Feb-YOU-ary rocks

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast, woxy.com

Don’t come at me for not pronouncing the “r” in “February.” Nobody pronounces the “r.” Other than insufferable snobs.

February is more of a “Meat Diamond” month. Even for vegheads like me!

Don’t pronounce the “r” – unless it’s in “rock!” Let’s see what’s rockin’ the Tri-State in the alleged shortest month.

Actually, because this might get to your eyeballs while Jam-uary is still winding down, just a quick reminder that the triple bill of Sharp Pins, Good Flying Birds, and Artificial Go is at the Woodward on Friday night. I’ll be there! And if JAM-uary is more your jam, Umphrey’s McGee plays the Greg Brady.

Oh, and the extremely talented and gregarious T. Lipscomb plays Camp Springs Tavern on Friday, and South of Sin is there Saturday. And The Tillers, Maria Carrelli, and 2-22s are at Southgate on Saturday, and my son’s band The Collies play The Vault in Mt. Lookout that evening (8-11) too!

FebYOUary kicks off Sunday:

  • East Nash Grass with Andrew Hibbard at Southgate
  • Downtowne Listening Room has a matinee show (2:30 start) at the Historic Boone County Courthouse featuring Buffalo Rose with Bryce Mullins
  • Ricky Nye hits the Wiedemann’s Brewing stage early, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
  • Diana Krall plays the Aronoff
  • The Lovin’ Spoonful* plays Ludlow Garage

*Note that The Lovin’ Spoonful does NOT contain a full day’s supply of vitamins and minerals. Nor does it contain John Sebastian – he’s too busy welcoming back Mr. Kotter. And he has an excuse note from Epstein’s mother.

Monday is Groundhog Day.

If we pause for a moment to think about it, Bill Murray owes a lot of his career success to rodents.

Let’s focus on seabirds instead: Dean Johnson and Lily Seabird play the Southgate House on Wednesday. [Aren’t you glad I didn’t write “let’s focus on Johnsons instead”? (Get your mind out of the gutter! I am referring to Ray, of course…)]

Actually, let’s focus on another Johnson instead, like list member Rico does. He really likes the new album by Dean Johnson, so he’ll be at that show, which mean’s it’s an official RicoReco™.

Next Friday, February 6, is a busy night for gigs:

  • Magnolia Boulevard plays the Liberty Theater, with the Mama Said String Band opening
  • The Laurelys have an album release show in Southgate’s Revival Room, with Lydia Shae, Maria, etc., and Jim Trace & the Makers joining them on the bill.
  • Ward Davis plays Southgate’s main Sanctuary room

Shows on Saturday, February 7:

  • Dead Low Brewing hosts “Brews & Browse Sweetheart Market” (a hippie-leaning local artist craft fair) from 2-6 p.m. with The Rec playing Grateful Dead tunes. So you can tie one one and tie-dye one on!
  • Highly Likely hosts the Midwinter Meltdown (boy, we sure can use that!) at Stanley’s
  • Daniel Wayne and Matt Mooney play a free show in Southgate’s Lounge
  • Ben Levin Organ Trio plays Japp’s
  • The New Wave Orchestra* plays the Taft

*per the press release: this immersive concert event takes the most iconic New Wave tracks of the 1980s and transforms them with a vibrant orchestral sound, electrifying neon-lit staging and striking 80s-inspired costuming

(Or you could just re-watch John Hughes movies.)

Next Sunday, February 10, is Super Bowl Sunday.

Over the Rhine (the band, not the neighborhood) plays an “Infamous Love Songs” gig at the Mercantile Library on Tuesday, February 10. Tickets were expensive ($60) but the OTR faithful snapped them up, and it’s sold out.

Mike Dawes (Brit fingerstyle guitarist) plays Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys play Southgate on Thursday, Feb. 12, and Liberty Theater has a Songwriters in the Round free show featuring Tanner Dane and Mason Hutchinson.

Shows on Friday the 13th:

  • Memorial Hall has “On a Winter’s Night” featuring Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin
  • The Wombats play Bogart’s
  • Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) and John Cowsill (The Cowsills… and Beach Boys) play Ludlow Garage
  • Ben Levin Organ Trio feat. Candice Ivory at Caffè Vivace

Saturday, February 14th is Valentine’s Day. [This reminder brought to you by Esther Price Candies, Hallmark, FTD, and the National Restaurant Association.]

Let’s focus on another Johnson, like list member Rico does. Here’s a printable card you can use for your (current or future) sweetie:

VD shows:

  • Drink The Sea (featuring Peter Buck, Barrett Martin, Alain Johannes, and Duke Garwood) is at the Taft
  • David Lacey & Ten Pound Hammer with the Naomi Carman Trio at Liberty Theater
  • Joe’s Truck Stop plays their monthly Honky Tonk Dance at Southgate

Here’s some PR info about Drink The Sea: Expect an evening of original music from the supergroup’s two debut albums, along with classic songs from their former bands. The performance will also feature original films by award-winning filmmaker Tad Fettig, synchronized to the setlist.

(I didn’t know a band could have two debut albums… that’s impressive! Also, I think The Rock’s fanny pack is a Tad Fettig.)

The Descendents and Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls play the Jan Brady on Sunday, Feb. 15.

