Dane101
Phil Ejercito passed away last week, gone from the world far too soon. He was a truly decent human being, a good friend, and an immensely talented photographer. In addition to doing a great deal of freelance work for Dane101 over the years, he was also one of our longest supporters and advocates.
It's hard to pick just a few photos of Phil's as his best; everything he did was of the highest caliber, showcasing both an eye for beauty and art, and a keen understanding of narrative through still image. We've tried to pick some of our favorite pieces of his work for this gallery, though, as a small token of our enormous gratitude for everything he contributed to Dane101, and to our lives.
You can also view his own online portfolio at www.philephotography.com.
Phil's life will be celebrated at a memorial service held at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Marshfield, Wisconsin on Thursday, March 21. Visitation at the church starts at 10 a.m., with a funeral mass following at 11:30 a.m., and burial at Gates of Heaven cemetery immediately afterwards. A lunch will be served in the church basement after the completed service. Phil's family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Red Cross or the Social Justice Center in Madison.
(Phil shot the Electric Forest festival for Dane101 in 2011)
Post by Jesse Russell on 2/18/2013 1:30pm
In October of 2012 I had a discussion with my Dane101 co-editor, Emily Mills, about the future of this website. We’d both spent nearly every day with it for the last few years and thought it might be time to take a hard look at what we were doing.
We decided that our daily focus on producing and acquiring content was hindering our ability to reinforce the foundation of the website and we were burning ourselves out trying to do both. After discussing our concerns with the Board of Directors we decided that for the last two months of 2012 we’d put Dane101 into a low output mode. Breakfast Links would continue, but we wouldn’t be as focused on making sure we had new content each and every day.
During this low output time we’d planned to begin a search for a strategic planner and to start holding a series of community forums to find out exactly what Madison wanted out of an independent news website. But funny things tend to happen on the way to forums and this was no exception.
First, Emily was offered a job as editor of Our Lives Magazine. It was a great opportunity for her and I admire what Patrick Farabaugh has been able to do with his publication, so I was happy to endorse her decision to accept the job. Second, my wife was offered a unique opportunity in San Francisco and we had to weigh whether or not we could pack up and leave this city that has been so kind to us. During those discussions her eyes would light up and her excitement would burst forth through her words. Seeing her that happy and excited sold the move for me. Maddie has been my number one advocate throughout all of my endeavors over the last four years and I’m eager to return that support.
So what does that mean for the future of Dane101 (and all of our events)? Emily and I are currently in the process of moving Dane101 over to a “Board of Curators” made up of Sarah Bartash, Addie Blanchard, Christie Taylor, Mark Riechers, and Scott Gordon. We’re both stepping back into advisory roles, but we’re also trying to stay out of the way so they have the freedom to do what they wish with this well-established website.
I’m excited to see where the site goes without Emily and I at the helm.
Madison’s eclectic celebration of deep-winter debauchery, Fireball V-A Masquerade of Ice and Fire, will welcome the finest-dressed dukes and debutants to the Majestic (115 King Street) this Friday, January 25 and Saturday January 26, 2013. Yes, the annual event, which has sold out in each of the last three years, is moving to the Majestic’s bigger digs, and will flow out over two nights. With performers consuming the stage with different acts each night (loosely themed to “Ice” on Friday and “Fire” on Saturday), this year’s event is shaping up to be one epic blow-out.
The hottest MC in the Midwest, Miss Tamale, will escort her audience o’er the evenings’ affair. Expect fire, writhing, pole dancing, spinning and more. Along with members of Madison's own Peach Pies Caberlesque and Milwaukee's Brew City Bombshells, performers (subject to change) include:
- Ashley Addison
- Baby Bear
- Buffy Badger & Ember
- Chicago's CandyXXX
- Chicago's Red Rum
- Chicago's Rosemary Maybe
- Chicago's Uisce
- Colin Acumen of the Miltown Kings
- Cruel Valentine
- Cycropia Aerial Dance Co.
- Daisy Chains
- Fresco Opera Theatre's Holly Flack
- Greta Thorn
- Kitty LaRue
- Madame Envy
- Pole Performers Ashley Addison & Marie Cheyenne
- Polly Amour
- Pyro & Penumbra
- Uisce
- Vee Valentine
- Vertigo Belly Dance
- DJ Wyatt Agard is spinning both nights, including dance parties after each show.
There are only a handful of hotel rooms left for our fifth annual Fire Ball Masquerade on January 25 and 26, 2013. The rooms are at the historic Hotel Ruby Marie only a couple of blocks away from the Majestic Theatre. Not only does it put you in the same hotel as many of our performers, but one room reservation also includes a two night stay, two tickets to the show, two tickets to the early VIP party, two free exclusive Merchant Fire Ball themed cocktails, and complimentary happy hour drink tickets at the Up North Bar and breakfast each morning at the Come Back In. They also grant you early access to the show, so you'll get first choice of seating. These packages will only be available for two more weeks. Packages are available here.
Fire Ball V: A Masquerade of Ice and Fire is dane101's annual carnival where the audience is part of the performance. Attendees are encouraged to dress to impress (however, they choose to define the word "impress"). This year we're featuring aerial acrobats, opera singers, burlesque, stilt walkers, belly dancers, and more fire than ever before. Each night will be completely different with no performances being repeated.
