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50¢ Millionaire: Out of the Basement After 35 Years!
NINE VOLT MEDIA (5.1.2023) – The latest release in songwriter Mike Starling's 4-Track Cassette Reclamation Project is out today. Titled 50¢ MILLIONAIRE, it's a full-length record of 15 songs originally written and recorded by Starling and drummer Bob Mueller in a makeshift basement studio in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1986-87 – tracks that have lingered “in the vault” ever since as the two friends went on to other career pursuits and creative projects. From the bloozy opening guitar riff of "Tom Snyder on a Bad Night" to the final fadeout of the wannabe-B-movie soundtrack instrumental "Lake Fly Massacre," the album is bursting with punky lo-fi garage rock grit that sounds remarkably fresh and spirited decades later. It's available exclusively on Bandcamp.
Thunderbird Launches New Cassette Reclamation Series
NINE VOLT MEDIA (3.23.2023) – Mike Starling's new 4-Track Cassette Reclamation Project launches today with the release of THUNDERBIRD: THE UNDERDUBS VOL. 1.
Originally released on cassette in 1992, Thunderbird is the very first collection of guitar-based instrumental music by the Wisconsin-based composer-producer. Recorded with then-brand new consumer four-track cassette technology, the sound is an early example of the "lo-fi" DIY music aesthetic, with the performer and his six-string at the recording controls adding occasional touches of bass, keys, harmonica, homemade hand percussion and early drum machine loops to the 16 concise guitar improvisations.
Originally released on cassette in 1992, Thunderbird is the very first collection of guitar-based instrumental music by the Wisconsin-based composer-producer. Recorded with then-brand new consumer four-track cassette technology, the sound is an early example of the "lo-fi" DIY music aesthetic, with the performer and his six-string at the recording controls adding occasional touches of bass, keys, harmonica, homemade hand percussion and early drum machine loops to the 16 concise guitar improvisations.
The Sons of Distortion Go Digital
NINE VOLT MEDIA (12.21.2022) – Songwriter Mike Starling kicked off the new millennium with a smokin' new band project called THE SONS OF DISTORTION. The resulting CD has long been out of print. Now, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its release, the recording has been restored and streamlined for digital release exclusively on Bandcamp.
The recording paired him up once again with guitarist Casey Virock. Before starting the Minneapolis-based band Porcupine, Virock played in a number of groups with Starling including Buzz Butler and Bean Hoy.
Another Minneapolis connection on the project was producer Mike von Muchow, who played bass and produced the sessions at his Actual Sound Studio in La Crosse, Wis. Kevin Skrenes filled out the sound on drums.
From the contagious opening hook of the funky rocker "Fits Right In" to the final flurry of feedback on the tongue-in-cheek anthem "Last Generation of Rock & Roll," the Sons of Distortion pumped out a potent blast of high-octane post-modern garage rock that still sounds fresh and vital 20 years later.
"Definitely one of my hardest rocking records," Starling says, "and there's a lot of cool ear candy in there too."
The recording paired him up once again with guitarist Casey Virock. Before starting the Minneapolis-based band Porcupine, Virock played in a number of groups with Starling including Buzz Butler and Bean Hoy.
Another Minneapolis connection on the project was producer Mike von Muchow, who played bass and produced the sessions at his Actual Sound Studio in La Crosse, Wis. Kevin Skrenes filled out the sound on drums.
From the contagious opening hook of the funky rocker "Fits Right In" to the final flurry of feedback on the tongue-in-cheek anthem "Last Generation of Rock & Roll," the Sons of Distortion pumped out a potent blast of high-octane post-modern garage rock that still sounds fresh and vital 20 years later.
"Definitely one of my hardest rocking records," Starling says, "and there's a lot of cool ear candy in there too."
A Supersonic Head Trip Through the 20th Century
NINE VOLT MEDIA (11.22.2022) – Three decades after its original release, THE NOISE MUSEUM remains a unique and intriguing entry in the recorded works of Wisconsin musician Mike Starling.
Working in a tiny basement studio with one of the first consumer 4-track cassette recorders, he created a mind-bending 30-minute sonic collage fusing found sound with original music.
The sound bites are culled from everything from vintage radio shows to historic speeches, news reports and selections from interviews Starling conducted during his days as a newspaper reporter.
Originally released in a limited cassette run in 1993, this long-form electronic psycho dub mashup has been out of print for decades. Now, to commemorate the project's 30th anniversary, the original Noise Museum analog stereo mix has been restored and optimized for digital re-release. It is available exclusively on Bandcamp.
Working in a tiny basement studio with one of the first consumer 4-track cassette recorders, he created a mind-bending 30-minute sonic collage fusing found sound with original music.
The sound bites are culled from everything from vintage radio shows to historic speeches, news reports and selections from interviews Starling conducted during his days as a newspaper reporter.
Originally released in a limited cassette run in 1993, this long-form electronic psycho dub mashup has been out of print for decades. Now, to commemorate the project's 30th anniversary, the original Noise Museum analog stereo mix has been restored and optimized for digital re-release. It is available exclusively on Bandcamp.
