Word has arrived of the passing of The Esquires' Alvis Moorer.

Moorer, who was a member of the seminal Milwaukee soul group, which scored big in 1967 with "Get On Up," was in the group with his sister Betty and brothers Gilbert, who died in 2008, and Perry, who passed away in 1996.

Alvis Moorer died on Aug. 21. A funeral was held this morning at Christian Faith Fellowship Church, 8633 W. Good Hope Rd.

The group formed at North Division High School in the late 1950s, but it wasn't until The Esquires relocated to Chicago in the mid-'60s that they found success, scoring with their Bunky Records' debut, "Get On Up," which peaked at No., 11 on the singles chart.

A few more minor hits followed and the group charted again in 1976 with a remake of its first hit, re-titled, "Get On Up '76."

There is an overview of the history of The Esquires – which also included Sam Pace, Harvey Scales, Shawn Taylor and others during its life-span – here.

 

I'm a loyalist when it comes to wine and barbera is my lady. I have flings with other wines that are harder to find on a regular basis, and I have one-night affairs with the likes of grenache, syrah, pinor noir and others. Barbera and I keep coming back to each other.

When my friend Pat Mangan, who works for Moet Hennessy invited me to Bacchus last night to try three wines made by Manuel Louzada at Moet's Bodega Numanthia winery in the Toro region of Spain, I figured I might learn a little something.

First, I learned that the three Numanthia wines we tasted – 2008 "Termes," 2007 "Numanthia" and 2007 "Termanthia" – are absolutely stellar wines.

But they are no secret to folks in the know. Numanthia's wines have, over the years, garnered ratings on 98 and 100. Yes, 100.

Louzada, a native of Portugal who lives in Spain, grew up in wine, learning winemaking from his grandfather beginning at age 5. He's worked at the family winery (Messias) in Portugal, in Argentina's Mendoza region and in Spain.

When he landed in Toro, he realized that the wines there were extremely distinctive and bold and so heavily tannic that while locals adored them, outsiders had trouble falling in love.

"You have to know up here," Louzada said, pointing to his head, "what you want the wine to taste like in the bottle and you have to work to make it happen."

These, he said, are not wines that come easily; the grapes will not do the work themselves.

But, for those of us on the business end of the cork, it's worth it.

The top of the breed is the regally purple Termanthia, aged 20 months in oak, which will set you back about $200 a bottle. Made from 100 percent Tinta de Toro grapes from ungrafted 120-140-year-old vines, Termanthia is balanced with a fruity embrace and cherry and vanilla notes.

It most certainly owes at least a portion of its complexity and elegance to those vines that date to before phylloxera devastated Europe's vineyards more than a century ago.

Interestingly, the gr…

Milwaukee Fire Dept. Engine 34 / MED 13 hosts its annual back to school block party on Saturday, Aug. 27, to help distribute school supplies to needy kids in the community and to help welcome neighbors into the firehouse, located at 6205 W. Burleigh St.

The event, at my local firehouse, runs from noon until 4 p.m. and visitors can enjoy free food, music, games and tours of the fire station and its apparatus. Kids will get free school supplies donated by local businesses and residents.

Firefighters will distribute safety information and recruiters from Milwaukee Police Dept. recruiters and the Milwaukee Fire Department Explorer Post 875 will be on hand to talk about career opportunities.

I've met these folks in emergency and non-emergency situations – like when they spray water on us every 4th of July at Enderis Park! – and I plan on going over just to say thank you (though they might be able to talk me into a burger or a brat off the grill, too)!

As I've talked to national bands and musicians of all stripes, I've rarely missed the opportunity to ask about Milwaukee. And I feel like more than ever, the responses have been surprising lately.

Previous years of asking have led me to think that many of them spend so much time on the road that a lot of cities, including ours, sometimes get lost in the shuffle as memories of images experienced through tour bus windows blur into one amorphous mass.

Apparently, that's changing.

For example, when I asked Sarah Bareilles about her then-upcoming visit to perform at Summerfest, she turned out to be a big Alterra fan.

"I have a fantastic track record with Milwaukee as a city and a place to play," she told me. "It's one of my favorites. We have started tours there at the legendary and incredible Pabst Theater, and we've wandered all over the place from there.

"The people are warm, generous and are real music lovers, and as we explore different neighborhoods I feel like we keep finding amazing new things about Milwaukee. It has a little bit of everything. Not to mention one of my favorite coffee roasters in the world: Alterra."

Last week, Will Sheff, of Okkervil River – which plays here next month – told me he has a Milwaukee connection. Seth Warren-Crow, Okkervil River's first drummer, lives here.

"It's always wonderful to see him when I come to Milwaukee," Sheff said.

On Friday, I asked Adam Granduciel and Dave Hartley of The War on Drugs, who play at Club Garibaldi on Saturday, about Cream City and although the former has never been here, he's excited to visit because his sister lives here.

Hartley, meanwhile, has been here with other bands, and has a story to tell about that.

So, remember Milwaukee, the world's rock and rollers are paying attention when they're here. Be kind.