Joe Voet was a mild-mannered student in a small Midwestern college town, working at the Miami U. student radio station and listening to 97X… until one day Rictile turned him into Joe “Rock the” Voet, political correspondent. That led to a Breakfast Club co-producer role, with highs (meeting The Cure) and lows (reading the news on-air without any prep).
Joe claims he was the worst Breakfast Club co-producer ever, but we beg to differ. We talk to him about his 97X memories, and learn how he’s used his IT skills to build a mini-97X. We also learn that Damian sucks at geography.
Back in his Oxford days, Joe lived downstairs from 97X-er Kevin Couche, and across the street from Shiv… and near Matt Sledge and Mark Abuzzahab. Truly a “Cradle of DJs.”
Front row L to R: Joe Voet (seated), Shivvy, Kevin Couche, Mark Abuzzahab and Rictile. Back row: women who prefer to remain anonymous, for reasons that should be obvious considering the folks in the front row.
The resemblance to the cast of Melrose Place is uncanny:
Here’s Joe today, from his home in… some country in Europe, maybe?
Spark VanBuren… sounds like an alias to us.
Joe sent us a few photos of his 97X swag…
I have found a couple threadbare shirts, which are in my “never to be worn again” shirt archive due to the sorry state they are now in….1 more wash and I fear disintegration.
I also found the Alternative Division gas can flask, which is by far my favorite flask. I believe it was some sort of call in prize, but I cannot remember…I only know that it came from 97X.
Thanks for adding “fuel” to our 97X memories, Joe!
Before we get into this week’s gigs, I’m providing a holiday shopping public service announcement for those with teenage daughters (and for list members who are “still 16” like Amanda Woodly – more on her later): Tickets for Olivia Rodrigo’s April 22nd show and the Haim show on May 19th go on sale today at 10 a.m. (Both shows are indoor gigs at Icon, which is punching well above its weight… time for Ovation to up its game.) If you’d like to “try before you buy” on Olivia Rodrigo, check out her Austin City Limits appearance (her band is all-female, which is pretty cool)… and of course stick around for the Phoebe Bridgers portion of the show.
OK, on with the shows…
It’s Friday, and Jason is in town!
Wait, my bad, I meant Jason Isbell.
Jason Isbell’s superb band, the 400 Unit, is named after a hospital psych ward. So maybe Jason Vorhees will be here in spirit? I know I’ll be at tonight’s show at the Icon (in the flesh… but wearing pants for a change), along with about half the folks on the “This Week in Live Music” mailing list. (The other half will be at Saturday’s show.) Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives open up both shows. A good time will be had by all.
The jaunty ascot… who wore it best?
Tony the Tiger
Marty Stuart
Thurston Howell III
Other shows this evening include Multimagic at the Woodward, and An Olde English Christmas With Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone at Ludlow Garage. I hope they do the theme song from the 80’s Olde English TV commercial – that song rocks!
On Saturday, it’s a Jason sequel…
Meaning it’s Night II for Jason Isbell/Marty Stuart at Icon. (Don’t forget to get a Marty Stuart ascot at the merch booth!)
Meanwhile, Them Dirty Roses are at the old Annie’s, with The Josephines as the opener. Our ol’ pal Rob Fetters wraps up another round of his “Fetters is Cheap” free livestreams – accessible via his website. And Emaline will sing the Christmas classics at Ludlow Garage.
Ludlow can keep the (Christmas) lights on, because on Sunday you can enjoy Christmas with the Celts at that venue. If you prefer goth garb to kilts, you can check out Evanescence and Halestorm at the Coliseum. If you’d rather boogie-woogie in the morning, Ben Levin’s playing the Hard Rock brunch, with special guest Lil’ Jimmy Reed. Now that’s a winning combination!
Ben’s got a solo gig at Arnold’s on Thursday, but other than that, the rest of the week is kinda light on gigs. I blame the supply chain. Everyone else is doing it!
But then next Friday the scene really heats up… all the way up to 98 Degrees! They’re playing the Hard Rock Casino – sounds like a classic lose/lose proposition to me.
If you’d rather see a better band with local connections — and much less boy band baggage — Over the Rhine kicks off a three night stand of their annual holiday show next Friday at Memorial Hall.
If you’d rather see and hear a facsimile of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham instead of real-life Karin and Linford, head to Ludlow Garage for Rumours: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute.
Sorry Linford, but Lindsey’s hair is better. Actually, it WAS better.
