With a singer that sounds a bit like a cross between Richard Ashcroft and Starsailor's James Walsh, London's Vega4 have been called "poignant Britpop," which presumably separates them from the lad-rock of Oasis and company.
The tunes on the band's debut "You and Others" -- which was released by Columbia in the UK and arrives here shortly via the new Original Signal Recordings -- are alternately melancholy and uplifting and are melodic and will worm their way into your frontal lobe.
One of those tunes might already be there. "Life Is Beautiful" -- which hasn't even been extracted for a single -- has already appeared on TV's "Gray's Anatomy."
The quartet launched its first American tour in Jan. 10 and comes to The Rave along with Augustana on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.
Update: Since I wrote this blog a few days back, I've been rocking the Vega4 disc in the car to and from work each day and it's growing on me more and more. I've decided that some songs sound like Keane with guitars; so, a little edgier than Keane but wiith that melodic sense. I hope you go see them tonight. I'd be there if I could.
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.
