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!

Summer’s slipping away

97X, Concert Listings, Music

Wow, can you believe Summer’s nearly gone? It’s almost Earth, Wind & Fire month!

Gonna keep this post short and sweet… or at least shorter on the jazz hands and snark. While it’s a labor of love, there’s still labor involved, and I’m heading to Denver later today to see Alvvays and The Beths. Let’s get to it!

Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing tonight!

I’m bummed I can’t make it – but you should go (7:30-11pm) to catch all those 97X and 97X-adjacent favorites, performed by a stellar group of upstanding individuals. Oh, and Howard Cohen is in the band too!

Other shows this evening:

Pat Travers plays the Ludlow Garage
Speaking of “out go the lights” the Cincinnati Nature Center hosts Music Under the Moon with the bluegrass band Moonshine Drive playing
Saving Escape has an album release party at MOTR, with Sylmar
Gable Price & Friends and Coastal Club play the Woodward Theater
Foreigner (basically Mick Jones and some hired hands), Styx (sans Dennis DeYoung), and John Waite play Riverbend
“Forever Diamond” (a Neil Diamond tribute) plays a freebie at Blue Ash Towne Square – that seems fitting for a not-so-hot August night.

Saturday shows:

The Avett Brothers play Ovation, with Sammy Rae & Friends opening
Marc Cohn will be ~~walking~~ playing six feet ~~off of Beale~~ under Ludlow at the Garage
Ray’s Music Exchange is back for a reunion show at the Woodward
The War & Treaty play a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
FireHouse and Nelson (yes, that Nelson) play the “Big F’N Tour” at the old Annie’s

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard play the Ovation in Newport
Blackberry Smoke and 49 Winchester play the old Annie’s
Glass Animals* are at Riverbend (*not to be confused with Glasses Animals)

(Hed) P.E. is at Madison Live
Mac Sabbath (yes, folks dressed like McDonald’s mascots playing Sabbath tunes… nothing weird about that) is at the Woodward Theater

On Tuesday, Built to Spill plays Bogart’s, celebrating the 30th anniversary of There’s Nothing Wrong with Love. I’ll be at that gig with list members Deuce and Matt (no relation to Gunnar and Matthew of Nelson fame).

Also on Tuesday:

The Gaslight Anthem, Joyce Manor, and Pinkshift play the Carol Brady
Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham rock Riverbend with Van Hagar tunes. Loverboy is the opener. Mike Reno is still sporting the bandana, but he’s also sporting some extra heft.

The Lauryn Hill & The Fugees show slated for Wednesday at Riverbend has been cancelled.

Thursday features a lot of free (or free-adjacent) shows:

Bedel & Hibbard play the Roots Revival free show at Washington Park
Texas Flood (a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Bedford play the RiversEDGE freebie
You can see The Eagles Project at Lawrenceburg Civic Park
Thomas Rhett plays a concert after the Reds game at GABP

GBV’s Heedfest 12 also kicks off on 8/29 in Dayton, Ohio. Love the promo:

Shows next Friday (8/30):

Cage the Elephant plays Riverbend, with Young the Giant and Bakar
O.A.R. is at Ovation, with Ripe, and DJ Logic
King Buffalo headlines the Fountain Square free show

On Saturday, August 31st, Domecrusher, a band featuring list member Todd Quincy, plays 513 Hamilton. Here’s Todd’s description of the band:

Other 8/31 shows:

Southgate House hosts MidWest Friends Fest (“21 awesome local, regional, and touring indie, punk, emo, rock, alternative, and power pop bands. 3 super rad stages. 1 awesome venue”)
Wailing Souls play for free at Levitt Pavilion on Dayton
Catalina Wine Mixer and The Eagles Project play Ovation
The Prince Project is at the old Annie’s
Sungaze has an album release party at the Woodward, with Fern Murphy and Ascension Day also on the bill
Aja (Steely Dan tribute) plays the Fountain Square freebie
JBO and Mark Messerly play The Overlook Lodge in P-Ridge
Tesla is at the Greg Brady

Simple twist of fate fun fact: Greg Brady drove the original Tesla:

On Sunday, September 1st, the corporate-sponsored fireworks display from the corporate radio station will probably feature some Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin on the soundtrack. Just like every other year. That damn frog is soooo tired.

After that, it’s all quite on the concert front until after Labor Day. I’ll holler at you before then.

Speaking of evil corporate radio overlords though:

I just threw up a bit in my mouth. How about a palate cleaner?

