"Thank you for the amazing piece. Comments like yours are gold to us... You’ve become a part of my daily fix." - David Ravel, Director/Blog Addict, Alverno Presents
"Seriously! Unpretentious (well…most of the time) and reasoned (all the time) takes on Milwaukee arts? I think you are to Milwaukee art what Tim Russert was to Washington politics…without the double chin, of course." - Ryan Schleicher, Promotions Director/Hyperbole Peddler, WMSE 91.7FM-Frontier Radio
"The most non-retarded writing about art." - Dwellephant, Artist/Nutjob
"Cricket what?" - Some random guy (no url available, but you can usually find him wandering down Brady Street)
As many creative types know from painful experience, a marriage of art and social commentary can yield results that are less than stellar. Very often the art is swallowed up by the maw of excruciating earnestness and smothered by loads of goody-goody intent.
Every once in while, however, a work emerges that perfectly balances both art and message, stopping us in our tracks long enough to say, "Wow. Just wow."
A collaborative effort by director/animator Kibwe Tavares of Factory Fifteen, photographer David Hoffman, sound designer Mourad Bennacer, and mixologist DJ Hiatus, Robots of Brixton not only speaks to the city's social and economic unrest in 1981 but to the Arab Spring uprisings and Occupy movement of this past year. And any work that transcends time and place is definitely worth our attention.
There's a credo shared by every smart artist/musician/writer/craftitioner--new word alert!--who has ever owned a gallery, produced another band, written a review, or otherwise aided other artsy folks, and that doctrine goes a little something like this: There's a time to advance the art of others and there's a time to advance your own, and these two efforts cannot always exist simultaneously.
While it may sound short and sweet, the decision to shift focus entirely to one part of the above equation is not an easy one by any stretch. So much effort and care invested, so much fervor and devotion spent that it seems a cruel thing to just walk away, even if it is for the best and most honorable reasons.
This is exactly the kind of tough yet necessary decision that Kaitlin Rathkamp and Joseph Ledger had to make last month when they closed the doors of their gallery Caggio: An Art Experiment on Brady Street.
Now, before you get all blubbery on their behalf, understand that they know this was the most sensible choice they could have made. Gallery ownership is one of the hardest roads of business anyone can tread no matter who you may be or where you may come from. And if you actually care about the artists and their artwork, the emotional level of attachment is akin to that of a loving relationship. When that's the case, a huge amount of your energy is poured into making it work, which means there isn't much left in the tank for anything else.
Caggio was just over two years old when it closed on August 7--a remarkable run for any brick-and-mortar gallery--and could have continued on, according to Kaitlin and Joseph, as interest from artists and collectors was still growing. But the call of their own art could not be silenced or ignored.
For Joseph, his art is music--a creative form of expression that, at its best, continually evolves, requiring a brainload of attention. As a member of Married to the Sea, Joseph carries on the tradition of drawing from the historic annals of American bluegrass and folk, with all its twangy goodness intact.
Even a rehearsal is well worth a listen, so check it out:
Don't tell me your feet weren't tappin', people, 'cause that's a doggone lie! For identification purposes, that's Joseph on drums, Eric "Doc" Holliday on guitars/vocals and Tim Koehler on bass.
And Kaitlin's passion? Well it's none other than the ancient mind/body art of yoga. Bikram Yoga--a.k.a. Hot Yoga--to be exact, is the super challenging form she practices and now teaches at the Bikram Yoga Studio, 2084 North Commerce Street, on Milwaukee's Eastside.
Being a practitioner of yoga myself--though the more moderate form of Hatha-Vinyasa suits my needs quite well--I know just how much it can become a full-fledged part of one's life.
Kaitlin is so committed to Bikram Yoga that she dreams of opening her own studio sometime in the future, and to that we say, "Whoozzah!"
And so you see that the closing of Caggio, though a loss for the community, was done for the love of art--a thing that is so noble, it negates any sorrow we may feel.
