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Saturday, March 13, 2010 |  Madison, WI: 42.0° F  

The Daily

Vinyl Cave: American Gong by Quasi

Portland's Quasi has quietly ended up being one of the '90s longest-lived bands, and the fact that albums continue to appear on an irregular basis is a cause for celebration every time it occurs. Since the duo of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss began playing as Quasi in 1993 after the demise of the trio Motorgoat, they have remained one of the most unpredictable and creative indie bands. >More Madison bike routes on Google Maps are a good start, need some work

Indeed, a couple quick tests of the new tool suggest this beta version is decent enough and its prospects promising if the cycling community is engaged to contribute toward its improvement. >More

The Paper

I was a Dane County Republican!
An inside look at the elephants in the room

Last month, I set out to acquaint myself with as many local Republicans as I could by going undercover into the Dane County GOP. For weeks I attended the local party's events: I gave my real name, answered personal questions honestly, and tried to keep an open mind. Mostly what I did was listen. >More Madison's early music scene is remarkably vibrant
Old school

While many larger cities have nurtured groups devoted to period-performance practice, Madison is unusual in having grown in this area on a scale quite beyond what might be expected in a city its size, and over little more than two decades. >More
Vintage Brewing Company aims to please
Bet on the burger

Vintage Brewing Company has a lot going on: an illuminated aquarium in the middle of the bar, flat-screen TVs showing everything from sports to Forrest Gump, cheesy yet appealing '70s beer signs with photos of clear mountain streams and babes with Farrah hair, and various pieces of mid-century kitsch. Throw in a few pool tables, videogames, local artwork, giant brewing equipment and a fireplace, and you have a whole lot of theme. My experiences at Vintage were a similar mixed bag. >More Parsnips and peppercorns make the carrot cake (recipe)
A peppy variant on a familiar dessert

If I see red velvet cake or carrot cake behind a glass-front counter, it's game over -- other cakes, you have no chance to go home with me. I've never been in a situation, to be honest, in which I had to choose between them. And I probably wouldn't; they would both probably end up in a nice little Styrofoam container for me to eat as dessert and breakfast. >More
The Pacific recycles World War II clichés

Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg collaborated on Band of Brothers, a miniseries about U.S. soldiers fighting in Europe during World War II. They follow up with The Pacific, another miniseries following the action in the Pacific theater. >More Wait your turn in Final Fantasy XIII
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Rated Teen)

Final Fantasy XIII is another title from the game series GameSpot magazine reviewers correctly identified as Star Wars-esque, Japanese, anime, role-playing fantasy. This epic game claims to have an action-type system called Active Time Battle. But to me, it looks a lot like traditional Dungeons and Dragons-ish role-playing. >More

CRITICS CHOICE

Music: Clubs
1964 the Tribute:Barrymore Theatre, 8:00pm
The Kissers:Majestic Theatre, 9:00pm
David Ford:UW Memorial Union Rathskeller, 9:30pm
 Music: More Music
Michael Gruber:Washington Hotel Coffee Room, 9:00am
UW Chamber Orchestra with Eroica Trio:Wisconsin Union Theater, 8:00pm
Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway:Capitol Theater, Overture Center, 8:00pm
 Recreation
Madison Curling Club Open House:Madison Curling Club, McFarland, 9:00am
 Special Events
Bike-o-Rama:Arena, Alliant Energy Center
Canoecopia:Exhibition Hall, Alliant Energy Center
Boomer Fest:Marriott-West, Middleton, 10:00am
 Theater and Dance
The Odd Couple:Mitby Theater, Madison College-Truax
Madison Ballet's "Cinderella":Overture Hall, Overture Center
Harmony Bar celebrates 20 years of blues and brews
Coming of age

Ask longtime near-east-siders to tell you a neighborhood legend, and they're likely to mention the Harmony Bar, 2201 Atwood Ave. With a tin ceiling and checkerboard floor, plus bartenders you just can't help but shoot the breeze with, it's custom-made for the stuff barroom tales are made of: Saturday-night shindigs and happy-hours-turned-hootenannies. >More
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