Aug. 22, 2023
11 min read
“We don't look at our animals and say we want them in captivity. We accept that the animals in our care are part of the bigger picture. We would love for animals to be in the wild. But humans are preventing that from being successful.”
Aug. 8, 2023
11 min read
Chicago poetry legend Thax Douglas had made a name for himself reading poems for bands like Cap’n Jazz and The Meat Puppets—the type of groups my bandmates and I listened to growing up.
Jul. 18, 2023
8 min read
In communal, native cultures, the tale of the windigo arose where sharing was essential, and greed was a threat to survival—individuals who put the community in danger by taking too much were first counseled, then ostracized, and eventually banished from the community—a punishment of the highest order.
Jul. 3, 2023
6 min read
Black Husky Brewing in Riverwest has great beer, great snacks, and a great small-town atmosphere.
Jun. 10, 2023
9 min read
Jamar Jones is the founder and CEO of Foureva Media, a branding and media company borne out of his myriad strengths—amplifying diverse voices through events, strategy, design, podcasting, and social media.
May. 23, 2023
8 min read
Rats will thrive pretty much anywhere that they can find the most basic of resources. To survive, rats merely require elements at the lowest level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: food, shelter, and water. Cities everywhere, including Milwaukee, provide an abundance of these elements.
May. 8, 2023
6 min read
Where can you find the true urban alternative to mainstream radio in Milwaukee? The violinist singer-songwriters and the half Black, half Mexican rockers? HYFIN is one such place.
Apr. 25, 2023
9 min read
She picked up the century-old viola, and I was treated to a private mini-concert. She warmed up by playing a series of scales, and then she broke into a classical piece, if I had to guess something Bach, with no score or written music in front of her. She just played it from memory.
Apr. 17, 2023
12 min read
The tale of James J. Strang is one of the most unappreciated bizarre stories I have encountered. From controversially claiming succession of the LDS from Joseph Smith to an authoritarian rule as King of Beaver Island and everything in between.
Mar. 27, 2023
6 min read
Artist Mike Bass showcases some of Wisconsin's most famous myths, legends, and cryptids with his mythic art prints.
Mar. 12, 2023
8 min read
The impetus for Serve came about a year before its founding when Gary took a seemingly innocuous meeting with a woman named Margie Rehm, who was heading a nonprofit called the Shaken Baby Association.
Feb. 27, 2023
20 min read
While I have progressed in my worldview, there was no great awakening to my backasswards environment, but rather my own shock, awe, and horror of unwittingly stumbling into the depths of robust social control, religious fundamentalism, and a whole mess of batshit craziness.
Feb. 13, 2023
7 min read
You hear the word "love" on a tennis court with great regularity. Love-love. Love-15. Love-40. In tennis, love means nothing. Zero. Noda. When talking with the Paley family, who founded, own and operate Paley Tennis Center in Milwaukee, they may not say the word love much to each other, but you understand that it's always there just under the surface.
Feb. 7, 2023
21 min read
As the dark angel of dehydration had fallen upon us, our predicament worsened—I was so bewildered and frustrated that I wanted to cry—I think this feeling was universal in the group.
Jan. 25, 2023
6 min read
From November to March, over 20 varieties of ducks migrate to Milwaukee to make Lake Michigan their winter home, and the Lake Park Birders are right behind them.
Jan. 9, 2023
5 min read
On a brisk November night in Wisconsin, I stood outside in the Zócalo Food Truck Park in Walker’s Point with a few friends. Neighbors walking their dogs passed by, turning up their collars and hunching their shoulders against the sharp wind. In stark contrast, we were sweating...
Dec. 22, 2022
13 min read
Margaret Muza’s tintype journey is a story of growth and tenacity that can appeal to anyone who is sitting on the fence about not being “whatever” enough to do “xyz.”
Dec. 14, 2022
8 min read
The things that speak to us are hard to explain and extremely personal. But when you are confronted with some form of art that does it, you know.
