May the Sixth be with you

Concert Listings, Music

Hello friend! It’s purt near May (that’s how we say it in Arkansas) which means it’s purt near time for another Cereal Killers gig… or two! But I reckon we have a few shows before then too. Let’s take a look-see.

Friday, Khruangbin and Toro y Moi are at the Sam the Butcher Music Center. You remember Sam the Butcher, don’t you? He was the one who always delivered meat to Alice the cook at the Brady Bunch house.

Other gigs on Friday evening:

Gavin DeGraw plays the ~~Horseshoe~~ ~~Jack~~ Hard Rock Casino
Brit Floyd is at the Taft
Ben Levin rocks BrewRiver
Sierra Ferrell plays Southgate. According to list member Dave Green (who also plays bagpipes in the 35th Indiana Pipes & Drums), Sierra likes to make her own stage costumes by modifying thrift store clothes. I think she should call this outfit “Partridge Family Bus”:

On Saturday evening, you can get some clean laughs with Brian Regan at the Mike Brady Music Center.

Or you can head to Camp Springs Tavern to enjoy a cold beverage, served up by guest bartenders (and brothers) Chris and Nathan Dye, founders of the local brand design agency Dye Brothers (fitting name, ain’t it?).

All tips earned that night will be donated to the Karen Wellington Foundation for Women LIVING with breast cancer, so it’s a good time for a great cause. The missus and I will be there for a spell. Hope you can join us!

NRBQ plays Southgate on Sunday.

On Wednesday, The Happy Fits are at Top Cats.

Thursday, the Walter Trout Band plays Ludlow Garage.

Next Friday (5/6), the Cereal Killers play at Fries Cafe in Clifton!

Remember, the first beer is my treat.

That same evening, Leon Bridges plays the Carol Brady. Which was your favorite Carol Brady hairdo?

Ben Levin plays Wiedemann’s Brewing.

Comedian/guy who sings “Toast” Heywood Banks is at the Ludlow Garage.

And Engelbert Humperdinck plays the Taft. I hear he does a cover of “The Humpty Dance,” while wearing the glasses…

Next weekend features a flurry of festivals

Here are the gig posters:

Support local artists

Music Fund Cincinnati is a new non-profit established to promote free events and provide financial assistance to local musicians.

Please consider volunteering your time and/or making a donation.

A Public Service Announcement to the people who go to shows to talk

I’d like you to STFU. Andrianne Lenker of Big Thief put it a bit more politely:

“When music is happening in a room, there’s a performer onstage playing and doing their craft, when you enter into that space, try to be mindful of what’s happening and pay attention and don’t talk,” Lenker said. Later in the message, she rephrased the same thought: “When you come into this space where music is happening, even if you’re coming just to see a specific act play, be mindful if there is somebody performing and playing, to either listen or at least be quiet so that other people can listen. Or go and put yourself elsewhere.”
Her full message can be found in this Stereogum article

I couldn’t agree more. Wanna chat? Go to the lobby… or just go home!

Gig pix

James McMurtry put on a stellar solo show at Memorial Hall. I knew he had a way with words but was impressed by his gee-tar pickin’ too!

Valley Heat is spreading…

Remember the podcast I touted last week, called Valley Heat? We have another convert – Cereal Killers frontman/Great Lakes Brewing rep Howard Cohen:

The show is so damn funny, including the music. Check it out posthaste.

Album Cover of the Week

List member Ted Gardner wants to know if this is the worst or best album ever made? What say ye? You can put your ears on it below… enter at your own risk!

Have a great week!

Down to Earth

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

I come to you with cap in hand, asking your forgiveness for my disparaging comments about the local nine (technically 10 now that there’s a DH) last week. As a wise man once said:

“How about everybody just settle down and celebrate and cheer for the team.”
The guy whose dad bought the team

I was so very wrong last week when I said that this year’s Cincinnati Reds roster consists mostly of players from the Reds’ minor league affiliate Chattanooga Lookouts, only now they’re wearing uniforms with less of a “Mr. Potato Head eyes” vibe.

In reality, the team is more like players from the Reds’ low-A minor league affiliate Daytona Tortugas, only with a logo that has less of a juice pouch vibe:

But, as a wise man once said, “be careful what you ask for.”

