After five years of rockin' "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on a Kawai organ that looks much like the organ your mom has in the sitting room, it looks to the untrained eye that Rosko has traded up, thanks to Kames.
"Even on the most basic sort of musical level it's a pretty improvement here," says Rosko. "I'm not quite sure if it makes my job easier or harder. There's a lot of new things to learn. There's an awful lot of capability here. But it's going to be really, really good."
While the old instrument had a selection of buttons, it also had a decidedly old school floppy drive. This new organ boasts two keyboards with full-size keys and an array of illuminated switches that look more like an airplane cockpit than a musical instrument. And it has bass pedals.
So, is this like saying goodbye to an old friend or are you thinking, "good riddance," Dean?
"I can't really say good riddance, It served us well. It did a good job for us. It did the orchestral sounds, piano and strings very well. It was the organ sounds where it was lagging just a little bit."
Although it looks like Rosko still has a lot to learn before opening day at Miller Park on Friday, I suspect he's a quick study and that he's happy to spend more than a little time woodshedding with his new gear before then.
In addition to playing at 81 Brewers home games from his perch in the scoreboard room in the Miller Park press box, Rosko -- who cut his teeth playing at a roller rink -- also performs at an Illinois church and at Organ Piper Pizza on Highway 100.
Kames said the old Kawai organ that Rosko has used since joining the team in 2003 will likely be auctioned off to benefit either a Brewers charity or the Bob Kames Foundation.
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.
