Photo Credit: Semi-Twang
Milwaukee’s Semi-Twang began as an offshoot of the R&B Cadets, garnering prestigious opening slots for the likes of Emmylou Harris. The band signed with Warner Bros. and released the album Salty Tears in 1988. Recorded in Los Angeles with three producers (Chris Thomas, Mitchell Froom and Jerry Harrison), Semi-Twang front man John Sieger has since said he could record a handful of albums with that debut’s budget.
Eventually, Sieger got his wish. Though Semi-Twang disbanded in 1991, they reunited in 2009 to play Shank Hall’s 20th anniversary. That gig sparked a second act that includes three albums and counting.
Semi-Twang plays the 30th anniversary of Shank Hall with opening act Loey Norquist on Saturday, Nov. 23. As Loey Nelson, Norquist recorded demos with Semi-Twang that led to her 1990 album for Warner Bros., Venus Kissed the Moon.
Rock is a young person’s game, and 30 years in the music business is a very long time. Previously a rock club (Teddy’s) and a comedy club (The Funny Bone), Peter Jest’s Shank Hall (the name is a reference to the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap) has found a way to make it work. His 300-seat music venue does one thing and does it well: music.
In anticipation of the show, Semi-Twang’s Mike Hoffmann (guitar); Bob Jennings (keyboard-saxophone), Bob Schneider (drums); John Sieger (vocals-guitar) and his brother Mike Sieger (bass-vocals) all chimed in on questions regarding the band’s time machine of a career. (Original guitarist Mike Judy was replaced by Jason Klagstad, who played in early versions of both chapters of the band.)
Schneider recalls “feelings of excitement to be doing all original material. After the first few demos, hopes of national interest grew,” as the first incarnation of Semi-Twang took off. “I’ve worked with the Sieger brothers since seeing the R&B Cadets back in 1980,” says Jennings. “When John talked about forming another group to concentrate on his writing, I was totally on board because his songs were uniquely poignant and funny, and the style appealed to my musical sensibilities—R&B, soul, country.”
According to Mike Sieger, the transition from simply recording demos to a full-fledged band with serious label interest was so quick that it was hard to keep up with the speed at which it happened. “John and I had been playing music together for 20 years or so at that point and reconciling how long it had taken and how fast it went when it happened made it all the more exciting.” he says.
While in Los Angeles recording Salty Tears, Jennings suffered food poisoning during a dinner with producer Chris Thomas (whose credits include work with the Beatles, Sex Pistols and Pink Floyd). John Sieger heard that John Fogerty liked the album. Mike Sieger recalls the sojourn as “the bulk of our days in California were spent in dark rehearsal rooms or recording studios.” So much for swimming pools and movie stars.
By the time Semi-Twang disbanded no one knew what the future would hold. Maybe they didn’t realize it at the time, but these guys are lifers. They found work. Hoffmann played with Loey Nelson’s Carnival Strippers, The Carolinas, melaniejane and The Delta Routine in various capacities. (Like Semi-Twang, his bands Yipes! and E*I*E*I*O* would also reunite.)
Jennings joined Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans (Tomorrow Sound) and Blue in the Face. Bassist Sieger played behind road-dog Pat McCurdy. John Sieger moved to Nashville, making a number of valuable songwriting connections. When he returned to Milwaukee, he played with El Supremo and The Subcontinentals. The only sensible decision was made by Schneider. Focusing on lawn bowling, in 2008 he won the China Open GOLD International medal for Team USA.
“The band came apart slowly, losing one member, then another, until gigs were becoming so rare that we all headed in different directions,” Mike Sieger explains. “John eventually moved to Nashville, and that was the end of it. I considered going to Austin but was working and enjoying my day job in my cabinet shop and was playing a lot and never made the move.”
John Sieger admits he had stars in his eyes when the band grasped the brass ring. The reality and the wreckage were rough. He wasn’t able to think about the remote possibility of the band playing together.
“There were moments when I didn’t know if I’d be together. A month after the record came out my older sister died suddenly. Six months later I got married. All of this was going on as the lines of communication with the record company were going quiet,” he says. “It was a complicated year. I was barely able to process, let alone think about the future. I knew I loved the band and the chemistry we had, but it was a challenge for a mood-disordered guy.”
When Jest approached Klagstad and Hoffmann with the possibility of Semi-Twang playing the club’s 20th anniversary, the wheels were set in motion. Jennings was “excited to get back on the Semi-Twang horse. And I’m very proud of the recordings we’ve done since then.” Schneider’s initial reaction to playing together again was “sheer joy. These guys are family. It’s pure joy when we play our music.”
Mike Sieger said he was interested but thought nobody else would want to re-form the band for one performance. “I was wrong about that,” he says. The first rehearsal removed any indifference he may have had. “It was really magical, and we were all amazed at how great it sounded. I don't think anyone expected that.”
His brother echoes his sentiments, in one word. “Surprise,” John says, “we had stayed in touch and I still worked with Mike, but I wasn’t sure anyone would do it. That gig was an eye opener, after 20 years of doing other things it was unbelievably familiar and easy to do those songs again. That told us we needed to get in the studio again. We’ve done three very nice records since then and are planning a fourth for next year.”
Having spent the better portion of their adult lives together plying a fickle (at best) trade, the members of Semi-Twang can take a realistic check on the musical landscape.
Jennings, who has had to replace stolen gear several times, takes a balanced view. “The current musical landscape is tough. Streaming has taken any profit out of doing a recording. Recordings serve as promotional tools for the most part,” he says. “On the bright side, you do have the ability to reach a larger audience. Touring to make money is difficult—we’re not in our 20s anymore. The joy is in the recording studio and on the stage. I still love working with all of these guys.”
Schneider is blunt, “One, recording is totally different; two, fewer clubs to play; three, as we get older the older crowd doesn’t come out as often,” he says.
Over the years, getting to know John Sieger a bit, at the end of every conversation he always realizes the glass is half full. “I think we’re the same on a chemical level,” he says. “The thing that inspired me back then is still there. Of course, everybody is more seasoned, so I know if I bring them a song, they’ll kill it. That’s a feeling that’s hard to explain, it makes me feel kind of tingly! This is a band a lot of people thought should’ve made it further and the little chip that gave us is still on our shoulder. We’re kind of like Aaron Rodgers—we feel like we have something to prove every time we play.”
While Semi-Twang has become the unofficial anniversary band of Shank Hall, Java is cited as the club’s first band on Nov. 3, 1989. Sources cite Women’s Liberace as the opening band for a VIP-only night as well as the public unveiling of the club. Also, Arms, Legs and Feet tested out the house system for a Marquette TV spot. Semi-Twang played the club’s opening weekend.
Semi-Twang Discography:
Salty Tears (1988)
Wages of Sin (2011)
The Why and the What For (2013)
Kenosha (2018)
Quiver (1993) was written as the debut’s follow up but eventually released under John Sieger’s name. “I had plenty more songs so when the seven-record contract contracted to one, I was kinda crushed and laid on the floor for three weeks sucking my thumb,” he says.
