New Year, New Tunes

Happy New Year, my friend! May your 2025 be rockin’!

I hope your resolutions are holding up well, too.

It’s not exactly a monster lineup of concerts, but let’s check the ol’ calendar to see what’s brewing the the live lab.

Tomorrow night, Memorial Hall has Queen Of The Queen City, The Musical Times of Mamie Smith. The band will be Ben Levin, Candice Ivory, Noah Wotherspoon, and Brandon Pettiford. And the Woodward Theater screens Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story.

On Wednesday, Hillary Hahn (the NKY singer-songwriter, not Hilary Hahn, the violinist) plays Arnold’s, and The Gilmour Project: Wish You Were Here is at Memorial Hall. The Gilmour Project is:

Pete Lavezzoli (drums with Black JGB, Oteil & Friends), and Hilary Hahn plays Arnold’s
Jeff Pevar (lead guitar with CSN, David Crosby/CPR, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, Phil Lesh & Friends, Ricki Lee Jones, Marc Cohn)
Berry Oakley (bass & vocals with Allman Betts Band, North Mississippi All-Stars, Blue Floyd & The Doors)
Mark Karan (guitar & vocals with Bob Weir, RatDog, The Other Ones, Dave Mason)
Scott Guberman (keyboard & vocals with Phil Lesh & Friends, Keystone Revisited)

The Gilmour Project isn’t: David Gilmour.

Thursday, The Daniel Wayne Band (more on them later) plays MOTR. And if you’re into pro wrasslin’, Lori’s Roadhouse in West Chester has something big… er, little, in store.

Shows this Friday:

Peter Mulvey plays Southgate
Ernie Johnson from Detroit is at the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, IN
Ludlow Garage has The Ultimate Doors
Ludlow Theater rolls out the red(s) carpet for the Bronson Arroyo Band

On Saturday:

Pelican and Knife the Symphony play the Woodward
Southgate House hosts Blind Mouse (a Radiohead tribute band)
Annie’s has the KISS tribute band Strutter

I wonder if, when Strutter hits the stage, they say “you wanted a reasonable facsimile of the best, you got a reasonable facsimile of the best”…

A week from tomorrow — on MLK Jr. Day, no less — it’s inauguration day for, as Jeff Tiedrich calls him:

a quadrice-indicted twice-impeached once-convicted popular-vote-losing adderall-huffing insurrection-leading ear-diapering testimony-ducking judge-threatening lawyer-ignoring debate-avoiding witness-tampering day-one-dictatoring disabled-veteran-dishonoring inheritance-squandering rube-fleecing clown-makeup-smearing language-mangling sneaker-hawking serial-sexual-predating draft-dodging casino-bankrupting butler-bullying daughter-perving hush-money-paying real-estate-scamming bone-spur-faking ketchup-hurling justice-obstructing classified-war-plan-thieving golf-cheating stock-manipulating weather-map-defacing war-criminal-pardoning horse-paste-promoting paper-towel-flinging race-baiting tax-evading evidence-destroying charity-defrauding money-laundering diaper-filling 88-count 78-year-old fluorescent-tangerine narcoleptic fart factory.

Next Tuesday (1/21), local singer/songwriter/all-around-great-guy Todd Lipscomb plays Arnold’s.

Liberty Theater has a free Songwriters in the Round show next Thursday (1/23) featuring Harley Day and James Reed.

Shows on Friday, Jan. 24:

Webb Wilder and Bucket play Southgate
Mosant is at MOTR
Papadosio kicks off a two-night stand at the Madison Theater
Meshell Ndegeocello plays Ludlow Garage
Little Miami Brewing Co. hosts The Eagles Project
The Blue Note in Harrison has Captain Fantastic (Elton John tribute) with 52nd Street (yes, a Billy Joel tribute band)

On Saturday, Jan. 25:

Memorial Hall has “On a Winter’s Night” with singer/songwriters Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, and Patty Larkin
Magnolia Boulevard plays the Liberty Theater, with Pure Grain also on the bill
The Montvales play the Woodward, with The Harmed Brothers and Rae Fisher
Papadosio is papa-doing it again at Madison Theater
Adeem the Artist plays Southgate
JD Legends in Franklin, OH has Thunderstruck (America’s AC/DC)
The Aronoff hosts The Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular

Noah Wotherspoon plays the Rabbit Hash “Music Behind the Stove” series on Sunday, Jan. 26 (2 p.m. show start) and Tinfoil Hat Cowboys play two sets that evening at MOTR.

The Faux Frenchmen play Memorial Hall on Monday, Jan. 27. Here’s my favorite faux Frenchman:

Memorial Hall has “All You Need is Love: An All-Star Tribute to the Beatles” on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Kasim Sulton – Vocals, Bass, Guitar (Meatloaf, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, Blue Oyster Cult, Hall & Oates, Cheap Trick, Cyndi Lauper, Patty Smyth, Joan Jett)
Steve Kimock – Guitar, Bass (Zero, Oteil & Friends, Jazz Is Dead, The Other Ones, RatDog, Rhythm Devils, Phil Lesh & Friends, Kingfish, Heart of Gold Band)
Prairie Prince – Drums (The Tubes, Journey, Todd Rundgren, Blue Floyd, Jefferson Starship, Phil Lesh & Friends, XTC, George Harrison, Chris Isaak)
Bobby Lee Rodgers – Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Sitar Simulation (Jazz is Dead, The Codetalkers with Col. Bruce Hampton, Vassar Clements, Warren Haynes, Widespread Panic, George Porter Jr.)
Gil Assayas – Vocals, Keyboard (Kasim Sulton’s Utopia, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia)
Mark Rashotte – Guitar (Jake Clemons, Creed, Photograph)
Andy Forgie – Vocals, Theatrics (Creed, Photograph)
Narrated by Michael Des Barres (The Mistakes, Power Station, Detective, Silverhead)

Not part of the band: Pete Best.

Go to church on WEENsdays

Here’s a pretty cool monthly event going on down on Eastern Avenue (where it’s still called “Eastern Avenue” not the hoity toity “Riverside Drive” section). My friend Eric’s wife Laura runs The Columbia, an old church that’s been converted into a performance space.

I’ve visited the venue, it has great acoustics, a cool vibe, and a vintage jukebox in the basement.

And it’s available for audio and video recording (Ruby Vileos, The Hiders, and Daniel Wayne Band all have test driven it), rehearsal space, private shows, social gatherings, and more.

Follow The Columbia on Instagram, and email the.columbia.cincy@gmail.com for more info.

A+ on SNL

I’m not the biggest Hozier fan in the world, but he and his band and backup singers did justice to one of the best Xmas songs ever.

