Using its upbeat sense of rhythm to propel their unique brassy and soulful sound, Milwaukee’s eight-piece New Boyz Club winningly ties together a melange of sounds that do quick changes from sound to sound, but all make sense to the ear when thrown together, especially in a live setting.
Led by Johanna Rose on bass and vocals, the band includes Katie Lyne on keys and backing vocals, Josh Backes on guitar, John Larkin on guitar, Jay Anderson on saxophone, Aytan Luck on trumpet, Ernest Brusabardis on violin and Will Rose on drums. Rose began the band as a solo artist, but when she met Lyne, they quickly joined vocal forces and gathered a full band around them to structure their sound.
In the past year, New Boyz Club have been busy bees, especially around their Riverwest neighborhood. Their self-proclaimed "glitter rock" is an energetic affair, employing moments of Janis Joplin, cabaret from the '30s and '40s, '70s rock ballads and gospel and revival music to bring forth their unique balance of these. The band has yet to release an album, but it is currently in the thick of some "intense" recording sessions with plans for a "trilogy of trilogies" the first of which will be released with "Glory Glory" this September. A 24-person choir was employed for the title track, if that gives an indication of the level of recording the band is employing.
On Tuesday, May 31 New Boyz Club played on WMSE’s Local/Live. At the end of Local/Live, for the "This Is Your Song" segment where the musical guest chooses one musician or group and one song that has influenced their own music, Rose dished on why tUnE-yArDs "Bizness" inspired and really spoke to her own writing voice for her band.
Catch the full segment in the WMSE archives, and below, get band leader Johanna Rose’s take on why tUnE-yArDs gets New Boyz Club’s own wheels turning.
The lowdown
- Musician/band: New Boyz Club
- WMSE’s Local/Live Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2016
- "This Is Your Song" pick: "Bizness" by tUnE-yArDs from 2011’s "Whokill"
- Interviewed: Johanna Rose (bassist and vocalist)
What/when is your first memory of hearing this particular song?
I don’t remember where I heard it, but I remember completely freaking out when I heard it because it’s so, so good.
Was it the first song you listened to from this musician or group?
Yeah, that’s probably the first one I heard. They just put out a newer album that is fantastic ...
In what specific way does this song or artist influence your own music?
I like her use of horns. It’s also super drum-heavy ... I like her rhythm playing and how she just really makes the song based around the beat. I think that I like to center the songs I write around drum parts.
If you could ask this artist only one question, what would it be?
How to record an amazing album (laughs) because then I’d get a really long conversation. I don’t know if I would be able to speak around her, but I would try.
Have you ever seen a live show, and did it meet your expectations?
I haven’t! I’ve watched all of their YouTube videos about seven million times though. I loved the music when I heard it, and when I "saw" it, I loved the music even more.
Local/Live on WMSE airs every Tuesday on WMSE from 6 to 7 p.m. Listen live, in the archives at WMSE.org or simply tune your radio (in the Milwaukee area) to 91.7 FM at the 6 o’clock hour.
