LeAnne Rudy

Gypsy rock band performs Friday
Eric Cox, lead singer and guitarist of Icarus/Drifting, said he doesn't quite know how to describe his band's sound.

"It takes acoustic rock or folk rock and mixes it with blues, with classical music and country music," Cox, a former UW-Whitewater student, said. "I guess the best way to describe our sound would be to call us an acoustic alternative gypsy rock band. Some say it's like putting Pearl Jam, U2 and Dave Matthews in a blender and then adding a bow shredding classical violin player."

For $5, students have a chance to see the unique band at Fort Atkinson's Café Carpe, where they will be performing at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

The other members of the band are Sam Grabow on violin, piano, and organ; Keith Muellenbach with bass and vocals; Andy Pilon on drums; and Pat Zyduck on guitar.

Icarus/Drifting released their first CD, "Relentless," in June. They have played at Summerfest, The Rave and the Midwest Acoustic Music Festival. Friday's show at Café Carpe is one of the few home-state stops they are playing, before heading south through St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans in June.

Cox said he is looking forward to playing more acoustic music on this tour.

"As fun as it is to play an event like Summerfest, we always love to come back and play the coffee houses and intimate venues where you can tell stories and sing songs in an atmosphere where people hang on your every word," he said.

Cox said the name of his band is representative of his life. Icarus is in remembrance of an influential English teacher he had in high school whose favorite mythical character was Icarus, as well as his search for balance as a musician.

"I think it's really essential musically, finding a balance between loud and soft," Cox said. "Finding balance, I think, is always essential."

Cox said the second part of the band's name, "Drifting," refers to his own 20's when he traveled a lot.

"It kind of speaks to some of those old blues and folk ideas about getting out on the road and drifting," he said. "It keeps life very interesting."

More information about Café Carpe, including directions, can be found at www.cafecarpe.com.

Those interested in learning more about Icarus/Drifting can visit their Web site at www.icarus-drifting.com.


Students showcase love story in "The Rose Tattoo"
"The Rose Tattoo" is a story of love and longing written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams, and will be performed by UW-Whitewater students starting Dec. 2.

"The Rose Tattoo" is set in the South, somewhere between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala., during the 1950s.

The area was populated with Sicilians. Junior Tyler King, cast as Alvaro, said the play is a good look into their culture and mixture into American culture.

The play is about Seraphina and her daughter Rosa. Seraphina closes herself out of the world to deal with the loss of her husband. Rosa is 15 and beginning to grow up, and the play is about both of them finding love.

"Seraphina is not happy with America," King said. "She wants Rosa to be more Sicilian."

One of the differences is that Seraphina does not approve of falling in love before marriage, while Rosa has embraced this American concept.

Alvaro reminds Seraphina of her deceased husband "by character but not by face," King said. "He is the first character Seraphina listens to to move on from her husband. He says sweet things, and he's a goof. He gives her some laughter."

The name of the play is derived from an experience Seraphina had on the night she conceived her son. She felt a pain on her chest, and when she looked at it, she saw a rose tattoo, which was the symbol of her husband.

"It is an important symbol," King said.

Junior Cassy Schillo is the stage manager for the play. She says the play has been a unique experience for her because she has been working with guest director Norma Saldivar.

"She is an expert on Tennessee Williams, and brings in a lot of detail."

Schillo mentioned the challenges of working with a guest director who was only on campus for rehearsals, but thinks the outcome will be worth it.

"The amount of work and effort put into this play is very evident," Schillo said.

Schillo also commented on the depth of Williams' playwriting, who also wrote "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and "The Glass Menagerie."

"Tenessee Williams writes like it's a movie," she said. "He pays attention, and there's a meaning to everything."

The play, set in Louisiana, pays a lot of attention to the culture and dialogue of the area.

"It's historically rich," Schillo said. According to the Mississippi Writer's page, Williams helped to promote good literature in the South. "However, as a Southerner he not only helped to pave the way for other writers, but also helped the South find a strong voice in those auspices where before it had only been heard as a whisper."

The original Broadway version of the play was written in 1950, and opened in February 1951. It ran for 300 performances.

The play is running from Dec. 2-6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Barnett Theater. Tickets can be purchased online through the UW-Whitewater Web site.


Audiophile: "Folie à Deux" by Fall Out Boy
Taken from the French phrase for "the shared madness of two," "Folie à Deux" is the latest album by Chicagoland pop punk rockers Fall Out Boy.

According to Psychology.com, "Folie à Deux" is "a rare delusional disorder shared by two or occasionally more people with close emotional links. Only one person suffers from a genuine psychotic disorder; the delusions are induced in the other."

While the album may be about the "shared madness of two," Fall Out Boy does their best to share it with all their listeners.

The album is easy on the ears, taking full advantage of frontman Patrick Stump's vocal abilities. From smooth vocals on "What a Catch, Donnie" to the chopped breathiness on "Tiffany Blews," it is hard to find a flaw in his versatile voice.

Instrumentally, the CD ranges from the organ-backed intro to "Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos," to light-hearted piano on "20 Dollar Nosebleed," as well as their more normal instruments of guitars and drums.

Far and away the best song on the album is their first single, "I Don't Care." The sarcastic lyrics and strong guitar lead mix together nicely, and meld perfectly with the comical music video.

With "Folie à Deux," Fall Out Boy shows they're not afraid to grow up and embrace a little madness.