Dec. 5, 2022
9 min read
Marquette University has its J.R.R. Tolkien Collection on display, and my Tolkien-loving heart may explode. No gatekeepers can keep me away from this The Lord of the Rings collection.
Nov. 28, 2022
9 min read
Milwaukee has been name-dropped in Friends, Seinfeld, Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, Marvel movies, iCarly, and more. But do we like what they’re saying about us?
Nov. 17, 2022
7 min read
When’s the last time an album latched on to you and didn’t let go? For me, it happened this past weekend. When, one of Taylor Swift’s latest transitioned to “golden hour” by JVKE.
Nov. 13, 2022
11 min read
Despite being someone who is most comfortable when things are a bit strange, I am wondering if Shrekfest may be a little too much even for me. This wasn’t just some wacky Bay View neighborhood street fest. We had heard rumors that Shrekfest is more akin to a fundamentalist pilgrimage of people praising their beloved green god.
Oct. 28, 2022
9 min read
Steve Kaniewski is an entrepreneur, architectural art historian, and a pack rat. See how he collected more than one million lighting objects and artifacts.
Oct. 3, 2022
13 min read
On paper, the Riverwest 24 sounds highly illegal. Regaling family members with tales of the event is often met with a response of either “Why would you do that” or “That sounds really dangerous.” Fair points.
Sep. 23, 2022
8 min read
When I traveled to Red Rocks to see Bleachers, the last thing I expected to find was fellow Wisconsinites.
Sep. 16, 2022
6 min read
Smash Zone in Milwaukee turns a break room into healing and hope. Read more about Glenda Grenados healing journey and how you can be part of it too.
Sep. 9, 2022
8 min read
Maybe it’s stating the obvious. But when you are talking to Jason Ilstrup, the door mechanics conjure an image of the state of Wisconsin. And doors, as we all know, need two or three hinges to work.
Sep. 1, 2022
6 min read
The lost whale of Lake Michigan finds its home at Bay View's favorite watering hole, Lost Whale. Read on to find out how the bar got its name.
Aug. 25, 2022
10 min read
Camping with the Cows at the G Farm provided both a comical misadventure with livestock but also highlighted the importance of regenerative farming for our food supply.
Aug. 17, 2022
9 min read
Palestinian-American and Milwaukee photographer Samer Ghani believes Milwaukee is at the start of something great. Find out how he’s at the center of it.
Aug. 10, 2022
6 min read
I fell in love with cardinals after my dad took me birdwatching as a kid. Now, 12 years after his death, I may have an avian stalker.
Aug. 3, 2022
11 min read
Small-town mania, enraged bartenders, masculine insecurities, all sprinkled with a glimmer of community togetherness: Welcome to the Coloma Chicken Chew.
Jul. 29, 2022
6 min read
By putting a guitar in the hands of Veterans, Patrick Nettesheim is helping people all over the world cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Jul. 13, 2022
8 min read
There’s a saying, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” The same basic philosophy can be applied to the existence of ghosts: Whether you think they exist, or you think they don’t, you’re right.
Jul. 6, 2022
7 min read
Rachal Duggan, AKA RADillustrates, wants to draw your butt, but more than that she wants to make a genuine, human connection.
Jun. 28, 2022
8 min read
Love her or hate her, Rupi Kaur isn’t going to let critics hold her back from taking North America by storm as she sets off on her world tour.
Jun. 21, 2022
9 min read
In the land of brats and beer, Maru Korean Bistro offers a varied menu that features favorites like beef bulgogi, duk mandu soup, and plenty of kimchi.
Jun. 13, 2022
7 min read
Through Michael Hostad’s high school and college years, the world was experiencing unprecedented growth in technology—the internet was a new thing and someone with programming knowledge and a decent business sense could make hay.
Jun. 8, 2022
5 min read
Permanent jewelry comes to Milwaukee in popular BOND Bar pop-up events from jeweler Paloma Wilder, and the story of how Rachel Stenman went from temporary costume jewelry for the opera to heirlooms and permanence.
