As The Kooks plan to release their second disc, "KONK," on Astralwerks Records on April 15, the band also announced its largest American tour to date. The 15-gig jaunt includes a stop at Turner Hall Ballroom for an all ages gig on June 1 at 7 p.m..
The U.K. quartet debuted many of the new songs from "KONK" - named for Ray Davies' London studio where it and the band's debut disc, "Inside In / Inside Out," was recorded -- at gigs in Los Angeles, Toronto and New York recently.
Both discs were produced by Tony Hoffer, who, incidentally, is managed by former Milwaukeean and Citizen King manager Jeff Castelaz, now based in Los Angeles.
Tickets are $15 and go on sale at noon on Monday, March 3.
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.
