As The 5 Card Studs – who focus on the AM gold hits of the 1960s and ’70s – kick off their second 25 years as a group, the latest incarnation carries on the decade-strong tradition of playing a pre-Thanksgiving gig, Wednesday, Nov. 23.
The 7 p.m. show is at The Cooperage, 822 S. Water St., and also includes a performance by fellow cover band, Almighty Vinyl.
“This is our 10th annual – except 2020, the pandemic year,” says drummer Asti Spumanti. “We love the sense of community and the sharing of music – having the audience revisit one another and dance.
“In the past, the night before Thanksgiving was the second biggest night of the year for going out. Everyone was home for the holiday and raring to let loose of the family obligations before the first big holiday. Teaming up with Almighty Vinyl this year will expose both audiences to new bands, with two of Milwaukee’s best lead vocalists.”
The current lineup of the band includes original members Blake "The Lake” Tahoe on guitar, Reno Nevada bass and backing vocals, and drummer Asti Spumanti, plus lead vocalist Rex Caliber, who joined two years ago, with Sir Kris Circus, who joined a year ago on keyboards and vocals and singer Ivana Mandalay, who debuted at Summerfest 2022.
“We’re firing on all cylinders musically, probably the best we’ve ever been,” effuses Spumanti. “Adding and revisiting songs we couldn’t really conquer in the past. Vocally, the band is really phenomenal.”
Tickets for the show are $20 and can be purchased online here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
