Morning déjà vu

When I look at this photo, it looks familiar to me but I cannot figure out why. The best I can come up with is that the composition is vaguely close to some Terry Gilliam animation for Monty Python. Hopefully it comes to me.

Meanwhile I shall enjoy Willow's overwhelming cuteness.

Vital Heat

I am not enjoying this heat. It is stifling and now we've got the forest fires up in the Boundary Waters putting a diaphanous layer of grey on everything. But the temps are good for a couple things: brewing tea and growing serrano peppers.

The sun's ray have been caressing the chili plant for 4-5 days and they've culled out many a chili. It's going bonkers. I am going to start putting serranoes into everything. Picante Cheerios, anyone?

Me enjoy myself ex post facto

Last week Phish had a two night stand here in Madison. Back in the spring when the shows were announced I considered buying a ticket. I am not a Phishhead but I do think Billy Breathes is a fantastic album and one that is intimately tied to a particular time of my life. There are some very potent memories tied to it in my brain. Beyond that album, I enjoy a smattering of their catalogue. For instance, I think there are some really good, fun tunes on Hoist and "Fuego" is a stone cold classic.

I saw them in 1994 here in Madison and truly enjoyed parts of that show but I admired most of it rather than liking it. Given my spotty taste for their music, would it be worth going?

With the shows now history and recordings of them freely available, I am kicking myself, albeit gently.

The first night they performed a couple tunes from Billy Breathes, "Free" and "Character Zero", plus "Fuego". And on the next night "Julius" from Hoist was played along with another pair of songs from Billy Breathes, "Prince Caspian" and "Waste".

I have written about my love for "Prince Caspian" previously and so I was a bit sullen immediately after seeing it in the setlist. I had missed "Prince Caspian"! Gah!

Oh well.

While I cannot go back in time, I can enjoy recordings from those nights. Thanks to all the tapers who shared their material online.

 

Ice cream fit for a king

I cannot recall what we had for dinner the evening my ladyfriend and I went to Ice Cream Social but I do remember that it was blazing hot outside. Either dinner was an average meal overshadowed by ice cream or it was a good meal and Ice Cream Social makes some really damn good treats.

A gentleman was making the waffle cones as we stepped up to the display case and perused the flavors on offer. My ladyfriend had browned butter and I, unsurprisingly, ordered chocolate buttermilk.

Both flavors were excellent and I must admit that ICS makes the richest ice cream I've ever put into my maw. For sheer chocolate flavor, Zanzibar retains its title but this stuff was simply decadent. I worried that I might come down with gout on the way home.

Why yes, Madison does have a street named Sirloin Strip.

And on Sirloin Strip is a fine Columbian restaurant, El Pollo Rumbero. Google Translate says that it means, The Chicken Party-Goer. I like The Chicken Party Animal, personally. The name alone throws the gauntlet down before La Pollera Columbiana. Personally I think the more Columbian chicken places, the merrier.

I recall this place having been a hookah joint in the recent past but cannot recall what business was there prior to that. After searching, I see that it was Hanna's 77 Sirloin Strip at some point. The exterior definitely has a rural Wisconsin supper club thing going on. The El Pollo Rumbero folks have painted the walls with lovely bright colors with some serious Día de los Muertos vibes.

My ladyfriend ordered chicken wings and fries along with a salad while I had half a roasted chicken with fries, rice, and salad. We shared some fried calamari.

Both the calamari and the fries suffered the same fate of being undercooked. By that I mean that they were cooked to an edible degree but a bit of browning was in order. Flaccid fries are a sad thing to have on one's plate.

I think my ladyfriend misordered as the wings were just plain ones and not sauced like a large plate of them that mistakenly came to us before quickly being whisked away to a nearby table amidst a chorus of apologies. The salad was excellent with a nicely seasoned vinaigrette. My ladyfriend's salad was on the large side and she was unable to finish it. However, I did so the next day.

My roasted chicken was excellent. The skin was well-charred while the meat was tender and moist. What really made it super-delicious was the seasoning. It tasted peppery-herbal with just the right amount of salt for my taste. This chicken was so good that it now really stands out for me amongst all restaurant meals in town.

Thick cut pork chops grilled up fine have become a staple of my diet lately.

As has homemade cabbage salad of some ilk. A simple meal, I grant you, yet highly tasty. I am getting the grilled dialed in and I don't have to heat my kitchen with the stove/oven.