Wussy house concert tickets on sale Wednesday at 11 am

Show is Saturday 10/19. If you don’t know the venue, you haven’t been paying attention. (And house concerts are sooo hot right now, per the WaPo.)

Ticket link: https://undertowshows.com/products/cincinnati-oh-october-19

I talked to Chuck and Lisa yesterday – such sweet human beings who also happen to be amazing songwriters/musicians. They should have some new tunes to sell at the show.

A heartfelt message from list member “Rico”

I lost my brother to cancer five years ago, and before he passed, I promised him that I would do anything that I could to help fight the terrible disease that took him from us too early. One of the initiatives that our family has taken up is to help fundraise for the National Collegiate Cancer Foundation, which provides scholarships to young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Our primary fundraiser is a memorial golf outing, which will be held this year at California Golf Course on October 5, 2024. In the first three years of our outing, we have raised funds to award 60 of these scholarships, and we hope to add on a bunch more this year with the help of friends like you. Whether that is getting a team together to play in the scramble, providing sponsorship, or donating items for auction, any and all support is welcome and appreciated.

You can sign up to play or donate here.

The Bottle Rockets deserve a movie

And here it is:

Album Covers of the Week

Hat tip to list member Whit Gardner for these gems:

They’re good at identifying fountains, but not so good at counting.

Gary’s “little black book” appears to be brown. And he appears to be “getting down to business” with it. In a Flight of the Conchords sorta way.

Live Music: So Hot Right Now!

Concert Listings, Music

Live shows are hotter than Hansel right now.

And let’s not forget our old friend Ohio River Valley humidity.

But sweating is good for your health.

Uh, well, it was good for you. (R.I.P. Richard.) Let’s get to some gigs and feel the burn.

On Tuesday, Alice Cooper plays the Rose.

The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars play a free gig at Greenhills Commons on Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. Meanwhile, PNC Pavilion has “Rumours of Fleetwood Mac” and Yächtley Crëw drops anchor at Ludlow Garage.

On Thursday, list member Mighty Joe Sampson and I will be in the Windy City for the Buffalo Tom show at Metro Chicago. After all, I have to retain my status as BT’s #1 superfan.

Shows a bit closer to home that evening:

The Verve Pipe plays a freebie on the Fairfield Village Green (6-9 p.m.)
Mike Oberst and Justine Cefalu play Washington Park
The Menus will be “Rockin’ the Roebling” at Smale Park
Lawrenceburg Civic Park has Katmandu: Bob Seger Tribute
Ruthie Foster headlines the free show at Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
Five Finger Death Punch and Marilyn Manson play Riverbend
Camp Springs Tavern has their bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam

Two festivals kick off on Friday:

On Point Music Festival at Sawyer Point has a ton of great Cincinnati bands, and is FREE!

Voices of America Country Music Fest at VOA Metro Park in West Chester has a ton of bro country… and costs $$$.

R.I.P. Bob, one of the best.

Other Friday shows:

Soul Pocket plays a freebie at Blue Ash Towne Square
Blair Crimmins & The Hookers (Dixieland Jazz) playing for free at Levitt Pavilion (so yes, that means free Hookers in Dayton… probably not the first time)
Moonbeau and The Orphan The Poet are at Fountain Square
RiversEDGE has Rumours ATL (yet another Fleetwood Mac tribute band) and Angela Combs
Luther Ray & the Flood, Matt St. George, and B.C. Shinault play Southgate
Hard Rock Casino hosts the “I Love the 90s” concert with Vanilla Ice, Rob Base and Montell Jordan playing their greatest hit (singular).
Aronoff Center has Piano Men: Generations – the music of Billy Joel and Elton John

The On Point Festival continues on Saturday, Ludlow Garage has “Bruce in the U.S.A.” and comedian Brian Regan will be at Turfway Park.

https://youtu.be/ikT-WrG-aq8

Albert Lee and Jeremy Clyde (of Chad & Jeremy fame) play Ludlow Garage next Sunday, 8/11.

On Tuesday, August 13th:

Robert Earl Keen plays Ludlow Garage
Wheatus plays Southgate House

Speaking of Wheatus, this Rolling Stone article from April about their song “Teenage Dirtbag” was pretty interesting.

Gigs on Wednesday, 8/14:

Bush, Jerry Cantrell, and Candlebox play Riverbend
Switchfoot, Blue October, and Matt Nathanson play the Ovation in Newport
Taj Farrant plays Ludlow Garage
The Ben Levin Band plays a free show at Fountain Square (5-8 p.m.)

