Concert review

This Week in Live Music: January 13-19

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

First and foremost, R.I.P. Neil Peart.

The absolute best.

This NPR tribute by Annie Zaleski is very nice. Love this quote:

“He was in many ways like an outsider — the guy who was often different from everyone else,” Halper says. “But that was okay with him. He didn’t want to be like everyone else. He just wanted to be Neil. He loved being a rock drummer, but he also loved literature. He loved poetry. He loved the outdoors. He didn’t care what society thought a rock star was ‘supposed to be’ — he wasn’t afraid to be himself, and he didn’t really care about fame. He just wanted to be good at what he did — and he was! — and he just wanted to share his music with the fans.”

I can totally relate to that… well, other than the musical talent part.

It’s a slow week for nationally touring band gigs, so this week I’m going to highlight a few more local artists than usual.

On Tuesday, The Dead South (Canadian folk-bluegrass) hits Bogart’s. And Jerry Springer is doing a live taping (sounds like an oxymoron, I know) of two podcast episodes at Folk School Coffee Parlor in Ludlow, KY, from 7-8 p.m. This isn’t the crazy TV version of Jerry, it’s the politically astute Jerry, along with some live music and a bit of shtick. I’ve been before and it’s fun.

Shiny Old Soul plays the Northside Tavern on Wednesday, and the Blue Wisp Big Band is at Caffè Vivace.

On Thursday, Fuel will make a pit stop at the Ludlow Garage. In addition, the Philip Paul Trio plays Arnold’s, and the Mt. Pleasant String Band plays Southgate’s Lounge — both of those are free shows.

Friday, We Banjo 3 plays a sold-out gig at Memorial Hall. In the cherished tradition of “Wrong Number” bands like the Thompson Twins and Ben Folds Five, We Banjo 3 actually has 4 members… and they play more instruments than banjo, too!

Also on Friday:

  • Ghost Man on Second plays Lucius Q
  • Stanley’s hosts an evening with Terrapin Moon
  • The Ben Levin Trio plays Wiedemann’s Tap Room
  • This Pine Box has a single release party at MOTR, with Sugadaisy and a great White Stripes/Black Keys type band from Lexington called Johnny Conqueroo (video below).

On Saturday, The Levin Brothers Band plays Ludlow Garage.

Other Saturday shows:

  • Ben Levin (he’s a Levin brother too!) plays Smoke Justis
  • Stanley’s hosts the Winter Blues Revival
  • Nicholas Clay and Kelly Fine (Young Heirlooms) play Camp Springs Tavern (check out this nugget from Nicholas Clay’s music FB page:

On Sunday:

  • Stef Chura plays MOTR with Leggy
  • The Boston band called Ripe (“part jam band, part funk, part jazz and part soul”) plays the Madison Theater
  • The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars do their weekly residency at the bar that gave them their name.

Musical musings

The Parlor & Patio house concert last night was great. Chelsea Nolan has a wonderful voice, and is a fun storyteller. Her TED talk is well worth checking out for inspiration (embedded at the end of this week’s post). If you’ve yet to attend a Parlor & Patio show, you really should check one out. Great songwriters in an intimate setting with a super-friendly and casual vibe… and free pie from Piebird at intermission! The current 2020 bookings are listed here. You can check out the artists on this Spotify playlist. Get tickets early because the shows will sell out.

Hot Ticket Alert

Wussy is playing the Woodward Theater on Friday, March 6th. Tickets here.

Hot No-Ticket-Required Alert

The Cereal Killers are playing MadTree Brewing on Saturday, February 15th, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Perfect set time for an old fart like me… like a Bob Evans early-bird special, only with beer instead of meatloaf!

2019 tunes worth checking out

Hat tip to list member Michael “Rico” Carrico for directing us to a guy from Finland who has being doing a blog (“One Chord to Another”) covering Americana/folk/etc. for more than a decade. His 2019 favorites list is here and he also does a weekly playlist that’s very cool.

Tweet of the Week

Videos

This Week in Live Music: January 6-12

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Hey gang, Happy New Year! America’s Least Beloved Blog* is back to inflict weekly pain and suffering upon you. (Better call 444-4444.) Let’s see… I forgot how this works… oh, that’s right, I provide an admittedly incomplete list of the gigs in the Tri-State area and you, gentle reader, proceed to pay incomplete attention to said list, just like that one kid in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off…

*Source: WordPress stats

My 2020 Resolution is to go see 20 live music performances. We’re talking band gigs, not the church organist. Who’s with me?

There ain’t much wattage in the live music cottage this week. Legendary guitarist Albert Lee plays Southgate on Wednesday.

