Every Friday, Off The Record looks to other Milwaukee publications for bits of news we missed throughout the week.
• It’s been a crazy few weeks for Milwaukee: a contentious election, speculation on the location of a new Bucks arena, and the Grand Avenue Mall being sold at auction for $16.5 million. It’s been so crazy it’s kind of like the time Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was in Milwaukee with former Gossip Girl actress/current girlfriend Jessica Szohr, and was spotted singing “Luck Be A Lady” at Lucille’s Piano Bar. [cut to footage of MacFarlane singing, and/or Peter doing that floor piano scene from Big.]
TMZ, Gawker, and Uproxx, have more on MacFarlane’s surprise visit, which happened last Saturday.
• Jeramey Jannene at Urban Milwaukee has a terrific piece—complete with photos—on the revamped Avalon Theater. The historic Bay View theater is expected to re-open by the end of the year.
• The decision whether to sell O’Donnell “Park In Name Only” Park to Northwestern Mutual has been delayed until next month, reports the Milwaukee Business Journal.
• Not content to let Downtown hog all the glory, Walker’s Point is getting in on the new-development game. The Milwaukee Business Journal reveals that an “action plan” for the neighborhood includes “new housing along the Milwaukee River, a cultural district building off the area’s Hispanic neighborhood, and ongoing development of the Reed Street Yards business park.”
• Stereogum premiered a new Canopies song, “Choose Yer Own Adventure.” The band’s highly anticipated album, Maximize Your Faith, is due December 9 on Forged Artifacts. A local release show at the Polish Falcon is scheduled for December 12.
• Field Report performed a set for NPR’s World Cafe. It was also revealed that Chris Porterfield and company will be supporting Jeff Tweedy on his Irish and UK dates in 2015.
• The Journal Sentinel has the scoop on Lakefront Brewery’s Black Friday ale. This year, the special brew will be a Russian Imperial Stout, which beats a cheap waffle iron at Walmart any day.
• The always-enchanting Phox dropped by Conan to perform one of its best songs, “1936.” The Wisconsin band’s next Milwaukee show is January 16 at the Pabst Theater.
• The Journal Sentinel dives deep on a story about a new reef currently under construction in the Milwaukee River. “The fish are going to use it,” one of the reef’s designers tells the Journal, in what has to be the best quote of the week.
• Ed Sanders, singer-songwriter for proto-punk legends The Fugs, will perform at Woodland Pattern Book Center’s 34th anniversary party November 14. Tap Milwaukee has more info.
• Evan Rytlewski at the Shepherd Express took a listen to the new Mortgage Freeman album, Streetcrusher, and kinda-sorta likened some of the songs to “Weird Al” Yankovic style parodies. We approve.
• Rytlewski also talked to Sat. Nite Duets member Stephen Strupp about his new solo album, Danke Für Das Gilt.
• OnMilwaukee.com #WeWant Watch: In OnMilwaukee.com’s weekly #WeWant feature, editors and staffers just go ahead and list some high-priced shit they want. This week, they want a Scrubba Wash Bag, organic candy bars, Amy Poehler’s new book, an herb mil, a skull bottle opener, and a new smartphone!