{image1} Welcome to the debut installment of Milwaukee Seen, a new OnMilwaukee.com column from the pen (kinda) of Julie Lawrence, who is out on the town, checking out the clubs, gigs, galleries and more to keep you up on who's out there seeing ... and being seen.
If you weren't at B-Side on Friday night, then where the hell were you? Milwaukee DJ and Phunkshinz promoter Why B (aka Chris Gerard), and his pal Kid Cut Up have been making some noise with their latest project, No Request Fridays at B-Side. And you have to hand it to them, these weekly events have quickly become a refuge for the refined hip hop indulgent, too often denied his or her fundamental right in this city; namely, quality music.
Last Friday's No Request Vol. 1 CD release party rolled in shy and awkward, as parties tend to do, and I got the feeling that it was going to take a little more than a few Amstel Lights to get these kids on the dance floor. And if that was the night's feeble attempt at a challenge, Old Man Malcolm graciously accepted. As if he'd been beckoned by the gods of the old school to bring it back, out flowed from his turn tables everything from Cypress Hill, to Stevie Wonder, to the Digital Underground. In fact, "The Humpty Dance" may very well have been the turning point of the whole evening. The nostalgia was so thick it made your ass move.
Among guests were Andy Noble, one half of Milwaukee's own DJ duo the Super Noble Bros., and Def Harmonic's Jason Todd, who joined OMM and a handful of others on the floor in a classic display of break dance stylings. Paying homage to aesthetics was artist/writer Milan Zori, painting live under his alias, Dwellephant. More of his work can be found coating the pages of Tastes Like Chicken, a local humor and entertainment publication that is definitely worth the humble $5 they ask for each issue. Think the Onion, but with more art.
I caught up with the Dwellephant again on Saturday night at Moda3's Boardfest. He and fellow Tastes Like Chicken artist, Erik Rose, set up canvas outside the brand new skate/snowboard shop and painted as boarders tested their skills on the make-shift mountain of fake snow, courtesy of Burton.
Among admirers was Rusty P's DJ Mad Hatter (aka Jordan Lee), who strut his way through the crowd sporting DC Shoe Co. gear from head to toe. "They sponsor us," he shrugged with a smirk. OK, if by "sponsor" you mean coerce you into becoming their personal walking advertisement. "It's really comfy stuff, too," he added. Alright Mr. Hatter, you're justified.
Mike Marianek, better known to some as DJ Mr. Nink, the record-spinning, rhyme-spitting front man for Kung Fusion, made his presence known well before his band took the stage, er, tent. Marianek stepped up to the plate as emcee of the east end of the Buffalo Street block party, announcing the finalists and winners of the snowboarding competition and occasionally making futile attempts at rousing the relatively chill crowd.
Sunday night found me having drinks and talking ink with a slew of local tattoo gurus at Art Bar. Jamie Mills, owner of Altered Evolutions on Greenfield Avenue, talked about his plans of opening a tattoo and body piercing shop in North Carolina, of all places. "Milwaukee's tapped out. It's a really hard place to open a shop right now," he warns. Tim Grounds, who, coincidentally, is the manager at Starship Bodyworks on Brady Street, a store that Starship owner Jim Purvis and Reason Pylant opened just last week. Grounds, who admitted that he's been working open to close almost every day since the shop opened, remains optimistic and excited about the new location. Also in the mix was Bodyworks artist Billy Hozian and Blue Lotus Tattoo (Madison) artist Spencer Hodgson. And in case you were wondering, yes, tattoo artists and piercers actually do sit around talking ink and jewelry with each other, long after their shops are closed for the day. These guys live and breathe this stuff, which is pretty much all you can ask for when seeking someone to permanently alter your skin.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”