Sometimes the most amazing thing happens to you in the most unexpected location or time.
That's what happened Saturday night at the Concert for Eileen at Shank Hall. The concert was a benefit for Eileen Worman, an artist, mother and musician who has been a part of the Milwaukee music scene for many years. She needs a kidney transplant.
The night featured a lot of great Milwaukee bands, Semi-Twang and the Wooldridge Brothers and reunions of multiple bands, including the Yell Leaders and Arms & Legs & Feet.
For me, though, the star of the night was a band called 1913. It's a band that is almost impossible to describe.
The brainchild of Victor DeLorenzo, the pixieish and quixotic drummer of The Violent Femmes, plays his snare and a single cymbal. Scott Johnson plays a full drum set and Janet Schiff plays the cello.
That's it. Who ever heard of a band with a cello and two drummers? My guess is nobody, but this music is as enveloping as I've ever heard. The entire audience sat, entranced, at the sound that came from the stage.
Damien Strigens who knows as much about Milwaukee music as anyone I know, shared a table with me after the set.
"That was like watching a movie," said. "It was cinematic in it's ...it's.." and he stopped talking. "The best thing you can say about a band is that you can't describe it's music. This band is like that. What do you call it?"
When they left the stage the crowd was almost deathly silent for a moment or two before erupting into applause. It was a magic performance and well worth seeing the next time they play.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
