{image1}Milwaukee bands are popping up all over the place these days. And you're more likely to meet some of them online or in a magazine than at a local club. That's the case with Temper Temper, who after releasing its self-titled debut this week on California's Revelation Records, will spend more time on the road than at home.
Straddling '70s glam, '80s new wave and contemporary modern rock and name-checking everyone from Led Zeppelin to A Certain Ratio to Public Image Ltd., Temper Temper has forged a unique sound from shreds of rock and roll's greatest moments on a disc produced by Detroit legend Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Electric Six, The Von Bondies).
The band -- singer Pat Fuller, guitarist/keyboardist T. Jay Christensen, guitarist James Neumeyer, bassist Andrew Menchal and drummer Keith Stendler -- will be home to celebrate the release of the disc with a pair of gigs at the Mad Planet, and we caught up with Menschal before they begin a break-neck touring schedule.
OMC: What was recording with Jim Diamond like?
AM: Recording with Jim was great. We decided to go with him because we liked the fact that he records everything to analog tape and we liked his past work with The Mistreaters, The Sights and The Dirtbombs. He has all of this really old equipment laying around, so it gave us the chance to experiment and get a lot of different tones on the record. We all got along really well which was great considering we went into this without knowing each other. We just sent him a demo and said we wanted to record with him and he was down with it.
OMC: The diverse sounds on the record will have music critics and fans everywhere trying to define Temper Temper. How does the band define its sound when asked?
AM: We don't really try to define our sound with words. We'd like to think that we are up for trying anything, so our sound is still being defined as we go on. We think our songs have progressed into more of a cohesive sound. When we started this band we just wanted to be a rock band and everyone brought different influences to the table. The songs we write are the songs we write. I guess we'd just rather let people define us. Was that vague enough for you?
OMC: Perfect, thanks. It seems like the scene here is getting more notice than ever. What's your take on what's going on in Milwaukee music these days?
AM: There always has been a lot going on with music in Milwaukee, it just seems that now bands are doing more to get attention on the national level through touring and other outlets. Milwaukee is really great at supporting their bands and it seems like the bands here are really into helping each other out. We wouldn't be able to exist if it wasn't for the help we have gotten from other bands.
It is also really refreshing that you can go to a show here and the lineup will consist of bands that do not necessarily sound like each other. If you can do that and still have a responsive audience it can make for a really great show. It also seems that Milwaukee bands tend to be very modest and work really hard which is great.
OMC: The record sounds great, it looks great and it seems like the label is really behind it. Are bands discovering that a major label isn't necessarily the place to be these days?
AM: Thanks! We are very fortunate to be on a label that we are happy to work with and is behind us. Bands have been working on the independent level for years now, so we are hardly an exception. A lot of bands have achieved success just through word of mouth and constant touring. Those are the bands that we tend to respect and appreciate more. Major labels have their place, but they have nothing to do with us and we plan to keep things as simple as possible.
OMC: What happens when the disc is released, will you tour? What's on the books for the band in the next few months?
AM: Basically, we are going to tour, tour, tour! We played the South by Southwest festival two weeks before the record comes out. We are going on tour with (labelmates) Pitch Black for a month starting on April 20 ... hitting the East Coast, Midwest and the South. Then in July we are heading out to the West Coast for a month. We are also doing some weekend dates in the Midwest in between. We plan to work on the new record while we are home during this time, as well. I guess we are just going to continue to do what bands do -- play shows, write songs, get into trouble, etc. -- and what we love to do.
Temper Temper celebrates its disc with a CD release show Saturday, March 26 at the Mad Planet, with a 5 p.m. all-ages show (with Since By Man, Paris, TX and Red Knife Lottery) and a 21 and up show (with Wolfbite and Minus After) at 10 p.m.
Temper Temper's Web site is tempertemper.net.
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.
