It's been seven years since Michael Arnold left Milwaukee. Seven years since Brew City lost one of its best young jazz guitarists to Columbus, Ohio, where Arnold headed when his wife took a job as a magazine editor.
Although Arnold comes home a few times each year to visit family and friends, Sat., Aug. 24 marks the first time he's bringing his band Night Train to town to perform. The group plays the Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water St., at 9 p.m. on the heels of Saturday's prestigious gig opening for B. B. King and The Fabulous Thunderbirds at Columbus' Polaris Ampitheatre.
The band plays jump blues, drawing on R&B, jazz, blues and other high-energy American genres of the '40s and '50s.
Arnold's career in Milwaukee seemed to be ramping up when he left. He was leading a jazz fusion band, Outside In, that had regular slots at John Hawks Pub and opening for national acts at places like Shank Hall.
"I still play jazz," Arnold says from his Columbus home, "but four years ago I started Night Train with the purpose of playing everything from jump blues to Santo & Johnny originals for no other reason than I thought it would be fun and audiences would think the same."
{INSERT_RELATED}Since then Night Train has secured opening spots for national blues artists and performs regularly around central Ohio. The group, which comprises Arnold, vocalist Ray Macklin, drummer Rick Soriano, bassist Bill Cory, organist Tony Bonardi and tenor saxophonist Mark Donavan, released its first CD, "Bentley's Boogie," last year.
"The great part about the band is not only is everyone talented, but we always have a good time on stage," Arnold enthuses. "Ray Macklin comes closer to the spirit and feel of people like Big Joe Turner and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson than anyone I have heard in the last 30 years."
Now, Milwaukee will get a taste of Macklin's spirit and sound.
"This will be the first time that Night Train will make an appearance and I couldn't be more excited," Arnold says.
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.