Or you can shop local and hit the Motherfolk Christmas show at Bogart’s, with Sylmar as the opener.
Favorite albums of 2021
Today’s the last day to vote for your Top Ten of this year on KEXP’s website.
But there’s plenty of time to add your faves to the TWILM list here. Grammy-nominated artist Dale Doyle (the original D2) chose these slabs o’ wax:
Black Keys – Delta Kream
Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
Slowthai- Tyron
Weezer – OK Human
Leon Bridges – Gold-Diggers Sound
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
Fleet Foxes – Shore
Taylor Swift – Evermore
Low – Hey What
Lucy Dacus – Home Video
Kanye West – Donda (Just kidding)
While list member Amanda Woodly decided to chide me for my document choice (“this should be an Excel file”) before listing her top tunes o’ the year:
Snailmail- Valentine
Japanese Breakfast- Jubilee
Lucy Dacus- Home Video
Olivia Rodrigo- Sour (I’m still 16)
Doja Cat- Planet Her
Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
Tyler, The Creator- Call Me If You Get Lost
Kacey Musgraves- Star Crossed (Cincinnati’s newest #goodwife)
I wish I could put the new St Vincent album here, but…
Sorry to let you down, Amanda. I like to think outside the box, and Excel is nothing but boxes.
Friday Funnies
We mocked the GMC holiday commercial last week, so this week it’s time for some Lexus holiday commercial fun:
Tico the Parrot is a dead ringer singer for Axl Rose:
He does a pretty good Bon Scott too:
Tweet of the Week
Cover of the Week
Courtesy of list member Michael “Rico” Carrico who said “Covering Mr Waits. Phoebe at her best.” (We agree wholeheartedly!)
Album Cover of the Week
It’s the Holiday Houseguest from Hell. Crazy Otto is back in town. Looks like he flew Allegiant. And he brought sheet music.
IF you’re not too busy buying expensive new vehicles for your significant other and yourself… like this totally relatable and not-at-all-unrealistic GMC commercial:
https://youtu.be/DQTVh5EF_tc
… then perhaps you can rustle up enough cash to see a concert or two in December. Oh, and save some coinage for a show next spring too…
Waxahatchee will be playing the Woodward Theater on Wednesday, April 13th of 2022. Tickets go on sale TODAY at 10 a.m.
Her most recent album was one of the best of 2020 (sez me… and pretty much everyone else), so you don’t want to miss this gig. Unless your wife’s due date is a couple of days before the show (Hi Rico!).
OK, now let’s get to this week’s list of gigs, shall we?
Max Weinberg’s Jukebox (that’s a band, not an eBay listing for a Seeburg Select-O-Matic that was once owned by the E Street Band drummer) is playing at Ludlow Garage tonight. Max lets the audience pick the tunes the band will play from a list of 300+ songs. Perhaps it’ll turn out better than this:
Tomorrow night
Jess Lamb & the Factory play Findlay Market at 5 p.m.
Shakey Graves is at Bogart’s, with This Week in Live Music favorite S.G. Goodman as the opener.
But the really big Saturday show is at Fretboard Brewing: local jam band Spookfloaters (featuring my wife’s cousin Mike on guitar and vocals) will be playing from 8-11 p.m. I’ll be there (look for the old guy NOT doing the twisty-floppy dancing), along with list members Dan and Anne Robinson, Whit and Barb Gardner, and Pat “Print’s not Dead Yet” Latham. What about my lovely bride, you ask? Well, even though Mike is her first cousin, she won’t be attending because she has a “Girls Night Out” (if you’re keeping score at home, this will be the 8th one this week). Blood may be thicker than water, but apparently it’s thinner than margaritas.
Or cousins…
Sunday is a church day. It’s also a Chvrches night – they’re playing the Ovation, with Donna Missal as the opener.
On Tuesday, Jesse Dayton plays Southgate, and David Benoit does a Christmas tribute to Charlie Brown at Ludlow Garage.
Southgate will be rockin’ on Wednesday, with a triple bill of The Queers, the Dollyrots and Tiger Sex. (Note: Tiger Sex is a band, not a cologne.)
Speaking of pungent aromas, Hot Tuna will be at Ludlow Garage on Thursday, with Steve Kimock & Friends opening the show. That gig is damn near sold out. But plenty of tickets are still available for guitar whiz Tommy Emmanuel and acoustic picker Andy McKee at Taft.
