But Carmen is different. She can rock out, she can play circles around most any guitarist I know, she cops no attitudes, she's got a distinctive voice and she writes mostly melancholic music ... which is the way I like it. Hearing her music convinced me -- rightly -- that Italian music had more to offer if only I dug a little deeper. Her lyrics have always continuously tested my Italian vocabulary and have taught me nearly as much as any instructor.
The result is that it's no exageration to say that barely a day passes that I don't listen to at least one or two tunes from one of her six studio CDs or two live ones.
Although I missed Carmen -- who is Italian UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador this year -- in her U.S. debut at South by Southwest in March 2004, I lucked out and saw her for free at a big outdoor gig in Milan on the last day of a vacation a month later and then caught her again at a small club in Chicago last year as part of an extremely short tour.
Her latest disc, "Eva Contro Eva" (Eve Against Eve), arrived in Italy in May and is her first to be issued in the U.S. where it arrives Sept. 12 via Universal Latino.
The great news that her second American tour includes a free gig at The Terrace in Madison at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 has been tempered by news that her long-time bassist Leandro Misuriello, 34, was killed 8 days ago by a 20-year-old drunk driver as the musician was crossing a road.
Carmen says the tour will continue, as Leandro would have wanted, but it's hard to imagine she, her fellow band members and her fans will spend much time celebrating a long-deserved American CD debut. It comes too soon on the heels of this tragedy and we'll all feel like someone who should also be here celebrating is missing.
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.
