Episode 87: Chuck Cowdery, on the same frequency as 97X

97X, podcast

Back in the mid-70’s, long before 97X came along, there was a free-form station on 97.7 FM in Oxford called WOXR.

Chuck Cowdery was part of that merry gang playing progressive rock… and whatever else they wanted to. Chuck was on the air in the early afternoons, and also served as the station’s operations manager and sold ads too. It’s clear from talking to Chuck that WOXR was on the same frequency as 97X, both literally and figuratively – and that station influenced a generation who, if they stuck around the area, were much more receptive to a modern rock format.

You can read Chuck’s post about his WOXR radio days right here on his blog. He worked alongside such luminaries as Rick Ludwin, who went on a long and storied career as an NBC programming exec (he’s the guy who fought to keep Seinfeld and Late Night with Conan O’Brien on the air) and Bob Michelson, who managed syndication for the “National Lampoon Radio Hour,” a steppingstone for most of the original cast of Saturday Night Live. (And yes, WOXR was one of the first stations to air that syndicated program.)

Chuck went from the spirit of radio to spirits – he’s been writing about whiskey and bourbon for a few decades now.

Check out Chuck’s blog here.

And here’s Conan O’Brien’s tribute to Chuck’s Miami U. and WOXR friend Rick Ludwin:

Fall on me

97X, Concert Listings, Music

Even though I’m referring to the season, not the verb, I can’t use that headline and not pay it off… so here you go:

Speaking o’ R.E.M., local legends and TWILM favorites Cereal Killers often do an R.E.M. song or three in their stellar sets. And Cereal Killers are playing tonight around 8:30 outside Crowley’s in Mt. Adams as part of that bar’s 85th anniversary celebration. (Here’s a news clip if you want to experience some awkward happy chat from Tricia “PermaTan” Macke. Is it just me or has she become Magda in There’s Something about Mary?)

Normally, list member Dave Tellmann and I would be all over the CK gig. (That might be the first time that Dave and I have appeared in the same sentence with a variation of the word “normal.”) But in typical feast-or-famine fashion, we’re already slated to attend the Whispering Beard Festival this afternoon and evening. (Dave’s son Jack engineered the new album from The Deslondes, who hit the Beard stage at 9 p.m. tonight.)

Other gigs today include Sweet William at Neltner’s Farm this afternoon, Hyryder at Annie’s, Joan Osborne at Ludlow Garage and the Corn Stand Jam free show at RiversEDGE with Rumpke Mountain Boys headlining.

Tomorrow, the Kentucky Struts are playing Neltner’s Farm from 1:30-4:30. I’ll be pulling up a hay bale for that gig. Lead singer Todd Lipscomb’s wife Angie just took our son Andrew’s senior photos and Angie’s so good that he looks like a GQ model, despite his hereditary handicap on the paternal side.

If you need some pro photos, check out Angie’s website. Highly recommended. (Even though I’m the world’s biggest cheapskate, this is in no way an attempt to get her to cut us a deal on wallet-size prints.)

Other Sunday shows include The Paper Kites at Top Cats, Flobots at Southgate, and Live Skull with Fairmount Girls at MOTR.

On Tuesday, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott rambles into Southgate, with Mike Oberst and Sean Geil of the Tillers as the opener.

(Speaking of Ramblers, one of the roughly 138 crappy $500 used cars that my dad bought* during our time in Arkansas was an AMC Rambler with push button automatic.)

*on the installment plan, of course… man, we were poor!

Sierra Hull plays Memorial Hall on Wednesday. Taylor Rae opens that show.

On Friday, Lucinda Williams plays Madison Theater. That’s a seated show… and Lu may be seated as well. She’s had some health issues, but she’s still one of America’s finest singer/songwriters.

Also on Friday, American Aquarium is at Southgate.

Next Saturday, there’s a free concert at Seasongood Pavilion as part of a celebration and fundraiser for The Community Program for Recovery.

From CincyMusic.com

And it wouldn’t be “Rocktober” without a battle of the tribute bands: Thunderstruck plays Annie’s, and The Ultimate Doors play Ludlow.