Next Friday, December 10th, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit kick off a two-night stand at the Icon, with Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives as the opener. I’ll be there, along with list members Chris Lecky, Whit and Barb Gardner… and yes, my lovely bride too (shh, don’t tell Cousin Mike).
If you can’t make the Isbell show next Friday, you can enjoy an Olde English Christmas…
Wait, I meant an Olde English Christmas with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone. That’s at Ludlow Garage. Not sure which one will bring your more enjoyment.
Also on tap next Friday: The Ben Levin Trio will be playing Lucious Q, with legendary bluesman Lil’ Jimmy Reed, and Multimagic will be at Woodward, with JV Golf and Bershy.
That’s about it for shows in the week ahead. Let’s dip into the ol’ mailbag…
(Artist’s rendition. The actual mailbag is dang near empty… I blame DeJoy.)
List member Janet Welling picked up the sweet Maker’s Mark vinyl designed by list member Keith Neltner:
Sharon McCafferty chimed in after we featured a Devo video recently:
Funny about Devo. My father-in-law is a big fan. He’s known to sport an energy dome at weddings and the band has to play “Whip it.” He wants Jarrod to join him in going to see them in New York – on a Wednesday. Alas practicality prevails.
He might have just earned the title of coolest father-in-law ever!
And Chris Lecky provided a couple of quick concert recaps:
I saw Dylan for the millionth time, not one of my favs. Setlist wasn’t great and no Charlie Sexton sucks. Dave Chappelle at the arena was an odd one. Hoping for stand up but got Bones Thugs and Harmony performing.
Sorry you got Bone-d, Chris. See you at Isbell!
The Reading List
This piece from Washington Post pop music critic Chris Richards was great… and the headline (The Beatles are overrated. That’s our fault, not theirs.) is sure to garner some extra clicks. Here’s the money quote (bold emphasis mine):
When McCartney foresees his bandmates “very old,” we need not mourn the 21st-century Beatles reunion album that nobody gets to hear. The music these four managed to record between 1962 and 1970 is enough to sustain a lifetime of enjoyment, easy. But there’s also an entire world of new music being made at this very moment, and it’s already passing us by. Yes, we have to make room for the past and the present to coexist in our listening lives — but if we’re more excited about spending eight hours fly-on-the-walling with the Beatles than opening our ears to what this world currently sounds like, imagine what we’ll be grieving another 50 years from now.
Hear, hear, Chris, I couldn’t agree more!
And this Substack piece from Damon Krukowski (drummer for Galaxie 500 back in the day, and now in a duo called Damon and Naomi) about how pop stars are squeezing out indie bands at vinyl plants is quite interesting.
I didn’t mention Ed Sheeran or Adele or god forbid Taylor Swift in my testimony – you never know who’s a rabid fan – but vinyl production problems for records that won’t be stocked at Target is a perfect example of what is happening across industries in this moment of corporate oligarchy. There’s nowhere to hide from those intent on market domination – they won’t leave our small scale businesses alone, even though what we represent in dollar amounts is too little for them to really care.
Nine thousand LPs are nothing to Ed Sheeran. But they are a means to survival for independent artists like me.
Reminder: share your favorite albums of 2021
List member Mighty Joe Sampson got the ball rolling with his faves:
Snailmail- Valentine
Japanese Breakfast- Jubilee
MMJ- self titled
The War on Drugs: I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Lana Del Rey- Blue Bannisters
The Hold Steady- Open Door Policy
Lucy Dacus- Home Video
That’s a Magnificent Seven from Mighty Joe. You can add yours via this link.
Tweet of the Week
Album Cover of the Week
Uh, you could give away a dozen kids and still have a gaggle, Eddie. (At least now we know who George Jetson’s real father is.)
If I told you that I had an album autographed by a Grammy-nominated artist, you might think I was referring to the recording artist.
That’s Matt Berninger’s solo album, Serpentine Prison, but the autograph isn’t Matt’s. It’s from my good friend (and list member) Dale Doyle, who created the album artwork. And Dale is the one up for the hardware:
I’m thrilled for Dale, (a.k.a. “the original d2”). He and I worked together at the Cincinnati office of Landor Associates. Dale spent 23 years there, until he was “downsized” back in 2018. In hindsight, it was the best thing that could’ve happened to him professionally.