The City at Night... Remixed
NINE VOLT MEDIA (2.2.2022) – New alternate versions of the music from the THE CITY AT NIGHT film by Mike Starling were released today. Along with the original soundtrack, which blended spoken word and electric guitar, today’s release features two new music-only remixes available online for the first time. All three tracks can now be streamed and downloaded exclusively on Bandcamp.
The original film was produced in conjunction with the "Shifting Focus" group art exhibit featuring the photographic work of Mike Starling, Terry Nirva and Carol Erickson. Starling's contribution was nighttime urban landscapes.
The original film was produced in conjunction with the "Shifting Focus" group art exhibit featuring the photographic work of Mike Starling, Terry Nirva and Carol Erickson. Starling's contribution was nighttime urban landscapes.
'Quiescence' Emerges from the Vault
MOMENTOUS RECORDS (9.9.2021) – The first track from the production team Starling-Huus (aka Momentous Records artists Brett Huus and Mike Starling) dropped today. Titled QUIESCENCE, the 7-minute instrumental is an improvised, free-form jam recorded in one take, totally unplanned and off the cuff. No overdubs, no punch-ins, no post-production trickery. Just a bass, a piano, a loop... and the energy the musicians were feeding off of in that moment.
"This track is all about the restorative power of nature, music and friendship," Starling says. The release is dedicated to the memory of their friend Gene Purcell (1960-2021). Stream and download the track exclusively at Bandcamp.
"This track is all about the restorative power of nature, music and friendship," Starling says. The release is dedicated to the memory of their friend Gene Purcell (1960-2021). Stream and download the track exclusively at Bandcamp.
'I Remember Travel': A Multimedia Project for Our Times
NINE VOLT MEDIA (1.1.2021) – As a reflection of the times, Mike Starling has launched a new project called I REMEMBER TRAVEL. "I'm looking at this as a vIrtual, web-based platform to share stories, photos and music inspired by my pre-pandemic travels, with some occasional thoughts on where we go from here," says the La Crosse, Wisconsin-based writer, artist and musician.
You can read the latest posts at starlingarchive.weebly.com/journeys.
You can read the latest posts at starlingarchive.weebly.com/journeys.
Local Musician Inspired to Preserve Marshlands
WXOW-TV (8.17.2020) – Not too far from the hustle and bustle of downtown La Crosse, people can find a natural getaway at Myrick Park.
Marsh trails surround Myrick Park, and one local musician, Mike Starling, decided to make a free/downloadable album to help preserve the natural beauty of the marshlands.
The purpose of the album is to encourage people to donate to Friends Of The La Crosse River Marsh, a nonprofit that helps maintain the marshlands.
The album is titled "Backwaters" and produced by Momentous Records and Nine Volt Media. There are music videos to some of the songs on the album. The song "The Floating World," features images of the marshlands shot by John Sullivan, a local photographer.
"As a writer and musician in the Driftless-Region, the area has been a big inspiration for me," Starling said. "We live in a lovely place in the country. I can't help but let the beauty of the marshlands get into the music I produce."
The Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh is a nonprofit that helps maintain the surrounding marshlands in La Crosse.
Chuck Lee, the president of the nonprofit, said he has received nothing but positive feedback about the album and was very happy that Starling decided to dedicate an album to helping nature.
"I've received lots and lots of emails just this past week from people who have listened to the album who love it, and that is a plus for us," said Lee.
You can listen and download the album here and donate to help the marshlands here.
Story by Lindsay Ford, WXOW multi-media reporter. As of 2022, the original newscast video was no longer available on the WXOW website.
Marsh trails surround Myrick Park, and one local musician, Mike Starling, decided to make a free/downloadable album to help preserve the natural beauty of the marshlands.
The purpose of the album is to encourage people to donate to Friends Of The La Crosse River Marsh, a nonprofit that helps maintain the marshlands.
The album is titled "Backwaters" and produced by Momentous Records and Nine Volt Media. There are music videos to some of the songs on the album. The song "The Floating World," features images of the marshlands shot by John Sullivan, a local photographer.
"As a writer and musician in the Driftless-Region, the area has been a big inspiration for me," Starling said. "We live in a lovely place in the country. I can't help but let the beauty of the marshlands get into the music I produce."
The Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh is a nonprofit that helps maintain the surrounding marshlands in La Crosse.
Chuck Lee, the president of the nonprofit, said he has received nothing but positive feedback about the album and was very happy that Starling decided to dedicate an album to helping nature.
"I've received lots and lots of emails just this past week from people who have listened to the album who love it, and that is a plus for us," said Lee.
You can listen and download the album here and donate to help the marshlands here.
Story by Lindsay Ford, WXOW multi-media reporter. As of 2022, the original newscast video was no longer available on the WXOW website.
Review: Starling’s Latest Gives Life to the Beauty of the La Crosse Area Through Collaboration of Music and Photography
LA CROSSE LOCAL (11.20.20) – Backwaters, Mike Starling’s newest album, is an expressive and unique work, capturing the essence of a place you wouldn’t recognize unless you’ve been there yourself. Starling’s guitar-based record speaks of the natural marshes and wildlife of the Driftless Region without uttering a single word. The result is an instrumental album that flits around the range of sounds from acoustic and electric guitars, combined with a specific vision of the landscapes that define the region.
