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Making Waves: Live in Milwaukee

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Original Air Date:

May 05, 2018

Milwaukee is a city on water, right on the shore of Lake Michigan, split by the historic Milwaukee River. How did all that water shape the city's history, politics, culture, and people? We went on a roadtrip (and boat trip) looking for answers. Then we did a live show at Milwaukee's historic Turner Hall, talking with journalists, brewmasters, historians, comedians, spiritual leaders and one awesome DJ to get at some big underlying questions.

If you're a model freshwater city, how do you sort out the politics of water scarcity?
Milwaukee became the "Brew City" because of its easy access to freshwater. How do you celebrate that history while still creating new and different brews for beer lovers to enjoy?
And since we all depend on water, how do we honor its spiritual significance?

The Life, Death and Rebirth of the Milwaukee River

The Len-Der, our boat for the Milwaukee River

Video

Milwaukee historian John Gurda takes us on a boat ride down the Milwaukee River as we learn how the city nearly lost its river, and what Milwaukee is now doing to preserve it.

Length:

5:40

Who Owns the Great Lakes?

(Left to Right) Steve talks with Jenny Kehl and Dan Egan.

Audio

Journalist Dan Egan and political economist Jenny Kehl talk Steve Paulson through the finer points of the politics of water - from debates over water diversion to the struggle to keep the Great Lakes uncontaminated.

Length:

12:52

Fire, Hops and Beer Wagons: The Beer History of Milwaukee

The Schlitz Bottling Floor, c. 1666.

Video

Milwaukee has a reputation as America's "Brew City." But why? Historian Ben Barbera lays out the economic forces and acts of God that built the houses of Miller, Pabst and Schlitz.

Length:

5:18

If Macro Lagers Are Milwaukee's Beer Past, What Does The Beer Future Look Like?

(Left to Right) Charles talks with Good City Brewing cofounder David Dupee and Lakefront cofounder and president Russ Klisch.

Audio

Beer has gone back from macro to micro. Russ Klisch (Lakefront Brewery) and David Dupee (Good City Brewing) talk with Charles Monroe-Kane about how returning to smaller scale has opened up new creative and business possibilities for beer makers.

Length:

5:07

How To Build Flow For A Water Show

Deep Tracks

We told Milwaukee DJ Tarik Moody we were doing a whole show about water. He created the perfect playlist to complement our interviews. He shares a few secrets on how to find a track by mood, reference, or feel.

Length:

3:13

Tracing the Enormity of the Great Lakes. By Foot.

Water walkers

Video

Since 2003, Grandma Josephine Mandamin led fellow Anishinaabe women on sacred “water walks” around Great Lakes. Fellow water walker, Siobhan Marks, tells her story.

Length:

6:11

The Garden as Parish, With Water as Prayer

(Left to Right) Anne speaks with Venice Williams, executive director of the Alice's Garden urban farming project.

Audio

The spiritual component of water is hard to ignore. That's part of why Venice Williams refers to Alice's Garden as her parish.

Length:

6:50

Benediction: 'A Song for Giving Back'

Kim Blaeser on stage at "Making Waves" at Turner Hall.

Articles

Wisconsin’s former Poet Laureate Kim Blaeser leaves us with a benediction, calling out the sacred dimension of water.

Length:

3:52

Building Bridges With Water-Themed Art

The Great Lakes mobile, by Melanie Ariens

Articles

Melanie Ariens has become known for her water-themed art, a focus of her combined loves of art and environmental activism. She uses mostly recycled materials to make art that makes people think about the Great Lakes, the rivers, and the water we drink.

Extras

Show Details 📻

Airdates

May 05, 2018

April 13, 2019

April 18, 2020

April 17, 2021

April 22, 2023

Guests:

John Gurda

Historian and Author

Dan Egan

Reporter

Jenny Kehl

Political Economist

Chastity Washington

Comedian

Ben Barbera

Ben Barbera

Curator, Milwaukee County Historical Society

Russ Klisch

President, Lakefront Brewing

David Dupee

Cofounder, Good City Brewing

Tarik Moody

DJ and Radio Host

Siobhan Marks

Water Walker

Venice Williams

Venice Williams

Executive Director, Alice's Garden

Kim Blaeser

Poet

Melanie Ariens

Melanie Ariens

Artist

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Last modified:

April 21, 2023

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