Speaking of getting fired from an ad agency and being nominated for a Grammy, Japanese Breakfast is up for “Best New Artist” this year. (Even though this year’s release Jubilee was their third album… where was the Grammy committee when JB put out Psychopomp in 2016, or Soft Sounds from Another Planet in 2017, or when they were just blowing us away live in the Taft Ballroom back in 2018?) Bandleader Michelle Zauner talks about how she used her two-months’ severance from an ad agency to pursue a music career in this Broken Record podcast:
The moral of the stories: if you want to win a Grammy, the first step is being let go by an ad agency.
OK, let’s get into this week’s list of live shows:
Freekbass is hosting Funksgiving tonight at Ludlow Garage, Darlene has a record release show at MOTR, Ben Levin plays Arnold’s, and Patti LaBelle is at the Hard Rock Casino.
Saturday’s shows run the full gamut of genres and venues: The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is at Southgate, The Lions Rampant are at MOTR, Ben Levin plays Ghost Baby in OTR, local Tom Petty tribute band Tom the Torpedoes plays the Redmoor in Mt. Lookout… and Michael Bolton is at the Lawrenceburg Event Center in the Hoosier State.
Ben Levin is at it again on Sunday morning (must be trying to work off that extra helping of turkey yesterday), playing the Blues Brunch at the Hard Rock Casino from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. If 10 p.m. is more your style, Gringo Star and The Harlequins play MOTR that evening.
Tuesday, author David Sedaris is at the Aronoff. (Yes, I know it’s not a music gig but he’s a rockstar writer and just so damn entertaining in a live setting.)
On Thursday, Devotchka plays the Woodward Theater, with Milquetoast & Co. as the opener. The irrepressible Ben Levin plays Shires Garden. And if you need more cowbell, Blue Oyster Cult will be at Ludlow Garage.
Max Weinberg’s Jukebox makes a stop at Ludlow next Friday (12/3). And yes, Ben Levin has a gig – he’s playing Muse Cafe.
Next Saturday (12/4), Shakey Graves plays Bogart’s, local Dead/jam band Spookfloaters play Fretboard (my wife’s cousin is in that band, so I’ll be there), Ben Levin (him again!) plays BrewRiver, and Jess Lamb & the Factory will be at Findlay Market for a 5 p.m. happy hour gig.
That brings us full circle to yet another great design on a record: Keith Neltner (who worked with Dale and me at Landor) did the artwork for the limited edition 7-inch vinyl record featuring two songs from Jess Lamb & the Factory.
The record — a collaborative effort among Neltner Small Batch, Otto Printing in Newport, Musicol (recording studio/pressing plant in Columbus), Arnold’s, and Maker’s Mark — was released at Arnold’s on Wednesday evening, and a handful of the splatter vinyl copies went on sale today at five local record stores (Shake It Records, Everybodys Records, Plaid Room Records, Torn Light Records and Herzog Music).
Jess Lamb & the Factory band member Warren Harrison also worked at Landor…
Shop local stores. Support local artists (recording and otherwise). They might wind up winning a Grammy someday!
Here’s more from our chat with 97X/woxy.com alum Barb Abney. In this episode, Barb discloses her 97X souvenirs, we try to solve the mystery of where 97X’s music library wound up, a secret prankster is revealed, and we get more scoop on Barb’s new podcast called “Tied to the Tracks.”
On Barb’s Tied to the Tracks podcast, she and co-host Augustus Watkins are joined by a different guest each episode and they dive deep into one of their guest’s favorite albums, song by song. Tied to the Tracks is available wherever you get your podcasts, including on Spotify, Apple Music and iHeart.
Barb’s come a long way since that fateful day when she interviewed for a job at 97X… here’s the outfit she wore that day:
If you miss hearing Barb on the air (don’t we all?), you can tune in to the morning show she co-hosts on KFAI-FM in Minneapolis (it’s on the interwebs).
We first interviewed Barb back in 2019, on Episode 18. Check it out here.
Let’s get to this week’s listings on the old 97X Koncert Keeper.
Tonight Shovels & Rope at Ludlow Garage, Bendigo Fletcher plays the Woodward with Sylmar as the opener, and the local Allman Bros. tribute band The Almond Butter Band plays their “Butterball” at the Redmoor in Mt. Lookout.
(Sidebar: after the year we’ve had, I can understand if you want to take a time capsule back to 1982. If so, you’ll be glad to know that Journey and Toto will be playing the Coliseum next April 24th. Tickets go on sale today. Warning: “Steve Perry” might look a bit different, but he still sounds the same.)
