"Give Listen Help" is a double-disc set of CDs featuring rare tracks by the likes of The Decemberists, Radiohead, Oasis and more. It helps the Pablove Foundation and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles cure children's cancer. And, sadly, there's a Milwaukee connection.
The Pablove Foundation is named for 5-year-old Pablo Castelaz, who in May was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer. Pablo is the son of Jeff Castelaz, the former Milwaukeean who once worked in town as a music journalist and later as manager of Citizen King and other bands.
Castelaz now lives in L.A. and runs Dangerbird Records. The number and quality of the bands contributing to the project is a testament to Castelaz's success in the music business.
"As I write this," notes Jeff in the CD liner notes, "we are in the middle of months of chemotherapy." You don't have to be a parent to understand what this means to a little boy and his family.
All of the artists on the CD -- including Bloc Party, Garbage, Of Montreal, Rilo Kiley, Ra Ra Riot, Jack Johnson, Sea Wolf, Silversun Pickups, CSS, the ones listed above and many more -- have donated all of their royalties from the disc to the cause.
The disc is available at all Urban Outfitters locations through Jan. 31, 2009. So, go buy one now and help fight children's cancer in general, and Pablo's cancer more specifically.
And to Jeff and Pablo and his family ... Milwaukee is pulling for you.
Here is a complete tracklisting:
DISC 1
1. Garbage -- Witness to Your Love (previously unreleased)
2. Radiohead -- House of Cards
3. Of Montreal -- Jimmy (M.I.A. cover)
4. Bat for Lashes -- What’s a Girl (Plaid remix)
5. Oasis -- Falling Down (Chemical Brothers remix)
6. Rilo Kiley -- Draggin’ Around (previously unreleased)
7. Bloc Party -- Flux (JKL remix)
8. The Faint -- The Geeks Were Right (DIOYY remix)
9. CSS -- Rat Is Dead (Rage)"
10. The Decemberists -- Billy Liar (live)
11. Ra Ra Riot -- Can You Tell (Little Ones remix)
12. Ladytron -- Ghosts (Modwheelmood mix)
13. The Little Ones -- I Don’t Want to Dance (previously unreleased)
14. Other Lives -- Paper Cities (previously unreleased)
15. Two Sheds -- You
16. Jack Johnson -- All At Once (live at Bumbershoot 2008)
DISC 2 - DANGERBIRD ARTISTS
1. Silversun Pickups -- Table Scraps
2. Eulogies -- Is There Anyone Here?
3. Darker My Love -- Blue Day
4. The Dears -- Crisis 1 & 2
5. Sea Wolf -- The Promise
6. The Curse of Company -- All the Mines
7. One a.m. radio -- Old Men
8. Ed Laurie -- Albert
9. Eric Avery -- All Remote and No Control
10. Dappled Cities -- Vision Bell
11. La Rocca -- Cross the River
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.
