PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (09/25/13)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Teenage News", featuring classic power pop and more. If you enjoy it, be sure to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album

Sylvain Sylvain - Teenage News - Sylvain Sylvain

Sylvain Sylvain - Every Boy And Every Girl - Sylvain Sylvain

The Baxters - What Ya Gonna Do - History In 3 Chords: Milwaukee Alternative Bands 1973-1982

In A Hot Coma - I Wanna Stay Up All Night - History In 3 Chords: Milwaukee Alternative Bands 1973-1982

Big Star - She's A Mover - Radio City

Big Star - O, My Soul - Radio City

Single Bullet Theory - Les Bonnes Chansons - SBT: 1977-1980

Single Bullet Theory - There Is The Boy - SBT: 1977-1980

Cheap Trick - The House Is Rockin' (With Domestic Problems) - Dream Police

Cheap Trick - Gonna Raise Hell - Dream Police

Euphoria - Just For A Moment - Lost In Trance

The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone - The Nerves

The Nerves - When You Find Out - The Nerves

Green - She's Not A Little Girl - Green

Green - Better Way - Green

The Shivvers - Please Stand By - Lost Hits From Milwaukee's First Family Of Powerpop: 1979-82

The Shivvers - It Hurts Too Much - Lost Hits From Milwaukee's First Family Of Powerpop: 1979-82

Blondie - Sunday Girl - Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision

Blondie - One Way Or Another - Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision

Josie Cotton - Johnny, Are You Queer? - Convertible Music

Josie Cotton - Systematic Way - Convertible Music

Nick Gilder - We'll Work It Out - City Nights

Nick Gilder - (She's) One Of The Boys - City Nights

Shoes - Cruel You - Present Tense

Shoes - In My Arms Again - Present Tense

The Soft Boys - I Wanna Destroy You - Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys - Tonight - Underwater Moonlight

The Last - Be Bop A Lula - L.A. Explosion!

The Last - Every Summer Day - L.A. Explosion!

The Records - Guitars In The Sky - Crashes

The Records - The Same Mistakes - Crashes

Sunnyboys - This Is Real - Individuals

Sunnyboys - Colour Of Love - Individuals

Paul Collins' Beat - All Over The World - To Beat Or Not To Beat

Paul Collins' Beat - Making You Mine - To Beat Or Not To Beat

The Jam - All Mod Cons - All Mod Cons

The Jam - David Watts - All Mod Cons

CONCERT REVIEW: Har Mar Superstar

Har Mar Superstar brings an admirable energy to a celebratory set of sexed-up jams at Mad Planet, but the poorly promoted show fails bring in many of his fans.

Read my full review here.

COMEDY REVIEW: Cinematic Titanic (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans turn out in full force to bid farewell to the show's direct descendant, Cinematic Titanic, as the troupe hits the road one last time.

Read my full review here.

CONCERT REVIEW: Kid Cudi, Tyler, The Creator & Logic (U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee)

Kid Cudi's much-publicized stage show, which was apparently so elaborate as to require a change of venue, fails to liven up a mediocre performance.

Read my full review here.

FEATURE: Billy Bragg Balances with Artistry

Renowned English folk singer Billy Bragg elaborates on finding a happy medium between emotions and issues, his experience as an old-school artist in the Internet age and Americans' apparent inability to make a decent cup of tea.

Read the full piece here.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (09/18/13)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Fly in the Ointment", featuring post-punk, post-punk and, you guessed it, more post-punk. If you like what you hear, be sure to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter.

Artist - Song - Album

Buzzcocks - Love You More - Singles Going Steady

Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love? - Singles Going Steady

Television Personalities - Part Time Punks - Yes Darling, But Is It Art?

Television Personalities - Smashing Time - Yes Darling, But Is It Art?

Marine Girls - Fridays - Beach Party

Marine Girls - Tonight? - Beach Party

The Desperate Bicycles - Smokescreen - Single

The Desperate Bicycles - Handlebars - Single

Swell Maps - Harmony In Your Bathroom - A Trip To Marineville

Swell Maps - Midget Submarines - A Trip To Marineville

Pere Ubu - Real World - The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu - Laughing - The Modern Dance

Transmitters - Count Your Blessings #1 - Count Your Blessings (1987/89)

Transmitters - Testosterone #2 - Count Your Blessings (1987/89)

The Fall - Living Too Late - 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats

The Fall - Hey! Luciani - 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats

Ninja - Ninja - 12" Single

Wire - Strange - On Returning (1977-1979)

Wire - I Am The Fly - On Returning (1977-1979)

Joy Division - Shadowplay - Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division - New Dawn Fades - Unknown Pleasures

Public Image Ltd - Memories - Second Edition

Public Image Ltd - Swan Lake - Second Edition

Gang Of Four - Damaged Goods - Entertainment!

Gang Of Four - Ether - Entertainment!