Beach Bunny has a sold-out show at Southgate on Saturday night. Didn’t get a ticket? That’s OK, you can “shop local”: Jeremy Pinnell will play two free sets at MOTR to celebrate the release of his new album Goodbye L.A., from local label SofaBurn Records.
You can read list member Gil Kaufman’s interview with Jeremy for Cincinnati Magazineonline. (We love Gil’s “resting outlaw face” turn of phrase.) Jason Gargano’s profile in CityBeat is here. And here’s the video (shot in Cincy/NKY) for “Wanna Do Something” from the new album:
Also on Saturday, Ludlow Garage features “Broken Arrow: The Music of Neil Young.” And if you’d prefer to laugh it up that evening, you have two fine choices:
Jim Gaffigan is at the Coliseum
Iliza Shlesinger is at the Taft (check out her Netflix specials, pretty damn funny)
On Sunday you can take a load off with The Weight Band, featuring members of The Band (revamped edition… no Robbie or Garth) and the Levon Helm Band (we still miss you, Levon). They’re playing Ludlow Garage. Wait! Looks like The Weight was too much to bear, and that show has been postponed.
Taft Theatre has a Scribble Showdown on Monday. But it’s an improv animation game, not a throwback to the old hip-hop Scribble Jam.
On Thanksgiving eve (Wednesday, 11/24), you can catch “All Together Now – A Beatles Thanksgiving Celebration” featuring the Newbees – it’s at Memorial Hall. Or you can head to Annie’s to enjoy the song stylings of the band that many* have called “The new Beatles”: Jackyl.
*these people are stoned out of their gourds
Ernie Johnson from Detroit will be at MOTR on Wednesday too.
On Thursday, Bird is the word.
Ted Cruz’s dream…
Or in my case, Tofurkey.
Wanna dance off your turkey/tofurkey coma next Friday? Get your booty down to Ludlow Garage for Freekbass and his “Funksgiving 2021” celebration.
Next Saturday, 11/27, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays Southgate, and Tom the Torpedoes will be at the Redmoor.
Watch this
Johnny Rotten on The Masked Singer is so 2021.
Speaking o’ punk, Devo is a band that doesn’t get nearly the credit they deserve. Check ’em out live in 1977 in NYC:
Whereas this pairing — Psychedelic Porn Crumpets with Acid Dad as the opener — is an early contender for twin billing of the year.
2021 favorites – care to share yours?
We’re heading down the homestretch of this year (2020 Part Deux: More Dumpster, Slightly Less Fire). If you care to share your list of favorite albums, EPs, songs, TikTok clips, whatever, you can add them here.
Album cover of the week
When you go over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house for Turkey Day, don’t forget to bring along some Sloppy fifths. Rated “Code E” for everyone.
Barb Abney, who was on-air at 97X and woxy.com from 1994-2006, returns to talk about weird promotional giveaway items, why corporate radio still sucks… oh, and her great podcast “Tied to the Tracks.” Barb has some excellent podcasting pointers for Dave and Damian… which we will probably ignore.
On Barb’s Tied to the Tracks podcast, she and co-host Augustus Watkins are joined by a different guest each episode and they dive deep into one of their guest’s favorite albums, song by song. Tied to the Tracks is available wherever you get your podcasts, including on Spotify, Apple Music and iHeart.
In our interview, Barb also mentioned some of the more unusual promotional giveaway items from 97X. Here’s her “vintage” Blur condom:
And here are several more choice items from Barb’s swag collection:
Can’t finish your soda? Why not use your Squirrel Nut Zippers can cover…
We wonder if that phone number is still active…
Band-Aid dispenser from Stanford Prison Experiment… makes perfect sense.
Here’s a shot of the woxy.com crew: Shiv and Barb up front, Mike Taylor and Bryan J. in the back.
And here’s one of Barb’s handwritten playlist from the woxy.com era, along with her “DJ Princess” business card:
If you miss hearing Barb on the air (don’t we all?), you can tune in to the morning show she co-hosts on KFAI-FM in Minneapolis (it’s on the interwebs).
We first interviewed Barb back in 2019, on Episode 18. Check it out here.
And you’ll have several opportunities this week. Tonight, Gary Clark Jr. plays the Icon, The Wild Feathers play Madison Theater, and Spyro Gyra plays Ludlow Garage.