Here's a little scenario I've no doubt you've suffered through before: You're standing in a gallery space, completely immersed in an awesome exhibit of finely crafted comix--only losers spell it the old-fashioned way and you, my friend, are no loser--when it suddenly dawns on you that the only way this stupendous experience could possibly be even more noodle-exploding is if there was live music. You look around, listen hard and hear only the largely non-musical jabberings of other human beings. We've all been there, people, and it hurts--it hurts bad.
Well, good news, kids! Woodland Pattern Book Center will save us from such pain and agony this weekend with two exciting events happening simultaneously: Hal Rammel's Comix & Cartoons and the 3rd Annual Music Marathon & Benefit for Alternating Currents Live--Whoot and Hooray!
First up is Mr. Rammel's exhibit Comix & Cartoons in the Woodland Pattern Gallery. "What?!" I hear you cry. "Hal Rammel draws comix and cartoons? But isn't it enough that he's the experimental music guru of all of Miltown and points beyond, creating his own compositions and sharing those of others on his Alternating Currents show that airs on WMSE 91.7 FM every Sunday from 6-9PM?" The answer to that fair if overly wordy question is "Yes, he does and, no, it is not enough." Ya see, when you've got a fantastically active brain like Hal's, you've always got to keep it moving or else. Don't know what the "or else" might be, but let's not dwell on that, 'kay? 'Kay.
While it may be news to some, Hal's been puttin' ink to paper for a mighty long time, and this exhibit will display 30 years of his work, including new drawings and cartoons. There's an artist's reception on Thursday--the night that the cool kids know actually starts the weekend--August 18, beginning at 6PM, with live music--you heard me--supplied by guitarist Chris Rosenau at 7PM. The exhibit runs to September 25, 2011.
There's room for more musicians, folks, so if you'd like to strut/strum/blow/pluck/tap/bang your stuff in front of a live audience--let's keep it clean, people--and help raise funds for the outstanding Alternating Currents Live series hosted by Woodland Pattern, call 414-263-5001 to sign up! Artists get 10 minutes to perform, and 5 minutes for set-up. Also, ya gotta raise at least $25.00 in pledges, but you can do that in your sleep.
Phew! It's hard to believe that these two wondrous events will be happening in the exact same place in one weekend, isn't it? And yet it is true. Should you doubt my word, I can only advise that you find out for yourself by going to 720 East Locust Street for both and, in the process, renew your faith in a weekend well spent.
While nearly everyone and their uncle/aunt/pet of choice are readying themselves for this weekend's quarterly madness known as Gallery Night and Day, the curious and lucky students who enrolled in the Milwaukee Soundscapes summer Humanities course at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) are preparing to show the world the results of their intellectual, aural inquiry tonight at the Urban Ecology Center, getting a whole day's jump on the rest of the artsy crowd--so there!
Led by Thomas Gaudynski, their teacher and our compatriot in sound exploration, the students will be presenting their conclusions and non-conclusions gleaned from a whole summer semester spent in the deep state of active listening 'round our fair city.
As Thomas told me in a recent email:
"So the drive was to have students understand why the soundscape, in different places, inside and outside, sounds the way it does, rather than telling them or having the read Murray Schafer's great text The Soundscape. For the first six class periods we took soundwalks… from these initial experiences, they discovered what keynote sounds were… [t]hey identified Hi-Fi or Lo-Fi environments… they grappled with the cultural and design reasons for these characteristics… [and] they experienced the vastness of soundscapes such as Lake Shore State Park versus the close experience of Riverside Park where on a path you can hear insects, birds, and the rustling of leaves.
What they are going to present on Thursday are some general observations; some readings from their journals; a poetic (literary, visual, informational, and music) response to the sounds of the past inspired by the Faith Family Festa exhibit at the Historical Society; direct observations about traveling on the Milwaukee River; some interactive soundmaps created in google maps (specifically a Sound-Skate map by Sean Weber detailing skateboarding in the Third and Fifth Ward; a Romantic soundmap of the Third Ward by Brett Pearson suggesting places to take your partner for a good listen; and a Shopping SPREE soundmap by Lydia Yang where you can listen as you shop in the Third Ward). These maps where all chosen as best by the students as a group. Finally, three art or design soundscape proposals; again chosen by consensus."