Last week I took my youngest stepson out for dinner to Guimo's Mexican Restaurant in Sun Prairie. Part of my motivation was to simply throw some business their way now that there was neither road nor sidewalk out front. We walked in after traversing some highly unlevel packed gravel and found that there were a fair number of people who apparently felt the same way as we were far from the only patrons. This was our second time there and my first experience featured some solid Mexican grub. The same held this time.

One thing I've been doing lately at Central & South American restaurants is trying out their soups. The ones that aren't pozole or menudo, that is. That night I had some of their chicken tortilla soup which came in that orange Fiestaware bowl. They did not skimp on the chicken. Tomato, chili - this was tasty stuff.

Last week my ladyfriend fried up some cabbage and onions and then served it with some meat pelmeni procured somewhere in the Chicago area on top.

I whipped up some spicy sour cream for the occasion. Again, simple but very tasty.

Last Saturday I took my ladyfriend to meet my family in Chicago. A cousin from out west was in town to celebrate his retirement and so we had a modest family gathering in honor of his milestone. Before we hit the road we stopped in at Cottage Cafe to break our fasts. I had walleye and eggs.

This seems to be an Upper Midwestern breakfast. Cottage Cafe did it well as the breading on the fish was applied with a light hand. When paired with rye toast, it is truly a delightful way to start my day.

I am a prepper. But not for the fall of our government and the ensuing anarchy nor for the end of days. I prepare for 90+ degree temps when I dare not cook in the apartment and am reluctant to be outside. And so on Sunday I prepped.

The first thing I made was pico de gallo.

I used one of the two serranos that I harvested early from my plant. Tasty but it could have used both of the chilies. And I forgot to get cilantro. D'oh!

Next was corn salad.

Normally I have black beans in there but, like the cilantro, I completely forgot to buy any at the store so I threw in a couple tomatoes that didn't become pico, avocado, and onion. This was all tossed in a vinaigrette that was given a large dose of coriander. The corn was actually rather sweet instead of bland and starchy so this salat turned out well.

Also on Sunday I found myself with a pound of ground beef to use up and didn't want to make burgers and so it ended up being used in stuffed green peppers cooked on the grill. I had no rice but I did have buckwheat groats so this ostensibly Italian type dish ended up with a Slavic complexion. Once I had the filling mixed up, I stood there contemplating a binding agent. What to use? Then it occurred to me that I had some tomato-basil cheese left and it was quickly shredded.

I had never attempted stuffed peppers on the grill before so I winged it. They spent a little time directly over the coals in an attempt to char their bottoms. This was moderately successful. Once this phase was done, I moved them away from the heat and let them cook for about 20 minutes.

They turned out alright. Tasty but next time I want to cook the peppers a bit longer all around. More char and a little less crunchiness to them. I only had 2 peppers so I had a crap ton of filling leftover and have been eating it on its own since. I think the nutty flavor of the buckwheat went well with the green bell pepper, though I can imagine that rice would better complement a sweeter yellow or red one.

Today I am feeling ground beef & buckwheated out and am contemplating what to have for dinner. I do need to run an errand after work so perhaps I can let someone else do the cooking this evening.

One final thought: the service at all of the above restaurants was good. The servers were all quite friendly, each and every one.

Spam, eggs, potatoes, and spam

If you need your Spam fix for breakfast, head on over to the Cottage Cafe.

George: A Portrait

Beer is best when fresh

I was reminded the other day that beer is, generally speaking, best when fresh.

Poking around the frig for a cold one because it was 90+ degrees out, I came across a can of Sand Creek's Woody's Easy Ale that I bought in Black River Falls back in May.

Unfortunately, it had started to spoil. A real bummer as this is a fine brew with a vaguely doughy malt taste and a gentle hop balance. Highly recommended. Also highly recommended is to drink it while fresh.

Los Lobos Gave Us a Happy Time

Despite having played in Stoughton back in March, Los Lobos returned to Madison for two shows at La Fete de Marquette last week. I missed night #1 on Thursday but headed down to McPike Park on Sunday evening for their second performance of the festival. There I met up with my music doc watching pal who was there with a friend of his.

  

(Sorry Steve Berlin.)

The gig's first few songs seemed to lean heavily on The Neighborhood. I recall "Emily", a vaguely wistful but thoroughly beautiful song that I've always thought of as being about young love. They also did the hopeful "The Giving Tree", a communal paean if there ever was one. Later they did a spirited "Georgia Slop" which got many a booty shakin'.

"Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" is always a great party tune while "Kiko and the Lavender Moon" was just gorgeous; sublime & mellow, it was a brief chance to relax in a set mostly consisting of uptempo tunes meant to get you movin'. A little bit of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" led right into "Oye Como Va". Curiously enough, the band played not one but two Grateful Dead covers: "West L.A. Fadeaway" mid-show and "Bertha" for an encore. Personally I could have done with just one. Or another of their originals. "Everybody Loves a Train", for instance.

Cesar Rosas was MC and he sounded like he was in good spirits. At one point he said that they were going to do a song by the late, great Flaco Jiménez which prompted David Hidalgo to strap on an accordion which he played for a couple two tree songs. At one point he also grabbed a güiro and played that while Rosas and Louie Pérez soloed.

The band's lone hit, their cover of Richie Valens' "La Bamba" closed out the show.

Los Lobos are, in my estimation, the premiere Americana band. They do Tejano, rock, rock'n'roll, R&B, blues, Latin jazz, ranchera, et al and they threw in a bit of everything on Sunday evening.

After the show I got a chance to chat with local bass player extraordinaire Kenny Stevenson. I hadn't seen him in ages so we caught up a bit and now I am planning to see him perform with Loving Cup at the Orton Park Festival next month where he'll do his best Bill Wyman imitation.

I took some video of  the jam the closes "Chuco's Cumbia". It was fantastic. Just listen to that baritone sax! (Sorry about the shaky cam.)

Shocking!

 

Yawns

R.I.P. Sam Neill

Until the End of the World! The Piano! Sirens! In the Mouth of Madness! And this one. Goodbye Sam Neil.

O'Cazy Corral, misogynistic bouncers, and a chance encounter with Bono: A Night of the Music Venues We Have Loved

A couple two tree weeks ago I attended a Make History Madison event called "The Music Venues We Have Loved". WORT DJ Cooper Talbot did the initial introduction but I was lucky enough to have a chance to chat with her before things got underway. She proved to be a wonderful lady with her love of oozing from every pore, apparent in every word she spoke.

John Wedge of local band The Periodicals and Sean Michael Dargan, another local muso, directed the discussion.

The panel consisted of a slew of local musicians and venue owners who would reminisce about Madison's music scene mostly of the 1980s and 90s and talk about the challenges and rewards of running a music club.

Pam Barrett - owner of the Harmony Bar and muso of Motor Primitives fame as well as other bands.

Tony Casteneda - founding father of the Madison Latin jazz scene and aspiring Wisconsin assemblyman.

Cathy Dethmers - bassist in Tormentula, former owner of O'Cayz Corral and High Noon Saloon.

Dan Hobson - drummer extraordinaire of Killdozer, most notably, but also a country ton of other local acts like The Tiny Band, Optometri, Cement Pond, etc.

Joe Lambert - booked bands at the Crystal Corner Bar for a couple decades.

Lisa Marine - bassist in numerous Madison bands including The Quickies, Bent Antenna, and The Tiny Band with Dan Hobson.

Darwin Sampson - former owner of The Frequency.

Missing was Kevin Willmott, owner of The Frequency's successor, Gamma Ray Bar and singer in Don't Mess With Cupid.

Whew!

I had a front row seat with my pal Eric the Driftless Cowboy, DJ for Classic Country Corner on WVMO along with a good friend of Lisa Marine's with whom I am an acquaintance. So I had a nice chat with her and did some catching up.

There was a lot of reminiscing about venues no longer with us, especially O'Cayz, and the community spirit that these places engendered. Someone, I cannot recall whom, recounted how, at O'Cayz, people far from the bar would start a beer brigade since they were packed in too tightly to get the bar without undue hassle. They'd hand to the person next an empty glass, some cash, and give their order and all would be passed along in a chain to the bar. The drink would be poured and paid for and then the new glass along with any change would be passed along in the same way to the thirsty music lover who was unable to make their way to the bar.

Some memories were not so sweet as Lisa and Cathy (and perhaps Pam) recounted how they'd be mistaken for girlfriends at gigs and be stopped by venue personnel from loading their gear.

Dan told the story of meeting Bono on State Street when U2 played Merlyn's back on the Boy tour. Darwin and Joe both talked about how they got into booking/club ownership with the former offering advice: don't just book bands you like. He said that he brought bands into The Frequency that he was unfamiliar with and ended up becoming a fan of countless groups.

