On The Record

If you go to enough local comedy shows, you're bound to encounter Tyler Menz. The Milwaukee comedian has been kicking around stages throughout the Midwest for six years, and his material is beginning to spread to larger audiences in more and more places throughout the country. Fresh off his run of shows in support of the legendary Todd Barry, Menz met host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters. There, they talked about how something Maas wrote once got the similarly named Menz banned from a local comedy club, the evolution of local stand-up, Menz's new podcast about bombing called "Eating It," and his worst show experiences.

This episode is brought to you by Surly Brewing, a Minnesota-based brewery and the official beer of On The Record. Intro and outro music comes courtesy of Piles ("Blue Glue") and Kiss Critique ("Prom").

Our apologies for the delay between episodes! Other than taking some time off for the holidays, we've been busy putting the finishing touches on our annual Local Coverage benefit concert. This year's show (Friday, January 19 at Turner Hall) will feature a diverse blend of eight Milwaukee acts covering each other to raise money for a local organization. That organization is the Milwaukee Women's Center.

Since 1980, Milwaukee Women's Center has provided services and treatment for women, children, and (recently) men dealing with domestic violence, addiction, mental health issues, and poverty. Before Friday's show, host Tyler Maas went to Community Advocates (the Women's Center's parent organization) to speak with CEO Andi Mallmann-Elliott about the services the Women's Center provides, what their various programs strive to accomplish, and ways people can help. Call 414-671-6140 to speak to a domestic abuse crisis counselor. If you wish to donate to the center or volunteer, call 414-270-2984 or visit the Milwaukee Women's Center website. Community Advocates employees will also be at Local Coverage to field questions and distribute more information.

Twenty-seventeen was, well, it was a year. So let's talk about it, or at least let's talk about the things we actually liked about it. For this year's end-of-the-year recap, Milwaukee Record's Matt Wild, Tyler Maas, and Josh Hoppert chat about their favorite Milwaukee albums of 2017, reminisce about their favorite Milwaukee Record stories of 2017, and look ahead to what they'll be up to in 2018. Unusually large Gatorade displays, Corey Feldman dental mishaps, haunted cigar bars that aren't really haunted, and Andrew W.K. shopping sprees are all included. Plus, a lot of great, great music.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens December 15. 'Nuff said. Two years after sitting down and talking about the impending release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rob Wieland, John Revord, and host Matt Wild once again shoot first the shit about a galaxy far, far away. And there's a lot to shoot the shit about: What did everyone think of TFA? How about Rogue One? What's the deal with the Han Solo movie and the new, non-Skywalker trilogy? And, most importantly, HOLY SHIT THE LAST JEDI IS GOING TO BE AMAZING, ISN'T IT? THANK YOU RIAN THANK YOU! AHHHHHHH! Matt also finally finds out what a "Mary Sue" is.

Oh my gosh! Charlie Berens is the guest on this week's podcast. Last fall, the Los Angeles (by way of Elm Grove, Wisconsin) actor, writer, and Emmy-winning host first made his mark with viral voiceover videos imagining what it'd be like if Titanic's Jack Dawson and Bane from Batman hailed from Wisconsin. More recently, Berens rose to regional notoriety as the host of Manitowoc Minute. Through about 20 episodes, the weekly Wisconsin-influenced news segment has garnered millions of views on YouTube and Facebook.

While back in his home state for a run of performances (including a pair of sell-out shows at Turner Hall), Berens met host Tyler Maas at the Cactus Club to discuss the origin of the character that's quickly struck a chord in his home state, his path to L.A., where he hopes to bring the segment, and the care he puts into the 90 seconds of northwoods-accented perspective he puts into the world each week. Before episode's end, Berens also makes a bold prediction about the Packers. If you like the Manitowoc Minute, you'll love the 50-some minutes we spent getting to know the man behind "The Minute."

Though sports is always a relevant topic (especially in Wisconsin), each autumn seems to bring about a competitive crescendo of sorts. Not even counting NCAA football and basketball, the local sports world is booming with activity. The Packers are weathering the storm following Aaron Rodgers' injury. The Bucks (and Herd) season is underway. After a surprisingly competitive season, a promising young Brewers squad is gearing up for Winter Meetings. There's a lot to talk about.

