On The Record

Hey! Today is the first day of the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival! From September 28 through October 12, the ninth annual fest will light up the screens of the Oriental Theatre, Downer Theatre, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, Times Cinema, and Avalon Theater with one of its strongest lineups yet. Need help navigating that lineup? Of course you do. For this freewheeling MFF2017 preview, hosts Matt Wild and Tyler Maas are joined by OnMilwaukee film, TV, and culture critic Matt Mueller to discuss their personal festival picks, the state of Milwaukee cinema, the future of Milwaukee Film, and more. Mueller gives the group a taste of his panel discussion (with Dr. Susan Kerns) on September 30, Wild makes a case for the life-affirming Stop Making Sense dance party, and Tyler keeps bringing up Eddie Murphy's Norbit for some reason.

On Friday, Black Bear Bottling will close permanently. The Oak Creek-based soft drink company has been in business for 90 years, and its closure will put more than 70 people out of a job. Black Bear's demise will also leave Wisconsin without the beloved Black Bear Soda brand, as well as a few other beverages the plant was contracted to manufacture. While the loss of Black Bear is unfortunate, both metro Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole still boast a number of delicious soft drinks. In honor of Black Bear, Milwaukee Record's Tyler Maas and Josh Hoppert took a sugar-fueled tour of the state's vast soft drink collection by tasting a bunch of area sodas. Between sips and increasingly-hyper evaluations, they discuss the role soda played in their upbringing, why people call it "pop," and whether they think that rumor about Yellow 5 is true. This episode is brought to you by Surly, a Minnesota-based brewery and the official beer of On The Record. Music comes courtesy of Piles ("Blue Glue") and Ravi/Lola ("Teach He

The new season of Twin Peaks—a.k.a. Twin Peaks: The Return, Twin Peaks Season 3, or just "new Twin Peaks"—wrapped up earlier this week, and even though Twin Peaks has absolutely nothing to do with Milwaukee, let's just talk about it anyway. Host Matt Wild is joined by fellow Peaks freaks Evan Rytlewski and Erin Frank to unpack and puzzle through David Lynch and Mark Frost's unexpected, oft-riveting, oft-frustrating revival of their cult '90s TV show. How did Rytlewski, Frank, and Wild originally discover Twin Peaks? What did they make of the grim prequel film, Fire Walk With Me? What were they expecting from The Return? What did they make of the divisive finale? And, above all, which one of them has attended a Twin Peaks fan festival? Grab some coffee, kiss Sonny Jim goodnight, and prepare for a yrev, very good time. (Spoilers throughout.) This episode is brought to you by Surly Brewing, who is giving back in various locally focused ways with the brewery's "Surly Gives A Damn" initiative. Music comes courtesy

There's no shortage of new shit headed Milwaukee's way. It seems as if a new multi-use apartment complex is announced every month, and just as many craft breweries are popping up as well. The populace is embroiled in heated debates about the forthcoming streetcar, public art projects, and the partially completed Bucks arena—at least when we aren't pondering whether the city's East Side is dying or merely changing. Meanwhile, local dining and music have never been better, yet the city is still dealing with rampant segregation and is struggling to retain young residents. With Milwaukee trying to preserve its past, tend to the present, and plan for the future, it can be hard to keep up. In an effort to get up to date on all the new shit that's happening in town and learn more about the impact those changes could have on residents, host Tyler Maas invited Dan Shafer to Milwaukee Record headquarters to run through a variety of topics. Just days before he was set to leave the city to take a position with Seattle Bu

Heads up, Milwaukee: the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival—which takes over the Landmark Oriental Theatre, Landmark Downer Theatre, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, Times Cinema, and Avalon Theater September 28-October 12—is just over a month away. So who better to talk to in the weeks leading up to the fest than Milwaukee Film's artistic and executive director, Jonathan Jackson? Host Matt Wild met up with Jackson at the not-so-bustling Shops of Grand Avenue food court to chat about the ninth installment of the festival, Milwaukee Film's multi-pronged mission statement, and, oh yeah, the organization's upcoming takeover of the Oriental Theatre. What will change? What will stay the same? Will they be showing stuff like Avengers 12 and Thor 7? (Answer: no.) Jackson and Wild also discuss Milwaukee's nascent film industry, UWM, weird Stan Brakhage movies, and the time they shared a bed together in Cleveland.

This week's guest is Jim Hanke. Each week, the host of Vinyl Emergency interviews musicians, media personalities, and other movers and shakers about their relationship with records and the impact wax has had on their lives. During the show's 66-episode (and counting) run, Hanke has introduced the likes of Ted Leo, Speech from Arrested Development, Strand Of Oaks, David Bazan, Rocky Votolato, Matthew Sweet, members of Braid, Joe Block, and many more. Along the way, the host relocated from Chicagoland to his native Milwaukee. Now part of the small-but-passionate Milwaukee podcast community, Hanke and fellow local podcast host Tyler Maas met up to talk about the growing medium, the challenges both of them have faced gaining local listeners, and the future of the format—both in Milwaukee and elsewhere. Hanke also discusses the evolution of the vinyl market and whether the tipping point is nigh for records and podcasts. Tyler also incorrectly claims Twinstar (Hanke's former band) wrote a song called "On My Dick."