Shows on Thursday, 8/15:

Fraze has the ~~Sweatin’ to the Oldies~~ Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles, Jay and The Americans, The Association, Badfinger, The Vogues, and The Cowsills… if you are a doctor specializing in joint replacements, you really should set up a booth at that show.

RiversEDGE has the Red NOT Chili Peppers and Emo Kids (that’s a band… Hamilton under-indexes on emo kids)
There’s a “New Wave Nation 80s Tribute” at Fairfield Village Green
Ault Park’s free show features Floyd & the Walkmen

Dweezil Zappa plays the Ovation on Friday, 8/16. Remember when Frank Zappa and his daughter Moon Unit were on Letterman talking about the unusual names Frank gave his kids? I sure do – it was classic!

That same evening, Taft Theatre has “One Night of Queen” and Blue Ash Towne Square has “Parrots of the Caribbean” – either a tribute to Jimmy Buffett or to Gilbert Gottfried’s character in Aladdin.

The Jayhawks play Memorial Hall on Saturday, August 17th. List members Whit and Barb will be there with yours truly and my lovely bride, who couldn’t name a Jayhawks song to save her life. (You’d think that being married to me for 27 years would have “Tailspin” in heavy rotation on her playlist.)

That same evening, Ana Popovic plays Ludlow Garage, and Callie McCullough and Maria Carrelli play a Downtowne Listening Room gig in Burlington, KY.

The Doobie Brothers and Steve Winwood play Riverband on Sunday, August 18th. I heard Rerun has a front row seat.

Joe Bonamassa plays the Fraze on Tuesday, August 20th.

And Deep Purple’s “One More Time” tour stops at Riverbend on Wednesday, 8/21. Is there an opener? Yes…

I’m renaming my living room “Wussy Arena”

Chuck and Lisa will be playing at my house yet again – on Saturday, October 19th. Tickets go on sale 8/12. Here’s their full Undertow fall tour:

A Triple Dip of Live Licks

My buddy Paul hooked me up with a free ticket to the Foo Fighters show. It had been a loooong time since I’d seen a stadium show (The Who, on their first of their gazillion “farewell” tours… back in ’86-ish at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium). The Foos did what they do – rock! I have no idea where Dave Grohl gets his energy… and I have no idea how his vocal cords are intact with all that screaming. Pretenders sounded great too, and it was cool to see Wolfie Van Halen fronting his band Mammoth.

The next night was a bit more pastoral – Ben Levin Band at the Cincinnati Nature Center for their monthly “Music Under the Moon” series. (August is sold out, but tickets remain for the 9/13 gig with Jam Band Jovi… great name!)

And I wrapped up my trifecta last weekend with the Totally Tubular show at Riverbend on Saturday. I never thought I’d utter the phrase “Wang Chung rocked” but they did. Good times hanging with Taylor Fox from Inhailer Radio, too.

I took it easy this weekend – only one live show: S.G. Goodman at Southgate. The “S.G.” stands for “So Good” – fantastic show! List member John Sandman and his wife Julia were there.

Raise the Roof!

Speaking o’ John and Julia, they started a non-profit called Music Fund Cincinnati and they’re currently raising funds to build a stage at Carriage House Farm. You can donate to the cause here.

Ride that Bike!

Speaking o’ donating to good causes, your favorite live music/concert blogger/goofball will be participating in this year’s Ride Cincinnati event in September to raise funds for cancer research and care. My good friend LJ recently was diagnosed with brain cancer, and I’ll be riding to honor him and his brave battle. If you can find it in your heart/wallet to make a donation, I’d greatly appreciate it. And I’ll do my best to do you proud.

Mayall: all blues, all the time

This Vanity Fair piece about John Mayall, who recently died at age 90, highlights his devotion to the blues… and lists the many rock legends who got their start thanks to him.

Album Covers of the Week(s)

Jerry’s taking full advantage of his medical marijuana card. ‘Til Tuesday.

Looks like the dude up front might mime “shooting love”…

July flies by…

Concert Listings, Music

Wow, would you look at the time?

It’s “purt near” August (as my Arkansas kinfolk the Beverly Hillbillies would say). I reckon we should take a gander at some live music.

Uncle Jed rocks! There plenty of other rockin’ shows coming to town, but first, this:

Perhaps the “unforeseen circumstances” were “not selling enough tickets to a show with Slash and three blues artists.” But I know this is a massive disappointment for those who were anxiously awaiting the Tri-state debut of the Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance tour.

