{image1}Because they see dozens of venues and towns each year, you can never expect performers to remember a particular gig, especially one from two years ago. So, when Australian singer/songwriter Kasey Chambers referenced a number of things specific to her previous Milwaukee gig, the audience couldn't help but be charmed.
Her mix of country, folk, pop and blues-edged rock didn't hurt, either, Thursday night at the Northern Lights Theater in Potawatomi Bingo Casino, where Chambers performed with her five-piece band. The room wasn't sold out, but the crowd comprised more than a few vocal, die-hard fans who were treated to some of the best concert sound at any venue in Milwaukee.
Deferring to her second album, "Barricades and Brickwalls," Chambers didn't focus on her third and latest, "Wayward Angel," until the roughly hour-long set was half over. At that point, she asked the crowd for requests from the new record and proceeded to play them all. Her solo debut, "The Captain," was only occasionally referenced.
From "Barricades," she performed the slow, chugging roadhouse rockin' title track, the plaintive "On A Bad Day" and the Hank Williams-ish "A Little Bit Lonesome," before offering up the crowd-pleasing hit, "Not Pretty Enough" and "Runaway Train," from the same disc.
Then Chambers -- dressed in blue jeans, a sparkling black top and a glitzy scarf pulled tight around her neck and cascading down her back -- turned to "Wayward Angel," which she said was named for her 2-and-a-half-year-old son, who made an unexpected appearance onstage last time she was in Milwaukee.
She played "Pony," "Hollywood," "Bluebird" and "Stronger," to a rare crowd that seemed to appreciate the new tunes as much as the more familiar ones, perhaps because it has had time to parse the record, which was released a couple months ago.
After about an hour, Chambers left the stage to a roar and returned for two encores. The first offered a tender, acoustic version of "The Captain" and a cover of Gram Parsons' "Sin City," with her dad and her brother Nash, who also serves as her producer and manager. The second was a rousing band version of "Crossfire," from "Barricades."
Chambers' personable patter, modest demeanor and memories of Milwaukee ensured that the crowd was in her hands all night long and her crack band, which includes her father Bill Chambers on guitar, mandolin, lap steel and dobro, sealed the deal.
Two brief opening sets kicked off the evening. The first was from Sydney's Shane Nicholson whose half-dozen tunes were melancholy and melodic and Nicholson's voice recalled that of Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame, for those old enough to remember. Nicholson was accompanied on some tunes by Chambers' guitarist Glen Hannah and returned to the stage during Chambers' set to duet with her on a cover of Neil Young's "Comes a Time."
Next up with a similarly short set from Nashville's Holly Williams -- granddaughter of Hank, daughter of Hank Jr. and half-sister of Hank III -- who despite a warm voice, able guitar playing and interesting songs failed to connect with the audience as well as Nicholson.
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.