Killing Joke - Unspeakable - What's THIS for...!

Killing Joke - Tension - What's THIS for...!

Pylon - K - Chomp More

Pylon - Yo-Yo - Chomp More

Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business - Grlz: Women Ahead Of Their Time

Maximum Joy - Stretch - Grlz: Women Ahead Of Their Time

Adam And The Ants - Nine Plan Failed - Dirk Wears White Sox

Adam And The Ants - Zerox - Dirk Wears White Sox

Rubella Ballet - 'T' - Anarchy In The U.V.

Rubella Ballet - Blues - Anarchy In The U.V.

Bow Wow Wow - Why Are Babies So Wise - See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!

Bow Wow Wow - Hello, Hello Daddy (I'll Sacrifice You) - See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!

X - Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not - Los Angeles

The Jim Carroll Band - Catholic Boy - Catholic Boy

X - The Unheard Music - Los Angeles

COMEDY REVIEW: Doug Benson & Graham Elwood (Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee)

Comedian Doug Benson sure does love smoking weed, but there's more to him than that, as this very low-key, but very funny, show at Turner Hall ably proved.

Read my full review here.

FILM REVIEW: Computer Chess

Though it's a landmark moment that's now long since passed, before Garry Kasparov was defeated by Deep Blue in 1997, developing a computer that could best a human chess Grandmaster was one of the loftiest goals for generations of programmers and artificial intelligence researchers. The philosophical question at the heart of their quest was whether raw number-crunching power could ever compete with the uniquely human lateral thinking and creativity the game was believed to require and, if so, what kind of future could humanity have. These heady themes are omnipresent in writer-director Andrew Bujalski's new Computer Chess, permeating every conversation, but they ultimately serve more as a backdrop for his peculiar brand of offbeat comedy than the subject of any substantive exploration.

The film takes you back to an unspecified time in the early 1980s, as an oddball assortment of scientists and academics converge on a drab hotel for a weekend-long tournament pitting their chess-playing programs against one another. Though Bujalski has an eye for accuracy in regards to his retro setting, from the dorky clothes to the charmingly clunky computers, the film departs from reality fairly quickly, following the surreal goings-on between matches, including run-ins with paranoid drug peddlers, the kooky couples therapy retreat also utilizing the conference room, and a sentient, suicidal machine. None of these subplots are pursued with any real zeal, the hotel's mysterious cat infestation or the Pentagon's interest in the competition leaving a lot of intentionally unanswered questions.

Computer Chess won't appeal to every taste, the humor being of the supremely awkward, stuttering sort that earned Bujalski, director of Funny Ha Ha and Beeswax, recognition as the father of mumblecore, and its look, a grainy (mostly) black-and-white video appropriate to the era it's depicting without going full-on mockumentary, is purposefully cheap and sometimes feels more like an aesthetic exercise than a movie, but it's not without its own goofy appeal, which lies mostly in the convincing performances from perfectly cast unknown actors and the light, dreamlike feel. It's quirky strangeness, its technophile nostalgia and, at 90 minutes, its relative brevity, should serve it well once it hits Netflix, but as theatre fare, it's probably not worth leaving the house for. 

FEATURE: Another Idea of Punk: Rubella Ballet

Punk history is littered with acts who took themselves too seriously, but the outrageous, fun-loving anarchists Rubella Ballet certainly aren't one of them. 

Read the full piece here.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (09/11/13)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "Your Little Something Sweet", featuring indie pop, alt rock and a special visit from Juiceboxxx! As always, if you enjoy it, be sure to also find the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album

Sexy Water Spiders - Black Gold - Black Gold

Sexy Water Spiders - Bad Boys By The River Bed - Black Gold

Dark Chocolate Chips - Fat Mama Kick - Salut

Chocolate Chips - Pure Gold - Salut

The Fatty Acids - Girls And Gods - Boléro

The Fatty Acids - Flamingo Graveyard - Boléro

Dinosaur Feathers - New Frontier - Torrential Zen

Sat. Nite Duets - Conjugal Visit - Torrential Zen

The Pharmacy - Where Do You Run To? - Stoned And Alone

The Pharmacy - Pines - Stoned And Alone

Teenage Moods - Sugar Band - 7" Single

Teenage Moods - Flower Hunting - 7" Single

Dead Waves - Lost Again - Kill The Youth EP

Dead Waves - Happy - Kill The Youth EP

The Pandoras - It Felt Alright - Stop Pretending

JEFF The Brotherhood - Bummer - Single

Best Coast - Sunny Adventure - Single

King Tuff - Hit & Run - King Tuff

King Tuff - Swamp Of Love - King Tuff

B L A C K I E...All Caps, With Spaces - War Child - B L A C K I E All Caps, With Spaces Discography

B L A C K I E...All Caps, With Spaces - False Marriages - Gen

B L A C K I E...All Caps, With Spaces - Stay Up - B L A C K I E All Caps, With Spaces Discography

