In the 1970s new wave and punk rock music from bands like the New York Dolls, Television, Blondie, Iggy Pop and the Ramones came west to Milwaukee. One of the first disciples of pop music’s new direction was Jerome Brish, a teenager from Cudahy. His life was unstable in the formative years, and he never knew his father. His mother came and went, leaving Brish to be raised by his maternal grandmother. He left home at age 16 and came to Milwaukee, determined to become a professional musician.
He formed Marilyn, a glam rock band that later became In a Hot Coma. That group included drummer Guy Hoffman, vocalist and bassist Richard LaValliere and his brother, guitarist Gerald LaValliere. Vocalist Jill Kossoris left In a Hot Coma at age 16 to form The Shivvers, a power pop with songs inspired by The Raspberries and Bryan Ferry. Brish (who eventually called himself Presley Haskel) also started a new band with Hoffman and the LaValliere brothers called The Haskels. More than a dozen bands were already writing new wave and punk rock songs. Within a year The Haskels were popular at East Side music venues such as Damien Zak’s nightclub at Humboldt and North Avenues. They were a high energy band that delivered great music while not taking themselves too seriously.
“We don’t just sing about being good boys. We are,” said Brish. “I go out of my way to help old people across the street.”…