Starling’s music alone can be visual, and in collaboration with Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh photographers John F. Sullivan and Roger Averbeck, the tracks come alive in the telling images of the marshes. The collaboration is based on an effort to raise funds and awareness for La Crosse’s natural resources, and it does so through the combination of sound and image that recalls a relatable memory of experiencing the outdoors. You can download the tracks free for a limited time, though the artists do ask those who are able to consider donating to preserve the local wetlands of the La Crosse area.
Reviewed by Maeve Miller, La Crosse Local staff writer
Starling’s music alone can be visual, and in collaboration with Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh photographers John F. Sullivan and Roger Averbeck, the tracks come alive in the telling images of the marshes. The collaboration is based on an effort to raise funds and awareness for La Crosse’s natural resources, and it does so through the combination of sound and image that recalls a relatable memory of experiencing the outdoors. You can download the tracks free for a limited time, though the artists do ask those who are able to consider donating to preserve the local wetlands of the La Crosse area.
Reviewed by Maeve Miller, La Crosse Local staff writer
New Album Raising Money for Wetland Preservation
LA CROSSE TRIBUNE (8.9.2020) – A local record label is helping raise funds and awareness for La Crosse’s natural resources.
Momentous Records is teaming up with Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh on the release of "Backwaters," the new instrumental music album by Mike Starling. The label is making the music available free to download for a limited time. In return, the group requests a donation to the Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh to help preserve local wetlands.
Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh will also be an integral part in the visual side of Starling’s new release. Marsh photography by John F. Sullivan and Roger Averbeck will be featured in the videos being produced for the album.
“John and Roger have spent many years capturing the beauty of the marsh and its wildlife, and we’re stoked to showcase some of their finest photography with my music,” Starling says. “It’s a natural tie-in since these new recordings were inspired by living here along the Upper Mississippi and our other local waterways. The La Crosse River Marsh is one of my favorite places to escape — I’ve spent a lot of time hiking and biking on the trails there.”
“Music created by local artists has a way of capturing the essence of our places, spiriting us back to the landscapes that define us,” says Chuck Lee, president of Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the marsh through action, advocacy and education. “This is why Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh is honored that Mike Starling and Momentous Records wanted to partner with us on the release of their new album.”
Starling is familiar to music fans in the Driftless Region. As a writer for the La Crosse Tribune, he covered the music and arts beat for many years, and produced and co-hosted the “From the Middle Border” show on Wisconsin Public Radio.
He also played in a number of original music groups including Buzz Butler, Bean Hoy, Betty Brain and the Joe Price blues band.
Learn more and make donations at friendsofthelacrosserivermarsh.com/backwaters.
Stream and download the album at mikestarling.bandcamp.com.
Momentous Records is teaming up with Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh on the release of "Backwaters," the new instrumental music album by Mike Starling. The label is making the music available free to download for a limited time. In return, the group requests a donation to the Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh to help preserve local wetlands.
Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh will also be an integral part in the visual side of Starling’s new release. Marsh photography by John F. Sullivan and Roger Averbeck will be featured in the videos being produced for the album.
“John and Roger have spent many years capturing the beauty of the marsh and its wildlife, and we’re stoked to showcase some of their finest photography with my music,” Starling says. “It’s a natural tie-in since these new recordings were inspired by living here along the Upper Mississippi and our other local waterways. The La Crosse River Marsh is one of my favorite places to escape — I’ve spent a lot of time hiking and biking on the trails there.”
“Music created by local artists has a way of capturing the essence of our places, spiriting us back to the landscapes that define us,” says Chuck Lee, president of Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the marsh through action, advocacy and education. “This is why Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh is honored that Mike Starling and Momentous Records wanted to partner with us on the release of their new album.”
Starling is familiar to music fans in the Driftless Region. As a writer for the La Crosse Tribune, he covered the music and arts beat for many years, and produced and co-hosted the “From the Middle Border” show on Wisconsin Public Radio.
He also played in a number of original music groups including Buzz Butler, Bean Hoy, Betty Brain and the Joe Price blues band.
Learn more and make donations at friendsofthelacrosserivermarsh.com/backwaters.
Stream and download the album at mikestarling.bandcamp.com.
It's a Big Dumb World: The 25th Anniversary Collection
MOMENTOUS RECORDS (3.8.2019) – Guitar-slingin' journalist Mike Starling started the Bean Hoy band project as an outlet for his wry, topical tunes about subjects like road construction, farmer tans and the joys of beater cars and Wisconsin winters. To celebrate the release of the band's Lammie Award-winning debut album, Momentous Records teamed up with Nine Volt Media on a new 25th anniversary video and best-of collection.
The 12-song album, It's a Big Dumb World: A 25th Anniversary Collection, is available for streaming and downloading exclusively at Bandcamp. Numerous top-notch musicians from across the state back up Starling on the recordings, including Casey Virock, Jim Vogt, Hans Mayer, David Purcell, Bob Mueller, Mark Lakmann, Jared Drake, Tom Plutshack, Jason Knox and many more.