Burglary puts stop to District 2 candidate's campaign
Sophomore Devon Wallace, a write-in candidate for District 2 Whitewater Common Council seat announced Tuesday her she will no longer be actively seeking the council seat.

The election for common council will be held on April 6.

Wallace's apartment was burglarized during spring break last week, and Wallace said her focus now is not on the election.

"I'm not sure where I'm going to live next year, or even if I'll be in District 2," Wallace said at Tuesday night's scheduled debate.

"I feel the voters should have access to candidates, especially the week before an election and I need to spend my time now dealing with police reports and the District Attorney's office and trying to re-do a lot of essays and homework that were sitting on my computer."

Wallace also said she no longer has finances to continue her campaign.

Tuesday was a scheduled to be debate between Wallace and her opponent for the District 2 council seat, senior Heather Murray. Both were campaigning as write-in candidates.

Murray said she will remain motivated because she's not the definite winner yet.

"She's still a write-in candidate," Murray said. "You can still vote her in."

Murray said the major issues for her are pedestrian safety and renter's rights.

Although she has only been to two city council meetings this year, Murray said she was pleased with the recent decision to install the handicap accessible Navigator system at the corner of Whiton and Main streets.

Murray also said she is concerned about the quality of off-campus student apartments.

"I don't agree with how they're being kept up," Murray said. "That's definitely something I want to help."

Murray said she has lots of experience organizing events and interacting with students. She is currently an intern for Students for a Fair Wisconsin in Madison, an LGBT rights group. She serves as coordinator for the UW-Whitewater chapter. Murray is also the president of the UW-Whitewater Being Real In Doing Gender Equality (B.R.I.D.G.E.) Club and Interested Ladies of Gamma Rho Lambda (an interest group that is scheduled to become a sorority next semester).

Murray said she wants to serve the students of her district personally.

"If you have questions, if you have a problem here in Whitewater," Murray said in a public forum last month, I will be able to make sure there is a face and there is a number and there is an email and you can get a hold of me. I would do my best to get your problem solved the best that I can."


Get Published
Author J.A. Konrath was rejected more than 500 times for his first nine novels. Five published books later, with two more on the way, he is coming to UW-Whitewater to help aspiring authors learn how to get published.

Author J.A. Konrath was rejected more than 500 times for his first nine novels. Five published books later, with two more on the way, he is coming to UW-Whitewater to help aspiring authors learn how to get published.

When it comes to success, according to Konrath, determination is key.

"There's a word for a writer who never gives up... published," his blog said.

Konrath is known primarily for his crime novels starting with "Whiskey Sour." His style of writing is described as both gruesome and humorous.

"He's become a success, despite how hard it was to start off," Library Services Assistance Senior Denise Gullikson said.

Gullikson, who has worked for the Anderson Library for more than three years, entered a contest on Konrath's Web site, and won a presentation for the entire university.

Gullikson said even students not interested in writing professionally should attend the meeting with Konrath.

"I believe it would be very good for them to come, because this way they can see someone who started off with a dream, and had quite a rough time; but there's hope out there," Gullikson said. "With persistence, guidance and really sticking to it, they can become successful also." Students from all majors are welcome, because the real story here is someone who kept his dream, and accomplished it through hard work.

Konrath is also known for his unorthodox marketing style. He advises writers to promote their own work, and enjoys one-on-one contact with fans, rather than being admired from a distance. Gullikson also loves visiting libraries and bookstores, and even put a list of librarians and booksellers who helped promote him in the back of one of his novels.

On Oct. 14, Konrath will be available from 4:30-5 p.m. for a "meet 'n' greet" with fans. The presentation will take place from 5-7 p.m. in the Blue Room on the third floor of the library.


Whitewater Common Council bans all-you-can-drink specials
with Alyssa Skiba
The Whitewater Common Council decided in a 4-3 vote Tuesday night to ban all-you-can-drink specials from licensed establishments.

The ban, which was recommended by the Whitewater Alcohol Licensing commission, raised attention from council members and area bartenders alike.

District 2 councilmember Max Taylor expressed his discontent with the ban at the meeting. He said the ban serves as an attempt to regulate only student behavior.

Taylor said the ban would have negative effects on downtown businesses that host all-you-can-drink specials as well as the businesses surrounding the bars.

"After they're done going to the bars, a lot of times people go to restaurants that stay open [until bar close]," Taylor said.

Much of the discussion involving the ban focused on curbing binge drinking in Whitewater.

District 4 councilmember Lynn Binnie supported the ban due to concerns about the association between all-you-can-drink specials and binge drinking.

"There are definitely hazards associated with binge drinking, and the all-you-can-drink specials or very low-priced beverages have the tendency to encourage overindulgence, which makes a public safety hazard," Binnie said.

Pumper's and Mitchell's bartender Curt Patrick addressed the council, stating most all-you-can-drink specials occur on Wednesday nights when those who go to the bars are more responsible with their drinking habits.

"As far as binge drinking goes, I have never cut off a person on a Wednesday night," Patrick said. "I at least cut off three people on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights."

Out of the 21 total Class B beer and liquor license holders in Whitewater, only four offer all-you-can-drink specials, council president Patrick Singer said.

"It's really not going to make that big of a dent in binge drinking," Singer said. "It seemed like it was a solution in search of a problem, or a bar owner trying to use us to level the playing field against the competition.

An attempt to place a minimum drink price on 12 oz. beer, 5 oz. wine and any-sized liquor drinks failed with a 4-3 vote.