Last week, I spent a little time talking with Summerfest backline guru David Silbaugh as he and his crew continued unpacking equipment for the upcoming Big Gig.
While there, I was intrigued by the cacophony of birds cawing and crowing outside the doors to the Marcus Amphitheater backstage area used by Silbaugh and his staff.
Thankfully, it wasn't a sign of life imitating Hitchcock. Instead, it was a recording that Summerfest Marketing and PR Manager Kristin Chuckel says was installed roughly five years ago.
"It was installed to discourage birds from flying under the covered area and building nests in the Amphitheater," she says. "Obviously we want to keep the birds out because they make a big mess!"
Chuckel says that Summerfest doesn't use this at any of the other stages, but considering how vast the roof structure is at the Amp and how many seagulls circle Downtown and the lakefront, it sure seems like a good idea for the main stage.
"Yes, it works fairly well," she says, admitting that the system isn't foolproof. "It certainly doesn't keep all birds out but it is much less of a problem now."
Silbaugh told me last week, too, that some birds still venture in even though the calls sound pretty darn threatening. Maybe those birds don't fear death.
"I'm not sure what specific bird sounds they are," says Silbaugh, "but I think it's fair to say they're probably predatory."
The sounds might not scare away 100% of the birds, but they keep Chuckel on her toes.
"I was just in the amp today and they are a bit scary sounding," she says.
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.