On Thursday, you have several fine options for your live-music listening pleasure… get one of the 20 gigs under your belt by attending any of these:

  • Jason Ringenberg (of Jason & The Scorchers fame) is at Southgate
  • Ben Levin will be at BrewRiver
  • The Ricky Nye duo (featuring Matt McCoy) plays at Big Ash Brewing
  • The TyeDye Band plays The Lounge in Anderson (I’ll be there… 2020 Gig #1)

Friday gigs:

  • Ben Levin is at Lucius Q
  • Orleans plays Ludlow Garage
  • Leroy Ellington’s Sacred Heart is at Big Ash Brewing
  • The Harmless Varmints (great name!) play Camp Springs Tavern
  • Peter Asher plays “a musical memoir of the 60s” at 20th Century. I’m not sure how you can do a memoir of the 60s…

On Saturday, the talented youngster Chelsea Nolan plays the first Parlor & Patio gig of 2020 at the home of Dave & Jacqui Killen. I’ll be there (if you’re keeping score at home, that’s Gig #2 of 2020). This show is sold out… check out the video below and you’ll hear why.

Check the Parlor & Patio shows page to find out about other shows this year, and get your tickets early!

The Sunday gig isn’t a house concert, but it’s close: Chris Carpenter and Kevin Stokley play the Downtowne Listening Room. Here’s a description of the venue from their website:

We support a true, music lover’s listening vibe with no crowd noise so you can enjoy the music. When the show starts, we ask everyone to refrain from talking, turn off cell phones, and turn on to the music. Our performers appreciate your respect for their craft and put on an intimate and inviting show. Social time with friends and the artists occurs before and after each performance.

More gigs at that venue can be found here.

Hot Ticket Alerts

Guster plays an acoustic show at Memorial Hall on March 14th, and “they’ll also be inviting a rotating cast of improv friends to join them on stage for some on the spot songwriting and comedy.”

The Bottle Rockets have an April 1st gig at Southgate. No foolin’!

Cold Ticket Alerts

You might wanna steer clear of downtown Cincy on Saturday, May 16th. Garth Brooks will be at Paul Brown Stadium, and Michael Buble will be at the Coliseum. I’m calling it “A Night of Historic Histrionics.”

Tweets/posts about local legends

Here’s Craig Finn of The Hold Steady talking about one of their recent NYC shows:

(I do too, Craig!)

And here’s what Jason Narducy (Bob Mould/Superchunk touring bassist – he also has a new solo effort out) tweeted about Bob Pollard:

If our boy Bobby can play a gazillion songs at age 62, surely you can get off your couch and go see a show or 20 (leg kicks not required). Let list member Dan Bockrath be your inspiration…

Dan Bockrath’s 2019 Music in Review

Holy crap – after a quiet start, it was another year of epic concerts. The live music experience is like no other…and I have a newfound passion and appreciation for the intimacy of house concerts thanks to Jacqui and Dave‘s Parlor & Patio series. (You must see Rob Fetters if you have the opportunity – “small is the new big”). I attended even more shows this year out of the need for my spirit to be lifted and transported…even for just a few meaningful hours.

Highlights:
– Best Discoveries: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (at the legendary Great American Music Hall in SF), Charly Bliss, Jinjer (thanks Gene) and Black Mountain.
– A double dose of Guided By Voices. They were in top form this year. Three records (all highly recommended) and a killer 50+ song, 3-hour set at The Woodward Theater left the sold-out crowd exhausted with joy. Robert Pollard is a master performer!
– The reincarnation of The Ludlow Garage. Their goal is to be the premier listening room in the region. No argument here. In a span of two weeks, I experienced next level shows from Dweezil Zappa, Frank Gambale, Jimmy Herring and local legend Adrian Belew.
– Most Fun: Beck and Cage The Elephant with my daughter and her friends.
– Top Show: No question – King Crimson at the mecca of music venues…the Ryman Auditorium. Nearly 50 years to the day of the release of their epic debut, In the Court of the Crimson King, Robert Fripp and his stellar cast are dedicated to bringing their music to new audiences.

Crimson was one of several 50th anniversary shows I attended in 2019. Proof once again that you’re never too old to rock and roll.
Long live rock – I need it every night!!
Peace and love to you and yours in 2020.