AJR plays the Coliseum on Tuesday. AJR = brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan in the band. Whereas Jar Jar = George Lucas jumping the shark.

On Wednesday, Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver plays Bogart’s. And you-you-you oughta know that Alanis Morissette plays Riverbend, with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Morgan Wade also on the bill.

That same evening, Jake Speed & the Freddies play a free show at Burnet Woods from 7-9 p.m. (Weather permitting… but if it rains AND it’s your wedding day, Alanis will show up.)

Also on Wednesday, Dave Mason kicks off two nights at the Ludlow Garage. Unless he gets stuck in Traffic. And if he does, Alanis will sit in for him.

Speaking of traffic jams, downtown will be hopping on Thursday night:

Foo Fighters play Great American Ball Park, with Pretenders and Mammoth WVH
The Cincinnati Music Festival (CMF) kicks off at the Bengals stadium, with MC Lyte and KRS-One on the bill

If neither of those gigs is your speed (or in your price range), you can catch Ruby Vileos for free at Washington Park, or join in on the bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam at Camp Springs Tavern.

Friday is “Festival Friday”

the Nelsonville Music Festival kicks off in… you guessed it, Nelsonville, OH (sorry Alanis). The Felice Brothers, Amyl & the Sniffers, The Deslondes and Killer Mike are on the schedule.
Night 2 of the CMF features Maxwell, Ne-Yo, Fantasia, and the original Lakeside.

Other Friday shows:

Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew play a “Remain in Light” show at Bogart’s.
Lyle Lovett is at the Rose in Dayton
Gabe Lee and Sophie Gault play Southgate
The Bill Frisell Trio plays Ludlow Garage
Ben Levin plays the Cincinnati Nature Center’s Music Under the Moon concert series. (Ben’s show is sold-out, but tickets still remain for the 8/23 and 9/13 shows.)

—- SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION —

List member Dan Bockrath needs to part with his two tickets to the Remain in Light show listed above. (Because he’s going to see the Bill Frisell gig that same night. Don’t tell Alanis.) Here’s Dan’s note:

“The RIL show is essentially sold out, but I bought my seats several months ago. I have a 2-top table in the lower balcony. Asking what I paid for – $110 for the pair.” Dan’s digits are 513-493-7307. Ring him up if you’re interested.

This special advertising section has been brought to you by the Geek of Seats

———————————-

Saturday’s a doozy for live music:

Steve Earle plays a solo acoustic show at Ludlow Garage
Black Flag plays the old Annie’s
Zapp plays a free show at the Greg Brady after the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame 2024 induction ceremony (noon start).
Warren Haynes is at Rose in Dayton
Riverbend hosts the Totally Tubular Festival featuring Thomas Dolby, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Wang Chung, Tommy Tutone, Bow Wow Wow, Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls and Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey. (In their heyday, Thompson Twins were a trio… now it’s just one dude. I hope Alanis sticks around for that!)
Nelsonville has Bonnie Prince Billy, Bob Mould, Snõõper, Courtney Barnett and several more bands on the bill. (Full list here.)
CMF features New Edition and En Vogue, among others. (Full lineup is here.)

Next Sunday (7/28):

Warren Haynes plays PNC
The Struts play the Bobby Brady
the bluegrass band Never Come Down will be at the Woodward
Nelsonville wraps up

Primus and Coheed & Cambria play the Jan Brady on Tuesday, July 30th, while across the river, Taking Back Sunday and Citizen will be on the Ovation stage. (“Taking Back Sunday” on a Tuesday… Alanis, where are you?)

Bowling for Soup will be at Bogart’s on Wednesday, 7/31, and Ludlow Garage hosts Tusk (“America’s #1 Tribute to Fleetwood Mac”).

Three freebie shows to choose from on Thursday, August 1st:

The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (John Jorgenson on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Mark Fain on bass; and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals) plays the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
The Casey Campbell Project is at Washington Park
Lawrenceburg Civic Park has a tribute to Hoosier boy John Mellencamp, called “Small Town”

Or if you want to part with some of your hard-earned cash, you can buy tickets to see Johnny A & Davy Knowles at Ludlow Garage.

I don’t know how to break this to you gently, so I’m just going to come right out and say it: The Creed show at Riverbend on Friday, August 2nd is sold-out.