The 12-song album, It's a Big Dumb World: A 25th Anniversary Collection, is available for streaming and downloading exclusively at Bandcamp. Numerous top-notch musicians from across the state back up Starling on the recordings, including Casey Virock, Jim Vogt, Hans Mayer, David Purcell, Bob Mueller, Mark Lakmann, Jared Drake, Tom Plutshack, Jason Knox and many more.
'Orange': New Music Video from The Spirals
NINE VOLT MEDIA (7.5.2014) – The new music video by the Spirals debuted today on YouTube. Produced by Mark Truesdell and Candice Nokes of the Spirals for their latest song ORANGE, it's a fun and fast-moving visual collage shot in various locales in the US and Italy, including an in-store performance by band members at Wade's Guitar Shop in Milwaukee. Contributing videographers include Mike Starling, Dean Johnson and Rob Gerbasi. The music was recorded by Ron Baake at SubT Studio, Waterford, Wisconsin. Nokes sings and plays acoustic guitar, and Truesdell sings and plays electric guitar, harmonica and Rhodes piano. They're backed by the rhythm section of Carl Raven on drums and Mike Starling on acoustic bass.
Doorway to Amsterdam
ELECTRIC DAYBOOK (2.27.2010) – The absolute best way to imagine Amsterdam is through Mike Starling’s fine art photos… historic architecture, cafes, canals, bicycles, intelligent graffiti, inviting storefronts, and people in a relaxed state of mind. Live Without Dead Time is an exquisite collection of perfectly captured colorful scenes — some are glimpses of another life, some are spontaneous, some reflect a documentarian — all are artistically framed to capture the best of Amsterdam. This book is for the imagination, since the images explode with possibilities and spawn creative thought. As a doorway to a city, Live Without Dead Time is well worth the cover charge.
Review by Jeff Winke, Electric Daybook editor
Review by Jeff Winke, Electric Daybook editor
Beloit native's music receives recognition
BELOIT DAILY NEWS (10.27.2007) – From an early age, Beloit native Mike Starling knew he had a gift for music.
Now an accomplished musician whose work has taken him through 49 states and four continents, Starling's musical foundation was first forged in Beloit and he hasn't forgotten that.
“I remember making my first recording. I was 12 years old and had gotten this little Panasonic tape recorder. Me and my two sisters made a little impromptu recording, with one sister playing the piano, one on the guitar and me using a copper pot,” Starling recalled. “We called it 'Made in Japan.' I've always liked doing it ever since then.”
More than 40 years have passed since he first began drumming his fingers on his parents' kitchen table and banging pots and pans, and Starling's more recent recordings have now been heard in programs popping up on cable networks from MTV to A&E and the Discovery Channel.
Music hasn't always been his No. 1 passion. Before he went off to college where he earned his bachelor's degree in mass communications at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, and immersed himself more completely in music, Starling recalls being a sports fanatic.
“Sports was the big thing growing up. I lived over by Summit Playground on the East Side and I spent a lot of time there shooting hoops,” he recalled.
He eventually went on to become part of the basketball and swim teams at Beloit Memorial High School, where he graduated in 1977.
“When we (the swim team) won state for the first time, they picked us up on a fire truck and we all got a day off of school, so we were heroes for a day,” he added with a grin.
Growing up listening to tunes on WLS, a Chicago radio station on a transistor radio, Starling expanded on his interest in college, getting involved in broadcast radio.
He eventually began playing in bands with regular gigs in areas including La Crosse, Madison, Minneapolis and Milwaukee – experimenting with genres including rock, reggae, jazz and blues –and composing music and lyrics, while simultaneously working as a photographer and writer. Since then, he has always kept busy with some sort of musical endeavor.
His instrumental composition "Funkee Monkee" was recently selected for use in a special to be aired on the Biography Channel. It's one of several of his recordings used on soundtracks that feature the distinct sound of the didgeridoo – an instrument crafted and mastered by aborigines in Australia that Starling fell in love with during his travels – mixed in with the sounds of guitar, bass and percussion from his extensive collection of instruments.
“I love the sound of it – it's just very primal,” he said of the traditional wind instrument made from a long, hollowed-out eucalyptus tube. “I kind of knew then that I needed to buy one, learn how to play it and put it in my music.”
For Starling, who also currently works as a photographer and editor for a Milwaukee-based publishing company, attention for his music was never anything he actively sought. But the satisfaction of knowing other people can enjoy his creations is extremely rewarding.
“You start off with nothing and start producing, and just to hear the finished product is the most rewarding part,” he said. “Many people who do this sort of don't have a choice – they feel compelled to do all this stuff, so it's nice when other people want to hear it, too.”
Despite his success, Starling remains grounded, something he also attributes to his Beloit upbringing – he comes from a working class family and his parents, Bill and Betty Starling, both worked at McNeany's department store. He maintains a Beloit connection through his father, who still resides here.
“I come back every few weeks to see my dad. We always go to Domenico's. That's our ritual, we've been going there for years,” said Starling, who has lived in Milwaukee for about seven years.
His father is equally proud of his accomplishments.
