Milwaukee’s Miramar Theatre saw a sold-out show last Friday, April 14th, from Vermont rockers Twiddle. They played a one set heater that saw massive jams and two debut covers in the encore slot, leaving every person that filled the place to maximum capacity wanting more from the Plumpty Dumpty tour.Steez returned to open the show for Twiddle for the second time in as many nights. They had some great talk box vocals in songs like “Last Night,” and played a phenomenal cover of The Knocks’ “Classic” with a jazzy saxophone introduction. The tune had everyone moving. Do yourself a favor and check out Steez.Twiddle’s show started when Mihali Savoulidis came on stage by himself. With his back to the crowd and arms spread wide open, and Seal’s “Kissed by a Rose” blaring over the speakers, a roadie donned his guitar over his shoulder and placed his signature fedora on his mane. He turned around and smiled. The crowd went nuts. The rest of the band took the stage, and they were ready to start when drummer Brook Jordan commented he forgot his drum sticks and ran off stage to retrieve them. Classic.Once they started the music, things were cooking. They began with an amazing rendition of “Lost in the Cold.” One of the best tracks of their newer album Plump, the song translated well to the live setting. Twiddle added an impressive jam to the song, clocking in at over fifteen minutes. It was a great opener.“Beehop” had a fairly psychedelic acid jazz introduction before opening up and eventually settling in “Mamunes the Faun.” The best portion of the night came from “Tom’s Song” into “The Box.” It featured two very distinct jams that were hypnotically good. There was also a solid “Eye of the Tiger” jam in there as well. Afterwards, they mentioned how it was the first time on the tour that they played “The Box,” and perhaps that it why they raged it so hard. Either way, bassist Zdenek Gubb and Jordan just looked at each other after they finally finished the song and gave each other a fist pound. It was a sign of mutual respect for the rocking they just accomplished.“Jamflowman” followed, featuring an amazing bass solo from Gubb. “Jamflowman” segued into the more reggae tune of “Frankenfoote,” complete with keyboardist Ryan Dempsey standing on his seat with one foot and playing the keyboards with the other.The encore was something special. Before they started, Jordan commented, “Thank you for selling this place out tonight… so far from home.” It was a nice message that was very sincere. He went on to relate how they used to listen to a special song after every show, wondering when they would play that song themselves as a cover.Last night, in Milwaukee, was that night. Not only did they debut a cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” but they also debuted a cover of Shaggy’s “Wasn’t Me” sandwiched in between! What an incredible way to put a cap on this performance.Don’t miss Twiddle when they make their debut at the Capitol Theatre on May 7th, with opening support from TAUK. More information about that show can be found here. Check out the full setlist and gallery below:Setlist: Twiddle at the Miramar Theatre, Milwaukee, WI – 4/15/16One Set: Lost In The Cold, Beehop > Mamunes The Faun > Beehop, Tom’s Song > The Box[1], Jamflowman > FrankenfooteEncore: You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling[2] > Wasn’t Me[2] > You’ve Lost That Loving FeelingShow Notes: This show was played as a part of the “Plumptydumpty” Tour. Steaz opened the show. This was a sold out show.[1] “The Box” contained a “Eye Of The Tiger” (Survivor) jam.[2] “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” and “Wasn’t Me” were both debuts. [Via uTwiddle.net]All photos and words appear courtesy of Ojeda Photography. See full gallery below: Load remaining images read more
Move over bird-watchers! Backyard insect-watching has become a popular pastime thanks to the public’s increased interest in pollinator health and habitats. Gardeners enjoy seeing insects visit their gardens. Learning about the types of the bees and the wing colors of migrating butterflies can enrich the pollinator experience in the home garden.To get the best view of insect activity, monitor them on a warm, sunny day. Insects fly more readily when the sun is shining. Place a chair near the garden, grab a cool drink and enjoy the show. Remember that the zoom feature on your cell phone can serve as a magnifier. Zooming in on small wings or compound eyes can be fascinating. A pollinator habitat full of different types of flowers of varying shapes, colors and heights will attract a wide variety of insects. You can easily spot carpenter bees with their shiny abdomens and southern carpenter bees with wings that appear to be metallic blue.Even if you’re not a beekeeper, you may find honeybees using your garden for nectar and pollen. Honeybees will fly miles from their hive looking for flowers.Watch for smaller bees, too. Some native bees, like orchard bees, are metallic in color and are fun to spot. Leafcutter bees gather pollen using hairs on the undersides of their abdomens. They are the bees with a bright orange, white or even green undercoat.Fuzzy bumblebees are always interesting to watch. You will learn to differentiate between types by their sizes and colorings. Watch how they extract the pollen from the flower through what’s called “buzz pollination” — they vibrate their bodies to get the most pollen from each bloom. Wasps found in the garden have interesting body shapes. Thread-waisted wasps are so thin in the middle, you will wonder how their internal organs can function. Remember, if you calmly watch the wasps, they will not be interested in stinging you. Just don’t agitate them!Bee mimics, or flower flies, are often found in pollinator habitats. These are actually flies with coloring that resembles the coloring of bees. The flies have little antennae and their eyes are often larger and closer together than a bee’s eyes. Further, flies only have one pair of wings while bees have two pairs. This is hard to notice when the insects are darting about.Your pollinator habitat will also attract some interesting predators. Praying mantis and ambush bugs often hang out in the flowers looking to capture an insect or two. Parasitic wasps also visit flowers, so you might find them in your pollinator habitat. These beneficial wasps are powerhouses in the vegetable garden as they help control insect pests.Insect-watching can also be a fun family activity. Teaching the next generation to appreciate these insects leads to responsible pollinator stewardship. Georgia’s pollinator protection plan, “Protecting Georgia Pollinators,” reminds us that we all have a role to play if we want to continue to enjoy the services of these wonderful insects.You can read the plan at https://t.uga.edu/4iR.To expand your insect-watching hobby, consider having your garden certified as a Georgia Pollinator Space. Learn more at www.ugaurbanag.com/pollinators.In 2019, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension will conduct the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, a citizen science initiative. Participate by going to www.GGaPC.org.If you need help identifying an insect, contact your local UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1. read more