On Wednesday, February 18:

  • Kelsey Waldon & the Muleskinners and Gabe Lee play Southgate
  • Taft Theatre has The Rush Tribute Project, playing Moving Pictures plus “hits and deep cuts”

Your humble scribe’s first-ever concert was Rush at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas back in 1981, on the Moving Pictures tour. I had way more hair back then, and here’s the candid high school yearbook photo (replete with Rush concert t-shirt) to prove it:

(I’m giving Epstein’s hairdo a run for its money… )

On Thursday, Feb. 19:

  • esperanza spalding (apparently a fan of e e cummings) plays memorial hall Memorial Hall
  • There’s a James Taylor Tribute at The Redmoor in Mt. Lookout
  • Liberty Theater has The Eagles Project as part of their “Third Thursday Tribute Series”

(Oops, that’s a real Henley, not a bogus one!)

Friday, Feb. 20:

  • Ben de la Cour at Southgate
  • Badflower at Bogart’s (BYOC – Bring Your Own Claritin)

Saturday, Feb. 21:

  • Ricky Nye Inc. featuring Noah Wotherspoon at the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, IN
  • The New Usuals album release show, with Heavy Hinges, and The Spectacular Fantastic

OR, you can take your pick from a Tribute Band twin spin:

  • Cincinnati Transit Authority (tribute to Chicago) at Memorial Hall
  • Ludlow Garage has Classic Stones (either a tribute to Mick, Keef & the boys or a tribute to fossils… same difference, actually)

On Sunday, Feb. 22:

  • The Lone Bellow at the Taft Theatre
  • Adam & Ringo (of Mad Anthony) have a 40th Birthday Bash at Southgate House. It’s an early show (because they’re 40) and it features Mad Anthony plus pulled pork and sides! Music + food for $10. Such a deal!

Dave Hause & The Mermaid plus Two Cow Garage are at Southgate on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Guitarist Matteo Mancuso plays Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Thursday, Feb. 26:

  • The Low Gap show that was postponed due to Snowmageddon ’26 is at Southgate (for reals this time). Julia DiGrazia opens.
  • Liberty Theater has a Songwriters in the Round free show featuring Sarah Asher, Tay Bronson, and T. Lipscomb

Friday, February 27 is more like Februar-ME, because my faves Wussy are playing a full-band gig at The Woodward Theater, with Advance Base and Moontype as the openers.

That same evening, Nat Myers and Jay Skaggs are at Southgate.

FebYOUary wraps up on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a Downtowne Listening Room show at The Columbia in the East End (home of WEENsdays starting in March!):

If you’re unfamiliar with the Downtowne Listening Room process, you need to request an invite via this link, indicate the # of tix you want, and then you’ll be on the list. More info:

We ask $20 donations (cash) per attendee at door on show day. 100% goes to the artists. There will be free snacks, sweets and soft drinks. Plus free parking.

Other shows on 2/28:

  • Sylmar has a record release party at the Woodward
  • Joe Bonamassa plays the Taft
  • Nicholas Jamerson is at Southgate
  • Tasting Color plays Stanley’s
  • Roger Klug Power Trio and Frontier Folk Nebraska at MOTR
  • Laid Back Country Picker with Adam Wade Gilliam at Liberty Theater

Laid Back Country Picker is what I would look like now if I had stayed in Arkansas:

(That’s a party line telephone, just like the one we had when I was growing up in the sticks.)

February is the Billy Barty of calendar months.

So we may as well include Sunday, March 1 in our listings:

  • Snõõper plays the Woodward
  • The Wood Brothers are at the Taft (yes, we know, Wood Brothers at the Woodward wood make it funnier)
  • Memorial Hall has “All You Need is George” (Jam-band legends Jackie Greene, Steve Kimock, Pete Lavezzoli, Reed Mathis, Berry Duane Oakley, and Gil Assayas unite for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of George Harrison’s timeless legacy)

House concert early notice

Jason Narducy (Split Single, bassist for Bob Mould, touring bassist for Superchunk, soon to be touring with actor Michael Shannon and a crack band doing REM’s Lifes Rich Pageant album – I’ll be seeing that tour in Bloomington, IN on 3/16) will be playing my house on Thursday, May 14th. Mark your calendars now. Ticket info to come later. The gig was originally slated for Friday, May 15th, but I got “Pirner-ed”:

An ovation for the Ovation venue

The PromoWest indoor/outdoor spot in Newport (with the redonk name) is finally lining up some strong gigs:

We love it live!

Real Estate put on a strong show at The Woodward!

Art Imitates Life Imitating Art (or Jeff)

Check out this surreal scene down in Mexico:

The original Instagram post is here.

Brother, can you spare a dime… and another $1,499,999.90?

The O.G. Southgate House is up for sale. Let’s go not quite halfsies and buy it!

David + David (and this dumbass)

List member David Groff has an entire box of Alpha-Bits cereal after his name:

All those letters mean he’s good with crunching numbers. He created a mega-list of all the songs that ever appeared on a 97X Modern Rock 500 (other than the missing 1998 list – help us find it!) then joined our 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast to quiz Dave and me.

Suffice it to say that the Daves I know are a lot smarter about modern rock than I am.

And if you’d like to listen to all the 97X Modern Rock 500 songs in chronological order (by release date) from oldest to newest, check out the playlist Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. 

He fought the law and HE won

Ken Katkin is one cool kat. Not only because he hosts the always rockin’ Trash Flow Radio on WAIF-FM (Saturdays, 3-5 p.m.), but also because he did this:

Let that be a lesson for all of us. Don’t let the law-breaking goons get away with it!