“It's really nice to see him get some recognition for what he's doing, because he really does enjoy it. It is a good feeling to see that what he does, somebody else does appreciate it,” Bill Starling said.
Mike Starling hopes that will continue for years to come.
“It doesn't seem like there's ever enough time to do all the things I want to do. I feel like this is something I could still be doing when I'm 80,” he said.
To listen to or learn more about Starling's music, visit mikestarling.com.
Story by Julie Becker, Beloit Daily News staff writer. The article has been edited to include current links and information.
Now an accomplished musician whose work has taken him through 49 states and four continents, Starling's musical foundation was first forged in Beloit and he hasn't forgotten that.
“I remember making my first recording. I was 12 years old and had gotten this little Panasonic tape recorder. Me and my two sisters made a little impromptu recording, with one sister playing the piano, one on the guitar and me using a copper pot,” Starling recalled. “We called it 'Made in Japan.' I've always liked doing it ever since then.”
More than 40 years have passed since he first began drumming his fingers on his parents' kitchen table and banging pots and pans, and Starling's more recent recordings have now been heard in programs popping up on cable networks from MTV to A&E and the Discovery Channel.
Music hasn't always been his No. 1 passion. Before he went off to college where he earned his bachelor's degree in mass communications at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, and immersed himself more completely in music, Starling recalls being a sports fanatic.
“Sports was the big thing growing up. I lived over by Summit Playground on the East Side and I spent a lot of time there shooting hoops,” he recalled.
He eventually went on to become part of the basketball and swim teams at Beloit Memorial High School, where he graduated in 1977.
“When we (the swim team) won state for the first time, they picked us up on a fire truck and we all got a day off of school, so we were heroes for a day,” he added with a grin.
Growing up listening to tunes on WLS, a Chicago radio station on a transistor radio, Starling expanded on his interest in college, getting involved in broadcast radio.
He eventually began playing in bands with regular gigs in areas including La Crosse, Madison, Minneapolis and Milwaukee – experimenting with genres including rock, reggae, jazz and blues –and composing music and lyrics, while simultaneously working as a photographer and writer. Since then, he has always kept busy with some sort of musical endeavor.
His instrumental composition "Funkee Monkee" was recently selected for use in a special to be aired on the Biography Channel. It's one of several of his recordings used on soundtracks that feature the distinct sound of the didgeridoo – an instrument crafted and mastered by aborigines in Australia that Starling fell in love with during his travels – mixed in with the sounds of guitar, bass and percussion from his extensive collection of instruments.
“I love the sound of it – it's just very primal,” he said of the traditional wind instrument made from a long, hollowed-out eucalyptus tube. “I kind of knew then that I needed to buy one, learn how to play it and put it in my music.”
For Starling, who also currently works as a photographer and editor for a Milwaukee-based publishing company, attention for his music was never anything he actively sought. But the satisfaction of knowing other people can enjoy his creations is extremely rewarding.
“You start off with nothing and start producing, and just to hear the finished product is the most rewarding part,” he said. “Many people who do this sort of don't have a choice – they feel compelled to do all this stuff, so it's nice when other people want to hear it, too.”
Despite his success, Starling remains grounded, something he also attributes to his Beloit upbringing – he comes from a working class family and his parents, Bill and Betty Starling, both worked at McNeany's department store. He maintains a Beloit connection through his father, who still resides here.
“I come back every few weeks to see my dad. We always go to Domenico's. That's our ritual, we've been going there for years,” said Starling, who has lived in Milwaukee for about seven years.
His father is equally proud of his accomplishments.
“It's really nice to see him get some recognition for what he's doing, because he really does enjoy it. It is a good feeling to see that what he does, somebody else does appreciate it,” Bill Starling said.
Mike Starling hopes that will continue for years to come.
“It doesn't seem like there's ever enough time to do all the things I want to do. I feel like this is something I could still be doing when I'm 80,” he said.
To listen to or learn more about Starling's music, visit mikestarling.com.
Story by Julie Becker, Beloit Daily News staff writer. The article has been edited to include current links and information.
Embrace the Orange Barrel: Why 'Road Construction' Should Be the Official State Tourism Song
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL (2005) – Mike Starling felt kind of bad for state tourism officials this week. After all, they’d paid $22,000 for a song, “Wisconsin – Life’s So Good,” as part of the new $2.2 million campaign promoting the state, only to learn that it sounds suspiciously like a 1995 song song by a British group, Supergrass.
The faux pas got lots of publicity for Wisconsin – it made the international news wires, and tourism officials were teased by people from as far away as China. Yes, the phones were ringing off the hook at Tourism last week, but unfortunately, the callers were nasty reporters, not nice tourists hoping to book a feel-good week in Wisconsin Dells. Even worse, the state had paid for a tune that probably can’t be used.
So Milwaukee songwriter Starling, a giving kind of guy, sent Tourism Secretary Jim Holperin an offer. The state can have his ready-to-go original Wisconsin song for the bargain price of just $10,000. It’s called "Road Construction" and contains such catchy lyrics as:
The faux pas got lots of publicity for Wisconsin – it made the international news wires, and tourism officials were teased by people from as far away as China. Yes, the phones were ringing off the hook at Tourism last week, but unfortunately, the callers were nasty reporters, not nice tourists hoping to book a feel-good week in Wisconsin Dells. Even worse, the state had paid for a tune that probably can’t be used.