May. 25, 2022
12 min read
Join me in reviewing my 9th grade personal essay to find out what made me tick, what made me salty, and what happened when I let my creativity flow as a 14-year-old.
May. 20, 2022
8 min read
The Negro Leagues needed to get organized and be recognized. That’s when Dennis Biddle, social worker from Milwaukee, and the youngest living Negro Leagues player, stepped up.
May. 10, 2022
7 min read
This story is nothing new. Milwaukee’s sewage dumping habits reached a peculiar climax with the Cryptosporidiosis outbreak of 1993.
May. 6, 2022
12 min read
Chris Miller was diagnosed with RA as a toddler. Art became his escape and medicine. But it nearly destroyed him. Learn how letting go of something can reveal opportunity.
May. 4, 2022
8 min read
Beauty industrial complex aside, developing a skin care routine is my go-to way to love myself. Here’s how I became a skin care witch.
Apr. 25, 2022
7 min read
Darick Books is full of books, music, documentaries—even fashion—all created by Darick Spears. It’s his “Field of Dreams,” but it’s more than just a place to play.
Apr. 15, 2022
4 min read
This adventure started innocently enough; I wanted to buy a birthday gift for my wife. She is fond of these bird paintings we had seen at various...
Apr. 12, 2022
9 min read
Anne Reed doesn’t drink coffee. I find this out as she greets me at her front door and offers me tea with her apologies for not having the caffeinated...
Apr. 8, 2022
9 min read
For the Wisconsinite looking to sample southern cuisine, Tupelo Honey Cafe offers a chaotic test drive of grits, collards, shrimp po’boys, and fried chicken.
Mar. 31, 2022
4 min read
Parents have a way of making anything seem unappealing. They do it by saying you have to do it. There is a burning rebellion within you that fights this.
Mar. 28, 2022
12 min read
Learn about business ownership, conscious consumerism, and the future of tea from Aureal Ojeda from Outwoken Tea.
Mar. 24, 2022
8 min read
Before there was Hubbard Park in Shorewood, Milwaukee, there were bottled water magnates, amusement parks with roller coasters, water slides, funhouses, and a Murderdrome full of motorcycle daredevils.
Mar. 21, 2022
6 min read
This could just be the escape we’re all looking for. An escape from the darkness of the pandemic. An escape from the media barrage of negative headlines and doom and gloom of our everyday reality.
Mar. 17, 2022
6 min read
In between the elaborate and ornate projects, Zimmerman is quite literally grinding away—crafting chef’s knives and knife accessories like sheathes and magnetic strips and offering a knife sharpening service through The Sharp Brothers
Mar. 14, 2022
10 min read
Is Milwaukee’s restaurant scene experiencing a post-COVID resurgence? Skip dinner at Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen, and try somewhere else instead.
Mar. 10, 2022
8 min read
As I write this article, Racine artist and painter Jerry Belland is sitting in a vitrectomy recovery chair, a contraption designed so that its occupant sits leaning forward, with their face down and parallel to the floor.
Mar. 7, 2022
6 min read
Milwaukee’s Sherman Park has one of the world’s only pay-what-you-can restaurants, where volunteers are making some of the best food in Milwaukee, that just happens to be vegan.
Mar. 3, 2022
8 min read
One part imaginary restaurant review. Two parts Omicron fever dream. Here’s a fantastical journey through the Birch menu.
Feb. 28, 2022
9 min read
It would be impossible to address all the different projects Paul has worked on over the last three decades. That would not be an article, it would be a novel.
Feb. 24, 2022
8 min read
Come for the donuts, and keep coming back for your health. For vegan, gluten-free, high-fiber, high-protein baked goods and pastries, check out Blooming Lotus Bakery.
Feb. 21, 2022
10 min read
How a former veterinarian and accomplished fundraiser in Milwaukee is building a center of academic excellence for the study of race.