Fake Angus will whip out his Gibson SG, and Fake Jim will whip out his… uh, nevermind!

Other 10/1 shows include Deadmau5 at the Marsha Brady and Sam Hibbard & Elijah Bedel at Neltner’s Farm.

Hippie Bob is listening in heaven

I’ll readily admit that my musical tastes are outside the mainstream, which means most shows I go to have a smaller crowd. You start noticing the same faces. And for a long stretch in the late 90s and early 2000s, it seemed like every show I went to — especially the Magus shows– I’d see this older dude with a ponytail. The Venn diagram of our musical tastes overlapped significantly. So I finally introduced myself to him, and every show after that, we’d compare notes on new albums we liked and upcoming shows on our radar. His name was Bob Gregory (I called him “Hippie Bob”), and he taught photography at Sycamore High School for decades before retiring to a life of going to sparsely-attended shows and being bothered by some music nerd (c’est moi!). He was a sweet dude, soft-spoken, funny, and kind. I’m now at the age where I read the obits to make sure my name isn’t in it. This past Sunday I read that Hippie Bob had passed away earlier this month at the age of 82. R.I.P. my music friend.

WTF is on a roll

Marc Maron’s been on a music tear lately… recent episodes of his WTF podcast include interviews with Sharon Van Etten, S.G. Goodman and Covington’s own Adrian Belew. All are well worth a listen.

Coming next year to a bookstore near you

Album Cover of the Week

Any dude with an umlaut in his name knows how to rock! Party on, Günter!

Saved by rock and/or roll

Uncategorized

Remember when the Bengals made the Super Bowl? That was out of this world, wasn’t it? Now it’s back down to earth…

That’s OK, because music can save your mortal soul. (But we cannot teach you how to dance real slow. Oh, and Don McLean is a bit of a d-bag.)

Let’s see what’s on the rock-it docket this week.

Tuesday, the Old 97’s and the Vandoliers play Southgate’s main room, and Jason Dea West plays a freebie in the Lounge.

On Wednesday, The Minks are in Southgate’s upstairs Revival Room.

Thursday shows:

  • Dale Watson plays Southgate with The Shootouts as his opener.
  • Here Come The Mummies are at Bogart’s.
  • The Velveteers play Madison Live, with Wonky Tonk opening.

On Friday:

  • Dwight Yoakam plays the Hard Rock Casino
  • The Josephines are at Southgate.
  • Jim Messina will be at the Ludlow Garage
  • The Whispering Beard Folk Festival kicks off at Carriage House Farm in North Bend. Here’s the full lineup:
Campers welcome!

Saturday kicks off live local music at Neltner’s Farm during their Fall Festival (bands are on stage 1:30-4:30 p.m.). Here’s the full music lineup:

You won’t find a finer family of human beings than the Neltners, so load the kids in the truckster and head to Camp Springs, KY for some good clean fun and some great music.

After you pick up your pumpkin, head to Mt. Adams for Crowley’s 85th Anniversary celebration, with Cereal Killers on the outdoor stage around 8:30.

Will Howard Cohen do some Irish Dancing? We can only hope so!

Other Saturday shows include Hyryder at Annie’s, Joan Osborne at Ludlow Garage, Siri Imani headlining the Fountain Square free show, and a “Corn Stand Jam” at RiversEDGE in Hamilton, with the Rumpke Mountain Boys and several other bands.

Great news… and not so great news

Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker of Wussy are playing at my house on Friday, October 28th as part of their Undertow tour, and I’m so excited…

However, tickets went on sale while I was at the beach and the show is already sold out.

(As the host, I do get to comp 5 guests – if you’re interested, lemme know.)

Odds and sods

Cereal Killers frontman Howard Cohen weighs in on the Ovation’s new name:

More proof that drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould, Mountain Goats) is hilarious:

“Comedians in Cargo Shorts Getting Custard…”

Recommended Reading

Bandcamp wrote about the punk scene in Cincinnati.

Nice interview with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in The New Yorker.