Wurster has Slim musical knowledge

Jon Wurster (drummer for Mountain Goats and Bob Mould, formerly with Superchunk) is a great follow on Instagram. His #mynewworstfriend posts are consistently hilarious (see below for a prime example). But he also is a student of the the scene, and his tribute to the late great replacement Replacement Slim Dunlap was fantastic:

List member Joe Sampson and I will always fondly remember talking to Slim at the old Southgate House. The liquor store named Cabooze figured prominently in the conversation.

Jon Wurster also played on this tune (as did Wilco’s John Stirratt):

Winter weather is the Wurst

From the aforementioned Jon Wurster Instagram, where folks can submit weird and wacky photos/images to claim the daily title of his new worst friend.

America is catching on to Wussy

Their new album Cincinnati Ohio made several 2024 year-end best of lists. #50 on the Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Indie Rock Albums, #50 in the Stereogum Top 50, and #36 on Paste’s 40 Best Rock Albums.

Album Covers of the Weeks

My new year’s resolution. It’s a lot better than my current “work and stay poor” plan. I’m struggling with the “think” part, though.

Drinking and driving… what could possibly go wrong?

R.I.P. Slim

Out with the old, in with the new*

Concert Listings, Music, podcast

*does not apply to the annual summer calendar of shows at Riverbend Music Center (unofficial motto: “where every year feels like 1985”)

Wow, 2024 is almost over!

We still have a few more shows before we make like Bob Seger and turn the page to 2025 (a.k.a. The Year of the Snake Rat Pig… at least in D.C.)

Shows tomorrow:

Marcus King plays the Hard Rock Casino
Rumpke Mountain Boys play Annie’s
Halfway Hammered plays the Liberty Theater, with Wes Shipp opening
The Wonderlands and Coastal Club have a holiday show within the decidedly un-festive confines of Bogart’s
Abiyah plays Southgate with Radar
Northside Tavern has Abandoned Malls of America, Moonbeau, Bear the Moon, and Knavery
OYOXOYO / Static Falls / Oh Condor triple bill at MOTR

Tinfoil Hat Cowboys play two sets at MOTR on Sunday.

Kate Wakefield has an album release party at The Comet on Monday.

Tuesday is New Year’s Eve (a.k.a. “Amateur Night”). Watch out for all the drunken Dicks out there!

You can ring in the new year with… Rebecca Black?

Yep, she’s at the Hard Rock Casino. Or you can enjoy “Weird Year’s Eve” at the Woodward with Ernie Johnson from Detroit and several other bands.

Madison Theater, Ovation, Ludlow Garage, and MOTR also have NYE celebrations.

[Speaking of balls dropping, New Year’s Eve also is the 60th birthday of your favorite creator of weird concert listing posts. Maybe Chrissie Hynde will stop by.]

On Thursday, Jan. 2nd, list member Keith Neltner and I will be celebrating our BDs (Keith’s is that day!) with a super-casual happy hour gathering at Camp Spring Tavern. Stop by if you’d like. First beer’s on me.

BTW, Camp Springs Tavern has live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday all month long:

Also on 1/2, Joe’s Truck Stop kicks off two months of “Honky Tonk Thursdays” in the Southgate House Lounge.

Blanche will probably be there…

But Fred and Lamont won’t.

Next Friday, Jan. 3rd, 2025, Lez Zeppelin (“All Girls, All Zeppelin”) plays Physical Graffiti in its entirety at Ludlow Garage.

The Woodward Theater unspools a couple of classic rock docs soon:

Stop Making Sense on Monday, 1/6
Don’t Look Back (the Bob Dylan doc by D.A. Pennebaker) on Tuesday, 1/7

The Loon Wine Bar in Northside hosts a Folk Jam Session with Mike Oberst of The Tillers on Weds., Jan. 8th.

On Friday, Jan. 10th:

Tommy Prine plays Southgate
Ludlow Garage has the Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Nation – they’ll be doing a Wish You Were Here-inspired set list and light show.

The Maria Carrelli Band plays the Liberty Theater on Saturday, 1/11, and Warren G will regulate at Bogart’s.

[Oops, my bad, that’s Warren, E (D). She’s also a big fan of regulatin’.]

On Sunday, Jan. 12th:

The Rabbit Hash General Store’s “Sunday Music Behind the Stove” series kicks off with The Tillers at 2pm – full slate is below.
The Woods (folk rock trio) and Jonathan Cody White (Cincy singer/songwriter) play a Downtowne Listening Room show at the Historic Boone County Courthouse

On Monday, 1/13, Woodward Theater screens Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story.

(I’ve heard good things about this documentary – here’s the Sound Opinions podcast interview with Redd Kross founders, brothers Jeff & Steve McDonald.)

Shows of Note(s)

Kim Deal is playing the Woodward on 2/21… that show is already sold-out.
Robyn Hitchcock will be at Southgate on 3/1.

A screen grab of this Insta (courtesy of list member Whit Gardner) really sums up how I feel about live music:

Reading is Fundamental

Here’s Amanda Petrusich’s year-end list of favorite albums from The New Yorker.

And from that same magazine, this book review/article about Spotify is scary and depressing for true music fans.

Money quote:

The Internet was supposed to free artists from the monoculture, providing the conditions for music to circulate in a democratic, decentralized way. To some extent, this has happened: we have easy access to more novelty and obscure sounds than ever before. But we also have data-verified imperatives around song structure and how to keep listeners hooked, and that has created more pressure to craft aggressively catchy intros and to make songs with maximum “replay value.” Before, it was impossible to know how many times you listened to your favorite song; what mattered was that you’d chosen to buy it and bring it into your home. What we have now is a perverse, frictionless vision for art, where a song stays on repeat not because it’s our new favorite but because it’s just pleasant enough to ignore.

Watch This!

Waxahatchee on NPR’s Tiny Desk… chef’s kiss!

Holiday fun(nies)

(If Baby Jesus had been born in Toronto instead of Bethlehem, he could’ve played “YYZ.”)

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

“A dramatic comparison to death.” Geez, that sounds like a really uplifting album. (Or me describing a two-hour “long range planning” meeting at my work.) Can’t we listen to something happier?

Ah, yes, that’s more like it. (Vestal doesn’t realize that the boys are laughing at her hairdo!)

The dreaded holiday lull

Concert Listings, Music

We’re approaching the dreaded holiday lull, where live shows of the non-Rockettes/Trans-Siberian variety are few and far between. (Actually for me, we’re approaching the dreaded holidays: I hate cold weather in general, snow in particular, shopping, hearing the same 13 crappy holiday songs for days on end, fruitcake… and I don’t know what figgy pudding is, but you can shove it right up yer chimney!)

