el guante, Starr and Blane Blocker

Art in the cafe...

Laurel Statz


"The Spectator"


December 2025



Laurel Statz is a painter and Madison area native. Her work, while figurative, is influenced by abstraction and minimalism. The paintings often have a quick and instinctual nature, capturing just what’s needed. While she often times herself to eliminate extra details and over-precision, she has ventured into more detailed works as well. Laurel does not attach narrative to her pieces. Rather, she thinks of them like a journaling process for her scatter-brained psyche. The figures in the pieces are meant to be processing tools for the artist and the viewer. She hopes that seeing these figures helps the...
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Saturday, February 12, 2005

el guante: Emcee, spoken-word poet and activist, el guante combines politics, love songs and storytelling in a way that is compelling and original. He just released his second full-length album, "vanishing point."

Starr: Madison emcee Starr just released his debut album, "Goin' Critical" for Extortion Entertainment, a cinematic journey through politics, partying and pain. Mixing thoughtful lyrics with an aggressive delivery, Starr defies categorization.

Blane Blocker: Spoken word poet Blane Blocker has been on the Madison scene for years sharing his vivid, imaginative poetry. Also an emcee, Blocker prides himself on not only saying things in an appealing way, but also having something WORTH saying.

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