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

It’s probably not Bernie. Bob maybe, but not Bernie.

If “quartet” is what they’re going for, I’d say five is more than enough.

These fine folks are struggling with basic math too, but we’ll grade them on a curve because they used a sweet font that conjures up memories of Evel Knievel’s jumpsuit.

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: The Ultimate Modern Rock 500 Quiz (and how to fail it)

97X, Music, podcast, woxy.com

97X superfan (and self-professed “data nerd”) David Groff crunched the numbers on all* the Modern Rock 500s from 1989-2009 and in this episode, he quizzes Dave and Damian about it.

How many different songs were #1? What band had the most different songs on the MR500 through the years? How many songs made the countdown every single year? How can Damian be so dense? Find all the answers –and a listener quiz too — in this episode:

*the list for 1998 is missing – please help us find it! 

David’s year-by-year Modern Rock 500 uber-list ( a true labor of love) is here.

And if you’d like to listen to the songs in chronological order (by release date) from oldest to newest, check out the playlist Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. 

Do you know the answer to the listener trivia question in the podcast? Email 97Xwoxy@gmail.com with your answer, and all correct entries will be entered into a drawing for… some sort of prize.

In our podcast chat with David, we reference an infamous outtake from Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. It was a long-distance dedication letter from a guy in Cincinnati. Enjoy! (But cover the ears of your kids and pets!)

Jam-uary rocks!

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast

Let me be the 427th person to wish you a Happy New Year!

But also let me be the first person to wish you a Slappy New Year!

My resolution is to let you know about the cool musical artists coming to our area as we celebrate “Jam-uary” – which is a rockin’ portmanteau that I totally stole from Camp Springs Tavern in scenic Camp Springs, Kentucky. CST is putting the “jam” into January by hosting live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday all month long:

  • Bluegrass Jam on Thursdays – Jan. 8, 15, 22, and 29 – starting at 6pm (shows below start at 7pm)
  • Slim Pickin’s on Friday the 9th
  • Stick & Bindle on Saturday the 10th
  • Betsy Smith on Friday the 16th
  • Witches of the Rifle Range and Kait & the California Kings on Saturday the 17th
  • Dave Webster on Friday the 23rd
  • Kurt Adams on Saturday the 24th
  • T. Lipscomb on Friday the 30th
  • South of Sin on Saturday the 31st

Whereas I will be jamming more Fig Newtons into my piehole all month long.

OK, let’s take a gander at the other gigs:

Tonight, The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars play… you guessed it… the Comet. Note: The Comet bar is not to be confused with the cleaner that young Robby Benson used to hawk.

On Thursday:

  • Maggie Antone plays Southgate’s Sanctuary, with Ava Hall opening
  • A1A (the official and original Jimmy Buffett tribute show) will be at the Ludlow Garage

Hmm, that “A1A” name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?

On Friday:

  • Joe’s Truck Stop plays Northside Tavern
  • Bogart’s has Ten, A Tribute to Pearl Jam
  • The Funky Ducks play MOTR with the Brian Bacon Band and SUN.DYLE
  • Laid Back Country Picker and 9 LB Hammer play Southgate.

Hmm, “Hammer” sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before?

Catch Richard Lloyd Group with The Dummy Ups at MOTR on Saturday. (Richard Lloyd was in Television. Word on the street is that he’s a decent guitarist…)

That same evening, the Liberty Theater has bluesman Mike Milligan & Steam Shovel, and Bogart’s hosts The Four Horsemen. They are billed as “the only album-quality Metallica tribute” but this one works too:

Real Estate plays the Woodward on Tuesday, January 13. I’ll be there, and you should be too! Note: purchasing a ticket to Real Estate does not require a regular mortgage or a reverse mortgage.

G. Love & Special Sauce will be at the Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, January 14. (G. Love & Special Sauce is not to be confused with “Glove and no special sauce” which was a scene from Animal House.)

Jess Lamb & Friends play MOTR on Thursday, January 15, and Southgate has Noah Smith’s Crooner Circus songwriter showcase.

On Friday, January 16, Amythyst Kiah plays Southgate, and Ludlow Garage has The Ultimate Doors. (“Ultimate Doors” in a Garage are not to be confused with the garage door company named after Amy and Erin.)

On Saturday, January 17:

  • Trampled by Turtles plays the Taft
  • Denitia (an NPR “artist to watch”) plays the Liberty Theater, with Maria Carrelli opening.

Eaglemania hits Ludlow Garage on Sunday the 18th. Note: Eaglemania may result in excessive hotel charges.

Liberty Theater has Back2Mac (Fleetwood Mac tribute) on Thursday, January 22.

On Friday, January 23:

  • Charlie Starr (of Blackberry Smoke) plays Ludlow Garage
  • Bogart’s gets in on the tribute band action with Thunderstruck (“America’s AC/DC tribute band.”)

on Saturday, January 24:

  • Low Gap plays Southgate with Julia DiGrazia as the opener
  • Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Souther-Hillman-Furay Band) is at Ludlow Garage
  • Rob Thomas plays the Hard Rock Casino

Hey look, it’s another tribute band: Pet Sounds plays Ludlow Garage on Sunday, January 25. Note: “Pet Sounds” (the Beach Boys tribute band) is not to be confused with a See ‘n Say:

On Monday, January 26, The Faux Frenchmen play Memorial Hall.