On Monday, July 31, a standing-room-only crowd at Club Garibaldi enjoyed a ton of jokes, plenty of jabs, and the deft hosting skills of FOX6 anchor Ted Perry at the 3rd annual Roast Of Milwaukee. Comedians Ryan Lowe, Greg Bach, Addie Blanchard, David Louis, Rita Landis, AJ Grill, and Carly Malison all lambasted the city (and each other), and Perry and V100.7 DJ Promise joined in on the biting-but-loving roasting action. Milwaukee Record's own Tyler Maas did a set, too, and was unfavorably compared to a sickly Dave Grohl at least once (Matt Wild took a "Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory" hit). Oh, and we raised a bunch of cash and supplies for the Milwaukee Women's Center. Static Eyes, meanwhile, blew the house down before and after the show.

Even though we try to keep our whereabouts secret at all times (except when McDonald's is concerned), we still get a lot of stuff sent to our office. CDs, tapes, books, hot sauce, wine, condoms, and threatening letters from the President of the United States are just a few of the things that regularly pop up in our mailbox. But what to do with all this sweet, sweet swag—especially the sweet, sweet swag that doesn't fit in with our usual coverage? Welcome to the second installment of Milwaukee Record Clearinghouse, a stirring Facebook Live event (and podcast) where we sort though and discuss a bunch of random stuff. This time around, hosts Tyler Maas, Matt Wild, and Milwaukee Record Director Of Advertising Josh Hoppert give some quick-hitting evaluations of Liv Mueller's outstanding Liv Sings, and The Eradicator's enjoyable demo. Matt then reads a Milwaukee-related excerpt from Jeff Pearlman's 2016 Brett Favre biography Gunslinger, as Tyler leads an alcoholic excursion through Luxembourg with samples of two Bo

Matt Kemple is a busy man. When he's not producing theatrical events and comedy showcases at the Underground Collaborative (which he founded and manages), he's booking nationally known comedians like Godfrey, Nick Thune, Neil Hamburger, Andy Kindler, and Joe Mande at venues around town as part of his Milwaukee Comedy endeavor. This August, Milwaukee Comedy Festival—which Kemple founded and produces—will turn 12 years old. Later that month, he'll co-produce the second annual Milwaukee Fringe Festival, which he co-founded as well. Though Kemple can rarely get out of his office at this point in the year, he did set aside some time to let host Tyler Maas swing by his abode to share a few beers and talk about his whirlwind August. The pair discussed each day of the Fest (starting with our semi-affiliated Roast Of Milwaukee event), the decision to move the majority of the festival to the Underground Collaborative, and how the event has quickly grown to a level capable of bringing talents like Michael Ian Black and

Host Tyler Maas was joined by Kevin Mueller, a local freelance entertainment writer (and our resident "eating while driving" columnist) who contributes to Milwaukee Magazine and Shepherd Express. Both were audibly depleted from the craziness of recent weeks, but they still managed to look ahead and round up a wealth of events to help your summer end on a fun note. Tyler even mentions a super secret Milwaukee Record film screening that hasn't been announced yet.

Last week, Milwaukee Record dropped by Cactus Club for another edition of our Book Club. This time around we invited Vinyl Me, Please Senior Editor Andrew Winistorfer and VMP contributor Benjamin Munson to join us for a lively chat about the record subscription club's first book, 100 Albums You Need In Your Collection. Before welcoming the guests of honor, hosts Tyler Maas and Matt Wild commemorated On The Record's 100th episode by discussing some memorable past guests. Then, Winistorfer and Munson came on stage to talk about the process of picking just 100 records, all four of their crossing paths, differences between Madison and Milwaukee, and who Ben thinks the Madison Mallards' recent Chris Farley bobblehead resembles.

Zima is back, motherfuckers. The "refreshing citrus beverage" that was discontinued in the U.S. nearly 10 years ago returned to liquor store shelves this week. Instead of having our staff weigh in, we called in an expert to give some thoughts on the malt beverage, as well as other limited time or seasonal products. Host Tyler Maas was joined by Taste Of Home editor (and former Milwaukee Record contributor) Rachel Seis. After trying some Zima, they evaluated Mountain Dew's patriotic new Dew.S.A., the cinn-ful Pepsi Fire, and Red Bull's just-released Purple Edition before moving to Taco Bell's Naked Chicken Chips. Before the end of the show—which, let's be honest, it pretty much just a Doughboys tribute episode—the taste buds also sipped the seasonal #Merica! lager from On The Record beer sponsor Surly.

