His name may not pop to mind as quickly as Paul Cebar's or Willy Porter's, but Kirk McFarlin has long been a part of Milwaukee's music scene, playing in some of the town's most popular and influential bands.
In his early days he was the drummer for Einstein's Riceboys and later for Cherry Cake and The Tambours. Later, he signed major record deals and toured the world as the sticksman with Ecoteur and the Carnival Strippers. He's supported John Kruth and when Victor DeLorenzo assembled a band to tour in support of "Pancake Day," the Femmes drummer tapped McFarlin to rattle the tubs. Last year, McFarlin and some friends released a 10-track holiday CD, "Christmas," under the name Stone Bank.
Who knew that McFarlin was also a singer, songwriter and guitarist? Showcasing these skills, McFarlin has signed on for a regular Thursday night gig at Cafe Coquette, 316 N. Milwaukee St., in the Third Ward.
For the gigs, he's enlisted the accompaniment of percussionist Anthony Ramirez, drummer Andy Lopas and bassist Kelp Chofs, of the local band Stall. Chofs and Ramirez also worked with McFarlin on the Stone Bank project.
"The hope is to build Thursday nights into a lively music night for the cafe," says McFarlin, who works a graphic designer and technical publisher for Generac's service group. "I will be doing the gig on a weekly basis for an undetermined time. There may be other special guests appearing from time to time."
We recently talked to McFarlin and asked him about his career and his current project.
OMC: Tell me about what you've been up to, musically, since the end of the Carnival Strippers, those many years ago.
KM: Well, I somehow managed to get involved with the Victor DeLorenzo Band for a brief period after the Strippers evaporated. That was a really great experience. We went coast to coast opening for Marshall Crenshaw. Watching Marshall play night after every other night was very inspirational for me.
I think that was when I decided to give up backing other songwriters and make a go of it as a singer/songwriter. I'd been quietly stockpiling original songs for many years, but never really had the courage to step up front and develop them. So, after the Victor thing I holed up in a makeshift home studio and began exploring my own music. I got some help along the way from Mr. Michael Hoffmann. We produced a bakers' dozen songs that I plan on releasing someday as a side project called StoneBank. As a result, I began working on a live act. In 2003, we will begin working on recordings of our material.
OMC: Have you always been a guitarist and singer, too?
KM: I was always in love with playing the drums. That always came first. But somewhere along the way I picked up the guitar and songs started coming to me. It was a slow process, but gradually I began to admire the frontman position. It was just in the past year that I got it together enough to feel like taking it out in public.
OMC: How did this new project come about?
KM: I'd known Anthony from back when he was cooking at Sanford restaurant. He recently started learning hand percussion and was looking for someone to jam with. So we started to get together on a regular basis and before we knew it we had something like fifteen songs that we could play, and we were having great fun in the process. So, I got us booked last June to open for Marshall Crenshaw when he played at Shank Hall. That was Anthony's first professional gig and my first as a front man. Since then Andy came along and is now playing kit drums with us. The two drummers working together really gives us a percolating beat. Every now and then we get some low end from Kelp, but we're still hoping to attract a permanent bassist.
OMC: You've been the drummer in some of the most influential bands in the city over the years, do you still get called on to work as a drummer?
KM: I've had a few calls. This past summer I did some dates with John Kruth. That was a blast. I still love the drums.
OMC: This may be a politically incorrect question, of your many bands over the years, which, for you was the most satisfying, the most enjoyable?
KM: Love the one your with, right? Actually they all had some charm for me or I couldn't have played with any of them.
Showtime at Coquette is 8 p.m. and McFarlin and friends will play two sets. For more information, call (414) 291-2655.
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.