The Sadies and Krystal Peterson play Southgate on Wednesday, January 28.

On Thursday, January 29, it’s The Infamous Stringdusters with Mountain Grass Unit at the Taft.

Gigs on Friday, January 30:

  • Umphrey’s McGee plays the Peter Brady
  • Woodward Theater has a very nice triple bill with Sharp Pins (GBV-esque), Good Flying Birds, and Artificial Go. I’ll be at that gig with list member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube (he’s on Inhailer Fridays 11a-3p)
  • Southgate has a Dave Matthews/Tim Reynolds tribute band called Monkeys on a String.

Annnd the month wraps up on Saturday, January 31 with:

  • The Collies (my son’s in that band!) playing The Vault in Mt. Lookout from 8-11 p.m. First beer’s on me!
  • The Tillers and Maria Carrelli at Southgate
  • Jimmy Davis Blues at Liberty Theater
  • And yes, there are not one but two tribute band shows: Let’s Groove Tonight (Earth, Wind & Fire) plus a Kool & the Gang tribute band at Ludlow Garage, and Madison Theater has “Tell Me Lies: The Fleetwood Mac Experience.”

We love it live!

Erika Wennerstrom playing a sold-out show at The Columbia: spellbinding! (Great to see list members Kevin, Tom, Jamie, Rico, and Coffee Kyle in the house too!)

(If you’re keeping score at home, Erika’s show was Concert #40 for me in 2025.)

The dreaded “In Memoriam” section

Joe Ely was a rare gem.

Raul Malo had a voice from the heavens.

Steve Cropper was a soul man through and through.

Record exec Howie Klein was one of the few good “suits.”

Perry Bamonte played guitar with The Cure for 15 years and rejoined them for their recent tours.

My admiration for their admiration

I get positively giddy when artists I like show some love for other artists I like.

And Chuck and Lisa from Wussy gave a shout-out to Buffalo Tom on one of their recent “Forever Sounds Radio” shows on WAIF-FM:

Speaking of Buff Tom, lead singer Bill Janovitz speaks the truth:

A list of the lists

The website Album of the Year (one of my go-to sites for new releases) has links to dozens of year-end “best of” lists.

And shout-out to John Richards of KEXP for putting this 2025 release from the band Suzzallo on my radar – it’s a rocker:

Here’s Suzzallo’s live in-studio performance on KEXP:

Shameless self-promotion

The three most recent “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast episodes feature Dave Tellmann and I chatting with:

  1. the folks behind Undertow Music (they book the house shows that I’ve hosted).
  2. Chris DeVille, the managing editor of Stereogum and author of the new book Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion.
  3. former 97X DJ Rictile and list member Todd Butler about the old 97X Home Invasion live broadcasts (warning: post contains photos of scantily clad men).

Out, out, damned Spot(ify)!

Speaking of Stereogum’s Chris DeVille, he lists several bands who have pulled their music from Spotify.

Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) also makes a strong case for choosing an alternative on the Undertow site.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has invested €600m Euros — nearly $700m USD — in Helsing, an AI military start-up of which he is now Chairman. Spotify is literally using money generated from artists’ work to create death and destruction in our world. And recently, Spotify has started taking money from their US subscribers to pay for ICE recruitment ads.

Hot ticket alert

Wussy is playing a full band show at The Woodward on Friday, February 27. Get tickets here.

Letters to the editor (and hope for the future)

From list member Lisa Collins:

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s): New Year, New You!

Leg warmers sold separately.

I’m all for figure control, but if I tried Fran’s cover pose, I’d fracture several vertebrae.

Yes, “Boogie” will be my morning exercise routine in 2026. Especially if I can scale walls and crash through windows like the S.W.A.T. team:

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Home Invasion memories with Rictile

97X, Music, podcast

DJs in PJs. Wiener dogs in chariots. Bowling in a pool. A surprise birthday party. Crab crawl contests. Jarts. A bogus wedding. And of course, Rictile in a Speedo. The 97X Breakfast Club “Home Invasion” live broadcasts were a way to take the insanity of the 97X DJs out of the studio and onto the road. Havoc and hilarity always ensued. We talk to former 97Xer Rictile — who originated the Home Invasion idea at the station — and longtime listener Todd Butler, who hosted one of the early home invasions. They share their memories from the live broadcasts – and once again, havoc and hilarity ensue.

Rictile does the nearly-nude news while Randy the Redneck makes sure he stays hydrated.

Below is a special t-shirt that was created for a Breakfast Club Reunion/Home Invasion in Lebanon, Ohio at the home of John and Pat George in August of 1998.

Is this Rictile at a home invasion? Maybe, maybe not. But he’s definitely in a home – that counts, right?

Screenshot from our chat with Rictile and Todd. Rictile is NOT shown below the waist. You’re welcome!

As you can see, Rictile has matured a lot over the past 30+ years. He no longer wears a Speedo in public (unless you ask). Nowadays, he makes appearances as the “Dirty Mayor” in a suit jacket and tie. Oh, and no pants, of course!

Todd, Rictile and Dave show off their 97X promo items.