Every year, Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (a.k.a. MADACC) rescues approximately 11,000 stray, mistreated, and abused animals. As part of the organization's "regulation and care services," MADACC strives to help give animals a second chance through adoption. MADACC recently started its "Pit Bull Prrroud" promotion, in which pit bulls can go to good homes for only $45, and adult cats can be adopted free of charge. Tyler Maas recently toured MADACC's facility and learned more about the organization from Kathy Shillinglaw, who started as a volunteer and now serves as MADACC's Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. They discussed what MADACC does, misconceptions about certain dog and cat breeds, and the upcoming Walk Run Wag event at Hart Park on July 8. Tyler also promises he'll adopt an adult cat eventually.

About a year and a half after coming on the podcast to discuss local food trends, longtime Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson, and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee on-air personality and accomplished amateur cook Tarik Moody join host Tyler Maas to revisit some familiar topics. Like last time, they discuss some exciting new developments in local dining, under-sung establishments, annoying fads/terms, and the city's struggle to change its edible identity while still holding to its celebrated traditions. Ann also calls Tyler a hipster and Tarik reminds the world why he loves Real Chili.

In 2011, Milwaukee artist Jeff Redmon and Made In Milwaukee's Chuck Watson put their heads together on an annual event meant to bring artists and Bay View businesses together. Bay View Gallery Night was born. Entering its seventh year, the one-night undertaking is bigger, better, and more wide-reaching than ever. Along the way, they joined forces with Bay View Jazz Fest as well. On June 2, Bay View Gallery Night will return with more than 50 Bay View (and Bay View-adjacent) businesses, close to 100 artists, 30-plus jazz projects, and 12 music venues combining for the affair. Prior to the event, host Tyler Maas met up with Redmon and Watson to discuss the history of Bay View Gallery Night, how it has grown and developed over the years, and how Milwaukee supports its artists (and decides to fund public art). The trio also talked about the great Arte Para Todos benefit, which Watson and Redmon help organize.

Host Tyler Maas recently met with up-and-coming musician Vincent VanGreat at the Cactus Club. They were also joined by Promise, a V100.7 radio personality who highlights the best in Milwaukee-made hip-hop every weekend on his “Heat From The Street” segment. Together, the trio talked up the history of Milwaukee hip-hop, its ups and downs, struggles rappers face in this market, and who is helping to bolster the city’s rap rep.

Even though we try to keep our whereabouts secret at all times, we still get a lot of stuff sent to our office. CDs, tapes, books, hot sauce, wine, and condoms are just a few of the things that regularly pop up in our mailbox. But what to do with all this sweet, sweet swag—especially the sweet, sweet swag that doesn't fit in with our usual coverage? Welcome to the inaugural Milwaukee Record Clearinghouse, a stirring Facebook Live event (and podcast) where we sort though and discuss a bunch of random stuff. New records from Brett Newski, Cabin Essence, and the soundtrack to Wisconsin Foodie hold down the music portion of the hour, while wine from Cannonball and hot sauce from WMSE and Direct Hit! provide the food/drink component. Will Tyler say "mouthfeel"? Will Matt think everything is just "fine"?

Though Gareth Reynolds is a writer, actor, improvisor, and touring stand-up comedian, the Brown Deer native is known to listeners throughout the world for his utter lack of historical knowledge. The Los Angeles-based multi-hyphenate is a co-host of The Dollop, a popular American history podcast that's landed him a book deal and has brought him to perform in Iceland, Australia (three times), and throughout the United States. Last week, Milwaukee's own Turner Hall Ballroom hosted The Dollop. A day after that packed, rowdy, and hilarious show, Reynolds (and lifelong friend Brett Stepeke) met Milwaukee Record's Tyler Maas at Puddler's Hall to discuss his improv origin at ComedySportz, finally getting his break on The Dollop, writing for Arrested Development, the Green Bay Packers, and his love for Cousin's Subs.

Milwaukee Beer Week gave host Tyler Maas a reason to meet up with some local brewers to discuss the growth and development of Milwaukee brewing, whether there's a craft beer bubble, and if so, whether it's close to bursting. He went to Enlightened Brewing Company (one of the city's smallest breweries) to meet up with owners/brewers Tommy Vandervort and James Larson and Evan Koepnick, a brewer from Wisconsin microbrewery magnate Lakefront Brewery. Together, they shared some thoughts, laughs, and delicious Milwaukee beer over the course of an informative hour-long conversation.

Kavon Cortez-Jones loves Milwaukee. The poet and lifelong resident calls the city the "Paris of the Midwest" in his new book, Club Noir. Cortez-Jones' debut release is bursting with references to local landmarks, area musicians, and beloved regional institutions. The majority of the book—which features works written between the ages of 18 and 21—comes from a place of love and appreciation, but through acknowledging some of the difficulties faced while growing up on Milwaukee's north side, some poems also indirectly shed a light on the city's issues with segregation. Host Tyler Maas caught up with the up-and-coming Milwaukee poet at Riverwest Public House. Cortez-Jones talked about his introduction to this often-overlooked art form, the upbringing and experiences that inform his work, and why he holds Milwaukee in such high regard. Oh, and they talk about Cheetos for a while, too.