OK, enough yapping about baseball. Let’s get to the gigs.

Moon Tooth is at Top Cats on Monday. List member Ken Laube once lost a tooth at Top Cats, in a fight with Chris Knight. (I’m kidding… although singer Chris Knight did get into a fight there…) Wait, breaking news: the Moon Tooth show has been cancelled. But Chris Knight is OK. So’s Ken.

On Tuesday, Justin Bieber is at the Coliseum. I’ve already incurred the wrath of Phil Castellini, so I don’t dare risk pissing off the Beliebers. But I will say I liked his music better when he was in NSYNC.

Wednesday night, Dylan is at Southgate House! (That’s Dylan LeBlanc.) And Candlebox plays an unplugged show at Memorial Hall.

Thursday, James McMurtry plays a solo show at Memorial Hall. List members John Sandman, Michael Orzali and I will be there. You should be too – Mr. McMurtry’s last album was one of the best of 2021.

Or you can check out local reggae band The Cliftones at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Tunes & Blooms. Admission is free after 5 p.m., music starts at 6, and you just might run into list member/Cereal Killers frontman Howard Cohen at the Great Lakes Brewing table. (More on the Cereal Killers later.)

Other Thursday shows:

Stick Men (featuring Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson plus eight-string touch guitarist Markus Reuter) is at Ludlow Garage.
Ashley Cooke plays Top Cats (list member Ken Laube used to cook at Zino’s, just down the street…) Breaking news: the Ashley Cooke show has been cancelled… but Ken can still make you a Zinover.
Ben Levin plays Shire’s Garden.
Comedian Lewis Black will be ranting at the Taft.

Friday is Earth Day. Hug a tree…

… or better yet, plant one.

On Friday evening, Olivia Rodrigo plays a sold-out show at the Alice the Cook Brady Music Center.

Olivia is so hot right now… but so was Alice back in the day!

A whole slew of shows is slated for Saturday:

Jimmy Webb plays “The Glen Campbell Years” at Memorial Hall.
The Quebe Sisters play Southgate House’s main room, and Addison Johnson teams up with Mic Harrison (of the late great V-Roys) for an acoustic duo set in the upstairs Revival Room.
Aly & AJ are at Bogart’s
Kenny Loggins plays the Hard Rock Casino

Ludlow Garage hosts Lotus Land – A Tribute to Rush.

You’ve gotta have a monster pair of brass balls to try to fill Neil Peart’s drum stool. (Oh, you’ll also need a metric ton of drums and cymbals, some wind chimes, maybe a gong…)

On Sunday, the always-entertaining Robyn Hitchcock plays the Southgate House… and Journey plays the Coliseum.

Looks like the “new” Journey has removed the Steve Perry Journey literal video of “Separate Ways” from YouTube… (ironic when you think about how they discovered their current lead singer) so you’ll have to go here to enjoy it.

The following week is rather light on gigs, so let’s cover those here:

Suzanne Vega plays ~~Tom’s Diner~~ Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, April 27th.

On Thursday, April 28th:

Leo Kottke plays Ludlow Garage
Chuck Mead (of BR-549) is at Southgate
Restless Leg String Band plays the Zoo’s Tunes & Blooms
Steve Hackett is at the Taft

On Friday, April 29th:

Sierra Ferrell plays Southgate (list members Dave Green and Michael Orzali are big fans)
Khruangbin and Toro y Moi are at the Brady
Gavin DeGraw plays the Hard Rock Casino
Brit Floyd is at Taft
Ben Levin plays BrewRiver

Comedian Brian Regan plays the Brady on Saturday, April 30th, and NRBQ will be at Southgate on Sunday, May 1st.

Must-see May gigs

The Cereal Killers are back with their inimitable combination of songs from late ’70’s British & American punk, with a dash of the New Wave, a dollop of garage rock, a heaping helping of hijinks, and a side of shenanigans. It’s like 97X is still on the air, but better because it’s live! If you’re on this list and you’re in the house for this gig, the first beer’s on me!