No one in this world, so far as I know—and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me—has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.
H.L. Mencken… talking about the promoter of the Creed show

Fear not, Coastal Club has a vinyl release party at the Woodward that same evening, with Moonbeau and Michael Williams. David Shaw of The Revivalists does a special VIP acoustic show at the Fitton Center in Hamilton in advance of the Big River Get Down. Oh, and Luke Combs kicks off a two-night stand at the local NFL Stadium.

The aforementioned Big River Get Down happens on Saturday, 8/3:

(Thao & the Get Down Stay Down are not playing the Big River Get Down… Alanis, come back!)

Other 8/3 shows include:

Jeremy Pinnell headlines a SofaBurn Inc. fundraiser supporting healthcare costs for artists – that show is at The Redmoor in Mt. Lookout
Jewel and Melissa Ethridge at the Rose
John Sebastian and Jimmy Vivino at Ludlow Garage
S.G. Goodman at Southgate (a reschedule of her June show) – I’ll be at that gig.

On Sunday, August 4th:

Riverbend has a Jimmy Buffett tribute feat. the Coral Reefer Band
10cc plays Ludlow Garage

Music Fun Facts

Contrary to popular belief, the band 10cc did NOT get their name from… er… how can I put this delicately… bodily fluids emanating from a dude’s… um… you know… when he… um… you know.

I can confirm, however, that my new band D5W is named after a fluid.

We love it live

Fun shows from Band of Horses (Bogart’s) and Hurray for the Riff Raff (Woodward) and Aaron Lee Tasjan (Fountain Square).

Magic moments happen live

Speaking of Aaron Lee Tasjan’s free show at Fountain Square, someone in the audience requested his song “Alien Space Queen” but ALT said “we just found out that we only have an hour set, so we had to cut some songs… but come to the merch booth after our set and I’ll play it for you acoustic.” Sure enough, he did – playing that tune and his song “Pants” for a dozen or so folks huddled around. Super cool!

Why (most) radio sucks today

Bill Janovitz, lead singer of Buffalo Tom, speaks the truth in this Boston.com Q&A:

Why the Spotify algorithm might not be much better

This Stereogum article talks about how an obscure B-side (“Harness Your Hopes”) became Pavement’s most streamed song on Spotify… and how the Autoplay function may be rewarding “safe” songs… and how “streaming payola” is coming soon. Oh joy!

Songs that don’t suck

Deer ticks suck, but Deer Tick doesn’t

And let’s savor R.E.M.’s network TV debut on Letterman, shall we?

That clip is from 1983… man, I feel old.

Album Covers of the Week(s)

Oh Barbara, you’re such a brazen hussy.

Jack, you should get Barbara Dewey’s phone number… from the bathroom wall.

No Bummer Summer

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast

We have so much for be grateful for this summer, especially if our cars don’t have vinyl seats.

Let’s peel our butts off our chairs and head to some concerts, shall we?

Tuesday:

Band of Horses plays Bogart’s (I’ll be there with list members Deuce and Matt V.). Maybe I’ll run into BoH drummer Creighton again like I did outside the Ryman in Nashville in 2013.

Former Tom Petty Heartbreaker Mike Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs play the Taft
Old Crow Medicine Show is at the Rose in Dayton, with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway also on the bill

Norah Jones plays the Rose on Wednesday.

Thursday gigs:

The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and The Tillers play Memorial Hall
Sungaze and Sylmar will be “Rockin’ the Roebling” at Smale Park
Blueswoman Lauren Anderson plays a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
The Artimus Pyle Band (“honoring Ronnie Van Zant’s Lynyrd Skynyrd”) plays Ludlow Garage

Whoops, wrong Pyle.

On Friday, Arlo McKinley will headline the “Indie Friday” free show at Fountain Square. And Tye Dye Band (featuring list member John Sandman) will play Carriage House Farms.

Other Friday night gigs:

Riverbend hosts a tribute to Planes, Trains and Automobiles…

OK, actually it’s Boats (Yacht Rock Revue), Train (the band) and Automobiles (REO Speedwagon).

Old Crow Medicine Show will be roosting at the Cindy Brady, with the Del McCoury Band – Tiger better behave himself!

Whiskey Myers plays the Rose, with Whitey Morgan & the 78s and Reid Houghton
The Samples play Ludlow Garage

Whoops, wrong Samples. Wrong band too!

