When members of Milwaukee's Blue in the Face decided last fall that it was time to do a reunion show, it was, like so many good life decisions, more or less in the vein of, "Why not?" When no one within earshot could feasibly answer that question with any gusto, the plan was soon set into action.
Reunited, rehearsed and ready, Blue in the Face will take the stage as a band for the first time in over 10 years at Shank Hall on Saturday, Jan. 28. The Yell Leaders -- playing their first gig together in four years -- will join them for the one-night reunion.
The reunion, says Blue in the Face's Mike Benign (vocals, guitar), will feature the seven-man lineup from their first full-length, "Kicks & Deals," which came out in 1993 on Don't Records -- Pat Basler (alto sax), Mike Benign (vocals, guitar), Paul Biemann (bass, vocals), John Carr (drums, vocals), Bob Jennings (piano, organ, tenor and baritone sax, vocals), Ed Spangenberg (trombone) and Joe Vent (guitar, vocals).
It's been just over a decade since the band parted ways, but fortunately for fans, Blue in the Face's music has more of a timeless quality to it than so many of its mid-'90s grunge or stereotypically-labeled "alternative" counterparts that reined supreme during the days of Seattle-inspired sound.
While the vast majority of popular music was busy getting its angst out, Blue in the Face was seemingly just having fun with their poppy, horn-infused rock 'n' roll. They harnessed hooky melodies and layered them against Benign's bouncy and witty lyrical commentary, creating catchy songs that encouraged dancing, or, at the very least, a steady foot tap.
Though many of Blue in the Face's members have continued to contribute to the music world since the 1995 break up, and, at the risk of appearing as their own cover band, Benign says they're going to avoid bringing any new material to the show.
"We thought it would be more fun for people coming to the show to hear songs they recognized," he says. "I guess that makes us a tribute act."
After disbanding, Jennings went on to play with Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans and Carr now plays with Big Nick & The Cydecos. Spangenberg is living and playing music in Seattle, Wash., Vent occasionally performs with New Harmony Indiana and Basler was in Hot Sauce up until last year.
And what about Benign?
"Aside from going to the occasional live show and listening to my 8-year-old son bang away on the mini-Fender he got for Christmas, absolutely nothing," he says. "But a big part of this reunion show for me was the chance for my kids to see me play live. That, and Peter Jest at Shank Hall had been bugging us to do a reunion show for the last 10 years and we just couldn't take the harassment anymore."
Blue in the Face has released a rarities CD -- "Went Well with Bourbon" -- that Benign says is 10 songs recorded between '91 and '95 and will only be available for purchase at the reunion show.
"There are a couple of live cuts, four songs recorded and mixed in proper studios and then four demos recorded in a makeshift studio we set up with Mike Hoffmann at Shank Hall," he says. "People who saw us live in the '90s would recognize many of the songs on the disc."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