And if you can’t make that raucous evening gig due to your advancing years, fear not, Cereal Killers have a matinee show (3-5 p.m.) at MadTree on Saturday, May 14th!

Then you can take a quick nap — or enjoy the early bird special at Bob Evans — before catching a fantastic blues lineup at 20th Century Theatre:

Mark the calendar in your Day Runner now, and put it in your PalmPilot too!

Concert reviews

The Waxahatchee show at Woodward was stellar – and it was great to see list members Bruce Frasure (and his lovely bride), Taylor Fox (of Inhailer Radio), Kevin Sullivan, Dave Roberto and Joe Sampson in 3-D. (Mark Messerly of Wussy also was there and said a new album from Wussy is forthcoming!)

Katie Crutchfield’s beau Kevin Morby joined her on stage (in a stunning jacket from the Fess Parker collection, no less!) for a few songs, including covers of Magnolia Electric Co. and Dylan (Bob, not LeBlanc).

Meanwhile, list member David Reid thoroughly enjoyed the Jack White gig at the Carol Brady Music Center that same evening:

Just got home from the Jack White show. So good! Dude is the complete package: Nasty-great guitar, empassioned, from-the-gut vocals, good songs and dynamic stage presence. Left knowing I’d seen something pretty special.

My new favorite podcast

OMG, Valley Heat is hilarious! It’s like A Confederacy of Dunces meets Arrested Development meets Fernwood 2 Night. Doug’s deadpan delivery, a wacky cast of characters, fun music references, the bogus promo spots, and great theater-of-the-mind audio all combine to create a perfect storm of humor. I binged every episode this weekend and was laughing the entire time.

It’s a Small (Woody) World…

Last week’s wacky album cover:

Prompted this comment from list member Lisa Collins, whose mom (Carol Jean) lives in Florida:

Just an FYI, Woody Woodbury is an acquaintance/friend of Carol Jean. He is 98 years old and lives in Fort Lauderdale. He goes every Sunday to breakfast at the same place Mom goes. They’ve become breakfast buddies – haha.

And list member/Cereal Killers frontman/online detective Howard Cohen tracked down a lovely archival photo of the spot where the album was “taped, unexpurgated and unrehearsed from the night club floor of the Bahama Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale”:

Album Cover of the Week

Remember Dionne Warwick? Remember Pricing Charts? Remember K-Mart? (This album is in pretty good shape for being 50 years old.)

Episode 80: Jim Vinch, the student has become the teacher

97X, Music, podcast

Jim Vinch was a Cleveland-raised classic rocker… until he moved to Oxford for college and caught the earliest years of 97X. Jim credits the station and its community of listeners with helping him be open not just to new music, but to new ideas. As he puts it, “I am now an assistant visiting professor at Miami and every time I step onto campus I can’t help think about how the university and the local radio station exploded my small little Midwestern world.” We talk to Jim about those connections, some concerts he saw back in the day, and his day job protecting America’s waterways as an environmental lawyer for the EPA.

Jim connected with us via email – here’s the wonderful note he sent to us:

Just finished listening to Episode 68 and, even though it was the shortest, it was by far the best. Doug and Linda’s thesis that 97X is still alive really resonated with me.
I graduated from Miami in 1984, and so only caught the very earliest years of WOXY. Having grown up on a fairly sheltered environment, college was an explosion of new ideas and experiences for me. Truly life changing in every way. I came to Miami as a rock fan mostly raised on the sounds of WMMS in Cleveland, Springsteen being the center of my musical universe. At Miami, I met friends from Chicago who exposed me to “new” music and I was immediately hooked. 97X, though, “set the hook.” It was about the music, but also much more.
My Miami friends tell me I should move on. “97X was 35 years ago” they say. However, 97X is a part of me. I cannot move on from it any more than I can move on from other important milestones in my life without giving up who I am.
I wish I had something as powerful to say as what as Jen L. shared with you. 97X might not have “saved me” but my life would not have have been as rich and vibrant if I didn’t have that experience—or worse— had I chosen to “move on” as my friends have suggest. In the grand scheme of things, 97X might not warrant a mention on my resume, but it’s as essential to who I am as any job held or degree earned.
I am now an assistant visiting professor at Miami this year and every time I step onto campus I can’t help think about how the university and the local radio station exploded my small little Midwestern world.
Thanks for what you do.
Jim Vinch