Dogs In Ecstasy - Ballad Of Jinkx Monsoon - Dat Cruel God

Eye.$ee.You - 94 - Single

DJ Dog Dick - Dried Old Leaves - The Life Stains

Michael Vidal - Dreams (Come Back To Me) - Dream Center

Schwarz - California (Schwarz Hardstyle Bootleg) - Single

The Tablets - Stranger's Light - Tablets

The Tablets - Vladimir - Tablets

Raw Geronimo - I Wouldn't Mind - Dream Fever

Raw Geronimo - Manic Cruiser - Dream Fever

Kurt Vile - Was All Talk - Wakin On A Pretty Daze

Kurt Vile - Girl Called Alex - Wakin On A Pretty Daze

Belle And Sebastian - I Want The World To Stop - Write About Love

Belle And Sebastian - Come On Sister - Write About Love

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Live It Up - Mature Themes

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Driftwood - Mature Themes

CONCERT REVIEW: Disappears, Weekend & Circles (The Cactus Club, Milwaukee)

Sans Steve Shelley, Chicago's Disappears brings a mature, focused set to the Cactus Club stage, drawing heavily on their new Kranky Records release Era.

Read my full review here.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (09/04/13)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "The People in the World", featuring funk sounds from American and abroad. If you dig it, be sure to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album
Bill Moss - Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother - Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label
Elijah & The Ebonites - Hot Grits!!! - Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label
Norma Jean & Ray J. - I've Taken Over - Raising Hell
Norma Jean & Ray J. - This Is Our Love Song Of Life - Raising Hell
Bobby Powell - Just A Matter Of Time - Single
Bobby Powell - Question - Single
Soul Swingers - Brighter Tomorrow - Single
Soul Swingers - Ca'-Ba'-Dab' - Single
Satisfaction Unlimited - Somebody Else's Woman - Think Of The Children
Satisfaction Unlimited - Spread Your Love Around - Think Of The Children
Mystic Minds - Clean Up Your Act - Mind Over Matter
Mystic Minds - Can You Hear Me - Mind Over Matter
Leon's Creation - If I Had The Power - This Is The Beginning
Leon's Creation - Mirage - This Is The Beginning
The Pistons - Lust Connection - Flight 581
L.T.G. Exchange - Sky High - Susie Heartbreaker
L.T.G. Exchange - Dinero - Susie Heartbreaker
Ghetto Brothers - Mastica, Chupa Y Jala - Power-Fuerza
Ghetto Brothers - Got This Happy Feeling - Power-Fuerza
The Revolution Of St. Vincent - The Little You Say - Single
St. Maarten's Rolling Tones - It's A Feeling - Single
Asiko Rock Group - Shadow Of The Boogie - Asiko Rock Group
Asiko Rock Group - Together Again Never To Part - Asiko Rock Group
Thony Shorby Nwenyi - Forgiveness - Sweet Funk Music
Thony Shorby Nwenyi - People In The World - Sweet Funk Music
Dave Kamien Division - Watermelon Man - German Funk Fieber, Vol.1
SWF Orchestra Rolf Hans-Mueller - Gate One - German Funk Fieber, Vol.1
Mustafa Özkent Ve Orkestrası - Dolana Dolana - Gençlik Ile Elele
Mustafa Özkent Ve Orkestrası - Zeytinyağli - Gençlik Ile Elele
Manfred Hübler & Siegfried Schwab - The Ballad Of A Fair Singer - 3 Films By Jess Franco
Manfred Hübler & Siegfried Schwab - Droge CX 9 - 3 Films By Jess Franco
Michiaki Watanabe - Spiderman No Theme (Theme Of Spiderman) - Eccentric Sound Of Spiderman
Michiaki Watanabe - Gyoukou No Moto Ni (Under The Light Of Daybreak) - Eccentric Sound Of Spiderman
Edip Akbayram - Deniz Üstü Köpürür - Edip Akbayram
Edip Akbayram - Dağlar Dağladı Beni - Edip Akbayram
Yamasuki - Aieaoa - Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki
Yamasuki - Yokomo - Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki

FEATURE: Interview: Megan McGee of Ex Fabula

With their fifth season kicking off, I check in with Megan McGee of Ex Fabula to find out how the Milwaukee storytelling nonprofit go its start, and where it's going.

Read the full piece here.

CONCERT REVIEW: Adam Ant (Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee)

80s icon Adam Ant brings an updated, harder-edged sound to the Turner Hall stage, but it turns out to mostly be a case of fixing something that wasn't broken.

Read my full review here.

FEATURE: The Punk Vets in Go Go Slow Seek New Ground

I talk to Dan Kubinski, formerly of Die Kreuzen and Fuckface, about his current band, Go Go Slow, fan expectations and how to avoid repeating yourself.

Read the full piece here.