http://thirdcoastdigest.com Great Ideas, gathered. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:58:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Great Ideas, gathered. no http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/03/podcast-the-troubadour-pezzettino/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/03/podcast-the-troubadour-pezzettino/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:49 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=91086 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/03/podcast-the-troubadour-pezzettino/feed/ 1 This week in Marks new Milwaukee music series, meet Pezzettino, the nom de guerre of one-lady indie accordionist, singer/songwriter and performance artist. Youve probably seen her around town, busking, making videos and Twittering. Mark and Pezzettino talk about why she chose the accordion (Its like a piano with lungs, she says), what her stage name means, how her music is changing from aggressive break-up folk to experimental, collaborative pop/trip-hop and what shes looking forward to about SXSW. Backstage with Pezzettino Our series continues with members of Masonry, the Whiskey Belles, Andy Noble and more. If that sounds too good to be true, make sure you subscribe to the podcast through iTunes. Mark starts a new music series with Pezzettino, Milwaukee's one-lady indie accordionist, performance artist and video-maker. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/03/mff-winter-review-which-way-home/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/03/mff-winter-review-which-way-home/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:26 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=90979 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/03/mff-winter-review-which-way-home/feed/ 0 Still from Which Way Home, courtesy HBO Films. Which Way Home is one of those documentaries that you might think you don’t need to see because you have already heard so much about this subject and you don’t need to hear more. You would be wrong. Rebecca Cammisa spent more than a year interviewing and traveling with children from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as they attempt to get away from impoverished lives in their home countries to join their parents, or to simply find relief in the United States. Its a straightforward look at a very real situation. There is no political agenda working here, but the viewer is given such a startlingly real and at times terrifying look at the lives of others – of children specifically– that it may begin to affect your position on a political solution to immigration. I found myself in awe of the courage, the stamina, the adventurous spirit and the determination of these young children. Barely teenagers,  they navigate a migration of nearly two thousand miles, fueled by the desire to be reunited with their families or purely by the American Dream that we have packaged and marketed so well throughout the world. They walk, they hop freight trains, they cadge rides on buses and then they walk again. In the meantime, theyre hiding from railroad security and the police, and avoiding adults that would prey upon them. Occasionally these kids are helped by people and organizations that try to feed and shelter them and also to warn them of the dangers, but they never try to stop them. And why would anyone try to stop them? We have made it clear that we are the greatest country on earth; that anything is possible here, that the ability to dream and live your dream exists here more than anywhere. How we can fault people for wanting to come here? But that is me politicizing the situation. Cammisa wisely stays out of that and any other argument. She sees only the human situation and her film offers us the chance to look into the face of that situation. The fact that it is a child’s face makes it even more emphatic that a solution is necessary so that our future is not at risk. And it is our future as well as theirs– the moral judgments we make now determine who we are and how our children will see the world and live in it. Listen to Marks phone interview with producer Jack Turner: Which Way Home is a documentary film directed by Rebecca Cammisa and produced by Milwaukee native Jack Turner.  It was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and for an Oscar for Best Documentary.  It will be featured  in the Milwaukee Film Winter Edition Festival this weekend at the Marcus North Shore Cinema, located at 11700 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon. For showtimes, click here. Mark Metcalf is a writer, professional actor and resident of Milwaukee. He hosts TCDs weekly podcast Backstage with Mark Metcalf and occasionally writes the film blog Moving Pictures. Mark is also Milwaukee Films Director of Collaborative Cinema, giving area students hands-on experience with film making. Mark reviews Which Way Home, a film that documents the journeys of young children as they migrate from their impoverished homes in Mexico and Central America in search of the American Dream. Plus, listen to a bonus audio interview with producer and [...] http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-no-five-year-plans/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-no-five-year-plans/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:41:41 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=87471 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-no-five-year-plans/feed/ 2 This week, Mark talks to an Internet innovator whos more of an interface between the physical and digital worlds. By day, Brian helps brick-and-mortar builders market their new properties. He moonlights as a consultant for start-ups seeking to grow their business with both Internet and real-life strategies. Mark and Brian discuss how an open source model can help product manufacturers, how to use Twitter and other social media platforms to seek sales opportunities and build better connections with your clients, and, more philosophically, why its better to build a business you believe in than to seek pure profit. After all, he says, in Internet marketing and new media, Theres no five-year plan. Listen now: You can also download our podcast and get it fresh every week with iTunes. In Internet marketing and new media, you have to be okay with a little ambiguity about your future. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/trapper-schoepp-the-shades-be-moved-a-little/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/trapper-schoepp-the-shades-be-moved-a-little/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:30:32 +0000 Erin Wolf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=86433 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/trapper-schoepp-the-shades-be-moved-a-little/feed/ 0 Trapper Schoepp & The Shades Country and folk-rock, when of the Midwestern variety, contains an earnest quality. It’s not so much about boozin’ and brawlin’ as much as about life’s non-self-inflicted hard knocks in an introspective reflection versus extroverted display (think Wilco versus Hank Williams III). Although some musicians come close to nailing a middle ground (Ryan Adams and his earlier material or the Replacements more drawled-out moments), Trapper Schoepp hasn’t quite dug into this material yet. Could be his age (he’s all of 19 years old), or could be that he’s got loftier goals than what can be found inside the four walls of a bar. Likely, Schoepp’s material will eventually change and move, much like his new, aptly titled Lived and Moved release hints at. Or maybe he’s just reinventing Midwestern folk-rock altogether. The second release for Schoepp and the first for his outfit as Trapper Schoepp & The Shades, Lived and Moved is the chronicle of being young and moving from a tiny community more than 300 miles away to a bigger city like  Milwaukee. Small-town Ellsworth, WI very well may have been a sleepy place to call home for an adolescent, and Lived and Moved is filled with the tell-tale growing pains. Songs about young love lost (“Between the Lines”) and searching for a home in “Driving All Night” alternately pick up with lively piano, organ, lap-steel and dueling acoustic and electric guitars, only to mellow-ly drag down to lay claim to more prominent vocal harmonies from siblings Trapper (guitar/vocals) and Tanner (bass/vocals) Schoepp. Each is a story one step further into adulthood. Recorded at Howl Street Studios in Milwaukee and produced by Justin Perkins, Lived and Moved undeniably sounds more mature than Schoepp’s first release (A Change in the Weather); it’s piano-driven qualities rein in a delightful pop quality, while Schoepp takes time to mess around with pedals and even a little feedback at some points. Although nothing to shake things up, Lived and Moved sounds solid and easily highlights Schoepp and company as a young and talented group, stylistically shifting and adding a new layer to how Midwestern twang currently sounds. Hear an excerpt from Between The Lines off the new album by clicking the song title. Maybe he's young and doesn't quite feel it yet. Or maybe he's just reinventing Midwestern folk-rock altogether. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-o-brave-new-world/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-o-brave-new-world/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:11:31 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=85548 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-o-brave-new-world/feed/ 0 If youre wondering why weve started a series on technology, the web, inventors and entrepreneurs in our weekly arts podcast, this episode of Backstage with Mark Metcalf should clear up a few things for you. Mark interviews M.I.T. dropout Pehr Anderson, who grew up with scientist parents in a small North Dakota farm town. Pehr skipped out of college in 1996 to start a tech business that linked desk telephones to existing area networks. Later, he worked on the project that became Electronic Ink, which you may have experienced if youve ever played around with a Kindle. Mark and Pehr talk about creativity in the technology marketplace; why Wisconsin is a great place to conduct research and develop a genius new technology product; how inventing a tool for people to use also invents a desire; why even though we live in fast times, we have yet to outpace the demand for empowering solutions; and how thrilling it is to work in an industry that can literally change the world. A human being can ratchet the world forward, Anderson says. Then it clicks, and it doesnt go backward. And Mark gives us a luminous coda about The Tempest. Its all here. Listen now, or download to your audio device and take it with you: Backstage with Pehr Anderson Keep up with the conversation by subscribing to our podcast with iTunes. a human being can ratchet the world forward. then it clicks, and it doesnt go backward. It's Day One out there: How a single human being and some start-up dollars can completely change the world. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-voices-in-the-void/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-voices-in-the-void/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:29:52 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=83937 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-voices-in-the-void/feed/ 0 What if, instead of conducting dozens of phone interviews with the same set of questions, and saving notes on each of those phone interviews with a staff of potential decision-makers, hiring managers could let a computer call a job candidate, ask those job candidates all of those pre-determined questions, record the answers, share them with an entire group of hirers and file them for future reference? And what if, instead of sending out the same generic resume to 1,000 faceless potential employers online, you had a chance to speak in your own voice about your qualifications, as they pertain to a particular job? The web telephony platform HarQen and one of its new applications, VoiceScreener, is making it happen. Jeff Fitzsimmons is an entrepreneur, inventor and joke-lover, and co-founder of HarQen, which at its most elementary allows users to create audio through the telephone and interact with it over the web. You can see HarQen in action at ComicWonder.com, a website that seeks the best joke-teller on the webs wild west. Mark and Jeff talk about where the Internet has been, where its going and what it means for entrepreneurs. What have we learned from early web business model mistakes? How will we continue to generate revenue with web applications? In the future, will we even need to know how to write? Think about those questions and more as you listen to this weeks episode: Backstage with Jeff Fitzsimmons This week kicks off a whole series of conversations with inventors, tech trailblazers, Internet playground architects and other creative entrepreneurs.  To make sure you dont miss a thing, subscribe to Backstage with Mark Metcalf through iTunes. Where is Internet entrepreneurship headed? This innovator is banking on the value of the voice. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-drummers-get-more-love/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-drummers-get-more-love/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:44:01 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=82050 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/02/podcast-drummers-get-more-love/feed/ 1 Of course, Chris DeMay isnt a drummer anymore. The singer/songwriter — who just released a new EP, Bigger Than Small, on Bear Rifle Records — started out on a kit, but he leaves that to the professionals now. Mark and Chris talk about the best drummers ever (Ringo Starr? Keith Moon? Shane Hochstetler of Call Me Lightning?), the Milwaukee music scene, past (jazz and blues in the 40s; the Violent Femmes in the 80s), present and future, and Mark plays cranky old man/devils advocate  on vinyl vs. mp3s. Oh, and of course, they ask each other: which member of the band gets the most groupies? What do YOU think? Listen to the podcast while you mull it over: Backstage with Chris DeMay You can also subscribe to our podcasts through iTunes. And you should buy Chriss EP! Its pretty great! NEXT WEEK: Mark starts a brand-new series on technology, inventors and other nerds. Local crooner Chris DeMay talks about drumming legends, Milwaukee's local music scene and the truth about groupies. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/podcast-on-the-road-with-johnny-beehner/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/podcast-on-the-road-with-johnny-beehner/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:02:23 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=79979 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/podcast-on-the-road-with-johnny-beehner/feed/ 0 Milwaukee-based stand-up comedian Johnny Beehner bought his Cavalier brand-new in 2005. Now it has more than 200,000 miles on it. If he can get there in 15 hours or less, hed rather drive than fly. Johnny started doing stand-up in 1999, then hit the road with his act in 2002. Hes been gigging full time since 2006. Mark and Johnny talk about: the joys of stand-up, group and sketch comedy; why its important to know a little improv; hecklers; working with The Gentlemens Hour; and some of his worst gigs ever. Listen now!: Backstage with Johnny Beehner You can also subscribe to our podcast through iTunes. Johnny rounds out series on comedy and comedians. Next week well bring you some new music fromlocal recording artist Chris DeMay. Local comedian prefers the open road, doesn't mind hecklers and recalls his worst gigs ever. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/podcast-the-women-of-broadminded-comedy/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/podcast-the-women-of-broadminded-comedy/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:43:32 +0000 Mark Metcalf http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=78490 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/podcast-the-women-of-broadminded-comedy/feed/ 0 From left to right: Stacy Babl, Melissa Kingston, Megan McGee and Anne Graff LaDisa. Why is comedy such a mans world? Is it just because men got used to doing everything for centuries? Is it the power play you need to make to take the stage? Or is it just because women are beautiful, and you have to be ugly to be funny? This week on the podcast (part of our continuing series on local comedians), Mark talks to the quartet of women known as Broadminded, Milwaukees all-female sketch comedy group. Discussed: making rules and breaking rules, exploring female stereotypes, the gendered socialization of play, Einsteins statement that without friction, there is no movement, Archie and Edith Bunker, Ann Coulter, beating out a scene, human behavior, and what we all want to do with our lives. Its a lot funnier than it sounds. Listen now!: Backstage with Broadminded You can also subscribe to Backstage with Mark Metcalf through iTunes. You can see Broadminded in action every Friday and Saturday during the last three weeks of February at the fabulous Alchemist Theatre. Tune in next week. Our comedy series continues with Johnny Beehner. Who says you have to be ugly to be funny? The zany women of Milwaukee's Broadminded Comedy group prove otherwise. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/mlk-celebration-spotlights-cultural-connections/ http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/mlk-celebration-spotlights-cultural-connections/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:29:14 +0000 Patti Wenzel http://thirdcoastdigest.com/?p=78041 http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2010/01/mlk-celebration-spotlights-cultural-connections/feed/ 1 “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   The first grade class at Elm Creative Arts designed the poster commemorating the celebration theme, "People Must Work Together." The City of Milwaukees Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration spotlights the best and brightest students within the Milwaukee Public Schools, choice, charter and parochial schools. And after participating in the three-hour event, I can confidently say the future of our community is in good hands.   People Must Work Together was the theme of the party, held Sunday afternoon at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, and the multicultural blending of faces, styles and ages brought the party to life. The party started with a pep rally, led by the drumline from Fritsche Middle School. That was followed by an a capella rendition of Lift Evry Voice and Sing, the Black National Anthem. Many in the audience joined Ms. Breeze of Running Rebels Community Organization as her voice soared with words that promise hope for the future.   Other performance groups included the Chinese Youth Symphony (click to hear the Chinese Symphonys performance), the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestras Calypso and Progressions, African dance troupe Discovery our Destiny and the Milwaukee Childrens Choir.   Latino Arts Mariachi Juvenil, consisting of 8- to 17 -year-olds, performed traditional Hispanic string pieces. They were lead in song by a senior group member named Juan. His smooth voice and rugged good looks had the audience whistling and howling their approval.  (Listen to Mariachi Juvenils performance here).   Spread throughout the celebration were speeches given by the winning students in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speech contest. Listen to the winners insights and hopes for the future below.      Trinity Higgins was the winner of the K-2nd grade speech contest. She attends Elm Creative Arts. Trinity Higgins, K-2nd grade division.   Ruth Fetaw was full of fire during her speech as winner of the 1st-2nd grade division. Fetaw attends 95th Street School. Ruth Fetaw, 3rd-4th grade division.   Thad Smith, from Elm Creative Arts, was the winner of the 5th-6th grade speech contest. Thaddeus Smith, 5th-6th grade division.   Jamal Hegwood, from Starms Discovery Learning Center, won the 7th-8th grade division for his speech on MLK, Jr. Jamal Hegwood, 7th-8th grade division.   Rufus King High Schools Miela Fetaw was the winner of the 9th-10th grade MLK, Jr. speech contest. Miela Fetaw, 9th-10th grade division.   Milwaukee School of the Arts student, Gunnar Raasch, won the 11th-12th grade division of the MLK, Jr. speech contest. Gunnar Raasch, 11th-12th grade division.   All of these performances reminded the audience that we are one people and need to work together to improve the world for all, a lesson Dr. King would be proud for us to all learn.      See more photographs taken at the event.     Milwaukee students honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision and look to the future. Listen to the students' speeches only at TCD.