Milwaukee R&B artist Cincere recently returned from a 27-day tour of U.S. military bases for Armed Forces Entertainment. The tour included 15 shows with his backing band in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Djibouti and Kuwait.
"We had a great time," says Cincere. "It was really a wonderful experience to get to meet all the troops and talk with them."
Cincere's impressions of the men and women he met were different than what he expected going in.
"TV doesn't show you everything. It wasn't all shoot-em-up, bang-bang over there. There were people over there that were like our brothers and sisters."
The trip was Cincere's first time outside the country. One thing that reminded him he was definitely not in Milwaukee anymore was the weather. While Milwaukeeans complained about the late summer heat here, it was often over 100 degrees at night on the bases. Combine that with the lights on stage, and keeping cool became a serious challenge.
Aside from the sweltering heat, Cincere says the biggest difference he noticed was the crowd. While he has been steadily making a name for himself around the Midwest, Cincere headlined before an unfamiliar office.
"At first everyone would just stare at me stone-faced. As the show went on, though, people started getting more into it," he says.
Cincere might have had to win the crowd over the hard way, but off stage he found it much easier to connect with the troops. In addition to performing for them, he wanted to spend time getting to know the servicemen and women at the bases.
"We met so many great people over there. I loved listening to them tell me their stories about who they were and why they were there. It was real deep."
Cincere urges his fellow musicians to do a tour for the troops if they get the opportunity. He says he felt a sense of duty to perform.
"They need us. They're out there all day and they need something to take their mind off everything that's going on, even if it's only for a couple hours."
Up next, Cincere's shopping his newest album, "The Definition Of Cincere," to major labels. While no timetable has been set for an album release, the single "Aint Got Nothin" hits stores Sept. 24.
"We had a great time," says Cincere. "It was really a wonderful experience to get to meet all the troops and talk with them."
Cincere's impressions of the men and women he met were different than what he expected going in.
"TV doesn't show you everything. It wasn't all shoot-em-up, bang-bang over there. There were people over there that were like our brothers and sisters."
The trip was Cincere's first time outside the country. One thing that reminded him he was definitely not in Milwaukee anymore was the weather. While Milwaukeeans complained about the late summer heat here, it was often over 100 degrees at night on the bases. Combine that with the lights on stage, and keeping cool became a serious challenge.
Aside from the sweltering heat, Cincere says the biggest difference he noticed was the crowd. While he has been steadily making a name for himself around the Midwest, Cincere headlined before an unfamiliar office.
"At first everyone would just stare at me stone-faced. As the show went on, though, people started getting more into it," he says.
Cincere might have had to win the crowd over the hard way, but off stage he found it much easier to connect with the troops. In addition to performing for them, he wanted to spend time getting to know the servicemen and women at the bases.
"We met so many great people over there. I loved listening to them tell me their stories about who they were and why they were there. It was real deep."
Cincere urges his fellow musicians to do a tour for the troops if they get the opportunity. He says he felt a sense of duty to perform.
"They need us. They're out there all day and they need something to take their mind off everything that's going on, even if it's only for a couple hours."
Up next, Cincere's shopping his newest album, "The Definition Of Cincere," to major labels. While no timetable has been set for an album release, the single "Aint Got Nothin" hits stores Sept. 24.
Tyler Casey was born and raised in the Twin Cities, but hes lived in Milwaukee for the last four years working and going to school. A senior at UWM with one semester left before he gets his print journalism degree, Tylers grown incredibly fond of his new city and hopes to stay here for good. Hes been with OnMilwaukee.com since June 2006.
Despite retaining certain customs of his fatherland (Tyler bleeds purple and gold), he considers Milwaukee his home. Spending most of his time on the East Side, Riverwest and Downtown (as well as wherever the nearest bus line can take him), Tylers always looking to experience what the city has to offer.
