Dane101 - The collaborative blog for Madison, Wisconsin

DaneCast: Dane101 talks roller derby with Mad Rollin Doll announcers Bob Noxious and Baam Baam

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:49:10 +0200

In this special edition of the Dane101 semi-weekly podcast we sit down with Mad Rollin Dolls announcers Bob Noxious and Baam Baam. Baam and Bob have been with the league since the inception so they have had a front row seat to the Dolls through all of their growing pains. In this 15 minute segment we discuss the change in derby capacity, Wisconsin as a derby state, stand out skaters of the year, and what it means to be a male announcer in a female derby world. Listen through the Odeo player below or by clicking here.

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Get Out, Madison! Things you should do around town May 9 - 11, 2008

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:45:17 +0200

This week's "Get Out, Madison!" starts on Sunday and works back to today. Why? We wish to engage in a bit of shameless self promotion.

Did you know your mother loves storytelling singer songwriters? Well, she does so you should consider bringing her by the High Noon Saloon at 8 p.m. where Dane101 will be presenting an eclectic evening of storytelling. We’ve tapped John Statz, Justin Jehnke, Tamara Backus, Ariel McClain, Adam Schabow, and Shinky to play some of their favorite songs and tell you how those songs came into existence. This will be the first in a series of storytelling nights.

Breakfast Links: May 9, 2008

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:19:36 +0200

May 9 is the 130th day of the year. On this day in 1960, the FDA announces it will approve the birth control pill Enovid, making it the world's first approved oral contraceptive pill (it is officially approved for use on June 23, 1960).

* WSJ: Police: Bring complaints to us, not media

* Forward: "The Madison Police Department should not be in media damage control mode. The only thing that will vindicate the police is by solving this Marino case (and others) and bringing the murderer to justice (and I most certainly want to see the police department vindicated)."

* TDP: Redacted report reveals nothing new on Brittany Zimmermann's 911 call

* Lueders: "...it’s no surprise that the May 8 joint committee meeting of the Dane County Board Public Protection and Judiciary Committee and Personnel and Finance Committee -- called in the aftermath of allegations that this call was mishandled -- did little to enlighten."

* TCT: 'World's Largest Coffee Break' takes a sip for fair trade

* 77Square: Women on wheels: Roller derby grows up

* Ald. Konkel: Why does WARF - the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery - want the CDA to give them $300,000 for their $180M bond project? And what is CDA going to do with those Lake Point Condos?

* Eating in Madison A to Z: Lovshack

DaneCast May 8, 2008 Part One: Discussing the Brittany Zimmermann call, the MAMAs, and what else is happening around Madison

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:28:55 +0200

This is the first part of the Dane101 Podcast for May 8, 2008. Contributors include Emily Mills, Bessie Cherry, Jesse Russell, Michael Donnelly, Adam Schabow, and special guests Scott Gordon from the Onion and Mad Rollin Dolls' announcers Bob Noxious and Baam Baam. In this first part we discuss the Brittany Zimmermann case, what's happening around Madison this weekend, and the Madison Area Music Awards. In part two, which we will be posting tomorrow, we talk about the Mad Rollin' Dolls finals scheduled for Saturday, the capacity adjustment, and what it means to be a derby announcer. If you can't see the player below, hit reload on your browser.

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Notes On A Screen: Madison Area Film, TV, and Gaming News 2008: Week 20

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:45:28 +0200

We haven't produced a "Notes On A Screen" since the week of the Wisconsin Film Festival, apologies. We blame complete silver screen burnout. With all of the hoopla regarding Public Enemies being filmed around the Capitol earlier this week this seems like the best time to fire up the weekly round-up of TV, gaming, and film news coming out of the greater Madison metropolitan area.

Johnny Depp wasn't in town for this shoot of what has come to be known simply as P.E., but Christian Bale and Billy Crudup did strut up the steps of the Capitol building as Madison doubled for Hoover's fledgling FBI headquarters. Bale is playing Melvin Purvis, who was Dillinger's pursuer, while Crudup is portraying the young Hoover. The results are photos and coverage galore.

BIY, Bike-It-Yourself: Creating a One-Stop-Shop

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:40:33 +0200

There are a great deal of things happening in this community related to bicycling, which is one of the reasons that I started this column. When you love bicycling, and think it can save the world, you want as many people to bicycle as possible. And part of getting more people to bicycle is making them aware of all of the varied opportunities to get on a bike or do something bike-related in our fair city.

Another effort to get the word out which I am peripherially involved in is www.madvelocity.com.

I've seen how Dane101 has grown over the last year that I've been reading it and writing for it, and I'd love to see the same kind of success with a bicycling-specific site. I know it can be done, it just will take the will of the people. Right now there are only a handful of us providing content, and we'd like to see that increase.