Feb. 17, 2022
10 min read
COVID-19 sucks, and we could all use more pleasure in our lives. Check out these 11 scented candles to embrace pleasure with reckless abandon and no apologies.
Feb. 14, 2022
5 min read
In Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood lies a secret, hidden gem: The Dropout Fight Club boxing gym, and the most aggressive therapy workout session of your life.
Feb. 9, 2022
7 min read
Kriegsman would send these and other designs to all of the big names in the guitar business at the time—Fender, Gibson, Dean, Ibanez, and Hamer.
Feb. 7, 2022
8 min read
It started with a panic attack. It turned into a love of changing weather. And now? Now I’m learning to predict the weather by paying attention to the world around me.
Feb. 3, 2022
4 min read
I not so fondly remember March 2020, at home watching a random NBA basketball game, when Utah Jazz forward Rudy Goebert tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Feb. 2, 2022
6 min read
Deb Dila, researcher at UWM School for Freshwater Science and artist discusses how her world as artist and scientist have helped her explore meaning and find balance in her life.
Jun. 2, 2020
6 min read
As a watercolorist and creative placemaker, Julia Taylor never stops seeking new ways to solve problems. Julia knows first-hand how art can define people, neighborhoods, and entire communities.
May. 17, 2020
5 min read
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered our lives. From unemployment to the frontline employees providing the necessities, the pandemic is taking a toll on our physical and mental health. It has individually and collectively impacted our well being. Until a vaccine or an effective treatment is available, we will endure a slow and steady recovery.
May. 14, 2020
6 min read
There’s a rhythm about Dan Didier. It’s technical, buoyant, and productive. He’s a drummer to his core. Dan’s frenetic tempo drives him to create and produce music and film and storytelling and photography.
May. 6, 2020
6 min read
I know work-life changed when the pandemic came to Milwaukee, but I don’t know that anything changed as much as grocery shopping
May. 5, 2020
2 min read
There is a lot of stigma regarding mental and behavioral health. Some folks hate to admit they have a mental health disorder before it is too late and seek treatment. Some folks are brave enough to admit their condition, but it requires plenty of courage to do so.
May. 3, 2020
6 min read
Kristin Peterson Kaszubowski is a multidisciplinary producer, whose credits include No Studios artist in residence, the annual Medusa Monologues (a collaboration with Mary Chuy), My First and Last Film, Ringolevio, and Corridor. She is a graduate of University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Apr. 19, 2020
1 min read
Several Milwaukee buildings are displaying red, white, and blue lights in solidarity against the coronavirus. Participants include Discovery World, Milwaukee County Historical Society, the U.S. Bank Building, the Gas Light Building, Northwestern Mutual, and more.
Apr. 19, 2020
4 min read
Romke de Haan is a creative technologist, serial entrepreneur, and business leader with a heart that beats hip hop. He is a graduate of and former creative director for Homeboyz Interactive, an organization that taps the latent talents of gang members, redirecting their energy from violent activity to website development.
Apr. 9, 2020
6 min read
Mark Fairbanks co-founded Islands of Brilliance with his wife Margaret in 2012. The organization’s premise - to pair children with autism with design professionals who can teach the students valuable software skills
Mar. 18, 2020
3 min read
The Coronavirus (Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has forced local arts organizations to temporarily suspend operations to adhere to social distancing and flatten the curve (slowing the virus spread and thus, fewer people seeking treatment at any given time).
Nov. 27, 2019
7 min read
Is rock dead? When was the funeral? I certainly would have gone and paid my respects. I’ve had a pretty close relationship over the years with rock...
Oct. 30, 2019
6 min read
I have heard writers refer to penning their own bios as being a “death sentence.” So, when you hear the term obituary, and are asked to write one, it’s...
Oct. 22, 2019
5 min read
My good friend and award winning editor Barry Poltermann once told me a story about movie pitches in Hollywood. He told me that if you’re in a meeting...