Album Cover of the Week

Whoever was in charge of hair, wardrobe and set design should’ve been fired, but Hayley still rocks.

Less talk, more rock

Uncategorized

Howdy, I’m off to the OBX so this post is gonna be brief. Let’s get to the gigs:

Saturday night, Cereal Killers make a triumphant return to Big Ash Brewing, Freekbass plays Annie’s and Spyro Gyra is at Ludlow Garage.

On Sunday, the Afghan Whigs play a hometown show at Bogart’s. Their new album came out today, I’ve yet to put my ears on it.

Also on Sunday, Southgate hosts The Everly Brothers Experience featuring the Zmed Brothers. Why yes, thanks for asking, the Zmed Brothers ARE the sons of noted 80s big haired actor Adrian Zmed, of T.J. Hooker fame. (But lest we forget — and how could we? — Adrian also took over for Deney Terio as the host of Dance Fever in 1985.

Oh, and he was quite the guest star stud on The Love Boat.

Whoops, I was trying to keep this post short but Adrian Zmed’s long and luxurious locks dragged me down the 80s rabbit hole.

Idles play the Ovation (yes, Ovation) on Monday.

Wednesday, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls (bluegrass on speed) play Southgate’s main room, The Steepwater Band is upstairs in the Revival Room, and the Peter Brady hosts blackbear, State Champs and Heart Attack Man.

The original Heart Attack Man… and still the best.

Josh Rouse is at Southgate on Thursday, with the Newbees as the opener.

Next Friday, the Watkins Family Hour is at Memorial Hall, Lung is at MOTR, and Lee Brice plays PNC, with Michael Jackson as the opener. Wait, scratch that, it’s Michael Ray and Jackson Dean. Common mistake. (Common isn’t playing either.)

Next Saturday:

  • King Buffalo plays Madison Live (I kinda like their new album).
  • Maurice Mattei & the Tempers headline the Fountain Square freebie
  • RiversEDGE in Hamilton (you can’t call it Hamiltucky anymore!) has Signs of Life (a Pink Floyd tribute band) and
  • the King of Yacht Rock, Christopher Cross, sails into Ludlow Garage.
Full story is here.

A eulogy for a radio station like 97X

I posted this earlier in the week – this 10-minute episode of The Memory Palace really struck a chord with me. If you grew up with a station like 97X or WBRU, it’ll certainly be near and dear to your heart as well. You should listen to the entire episode, but here’s the two-minute culmination:

Album Cover of the Week

Love the matching pantsuits!

Echoes of 97X

97X, Music, podcast

One of my go-to podcasts is The Memory Palace – it’s audio storytelling at its finest. But somehow this episode from 2017 had slipped through the cracks until it was reposted recently.

Host Nate DiMeo pays tribute to WBRU-FM in Providence, Rhode Island. But if you’re a 97X fan, you’ll definitely relate to the subject matter. Here’s a great snippet from the culmination of the episode:

“The one (station) that in no small part made you who you were then… maybe still are. But this one station, now gone, was mine…”

Nate DiMeo on the episode linked above

Like WBRU, 97X lives on, in our own Memory Palace.

[I highly recommend all the episodes of The Memory Palace. Check ’em out here.]

The fruits of my Labor (Day)

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Summer’s gone a summer song
You’ve wasted every day, every day
Summer’s gone, can’t wipe it off my hands
Write it in the sand, in the sand

Buffalo Tom “Summer

Wow, hard to believe that Labor Day is fast approaching. Better wear my white jorts every day this week before I switch over to my fall jorts:

Let’s cover two weeks’ worth o’ gigs in this post, shall we?

Breaking Naming Rights News

Sorry to interrupt our slate o’ shows, but we’ve just been informed that the PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation in Newport, Kentucky has sold the naming rights, and is now… drumroll please…

Uh, no… just no. In keeping with the cherished This Week in Live Music tradition, we refuse to refer to venues by their corporate-sponsored names. Especially when that name sounds like something from Office Space or Stepbrothers.