Holy smorgasbord of super cool, sound-based art! Not only that, it's free for you to enjoy! A modest donation to the Urban Ecology Center is highly encouraged and appreciated.
Student creators of the show are Valerie Davis, Brennan Goodwin, Vedale Hill, Maxwell Morein, Brittany Patz, Brett Pearson, Alec Schuppel, Katherine Walton-Myers, Sean Weber, Julie Xiong, and Lydia Yang.
So, where ya gonna go tonight to kick-off your art filled weekend early? The Milwaukee Soundscapes show at the Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee, that's where! It all starts at 6PM sharp.
It was with great and profound sadness that we learned of the passing of Gil Scott-Heron on May 27, 2011, at the age of 62.
A master poet and extraordinary musician, Scott-Heron was not only a major influence on the hip-hop and rap artists who followed in his footsteps but legions of spoken-word artists, writers and poets--like old Cricky here--introducing us to the power of socially conscious art.
His most famous piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," originally recorded in 1970, is laced with sardonic humor and timely cultural references, serving as both a scathing indictment of racism in America and a controlled yet sure warning that change is coming, ready or not:
Here's how he explained the piece in an interview for the series The 90's:
Though brilliantly insightful, Scott-Heron was plagued with drug addiction that waxed and waned for decades, proving that even the most remarkable among us can fall into downward spirals of self-destruction and self-abuse that at times exert such force we cannot free ourselves.
But that is not how those of us who owe so much to Gil Scott-Heron will remember him. No, we shall remember him as a man of intellectual and artistic prowess who taught us that truth-telling is the path to honorable art and a critical component to creating a just world.
The desire to express oneself artistically has been well documented throughout the cosmic blip that is human history. The drive to do so emanates from the need to make sense of our specific reality and communicate it to others, therefore expanding the understanding of the vastness of human experience.
For the young among us, this hankerin' to be heard and seen through creative means is so strong it completely blows away any other urge they may have bubbling away in the volatile volcanoes of their hearts, not to mention other body parts--hehe! And don't tell me that ya don't remember those days 'cause somebody somewhere has got ample evidence of your tween and teen explosions, 'kay?
As a subset of the pre-adult crowd, at-risk youth have all the more the reason to get their art on. Why? Because, as we all know, the creative process strengthens the ability to comprehend and articulate individual circumstance and come to terms with painful experience, which is in no short supply for many. Also, they just can't help it, so why not, huh?
Express Yourself Milwaukee is acutely aware of this need in our city, working tirelessly to help the youngins release the pressures of an often mad world through artistic venting. And tonight it will present the Annual Multi-Arts Show, featuring a whole gaggle of artsy kids eager to tell the world who they are and how they roll. Best part about it is that you're all invited. Whoot!
This year's theme, PULSE, is a one-word descriptor of life and the program is set show off the visual art, music, dancing, spoken word, and video work of young talents from 8th Street School, Our Next Generation, Westside Academy, Running Rebels Community Organization, and St. Aemilian-Lakeside with representation from the Milwaukee County Juvenile Detention Center.
So get yourself on over to the Humphrey Scottish Rite Center, 790 N. Van Buren Street, at 6PM sharp tonight to witness the creative PULSE of Milwaukee's youth. It's free and open to everyone, but we encourage all to chip in at least the $10 suggested donation.
Tonight is the night that all music lovers come to together at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music to honor and support one of the most incredible jazz musicians and teachers Miltown has ever known. I am of course speaking of Mr. Berkeley Fudge--a man of truly phenomenal talent and exceptional class.