There are a few shows that haven’t been crowded out by the fat old man with a giant sack… er, Satan… I mean, Santa. Let’s take a gander:

Tonight:

Erika Wennerstrom (Heartless Bastards) plays a sold-out solo show at The Loon Wine Bar in Northside (I’ll be there, along with list member Tom Woeber)
J. Roddy Walston & The Business headline an Xmas show at Northside Tavern just up the street from The Loon. And thanks to the cajoling (but not caroling) of aforementioned list member Tom Woeber, I’ll be at that show too*.
John Waters Christmas at Ludlow Garage
A Very Motherfolk Christmas at Bogart’s
A Traumatic Christmas Show at Madison Live: Trauma Illinois, Millie Oliver, Cut to the Chase, and Wendigo

*if you’re keeping score at home the Erika Wennerstrom/J. Roddy Walston doubleheader will be shows #42 and #43 for me in 2024.

Sunday:

Erika Wennerstrom wraps up her three-night stand of sold-out shows at The Loon with a 6 p.m. gig
Ben Sollee plays MOTR, with Eva Rose King as the opener of the 7:30 show

[INSERT CONCERT LULL #1 HERE]

If you’re into Irish folk from Irish folks, Ludlow Garage has “Irish Christmas in America” on Thursday, 12/19.

Friday, December 20th:

Over the Rhine kicks off their three-night “Acoustic Christmas” stand at Memorial Hall
Tony Holt & The Wildwood Valley Boys play the Liberty Theater in historic downtown Lawrenceburg
The Wonderfool and Carriers are in the Revival Room at Southgate
Dallas Moore Band plays a “Honky Tonk Holidaze” show in Southgate’s Sanctuary
Bogart’s hosts The Prince Experience… pancakes sold separately.

Shows on Saturday, Dec. 21:

The Newbees play a 20th anniversary celebration show at Southgate , with Bad Ass Brass and Kevin Ashba.
Moonshine Drive plays Arnold’s
Harbour, Sylmar, Mosant, and Fat Sal are at the Madison Theater
Over the Rhine does Night #2 of Acoustic Christmas at Memorial Hall
Ludlow Garage has two shows (3:30 and 8:30) of “An Olde English Christmas with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.” Olde English 800 malt liquor sold separately.

Over the Rhine wraps up their Memorial Hall Xmas X-travaganza on Sunday, Dec. 22.

[INSERT CONCERT LULL #2 HERE]

Oh, and insert inclusive holiday greeting here:

Jess Lamb and Siri Imani play MOTR on Friday, Dec. 27th, and Ludlow Garage has E5C4P3 (it’s listed a Journey tribute, but it could also be a droid from Star Wars). Oh, that reminds me: Happy Life Day!

You really must watch the entire ’78 TV Christmas special… Bea Arthur + Harvey Korman = pure gold!

Shows on Saturday, December 28th:

Marcus King plays the Hard Rock Casino
Halfway Hammered plays the Liberty Theater, with Wes Shipp opening
The Wonderlands and Coastal Club have a holiday show within the decidedly un-festive confines of Bogart’s
Abiyah plays Southgate with Radar (we’re assuming it’s not the guy from M*A*S*H)

Tinfoil Hat Cowboys play two sets at MOTR on Sunday, December 29th.

The dreaded new release lull… with one notable exception

New albums of the non-“Holiday favorites” variety are few and far between this month too, but yesterday marked the release of The National’s new live album Rome, which was designed by list member Dale Doyle (the original D2!)

Enough already with the crappy holiday tunes

Put Mariah and Brenda and Burl and Bing out to pasture, and put these on the playlist instead:

Who’s on your 2024 favorites list?

I totally agree with Steven Hyden:

His list is here. Drop your faves in the comments. This guy had better be on your list, though:

Listen up!

Kim Deal’s interview on the Broken Record podcast is insightful and fun (despite her wisecrack about Dayton, Kentucky… I love that town!). Her new album is nice too.

Cold weather, blistering hot take

I’ve long said that I could go the rest of my life without hearing another Beatles song. Because they’ve been played ad infinitum for 60 friggin’ years. Basta!

Not even the dulcet tones of Lucinda Williams, whom I adore, could overcome the I’m-so-tired-of-hearing-Beatles-songs weariness on Lu’s new release Lucinda Williams Sings the Beatles from Abbey Road.

If that makes you feel like Paul right now, so be it.

Ken Jennings rocks!

And not just because he’s a much better host than Blossom. His music senses are always working overtime. Check out this clip from a recent episode of “Jeopardy”:

Album Covers of the Weeks

When did Jon Bon Jovi take up ice hockey?

And for the love of Yahweh, who signed off on the cover art that makes these kids look like blow-up dolls?

Turkey with Jam

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Wow, it’s nearly Thanksgiving Day!

The concert slate could use a bit more stuffing. That’s fine, it leaves room for family gatherings… or for watching a WKRP in Cincinnati rerun.

But there are a few shows, which is a reason to be thankful.

Skip the can-shaped cranberry sauce, and feast on The Raisins instead.

Bob, Rob, Bam and Ricky have shows on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at the Woodward Theater. (They also have a documentary movie out that features performances from their March shows – check out the interview on WVXU Cincinnati Edition.) The Saturday gig is sold-out, but tickets remain for the other two shows.

Other Wednesday shows include Northern Kentucky Derby at Southgate House, and State Champs at Bogart’s.

Thursday is Turkey Day! (Or in my house, Tofurkey Day!)

Speaking of expanding waistlines, Bret Michaels is at the Hard Rock Casino on Friday.

Also on Friday:

Jeremy Pinnell kicks off a two-night stand at Southgate House with a solo set, along with Justin Wells.
Freekbass hosts “Funksgiving” at Radio Artifact, with Tracy Silverman Project.
The Raisins are at Woodward

Saturday gigs:

Jeremy Pinnell plays a full-band show in Southgate’s main room, with G.W. Garner and The Montvales also on the bill.
The Ark Band plays Ludlow Garage on Saturday
Memorial Hall hosts Christmas with the Celts
The Whiskey Shambles, Veronica Grim, and The Shivers in Southgate’s Revival Room
The Raisins at Woodward (sold-out)

Unless you’re going to NYC for the Jesse Malin benefit shows on 12/1 and 12/2 (more on that below), there’s a bit of a lull in the ol’ Koncert Keeper. Maybe you can do some holiday shopping.

Or go see your friend’s band:

On Friday, 12/6, the animals (but not The Animals) are out in full force:

Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band at Bogart’s
Spirit of the Bear and Bear the Moon in Southgate’s Revival Room
The Surfrajettes and Kyle Eldridge play Southgate’s main Sanctuary – that should be a rollicking good time!
Ludlow Garage crams three tributes into one band, when Magical Mystery Doors plays tunes by the Beatles, Led Zep, and The Doors

On Saturday, 12/7, Noah Smith’s Crooner Circus takes over all three Southgate House stages:

Other 12/7 shows include:

Tropidelic at Bogart’s
Mosant and Ascension Day at the Liberty Theater
Siren Suit with Girl Gordon and Marsha at Urban Artifact
Ludlow Garage has Aja: A Tribute to the Music of Steely Dan, with shows at 3:30 (when they play The Royal Scam in its entirety) and 7:30 p.m.