Ramie Makhlouf—co-host of "The Big Show" on 105.7 The Fan—is familiar with all this. The sports talk radio personality and stand-up comedian returned to Milwaukee Record headquarters to tell host Tyler Maas his thoughts on the Brew Crew's offseason plans, what the final five games (and beyond) hold for the Pack, and whether the Bucks are on the path to Eastern Conference dominance. They also talked about Makhlouf's allegiance to Illinois sports teams, the ever-changing landscape of sports media, and 105.7's annual Toy Drive (which runs through Friday).

Occasionally, we decide to bring ye olde On The Record to the public by booking variety shows at bars or other performance venues. We strive to offer something for all tastes, with a blend of music, comedy, and general interest guests. On Thursday, November 9, we convened at Mojo Dojo (inside Urban Harvest Brewing Company) to talk to husband and wife synth-pop duo Golden Coins about their ongoing attempt to adopt a child, Liz Smith and Kari Houghtaling about their two-woman Home Alone remake, and Milwaukee writer Caleb Westphal about all things fish fry. Golden Coins performed a few songs, and we surprised Milwaukee Record Director of Advertising Josh Hoppert with some questions about being the former largest baby in Waukesha County. Fun!

The state of craft beer in Wisconsin is rapidly changing and steadily improving. At this point, it's impossible to document everything that's happening in Milwaukee brewing and in the other microbreweries spread throughout the state. That didn't stop Matthew Janzen from trying. The author and photographer took his interest in beer to the next level when he quit his job and took it upon himself to visit dozens of breweries, fields, and other facilities that work in concert to shape the reputation of Wisconsin brewing. Janzen combined the images, interviews, and information he collected into his first book, State Of Craft Beer.

Between stops on his book tour of Wisconsin libraries, Janzen came to Milwaukee Record headquarters to talk about what led to his decision to take on the daunting task of capturing the story of the state's brewing scene, ways things have changed since the book's release, the economic impact beer has in Wisconsin, and what's next for him.

Music comes courtesy of Piles ("Blue Glue") and Ravi/Lola ("Teach Her").

Brian Butch's basketball career started in the Fox Valley. After the Appleton West High School standout was selected as a McDonald's All-American alongside the likes of LeBron James and Chris Paul, he attended the University of Wisconsin and was an instrumental part of a Badgers team that made tournament runs and was at one point ranked number one in the country. Following his impressive collegiate career, Butch played internationally in Japan, China, Greece, Dubai, and the Philippines, as well as the NBA's D-League (now called "NBA G-League") during his 10-year professional basketball career.

Butch's latest stop brings him back to the region where it all began, this time as a coach. The Wisconsin-born big man recently accepted a position on the coaching staff of the Wisconsin Herd, a G-League expansion team and Milwaukee Bucks affiliate franchise based in Oshkosh. Milwaukee Record's Tyler Maas made the drive to Oshkosh and met up with Butch at Herd facilities. There, Maas—who grew up one town away from Butch and graduated the same year—asked the highly touted prep player about the pressure he faced in high school, what it was like to be a Badger, how he adjusted to playing internationally, the misconceptions people have about the G-League, and what fans can expect during the Herd's inaugural season.

As far as career options go, professional video game player sits somewhere between food tester and sleep study participant. Unthinkable as it is, one Milwaukee man has managed to make an occupation out of gaming with the help of a charismatic puppet he made out of an old Super Nintendo. Joe Vella got his start in entertainment as a performer (and eventually a teacher) at ComedySportz. Two years ago, he combined his love of improv, gaming, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 into BizSNES. As one of Twitch's first, and one of the gaming platform's most popular character streamers, Vella's sole income comes from recording himself (and his plastic puppet) playing video games and streaming it online.

Prior to taking part in a character streamer panel at TwitchCon, and before his upcoming move to the Twitch hotbed that is Seattle, Vella joined host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters to expand on their recent discussion about the professional gamer and all-around entertainer's foray into his unique occupation, the challenges and misconceptions he faces, how his comic background informs his viewer interactions, and what's to come from BizSNES.