Milwaukee seems to get more great concerts than ever these days and despite what people think and say, there is no shortage of good venues here, from Shank to the Pabst to Cactus and The Rave and beyond.
Having long been a fan of Neko Case, I'm happy to see her return. When her "Furnace Room Lullaby" came out, I raved and was addicted and I begged Bloodshot's then-publicity gal Lee Gutowski (I'd later work with her brother Tim here at OnMilwaukee.com) to tell the powers that be to send her to Milwaukee. That didn't happen back then, so instead I traveled and saw Case at the Double Door and not long after with Carolyn Mark as the Corn Sisters in New York.
She played a great show at The Pabst two years ago and so I have high hopes for her Riverside gig on April 25.
I also loved The Decemberists at The Pabst that year and then later Colin Meloy solo at the same venue. So, when Meloy and company return to play the Riverside on May 29, I'll be there.
Scotland has always churned out great bands and the instrumental Mogwai is right up there. So, seeing that they'll play Turner Hall on May 9 is welcome news. Whether I'll get there or not depends on entirely unrelated circumstances, but I plan to try.
The Rave has some great shows in April, too, with Morrissey on April 3 and then a one-two punch of Franz Ferdinand on April 29 and The Killers on April 30.
Of course, lots of venues have lots of shows, so watch the OnMilwaukee.com event calendar and weekly gig roundup for details. These are just a few that are written in red pen in my calendar.
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.
