Rice is joined by singer and guitarist Jack Rodee and fellow former Lackloves, drummer Nick Verban and guitarist Don Moore in the band, which has backed up Nick Pipitone at some recent gigs.
"We're playing mostly covers at the moment -- with a few new originals mixed in here and there -- because we're old, jaded and and feel like we've earned the
right to do whatever we want," Rice wrote in an email to fans and friends. "It'll be fun."
Rice says that the band's original tunes have so far been penned by Rodee and Moore, but that's not really the point.
"We put the band together basically just to have fun, drink beer and play songs we like -- never mind whether we wrote them ourselves or not. Most of our
covers are in the 'twang' vein -- Steve Earle, Los Lobos, etc. -- but the originals are sounding, to me at least, like Big Star, strangely enough. It will be interesting for the first couple shows, playing in what is ostensibly a cover
band (for now, at least). I've never really done that before, not since high school anyway."
He adds that the band has yet to hit the studio but will get there at some point.
"We will record eventually, but we're in no particular hurry. Right now we're just planning to add a couple new originals each time we play out, and by about the 5th gig the set should be mostly originals. When we have enough good ones to record, that's when we'll record."
The band also is slated to play at Shank Hall on Thursday, Nov. 2 with Michelle Anthony and Friday, Dec. 8 at Points East with The Singles.
Meanwhile, Rice's long-time band, The Carolinas, will play Saturday, Oct. 21 at Points East Pub with New Harmony Indiana and Dead Man's Shoes. The re-formed Loyal Order of Water Buffalo was slated to perform at the gig but backed out.
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.