You can buy tickets (without a hotel room) below. Tickets are $15 per night or $25 for both nights:
Friday, January 25, 2013: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1675851
Saturday, January 26, 2013: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1675852
Both nights: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/packageSearch.jsp?package_id=10789
Performances by:
Cycropia Aerial Dance Co., Chicago's , Ashar Dance Company, Fresco Opera Theatre's Holly Flack, and Pyro & Penumbra. From Chicago CandyXXX, Uisce, Red Rum, and Cruel Valentine. From Wisconsin Marie Cheyenne, Ashley Addison, Colin Acumen, the Brewcity Bombshells, and Peach Pies Caberlesque.
We're excited to announce that we'll be opening sales for Fire Ball V: A Masquerade of Ice and Fire on Friday at 10 a.m. The annual event, which has sold out the last three years, moves to the Majestic Theatre and expands to two nights in 2013. Each night will be unique, so if you buy tickets for both nights you don't need to worry about repeat performances. January 25 will be loosely themed to "ice" and January 26 will be loosely themed to "fire." Tickets are $15 per night or $25 for a two-night package
General admission tickets will be on sale through the Majestic at the following links:
Friday, January 25, 2013: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1675851
Saturday, January 26, 2013: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1675852
Both nights: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/packageSearch.jsp?package_id=10789
We also have a handful of hotel packages available thanks to Hotel Ruby Marie. The packages include two nights at the hotel plus early access to our VIP party which will feature Fire Ball themed cocktails from Merchant. Those packages are available here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/293141
We're still confirming entertainers, but so far you can expect to see:
Miss Tamale
Fresco Opera Theatre's Holly Flack
Cycropia Aerial Dance Co.
Chicago's Red Rum
Ashar Dance Company
Pole Performers Ashley Addison & Marie Cheyenne
Chicago's Uisce
Madison's Peach Pies Caberlesque
Milwaukee's Brew City Bombshells
...more to come...
Dane101 is proud to present Fire Ball V: A Masquerade of Ice and Fire, and to announce that this year’s event will take place over two nights, January 25 and 26, at the beautiful and historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Madison.
We’re partnering with the Majestic Theatre, Merchant Cocktail Bar & Restaurant, and the Hotel Ruby Marie to offer some truly spectacular VIP packages for the weekend, too, so both locals and visitors can experience the Fire Ball all weekend.
The VIP packages will get early access to the venue and a pre-party in the Majestic's Marquee Lounge featuring Fire Ball specific cocktails from a Merchant mixologist.
Before regular tickets go on sale, we’re going to make these incredible package deals available to the public as of November 16, 2012 at 10 a.m. – on a first come, first serve basis! Packages will go on sale on Brown Paper Tickets.
Be sure to mark your calendars and set aside Sunday evening, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. for a very special event: Two days before the upcoming general election, First Unitarian Society of Madison is sponsoring a forum on the topic, “The State of the Fourth Estate in American Politics.”
The forum will feature four outstanding panelists, including Paul Fanlund, editor of the Capital Times, John Powell, former reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio, Bill Lueders, former News Editor for Isthmus and now at WisconsinWatch.org, and Dane101 editor Emily Mills.
As part of this moderated discussion, panelists will comment on the changing role of the electronic and print media in covering political developments and election and address these questions:
* Is the Fourth Estate doing a credible job of political and electoral analysis?
* Has the whole notion of “balance” in reporting gone too far when opposing positions are routinely treated as being equally credible?
* Have the major media become too corporatized to be an independent, objective voice?
* Are contemporary consumers of political news too wedded to sources that simply reinforce their positions & prejudices?
* What, in your estimation, can we expect of the media in the future?
This event is free and open to the public. Anyone concerned about how the media shapes opinion and sets the terms for political dialogue and policy making will find this discussion illuminating.
Today is October 5, 2012.
* C3k: Wis. DNR warns hunters to lay off swans, cranes
* WSJ: Developer seeks $5.2 million in TIF for Downtown high rise
* WSJ: State Street marches now come at a cost
* C3k: Ryan challenger outraises him in 3rd quarter
* MJS: Thompson campaign slow on providing details of stops
* WKOW: Two people convicted in Madison homicide in court Friday
Yesterday evening dane101's Emily Mills joined Doug Cunningham, host of The People's Mic on 92.1 WXXM, to discuss the Wisconsin primary and her recent trip with Christie Taylor to investigate sand mining (article here). The People's Mic with Doug Cunningham runs daily 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. and you can hear the full show featuring Emily here. Two clips from the show are below.
On July 11, dane101 will be taking a trip out to Spring Green's Sh*tty Barn for a special Sh*tty Barn Session with our friends Little Red Wolf. In addition to being the good time you've come to expect from an evening at the barn it will also be a fundraiser for our writers budget, so we can bring you better coverage as we head into election season. There are only 40 seats available for this inaugural run of the Sh*tty Shuttle, but if it works out the Barn is considering making it a regular way to get your butts out of Madison and to the countryside. $10 buys a round trip ticket and there will be two pick-up spots in Madison. Details below:
5:15 - pick-up at Mickey's
5:45 - pick-up at Vintage Brewing
6:30 - arrive Barn
10:00 - depart Barn
10:45 - arrive Vintage Brewing
11:00 - arrive Mickey's
Buy a pass for the shuttle here.
Buy a ticket to the show here.
In addition to music from Little Red Wolf there will be pizza from Ian's Pizza and beer from Furthermore Beer and Vintage Brewing.