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Chris Deville, author of Such Great Heights

97X, books, Music, podcast

Chris DeVille is the managing editor of Stereogum and the author of a new book called Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion. He joins us to talk about his book, aptly billed as “the definitive history of 21st century indie rock—from Iron & Wine and Death Cab for Cutie to Phoebe Bridgers and St. Vincent—and how the genre shifted the musical landscape and shaped a generation.”

We discuss what “indie” means, the effect of easier access to music via streaming, how Stereogum is a kindred spirit of 97X, why the book title works on multiple levels, and the ongoing need for music curation. 

Here’s Chris’ own description of the book from his article in Stereogum:

Photo credit: Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly. Check out the Columbus Monthly interview with Chris here.

I read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Each chapter includes a recommended soundtrack of songs that are mentioned in that chapter. The Chapter 1 soundtrack will be quite recognizable to 97X listeners:

This book page has links to purchase the book at multiple retailers.

And of course our post wouldn’t be complete without The Postal Service:

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Undertow brings great music to the people

Uncategorized

The Undertow Collective helps people make music and tour in a very indie way. They manage artists like David Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Will Johnson (Centro-matic), and Bad Bad Hats, and they promote house concert tours for folks like Wussy, The Mynabirds, and Kevin Devine. Undertow’s Bob Andrews and Jayne Ballentyne join us to talk about how Undertow got started (Uncle Tupelo is involved), how house shows happen, and why their model feels like “the future of rock and roll.” 

The Undertow website sums up their ethos:

Undertow shows are hosted by fans in houses and other private spaces (art galleries, bike shops, recording studios…). If you’ve ever been to one, you know how amazing it is to be up close and personal with such talented artists. You can check out their current tour shows here. And here’s the full list of artists they’ve helped tour.

Scroll to the bottom of the Undertow Music home page to sign up for their email list so you can be the first to know about new shows and tours.

I’ve been thrilled to host several Undertow shows at my house. Craig Finn was the first one, back in 2017.

Next up was Eric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf, Crooked Fingers) in 2018.

It’s pretty friggin’ cool to hear an acoustic version of Archers of Loaf’s “Web in Front” in your living room!

And the Wussy Duo (Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker) has graced us with their presence several times (once as a trio with Mark Messerly). Every show is pure magic!

If you’d like to host a show, you can check here for a list of tours and cities where hosts are needed. Undertow takes care of ticket sales, so all you have to do is provide the venue. Here’s more info about the process.

‘Tis the season (for songs)

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast, woxy.com

It’s a December to remember. Especially with 0% aper.

Unfortunately for music lovers like you (and me!), the ol’ Koncert Keeper tends to be mostly holiday shows. But there are a few nuggets worth digging for in the music mix. Let’s peek at our presents:

This Wednesday is Ween Wednesday at The Columbia in the East End. They’ll be spinning the live At The Cat’s Cradle album from 6-10 p.m. BYOB.

On Thursday, the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana hosts a free Songwriters in the Round show featuring Anne Bangert, Steve Covington, and Charlie Overman.

Friday shows:

  • The Raisins (the Cincinnati ones, not the California ones) kick off a two-night stand at the Woodward
  • MOTR hosts a free Indie Rock Extravagant-za with Girl Gordon, Kind Skies (Lexington), and Pout
  • Moviola, the Wussy Duo, and Nervous Verbs play The Comet
  • Damien Escobar is at Ludlow Garage. (If you go, tell him he spells his first name incorrectly.)
  • Old Crow Medicine Show has a “Holiday Hootenanny” at the Taft Theatre
  • Monday Night Big Band Holiday Show at the Redmoor
  • Yung Gravy (not a Thanksgiving leftover) is at Ovation

Saturday:

  • The Raisins are back at the Woodward. I have a ticket for this show but can no longer use it – if you want it (free!), hit me up via text, or the comments, or passenger pigeon.
  • Dead Centric plays Stanley’s
  • Noah Smith’s Crooner Circus (songwriter showcase) at Southgate
  • Ludlow Garage has Aja, a tribute to Steely Dan

On Sunday, December 7:

  • Soul Coughing plays the Madison Theater
  • Steel Panther plays Bogart’s

Heart plays the Carol Brady on Monday, December 8.

(Carol had too much of Alice’s favorite dish: “Sam The Butcher’s Sausage Stuffing.”)

Thievery Corporation plays Bogart’s on Tuesday, December 9. (Fun fact: “Thievery Corporation” is the official LLC name for Ticketmaster.)

Oh, and the Phil DeGreg Trio plays “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Memorial Hall on 12/8 and 12/9.

The Taft Theatre hosts back-to-back holiday shows:

  • Straight No Chaser “Holiday Road” on Wednesday, 12/10
  • Preservation Hall Jazz Band “Creole Christmas” on Thursday, 12/11

Gigs on Friday, 12/12:

  • Eric Gales at Ludlow Garage
  • Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder do a Christmas show at Memorial Hall
  • The New Royals (funk revival) play two sets at MOTR

Saturday, 12/13:

  • Samantha Fish, Cedric Burnside and Jon Spencer at the Ludlow Garage
  • A Very Motherfolk Christmas at Bogart’s
  • Cinci Folk Festival (Maria Carrelli, The Montvales, Jolly Old Hawk, et al.) at Southgate
  • Crown Watts performs the music of Rush at the Madison Theater

Ludlow has Irish Christmas in America on Wednesday, 12/17.

