{image1}February has a lot of good gigs in store for Milwaukee music fans, but we're particularly excited about a Sunday, Feb. 20 bill at The Rave that matches Britain's flavor of the day band Keane with Chicago's The Redwalls.
The guitar-less Keane has, of course, already been dubbed the new Coldplay for its piano-laden, often ethereal tunes anchored with throbbing bass and drums and firmly rooted in the melodic Britpop tradition.
The trio's disc "Hopes and Fears" nods at the Beatles, Queen (that voice!), Radiohead, Travis and, yes it's true, Coldplay (check out "Bend and Break"). Catchy, pillowly soft at times and occasionally saccharine, it's no surprise that "Hopes and Fears" has seen fans rallying to Keane.
But arrive at The Rave early enough to catch The Redwalls, whose new disc is due out in spring. A two-song taster CD single offers a glimpse into that disc. Keane has got nothing on this Windy City trio which is also prone to tickling the ivories (and ebonies) on its wordy, melodic and hook-laden songs that will bring to mind everyone from Randy Newman to John Lennon to Bowie (cue the vocal on the band's "Thank You") to the best work of Philly's Ben Arnold (whose "Almost Speechless" is, by the way, worth seeking out).
The band released an indie LP in 2003 and promptly hit the road with The Jayhawks, Chris Robinson, Ike Reilly and The Long Winters.
Turn back your calendars quickly, though, because blues legend Hubert Sumlin is coming to Potawatomi's Northern Lights Theater on Tuesday, Feb. 8 and you won't want to miss the man that lit a fire under pimply-faced Brit teens in the 1960s, thereby helping give the world Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
Sumlin gets some help from his pals Clapton, Richards, David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter), James Cotton and Levon Helm on his latest disc, "About Them Shoes," released last week by Tone Cool/Artemis.
Chevelle headlines this year's SnoCore Tour, which also includes Helmet, Crossfade, Future Leaders of the World and Strata and which comes to The Rave on Friday, Feb. 11. Chevelle's latest high-energy disc, "This Kind of Thinking (Could Do Us In)," entered the Billboard album chart at No. 8 and reached gold status in six weeks.
It's a week of legends in Milwaukee as southern soul queen Irma Thomas brings her N'Orleans r&b to Alverno College's Pitman Theater on Saturday, Feb. 12. You may know Irma's "Time Is On My Side," which was also a hit for some English band called the Rolling Stones. But if you heard other hits like "Ruler of My Heart" and "It's Raining," you might recognize the former as the tune Otis Redding morphed into "Pain in My Heart" and the latter as appearing in Jim Jarmusch's film "Down by Law."
Things get heavy over at Mad Planet on Sunday, Feb. 13 as Orange County metalheads Eighteen Visions arrive for a 5 p.m. all-ages gig that also features Emery, Remembering Never and Misery Signals. Eighteen Visions is touring in support of its latest Epic disc, "Obsession," which was dubbed album of the year by Metal Hammer magazine.
Canadian bluegrass rockers The Clumsy Lovers, who possess a chipper and witty edge that recalls co-nationals Barenaked Ladies, top the bill at Turner Ballroom, across from the Bradley Center, Sunday, Feb. 13. The Lovers are touring behind their latest Nettwerk America disc, "After the Flood," and bring Sean Michael Dargan Band as openers.
Finally, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Brady is back with his first studio set in years. "Say What You Feel," on Compass Records, is a warm and emotional record rooted in American roots music and features a guest appearance by Bonnie Raitt. Brady comes to Shank Hall on Thursday, Feb. 17.
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.