So Milwaukee songwriter Starling, a giving kind of guy, sent Tourism Secretary Jim Holperin an offer. The state can have his ready-to-go original Wisconsin song for the bargain price of just $10,000. It’s called "Road Construction" and contains such catchy lyrics as:
We got four seasons
Here in the Midwest
There’s winter, there’s spring
There’s fall and there is
Road construction
“It’s definitely a topic everyone in the state can relate to,” said Starling. “I wrote it back when I lived on West Avenue in La Crosse, and got woke up one morning by jackhammers.”
Starling says Holperin sent back a nice, thanks-but-no-thanks e-mail.
I think he should reconsider. Coming up with the world’s most totally honest tourism song would be a great way to recover from the stolen-song mess.
They could tailor the “Road Construction” campaign to Wisconsin’s different regions and tourism events.
If you were stuck in traffic trying to get to Oktoberfest in La Crosse, you could turn to tourism radio and get “The Orange Barrel Polka.” (“Roll out the barrels, getting to the beer will be a barrel of fun.”) If you were in Milwaukee and could see Summerfest, but couldn’t get there due to construction in the massive Marquette Interchange, your tourism radio would soothe you with that childhood favorite, “On top of Spaghetti Bowl, I’m turning to cheese. I must find a rest room, I hope I don’t sneeze. . .”
And for all those tourists stuck in Interstate 90-94-39 traffic while trying to get up north on a Friday night or back home on Sunday, there’s a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival that’s so perfect you don’t even need to change the lyrics. It begins:
Starling says Holperin sent back a nice, thanks-but-no-thanks e-mail.
I think he should reconsider. Coming up with the world’s most totally honest tourism song would be a great way to recover from the stolen-song mess.
They could tailor the “Road Construction” campaign to Wisconsin’s different regions and tourism events.
If you were stuck in traffic trying to get to Oktoberfest in La Crosse, you could turn to tourism radio and get “The Orange Barrel Polka.” (“Roll out the barrels, getting to the beer will be a barrel of fun.”) If you were in Milwaukee and could see Summerfest, but couldn’t get there due to construction in the massive Marquette Interchange, your tourism radio would soothe you with that childhood favorite, “On top of Spaghetti Bowl, I’m turning to cheese. I must find a rest room, I hope I don’t sneeze. . .”
And for all those tourists stuck in Interstate 90-94-39 traffic while trying to get up north on a Friday night or back home on Sunday, there’s a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival that’s so perfect you don’t even need to change the lyrics. It begins:
Just about a year ago, I set out on the road
Seekin’ my fame and fortune lookin’ for a pot of gold
Things got bad, and things got worse
I guess you know the tune
Oh, Lord, stuck in Lodi again
I can hear you humming along from here.
Story by Susan Lampert Smith, Wisconsin State Journal columnist
Story by Susan Lampert Smith, Wisconsin State Journal columnist
New flick features local folks and footage
ONMILWAUKEE.COM (8.21.2003) – Mike Starling has never met Ryan Walter. Sure, they've corresponded pretty regularly, but chances are they won't shake hands for the first time until August 21, when the film "Coffee Refills are Free" – into which they both put some measure of work – debuts at the Rosebud Cinema in Wauwatosa.
"Last year I got an e-mail from Ryan -- I'm guessing that he found my music on a Web site," says Starling, who served as one of many area artists on the soundtrack for the Milwaukee-based movie written and directed by Walter.
"He just sent an e-mail telling me a little about his project, asking me if I'd like to submit some music. I sent him a couple CDs, and a few months later he told me he chose three of my songs to be on there."
The unconventional collaboration seems to fit the style of Walter, who developed the comedic film about three Milwaukee men coming of age as a "summer project" during time away from his job as a high school psychology and history teacher.
"It came about over the course of a couple years," the 26-year-old Walter says of his film. "I would sit down with different people and I found myself acting in many ways like a reporter, writing down a lot of the interesting things people say in regular conversation ... the absurd things that happen in everyday life.
"I had notebooks filled with material like that, some of it in the film comes word for word out of the mouths of people who said it."
Focusing on three characters portrayed by Milwaukeeans Lucas Wall, John Lewandowski and Brian Hubert and chronicling their interaction as they seek the strength to leave the sometimes-humiliating past behind and carve their own path, the flick features numerous familiar city landmarks. Local moviegoers will recognize Rock Bottom Brewery, The Comedy Café, The Astor Hotel, Howard's Pub and Grill in Mequon, South Shore Park, lakefront scenes of the Milwaukee skyline and Gyros Center West in Waukesha, which serves as a local coffee shop in which the majority of action takes place.
"They talk about some things that only Milwaukee people will know about like Summerfest," says Walter, who indicates the movie would probably most appeal to viewers of college age or a little older familiar with the city. "There are some bars that people will know, a lot of the sites and sounds are Milwaukee-related."