Shows on Thursday, 12/18:

  • Liberty Theater has another free Songwriters in the Round show with Rachel Holt and Naomi Carman
  • Jess Lamb & Friends do a jam session at MOTR
  • The SunBurners and Queen City Silver Stars play an Island Christmas show at The Redmoor (they do the same show on Friday 12/19 also)

Friday, 12/19:

  • Erika Wennerstrom plays a sold-out solo show at The Columbia on Eastern Avenue. Didn’t get tickets? You can’t say I didn’t warn you:

That same evening, Over the Rhine kicks off their three-night “Acoustic Christmas” stand at Memorial Hall, and Chris Isaak plays the Hard Rock Casino

Saturday, 12/20:

  • The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band at Southgate
  • Over the Rhine at Memorial Hall
  • “An Olde English Christmas” with Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits at Ludlow – there’s a matinee show and an evening gig. BYOB.

Then, the Xmas lull kicks in. But there’s still time to get the perfect gift for someone special.

On Boxing Day (Friday, 12/26), Ludlow has ESC4P3 (a Journey tribute band).

On Saturday, 12/27:

  • Bershy plays Madison Live, with Multimagic and Phanta
  • The Woodward Theater hosts a “Holiday Hangover” show with Sylmar and Mosant

And finally, the year will wrap up with a bait-and-switch bang as the Hot Red Chili Peppers host a Red Hot countdown to 2026 at the Ludlow Garage on New Year’s Eve.

That same day (Lord willin’), your humble scribe will be celebrating yet another birthday.

We love it live!

The Mynabirds (a.k.a. Laura Burhenn) put on a great show at The Columbia last night. Laura is super-nice, she had high praise for woxy.com, and she brought her dog along on tour.

The Cereal Killers masquerading as The Distractions were note-perfect on their Elvis Costello set, and Dot.Dot.Dot. did justice to their R.E.M. covers at The Village Theater in Covington.

Foxy John loves it live too!

Speaking o’ R.E.M., here’s a shot of list member John Fox (2nd from right) hanging out with Mike Mills and Steve Gorman (Black Crowes) after the Howl Owl Howl show in Indy. Steve and his brother (at right) went to WKU with John’s brother and sister.

Live on tape is pretty cool as well!

MJ Lenderman & The Wind on Austin City Limits is well worth the watch – go to the 26:37 mark for the start of their set.

Two thumbs up for new Crooked Fingers

Eric Bachmann and friends with a new tune called “Cold Waves” – so hot right now!

The “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast gets Freek-y

Dave and I chatted with Freekbass. Check it out here or wherever you get your podcasts, and check out the post on the 97Xbam website for some bonus content, including a throwback Sleep Theater show on video.

Letters to the editor

List member Bruce Frasure shared this bit of musical lore via Jason Narducy’s Instagram:

Nearly seven years ago, I did a blog post about the sudden disappearance of the band Sons of Bill featuring brothers James, Sam, and Abe Wilson. Just this week, 1/3 of the mystery was solved via this comment:

And list member and official Old People Fall Headguard Hat Spokesmodel Dan Lewis aired yet another grievance after we published this photo in our last post:

You’re right, Dan, I am the worst. Speaking of Python, you might want to spend some of your retirement time tutoring the youth of America.

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

Yes, needlepoint rocks!

Uh, the photo perspective really highlights Steve’s pants, which are so tight we can tell what religion he is. Somebody please cover that with a Dawn throw pillow!

Ah, yes, a balm for sore eyes. But wait, is that Steve Gibbons in the back? Is he wearing pants?

2 responses to “‘Tis the season (for songs)”

  1. Lisa+Collins Avatar
    Lisa+Collins

    Hey Damian! Thought of you today when I was at Plaid Room Records getting nostalgic! I was perusing The Smiths section when a young man – couldn’t have been twenty yet – told me they have the really good albums “in the back”. He was looking for the same albums – my faith in the youth of America was restored!

    Reply
    1. Damian Avatar
      Damian

      That’s great, thanks for sharing, Lisa! (P.S. you told him Morrissey was a wanker now, right?)

      Reply

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97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Getting funky with Freekbass

97X, Music, podcast

Legendary musician Freekbass got his start in Cincinnati bands like Sleep Theater and Shag. Both got airplay on 97X, and Sleep Theater played the 97X 10th Year concert at Bogart’s with Barenaked Ladies, Too Much Joy and the Royal Crescent Mob. We talked to Chris about his roots (and The Roots), his friendship with Bootsy Collins, his Times Square billboard, the freek-y way that Jimmy Fallon wound up impersonating him on The Tonight Show, his sense of style, and his current gigs on TikTok and YouTube. 

Freekbass will be playing his annual Funksgiving hometown show on Friday, November 28th at Radio Artifact (the inner sanctum of the Urban Artifact taproom in Northside). He’ll be joined by Rico Lewis (Parliament Funkadelic) on drums, and Cincinnati singer-songwriter Matt Waters opens the show. You can get tickets here.

You can find Freekbass doing his thang (“The Freekquency”) for his legion of fans (a.k.a. the FreekSquad) six nights a week on TikTok. And he’s now doing a couple of weekly shows on YouTube. (You can also keep up with his latest escapades on Instagram.)

As discussed during the podcast interview, Damian wrote a profile of Freekbass for the July issue of Cincinnati Magazine. That article featured some really cool photography from Devyn Glista, and a Cincinnati Magazine reader sent the main photo spread to The Tonight Show for Jimmy Fallon’s recurring “Lookalikes” segment. Here’s what happened next:

Freekbass was featured on a Times Square billboard last December.

