Wendy Norton and Ryan King are two of the Milwaukee music scenes most prolific musicians.
The husband and wife duo have played in four bands together, and a bunch more separately, swinging from every limb of the rock n' roll family tree along the way.
Joined by drummer Joel Kopp, the couple's most recent act Ramma Lamma finds them dabbling in punked-up '70s power pop; the kind of guitar lick heavy, irresistably fun tunes that dare you not to bob your head until your neck gets sore.
The band has gotten a positive reception locally and nationally on the back of its two catchy single releases and a full throttle live show.
"I think people have been just attacked with pop music for the last five years locally I guess--and I am guilty of it too with Plexi 3--but I think people are ready to just rock out again and it's a refreshing change," said Norton, referring to her and King's former garage pop band.
Ramma Lamma ditches the sugary harmonies and polished pop Plexi-3 traded in so effectively, opting instead for a rowdier no frills sound.
"When Ryan approached me about the band he told me he wanted to go for the lowest common denominator. Something that everybody could get into and that you didn't have to think about," Kopp said.
King, who said he's always been drawn to the most simplified forms of any sound, said that with Ramma Lamma he set out to write songs that were as fun for the band as they were for the crowd.
"It's probably like the goal once we get on stage to not let the old bullsh!t of caring if anybody thinks it good get in the way of the feeling that we have when we practice getting drunk talking about movies we like and talking sh!t about people," King said.
The band will be adding a single on Italian label Goodbye Boozy records and a six-song EP for local label Dusty Medical to its rapidly expanding discography which includes nearly sold-out singles on FDH and Certified PR records.
Just don't hold your breath for a full length anytime soon, the band said.
"People nowadays it's more like the 60s again. Most people don't even buy records. They just download sh*t and they are probably just going to download the song that they heard that they like. So its like if you can't beat 'em join 'em," said King.
Surprisingly songwriting credits are one of the few things the married couple don't share.
"Ryan can't be in the house when I write music. I've got to have me time," Norton said.
"We're competitive actually. Joel can attest. Even tonight we both had new songs and like we get really snippy at each other," King added.
"It's like borderline b!tchy, constructive criticism. So it's good in a way," Norton said.
Ramma Lamma will be playing with two great touring garage acts at the Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave., in the coming weeks.
The band opens for Puerto Rican rockers Davila666 April 7 and Bay Area band Bare Wires April 20.