Then there’s another lull in the schedule. Maybe you can make sure the Christmas lights are hung.

The English Beat plays Ludlow Garage on Thursday, 12/12.

On Friday the 13th:

Erika Wennerstrom (Heartless Bastards) kicks off three nights of solo shows at The Loon Wine Bar in Northside. (Friday and Saturday shows are sold-out, but they added a 6 p.m. Sunday show. Tickets on sale here.)

Ludlow Garage has A John Waters Christmas on Friday and Saturday
The Tillers have a 10th anniversary vinyl release of Hand on the Plow (with cover artwork by list member Keith Neltner)

Motherfolk has “A Very Motherfolks Christmas” at Bogart’s on Satuday, 12/14.

Tears on our Cheek

R.I.P. Randy Cheek (Libertines, Ass Ponys, The Ready Stance, et al.) Here’s a loving tribute from Chuck Cleaver:

Here’s to you, Randy!

Joy to the Wussy World

Now more than ever, we need the healing words and music of our friends in Wussy, on their new release Cincinnati Ohio.

Check out Jason Cohen’s profile of Wussy in Stereogum. And put your ears on this segment about their new album from NPR’s All Songs Considered:

We live for live

It’s hard to believe that Eric Bachmann’s recent Undertow show was off my radar. Heck, he’s played an Undertow show at my house before (2019):

And I applied to host his show this time around. But somehow I missed the listing – thank goodness an alert list member tipped me off that morning, and I DID catch the show thanks to list member Jeff B.

Eric played a cool venue in South Fairmount called the Lunken Lounge. Hopefully there will be more shows there in the future.

Craig Finn also ditched my living room for the Woodward Theater this go-round on his solo tour. (Can’t blame him.) What a great storyteller!

List member Dave Tellmann and I finally made it over to Dan McCabe’s new venue, Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater, in Lawrenceburg, IN. What an amazing place to see a show! And we saw a fantastic high energy performance from Low Cut Connie.

The opening band, Sweat, from Pittsburgh, was great too!

Dan McCabe has some great shows lined up over the next couple of months… check ’em out here and support a great dude who has spent decades bringing great music to our area.

List members Joyce, Matt, Pam, and I also enjoyed the “Words and Music” event featuring Karin and Linford of Over the Rhine (photo above)… especially because we got a sneak preview of updated/upgraded/expanded Mercantile Library. It officially reopens on 12/2.

We now occupy both the 11th & 12th floors of 414 Walnut Street and have more seating areas, more workspaces, more light, more bathrooms, more bookshelves, and, most importantly, more books.

The Reading Room

Tip o’ the tam to Kevin Sullivan for the link to a Jesse Malin feature in the NYT in advance of Jesse’s return to the stage on Dec. 1 and 2, with dozens of high profile friends.

They’re just trying to return the kindness Jesse has always shown to them:

Jesse still has his PMA – positive mental attitude:

Live Performance Video of the Week Year

Waxahatchee and M.J. Lenderman at the Americana Music Awards, with an all-star backing band that includes Buddy Miller, Don Was, Larry Campbell, and Jen Gunderman. Top notch!

Album Covers of the Weeks

Cornucopia… accent on the corn.

This “little singing band” used the Thanksgiving tablecloth to make skirts and ties (or are those dickies?).

You can throw the albums shown below onto the turntable after Turkey Day to make those pounds melt away – it’s a miracle!

The Music, Man.

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Ya got concerts, folks! Right here in the River(front) City. Concerts with a capital “C” and that rhyme with “G” and that stands for “Gee, I should probably go to a show or three.”

Speaking of ~~Shirley Partridge~~ Marian the Librarian, The Mercantile Library hosts Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine on Tuesday as part of their “Words and Music” series. The event is sold out – good thing I got my tickets long ago.

Meanwhile at Ludlow Garage, Patty Griffin, Hayes Carll, and Lori McKenna are doing a sold-out “sharing the stage” gig. And Amythyst Kiah plays Southgate.

Here’s an interesting show on Wednesday:

That same evening, the Hackensaw Boys play Southgate (with Mike Oberst & Justine Cefalu opening). And Dawes plays the Taft. Remember when Dawes was called Simon Dawes and they played a gig at the old Alchemize bar in Northside back in 2006 with Chad VanGaalen and Band of Horses? I do, because I was there!

Speaking of cookies with jam, Camp Springs Tavern hosts their bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam on Thursday.

Johnny Delaware goes to Indiana on Friday, to play the Liberty Theater, with The Hiders also on the bill.

Saturday is a big day for shows:

Flatland Cavalry plays the Bobby Brady
The Paul Thorn Band is at Memorial Hall
Jess Williamson (who recently collaborated with Waxahatchee) plays Southgate
Madison Theater has Start Making Sense: A Tribute to Talking Heads
Everclear and Buckcherry are at the Lawrenceburg Event Center… we’re assuming it’s called “The Compound Words Tour”
Warrant and Lita Ford play the Hard Rock Casino (Aqua Net hairspray sold separately)

Last, but certainly not least on the Saturday roster, Ludlow Garage has the tribute show you never knew you needed… “Toast: The Ultimate Bread Experience.”

There must be a lot of folks in the Tristate who said “Baby, I’m-a Want You” to this, as there are not one but two shows (3pm and 8pm).

Personally, I’d rather go for Toast on a Stick.

Low Cut Connie plays the Liberty Theater next Sunday (11/17), with the band Sweat (good luck Googling “Sweat Band”) as the opener. List member Dave Tellmann and I will be at that show. That same evening, Will Hoge plays the Southgate.

Next Monday, 11/18, Woodward Theater screens the Ani DiFranco doc 1-800-On-Her-Own.

Wishbone Ash plays Ludlow Garage on Tuesday, Nov. 19th.

Wishbone Ash: pairs well with Toast!

Craig Finn of The Hold Steady plays the Woodward on Wednesday, November 20th, with Katy Kirby as the opener. List member “Rico” and I will be there. Remember when Craig Finn played that house concert in Cincinnati back in 2017? I do, because it was my house!

That same evening, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder play Memorial Hall.

Americana power couple Gillian Welch and David Rawlings play the Taft on Thursday, 11/21 and Wayne “The Train” Hancock plays Southgate.

