If it's good old classic rock and roll you want, look no further than Sheboygan's own Pink Lipsticks.
Although the quartet -- comprising guitarist and singer Mike Willis, guitaris Bob Schmidt, bassist Bret Smith and drummer Ryan Brown -- is based to our north, Pink Lipsticks is becoming a more frequent visitor to Milwaukee.
The band was at Bay View Brewhaus last month and hits The Up and Under Pub on Friday, Jan. 7.
We took the opportunity to talk to Brown about the band and especially about its self-titled debut CD, recorded in Madison, which collects 10 Pink Lipstick originals.
OnMilwaukee.com: Give me a quick history of the band, if you will
Ryan Brown: After a few years away from music, Mike had been playing solo gigs with a mixture of covers and original songs around Sheboygan in 2007. In mid 2008 Mike started to fill out the band by adding Bob Schmidt on guitar and Tony DePagter on bass. I joined in late 2008 on drums. All of us had been playing in various bands around Sheboygan at the time we decided to join Pink Lipsticks. In 2009, Bret Smith replaced Tony on bass and has been part of the band ever since.
OMC: Tell me a bit about the record. Is it your first?
RB: Our self-titled album is our first, yes. Of the 10 songs, eight were written by Mike and two by Bob Schmidt. Mike and Bob pulled a couple of tunes out of their respective vaults to play and record with this band, however the majority of the songs on this album and that we play live are exclusive to Pink Lipsticks.
We recorded the bass and drums (along with scratch tracks) in 1 day at DNA studios in Madison in July 2008 after a string of gigs and a 'mini-tour' in Wisconsin. Mike and Bob put in extra time to finish the guitar and piano tracks, as well as the vocals. Eric Katte engineered and mastered the recording. Our goal was to create a straight-up rock 'n' roll album from start to finish, and I believe we achieved that.
OMC: What's the story behind the name?
RB: Yes, Mike does have serious mental and sexual identity problems. Next
question?
OMC: What's the rock and roll scene like in Sheboygan these days?
RB: Sheboygan has a good mix of bands across multiple genres. On any given weekend you can hear rock, blues, alternative, indie, jam bands, etc. Overall, I'd say that the most common type of band in Sheboygan is hard rock or metal. The most well-known and music-friendly bar for bands to play is at The Green Room, which has a small stage and an in-house sound system.
OMC: Do you guys get out on the road much?
RB: Our goal is to play one or two gigs per month. We typically play anywhere between Green Bay and Chicago with occasional trips to Madison and La Crosse.
Lately, we've been focusing a lot of effort to play in Milwaukee. In 2010 we took second place at a battle of the bands contest at Club Garibaldi -- to (win a slot) at Summerfest. We've also played a Bad Genie. Each summer we try to organize a three or four-day mini-tour in the Midwest.
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.
