If you're wondering what Milwaukee loses when Mike Brenner shuts his Hotcakes Gallery in Riverwest later this year, consider the series of new music concerts that Hotcakes hosts.
On Friday, the gallery brings German composer Marcus Schmickler to the Miramar Theater thanks to a grant from the Argosy Contemporary Music Fund.
According a Brenner release, "Schmickler is internationally known in various contexts of contemporary music. He is closely associated with the a-Musik label and over the last years he has worked in the fields of electronic, improvised, experimental and new music, as well as doing scores, radio plays and unusual pop music projects. His recent releases feature choir and chamber music, a new computer music piece, as well as a new record under the banner of Pluramon with Julee Cruise."
Schmickler performs his new composition, "Ephemerides I" with local musicians Todd Hammes, Mike Truesdell and Paul Westfall at the show, which is part of the Milwaukee Experimental Music Exchange Session One series.
If you want a chance to meet and chat with Schmickler, Brenner is organizing a dinner for Thursday night. Contact him at Hotcakes for details.
Going to the show on Friday? Mention Milwaukee Artists Resource Network and get in free! If you don't want to mention MARN, bring $5.
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.
