Photo: Robin Pluer - Facebook
Robin Pluer
Robin Pluer
“Every once in a while, I sing something that makes shivers go down people’s spines. It feels magical.” -Robin Pluer
When the cosmic tumblers click into place, anything can happen, and in 1979 it did. Folk singer Robin Pluer met John and Mike Sieger at a Starboys band gig and loved what they were doing. Pluer approached John and proposed they start a new band. “I already had the word ‘cadets’ in my mind”, Pluer said during a recent interview. “As a kid in school I remember these people in their cool uniforms, roaming the halls and looking like they knew what they were doing. That’s how we became the Rhythm and Blues Cadets.”
The Cadets, initially fronted by Pluer and Sieger, were later joined by Paul Cebar, a celebrated local musician with his own group. They quickly found popularity as a dance band with rhythm and blues, jazz, and be-bop covers in addition to performing their own compositions. “I know people who met on the dance floor at one of our shows and got married,” Pluer said. “Now they’ve got grandchildren and everything, but they love coming to see us just to relive the old days for a while.”
The Cadets came apart in the mid-1980s as each of the three principals pursued solo careers. Pluer expanded her repertoire and performed at venue such as Bastille Days. Sieger’s band, Semi-Twang, signed a contract with Warner Brothers Records, and Cebar took The Milwaukeeans to the next level.
In 2015 the R & B Cadets reunited for occasional performances, albeit on a much more relaxed schedule, and never stopped. The band will appear at Shank Hall for two nights on Friday Nov 25 and Saturday Nov 26. Robin Pluer spoke with the Shepherd Express in advance of the shows, offering insight into how the Cadet members found each other during Milwaukee’s energetic music scene.
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What’s it been like, bringing the group back together?
It’s complicated sometimes, but we all love and respect each other. I love John’s voice, and Paul’s got everything. We’re like a family. Thank God we’re all still alive (laughs). Our dear friend Mike Hoffmann passed away about a year ago, and I’m still heartbroken. It’s a shame not to have musicians like him around us anymore. What’s so wonderful about our reunions is that even though we haven’t rehearsed or played together for a while, it just comes back to us so naturally. Songs that we’ve played forever somehow come out sounding fresh and new.
Even more gratifying, the fans still come out.
That’s a big part of what I love about getting back together. It’s a reunion of the audience as well, a community that comes back in touch with each other. Old friends that haven’t seen each other in a while can enjoy rekindling those friendships.
Are you the reincarnation of Edith Piaf?
(laughs) You know, that’s funny because I studied French in school, and as a student, I went to live with a wonderful couple in France. I didn’t make the connection between my love of that culture and my singing until John Ertl, the booker for Bastille Days, asked if I could sing French songs at the festival. I locked myself in the pantry for a month and learned Piaf’s entire body of work. As I performed those songs, I felt something wonderful channel through me. I wear colorful costumes and hats while Piaf wore a simple black dress. But she came from the streets and was very poor. She had a great deal of charm, however and that’s what put her over. I also branched out into the American songbook and even translated some familiar ones into French.
Would have been successful on a show like ‘American Idol’?
Umm, yeah, I’m a humble person, but yeah, I think so. Twenty years ago, they had some older contestants, so I probably could have fit in. But really, age shouldn’t matter if you have the vocal power and the magic. It all comes down to picking the songs that work for you. That show had some great singers on the show who didn’t do well because the songs weren’t right for them. I likely would have failed if I didn’t have input into the songs I would have been performing.
What was it like when the Cadets caught on?
The live music scene was crazy in those days (laughs). People wanted to go out to dance clubs and experience the bands in person. I still have all my calendars and when I look back on them, I can’t believe how busy we were! Monday at Hooligan’s, Tuesday at Duck Duck Goose in Green Bay, Wednesday at Teddy’s, Thursday at Papagaio’s, Friday at Harpo’s. I made a lot of money working like that. I saved $13,000, which is not much now, but back then that was a lot of money.
Where did you hang out?
Coffee Trader was a great place to meet and talk, and so was Webster’s Bookstore. We usually played from 10 p.m. until 3 or 3:30 in the morning, so we’d eat a lot at Ma Fischer’s because it was open all night. Sometimes we’d go to El Matador but eating Mexican food in the middle of the night wasn’t always such a good idea!
When did discover you singing voice?
When I was a kid. I was in the high school choir, and my brother, who’s 13 years older than me, played all the great 60s and 70s songs. I was lucky to be around all that great music. I began singing folk songs then, and when I was 17, my dad got me an audition with a band called Nite Fever (laughs). I did “Blue Bayou” for them because I’m such a Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt fan. That’s when I really knew I could sing.
