The annual Record Store Day is on the horizon, taking place on April 21, 2012. The event seeks to drive traffic to indie record shops, and most labels unveil a series of gems each year to drive customers.
This year, Omnivore Recordings, an L.A.-based label co-owned by Milwaukee native Cheryl Pawelski, has some fun goodies to celebrate Record Store Day 2012.
First up, as a teaser for Omnivore's May CD release, "Havin' A Rave-Up! Live in Los Angeles, 1978," by The Knack, there's "The Knack Live in Los Angeles, 1978" four-song 10" on splatter-colored vinyl.
In addition to two songs from the 14-track CD – "Let Me Out" and "My Sharona" – the 10" has two songs – "Romeo Eyes" and "Art War" from a 1978 rehearsal." The vinyl is limited to 1,500 copies.
Doug Fieger dug deep into the archive for those recordings, but from an even older stash comes an original vintage 1970 Buck Owens coloring book with a four-track EP on red, clear or blue flexidisc.
According to Omnivore, these are "original, uncirculated vintage coloring books (that) have been safely stored by Buck Owens Enterprises for over 40 years!"
The coloring book and flexi (limited to 2,500 copies) are packaged together – along with a digital download card – in a plastic envelope. The songs – "Act Naturally," "Together Again," "Crying Time" and "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" – were recorded live at the White House (yes, that White House) in 1968.
Pretty cool stuff.
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.
