But when the Bettie Serveert (named for a book by an old tennis player) was last here -- a year or so ago -- to play an acoustic show at Atomic Records, I looked around and realized everyone in the crowd was tickling 40 ... like me ... or had already passed that mark. And the band, which still is writing great songs, was getting as much play on World Cafe as on late-night WMSE.
Bettie Serveert's new disc, "Bare Stripped Naked," is here via Minty Fresh Records -- and it includes an extras-packed DVD -- and it's great: tuneful, mellow and comfy. Bettie Serveert has aged along with the rest of us and its latest record captures that maturity.
But you don't have to be old to enjoy "Bare Stripped Naked." You just have to like smart, understated, intimate pop songs.
Instead of playing at the Cactus Club, where they'd have felt right at home in 1992, Bettie Serveert returns to Milwaukee and this time will bring some amps to Shank Hall on Sunday, Oct. 8. Slumber Party opens the 8 p.m. show.
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.