Saturday, you can head to Memorial Hall for the North Mississippi All-stars with the Rebirth Brass Band and Cedric Burnside. The show sounds pretty cool:
For one special night, these three artists will be playing their own favorite selections as well as collaborating throughout the show on an array of great songs, exploring the musical connection between the Mississippi Delta and Bourbon Street… right down Highway 61.
If you fancy a bit of a road trip, you can catch Hamilton Leithauser and Kevin Morby at Headliner’s in Louisville. If you’d rather stay home, Rob Fetters is streaming another house show on the YouTubes.
Sunday has a few gigs of note:
Ben Levin & Friends are doing the boogie-woogie brunch at Hard Rock Casino
Tab Benoit is at the Taft with Alastair Green
Carl Palmer plays Ludlow Garage
Sebastian Bach will be at Bogart’s for a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Skid Row’s Slave to the Grind. Maybe 20 years from now he’ll do an anniversary tour of the time he sang “Hollaback Girl” on Gilmore Girls.
On Monday I’ll probably be at MOTR Pub enjoying the sweet song stylings of Lydia Loveless, with Amber Nash as the opener. It’s a rare ticketed show for MOTR (most are free), but $15 is cheap for that gig. Doors at 7, show at 8.
Tuesday Southgate House has Alice Peacock with Tim Grimm and the Family Band: A Concert to Benefit The Music Resource Center.
Hayes Carll plays Southgate on Wednesday with the splendid Caroline Spence as the opener, and David Cross will be at Bogart’s. No word on whether any other members of Dr. Fünke’s 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution will be there.
Ben Folds (hold the Five) is playing Taft on Thursday. That same evening, Olivia Jean and Leggy are at Southgate, and Edwin McCain plays Ludlow Garage.
Ludlow will be hosting Shovels & Rope next Friday, November 19th.
Dr. Shovels, with the Rope, in the Garage
Hot Ticket Alert!
Lucy Dacus (her latest album is one of my 2021 faves), will be playing Ovation (the PromoWest venue in Newport) on Friday, February 11th, 2022. Tickets go on sale today at noon (and yes, the “convenience fees” are redonk). Ovation also recently announced a Bon Iver show on June 21, 2022, with Bonny Light Horseman as the opener. The PromoWest lineup of shows had been rather underwhelming thus far, but these tasty gigs give us hope that, as list member Ken Laube put it, “maybe we’re finally getting out of concert jail.”
Gig Pics
Brett Newski and the No Tomorrow played a thoroughly entertaining set at MOTR on Wednesday. Then the band stayed at the home of list members Dave and Jacqui Killen – the same place where Brett played a Parlor & Patio gig pre-pandemic. Now that’s hospitality!
Brett had a “virtual tip jar” set up at his merch booth – take a page from the book of list member John Sandman: if you’ve been listening to a band’s music on Spotify, why not Venmo them some $ (or give them some cold hard cash… that’s still a thing) to make up for what you would’ve spent on an album? That little bit of extra moolah — and the occasional free “bed & breakfast” from friendly hosts — goes a long way for up and coming bands.
Not the Bank of Spotify
Words of wisdom
“Punk taught me that music didn’t have to express consensus. You could use music as a way to set yourself apart from the world, or at least some of the world. You could find something to love and something—perhaps lots of somethings—to reject. You could have an opinion, and an identity.”
Kelefa Sanneh in his new book Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres (Hat tip to list member Cullen Lewis for the reco)
Watch this
The Sparks Brothers, the new documentary about the band Sparks (streaming now on Netflix) is delightfully entertaining. Well worth a watch.
As they point out in the doc, Sparks really invented the “Molly Ringwald” Breakfast Club style of dance. It’s merely one of many examples of the ways that Sparks blazed the trail for others musically and stylistically.
Random Album Cover of the Week
The John Denver-meets-Miami-Vice vibe is entertaining enough (as advertised), but the inscription really seals the deal:
I think ol’ Jim might be confused about how the whole brother-sister thing works. It’s not like she had a choice.
First, the Melvin Seals & the Jerry Garcia Band show that was supposed to happen tonight at Ludlow Garage has been postponed. But the Del McCoury Band gig at Memorial Hall is still a go, and the Ben Levin Trio plays Dead Low Brewing with special guest Noah Wotherspoon.
It’s gigs galore on Saturday:
The Steeldrivers play the old Annie’s
Silversun Pickups are at Ovation in Newport
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening rock and rolls into the Icon (see what we did there?)