Tonight, Sophie B. Hawkins (remember her? She wished she were your lover) headlines the Fountain Square freebie, with Tracy Walker and Kaitlyn Peace also on the bill. Other shows include Tiffany Williams and Ray Vietti at Southgate, and The Fab Four (“the Ultimate Beatles Tribute”) at Rose Music Center in scenic Huber Heights.

Sunday, Imagine Dragons, Macklemore and Kings Elliot play a sold-out show at Riverbend, The Damned are at Bogart’s, and the Disco Biscuits play Annie’s.

Monday is the rescheduled date for the Barenaked Ladies/Gin Blossoms/Toad the Wet Sprocket show at PNC.

On Wednesday, Linda Gail Lewis is at Southgate.

Thursday, Spoon, Interpol, and Water From Your Eyes are at the Brady Kids Center. (Remember when Alice worked at The Golden Spoon?)

https://youtu.be/Bg1pl2muWIA

Also on Thursday, RiversEDGE in Hamilton has a Prince Tribute show, with local band Moonbeau as the opener.

Next Friday, Sept. 2nd, the Fountain Square freebie features Motherfolk, with The Wonderlands, and Coastal Club.

The Black Keys and Band of Horses are at Riverbend next Saturday.

On Labor Day, Jack Harlow and City Girls play the Cindy Brady.

Tuesday, Sept. 6th, Thundercat is at the Ovation. Yes, I said the Ovation. Mega-sue me!

On Wednesday, Sept. 7th:

  • S.G. Goodman (a TWILM fave) and Garcia Peoples are at Southgate.
  • “due to overwhelming demand” the Odesza, Sylvan Esso, Elderbrook and Nasaya show originally slated for outdoors at the Jan Brady will now be at Riverbend.
  • Ben Levin plays Ghost Baby.

Next Thursday (9/8):

  • Paul Thorn and Angela Perley are at Memorial Hall
  • Oteil Burbridge and Friends (feat. Melvin Seals, Steve Kimock, Eric Krasno and Johnny Kimock) play the Rose
  • Magic City Hippies play the Madison Rooftop in Covington.

On Friday, September 9th:

  • The Mountain Goats play Bogart’s.
  • Donna the Buffalo is at Ludlow Garage
  • Sam Hunt and Travis Denning are at the Mike Brady.

The Cereal Killers play Big Ash on Saturday, September 10th. I’ll be out of town for that show, but YOU should be there.

Built to Spill, built to rock!

Great show from BTS this past Monday at the Woodward – and opener Prism Bitch was cool too. Speaking o’ cool, list member Todd Butler busted out a vintage, mint condition 97X t-shirt for the gig.

Built to Spill
Prism Bitch. (Why yes, that is the same drummer – she did double duty.)

You may already be a winner

List member Elizabeth Cannon (who worked at Riverbend for eons) was rewarded for her Bengals season ticket status.

Wussy duo wants to play your house (or mine)

Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker from Wussy are doing a run of house concerts this fall, and are looking for a Cincy host on Friday, October 28th.

You can volunteer here.

Album Cover of the Week

The album is pretty good, tbh.

Have a great Labor Day!

The whole tunes and nothing but the tunes.

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

I’m tardy to the live gig party this week, because it’s back to school time. Today I drove to Ohio U. solo, unloaded an SUV’s worth of apartment stuff, assembled the “some assembly required” furniture (only had 3 bolts left over!), then drove back home. Tomorrow, I’ll make the same trip with my son in tow. So this week’s post will be brief.

But first this commercial message:

Dan “Reds in 2023” Lewis has two tickets to the Spoon/Interpol show on Thursday, Sept. 1st at the Brady that he’s looking to sell:

Section 105, Row H, Seats 4-5

Dan paid $226, will take $200. His email is DLewis@Reds.com. (He’ll probably throw in some Reds tix if you ask nicely.)