In chronological order:
1/11 Rob Fetters house show – Parlor & Patio
1/27 Dave Davis memorial show – Woodward Theatre
2/10 John Mellencamp – Aronoff Center
3/8 Tracy Walker house show – Parlor & Patio
5/2 Welshly Arms – Bogart’s
6/10 Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – GAMH-SF
6/14 Charly Bliss – Top Cat’s
6/18 Howard Jones – Bogart’s
6/28 Guided By Voices – Woodward Theatre
6/30 Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – Taft Theatre
7/1 Courtney Barnett – Madison Theatre
7/3 Built To Spill – Woodward Theatre
7/3 Warbly Jets – MOTR Pub (after BTS show)
7/4 Kansas – Red, White & Blue Ash
7/12 Peter Frampton / Jason Bonham – Riverbend
7/13 The Right Now – Levitt Pavilion-Dayton
7/19 Tedeschi Trucks – PNC Pavilion
7/27 Heart / Elle King – Riverbend
8/1 Eric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf) house concert
8/2 Beck / Cage The Elephant / Spoon – Riverbend
8/8 JJ Grey & Mofro / Jonny Lang – PNC Pavilion
8/10 Bellwether Fest (STRFKR, Sego, GBV, Beach House)
8/21 Get The Led Out – Fraze Pavilion
9/4 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Bogart’s
9/11 Adam Ant – Taft Theatre
9/19 Dweezil Zappa – Ludlow Garage (50th – Hot Rats)
9/21 Frank Gambale – Ludlow Garage
9/22 Jimmy Herring – Ludlow Garage
9/27 King Crimson – Ryman Auditorium (50th – Court)
10/2 Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – Fountain Square
10/4 Adrian Belew – Ludlow Garage
10/12 Jinjer – Riverfront Live
10/22 UFO – Bogart’s (50th anniversary)
11/16 Daniel Martin Moore house show – Parlor & Patio
11/19 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Taft Theatre
11/22 Black Mountain – Headliners-Louisville
11/26 Cloud Nothings – Woodward Theatre

This Week (and a Day) in Live Music: August 26-September 2

Concert Listings, Concert review

Yes, that’s right, for this edition of TWILM we’re throwing in a bonus day absolutely free. That’s nearly 15% more than our regular TWILM at no cost! How do we do it? We buy in volume and pass the savings on to you!

“It’s one louder”

Before we get into this week’s gigs, I need to apologize for not letting you know that Stevie Wonder and Chance the Rapper were playing in Dayton yesterday. My bad.

OK, moving on to this week. Wow, can you believe it’s almost Labor Day? Thanks to WEBN, the station that plays four AC/DC songs every hour, summer in Cincinnati always ends with a bang. Also thanks to WEBN, summer ends with the country’s largest outdoor display of mullets, jorts and prison ink.

Kentucky side or Ohio side? Yes, that’s correct.

It’s a relatively quiet week for live music, and a few of the gigs have a novelty flair to them. Knotts plays MOTR on Monday, with Circadian Clocks also on the bill. Tuesday, Roots of Creation plays Top Cats. Their website bills them as “electronic dance music, jam, reggae, rock, ska, world group from New Hampshire.” Their new album is Grateful Dub: A Reggae-Infused Tribute to the Grateful Dead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2W33u-2J1c

Columbus reggae band Quasi Kings opens. Your dreadlocks must be at least one foot long to enter the show.

Zapruder Point plays The Listing Loon on Wednesday.

On Thursday…

Yes, KISS will be playing Riverbend, as part of an alleged farewell tour. Gene Simmons turned 70 yesterday, so perhaps instead of spitting blood he’ll be spitting Geritol.

In a KISS-related story, Ace Frehley will be playing a Dodge dealership in East Hanover, NJ next month.

On Friday, Macy Gray was supposed to play Ludlow Garage, but that gig has been rescheduled to October 15th. But here are the gigs that are on: Dailey & Vincent play Memorial Hall; Will Payne Harrison, Chelsea Ford & The Trouble and My Brother’s Keeper are in Southgate’s Revival Room; Lagniappe is playing Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, Kentucky, with circus acrobats also working the room (really!); the Nick Netherton Band and Noah Smith play the free show at Sawyer Point; Ben Levin and Noah Wotherspoon play Mansion Hill Tavern; The Doors of Chicago are at Bogart’s; and This Pine Box plays Blind Bob’s in Dayton’s Oregon District, a venue and district that both could use some positive vibes.

Saturday, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, a Finnish band that plays bluegrass versions of metal songs (seriously, I couldn’t even make that up), is on Southgate’s main stage, with ClusterPluck as the opener.

Meanwhile, the Steepwater Band plays Southgate’s Revival Room, Lagniappe (and tightrope walkers) are back at Bircus, and Pearl Crush is at Northside Tavern along with Britt and Brooklynn Rae.

Sunday, Judah & The Lion, Steven Puth and Public play Sawyer Point as part of the fireworks festivities, starting at 5 p.m. Mike & The Moonpies are at Southgate, and rockabilly band Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones are at MOTR.