A Strange Case: The Zimmermann 911 call and the stories told afterwards

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:28:20 +0200

No one seems to be able to get their stories straight. Just over a month after UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann was murdered in her Doty St. apartment and a week after the initial revelation about the 911 call from her phone was published in an Isthmus article by Jason Shepard, no one seems willing or able to set the record straight.

Union representatives from Local 720, which represents Dane County 911 dispatchers, are saying that the person who took the call from Zimmermann’s phone claims not to have done anything to violate protocol. According to a recent channel3000 article, “The dispatcher said the 911 center policy says operators should call back a disconnected call if they have time.” This contradicts what the public has been told by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and others, who indicated that protocol is to always return 911 calls, regardless of any other factor. Also, in direct contradiction to what officials have been saying, the dispatcher adamantly denies having hung up the call.

Breakfast Links: May 8, 2008

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:35:53 +0200

May 8 is the 129th day of the year. Today is V-E Day.

* BadgerBlogger: Did Madison police officials stonewall the media in Zimmermann 9-1-1 case? Read the internal emails here

* BH: Racial disparities plague Madison, study says

* WISC: Union Rep: 911 Dispatcher Denies Mishandling Call; Union Representative Says She Heard Call

* 77Square: Classic cars to take over State Street

* Fitzsimmons: The Kissers bid farewell to Madison

* City of Madison: New Public Art will be Unveiled at Cypress Park

* Lolo-Eatable: Muramoto Restaurant reviewed

Tegan and Sara at the Barrymore, May 6, 2008

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:36:27 +0200

Canadian indie pop group Tegan & Sara played to a boisterous, sold-out crowd at the Barrymore on Tuesday night, proving yet again that they can bring both well-crafted, creative songs, and humorously endearing storytelling.

Despite a handful of overly, ahem, "enthusiastic" fans (see: having one-sided conversations with the performers), the sibling duo and their band played a great set, including quite a few songs from The Con, their most recent album, and So Jealous, their 2004 release, plus a few older pieces as well.

Soundcheck: What to expect from Madison Area Music Awards 2008

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:30:31 +0200

The Madison Area Music Awards return to the Barrymore Theatre on May 10 with a strong line-up of awards show performers as well as a new feature this year, after parties. Performers this year include the Pale Young Gentlemen, Motorz, Jessie Lynn, and others. The red carpet rolls out at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m. and running until 10 p.m. At that time the after parties kick-off around Madison with shows at Mr. Roberts, the Harmony Bar, the Great Dane-Downtown, and the Brink Lounge. We asked MAMAs founder Rick Tvedt some questions about how the MAMAs are different this year and how he feels they are being received in the local music community.

What is the most important change about the MAMAs this year?

Two things:
We've instituted some rule changes that have opened up the nominations. We were finding that especially some albums were getting nominated in more than one category and that some artists were getting multiple nominations in the same category for different songs. We now scrutinize the results so that a single album can only get nominated in one category and an artist can only have one song nomination in any single category.

Breakfast Links: May 7, 2008

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:00:15 +0200

May 7 is the 128th day of the year. On this date in 1956 the 35th million GM vehicle rolled off a production line in Janesville.

* BH: Falk admitted to several errors by the dispatcher who handled the call from Zimmermann’s phone, including missing “significant” sounds that were later heard in a detailed investigation.

* WISC: Falk's Admission Of Mistakes Could Be Used In Court

* AP: FBI statistics show the number of hate crimes nearly doubled in Wisconsin from 1996 to 2006

* DC: Health care in the state is in need of major reform, according to a recent poll, with over 61 percent of residents favoring a government administered health care system.

* BusinessWatch: Best Brews for BBQs (Wines too!)

* MadisonBeerReview: I thought this was about beer (and wine, too)? This is starting to sound like it's more about wine. Moreover, it doesn't look like this "expert" would know a good, Wisconsin beer if it came gift wrapped.

* Isthmus: Isthmus Jazz Festival announces 2008 schedule

* MoB: Updates on the SoCo Music Fest

* WISC: Marcus To Build Entertainment Complex In Madison

* Shilv: Do you believe the advertisements in the Onion are real?