On Saturday, there are two festivals of note(s):

Or you can head to the Madison Theater to catch Genesis ReTouched – a Cincy band that claims “our live shows capture the aural and visual essence of Genesis between the mid 80’s and late 2000’s.” So go to the (Tony) Banks to get money for tickets, then treat yourself to a Tom Collins at the show while the ersatz Phil Collins steps up to the Mike (Rutherford). Gotta be better than the other Genesis gig in the area:

Next Sunday (7/14):

Lake Street Dive plays the Bobby Brady, with The Lemon Twigs as the opener
Southgate House hosts The Good People Festival, a benefit for the Incubator Kitchen Collective. Featured acts include: The Local Honeys, Maria Carrelli, Ben Knight & David Faul, Stephen J Williams & The 1865, Ray Vietti, Tinfoil Hat Cowboys, Chelsea Ford, and Adam Lee

And Ludlow Garage has the “We Love Zappa” tour:

On Monday, 7/15, Hurray for the Riff Raff will play the Woodward, with Hannah Frances. I’ll be there… mostly because I’m riffraff, but also because the last H4TRR show at the Woodward gave me all the feels.

Musiq Soulchild kicks off a three-night residency at the Ludlow Garage on Tuesday, 7/16.

On Wednesday, 7/17, The Tillers play a free show at the Delhi Park Pavilion, and The SunBurners do the freebie at Burnet Woods. Both shows start at 7 p.m. (although Delhi is so far west that it might be on Central Time).

Jon Spencer plays MOTR on Thursday, 7/18, with IdleAires opening the 8 p.m. show, which, in a concession to the average age of Jon Spencer fans, will offer some seated tickets.

That evening (7/18) also features an overwhelming slate of free shows:

Erin Coburn plays Smale
Carriers play Washington Park
Buffalo Nichols (blues) at Levitt in Dayton
RiversEDGE in Hamilton has Foreigner’s Journey with Draven & the Ravens
Lawrenceburg Civic Park hosts Gone 2 Paradise: the Ultimate Jimmy Buffett Tribute
Fairfield Village Green features The Eagles Project
Marsha Brady (the band) plays ~~the Marsha Brady~~ Ault Park

On Friday, 7/19, Aaron Lee Tasjan headlines the Indie Friday show at Fountain Square. I’ll be there, and you should go too!

“My most effective tool in sharing my music and live performances with new listeners is word of mouth, and you can do so much to support me when you invite people into this lovely little world we’ve built and continue to build.”
Aaron Lee Tasjan

That same evening:

Torres plays the Woodward
moe. plays the Rose in Dayton, with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire play Riverbend
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience will play for free at Levitt in Dayton
Ludlow Garage has Adrenalize: the Ultimate Def Leppard Experience
If you want to catch the band X on their farewell tour, they’ll be at their closest stop to the Tri-state: The Vogue in Indy. Here’s a tune from their new album, out 8/2:

Acoustic Alchemy plays the Ludlow Garage on Saturday, 7/20, and Rick Springfield and Richard Marx play the Fraze in Dayton.

That ageless cat Al Stewart plays Ludlow Garage on Sunday, 7/21 and MOTR hosts Thelma & The Sleaze.

Monday, 7/22, PNC Pavilion hosts Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, with blues stars Keb’ Mo’, ZZ Ward and Jackie Venson on the bill. (In case you were wondering, “S.E.R.P.E.N.T. is an anagram that stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance.” And now you know. Quiz next week.)

The Best Sibling Duo from Dayton ain’t the Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur are no match for Kim and Kelley Deal. A Breeders show at the Henry Miller Library near Big Sur got rained out last fall, so they played an impromptu stripped-down gig among the redwoods. Gorgeous!

It’s always a treat to feel the Heat

The Reverend Horton Heat put on a spectacular (free) show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton on 6/22 (wrapping up their encore with a killer version of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades.”) List members Dave Tellmann, El Blanco, Michael T. and I were there, along with list member Gene “The Photo Machine” Dow, who snapped these stellar shots:

You can check out more of Gene’s photos from the show here, and view more from his portfolio here. Gene’s available for weddings, senior photos, and general lifestyle photography, yet he refused to do a bit of boudoir photography for me. I can’t imagine why not.

Valley Heat is a treat too!

I know I’ve sung the praises of the Valley Heat podcast before. It’s the aural equivalent of Fernwood 2 Night meets Arrested Development. Hilarious. In the clip below, the host Doug sings the praises of the lowly 8-track, while also pointing out the challenges of playing an LP … and taking a few spot-on shots at vinyl snobs.