Aug. 30, 2019
6 min read
One of my favorite quotes is by artist and photographer Chuck Close, who famously said, “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get...
Aug. 13, 2019
3 min read
It was far too late when I realized how silly I must have looked standing in my underwear in the parking lot of a skatepark. I had just come from an...
Aug. 8, 2019
5 min read
August 6th was adult contemporary night here in Milwaukee as suburban couples and twenty somethings hopped in their SUVs to the Fiserv Forum to hear John...
Aug. 7, 2019
5 min read
It was a Tuesday evening and I headed Northwest of the city over to Sherman Phoenix, a community space in the Sherman Park neighborhood that is dedicated...
Aug. 2, 2019
3 min read
My 19 year old son and I were walking out of the theater after Quentin Tarantino’s new film Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood and he was clearly dejected...
Jul. 26, 2019
10 min read
If you’re not acquainted with forest bathing, allow me to enlighten you: forest bathing is a practice where you find your way to a natural area with...
Jun. 25, 2019
8 min read
Summer 2018. The day was a grey heat. Air that hung to you. It was the first full day of World Cup matches, and Three Lions Pub was humming, expectant...
Jun. 21, 2019
6 min read
On Mother’s Day, I decided to spend my time with a friend. My friend James is one of those people who always knows something exciting going on. He has...
May. 30, 2019
4 min read
If you’ve attended an event hosted by Milwaukee Film, there’s close to a 100% chance you’ve run into or at least seen Kristopher Pollard.
May. 22, 2019
12 min read
The summer I returned to the Midwest, my parents took me with them to the sprawling garden center in the country by their home to pick out the flowers...
Apr. 29, 2019
7 min read
We moved our daughter to Brooklyn, New York recently and it was a joyous and profoundly sad journey. So, of course, I had to write about it.
Apr. 11, 2019
2 min read
It’s time for my mea culpa, Vampire Weekend.
Apr. 4, 2019
8 min read
I have been gluten free, except for the breaded fry incident back in December, for about four months. Before you groan and stop reading because you...
Mar. 28, 2019
5 min read
Passed away. Passed on. Laid to rest. Crossed over. Bit the dust. Kicked the bucket. With Jesus in Heaven. On the other side. Sleeping with the fishes...
Mar. 19, 2019
3 min read
I’m a guy who is only slightly past middle age. And like most people my age I tend to have a penchant for the past. I still think Abbey Road is the greatest album of all time. I think the...
Mar. 14, 2019
5 min read
Growing up in the 90’s, the concept of “Stranger Danger” was drilled into my head. I remember my school making us watch disturbing videos about ominous...
Mar. 5, 2019
3 min read
As we’ve grown to annoyingly expect, at the end of each year, Facebook’s news feed is consumed with post-after-post of friends, family members, and old...
Feb. 27, 2019
4 min read
It was the morning of Monday, March 5, 2018 and everything was well in film critic land. That’s because what should’ve happened at the Oscars award show...
Feb. 26, 2019
5 min read
There has always been a part of me that has been a cowgirl. As a kid, I wore cowboy boots, collected a menagerie of porcelain horses, had a favorite...
Feb. 20, 2019
6 min read
So you made it through the polar vortex of 2019. Me too! I had a lot of time to think during those bitter cold days and I thought a lot about my values...
Feb. 18, 2019
4 min read
It was a typically warm summer night in St. Louis, and Phil Sklar and Brad Novak pulled up to Busch Stadium to take in a ballgame. They love baseball...
Feb. 8, 2019
3 min read
Written and drawn from the perspective of a 5’4 midwesterner
Feb. 4, 2019
4 min read
Welcome to the Super Bowl of the United States of America. Where “All things to all people” has now reached it’s full self-actualized potential...
Feb. 1, 2019
5 min read
I have a feral cat that has lived near or on my front porch for over 11 years.
Jan. 29, 2019
6 min read
I want to tell you about the magical world of the Internet. I often ponder its utility when I read about viral challenges that ultimately yield the next...