The Yugos play Bircus Brewing in Ludlow
Last but certainly not least, Styx will be rockin’ the Paradise Hard Rock Casino. No Dennis DeYoung, but Tommy Shaw, James Young and the living Panozzo brother (Chuck).
Oh, and Rob Fetters kicks off another round of “Fetters is Cheap” – streaming live shows from his home. He promises “crowd faves plus more debuts of rarities.” You can tune in via Rob’s website.
Early on Sunday, Ben Levin & Friends will again be playing the Hard Rock Casino from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Davy Knowles and the Noah Wotherspoon Band play the Southgate House, and there’s a Play It Forward benefit concert at the Madison Theater, with my old radio boss Gary Burbank listed as a “speaker”… makes sense, as he was a Pioneer in radio (see what we did there?).
Tuesday is an evening for music legends. Bob Dylan plays the Aronoff, and John Hiatt & the Jerry Douglas Band will be at Memorial Hall.
If he were really “me” he’d still go by Robert Zimmerman
That same evening, someone named TobyMac has a sold out show at Taft. I thought TobyMac was a menu item at Keystone Bar & Grill, but apparently he’s an “American Christian hip hop rapper and singer.”
TobyMac… no, wait…
On Wednesday, I’ll be at MOTR Pub, along with list members Jacqui and Dave Killen (remember their Parlor & Patio house shows? I miss them…). Former Parlor & Patio performer (say that three times fast) Brett Newski and his full band (“The No Tomorrow”… they’re from Milwaukee, you do the math) will be playing at 9 p.m., followed by Adam Flaig (of Mad Anthony). Brett’s a very entertaining dude, and you can’t beat the MOTR ticket price. Join us, won’t you?
Also on Wednesday, The Lone Bellow plays Taft, and the Hooten Hallers are at Southgate.
Thursday, GWAR plays Bogart’s and Dennis Quaid plays Ludlow Garage. Yes, that Dennis Quaid, the actor. Guess he got tired of punching the clock with his fellow actors on movie sets.
Bogart’s and Ludlow Garage are pretty close to each other – fingers crossed that GWAR sits in with Dennis for his encore. Or vice versa… although that might not end well for DQ. Also on Thursday, Neal Francis plays Taft. I don’t know much about Neal’s music, but I know his promo photo makes him a dead ringer for Nigel Tufnel:
Goes on by 10
Goes up to 11
Next Friday, November 12th, Gary Clark Jr. plays the Icon, The Wild Feathers play Madison Theater, and Spyro Gyra plays Ludlow Garage. When I was younger, I used to love Spyro Gyra…
Spyro Gyra… no, wait…
Gig Pics
What a fabulous show by the Cereal Killers at MadTree last Friday — including a special guest appearance by our neighbor Amy Hueneman doing vocals on a Pretenders song! Great crowd too, including list members Dave Tellmann, Whit & Barb Gardner, Bruce Roy, Todd Butler, and Dan Bockrath (who brought several of his high school buddies – do NOT attempt to keep pace with them on drinking).
On Sunday morning, I joined Dave & Mindy Tellmann at the Hard Rock Casino for the Ben Levin brunch show with Chicago blues legend Bob Stroger (I misspelled his name last week – sorry Bob!). Bob is 90 years young… amazing voice and great stage presence. Noah Wotherspoon was on guitar too!
Dave, Mindy and I were joined by Dave’s son Joe (of This Pine Box), Joe’s friend Liam and none other than one of Joe’s non-traditional CCM classmates: John Curley of the Afghan Whigs! When you go to live shows, good things happen.
Two feet from stardom. I had the French toast… John had an Impossible Burger.
And in case you missed it (I sure did), apparently the Mountain Goats song “No Children” went viral on TikTok. (Read more here.) Lead singer John Darnielle has the right perspective on it:
But when people do find it, it affirms for those of us who make indie music that when the broader public is exposed to it, there’s more people who would like it if they get a chance to hear it. The consolidation of radio and the diffuse nature of the media landscape means that there’s lots of good stuff that people don’t generally hear unless it gets a viral moment…
…Our childish dreams of how these things work have value. So when something like this happens in my life, well, that’s a dream come true. We did not tell people, “Check out ‘No Children,’ you’re gonna love it.” No. they took it and they ran with it, and it’s beautiful. If there was more stuff like that in the world, the world’s a better place. Not just for me, but for whoever, because there’s a million fun songs out there for people to find that people do not need to be told by the influencer factory which one to listen to.