If you've been following this here bloggity blog, you know that Mr. Fudge suffered a stroke on the weekend of November 20, 2010, stealing movement and feeling from the right side of his body and robbing him of his livelihood. While his progress back to fitness has been steady--and for that we are most grateful--he will remain unable to share his musical genius for some time to come.
The lineup for tonight's benefit concert is like reading a Who's Who of local jazz and other forms of tune-noodling:
Manty Ellis (guitar), Eric Jacobson (trumpet), Paul Silbergleit (guitar), Mark Davis (piano), Jeff Hamann (bass), Dave Bayles (drums), Jim Paolo (bass), Robin Pluer (vocals), John Foshager (piano), Sam Belton (drums), Adekola Adedapo (vocals), Al Johnson (trumpet), Dean Lea (piano), John Price (bass), Robert Figueroa (percussion), Jahmés Finlayson (percussion), Jason Behr (guitar), Phillip Grossman (violin), Colin O’Brien (guitar), Bonnie Jean Barczak (soprano vocals), Teresa Drews (piano), Stefanie Jacob (piano), and Matt Schroeder (guitar).
Wowzie Wow Wow! Even if ya don't know who some or all of these stellar kings and queens of music are, you will and well if ya show up at 1584 North Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee for the Benefit for Berkeley at 7:30PM tonight. Your oh-so generous donation for Berk will be accepted at the door and there'll be a cash bar for those who desire some lubrication to smooth the groove.
I'll be on-hand at the event--as I hope you will--performing my very pleasant duties as Communications Coordinator for WCM, so if ya happen to spy old Cricky say "Hey!" Course, if the music's playin' keep it subtle by giving a little finger wave and a toothy grin. See ya there!
As consistently stunning as it is to me--and perhaps to some of you--I am often asked, "Cricky, what's the secret to becoming a halfway decent writer?" After gathering myself from the impact of that colossal compliment and mentally stifling my initial instinct to answer, "Why don't ya ask me something simple, like the secret to world peace?" I nonetheless manage to muster up a far less snarky reply by saying, "Practice, practice, practice."
While this is indeed the best on-the-fly answer I've squeezed out of my noodle to date--one which I've stolen from others and seems to placate the majority of inquirers--there are a few key details left unsaid: Listen to, read and write poetry. That's right, poetry.
Now before you frantically click away in fear to find the latest video documentation of the very best jackassery humanity has to offer, let me just share a little mantra you can use to soothe your spirit as you read on: Poetry is not your enemy, poetry is your friend. Repeat while clicking your heels three times. Ha! That's a joke, people!
Okay, so now that you're feelin' as loose as Judy Garland did, well, most of the time--bless her talented, tipsy soul--I shall explain why the exposure to and the writing of poetry is the foundation to becoming a better wordsmith in general. You ready? Then let's do it.
In its most magnificent form, poetry focuses our brains on what is elemental, what is pure and what is basic. This, of course, is not to say that it lacks complexity, but through its intense and deliberate use of perfect words in perfect placement it presents an uncluttered vista at which we may gaze and perceive the true depth of any subject. Also, it very effectively teaches us the skill of elimination, ridding our work of the unnecessary writing that bores the crap out of our readers and ourselves.
Phew! That was a lot to absorb, I'll grant ya, but there's a reason for all that lead-up and it is to encourage you to witness firsthand the power that poetry grants us all by attending Woodland Pattern's 17th Annual Poetry Marathon. You are now free to holler, "Whoozzah!"
Beginning Saturday, January 29, at 10AM and going all the way until 1AM Sunday morning, the gallery space of Woodland Pattern Book Center will be abuzz with the constant stream of perfectly chosen, placed and uttered words, generating what will no doubt be described as an immaculate linguistic maelstrom by those who experience it. And you wanna be counted among them, don't ya? Course ya do.
To you poets, writers, performance artists, and musicians--yes, you're all welcome!--who haven't yet reserved your 5-minute time slot and/or raised at least $35 in pledges, waitin' around for fickle inspiration to kick ya in the caboose, considered yourselves booted and sign-up now!