Tony was the first to break the 80s-90s barrier when he took us back to the 1970s as he talked about being a part of the first Latin jazz band in Madison as well as the pioneering Cardinal Bar and its first owner Ricardo Gonzalez.

At some point it dawned on me that most of the conversation concerned downtown and campus area venues and this got me wondering about those elsewhere in town, specifically black owned ones. I silently wondered if Mr. P's Place, the bar owned by Madison civil rights firebrand Eugene Parks, had hosted music. Within a few minutes, someone in the audience mentioned a couple venues the panel hadn't spoken about and noted that Mr. P's Place had jazz nights.

This brought back memories of the tribulations of R Place on Park, a black owned club with a mostly black clientele which lost its liquor license back in 2011. In its short lifetime, R Place, from what I've heard, had a loyal customer base and provided for black Madisonians a space of their own, so to speak.

 

Audience members added to the mix by mentioning various other, smaller, more low key venues such as housing co-ops like Lothlorien and the storefront venue Project Lodge that was on the near northeast side.

 

With the emphasis on downtown/campus venues where alcohol was served and music as something you pay to see, the book The Hidden Musicians: Music-Making in an English Town came to mind. It looks at the amateur musicians of the London suburb of Milton Keynes with a lot of pages devoted to unpaid performers and those for whom music performance was an avocation, not a big source of income.

This was, of course, beyond the purview of the discussion at hand but recognizing all of the musical activity that doesn't happen at a beloved club paints a fuller picture and makes the idea of a Madison music scene more expansive.

At the end the panelists seemed to come to agreement that the Madison music scene has always been eclectic and that it is still healthy, that new generations of performers and audiences are keeping the flame alive and will someday be able to look back just as we were that night.

I met Dan Hobson afterwards as we were both unlocking our bikes and asked him if he was still booking bands for the Orton Park Festival. He said that he was and proceeded to talk up a band that is set to appear at this year's event. They are from Chicago and I believe the band's name starts with an S. But, since I'd never heard of them, I cannot recall their name. He did this same thing several years back when he and his fellow music bookers brought Chicago's up and coming Twin Peaks to the fest.

He thought that the music line-up for the festival was up but its Facebook page hasn't been updated in a few months as I write.

That's one of things I really like about Dan. In addition to just being a really affable fellow, he is a fan of new music and is always championing bands of today.

Song of the day, 6 July 2026

Since I'll be posting something about the Madison music scene later today, this seemed highly appropriate.

"Is he talking about her magic carpet?"

I've been watching this review of Jethro Tull's Songs From the Wood by Doug Helvering and he notes the generous use of double entendres in the lyrics of "Velvet Green". He theorizes that it will be "The Lemon Song" of Songs From the Wood. I laughed aloud.

Song of the day, 5 Juli 2026

Clean microwave. Check.

Vacuum apartment. Check.

Harvest my first serranoes of the year. Check.

Get ladyfriend hooked on Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Check.

Not exactly full-sized, but it's my first chili plant in ages. I think they'll end up in pico de gallo. They could be hot...

I recently finished listening to a BBC Radio 4 show called Legends that did a 5-part bio of Miles Davis so I am spending some time listening to him before I head to my ladyfriend's house for dinner.

Willow's latest gift

In addition to getting a doughnut fort earlier this week, Willow got a coffee table yesterday.

I can vouch that she is enjoying it.

Song of the day, 3 Juli 2026

Since there's a new (newish, anyway) documentary on the Carolina Chocolate Drops, here they are here in Madison at the Orton Park Festival back in the day.

There's a Carolina Chocolate Drops documentary!

It's called Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind. Here's the trailer. It looks mighty fine.

Just when you thought the Eastern Front couldn't get any more appalling

My current read is War of Annihilation: Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front, 1941 by Geoffrey P. Megargee.

I am not very far in so it's been background so far but it will lay out how, contrary to popular perceptions, the Wehrmacht colluded with the SS to help carry out the Holocaust and just inflict heinous cruelty on civilian populations in general. Just when you thought the Eastern Front couldn't get any more appalling.

Here's Megargee giving a lecture on the subject.

Bummed

I was just informed that the Chicago dates for Radiohead's Kid A Mnesia Motion Picture House have been cancelled. I was looking forward to this immersive art experience and hearing some Radiohead music in Dolby Atmos.

Bummer.

A comfortable doughnut

Willa's a killa!

Willow is also enjoying her new doughnut bed/cat fort courtesy of my ladyfriend.