Shows on Friday, 11/22:

The Wood Brothers at Taft
The Tubes at Ludlow Garage
Tiny Moving Parts at Southgate
TyeDye Band (featuring list member John Sandman) at Plain Folk Cafe in Pleasant Plain, OH.
Liberty Theater hosts a free Singer/Songwriter Night

On Saturday, 11/23:

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and Joe’s Truck Stop play Southgate
Ric Hordinski and Kim Taylor play the Woodward
Hyryder (Grateful Dead tribute) at Madison Theater
Mark Gibson and Danni Nicholls play a “Downtowne Listening Room” show at the Hellmann Creative Center in Covington, KY
Ludlow has Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience… with special guest Electric Duke (tribute to David Bowie)

On Sunday, 11/24, Ballyhoo! and Keep Flying are at the Liberty Theater, Ace Monroe is at Southgate, and Hard Rock Casino has Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening.

The Reading Room

Bon Iver interview in The New Yorker. Money quote:

“I believe in the power of the individual — don’t get me wrong — but I’ve always just found that it distracts from the point. Why do we like a song? Is it because of who’s singing it to us? Or is it the song? And I just think it’s the song. For me, it is. For me, it’s about the song and what the music does. It can be very distracting when it becomes, ‘Oh, I love Bon Iver so much. I want more Bon Iver. I want to see Bon Iver. I want to get his autograph.’ I’m sensitive to it, and the attention can be overwhelming. I’m also uncomfortable with it because it distracts from the point that music delivered me to myself.”

We need some “Divine Intervention”

Matthew Sweet recently suffered a debilitating stroke in Canada. There’s a GoFundMe to help pay for his medical bills and ongoing therapy and care.

And you thought 8-tracks were weird

Here’s the live link to the Demastered site.

We live for live

I couldn’t make the Cereal Killers show at Big Ash the weekend before Halloween, but I love their Ramones vibe:

No, I didn’t get tickets for the Jack White show at Bogart’s. But list members Dave Tellmann and Rico did.

I DID, however, catch all three Buffalo Tom shows during their “Please Come to Boston” festival, along with comedy from Eugene Mirman and Dave Hill, book readings from Tom Perrotta, Bill Janovitz, and Dave Hill, and a band Q&A hosted by comedian/actor Mike O’Malley.

Dave Hill is hilarious, btw.

And last night Wussy and the Chris Brokaw Band (feat. Chris Brokaw from Codeine and Come, and Clint Conley from Mission of Burma) were fantastic at the Woodward.

(That’s Brenda Sauter of The Feelies sitting in on bass.)

Todd, Regi, Tom, Jamie, Matt, Pam, Jay, Alyssa, Dave, Ken, Michelle, Dave, Kevin, Dr. David… it’d be easier to cite the list members who weren’t there – great to see such a strong turnout for our friends in Wussy.

Their new album was on sale at the show – the official release date is this Friday.

Album Covers of the Week(s)

These guys can’t count, but they look really slick.

They’ve gotten worse at counting. And/or they found out about their dad’s clandestine second family.

The 1/4 un-lonely is because his belt is off.

If my math is correct, this guy isn’t wearing pants. And/or T.G. Sheppard just walked in on him.

Tricks and Treats

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

It’s Spooky Season!

It’s also Mookie Season!

Do the Right Thing and support live music. Here are your options over the next couple of weeks:

This Wednesday, Richard Lloyd (of Television* fame) plays the Woodward Theater with a full band. Static Falls also is on the bill.

*Television the band, not the medium. But here’s Television on (Spanish) Television:

Also on Wednesday, Judy Collins plays Memorial Hall. Speaking o’ Spooky Season, ol’ “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes” is looking more like a Hocus Pocus witch these days:

Alice Peacock plays the Southgate House on Thursday. She’ll be in the Revival Room, with a lead pipe.

Wait, wrong Peacock!

Friday shows:

The Steep Canyon Rangers play Memorial Hall
Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle are at Southgate (maybe the ghost of Pete Rose will show up)
America plays the Taft (they won’t have a headless horseman, but they will have a horse with no name)
Ludlow Garage has Dead Letter Office, a tribute to R.E.M.

This Saturday, Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing!

(Continuing my string of ill-timed trips, and jeopardizing my status as a Cereal Killers superfan, I once again will be out of town for their gig. Our whole fam-damily is going to Bloomington, Indiana to see the perennial football powerhouse Hoosiers take on their longstanding Big 10 27 rival, the Washington Huskies.)

Other Saturday shows include the sold-out “BEAT” show at Taft

Former King Crimson members ADRIAN BELEW and TONY LEVIN band together with guitar virtuoso STEVE VAI and explosive Tool drummer DANNY CAREY for the first time to create BEAT, a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 80s KING CRIMSON albums – Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair.

ekoostic hookah plays the Liberty Theater
Blues Traveler brings their “30 years of Four” tour to… Turfway Park
Pappy’s Jam Band plays Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest (1:30-4:30)
Lotus Land (a tribute to Rush) plays Ludlow Garage

On Sunday, the Casey Campbell Project plays Neltner’s Farm, Pink Martini plays Memorial Hall, and Taft has Mania, the ABBA tribute.

Next Tuesday (10/29), the Buena Vista Social Orchestra is at Bogart’s.

Next Wednesday:

KMFDM and the Morlocks play the Ovation
The Woodward hosts two showings (7:30 and 10:30) of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a shadow cast
Daphne Eckman plays Southgate’s Revival Room
Disco Biscuits (hold the Yung Gravy) play the Madison Theater

Next Thursday is Halloween.

That’s “hallow”-een not “hollow”-een… Hollow is for Easter.

“Rollvember” kicks off a week from Friday. There are several shows slated for Friday, 11/1:

Los Honchos play Southgate
Anthony Ray Wright and Andrew Hibbard are at Liberty Theater
Stacy Mitchhart plays an album release gig at Ludlow Garage
The Jacksons (R.I.P. Tito) play the Hard Rock Casino

I’ll be up in Boston that weekend for the Please Come to Boston festival. My favoritest band Buffalo Tom will be doing three concerts in three days (including an old-person-friendly “matinee” show on Sunday). They’re playing a different album from their 90s oeuvre each show, and the festival also features comedy sets from Eugene Mirman and Dave Hill, and something called “Punk Rock Aerobics”… I’m sure it’s quite the workout!

On Saturday, Nov. 2nd,

Gipsy Kings play the Hard Rock
The Peter Brady hosts “Life is a Carnival – The Last Waltz Tour ’24” with Ryan Bingham, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Jamey Johnson and more.
Trippin’ Billies (Dave Matthews Band tribute) are at Ludlow Garage.

Here’s some Trippin’ Beverly Hillbillies:

The Drive-by Truckers play a Southern Rock Opera Revisited show at Bogart’s on Sunday, 11/3. Shut your mouth and get your ass ~~on that plane~~ into that show!