It all happens Saturday, January 29, at 720 East Locust Street in Milwaukee, and all proceeds go toward Woodland Pattern programming.
The jazz world received some decidedly alarming and sobering news on November 22: Berkeley Fudge--renowned saxophonist/flutist and 38-year veteran teacher/mentor at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (WCM)--had suffered a stroke, rendering one side of his body completely immobile and sans sensory perception.
Word has come today that Mr. Fudge, with the kind aid of the fine physical therapists at St. Mary's Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center, is traipsing about a bit with a walker and has regained movement in his hands and fingers, though feeling has yet to return.
In heartfelt tribute to this great musician, The Jazz Estate at 2423 N. Murray Avenue on Milwaukee's East Side will be hosting a benefit concert tonight at 9:30PM sharp. The Estate's Brian Sanders provided me with the evening's complete line-up of performers, all of whom will be swingin' together in the name of Mr. Fudge:
Adekola Adebapo - vocals Al Johnson - trumpet Barry Velleman - piano John Price - drums Sam Belton - drums
There's an extremely reasonable $5 cover charge and a donation jar will be at the ready for your generously hep donation.
In addition to tonight's musically beneficial shindig, WCM is in the process of cookin' up something special as well, so stay tuned to this Cricky channel for more intel as it comes in.
Though Mr. Fudge has Medicare, which has covered his medical expenses thus far, he has no income coming in, so dig deep and give back to the man whose given us and indeed the world so much jazzy goodness. He and his loving wife thank you!
With the exception of only the most dedicated followers of Plato's hugely contradictory and therefore wacky Philosophy of Aesthetics, few would rationally argue that art in all its forms is fundamentally dangerous and, as such, should be vetted and censored so that only the "right" sort is allowed to exist in society. Because you're way smart, I don't have to bore us all by pointing out the deep and inherent flaws rooted in his theory, do I? Course I don't.
And so, since we know that any danger art presents is not elementally bad for us--that, in fact, experiencing ideas and concepts that challenge our senses and perceptions is most often good for us, not to mention a ton o' fun!--we have acknowledged that education in literature, poetry, drama, visual art, and music is essential to helping us become the well-rounded and complex human beings we need to be in order to navigate the world around us. Unfortunately, this understanding of the great value of art education does not always garner the financial support it requires to flourish, which is very, very bad.
Like all types of creative education, music training has suffered the oh-so sharp blade of the budget knife for decades, depriving both children and adults of the goodness it offers and diminishing the quality of life for the whole society. Well, kids, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (WCM), located right here in our fair Miltown, is bound and determined to stem the flow of this life-draining tide and they need your help to do it!
As a true community music school, WCM offers programs to everyone, and I mean everyone. From four-month-old toe biters to wily grand- and, yes, even great grandparents, all are welcome to learn and experience the awesome and unreserved power that music instills in our minds and spirits. Is that dangerous? Of course! Is that good? You bettcha!
Not only that but, through programs like Conservatory Connections, WCM brings music education to schools that have none and supplements those that do. Add its financial aid and scholarship programs and you've got a full-on, community wide music teachin' machine!
Now, humdrum full disclosure dictates that I come clean and inform y'all that I have recently become employed at WCM as its Communications Coordinator--a position for which I am fairly compensated--but that fact merely lends my positive opinion more credibility as I have borne witness to many of the fantastical things this school does up close and personal.
So, how can you help WCM and its incredibly worthy mission? By going to its annual Performathon and Open House this Sunday, November 21, that's how! With four stages of stellar performances by students of all ages--and, believe you me, the whole building will be alive with melodious sound!--a bake sale, a raffle for a 32GB WiFi iPad, and WCM merchandise available for your happy purchase, how could ya not show your adorable faces, huh?
Be there from 1-5PM on Sunday at 1584 N. Prospect Avenue, drop a little cash and show your support for all the dangerously beautiful music we humans can make!
