As I've talked to national bands and musicians of all stripes, I've rarely missed the opportunity to ask about Milwaukee. And I feel like more than ever, the responses have been surprising lately.
Previous years of asking have led me to think that many of them spend so much time on the road that a lot of cities, including ours, sometimes get lost in the shuffle as memories of images experienced through tour bus windows blur into one amorphous mass.
Apparently, that's changing.
For example, when I asked Sarah Bareilles about her then-upcoming visit to perform at Summerfest, she turned out to be a big Alterra fan.
"I have a fantastic track record with Milwaukee as a city and a place to play," she told me. "It's one of my favorites. We have started tours there at the legendary and incredible Pabst Theater, and we've wandered all over the place from there.
"The people are warm, generous and are real music lovers, and as we explore different neighborhoods I feel like we keep finding amazing new things about Milwaukee. It has a little bit of everything. Not to mention one of my favorite coffee roasters in the world: Alterra."
Last week, Will Sheff, of Okkervil River – which plays here next month – told me he has a Milwaukee connection. Seth Warren-Crow, Okkervil River's first drummer, lives here.
"It's always wonderful to see him when I come to Milwaukee," Sheff said.
On Friday, I asked Adam Granduciel and Dave Hartley of The War on Drugs, who play at Club Garibaldi on Saturday, about Cream City and although the former has never been here, he's excited to visit because his sister lives here.
Hartley, meanwhile, has been here with other bands, and has a story to tell about that.
So, remember Milwaukee, the world's rock and rollers are paying attention when they're here. Be kind.
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.
