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While the new Amped karaoke bar in the Brewery District is kicking off a concert series tonight with a Springsteen event to coincide with The Boss’ 19th Milwaukee-area appearance, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Fiserv Forum, another venue out in Wauwatosa is also excited about the show.
Leff’s Lucky Town, which opened in the mid-1990s at 7208 W. State St., was named for the then-relatively new Springsteen album, “Lucky Town,” which was the grittier of two albums that Bruce released simultaneously in 1992. The other was “Human Touch.”
The tavern is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal after the show. Just mention OnMilwaukee Bar Month and you get the deal on your first drink.
Owner Chris Leffler – who has some Springsteen photos on the walls of the bar, including one featuring Bob Cavallo's photos from the legendary Bomb Scare show – says that one verse in particular from the title track of “Lucky Town,” “was the real inspiration for moving forward to open a bar and restaurant.”
Well, here's to your good looks, baby, now here's to my health
Here's to the loaded places that we take ourselves
When it comes to luck, you make your own
Tonight I got dirt on my hands, but I'm building me a new home
“That song,” he told OnMilwaukee, “inspired me to try and do something big. “This (verse) now is a popular toast that you will frequently hear at Leff's Lucky Town.”
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.