Freekbass’ wife Angie Wilson is a DAAP grad and helps create and source his amazing wardrobe. She even made this panda bear suit that he wore to the TikTok Global Creators awards show.

[Photo by Devyn Glista for Cincinnati Magazine]

Freekbass is a protégé of the #1 Funkateer, Bootsy Collins, who gave the erstwhile Chris Sherman his nickname/stage name.

The “Others” listed on the 97X 10th Year Concert ticket shown above wound up being Sleep Theater.

Here’s footage of a Sleep Theater show from back in 1987, with Rob Hamrick on guitar and vocals, Johnny Miracle on drums, and Itaal Shur on keyboards.

Itaal – Chris’ boyhood buddy – would go on to become an in-demand songwriter and producer. He co-wrote the Santana/Rob Thomas smash “Smooth.” (You can read an oral history of that song in Rolling Stone.)

We went deep into the interwebs to find more Sleep Theater tunes. You’re welcome!

Tofurkey tunes

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, woxy.com

There are NO turkeys in this lineup o’ live tunes.

Before we get to the main courses for the next couple of weeks, let’s take a gander at a really big show coming to The Columbia in December.

I’ve often dreamed of spending an intimate evening with Erika Wennerstrom… now I’ll get to do it in an old church! Tickets are available here.

OK, now let’s see what’s cooking a bit sooner.

On Thursday:

  • 10,000 Maniacs (the non-Natalie version) play Ludlow Garage
  • MOTR features Clay Cole (Pavement and Wild Flag) solo with Bridget Battle (Tweens) and Lisa Walker (Wussy)
  • NAS does Illmatic live with the Cincinnati Pops at Music Hall

On Friday:

  • Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater has a Four Roses tasting 5-8 p.m., followed by Heather Redman & the Reputation
  • Draven & the Ravens at MOTR
  • You can da-doo-ron-ron to Ludlow Garage to catch former teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy.

If there are any Shaun Cassidy leftovers, be sure to store them properly.

Saturday shows:

  • Rhett Miller (Old 97s) and Bob Schneider at the Madison Theater
  • The Steep Canyon Rangers at Memorial Hall
  • The Local Honeys and Maria Carrelli at the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg
  • Kashmir: The Spirit of Led Zeppelin Live! at Ludlow Garage
  • KC & the Sunshine Band at the Lawrenceburg Event Center
  • The Trans-Siberian Orchestra plays two shows at the Coliseum

On Sunday Black Violin is at the Taft, and Wishbone Ash settles into the Ludlow Garage.

Little Image and Coastal Club are at Madison Live on Tuesday, and Sevendust plays the Ovation with Cory Marks.

Silverstein (not Shel) plays Bogart’s on Wednesday.

Shows on Thursday, GO-vember 20:

  • Brett Dennan at Ludlow
  • Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle at Southgate
  • a free Songwriters in the Round at Liberty Theater, with Billy Alletzhauser & Ali Edwards (of Ruby Vileos)
  • Kitchen Dwellers and Them Coulee Boys at Madison Live

Gigs on Friday, November 21:

  • Molly Tuttle at Memorial Hall, with Birdtalk and Cecilia Castleman
  • An Evening with the Trey Anastasio Band at the Greg Brady
  • Hunter Root and Harley Day at the Liberty Theater
  • Honour Rae plays an album release show at Southgate, with Tracy Walker
  • The Taft Theatre has a tribute two-fer: Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience with Electric Duke: a Tribute to Bowie
  • Madison Theater has Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd.

Wait, I thought this was the American Pink Floyd:

On Saturday, November 22:

  • Pigeons Playing Ping Pong play the Madison Theater, with Dizgo
  • Kruger Brothers are at the Liberty Theater
  • Domecrusher (feat. list member Todd Q.) plays North Second in Hamilton
  • The Jonas Brothers (another generation’s Shaun Cassidy) play the Coliseum
  • The Collies (my son is the drummer) play the Valley View Tavern in scenic Williamsburg, OH
  • Lauren Ruth Ward plays an Undertow show in the 45202 zip code. Get tickets here.

Here’s an excerpt from Lauren Ruth Ward’s interview on a site called c-heads:

Johnny Gill (of New Edition) plays the Ludlow Garage on Sunday, November 23.

Feast week starts Monday, November 24, with BOTH of my son’s bands (The Collies and Van Winkle) playing The Comet in Northside.

On Wednesday, November 26 (a.k.a. Thanksgiving Eve, a.k.a. the biggest bar night of the year), The Distractions (a.k.a. Cereal Killers) will be doing an all-Elvis (Costello) set, along with Dot.Dot.Dot. doing R.E.M. at The Village Theater in Covington. Be there!

