AA Bondy came back to Milwaukee for his third solo performance here and his second straight at Bay View's Club Garibaldi.
You can read my advance interview with the former Verbena frontman here.
OnMilwaukee.com was there updating Twitter followers on Bondy's set list, the opening act -- a quartet called Flight -- and more. Here are the tweets -- in case you missed them -- along with some additional commentary in parentheses.
BobbyOnMKEcom That Decca guy that said guitar bands are dead hadn't heard Flight who opens for AA Bondy tonight at Garibaldi. (Madison quartet Flight is fronted by Jentri Colello, whose voice adds further depth to a guitar- and keyboard-driven sound. Flight's MySpace page is here.) twitpic.com/qtxba
BobbyOnMKEcom The Milwaukee moat us in full effect at Garibaldi tonight. A tradition continues. (You see that huge gulf between the stage and the crowd in other towns, too, but in Milwaukee it's profound and lots of visiting performers have commented on it.) twitpic.com/qtygc
BobbyOnMKEcom Kudos to Chris Lehmann for the great sound in the back room at Garibaldi tonight. It can't be easy. (Lehmann -- a veteran Milwaukee drummer who has been in too many bands to count or name here -- also mixed for Bondy's summer show at Garibaldi.)
BobbyOnMKEcom I may be old but I still love live music in a small venue. This is and always will be the heart and soul if rock and roll. (OK, I'm not really that old. Or I am, depending on who you ask.)
BobbyOnMKEcom Give me an original band even if I don't know the music over a cover band any day. I know that puts me in a small demographic -- OK by me. (I was reminded of this while watching Flight and thinking about how many great bands I've first heard when I saw them opening for someone else or unexpectedly in a club. I've never had a single revelation, ever, while watching a cover band. Some people love rocking out to covers of songs they already know and that's great, but it's just not for me. Similarly, I wouldn't want to watch a re-filmed version of "Citizen Kane" by a local filmmaker or go to a show of copies of paintings by Picasso.)
BobbyOnMKEcom The moat is closing as AA Bondy prepares to start his set at Club Garibaldi.
BobbyOnMKEcom Bondy opens with "Mightiest of Guns," the first song on his second CD, "When The Devil's Loose," released in September. twitpic.com/qu4rf
BobbyOnMKEcom First time I saw Bondy was across the street at the Cactus Club when he was with Verbena. Sadly I missed his solo debut here, opening for Bon Iver at The Pabst. Folks who were there raved about it.
BobbyOnMKEcom Some serious dynamics tonight compared to Bondy's solo gig this summer at Club Garibaldi.
BobbyOnMKEcom Bondy: "Wild Wild Sea" and then a really, really lovely version of "There's a Reason."
BobbyOnMKEcom Like Costello and Springsteen Bondy is adept at creating great new arrangements of his songs. "I Can See the Pines..." is low-key and sublime.
BobbyOnMKEcom The band (Eau Claire's Ben Lester plays drums and pedal steel guitar and bassist Macey Taylor) is leaving Bondy to play solo; "Rapture" on electric guitar and the crowd murmurs the lyrics along with Bondy. (Check out a video of the performance on Muzzle of Bees.)
BobbyOnMKEcom Bondy: "Black Rain." twitpic.com/qu8ja
BobbyOnMKEcom An intimate, touching reading of "Lover's Waltz" is followed by "Vice Rag" in another arrangement variation.
BobbyOnMKEcom Bondy: "Killed Myself When I Was Young" is a feedback laden extended jam. twitpic.com/quajz
BobbyOnMKEcom Bondy's last tune: "When the Devil's Loose." twitpic.com/qubne
BobbyOnMKEcom Bondy is solo for the encore.
BobbyOnMKEcom Band is back for "Coal Hits the Fire" and Bondy loves the turnout. Says "I certainly don't expect anything like this" then talks about Dock Ellis!
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.