On Thursday, Nov. 7th, “Turn to Stone: A Tribute to ELO” will be at Memorial Hall, and Yngwie Malmsteen plays the Madison Theater.

On Friday, 11/8:

Goose opens up a three-night stand at the Carol Brady
Billie Eilish plays the Coliseum
Noah Wotherspoon plays the Liberty Theater with Noah Pavey

Saturday, 11/9 gigs:

Wussy plays a full-band show at the Woodward, with the Chris Brokaw Band as the opener.
Jimmy Webb (“America’s Songwriter”) is at Memorial Hall
Samantha Fish plays Ludlow Garage, with Mitch Ryder performing as part of Samantha’s band, and Canned Heat as the opener
Moonshine Drive plays Arnold’s

City & Colour are at Bogart’s with Pedro the Lion on Monday, 11/11.

We live for live

It’s been quite a fortnight for your music-addicted editor. Charly Bliss at the Exit/In in Nashville was great…

The opener, Pronoun, was cool too. And Marc from the one-hit-wonder band Len came up on stage for the encore to do “Steal My Sunshine” with Charly Bliss.

A week ago, list member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube (check out his show on Inhailer Radio, Fridays 11a-3p) and I went to Columbus to see Superchunk. They rocked!

(Bassist Jason Narducy’s set list – he gave it to a kid in the front row… classy!)

For the final song of the encore, noted Breeder Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery of R. Ring came on stage to do their song “Cartoon Heart/Build Me a Question.” (R. Ring drummer Laura King is touring with Superchunk right now.)

The opening band, Quivers, was stellar too.

While Ken was waiting in line to get Mac from Superchunk to sign his poster (yes, Mac was at the merch booth – dude’s top-notch in my book), I chatted with the members of Quivers – Mike, Holly, Bella and Sam. They were super-nice to this old man, and funny as heck. Check out their recent live in-studio set at KEXP and you’ll be hooked by their hooks:

List members Dave Tellmann, Todd Butler, Carl “The Truth” Williams and I caught the Eddie 9V/Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears double bill at the Woodward on Wednesday.

And those shows were just the warm-up for another Chuck Cleaver/Lisa Walker Wussy Duo house show at my place this past weekend.

List members Todd, Regi, Tom, and Jamie were in the house, and they can attest that it was amazing.

I didn’t make the Mountain Goats show at Taft, but their stage setup was interesting:

Malin on the mend

Here’s a nice CBS Saturday Morning sessions interview with Jesse Malin.

Shameless Self-promotion

Dave Tellmann and I got the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast out of mothballs to chat with Randy Malloy, who went from unpaid college intern to owner of WWCD-FM in Columbus (nee “CD101″… and later “CD102.5″… and finally “CD92.9” before signing off under duress earlier this year).

The Randy interview is here, and you can catch all the episodes on your favorite podcasting platform.

Album Covers of the Week(s)

Here on earth, I’m a bit disappointed that a band named “Rebels” chose conformity in their outfits.

On the other hand (the one with five fingers), at least Rebels don’t struggle with basic math. Or perhaps the dudes are the Gospel Four and the woman is there because her hair is heavenly.

Episode 101.1/102.5/92.9: Randy Malloy of Ohio’s last indie radio station

97X, podcast, woxy.com

In 1991, Randy Malloy started as an unpaid college intern at WWCD-FM in Columbus, an independent, alternative rock radio station cut from the same cloth as 97X. He held a variety of positions at the station, including promotions director, marketing director, and operations director. In 2011, Randy purchased the station. Together with a dedicated band of staffers, they kept the independent/alternative flame alive for 33 years as the station moved around the radio dial from 101.1 (“CD101”) to 102.5 to 92.9 before eventually signing off on February 1st of this year.

We talked to Randy about his “Ran-sanity” career, how they looked up to 97X, how they programmed the music to let the listeners “pass through them” and why being part of the community was so important to them.

“No one told us that we couldn’t.”

Randy’s passion for the station and the community is patently obvious. Unfortunately, the station went off the air earlier this year when Randy couldn’t reach a workable financial agreement with the station’s corporate owners.

Headline above is from this article in the Columbus Navigator.

Much like 97X, WWCD-FM has a fond place in the hearts of music lovers who craved something more satisfying than mainstream music.

“And yet you could tune in to this radio station where they were playing The Cure and T. Rex and Adrian Belew and Marshall Crenshaw and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and all this other stuff that you couldn’t hear unless you owned the records.”

— Columbus poet/author Maggie Smith, from the March 2024 Columbus Monthly article by Dan Williamson

Like 97X/woxy.com, the station had several brushes with going off the air, somehow surviving… until earlier this year.

Ultimately, what killed WWCD is what made its existence so unlikely back in 1990: Independent radio is more of a labor of love than a business strategy.

— from the March 2024 Columbus Monthly article by Dan Williamson

[Photo credit: Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly]

Super-chunky and Wussy gigs

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Howdy, we’re short on time and long on concerts, so let’s get into it!

Tonight, Woodward Theater’s Cinema Series will be screening a movie about Brian Eno. It’s called… wait for it… Eno.

Meanwhile, I’ll be in Nashville for the Charly Bliss show at Exit/In. CB is about the poppiest my musical tastes get, but boy oh boy do they put on a great show! (Hence the long car ride.)

Tomorrow evening, Martin Sexton does an Abbey Road show at Memorial Hall.

Thursday:

Chromeo & the Midnight will be at the Ovation in Newport
Michigander plays Top Cats
Tinfoil Hat Cowboys play the Southgate Lounge (free!)

This Friday and Saturday, Bellevue Park Pavilion in Clifton Heights is hosting Rocktoberfest with several local bands playing three stages.

Other Freaky Fun Friday shows:

John Hiatt plays Memorial Hall
Keller Williams (yes, sounds like a real estate company) and the Motet are at the old Annie’s
Parker Millsap and Nat Myers play Southgate’s Sanctuary
Mike Viola will be upstairs in the Southgate Revival Room
The Yugos headline the Indie Friday free show at Fountain Square
Yung Gravy is at Bogart’s

We kinda wish Yung Gravy would tour with Disco Biscuits and play Cracker Barrels from coast to coast.

On Saturday

Tropicoso plays the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Moonshine Drive plays Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest (1:30-4:30)
Madison Theater has Pink Talking Fish (a fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish).

On Sunday, The Mountain Goats Trio (John Darnielle, Matt Douglas and Jon Wurster) plays the Taft, with Tift Merritt as the opener. And Justine Cefalu & Mike Oberst play Neltner’s Farm.

Monday, ISWHAT?! plays the Woodward, while list member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube and I will be road trippin’ to Columbus to see Superchunk at Scully’s. (Catch Ken Fridays 11a-3p on Inhailer radio.) Merge labelmates Quivers open the ‘chunk show. Great double bill!