Jan. 21, 2019
3 min read
You know the earmarks of some of the best documentaries; they either have a great plot twist or an Insane revelation; devastating developments and brutal...
Jan. 14, 2019
9 min read
Hell yeah, another year end list: The top 10 films of 2018, from Commonstate contributor Evan Casey.
Dec. 28, 2018
13 min read
The end of the year is a time when sites inundate us with “best of” lists. But here at Commonstate, we’re going to do things a bit differently...
Dec. 13, 2018
5 min read
Social media has made it more difficult than ever to temporarily escape from the outside world. Political arguments, clickbait articles, and an ever...
Dec. 6, 2018
5 min read
Let’s go back a year or so, late fall. A group of about 30 employees of Flowers For Dreams meet at one of their homes in Chicago and are sitting around...
Nov. 30, 2018
8 min read
A simple Google search will reveal that songwriters have been comparing the act of falling in love to a narcotics addiction for many years...
Nov. 13, 2018
2 min read
Last Sunday, we woke with our bodies’ natural rhythms, but the clocks said it was earlier than it felt. Then, the sun sank early. On Monday, when we left...
Nov. 9, 2018
4 min read
The whole thing started out as a treasure hunt of sorts, an ambitious and industrious young woman named Ashley Town was on a quest. She had written a book.
Nov. 6, 2018
6 min read
Active Bird Community’s story is one ripped straight from a rock-and-roll fantasy. Founding members Tom D’Agustino, Andrew Wolfson, and Zach Slater...
Nov. 1, 2018
7 min read
From the minute you enter the door, Float Milwaukee is an experience. The stark entryway foreshadows the next 60 odd minutes of your day where everything...
Oct. 25, 2018
5 min read
I saw an activist that I follow posting videos of people smashing cop cars. I thought, where is this happening? I was like, holy... this is Milwaukee.
Sep. 12, 2018
4 min read
The “discovery” functionality on Spotify can be a harsh mistress. I’m not sure I love it, and it rarely loves me back. People are constantly recommending
Sep. 5, 2018
4 min read
I met Elmer at one of those career day things at an elementary school. There was the fireman, I was the radio guy, and Elmer was the entrepreneur.
Aug. 17, 2018
4 min read
Walking though the gate into Victory Garden Initiative's urban farm was like walking through the upstairs wardrobe into Narnia.
Aug. 13, 2018
4 min read
I worked at JC Penney in 1982. Employee #750. Yes, I still remember. My department was ground zero for the sales of hundreds of Sony Walkmen...
Aug. 9, 2018
5 min read
I read an article a few years back about how shopping at IKEA was a sign you weren’t really an adult yet. But, if you shopped at West Elm, that was it.
Aug. 6, 2018
3 min read
Social media is a roller coaster ride that never lets you get off.
Aug. 3, 2018
3 min read
When I met Dan Atkinson in his studio on Vliet Street, I was fully expecting to discuss his work making planters out of cream city brick. And, while we...
Jul. 19, 2018
2 min read
Imagine this bizarre fantasy: Aliens from another galaxy finally decide to show themselves, and they lower their frisbee-like spaceship towards Milwaukee.
Jul. 9, 2018
5 min read
In the pantheon of pop/rock music there are only a handful of iconic duos – those whose voices mesh together seamlessly, whose songwriting and approach...
Jul. 2, 2018
4 min read
There was a something happening in the late 60s and early 70s where bands – and a whole bunch of them – found their own voice very quickly...
Jun. 25, 2018
2 min read
If Lebron James joined the Milwaukee Bucks, it would change the course of a franchise -- most likely from “up and coming” to “arrived.” But how would...
Jun. 19, 2018
6 min read
There’s a certain sadness when a beloved restaurant closes, not dissimilar to what it feels like to read a book you become completely immersed in...
Jun. 15, 2018
5 min read
It’s hard to say whether or not my job found me or I found it. There’s a great possibility that some divine power above chose to marry two desperate...