Spring Tour Blog - Finale: Texas to Mississippi

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:47:04 +0200

Wednesday, April 30th – Austin, TX

The 3-hour drive from Dallas to Austin was mainly marked by the unfortunate realization that I had left my main debit card at the Absinthe Lounge the night before. While a bummer, it was by no means a disaster, as I had other cards, so with Dallas at my back it was time to delve into Austin, Texas’s liberal oasis! I met up with my friend Justin (who used to work at Ward-Brodt in Madison with me) at his place, and he became my “tour guide” for Austin, as he lives there now. I’ve been to Austin once before, last year when I played there with the Flame Shark boys, but had seen little of the city that time, so Justin took me to Mount Bonnell, which is a great park high on cliffs overlooking downtown Austin and the Colorado River (different one). The views were great, and Justin used the opportunity to take some pictures for a class, so I’ll have a new photo shoot posted soon (I’m thinking of leaving folksinging to become a model). We headed over to the Iguana Grill, where I was playing that night, in time to get some delicious Tex-Mex and take in the views, as the I.G. is also situated high-up, overlooking Lake Travis. My 2 and a half hour set was mostly a wall-paper gig, though some people listened, and the owner is a super-cool Minnesota ex-patriate. You meet a lot of people from our part of the country down south that never want to live through snowy winters again. I think that they’re crazy, I couldn’t handle summers that hot! Again taking up the “tour guide” position, Justin directed me downtown, where we walked around 6th Street and the state capitol. I crashed on Justin’s floor after discussing airports and photo shoots with him and his dad.

Tuesday Tix: Mad Rollin' Dolls, DeVotchKa, the Avett Brothers

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:45:50 +0200

Madison promoters must have been very busy this weekend because they all missed the Tuesday tickets notification deadline of 5 p.m. Sunday. Thankfully, our friends at Furthermore Beer are making sure we aren't empty-handed. If you don't mind the non-stop action of roller derby or a drive to Milwaukee for some quality music, the below passes can be yours (if you are the first person to comment below). UPDATE: WE HAVE TWO PAIR FOR DERBY AVAILABLE.

May 8: DeVotchKa at The Turner Ballroom (MKE)

During the past three years DeVotchKa had been hard at work making Madison a second home by consistently playing well attended shows and building a strong fan base. You would be hard pressed to find someone in the city who isn't familiar with Eastern European folk roots fusion act. This time they regretfully decided to skip our fine city for a turn at the Turner in Milwaukee. You can catch them by being the first to comment for these tickets.

Who would you put in Wisconsin's Hall of Fame?

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:00:08 +0200

Pop Quiz: What two things do Yogi Berra and Bruce Springsteen have in common? Both are Hall of Famers in their respective fields and both hail from New Jersey. On Sunday night those two distinctions merged as Berra and Springsteen joined 15 others to become the first Jerseyans to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The goal of the Hall is to help improve the reputation of the Garden State by highlighting prominent individuals who have lived there for at least five years. When accepting the award on Sunday, Springsteen said, "Rise up, my fellow New Jerseyans. We are all members of a confused but noble race. Even with this wonderful Hall of Fame, we know there's another bad Jersey joke just around the corner."

As the Wisconsin Historical Society rolls out an exhibit dedicated to Madison native Chris Farley this week I wondered why Wisconsin doesn't consider a Hall of Fame? Wisconsin, like New Jersey, is often the butt of many jokes and our stereotyped culture is one of beer, Packers, and cheese. One night each year we could showcase the innovation and celebrity of prominent Wisconsinites by inducting them into a Hall of Fame. It would not only earn the state national headlines, but would serve as an example to young Wisconsinites.

Breakfast Links: May 6, 2008

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:20:21 +0200

May 6 is the 127th day of the year. On this date in 1937 the German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute.

* Dusty: Ogg Hall, a decades-old Madison institution in what - they - haven't - torn - that - thing - down - yet - ingness, is going to be an unfortunate feature in Madison's skyline for at least another handful of months.

* Mayor Osterhaus: Johnny Depp will be back in Columbus for filming on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

* WS: Expert calls Dane County 911 staffing inadequate

* TCT: Falk apologizes to Zimmermann's family, fiance

* BH: A city committee gave the go-ahead to a new apartment building in the Bassett Street area Monday that some see as an asset to the neighborhood and others view as an assault to the architecture and fluidity of the community.

* LetterFromHere: Reinforcing gender stereotypes in Madison

* PeepMyWords: Madison is a bit of an enigma - a city where people as smart and conceited as Northern Chi-sters still enjoy vomiting, Brett Favre, and self-deprecation as much as their fellow Killwaulkians is hard to define...

* Eisen: Ald. Brenda Konkel probably caught the prevailing vibe at city hall when she headlined her post on the IZ report with the casual summary: "Inclusionary Zoning Didn't Ruin the World."

* ForwardOurMotto ...if he would have read the blog entry that he referenced, it's right there in the first paragraph. So yeah, even if you don't like IZ, you can clearly see that Alder Konkel wants results (and she cites them in that blog entry too), and not just some nice sounding policy.

* Dane101 Better Living: Make Windows More Productive Without Installing a Thing