Some of those sounds are included on a soundtrack that offers 30 songs, mostly from area musicians such as Starling. After placing an advertisement for music submissions in a local paper, as well as personally seeking out some individuals, Walter had a wealth of material from which to choose.
"The use of the Internet for independent musicians like myself has been a great thing for us ... this kind of thing wouldn't have happened five years ago," Starling says. "Just because our music is available on the Internet, I've gotten CD sales all over the country and Canada, radio requests as far away as Russia and Brazil. This is a really exciting time for musicians.
"I'm just hoping it sounds good and helps put the point across that [Walter] is trying to communicate," Starling says. "I'm just really looking forward to see how he's using the music and to hear the other bands that he's chosen in the movie."
Starling will have his chance at the film's premiere Thursday at 7 p.m., likely getting a waiver on the $3 admission fee. Walter says he's looking forward to the reaction people have to his creation, a 105-minute effort that involved countless hours of his own personal time.
"The editorial process was the most difficult thing," he says. "We did all the filming over two and a half weeks, but putting the whole thing together was very hard ... it's a very solitary process. I had to sort through about 40 hours of footage for a movie that's about an hour and 45 minutes. It's like basically finding a needle in a haystack.
"What's really nice in the modern era, though, is that this is all within reach for someone like me. If you have an Apple and a camera and a dream you can make a movie ... people are accepting of films that aren't very traditional."
One of the films Walter points to was the zombie-horror movie "28 Days Later," which has already exceeded $40 million in American box office revenue alone with a filming budget of just $8 million. He also mentions "The Blair Witch Project," a low-budget 1999 release that grossed over $140 million and changed the way moviegoers looked at small independent films.
"Refills" is a far cry from a horror flick, evident upon noticing that Walter's production company, lightheartedly named Cheeseheads In Exile Productions, produced the film. Now a New Jersey resident, Walter named his company to reflect his Wisconsin roots in Greenfield.
"That title refers to me being a terminal Cheesehead," Walter says. "It's like a disease with me. Even if I have to go to a bar 15 miles away, I never miss a Packers game, and I always try to get back to Summerfest in the summer."
Walter is equally as optimistic as fervent Wisconsinite.
"With what I've already done in my mind, the movie's a success," he said. "People who have seen it have enjoyed it and have seen something of themselves in it. Hopefully there's going to be a lot of people at the premier, and I hope they laugh. After that, I'm going to kind of send it out to the film festival world and that's basically going to be my little hobby ... stuffing envelopes and sending it out."
First, there's the local premiere, and naturally, the chance to meet some of the people that helped make his "little hobby" a big deal.
"Coffee Refills are Free" will premiere Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Rosebud Cinema, 6823 W. North Ave. at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3. For more information, call (414) 607-9672.
Story by JD Radcliffe.
"Last year I got an e-mail from Ryan -- I'm guessing that he found my music on a Web site," says Starling, who served as one of many area artists on the soundtrack for the Milwaukee-based movie written and directed by Walter.
"He just sent an e-mail telling me a little about his project, asking me if I'd like to submit some music. I sent him a couple CDs, and a few months later he told me he chose three of my songs to be on there."
The unconventional collaboration seems to fit the style of Walter, who developed the comedic film about three Milwaukee men coming of age as a "summer project" during time away from his job as a high school psychology and history teacher.
"It came about over the course of a couple years," the 26-year-old Walter says of his film. "I would sit down with different people and I found myself acting in many ways like a reporter, writing down a lot of the interesting things people say in regular conversation ... the absurd things that happen in everyday life.
"I had notebooks filled with material like that, some of it in the film comes word for word out of the mouths of people who said it."
Focusing on three characters portrayed by Milwaukeeans Lucas Wall, John Lewandowski and Brian Hubert and chronicling their interaction as they seek the strength to leave the sometimes-humiliating past behind and carve their own path, the flick features numerous familiar city landmarks. Local moviegoers will recognize Rock Bottom Brewery, The Comedy Café, The Astor Hotel, Howard's Pub and Grill in Mequon, South Shore Park, lakefront scenes of the Milwaukee skyline and Gyros Center West in Waukesha, which serves as a local coffee shop in which the majority of action takes place.
"They talk about some things that only Milwaukee people will know about like Summerfest," says Walter, who indicates the movie would probably most appeal to viewers of college age or a little older familiar with the city. "There are some bars that people will know, a lot of the sites and sounds are Milwaukee-related."
Some of those sounds are included on a soundtrack that offers 30 songs, mostly from area musicians such as Starling. After placing an advertisement for music submissions in a local paper, as well as personally seeking out some individuals, Walter had a wealth of material from which to choose.
"The use of the Internet for independent musicians like myself has been a great thing for us ... this kind of thing wouldn't have happened five years ago," Starling says. "Just because our music is available on the Internet, I've gotten CD sales all over the country and Canada, radio requests as far away as Russia and Brazil. This is a really exciting time for musicians.
"I'm just hoping it sounds good and helps put the point across that [Walter] is trying to communicate," Starling says. "I'm just really looking forward to see how he's using the music and to hear the other bands that he's chosen in the movie."