Jun. 11, 2018
2 min read
Harmony guitar parts and beautiful layered melodies are popping out of the speakers in my Volkswagen and I sadly cannot take my hands off the wheel...
Jun. 5, 2018
9 min read
When was the last time you had the chance to truly live in the moment? A month ago I honestly couldn’t tell you, despite an effort to meditate and be more mindful of my present. I was fortunate enough to recently...
Jun. 1, 2018
4 min read
Ian McCullough has released 11 albums since 2006. Every one of those albums was released on his birthday, April 27. This is not by accident...
May. 24, 2018
3 min read
I want to talk about fungi. I know, I know. “But, Caitlin, what could possibly be interesting about fungi?” The better question is what ISN’T interesting...
May. 18, 2018
1 min read
At night, the most iconic part of Milwaukee’s skyline rests in the background in the dark. You can see its shape, lifeless, and sometimes the moon...
May. 9, 2018
3 min read
In the hall of fame of days, Sunday is a first balloter. Plans and obligations be damned. I’m going to mindlessly surf twitter and there’s nothing you...
May. 4, 2018
4 min read
I’m hanging out at The Vanguard in Bayview, waiting for Nick and Ryan from Milwaukee’s Midwest Death Rattle to join me. Looking over the menu...
Apr. 26, 2018
2 min read
It’s easy to daydream yourself into a lifestyle that isn’t quite as cluttered and scattered as your own; something sleek and minimal that’s beautiful...
Apr. 20, 2018
6 min read
It was a moment I vividly remember, circa 1994. Music had not gone streaming yet -- we were still virtually a decade away from those realities.
Apr. 16, 2018
3 min read
Hey everyone, how you doing? Remember me?
Apr. 9, 2018
4 min read
The mismatched mix of tables and chairs in the dining room at La Merenda is slightly unexpected as your host/hostess walks you to your table.
Apr. 4, 2018
3 min read
We frequently go to brunch because even those of us who despise generational stereotypes still love shakshuka we don't have to make ourselves.
Apr. 2, 2018
2 min read
In 2018, when every single day feels like an existential nightmare-cum-fever dream, what better thing to do than attend Milwaukee’s 3rd annual Diorama-rama
Mar. 26, 2018
4 min read
The Cal-Neva is a casino in downtown Reno, Nevada on 2nd Street. And as I walk through the doors I imagine the hardened gamblers, cowboys...
Mar. 23, 2018
3 min read
When she inserted the first needle into the webbing between my ring finger and pinky finger, I felt a jolt of tolerable electricity.
Mar. 20, 2018
4 min read
There’s an old Nordic Folk song titled “Varulven” which, translated to English is “The Werewolf.” It’s a Little Red Riding Hood type of story...
Mar. 9, 2018
4 min read
On a recent cold Sunday I caught up with local filmmaker Carol Brandt at her quiet, warm co-lab space for a handful of filmmakers from Milwaukee.
Mar. 7, 2018
3 min read
To love is a spectrum. I’ve recently started visualizing this spectrum in the grade school science class way—the electromagnetic spectrum way.
Mar. 1, 2018
5 min read
The mission of Commonstate is to champion creative thinking in every community, in every field. Filmmakers, musicians, fine artists, chefs, public servants and architects alike are at home here. And just because you don’t make art doesn’t make you less...
Feb. 22, 2018
4 min read
Steve Kodis, one of countless immensely talented people who have willingly traded in a bit of freedom for a lot of responsibility.
Feb. 19, 2018
4 min read
Have you ever had a day where you were sick of being depressed and wanted to venture out into the world, without quite knowing what you needed?
Feb. 16, 2018
3 min read
I made a list of all sides of Milwaukee I wanted to enjoy before drifting away from the Midwest and the tea service at The Pfister was at the top.
Feb. 12, 2018
3 min read
I’m sitting in the back of Buckley's sipping bourbon waiting for Drew Britton to arrive. Drew has just returned from the Slamdance Film Festival.