I missed the hottest heat

List member Mighty Joe Sampson pointed out a glaring omission from last week’s heat-related visuals:

Jesse is a friend, with some really cool friends

In December, Jesse Malin will be back on stage for the first time since his spinal stroke in May of ’23. And he has an all-star cast joining him for two benefit shows (read more on Relix). The first gig on 12/1 sold out quickly; the 12/2 show still has a few tickets left.

Life imitates Art (but not Art Garfunkel)

Album Cover of the Week(s) – Retail Nostalgia Edition

Why yes, that is Bonnie Raitt’s dad John Raitt in the middle… and yes, that’s a Record Theatre 4.99 sticker too!

This band is as-advertised… they look pretty plain to me. And yes, that’s a Swallen’s sticker! Maybe this album was free with the purchase of any white appliance.

Hot June, Hotter Tunes

Concert Listings, Music

Gee Willikers, it’s not officially Summer yet, and we’re already melting. Just as the great Rod Serling predicted.

We’ve got more sizzling shows than Rozzi Famous Fireworks, so let’s plunge right in.

On Thursday, you have your pick of freebie shows:

The Tillers play at Washington Park
The Menus serve up a freebie at Ault Park
Noah Wotherspoon will be (blues) Rockin’ the Roebling (Smale Park)
Fairfield Village Green hosts the Fooz Fighters
Proxima Parada and Happy Landing are doing the free show at RiversEDGE in Hamilton
Wildermiss and The Smug Brothers play Levitt Pavilion in Downtown Dayton (BYOB!)
Lawrenceburg Civic Park has an Elton John tribute

If you insist on spending your hard-earned cash, you can check out Al Di Meola at Memorial Hall or Robert Glasper at Ludlow Garage.

Friday night:

Reverend Horton Heat and Supersuckers (Eddie Spaghetti! Metal Marty! Chango!) play the old Annie’s
TyeDye Band (feat. list member John Sandman) plays Plain Folk Café in Pleasant Plain, OH
The Used are at Bogart’s (seems fitting – that venue is quite used)
Mike Wade and the Nasty NATI Brass Band play a freebie at Levitt in Dayton
Last and certainly least, New Kids on the Block, Paul Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff will be at Riverbend.

Or a colonoscopy.

Friday (June 21st) also marks the 27th wedding anniversary of your humble scribe and his long-suffering wife. She will be celebrating by going to West Virginia for a “trail run.” Which basically means that instead of spending time with me, she’d rather hang with this guy:

And no one in their right mind could possibly blame her for that choice.

The Right Reverend Horton Heat is back in action on Saturday, this time playing a free show at Levitt Pavilion in scenic downtown Dayton. (Or maybe it just seems scenic after you’ve had a few free beers.) I’ll be at that show, stocked cooler and lawn chair in hand, along with list member Dave “the Father Murphy of Modern Rock” Tellmann and our friend “El Blanco.” Earlier that day, Tracy Walker plays for free at the Smale Esplanade (5-7 p.m.)

Non-free shows that evening include Charlie Musselwhite and Elvin Bishop at Ludlow Garage, Matt St. George at MOTR, Mr. Speed (a KISS tribute band) at Fraze, and Janet Jackson at Riverbend. I’m sure the Janet Jackson show will be Dyn-O-Mite!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday:

Kurt Vile and the Violators play the Taft
Moonbeau is at Madison Live
Will Kimbrough is at Southgate
Krystal Peterson plays Carriage House Farm in North Bend (1 p.m. show)
The Robert Randolph Band plays a freebie at Fountain Square, with Lauren Eylise and The Perfect Children (that’s a band, not to be confused with my kids)

Blues rocker Carolyn Wonderland plays Southgate on Tuesday, June 25th, with Shelley King opening the show.

Next Wednesday (6/26), Noah Wotherspoon plays a free show at Fountain Square, and Donny Osmond plays the Carol Brady.

Next Thursday (6/27) is plenty busy too:

Eric Johanson (blues) plays Ludlow Garage
Chris Knight plays a full-band show at Southgate
Ben Levin performs at HighGrain Brewing’s new Brentwood location
Dreamboat Annie (a Heart tribute band) will play Lawrenceburg’s Civic Park
Camp Spring Tavern has their bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam

Next Friday (6/28):

Dada does a “Return to Dizzkneeland” show at Southgate
Santana and Counting Crows at Riverbend
Ghostface Killah at Madison Theater
Hollywood Nights (a Bob Seger tribute band) at Ludlow Garage
The Vindys with The Hathaways at Levitt in Dayton. Who’s your favorite Hathaway? Here’s mine – she’s smokin’:

Buddy Guy plays the Taft on Saturday, June 29th, with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as the opener. Did I ever tell you about when I was working at B-105/WDJO (“all oldies all the time!”) back in the late 80s and somehow finagled a photographer’s pass for that year’s Chicago Blues Fest, and was front row for Buddy Guy and Junior Wells playing an acoustic set? Lying pays off, kids!