Starling will have his chance at the film's premiere Thursday at 7 p.m., likely getting a waiver on the $3 admission fee. Walter says he's looking forward to the reaction people have to his creation, a 105-minute effort that involved countless hours of his own personal time.
"The editorial process was the most difficult thing," he says. "We did all the filming over two and a half weeks, but putting the whole thing together was very hard ... it's a very solitary process. I had to sort through about 40 hours of footage for a movie that's about an hour and 45 minutes. It's like basically finding a needle in a haystack.
"What's really nice in the modern era, though, is that this is all within reach for someone like me. If you have an Apple and a camera and a dream you can make a movie ... people are accepting of films that aren't very traditional."
One of the films Walter points to was the zombie-horror movie "28 Days Later," which has already exceeded $40 million in American box office revenue alone with a filming budget of just $8 million. He also mentions "The Blair Witch Project," a low-budget 1999 release that grossed over $140 million and changed the way moviegoers looked at small independent films.
"Refills" is a far cry from a horror flick, evident upon noticing that Walter's production company, lightheartedly named Cheeseheads In Exile Productions, produced the film. Now a New Jersey resident, Walter named his company to reflect his Wisconsin roots in Greenfield.
"That title refers to me being a terminal Cheesehead," Walter says. "It's like a disease with me. Even if I have to go to a bar 15 miles away, I never miss a Packers game, and I always try to get back to Summerfest in the summer."
Walter is equally as optimistic as fervent Wisconsinite.
"With what I've already done in my mind, the movie's a success," he said. "People who have seen it have enjoyed it and have seen something of themselves in it. Hopefully there's going to be a lot of people at the premier, and I hope they laugh. After that, I'm going to kind of send it out to the film festival world and that's basically going to be my little hobby ... stuffing envelopes and sending it out."
First, there's the local premiere, and naturally, the chance to meet some of the people that helped make his "little hobby" a big deal.
"Coffee Refills are Free" will premiere Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Rosebud Cinema, 6823 W. North Ave. at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3. For more information, call (414) 607-9672.
Story by JD Radcliffe.
'Livin' in the Milky Way': A Topical and Playful Pop Culture Sendup
LAX MAGAZINE (1993) – On Bean Hoy's first release, 1992's Thunderbird, Mike Starling (the singer, songwriter and focus of the group) explored rustic little acoustic instrumentals on what was essentially a solo project. This time out, Bean Hoy is a real red-blooded band that helps flesh out Starling's lyrical and topical songs.
And the emphasis is on topical. The songs are a laundry list of local and national maladies, often depicted with a dark twist of humor. And, as often as not, the music is as playful as the words. Bean Hoy here sounds like some jug band with a yen for old punk-folk (think Violent Femmes or Texas' Brave Combo), and with the help of the likes of guitarist Casey Virock of Dream 13 and percussionist Jim Vogt, the band has energy to spare.
It's the eclectic nature of Livin' in the Milky Way I like the most. It keeps the music colorful enough to save the most tongue-in-cheek material from being pure novelty and can at times transform the more downbeat stuff into something memorable and sublime. Reeds, vibes and horns (Gretchen Starling plays tuba on several cuts) are abundantly mixed throughout.
Starling himself talks-sings clever lyrics about everything from fake lives to Heileman's to road construction ("We've got four seasons here in the Midwest/There's spring, there's winter, there's fall and there is road construction...")
All in all, MiIky Way is a reflection of inane pop culture, where one no longer condemns the plastic world around us but instead videotapes it for later when there's nothing else on.
Story by Ted Johnson, a La Crosse-based musician and writer who was the local music critic for LAX Magazine
And the emphasis is on topical. The songs are a laundry list of local and national maladies, often depicted with a dark twist of humor. And, as often as not, the music is as playful as the words. Bean Hoy here sounds like some jug band with a yen for old punk-folk (think Violent Femmes or Texas' Brave Combo), and with the help of the likes of guitarist Casey Virock of Dream 13 and percussionist Jim Vogt, the band has energy to spare.
It's the eclectic nature of Livin' in the Milky Way I like the most. It keeps the music colorful enough to save the most tongue-in-cheek material from being pure novelty and can at times transform the more downbeat stuff into something memorable and sublime. Reeds, vibes and horns (Gretchen Starling plays tuba on several cuts) are abundantly mixed throughout.
Starling himself talks-sings clever lyrics about everything from fake lives to Heileman's to road construction ("We've got four seasons here in the Midwest/There's spring, there's winter, there's fall and there is road construction...")
All in all, MiIky Way is a reflection of inane pop culture, where one no longer condemns the plastic world around us but instead videotapes it for later when there's nothing else on.
Story by Ted Johnson, a La Crosse-based musician and writer who was the local music critic for LAX Magazine
Mike Starling's original music is heard on numerous recordings and soundtracks, and his stories and photos have been featured in books, films, mags and other media.
This is the news page on the official website of the writer, artist and musician Mike Starling. Dobro, Didges, Drum photo by Starling. Starling on bass photo by L. Hinzman. Website developed and managed by Nine Volt Media. ©MMXX-MMXXIII. All rights reserved.