Feb. 5, 2018
5 min read
As the Eagles claimed their “World Championship” crown after the Super Bowl, the saber rattling began around who led the pack in this year’s commercials.
Feb. 2, 2018
4 min read
By the time Kendall said something, we’d already missed the turn. It was Friday afternoon a couple of days before New Year’s Eve and the roads and skies and fields were indistinguishable greys...
Jan. 31, 2018
2 min read
There is one thing I hate more than winter: shitty mugs. I’m a mug snob. I’m not ashamed to admit that. As a young(ish) person who recently breached year 30, born and raised in the Midwest, appropriate dishware for combating the winter blues is paramount.
Jan. 29, 2018
4 min read
I received a Facebook event invite from an old high school friend. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking – you get those kitchen gadget, nail stickers, weight loss shake invites, too. This one was a little different. “Tarot and past life readings at Lost Valley Cider Co.” Huh.
Jan. 26, 2018
3 min read
On a random Saturday in late-September, I got a text from a good friend saying “comedown to Veteran’s Park!” I probably replied with mentioning how I had to head to yoga and carried on my day. Little did I know what he had up his sleeve.
Jan. 24, 2018
3 min read
When photographer Kelly Bolter said she would meet me in Wauwatosa, I threw out the names via chat of a few of these newer establishments...
Jan. 19, 2018
2 min read
Zach pointed out a few of the product designers in the store when I visited; Kinto from Japan, Most Modest out of San Francisco, Good Thing from Brooklyn. And, if you want to see a pair of Raen sunglasses or a TOPO Designs backpack in person, Commonplace is your spot.
Jan. 16, 2018
2 min read
Your first Twitter follower is usually someone like a friend or a significant other, right? Mine was Fly Kiid Chris. A rapper from the Bronx.
Jan. 13, 2018
2 min read
Approaching the storefront of Brew City Salvage on 5th and National in Milwaukee, you’ll see a stuffed deer standing outside the entrance with a sign hanging around its neck that says “open.”
Jan. 8, 2018
3 min read
I was standing in the recording room at the Exchange Recording Complex on National Avenue, with Brian Wooldridge. He’s pulling his Epiphone Coronet out of its case and I’m salivating at the sight of it; the Coronet has always been one of my favorite guitars, double cutaway, the iconic Epiphone “E” on the pickguard, the grit.
Jan. 1, 2018
3 min read
I’m 51-years-old and have worked out my whole life. I enjoy it. I’ve belonged to every club you can imagine. Getting my 45 minutes to an hour of exercise on a regular basis is important to me. I pretty much work out to maintain my dad-bod and stoke my fake sense of confidence that I have a semblance of fitness.
Jan. 1, 2018
2 min read
Have you met Steve Landish? He’s the guy who runs the bar at Kindred on Kinnickinnic Ave. By all accounts, at least in the three or so times I have talked to him, Steve is kind of brilliant. He talks about ingredients, how they work together, and generally is hush-hush about exact quantities he puts into the drinks. Go with it.
Jan. 1, 2018
2 min read
Mike Alt, sitting to my left, looked over at me, grinning. Then he laid down this gem: “I went to about 8 or 9 thrift shops before I came here tonight.”
Jan. 1, 2018
2 min read
Welcome to Commonstate, a tribute to the creative thinkers in every community who believe that a culture of creativity is a better culture for all. These are the innovators and people who see the world differently and for the better, who through the movement of a pen, or the stroke of a brush, the click of a shutter or a singular vision for business are fearlessly themselves. Commonstate celebrates them all.
![[UPDATED] Michael Rault has harnessed the power and the glory of 70s pop, and it's brilliant](/_vercel/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.prismic.io%2Fcommonstate%2Fc5ff1803-295b-4304-acd3-d40a47614ad1_IMG_0656.jpg%3Fauto%3Dcompress%2Cformat%26w%3D1200%26w%3D1200&w=1200&q=90)
