Best Of Lake Effect

Wednesday on Lake Effect:

It's our all music show. This has become an annual tradition on Lake Effect: we dedicate the whole show to showing off the range of musicians who graced our studio over the past year. The musical acts that come through our doors to perform for us every year is astonishing. Whether it’s folk, classical, indie rock, world music, or something not easily classifiable, there’s something here for just about everyone.

Merriam Webster defines ethics as “a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values” and “the principles of conduct that govern an individual or a group.”

The Lake Effect team brought the pub back to public radio with the latest Lake Effect On-Site in Milwaukee's Brewery District, to explore the history of the area and the beverage that made Milwaukee famous.

The Brewery District has undergone a lot of changes over the last century. At one time, the complex was the center of operations for the Pabst Brewery, which was first founded in Milwaukee in 1844. The brewery has not only had a huge impact on Wisconsin, it's also a cornerstone of the nation's beer history.

Since the mid-1990s, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been engulfed by civil war. The UN estimates that more than 6 million people have been killed in the conflict, and more than half a million have fled the country as refugees.

Edumakono Zetho was among them.

Although Mandy Patinkin may be best known for his role as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, the performer’s life has been characterized less by vengeance and far more by his humanitarianism. In addition to his career on Broadway, in Hollywood, and on television, Patinkin has dedicated time to working with refugees and underprivileged Americans — including kids in his hometown, Chicago.

Broadway star and Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin may live and work in New York City now, but she grew up in Milwaukee. A graduate of Shorewood High School, it was there where Baldwin met the late Barbara Gensler and became involved in the school’s acclaimed theater program.

Even if you’re not into architecture, you probably know Frank Lloyd Wright’s name. But despite being one of the most famous architects of the 20th century, and despite all of the books written about him and his work, the man himself remains a mystery. Even his autobiography was embellished and historians admit they can never truly verify fact from fiction.

"[Frank Lloyd Wright's] life is so difficult to get down," notes author and journalist Paul Hendrickson. "It has been trailed by so many distortions and mistruths, starting with everything Wright did himself."

The website Atlas Obscura, which showcases the world's quirkiest wonders, has only been around for a decade. And in that time, the company has visited and catalogued more than 20,000 places.

If you’ve been watching the Ken Burns’ documentary on American Country Music, you've seen how tunes begat other tunes, lyrics get added or subtracted, and every new generation discovers the old songs anew.

Rachel Bloom might not be the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from her hit TV show anymore, but the Emmy award-winning actress, songwriter, and comedian is still performing. From the role of Silver in Angry Birds 2 to her own stage show, Rachel Bloom Live, Bloom is bringing her particular brand of humor and music to worldwide audiences. 

"There's little to no fourth wall," says Bloom of her live show. "I love the shows changing as we go."

It’s been dubbed the "Witch’s House.” Urban legends portray the former owner and creator as a loner, shut in her home, creating the concrete statues that adorn the yard.

But artist Mary Nohl was no witch. She was a prolific artist, an innovator, and a caring friend. That’s what attracted Marielle Allschwang to her work.

The National Science Foundation announced this summer that the Milwaukee Public Museum will receive a $4.3 million grant for the Terrestrial Parasite Tracker. This massive digital database will organize more than 1.3 million arthropod specimens (ticks, mosquitoes, fleas) in a geographically comprehensive way.

All places around the globe have a gay history, which is still largely untold — particularly in Wisconsin. The national narrative of gay history often involves events that took place on the coasts, the most recognizable being Stonewall.

From fertility, pregnancy and birth, to postpartum and parenting life — all of these stages of life can be a rewarding, yet challenging time. Trying to keep up with an exercise schedule on top of that presents even more difficulties.

While there are plenty of yoga classes and studios to choose from, finding pre- and postnatal yoga can be tough. And for expecting and new parents, it’s often hard to coordinate exercise with childcare.

One local yoga instructor wanted to fill that void by creating a place for parents to come not just for yoga, but for community.

A day in the life of Andre Pirtle can include delivering water to Milwaukee’s homeless, leading youth groups at Immanuel Church in Brookfield where he's a pastor, and working with the outreach group StreetLife late into the evening.