anything you wouldn’t expect. I’d eat there again.

After dinner, we headed back to TJ’s to play some RockBand. I picked up a Leinenkugel’s variety pack, which had their seasonal beer, Fireside Nut Brown. It was delicious and had a coffee-ish flavor to it. TJ’s RockBand setup is incredible. A few weeks ago he had put some pictures on facebook and I just couldn’t wait to get my chance to play it. The experience didn’t disappoint. He has two strobe lights and a fog machine as well as all the instruments. I sang several songs, Nine in the Afternoon, Creep, When You Were Young, and Won’t Get Fooled Again (Awesome!). My voice was still feeling the effects of Squad 6 the night before. Others did a bang up job on the mic, Cindi was awesome on Maps, Scott was great on Dead or Alive and TJ picked the ultimate sing-along, Say It Ain’t So. Very, very fun. And perfect for the fact that this was a party to celebrate music, what better way than to partake in some.’

After, we headed to Blackbird Bar (3007 S Kinnickinnic). I’d been there once before, with Cindi, Diana and TJ after the Say Anything concert. Great atmosphere and good music on the jukebox. I was drinking Schlitz and eventually we got a big booth in the front. It seemed like everyone was talking with everyone. I had an excellent conversation with Scott about various topics of significant import.

We stayed until last call and then Scott, TJ, Michelle and I returned to TJ’s. We ordered Jimmy John’s sandwichs (Scott bought everyone chips) and sat around and waited for them to deliver. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I ordered another turkey sandwich, Michelle and I split the JJ’s #4. Then we sat around and talked until 3:30 a.m. At which point TJ declared that he was going to bed. The rest of us followed suit.

And now I have five CD’s to listen to. Maybe, I’ll be able to answer the questions I opened this entry with. More likely, I’ll find a bunch of great new songs to listen to and new artists to explore.

Even more importantly, we started a tradition that I am sure will endure. Here’s to good music and better friends...

Bulls Fans Invade, Go Home Unhappy 1.8.10

Milwaukee and Chicago sports fans don't get along. Rightfully, I was nervous when I invited two buddies from Chicago to Scooter’s (Juneau and Water) with my Squad 6 brethren. I was happy to learn that neither of my friends, Craig or Jim wore Bulls gear. In fact, Craig, who has lived in Wisconsin for more than five years, pledged allegiance to the Bucks.

With more than an hour to go until game time, we had a quick beer at Scooter’s ($1 tappers) and unfortunately it tasted rather skunky. Then we headed over to the Qdoba (Water) that was almost completely deserted. After a quick meal, we headed back to Scooter’s to take advantage of the cheap beer.

Jim asked one of the bartenders who Scooter was, but she didn’t know. Neither did the other one. I do have a fond memory associated with the bar. It was the first bar I went into when I turned 21. I don’t believe it was called Scooter’s at the time, but when we walked in, Bryan Z. bought me my first shot, a lunchbox.

Anyways, after a few quick ones, we headed to the BC. Plenty of Bulls fans in the crowd. Squad 6 was pretty full. Jim Paschke, Jon McGlocktin and Telly Hughes were doing a live shot from our section when I walked in. I saw the video recently and I got about two total seconds of screen time. They did interview my friend Dan, and they referred to him as the Commissioner of Squad 6. (Ha!) Any accolade they can give him would be rightful though, he is an ultimate Bucks fan and deserves the notoriety that he gets. He eats, drinks and lives Bucks basketball.

The first half was pretty unmemorable, except for the fact that it seemed that the BC was relying heavily on the canned fan prompts during play, which kind of stunted our chanting. Perhaps they were afraid of the large volume of Bulls fans getting the Bucks out of rhythm early.

As time progressed, it seemed like the canned stuff kind of went away. At one point, we were joined by six ladies from the 4th Street Flyers. They are a new cheerleading-style group. They stood directly in front of Dan and I on the armrests. Eventually, they left, someone said they may have been kicked out, but I am unsure. The game ops people like to come up by us though, and I don’t blame them.

