Vinyl Cave: American Gong by Quasi Bob Koch on Saturday 03/13/2010 8:00 am 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. >MoreMadison bike routes on Google Maps are a good start, need some work David Medaris on Friday 03/12/2010 3:25 pm 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
I was a Dane County Republican! An inside look at the elephants in the room Sally Franson on Friday 03/12/2010, (2) Comments, (10) Likes 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. >MoreMadison's early music scene is remarkably vibrant Old school John W. Barker on Friday 03/12/2010, (1) Comment 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 Erin Hanusa on Friday 03/12/2010 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. >MoreParsnips and peppercorns make the carrot cake (recipe) A peppy variant on a familiar dessert Marcelle Richards on Friday 03/12/2010 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 Dean Robbins on Friday 03/12/2010 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. >MoreWait your turn in Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Rated Teen) Doug Elfman on Friday 03/12/2010 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
Harmony Bar celebrates 20 years of blues and brews Coming of age Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 03/12/2010, (2) Likes 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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