Saturday night shows:

  • The Beths play Madison Theater, with Rosie Tucker as the opener
  • J.J. Grey & Mofro headline a free show in Lawrenceburg, IN as part of their Whiskey City Summer Fest (I’ll be there with list members Whit & Barb Gardner)
  • The Claudettes and Electric Indigo are at Southgate
  • Five for Fighting and The Verve Pipe are at Timberwolf
  • H.R. from Bad Brains is at Annie’s
  • Southgate hosts a fundraiser with a strong lineup:
  • The Woods Band and Jonathan Cody White play a Downtowne Listening Room show that isn’t downtown (or even downtowne). It’s in Florence, KY. You can request an invite here.
  • Dire Straits Legacy (more info about who is in the band is here) plays Ludlow Garage
  • Bogart’s hosts a Yacht Rock Revue

And finally, the Whimmydiddle Festival continues in Hamil-tucky, with Charley Crockett headlining.

Sunday:

  • 21 Pilots play the Coliseum
  • Lauv is at the Carol Brady
  • Tommy Prine (a son of John) is at Southgate
  • And for you early birds, Carriage House Farm hosts a “Biscuits and Bluegrass” jam session with food from Chloe’s Eatery. Details here.

Built to Spill plays the Woodward on Monday – list member Mighty Joe Sampson and I will be there.

I’ll be Damned, the Blondie/The Damned show originally slated for Tuesday has been cancelled. But The Damned booked a different gig at Bogart’s next Sunday (8/28).

Shows that are happening on Tuesday:

  • The Wallflowers play Ludlow Garage
  • Amos Lee is at the Taft
  • Melissa Carperplays Southgate
  • Pitbull and Iggy Azalea are at Riverbend

On Wednesday, Sammy Hagar and the Circle and George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers play Riverbend, and My Chemical Romance is at the Coliseum, and August Burns Red is at Bogart’s.

Thursday:

  • Joe’s Truck Stop plays the free show at Washington Park
  • Gov’t Mule and Trombone Shorty are at the Rose
  • Greensky Bluegrass are at the Ovation
  • Michael Franti & Spearhead play Annie’s
  • Punch Brothers are at the Marsha Brady (oh my nose!)
  • Milk Carton Kids show up at Ludlow Garage
  • Kelsey Waldon (her new album is twangy good) plays Southgate, with Jeremy Pinnell as the opener.

Next Friday, the Brothers Osborne play the Rose, and the Kentucky Headhunters play Lori’s Roadhouse in West Chester.

Roger, Wilco

It was great to see so many This Week in Live Music luminaries at the Wilco/Courtney Marie Andrews show this past Tuesday: Dan Lewis, Bruce Frasure, Dave Roberto, Kevin Sullivan, Jay Stowe and Alyssa Brandt, Marty and Bizzy Driscoll, Billboard’s own Gil Kaufman… it was like our very own Night of a Thousand Stars. List member Rico couldn’t attend due to COVID… which meant yours truly got his ticket. I guess there is a silver lining to the pandemic after all!

Album Cover of the Week

Episode 86: Keri Crawford found freedom and family at 97X

97X, Music, podcast

Keri Crawford was at 97X from 1998-2001, as a DJ and program director. She talks to us about her radio and record label background, the unique energy of 97X, the fun shows she got to organize and promote, the fervor of the listeners… and how her dog had free rein at the office.

The Player’s Club

Concert Listings, Music

What up, playa?

Speaking of players, let’s see who’s playing this week.

Tonight:

  • Steep Canyon Rangers are at Annie’s
  • Soul Pocket headlines the free show on Fountain Square
  • Tower of Power and Lettuce play the Rose Music Center

On Saturday:

  • Sleigh Bells play the Taft. (It may seem early for sleigh bells but I had a pumpkin beer last night so all bets are off.)
  • Lany is at the Bobby Brady.
  • The Zac Brown Band and the Robert Randolph Band play Riverbend.
  • The Spinners play Ludlow Garage.
  • Local band The Newbees have a free show at Fernbank Park (7-9 p.m.)
  • Ziggy Marley does a tribute to his father at Rose. (Note: this is much better than his tribute to the comic strip Ziggy.)