The first treat is the Cereal Killers gig at MadTree tonight, 7-10 p.m. EDT. Sage advice from list member/Cereal Killer Howard Cohen (lead singer and driver of the Winnebago):
Dress in layers and pray it doesn’t rain
The forecast looks semi-promising (my glass is half-full, and that’s not rainwater). The second treat is a glass that’s completely full: a free MadTree beer (or non-alcoholic beverage) from me. Usually when I open my wallet a few moths fly out, so you’ll want to take advantage of this limited time offer.
That’s my bank! And my account balance!
Other gigs of note tonight: Earth, Wind & Fire will be playing the HorseshoeJack Hard Rock Casino, Will Hoge plays Southgate, and Hyryder opens a two-night stint at the old Annie’s.
Hyryder will still be playing Annie’s on Saturday (perhaps it will be the same song, as they are a Grateful Dead tribute band).
Also on Saturday:
Todd Rundgren (a fave of Dan “Who needs a bullpen?” Lewis) is playing the Icon
Rodney Crowell* will be at Memorial Hall
Peabo Bryson is at Ludlow Garage
Blessid Union of Souls will play an acoustic set at Music Resource Center (a.k.a. MRC) in Walnut Hills (tickets here). Jacob Strom is the opener, which is a real treat. My oldest son used to play in a band with Jacob (and the son of list member Matt Fellerhoff) back in high school – they formed their band at MRC, a wonderful place for teens to learn about music and life.
the Tom Petty tribute band Tom the Torpedoes plays Hamilton’s Urban Backyard (which sounds like a place you’d find a lot of used syringes, but it’s actually a bar on Main Street in Hamilton with a covered outdoor stage, food trucks, etc.)
Carter Bridge is the featured musical entertainment at Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest (with The Pour Hours playing on Sunday… the last day to enjoy this great family-friendly event)
*Last time I saw Rodney Crowell live was waaay back in the late 80s when I worked at local country music station B-105. He was part of the lineup at the station’s annual “Free Day in the Country” free concert… the running gag was “What has 100 arms and legs and only 3 teeth? The front row at Free Day!”
We love Blue Monday, but this week we’ll also have BluesSunday: Joe Bonamassa will be guitar-slinging at the Taft, and another bluesy guitar hotshot, Carolyn Wonderland, will be at Southgate.
But wait, there’s more: Ben Levin will be playing the first of his “Ben’s Blues Brunch” shows at the HorseshoeJack Hard Rock Casino at 10 a.m. on Sunday, with special guest Bob Stronger. Lose yourself in the music… lose your money at the craps tables.
Ben & Bob are also playing Schwartz’s Point on Monday.
On Wednesday, Dawes plays Taft with opener Erin Rae, and The Districts play Madison Live. (And Ben Levin has yet another gig, his trio is playing at Ghost Baby).
Ben’s new album is called Still Here… his tour schedule should be called “Playing Everywhere”
It’s not exactly music, but Mystery Science Theater 3000 has always been music to my ears (and eyeballs). MST3K Live comes to the Taft on Thursday. I don’t think I’ll make it, as I prefer the “classic” cast members. Besides, I’ll be…uh… busy… that evening.
Speaking of Slippery Creek, they’re opening for The Del McCoury Band next Friday at Memorial Hall. That same evening, Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band play Ludlow Garage, and the Ben Levin Trio will be at Dead Low Brewing, with Noah Wotherspoon.
Gig Pics
List member “Lenny” is right. Bob Mould abso-fu#&^in’-lutely rocked the house last Friday. Amazing energy and a stellar career-encompassing set list from a dude who has been doing it a long, long time. (More on that later…) Opener Jason Narducy was great as well.
When Jason signed his album for me, he pointed out that my first name is spelled the same as the lead singer for the band Fucked Up. Birds of a feather…
Every touring band’s nightmare:
Akron, bringing the whole state down yet again…
Listen up
This Fresh Air interview with Nick Lowe from 2001 is still quite fresh:
Matt Lacefield, a former WVXU Nightwaves DJ, posted this tasty audio from Hüsker Dü’s concert at the Jockey Club back in 1984:
We told you Bob Mould’s been rocking for a long time…
BTW, Matt has a new music playlist/blog/online radio show thing called The Unfamiliar. You can listen to the 15-song first episode here… and you can listen to our interview with Matt about his Nightwaves days and his new venture in the latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast.