Next Wednesday, 10/16:

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes play Bogart’s
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers plays Southgate
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears play the Woodward, with Eddie 9V as the opener. List member Dave Tellmann and I will be at that gig. (Dave and I have a bonus edition of the old “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast — the one three people listened to — coming soon!)

Shows next Thursday (10/17):

Bluegrass Jam at Camp Springs Tavern
Mickey Dolenz, the last Monkee, does a “songs and stories” gig at Ludlow Garage
Two indie bands from Chicago, Finom and Moontype, play the Woodward. Jeff Tweedy produced Finom’s latest album at the Wilco Loft.

Madison Theater hosts Puddles Pity Party on Friday, 10/18.

Wussy is playing at my house, again!

On Saturday, October 19th, Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker of Wussy will be playing their favorite east side venue, Casa de Damian (my house). The show is sold out, but I DO have my full allotment of five freebies – HMU if you’d like to attend.

Earlier that day, Chelsea Ford & the Trouble play Neltner’s Farm, and that same evening, just down the hill from my house, the California Honeydrops play the old Annie’s. I heard a good report about their live show in Lexington recently.

Wussy has a new album coming out!

We are excited to finally announce our first new record in six years! It’s called Cincinnati Ohio, and features ten tracks that we hope you’ll enjoy. (We were gonna call it The Great Divide, but in the end couldn’t bear to alter this amazing Langford / Calderas cover art).

It features all the regular Wussy folks – me (Lisa), Chuck, Mark, Joe – plus John E. on two songs, and newest member Travis on four songs. Producer and honorary member John Hoffman helmed and steadied the ship (and added some extra flourishes, too). Speaking of honorary members, John Curley recorded some of the basic tracks, and it was nice to have him back on board for those early days, as it was kind of an emotional rollercoaster to start recording again. He helped us navigate those first difficult sessions with a lot of grace and patience. There were many moments where we were all thinking – “is this even gonna work without John E”? We hope this album honors his legacy, as we move forward the best way we know how.

Album artwork is a painting by Jon Langford, based on photo by Jon Calderas. First track:

Listen to the Prophet

Chuck Prophet has a delightful new tune out.

It’s about time the dB’s got some love

Full post on Allmusic is here.

We love it live!

Great show from the Psychedelic Furs a couple weeks back, with Frankie Rose as the opener.

Hat tip to list member Todd Butler and Regi for the ticket. List members David and Amy Groff also were in the house at the old Annie’s

Album Covers of the Weeks

“Julie, you’re 16 now… it’s time for you to start hanging out with much older men in smoke-infested bars.”

Alternate title: Julie’s 50th Birthday.

Rockin’ into Rocktober

Uncategorized

Well my friend, I let you down. (Welcome to my wife’s daily world.) I didn’t publish a post in time to let you know about a few fabulous shows that were in our area over the last week or so, including the big VW show. Here’s a photo from that:

Whoops, wrong VW… I meant Vampire Weekend at the Peter Brady. Here’s a photo:

Dammit, that’s Peter Brady as Frankenstein, not as a Vampire… Anyhoo, I hear the actual VW show was great. I missed it, but I am firmly in Vampire Weekend’s camp when it comes to the Oxford Comma, and will gladly tell any Tom, Dick or Harry.

I also missed out on letting you know about Pitbull with T-Pain at Riverbend… you’re welcome?

Oh and I missed touting the Nelly show after the Reds game this past weekend. One thing’s for sure: Nelly couldn’t sing “Hot in Herre” at GABP until after the Reds game. (Exit stage left, David Bell…).

(Maybe next year… )

And Neko Case played Memorial Hall last night. But longtime readers of this whatchamacalit will note that we haven’t been big on seeing Neko live since she had an on-stage hissy fit at the Taft several years ago. Here’s some footage from the guy she got mad at for shooting video:

Rather than dwell on the past let’s look to the future!

Tomorrow night’s show at the Taft might feature the strangest pairing of bands I’ve ever seen. Hair band Extreme (yes, with Gary Cherone, who was in Van Halen for a hot minute) is headlining, and the opener is Living Colour. Weird combo, dude!

Burton Cummings of The Guess Who has back-to-back shows this week. He’s at the Taft on Wednesday and then at the Rose in Dayton on Thursday.

Speaking of Burton Cummings, guess who is America’s #1 Fleetwood Mac experience? Why it has to be Fleetwood Gold, and they’re playing Memorial Hall on Wednesday.

Other Thursday gigs include:

The Jesus Lizard at Bogart’s
Chatham County and Mt. Pleasant String Band at Southgate
Colin James at Ludlow Garage.

This Friday is chock full o’ gigs:

The Psychedelic Furs play the old Annie’s with Frankie Rose as the opener
TyeDye (local band featuring list member John Sandman) plays Carriage House Farm in North Bend, OH
Moonbeau plays The Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg
The Front Bottoms are at Bogart’s
Why? and NNamdi play the Woodward
Siri Imani and Knotts play the Indie Friday show at Fountain Square
Third Eye Blind plays… the lawn in front of P&G… at 5:30… as part of the Kroger Wellness Festival.

Reviews aren’t in for the Third Eye Blind show yet, but the reviews for 3EB frontman Stephan Jenkins are unanimous:

Quote above from the “60 Songs that Explain the 90s” episode on “Semi-Charmed Life.”

On Saturday:

The Black Crowes play outdoors at the Hard Rock Casino.
Maria Carrelli is at Liberty Theater
Arkansauce plays Southgate’s Revival Room
Local Americana band Jim Trace & the Makers play Streetside Brewery’s 8th birthday party (3-6 p.m.)
Moonshine Drive plays Arnold’s

On Sunday, Alkaline Trio plays Ovation, and the free Mammoth Fest has a ton of great local bands on four stages in Newport near (or inside) the Southgate House:

Next Tuesday kicks off Roctober… get your fingers poised and ready to crank it up and rip the knob off for your favorite classic rock station.

Rocktober kicks off in Cincinnati with…

On Wednesday, October 2nd, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds does a “songs and stories” show at Memorial Hall.

Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins play the Woodward on Thursday October 3rd.

Also that evening: Shawn Mullins plays Ludlow, and Camp Springs Tavern holds its bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam.

Next Friday is October 4th — also known as C.W. McCall Tribute Day:

That evening, ~~Cabover Pete and Pigpen~~ Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov play the Bobby Brady, and Saving Escape headlines the Fountain Square freebie.

On Saturday October 5th Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band play Ludlow Garage and the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg hosts Ernie Johnson from Detroit.

10/5 also is the date of the Kevin Carrico Memorial Golf Outing at California Golf Course to raise funds for scholarships for young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, in memory of list member Michael “Rico” Carrico’s brother. Sign up to play (or just donate) here.