And Southgate will have something called “Super Satan Fest II – Live as Hell”

“Something Involving a Monkey” for the band name win…

On Sunday, Boz Skaggs and The Robert Cray Band are at Rose, and Southgate House hosts a matinee benefit show for Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief:

Monday, it’s the “uplifting band name” trifecta: Anthrax, Black Label Society and Hatebreed at the Mike Brady.

Tuesday:

  • Wilco plays the Ovation
  • The Beach Boys and the Temptations are at PNC Pavilion
  • Lake Street Dive plays the Marsha Brady. The following evening, they’ll be at the Rose.

Other Wednesday shows:

  • Kid Rock is at Riverbend.
  • Yngwie “Can I buy a vowel, Pat” Malmsteen is at Ludlow Garage
  • Accordionist Sally Lukasik plays an early gig at Baker’s Table Bakery. I normally don’t mention accordion shows, but Sally just seems so darn happy in her promo photo:

On Thursday

  • River Whyless is at Southgate
  • The Surfragettes (yes, a surf rock band, how’d you guess?) play Ludlow Garage
  • Alicia Keys works the keys at PNC
  • The Dead Man String Band and Ray Vietti do the free gig at Washington Park
  • Bam Powell & the Troublemakers play an equally free show at Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington

Next Friday:

  • Chris Stapleton is at Riverbend
  • The Del McCoury Band plays Memorial Hall
  • Al Stewart is at Ludlow Garage
  • The two-night Whimmydiddle Festival kicks off at RiversEDGE in Hamilton with Shovels & Rope as the headliner

Normally when you hear “shovels and rope” and “Hamilton” in the same sentence, it’s about a crime scene.

Distant Early Warning

Since list member Michael “Rico” Carrico gave me so much grief for not mentioning the last Ian Noe show at Southgate (which, it should be noted, Rico did NOT attend), I need to let you “Noe” that Ian has another Southgate gig lined up for December 16th.

Oh, and please consider playing in — or making a donation to — the Kevin Carrico Memorial Golf Scramble on 10/1. (Rico is Kevin’s brother.)

Kevin Carrico was in his third year of medical school at the University of Louisville, studying to become a pediatric oncologist, when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma.  His goal was to help children as they faced their battle with cancer, just as he did after he overcame Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 17.  Kevin faced his battles with a sense of humor and a positive attitude like only he could.  Although Kevin passed away in 2019 at the age of 25, we have vowed to carry on his legacy.  The University of Louisville awarded Kevin a posthumous doctorate of medicine in 2020, and he received the Dr. Presley F. Martin Award, given to the senior student chosen by his peers who possesses and reflects characteristics of a good physician:  competence, ethical behavior, leadership, compassion, and humor.  Our mission is to carry on Kevin’s legacy to aid other young adults that have faced cancer and are pursuing higher education goals. Our proceeds are allocated 100% to our scholarship program. 

Reason #3,698 of why I love Wussy

On their most recent FB livestream (which is reason #2,294 of why I love them!), Lisa posed a question about “who are your three favorite vocalists?” Check out Chuck and Mark waxing poetic about a band that I also happen to love dearly:

The most recent Wussy livestream also featured some absolutely amazing cover songs. Check it out. Oh, and check out their appearance on the Songwriter podcast with Jonathan Franzen:

Album Covers (plural) of the Week

I’m sure you remember former ACotW star Woody Woodbury:

Well, Woody has some competition in the “party albums of the 50s and 60s” category.

If it turns out that list member Lisa Collins’ mom is also breakfast buddies with Rusty, we’re going to have to stage an intervention.

Have a great week, baby!

August and nothing after

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Well hello there, Stranger! How have you been? Vacay was great, thanks for asking. I know you didn’t miss me – even I didn’t miss me. But it’s not about missing me, it’s about not missing live gigs in the Cincinnati area. Let’s get at ‘er!

