By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Jan 05, 2018 at 3:02 PM Photography: David Bernacchi

On Jan. 20, a bevy of Milwaukee musicians with get together to salute the late Tom Petty, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack last Oct. 2.

The show, at Turner Hall Ballroom, will benefit the Pablove Foundation and its battle against childhood cancer.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and slated to perform are Spanglemaker (7 p.m.) and Trapper Schoepp (8 p.m.). Also promised are appearances by Sammy Llanas, Abby Jeanne, Gabriel Sanchez (of The Prince Experience), The Wooldridge Brothers, Semi Twang, Louie Lucchesi and Chris DeMay.

At 9 p.m., a Petty tribute featuring a variety of local veterans takes the stage.

The "house band" – which will back each guest on two or three songs – includes guitarists Quinn Scharber (who, you may recall, was in the Wildbirds many moons ago) and Bob Eickhoff (The Carolinas, The Mighty Deer Lick), bassist Jack Rice (The Wooldridge Brothers, The Carolinas, The Blow Pops, The Mighty Deer Lick), keyboardist Al Kraemer (Calliope) and drummer Mike Koch, who has been in far too many bands to mention but is currently behind the kit for the Mike Benign Compulsion.

Semi Twang and the Wooldridge Brothers will perform with their complete bands as part of the tribute.

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased here.

For more information, click here.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

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.