It’s no exaggeration to say that Tony Memmel has single-handedly forged an increasingly improving catalog of affable folk ditties and wowed audiences throughout the Midwest and East Coast. You see, the Waukesha-based singer/guitarist was born without a left forearm or hand. Moreover, Memmel has labored relentlessly to become a classically trained musician and then, to expose his musical renderings to as many people as possible.
Using his infectiously upbeat personality and a guitar pick affixed to his left elbow with duct tape, Memmel has become something of a folk hero at open mics and acoustic shows in the greater Milwaukee area. He and his backing band have recorded three albums since 2008.
The latest of those albums, “Here We Go,” seems to tell the story of a songwriter who’s comfortable in his own skin, and who’s seeking to tell the world he’s ready for it to hear him. Memmel says as much on the album’s title track, bellowing, “Here I am, America” with a temporary touch of Counting Crows in his voice. In all, the album’s early songs seem rooted in up tempo tracks backed with lively drums, warbling piano keys and a steady diet of shouted “Hey!”s. Solid scaffolding as it is, the album’s outset – complete with lyrics like “Misery loves company” – doesn’t reinvent the wheel.
It isn’t until midway through the album when you not only begin to get an idea why Memmel is warning the world he’s come to play, but you also begin to believe it. Back-ended with catchy and well-thought number “The Vagrant” and the intricate picking and rhythm section trot of “Lord Knows We’ve Got Time,” the effort takes tardy shape, and the previously employed mush solidifies into something sturdy.
The especially folky “Control” finds Tony and his wife, Lesleigh, also married in a warm and altogether gorgeous hummed harmony reminiscent of Iron & Wine. “Sink or Swim,” the last song on the album, brings about a continued honeymoon of the melded octaves in addition to perhaps the best recorded insight to Memmel’s keen musicianship and lyrical ability with the album’s last line, “Love is like the water – beautiful when calm. All is well when waves are lapping, sink or swim when rough.”
In all, “Here We Go” is a fittingly titled indication that Tony Memmel & his band are on the right track to reaching many more ears in myriad new places. And when that happens, it will have nothing to do with Tony Memmel’s missing hand, rather, the rich and beautiful compositions he’s managed in spite of it.
Tony Memmel & his band will play a release show for “Here We Go” at Bremen Café (901 E. Clarke St.) Friday, Oct. 29.