[The photo above wasn’t taken by me (Paul Natkin took it), but it could’ve been if I knew how to operate the prop camera I brought along.]

Other 6/29 shows include The Arcadian Wild at the Woodward, Mad Anthony at Southgate, Yonder Mountain String Band at the old Annie’s, and Nashville singer/songwriters Sarah Peacock & Dannie Nicholls playing a Downtowne Listening Room show at the Hellmann Creative Center in Covington.

The Beach Boys, having tired of Aruba, Bahama and even Kokomo (Indiana), are taking their surfboards to Kettering, Ohio on Monday, July 1st. Because it’s the Fraze that pays.

On Tuesday, July 2nd, Riverbend will have a show by Third Eye Blind… as predicted by the great Rod Serling:

We can’t tout two Reverend Horton Heat shows without also mentioning a rockin’ Sister.

Er, actually it’s Sister Hazel. And the only people who could make you believe that they are as good as Sister Bertrille would be the best spin doctors. Well, it’s your lucky day, because Spin Doctors are on the bill with Sister Hazel at Mason’s “Red, Rhythm & Boom” show on July 3rd! SH and SD both will be opening up for Rozzi Famous Fireworks.

[Sidebar: I get the “rhythm” and the “boom” part of the Mason show, but what’s up with the “Red”?… Is it because it’ll be “red hot”? Or because it’s MAGA country? If they’re trying to play off “Red, White & Blue” then “Rhythm” is… out of rhythm… OK, I realize I’m giving this waaay too much thought. Better to be like the WVa banjo player.]

That same evening, Tinfoil Hat Cowboys will play the free “Wildcard Wednesdays” show at Factory 52.

Ernie Johnson from Detroit will bring a different kind of fireworks to Smale Park on the 4th of July and Hamilton’s RiversEDGE has That Arena Rock Show, just as our Founding Fathers intended.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will sock it to you at Riverbend on Friday, July 5th.

Domecrusher (a band featuring list member Todd Quincy on keyboards) plays 513 Hamilton on Saturday, July 6th.

The holiday weekend wraps up with The Amish Outlaws at the old Annie’s on Sunday, 7/7.

We love it live

Pixies/Modest Mouse/Cat Power at the Brady was a great triple bill.

I met up with a college buddy in D.C. for GBV at a tiny club (The Atlantis, modeled after the famous original 9:30 Club) – killer show!

On Father’s Day, I got to see my son’s band play a brief opener set at Madison Live.

(He’s on drums… drummers never get much photo love.)

And last night, Dave Tellmann, Todd Quincy, Todd’s wife Christy (or Christi, or Kristy, or Kristie, or Kristi…) and I were treated to Los Lobos and Little Feat. Los Lobos are an American treasure – always stellar. And Little Feat “knew the assignment” – they were “Willin'” to play the hits.

Have van, won’t travel

I also was supposed to see S.G. Goodman at Southgate this past Friday, along with list members Matt and Pam Fellerhoff, and “Rico”… but S.G.’s van had other ideas:

Thankfully Rico and I, along with another co-worker and their friends, made lemons out of lemonade by having dinner at Tuba Baking Co. in Dayton, KY (great German food, including veggie options) and then playing semi-inebriated pickleball in Ft. Thomas. Because I am humble, I can neither confirm nor deny that I crushed Rico and our colleague Cathy in a 2 vs. 1 match, then proceeded to beat Rico in a head-to-head matchup (because he thought Cathy was “holding him back.”) *Ron Howard “Arrested Development” voiceover: “Cathy was NOT holding him back.”*

A gentleman never reveals the score of his pickleball matches. But suffice it to say that the next point Rico scores against me will be his first.

Album Covers of the Weeks: Whipping out the organ

Exactly what type of “organ” are we talking about here?

Oh, I see, the woman on the first album cover is staring at Eddie Layton’s organ. We’ve gotta admit, it’s quite impressive! And apparently he’s into bondage.

OK, enough of these organ ~~double~~ single entendres. Let’s switch to something wholesome, like piano.

There, that’s much better. No one could possibly find something puerile and vulgar about a Dick Hyman album, right?