Enjoy great views of the city and JRT music atop the Rockwell Automation Clock Tower during the Open Doors Milwaukee event on Sept 28. Open Doors provides a unique peek inside historic and significant Milwaukee buildings normally not open to the public.
Speaking of clock towers – how about that Daniel in the Clock Tower from Mr Roger’s Neighborhood of Make Believe? I gotta believe Daniel says it best when he tells us it’s ‹meow› going to be straight up groovy ‹meow› at any of the ‹meow› JRT outings listed ‹meow› below ‹meow›.
Caroline’s Jazz Club
401 S 2nd Street
414-221-9444
www.facebook.com/CarolinesJazzClub
Wednesday Sept 11
8:30pm – 11:30pm
Midweek is goodweek at Carolines. Stop in for libations and jazz both cooled out and cookin. Take that, hump day!
Bugsy’s Backalley Speakeasy
218 N Water St, Milwaukee
(but enter via the alley off Chicago Ave)
414-221-6565
www.bugsysbackalleysaloon.com
Saturday Sept 21
9pm – 1am
Don’t miss Andy’s drum solo as he tees it up Phil Collins style. Crockett and Tubbs would approve.
Doors Open Milwaukee at the Rockwell Automation Clock Tower
1201 S 2nd St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
www.travelwisconsin.com/events/tours/doors-open-milwaukee-43438
Saturday Sept 28
What many don’t know is that the Neighborhood of Make Believe was rife with zoning and building code violations. Indeed only with sizable kickbacks from King Friday were the permits eventually signed. JRT investigators recently uncovered documents from Picture Picture showing a complete disregard for even rudimentary construction standards and basic city planning:
- The tree occupied by Owl and Henrietta Pussycat was not only never zoned duplex, but was a tinderbox of a fire hazard (what with all the leaves and such).
- Originally built as a strip mall, Lady Elaine repurposed the merry-go-round as her primary residence. Heck the signs for ‘Dollar General’ and ‘Checks Cashed’ still clutter the basement.
- How the Platypus house ever received an occupancy permit remains a mystery. I gotta believe lack of opposable thumbs contributed mightily to the shoddy construction.
- King Friday’s castle? An architectural abomination so poorly built the third floor is virtually uninhabitable due to mold. I cannot over-stress the importance of properly installed vapor barrier.
But, in all fairness – they do have a trolley.
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum hosts the original trio – Mike, Andy and little-ole-me – laying down instrumental morning jazz in the best Tuscan courtyard garden this side of Florence. Make it a summer morning of art and sound at a venue that is truly one of Milwaukee’s shining gems.
And all of the above after helping out friends in music at the State Fair. Indeed the photo below shows our very own Alissa wailing on a Janis Joplin tune while ensconced in the mighty tendrils of not 1, not 2, but count ’em 3 smoke machines. I think the vapor looked extremely cool under the lights, and helped Alissa develop an even smokier tone by the third set.
fabulous Australian blues band Kings & Associates during the Milwaukee stop of their US tour. They’ll play an intimate club event at Ally’s Bistro this Wednesday – details below. Here’s a primer to bring you up to speed: it’s summer here, winter there; Miller here, Fosters there; toilets flush clockwise in the US, counterclockwise down-under; and that’s not a knife… this is a knife.
Well – my cat’s on Prozac. I’m completely unmedicated but the cat’s on anti-depressants. That’s messed up on (at least) two counts. You see, one of our cats passed recently. The remaining cat (Pango) took the loss personally. In fact he stopped eating, gave up on doing much of anything. I’m sure with opposable thumbs he would have hit the bottle pretty hard. After a few days of no food we thought it best to have him checked out. Clean bill of health but learned the little fella was likely distraught over the loss of his feline brethren. Amazing social depth for an animal still willing to eat off the floor. Anyhoo, after a few days on happy pills, he’s back to his old self – remarkable. Good thing too as his despondence prevented him from sitting on his favorite sofa. Not sure how the therapy sessions were to work if he wont sit on the couch.
Speaking of special events, we had a little 8’th grade graduation shindig last Friday. Not sure when 8’th grade graduation became an event – but I’ve got the left-over cupcakes to prove it’s indeed a thing. Oh you know the cupcakes – store bought jobbers that if not consumed at the party, get unceremoniously dumped in the office break room on Monday morning – the hallowed tradition of feeding left-overs to co-workers. Ostensibly a waste-not, want-not arrangement but also a fascinating ongoing social experiment. I’ve seen left for the taking both delicious morsels, and less desirable fare:
With a ’64 Coupe Deville in the garage and decades of experience on Milwaukee’s rock scene under his belt, we had to bestow upon him the affectionate moniker of Cadillac Jimmy. Stuttgart? Tokyo? naaah. Only the hard-scrabble ground and true grit of Detroit could incubate things so iconically American as the Cadillac he drives and the Motown, blues and rock that he plays. Kicked around? Sure, a little bit. Both Cadillac and the Jimmy that shares the brand have seen their portion of hard knocks, tough times. But real cars like real people don’t quit. They know what really counts – being the best there is and in exchange enjoying the adulation of those that care deeply about them. Sure, Caddy’s have their enthusiasts, and any car club will geek like hell over a ’59 Eldo, but a Cadillac Jimmy bass line? not even full sticker price can buy you that – it can only be found when he weaves his magic with the JRT.
That was some crazy Kelvinating cold and snow. Had to shovel my roof. My roof for cryin out loud. But I stand by my record: fell 4 times and not a single fatality.