{image1}Jason Mohr who fronts the band Telectro and helms Imperfect Music, a record and publishing company based in Milwaukee, isn't one to sit still too long.
After Imperfect published "Going to Dolpo," a hardcover book of travel writing by Timothy Doyle, who lives in Bangladesh, Mohr and his Telectro bandmates James Krutina and Aaron Schleicher spent the autumn putting together a three-track EP, "Petrified Air," released in March -- in an extremely distinctive package -- on Imperfect.
The acoustic and electric guitar-fueled songs are rooted in American roots music with a melancholy edge and boast urgent vocals that at times recall Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch and some atmospheric touches.
"So far, our single has been out just over a month and it seems to be getting into people's hands pretty nicely. We are fortunate enough to have outstanding support from WMSE, who are certainly helping us by liking what we're doing," Mohr says.
The disc was recorded at that radio station's studio with engineer Billy Cicerelli.
"Sales have been pretty surprising for the single so far on CDbaby.com ... we've already received a few orders from overseas customers."
Now, the band is looking toward the next record.
"(We're) working on promoting the single, playing out as much as possible," Mohr says. "We're also in the process of building a studio and hope to begin work recording a follow-up CD by August or September."
But Mohr has been around long enough to know that everything doesn't happen all at once and he is willing to take it one step at a time.
"For the time-being we're planning on utilizing the studio space to create some additional demos," he says, "but essentially we'd like to plan on self-producing another EP at the space when resources allow."
Telectro will play Saturday, April 24 at the Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave. in Bay View, with West of Rome and Dustworks.
"We're happy to have found some local, like-minded bands that we've been able to pair-up with for some shows," says Mohr.
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.
