December 7, 2019

Two Old-School Wisconsin Punk Bands Team Up to Raise Awareness and Funds for Planned Parenthood Advocates of WI and Memorialize Legendary Milwaukee Musician Richard LaValliere.

Milwaukee’s “loud and dirty grrrl band” The Six Wives of Richard (6WOR) makes its triumphant return to the stage after a two-year hiatus—accompanied by the notorious Appleton-originated (in 1982) punk-pop quartet The Daves—to support Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) and pay homage to Milwaukee’s late musical genius Richard LaValliere.

Linnemann’s Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust St., 53212, will host the loud ‘n’ proud band bash starting at 9pm. All proceeds from the $10 donation-admission go to PPAWI to help elect pro-women’s-health candidates in 2020.

LaValliere, who passed away just under seven years ago, has close ties to Veechka Star (Vicki Just LaValliere) and Connie Mielke 6WOR’s drummer and bassist, as well as having been a mentor to, friend of and collaborator with The Daves’ bassist/backup-singer/songwriter Paul McComas (band name “Paul Velcro”). Yet, says McComas, “Richard’s influence—and that of perhaps his best band, the Oil Tasters—can be heard, seen and felt in countless bands and musicians, both famous and not-so, who came of age in the early- to mid-1980s—the glory years of Milwaukee punk-rock, new wave, revival-rockabilly and neopsychedelia.”

Among the bands storming Milwaukee at that time were Red Ball Jets, The Curves, The Prosecutors, and The Hunted—members of which came together to form 6WOR. Veechka played in The Prosecutors (featuring Kevn Kinney of Drivin’ and Cryin’) as well as in The Curves with 6WOR bassist Connie, who recorded and traveled with The Hunted (opening for Plasmatics’ Wendy O. Williams). Kari Lueneberg, known as “Molli Putz” while co-fronting the wave-a-billy Red Ball Jets and other bands in the early ’80s, is the guitarist for 6WOR and the bassist for Silk Torpedo, Milwaukee’s noted ’70s proto-punk glam band (founded by original Exotics guitarist Doug Chasteen).

6WOR haven’t performed publicly in nearly two years due to the injury and—thank Richard!—full recovery of one of their members.

The Daves—Milwaukee drummer Tim Buckingham, Madison vocalist Kim Hah, Minneapolis guitarist Chris Murray and transplanted (to Evanston, IL) Milwaukee native McComas—periodically converge on Cream City to rehearse songs like their LaValliere-influenced “(You Killed My) Goldfish” in Buckingham Palace, aka Tim’s home on North Murray Ave. “At our debut gig, on Halloween 1982,” McComas wistfully recalls, “we held a slamdance contest. First prize was a dead pigeon in a plastic bag. Second prize was a Rush tape.” He and Buckingham comprised the rhythm section for Taste Oilers, the Oil Tasters tribute band that honored LaValliere while raising funds and awareness for animal rescue (a Richard-beloved cause) at Milwaukee’s Shank Hall in 2013 and Otto’s Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge Manhattan in 2014.

The two-band mutual-admiration society will culminate, says McComas, in “a once-in-a-lifetime tag-team night of loud-fast-and-raucous, yet also catchy and hella-danceable, tunesmithery. Don’t miss this sh__!”

Show at 9pm, doors open at 8pm!