Lofty music series taking a vaction

By Blaine Schultz

To anyone who has seen Deone Jahnke’s photography, it is easy to connect the dots to her appreciation for music. She has shot many Milwaukee artists, Nashville cats and her work appeared in No Depression magazine. Last year Milwaukee filmmaker Heidi Spencer shot a documentary on Jahnke. 

 What folks might not know is that for the past few years Jahnke has been presenting live music in her loft. On a semi-regular basis she has opened her loft and turned it into one of the best listening rooms in town. Mining her connections and unfailing good taste, she has presented Walter Egan, Joy Lynn White, Phil Lee, John Sieger and Shawn Camp, among many others. Clips from Gurf Morlix’ stunning show were posted on YouTube.

Jahnke has announced her Rock the Loft series will go on hiatus soon. Upcoming shows include Nov. 9, Sunday afternoon Deone Jahnke, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper in a music-journalism-photography event at Schwartz Books on Downer Avenue, 4 p.m. and Sunday early-evening show: Eric Brace & Peter Cooper at the Loft, 7:30 p.m. and  Nov. 22, Arthur Godfrey. deonejahnke.com

Recently Tom Vollman took a break from his regular gig with Moonshine Sway to record a solo project The Betty Violet.  Vollman trusts his sturdy tunes enough to wrap them in a haze that at times melts into a hallucinogenic dream. The sustaining E-bowed guitars and skeletal drums (courtesy Sway’s Ted Fleming) blur into the soundtrack for one long road trip – which makes perfect sense considering the miles Vollman has put on for gigs. Think of the songs as a series of postcards .

Moonshine Sway often gets saddled with the Americana tag, but with The Betty Violet Vollman ventures off the beaten path. Not unlike fellow traveler Richard Buckner, Vollman’s cycle of tunes might be best played as an endless loop with the listener invited to drop in and out at will. Vollman and his collaborators have crafted a provoking album that deserves to be heard. With a new Moonshine Sway album on the horizon, Vollman and company stand a chance for some serious recognition. myspace.com/tomvollman  

Some people were simply born to play hollow body guitars. Bobby Rivera is one of them. The Del Ripleys, his newest incarnation has released the cd Leisurama!

If you are looking for treble you’ve come to the right place. Rivera’s chicken picking, serious twang and Bigsby bends might recall the 1950s, but his pin-striped Gretsch is equally at home with inspired takes on hot rod and surf tunes. While his playing is always tasteful, Rivera is just an inch away from gunning it down a gravel road. Drummer Brian Kreuziger and upright bassist Jim Billmeier form a rhythm section that lays it down solid, but are not afraid to swing. The not-so secret weapon may be Pauline York’s sassy, earthy vocals. She raves on “Lovin’ Up a Storm,” conjures Kansas wheat fields on “Yellow Moon,” croons on “Too Busy” and struts through the glass darkly “Antidote,” featuring Kurt Baumer’s jazzy violin.

The Del Ripley’s blend of country, jazz, swing, rockabilly and surf tunes comes off as deceptively simple. Where other bands are satisfied with showboating solos over generic twelve-bar blues, these folks dig into the shadows and illuminate a mix of originals and covers, vocals and instrumentals. bobbyriveramusic.com