Brother Louie
Brother Louie formed in early 2005 and debuted in June of that year. At a series of shows, including A Taste of Summer, Summerfest, The Bay View Bash, The Brady St. Festival and The Northern Lights Theatre, the band established itself as a band to watch on the Milwaukee music scene. Capable of playing a wide range of styles, the band covers everyone from The Band to Mott the Hoople. While largely known as a 70’s and 80's cover band, Brother Louie has slowly developed a sound all its own. Incorporating elements of British invasion pop, psychedelia, and glam into a timeless post-punk sound, Brother Louie is about to take a major step forward with the release of back-to-back singles this summer. The first, Delicate Flower, is a soulful ballad co-written by vocalist Louie Lucchesi and guitarist Howard Ellis. The second, Pop Pop Baby, is the brainchild of Louie and is a rocking slice of American pop culture. Rapid-fire lyrics skewer some of the world's most famous and notorious names. With tongue firmly in cheek, Brother Louie’s Pop! Pop! Baby! already has people talking.
Lead vocalist Louie Lucchesi has been described as a cross between Lou Reed and Lou Rawls. Louie is a gritty singer with a love for strong melodies.
Lead guitarist Howard Ellis played throughout the '90s and into the new millennium with Womens' Liberace and The Vainglorious.
Drummer Chris Lehmann, also a Women’s Liberace alumni, adds powerful harmonies while keeping the beat.
Bassist Johnny Washday is known for having played everything from the Crusties and Sacred Order to The Greatst Hits and Johnny on Washday. From punk rock to western swing.
For more info you can reach us by phone at 414-839-9155 or 414-333-7732 .
Louie Lucchesi - Lead vocals
Louie Lucchesi is a singer/photo-artist living in Milwaukee, WI. After working exclusively in photography for a number of years, the release of Second Hand Smoke (SHS) marks his long awaited return to music.
After high school Louie moved to NYC to pursue art and music. In 1980, armed with a borrowed camera, Louie set out to document the amazing visual wonderland of NYC street-art. While the graffiti scene was exploding and artists like Keith Haring were becoming sensations, Louie focused on street-posters and spent five years working on the POST NO BILLS series of photographs. Some of these pictures began to appear in various group shows around NYC, primarily in the EAST VILLAGE. Combining his love of photography and music, Louie began working in concert photography as well and was soon published in both SPIN magazine and The New York Times. During this period Louie studied photography at the School of Visual Arts as well as working at Horner Photo, a legendary architectural photography studio in Manhattan.
With music his first love, and with his band Blue and Red, he started to perform at some of the worlds most famous and notorious clubs including CBGB's, Tramps and The Bitter End. He also co-authored seminal alt-country legend Kristi Rose's anthem Let's Make History.
Louie returned to Milwaukee in 1990 and along with Rich Thomas, guitarist for NYC underground legends FLOORKISS, immediately formed the group CRIME FAMILY, releasing one critically acclaimed recording RUNNING IN THE RAIN.
With the breakup of CF and the illness of his mother Louie once again picked up his camera and dove into the world of photo-art. Documenting the house he grew up in through a series of unadulterated snapshots entitled 'PHOTOGRAPHS FROM HOME' he achieved his greatest success yet in his photo career when two of these photos were entered into the permanent collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Louie continues to work on a number of series of photos.
SECOND HAND SMOKE is a transitional record for Louie. While still a rock record, it marks a move from the grittier street-rock of Crime Family to a more pop/interpretive direction with its focus clearly on vocals. It's for this reason that Louie decided to record seven songs by other artists. He wanted songs that not only challenged him vocally but that suited his voice perfectly. Once described as 'a cross between Lou Reed and Lou Rawls' Louie's roots are clearly in the 70's. Showing a wide range of musical tastes he covers such diverse artists as 'Jeff Buckley, Jimmy Gnecco (Ours) and Nil Lara' to 'Todd Rundgren and Roxy Music'. Louie performs around Wisconsin with his band 'Brother Louie'.