Here Come The Mummies play the Ovation on Sunday October 6^th.

And just in case I’m tardy with my next post, here are a few other upcoming shows:

10/9: Martin Sexton does an Abbey Road show at Memorial Hall
10/10 Chromeo and the Midnight at the Ovation
10/11 John Hiatt at Memorial Hall, Keller Williams and the Motet at Annie’s, Parker Millsap and Nat Meyers at Southgate House, The Yugos headline the free show at Fountain Square and Yung Gravy plays Bogart’s.

Kim Deal: American Treasure

Kim finally has a solo album coming out. Here’s a great interview with The Guardian. Money quote:

and another:

Her parents were incredibly supportive of their daughters’ careers: Ann would often capture their vocals on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Their father, Ed, meanwhile, once drove the Breeders around on tour with Nirvana (and listened to Ray Charles on headphones the whole way). Deal would later return the favour, ferrying her elderly parents down to the Florida Keys for holidays.

I went to a fight the other night and a Jane’s Addiction concert broke out

Oh Perry Farrell… so sad. But this is funny:

(Someone’s been huffing too much hairspray!)

Jesse rocks – and so do his pals

Order the vinyl here.

Album Covers of the Weeks

Did you find the 27 things wrong with this album cover? Let’s cleanse our palate with something much more pure:

I’m pretty sure this is just a still photo from a Monty Python skit. (L to R: Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Eric Idle)

Back-to-Cool Music

Concert Listings, Music

Howdy boys and gurls, I hope back-to-school season is treating you well.

Let’s dive into the live… live music, that is.

Tomorrow night, legendary concert promoter/booker Dan McCabe (Sudsy Malone’s, Southgate House, MPMF, MOTR, Woodward) opens up a brand-spanking-new music venue in an old German music hall in the historic downtown DORA district of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The venue is called Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater.

The very cool logo was crafted by very cool list member Keith Neltner of Neltner Small Batch (available to work on your brand too!)

You can read more about Dan’s new concert baby on the Cincinnati Magazine website. You might recognize the byline, too! (It was a real treat to tour the venue with Dan and get the scoop! Hardhat tip to list member John Fox for the assignment.)

Allison Kiehl also did a nice article for The Cincinnati Enquirer, complete with Dan doing his best Village Person impersonation:

“It’s fun to rock at the WCLT… ” (Photo credit: Frank Bowen IV/The Cincinnati Enquirer)

Dan’s a great dude and I wish him all the success in the world. Kelsey Waldron will be the headliner for tomorrow night’s debut concert with Henhouse Prowlers and My Brother’s Keeper playing on Saturday. The full lineup of shows is on the Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater website.

And in the interest of saving my hands from carpal tunnel, Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater shall henceforth be known in these posts as Liberty Theater, or the Liberty, or WCLT…

Other Friday shows include:

Deer Tick at Southgate house with Dylan McCartney and Dakota Carlyle also on the bill.
Gable Price & Friends at the Woodward
Sweet Lizzy (no relation to Thin Lizzy) plays the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton.

Saturday shows:

Henhouse Prowlers and My Brother’s Keeper at the Liberty
Crash Test Dummies play Memorial Hall
Riverbend hosts the Ohio is for Lovers Festival (fun fact that I just made up: Jerry Springer coined the phrase “Ohio is for lovers” when he was writing checks as Cincinnati’s mayor.)
Ovation in Newport has the Bourbon Baron Bash with Town Mountain and Kelly Willis (“Enjoy bourbon tastings from local distilleries, a variety of food trucks, and live music. All proceeds benefit The Cure Starts Now to fund pediatric brain cancer research.)
Brad Paisley plays outdoors at the Hard Rock Casino
Arnold’s hosts local Americana band Jim Trace and the Makers

Silversun Pickups play Bogart’s on Monday.

John Legend performs with the Cincinnati Pops at Riverbend on Tuesday.

If you want proof that age ain’t nothing but a number, put on your cheater glasses and look no further then the Outlaw Music Festival at Riverbend on Wednesday night: Willie Nelson Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp top the bill. That’s 91, 83, and 72 if you’re keeping score at home. But you shouldn’t be.

Next Thursday:

Carson Lowe plays a free show at WCLT with Harley Day also on the bill.
Sierra Green and the Giants play the Levitt Pavilion for free. (They’re doing a ticketed show the prior evening at Ludlow, but you wouldn’t want to disappoint John Matarese, would you?)

Calling all Beardos! Calling all Beardos!

This year’s Whispering Beard Festival is next Friday and Saturday (September 13th and 14th) at Carriage House Farm in North Bend, Ohio. The full lineup:

Other shows on Friday, September 13th:

Ruby Vileos plays the Liberty Theater
My Brightest Diamond is at the Woodward Theater
Lung headlines the Indie Friday free show at Fountain Square
Taft Theatre has An Evening with Esperanza Spalding
The Cincinnati Nature Center hosts Music under the Moon with Jam Band Jovi
Jamey Johnson plays PNC Pavilion
Ludlow Garage has 1964: The Tribute (I’m not sure if they’re paying tribute to the Beatles or to the year of my birth and at this point I’m afraid to ask)
Soulja Boy marches into the Ovation
Last but certainly not least, GWAR plays Bogart’s

On Saturday September 14^th:

Kings Of Leon play the Marsha Brady (According to Greg, her sex is on fire, even if her nose is out of whack)
Cincinnati band Sylmar plays WCLT
RiversEDGE in Hamilton host Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd
Ice Cube plays the Hard Rock Casino’s outdoor stage

STRFKR (spelled just like it sounds!) are at the Madison Theater on Sunday, September 15th, and Saintseneca (punctuated just like it sounds!) plays the Woodward with Strawberry Runners as the opener

Shows on Tuesday September 17th:

Manchester Orchestra plays the Peter Brady
Megadeth, Mudvayne and All That Remains are at Riverbend
Celtic band Skerryvore plays Memorial Hall

On Wednesday September 18th Riverbend hosts the Marley Brothers: The Legacy Tour. (Why yes, Damian IS part of that show… thank you for asking!)

Adding some spice to Pumpkin Season

Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest starts up at the end of this month, with cool bands on the bill every weekend through October. Here’s a brief description and the full music lineup courtesy of Courtney Phenicie at CincyMusic:

I would write 4 U

Sage advice from Seth Godin:

I’m gonna name you “The Concert Keepers” – because:

a. you like concerts, and

b. if you read this hot mess on a regular basis, you’re a keeper!

Makes No Sense at All…

In a budget cut, NBC axed Seth Myers Late Night band, led by Fred Armisen. This was their kiss off/send-off:

Album Covers of the Week(s)

Brother Dave looks like a Fred Armisen character.

I think you can hang a “Mission Accomplished” banner now, EBO!