Singer, guitarist, songwriter John Sieger is a god among Milwaukee musicians. He may not have the swagger of a Sammy Llanas or the wardrobe of The Gufs, but he's been pounding the stages in Milwaukee -- and far beyond -- for a few decades now and there haven't been many songwriters than can keep up with him.

From The R&B Cadets, who reunited for some gigs last summer, to Semi-Twang -- signed to a major label 20 years ago -- to his more recent projects, Sieger has fueled them all with his smart, funny and groove-driven songs firmly rooted in American music traditions.

Sieger is currently working on a number of projects, including a regular gig at the Bombay Bicycle Club in Brookfield, to which he brings not only his guitar but also some well-heeled friends like Robbie Fulks and former R&B Cadets compatriot Robyn Pluer.

Sieger took time out of his schedule to chat with us about his career and what he's up to.

OMC: You've been a part of the Milwaukee music scene for a long time now. How did you get your start?

JS: I'd done original and cover material in Kenosha and played the Chicago bar band scene. Neither approach was getting me anywhere. I had recently been writing with Michael Feldman and really sowing my artistic oats. What I mainly wanted to do was a band where the pressure to please morons in seedy saloons near steel mills wouldn't be a factor. So R&B, which I loved, seemed a natural. (Drummer) Cy Costabile had been in most of my bands all my life and my brother (bassitst) Mike, who sings just like me -- or me like him -- were up for it. The magic ingredient was Robyn Pluer, introduced to us by our other guitar player of the time, Richard Fitzgerald, who had seen her in Racine.

OMC: Did you have any early influences in the Milwaukee music scene...a mentor, if you will?

JS: Robyn introduced us to Paul Cebar, and he introduced us to Milwaukee in essence. Paul was a fountain of knowledge in the field we were entering and knew his way around not only Milwaukee, but Minneapolis, too. You have to remember that all my bands worked out of Kenosha and the thought of Milwaukee at the time was quite daunting!

OMC: The band was unusual in that you had three personalities up front and although the band performed mostly covers, the high points were usually your original songs. Was there a bit of a push and pull between the cover songs and the originals?

JS: There's always a little push and pull. We were younger and didn't always handle it well. At the same time it could be described as creative friction. To this day, that band stands as one of my proudest moments and, if yesterday were tomorrow, I think we could take it much farther.

OMC: As the Cadets wound down, you fired up Semi Twang, which became another Brew City superband with Mike Hoffmann and Jason Klagstad and others. Did you put the band together as a vehicle for your songs or was it more spontaneous? A bunch of great musicians just getting together?

JS: Part of the frustration I felt at the time was due to the sheer number of songs I was writing and not playing. The other factor was not feeling right about doing anything remotely country in the R&B Cadets. Originally Semi-Twang was going to be a side project, a way to release a little musical tension, along the lines of Paul and Robyn's group the Milwaukeeans.

OMC: Semi Twang did well, getting signed by Warner Brothers and recording out in L.A. with Chris Thomas. What was the experience like? I assume it wasn't all smiles and laughter. Did you learn a lot about the business from that experience?

JS: Don't ever spend a quarter of a million making a record until you read the book on the music biz. It was a rare opportunity and won't come round again. I'm ok with that but I wish I could spread that inflated budget out over the 10 or 20 great records I could make with it. I had my ego stroked and my heart broke and, to the degree that all experiences are usable, I'm making the best of it.