I met up with Craig and Jim at halftime, so we missed most of the gymnastics extravaganza that was going on. The second half become very intense with the lead going back and forth and tempers flaring. At one point, four technical fouls were handed out for a little scuffle that happened between Andrew Bogut, Luke Ridnour, Kirk Heinrich and Tyrus Thomas. Good to see Bogut so intense.

We were so disgusted with the refereeing that we tried something different. We all turned around while the Bulls shot free throws. They made three of four when we did this. I didn’t really like it, though I do feel we need a different way to show our disgust for the refs bad calls, the “We disagree,” isn’t bad, but I think the turning around was closer to what I’d want to do, it just isn’t it.

The Bucks were down early in the fourth, but were led back by a Michael Redd throwback performance. Squad 6 got Joahkim Noah’s goat late in the game with the “dude looks like a lady” chant. He looked up at the section in anger several times after he fouled Bogut and was serenaded with the chant. He never got to the line, so he didn’t get to hear it from there.

The early countdown was employed several times throughout the night. It worked for sure once. Always enjoy the early countdown, there are several spins that we’d like to use on it, but we’ve not gotten there yet.

A couple unfortunate incidents: 1) Some Bulls fans tried to sneak in our section and the usher came to kick them out. I was ribbing them good naturedly, however a couple of the other people in the section were swearing at them. I always enjoy watching people sneak in and get kicked out, they are embarrassed enough, they don’t need to be sworn at. 2) A group that may have known someone in the Squad snuck in. Eventually it became obvious that they weren’t regulars because they weren’t cheering along and they were swearing and being inappropriate (those are BIG no no’s). Dan spoke with them and determined they were not in Squad and they weren’t being very cool about it, so it was decided to have them removed. One of the guys went up to Dan and “congratulated” him for kicking out four members of the National Guard (they didn’t tell Dan this when he initially talked to them). I support our military, and so does Dan, but being in the military isn’t a free pass to do whatever you want. I thought this guy’s act was outrageous. People shouldn’t sneak into the section, and if they do, be smart enough to do the cheers and follow along. A couple games ago, someone snuck this old man into the section and he sat almost the whole time. It makes us look bad when we aren’t unified. Why don’t people understand this?

The Bulls fans became more and more vocal as the game closed, but nothing could stop Hakim Warrick’s put-back dunk that pretty much sealed the deal. It was pandemonium in the BC and we were all thrilled to watch such and exciting game and send the Bulls fans home unhappy.

After the game, Craig and Jim headed to Fitzgibbon’s (on Water) for their 2-4-1 special with your Bucks ticket. I, on the other hand, headed to Jimmy K’s to celebrate my friend Nick’s birthday.

When I got there, the party was already in full swing. Everyone was asking me about the Bucks game and I was glad that I was talking about a win. My voice was really scratchy from Squad 6, however I really wanted to do some karaoke. Eventually, I asked Mikey to sing a couple with me.

The birthday boy sang ‘Jumper’ by Third Eye Blind. Then, an older man got up and did a terrible rendition of ‘Good Riddance’ by Green Day. Mike and I did a couple classics, ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ and ‘Twist and Shout.’ My voice felt alright, not great.

At one point, a random girl came up to me and started asking me about my Bucks gear. “Was there game?” she asked. No, I wear a Bucks jersey and hat all the time, I wanted to say. Still, I guess some people do that. Very awkward conversation though.

Eventually it was time to leave, but not before a very drunk Brian signed up for a 15 minute block of songs including ‘Closer’ by NIN and ‘One Burbon, One Scotch and One Beer’ by George Thoroughgood. He even did take a shot of burbon, scotch and then downed a beer during the performance, I’ve only seen that once or twice before, so it was a treat to see it again. He was not happy when the KJ cut his performance short, but oh well.

It is always a blast to go to Jimmy K’s for karaoke night and this was no exception. It beat spending the night with a bunch of Bulls fans.