List member Dave Tellmann, the Detective Phil Fish of Modern Rock, has caught wind of a block party in Mt. Adams called The Annual, featuring tunes from 3 p.m. until midnight, including an Allman Bros. tribute band at 7:30 and the Just Strange Brothers (CCM folks) doing a tribute to Talking Heads at 10 p.m. I’m intrigued. I’m hoping to go, even though I’ll probably have to walk a bit due to the fireworks cluster/closed streets. Who’s with me?

Next Monday is Labor Day. This song is required listening:

Notes from last week

List member Todd Butler and I caught Todd Lipscomb (and friends Brandon and Adam) at Camp Springs Tavern on Saturday night. Camp Springs Tavern is a neat little bar owned by list member Keith Neltner, whose multi-generation family farm is just across the street. If you haven’t been to CST, you really need to check it out, it’s got a great vibe, a nice little outdoor patio, and live “down-home” music most weekends.

Todd Lipscomb at Camp Springs Tavern

Blatant self-promotion

Another episode of the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast, co-hosted by super sleuth Dave Tellmann and yours truly, was recently posted on this website, as well as in iTunes, Spotify and Podbean. In this edition, we chat with John “JJ” Jesser, the original Breakfast Club co-host.

Hot ticket alert

There are only a handful of tickets left for the Brett Newski house concert at Parlor & Patio (the home of list members Jacqui and Dave Killen) in Ft. Thomas on Friday, Sept. 27th. Get yours here with the password Parlor

Mini movie worth watching

Hat tip to list member Joe Sampson for the link to a mini-movie about the making of the Tiny Changes album, an all-star tribute to Frightened Rabbit’s brilliant 2008 release The Midnight Organ Fight.

Band name of the week (NSFW variety)

Album cover of the week

If only they still taught kids in grades K-6 how to do “The Monkey” and “Funky Broadway”… the world would be a better place.

Have a wonderful week and a day!

Concert review: Guided By Voices at Bellwether

Concert review, Music

The Teacher Delivers An Indie Rock Master Class

Guided By Voices perform a blistering set at Bellwether Music Festival

Review: Dan Bockrath Photos: Gene Dow Photography

In the midst of their set, Guided By Voices leader Robert Pollard thanked the Bellwether Music Festival promoters for inviting them to perform a 75-minute show. With a wink and a nod, he then wryly boasted that the band frequently plays 3-hour plus shows on tour. (They played 54 songs in over two and half hours at their late June concert at the Woodward Theatre…and plan on performing a 100 song show at a sold out New Year’s Eve concert in New York City.)

Photo credit: Gene Dow Photography

Born, raised and currently living in nearby Dayton, Ohio, the former 4th grade school teacher and his band ripped through 29 songs in their allotted time.  At 61 years old, Pollard maintains the swagger to be one of the best rock and roll frontmen in the business. Confidently strutting the stage, he threw in several Daltryesque microphone swings and managed to sneak in one of his signature high kicks. He has slowed down a bit on the legendary beer chugging, but did take several dips into the cooler throughout the evening.

photo credit: Gene Dow Photography

The band opened with three hard charging songs from their fine 2019 double album Zeppelin Over China before tearing into crowd favorites Cut-Out Witch and Tractor Rape Chain.  Pollard then matter-of-factly announced that the band will be releasing their 3rd record in 2019 in the fall titled Sweating The Plague (the 24-track Warp And Woof was released in April).  They then performed the first single, the anthemic “Heavy Like The World”. You can listen to it here.

Sweating the Plague will be the ultra-prolific Guided By Voices 29th studio album. And Pollard seemed rather proud of his ability to make three records in one year as he wondered aloud why some other bands put out records once every seven years.

Back to the show.

Long-time fans were treated to many favorites from the GBV catalog, including Echos Myron, I Am a Tree, Chasing Heather Crazy, The Best of Jill Hives, My Kind of Soldier, Motor Away and Teenage FBI.  Doug Gillard was a beast as always on lead guitar and relative newcomer Bobby Bare, Jr. was windmilling his heart out on rhythm as the dual guitar attack, accompanied by bassist Mark Shue and drummer Kevin March, provided a face full of melodic rock and roll to charge up the relatively mellow sun-kissed crowd. (GBV were sandwiched between STRFKR and headliners Beach House, so many of the younger fans were a little thrown off by ol’ Bob and his band of misfits).

  • Gene Dow took this photo…
  • And this one…
  • Yep, Gene Dow again.

The band was just hitting their stride of greatest hits when they were told they only had three minutes left in their set. With that, Pollard broke into the opening of “Glad Girls” to send the fans off in style.

Setlist link: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/guided-by-voices/2019/ohio-renaissance-festival-grounds-waynesville-oh-639f9297.html