Tonight:

  • Ben Levin and Joe Tellmann will join other Pinetop Perkins Foundation Masterclass participants in backing Bob Margolin at the Lebanon Blues Festival. (Ben and Joe will also play with Bob on Saturday. The entire schedule is here.)
  • The Fabulous Thunderbirds roll into Ludlow Garage
  • Tab Benoit plays the Taft Theatre
  • Holy F*ck will be at Madison Live. I think they’re a gospel band.
  • The Actual F*ck plays Northside Tavern. I think they’re a hardcore band.
  • Ray Vietti & The Family Stoned will play a free gig at Carriage House Farm.

On Saturday you can see an Elvis Impersonator.

Wait, check that, I still have vacation brain… actually it’s Elvis Costello & the Imposters at Rose Music Center. Not to be outdone, Fraze Pavilion, the other Dayton area venue, has… Vanilla Ice.

Mr. Van Winkle, the erstwhile Ice, Vanilla, will be joined by a veritable Who’s Who of “Who’s That?” – All 4 One, Rob Base, Coolio, Tone Loc and Young MC. (Name two songs by any/all of those artist and win valuable prizes.)

Also on Saturday evening:

  • Ekoostik Hookah plays the old Annie’s
  • Ludlow Garage has Strangelove, the Depeche Mode Experience
  • Local artists Flying Underground (Brian Lovely) and Nick Kizirnis play MOTR
  • The Greg Brady hosts Dashboard Confessional and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.

Daryl Hall and the Daryl’s House Band plays Timberwolf on Sunday, with special guest Todd Rundgren.

On Wednesday, RuPaul’s Drag Race is at the Mike Brady Center, and the Happy Together Tour comes to Fraze – The Turtles, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Association, The Buckinghams, The Vogues, and The Cowsills. Every orthopedic surgeon in the Dayton area should be handing out business cards at that show.

Thursday shows:

  • The Dead South and Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band play Annie’s.
  • Tower of Power and Lettuce (that’s two bands, it’s not the Smoothie/Salad combo at Jamba Juice) are at the Taft.
  • Whitehall plays Southgate
  • Mike Zito is at Ludlow Garage
  • The Casey Campbell Band does the free show at Washington Park from 7-9 p.m.
  • Last, and least, the Motor City Madman Ted Nugent plays the Rose Music Center.

Next Friday:

  • Steep Canyon Rangers are at Annie’s
  • Soul Pocket headlines the free show on Fountain Square
  • The Rose Music Center serves up the Smoothie/Salad combo twin bill of Tower of Power and Lettuce.
Add a shot of wheatgrass for just 50 cents.

Concert Shots

Lucy Dacus and Camp Cope put on a stellar outdoor show at the Burl in Lexington. List member Joe Sampson and I helped bring up the average age.

List members Dan Bockrath, Dave Tellmann and I thoroughly enjoyed the Adrian Belew gig at Ludlow Garage. We also had fun counting the # of old men wearing ponytails.

Classy Ken, your Clifton Concert Concierge

Speaking of the Ludlow Garage, if you purchase your tickets at their box office (open Wed-Sat 4-10 p.m.), you can avoid most of the dreaded TicketBastard fees. List member Ken Laube lives in Clifton, and I’m sure he’d be happy to walk up to Ludlow (quite frankly, he could use the exercise) and purchase the ducats for you.

Always at your service…

Recommended Reading

Pitchfork has a pretty cool interview with artist Steve Keene, best known for his Pavement album cover art.

… my wife and I were on the college radio station when she went to UVA. You’re surrounded by so much creativity—the other DJs are creative, but also the tens of thousands of albums from the past 40 years, all their funky, weird artwork, all their liner notes. It’s just so jam-packed, and 99 percent of them are forgotten. It was sort of this different idea about how, gosh, I’m gonna be forgotten too. So why don’t I have fun with this? And why don’t I make art feel like you’re going to a show, buying a T-shirt or a CD?

Steve Keene in the interview linked above

Album Cover of the Week

This week’s album cover is courtesy of list member Dave Green:

Sayeth Dave: You’d think this would’ve been a “blues” album, but that would be too cliché. My son picked this up for me for $6 since I am a casual jazz fan and previously 80’s Smurf collector (little known fact).

Absolutely Smurftastic, thanks for sharing, Dave!

Nothing to do with music… but funny

Have a great week!