Other shows that same evening:

  • The Woodward has An Evening with Ray’s Music Exchange. They will be joined by members of Ernie Johnson from Detroit, who will then play at MOTR starting at 10:30.
  • The Liberty Theater features an Adam Wade Gilliam album release show, with The Spectacular Fantastic.
  • Southgate’s Revival Room features Shelter from the Storm (Dylan tribute) and the Dead Revival Band (GD tribute)
  • List member Keith Neltner has created another cool design for the Maker’s Mark album featuring tunes from The Tillers and Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle. The release shows (plural this year!) are at Arnold’s on 11/26 and 11/28:

Friday, November 28 (a.k.a. Black Friday):

  • Freekbass plays his Funksgiving show at Urban Artifact (look for a 97X Rumblings podcast interview with Freekbass coming soon)
  • Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle at Arnold’s
  • Mama Said String Band plays the Liberty Theater, with Dave Lacey & Ten Pound Hammer
  • Stolen Faces (Grateful Dead tribute band) play the Woodward

On Saturday, November 29:

  • Bela Fleck and the Flecktones play a “Jingle all the Way” (not sure if that’s a Christmas reference or a revenue reference) show at the Taft
  • Tripping Billies (DMB tribute) at Ludlow
  • Last, but certainly not least, The Mynabirds play an Undertow show at The Columbia on Eastern Avenue. Tickets are available here.

If you’re not familiar with The Mynabirds (solo nom-de-stage of Laura Burhenn), check out her new release on Bandcamp.

Bandcamp, not Spotify… here’s the only Mynabirds song selection you’ll find on Spotify:

Right on!

Finally, Stevie Nicks plays a sold-out show at the Coliseum on Sunday, November 30. Resale tix in the cheap seats are going for $350 (and TicketBastard will once again charge exorbitant fees on the resale, even though they already collected fees on the original sale).

A Halloween treat

Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) and her twin sister Allison (Swearin’) teamed up with MJ Lenderman and super-producer Brad Cook to form the band Snocaps, and they dropped a tasty album on 10/31. Read more on Stereogum.

Forever Sounds: forever cool

Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver do a weekly show on WAIF-FM called “Forever Sounds” and they’re giving out a digital album of cover songs (GBV, Bill Fay, Joni Mitchell, The Bats, Hüsker Dü and many more) to folks who pledge to support their show.

You’ll find the pledge form and past episodes here.

The full Wussy band also did a couple of songs — including a brand new one — at the new Cincinnati Public Radio studio with former woxy.com Lounge Acts engineer Brian Niecz.

Places (and People) that are gone

Tommy Keene is gone.

We love it live!

The Beths in Nashville: amazing!

Kathleen Edwards and her fantastic band the next night in Louisville: transcendent!

Three nights of Buffalo Tom in Boston – including John Wesley Harding, Moving Targets, and a Pogues tribute band as openers, an acoustic set that included several tasty covers (see setlist below), a band Q&A, and much more: Stupendous!

Wishy at Madison Live last night: not too shabby!

But we don’t always love it live

Rickie Lee Jones played a great set at Memorial Hall.

Patty Griffin? Not so much. I understand the desire to feature several new songs – I expect that from most artists with a new album out. But to completely ignore a large part of your catalog — including the most popular songs — is not my cup of tea. The set was pretty much a snoozefest.

Wright State pitching star on Miami U. turf

Good old Robert Pollard – he can make a cool tune out of city and school district names.

Forget Bitcoin – invest in Lu!

Chuck Prophet can see the future. And the future is pure Lucinda Williams gold!

The full post is here. Chuck’s Substack is worth a subscribe.

Mailbag

In case you missed this fun exchange in the comments section of our last post, list members Lisa Collins and Dan Lewis took issue with my Beatles ranking:

Here’s that Westerberg clip that Lisa Collins sent me:

And Dan Lewis is right about me fitting in with the Goad Family. I certainly have the wardrobe for it:

Speaking of retired Cincinnati Reds superstar salesman Herb Tarlek Dan Lewis, I’m happy to report that he has found another modeling gig that’s perfect for his golden years. He’s the official spokesperson for this product:

“Fall” doesn’t mean the season, it means taking a tumble. Here’s Dan modeling the product:

“Collision to the elderly head” would be a great name for a punk band!

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s): Hair today, gone tomorrow

Her hair took up so much space on the cover that they had to reduce the font size of the type.

Ditto for “Lee Michaels” (we all know it’s really a young Richard Lewis.)

One response to “Tofurkey tunes”

  1. Dan Lewis Avatar
    Dan Lewis

    Tyrannical power at its worst. I’m reminded of the Holy Grail Monty Python quote “see the violence inherent in the system. Help help, I’m being repressed.” You can’t fight city hall…

    Reply

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97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Howard Cohen is the main Distraction

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Howard Cohen, lead singer of the “Rumblings from the Big Bush” house band Cereal Killers, joins the “Rumblings” dynamic duo to talk about a fun gig the night before Thanksgiving, when he and his bandmates will be covering Elvis Costello & the Attractions songs as “The Distractions.” And they’ll be joined on the bill by the band Dot.Dot.Dot. covering R.E.M. tunes, and Chalk Eye. Howard also talks about 97Xposure and why he and his bandmates keep on keepin’ on. 

You can find out more about the Cereal Killers on their Facebook page.

Dot.Dot.Dot. – the band on the bill covering R.E.M. — includes Wes Pence of Middlemarch and The Ready Stance, as well as Justin Lynch (Filthy McNasty, Poke, and Wojo) and Aaron Zlatkin (Wojo) with Kyle Knapp (The Turkeys) handling the Michael Stipe vocal duties. You can read Brian Baker’s profile of the band in CityBeat for more info.

Here’s a shot of Cereal Killers as The Ramones from Halloween last year.

And here’s Howard with his cherished 97X box cutter.

See you at the show on 11/26!