Please note that Jim isn’t just a run-of- the-mill visiting professor at Miami University, he’s a distinguished visiting professor:

As far as Dave and Damian are concerned, that puts him in great company:

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and… live music

Concert Listings, Music

Now that 30 billionaires have settled their differences with 700+ millionaires on how to divvy up the incoming millions, Major League Baseball is underway across America. Except in Cincinnati, where the roster consists mostly of players from the Reds’ minor league affiliate Chattanooga Lookouts, only now they’re wearing uniforms with less of a “Mr. Potato Head eyes” vibe.

That’s because the Reds, in the words of GM Nick Krall “must align our payroll with our resources.”

Don’t worry, though, this payroll reduction doesn’t affect list member Dan “The Reds – learn their names along with us!” Lewis, who is still being compensated quite handsomely for “HELPING PARTNERS ENGAGE/ACTIVATE WITH OUR FANS IN THE BALL PARK, ONLINE AT REDS.COM AND ON REDS ON RADIO.”

(We rarely use “quite handsomely” in the same sentence with “Dan Lewis” but in this case we mean Dan gets his pick of bobbleheads, and any leftover popcorn from concession stands. Score!)

Speaking of Herb Score, the Reds take the field Tuesday afternoon for their home opener against the Cleveland Indi…er, Guardians.

And after the game you can stick around downtown to see a live performance from a real rock star:

No, that’s not Queen’s Brian May, or REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin, or the ghost of Ronnie James Dio… it’s noted curmudgeon Fran Lebowitz. She’ll be at the Aronoff on Tuesday evening.

I don’t often engage in hyperbole (except when talking about Dan “Moneyball” Lewis’ salary) so believe me when I say that this Wednesday is the Humping-est Hump Day ever!

It’s an embarrassment of musical riches:

Waxahatchee will be at the Woodward Theater with opener Madi Diaz – list member Joe Sampson and I will be there, with bells on.
Jack White plays the Jan Brady Music Center.
Jim Lauderdale is doing a solo gig at the Southgate.
Country Westerns will be at MOTR.
Penny & Sparrow are at Ludlow Garage.
Last, but certainly not least, the Taft hosts Baby Shark Live.

Speaking of Jack White and baseball, check out his version of the Star-Spangled Banner at the Detroit Tigers home opener:

We’re really digging Jack’s Papa Smurf-meets-Devo-plastic hairdo

On Thursday, Loudon Wainwright III plays Memoria Hall, much liked he played the M*A*S*H 4077 back in the day:

That same evening, Celtic Women play the Aronoff, and the Cincinnati Zoo’s “Tunes and Blooms” series features the Whiskey Bent Valley Boys.

On Friday:

Bill and the Belles play Southgate.
Hyryder (Grateful Dead tribute) plays Annie’s.
Keiko Matsui is at Ludlow Garage.
Local band Gentle Leader XIV opens for System Exclusive at a free show at MOTR. A member of Gentle Leader XIV works with list member Anne Robinson, and Anne encourages all of us to attend. And another “Gentle Leader 14” is willing to bet it’ll be a great show.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise plays the Ovation on Saturday, with The Brook & The Bluff as the opening band. Aronoff hosts Rain: a tribute to the Beatles. And Ludlow Garage has “Live at the Fillmore: the definitive original Allman Brothers Band tribute.”

Baseball season is also Festival season

Strong lineup for this year’s Bourbon & Beyond:

But it’s no match for the original Borbón:

New Tunes

This week, new albums came out from Lucius, Calexico, Wet Leg, Father John Misty, Jack White, Orville Peck, and Pillow Queens. And check out this delightful song from The Loyal Seas, which is Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Breeders and Belly – try to top that trifecta!) and Brian Sullivan:

Happy Trees Tripping

From this article on Dangerous Minds: A man named Alexander Reben has created the ultimate psychedelic Bob Ross artifact. It’s called Deeply Artificial Trees. According to Reben, “This artwork represents what it would be like for an AI to watch Bob Ross on LSD.”

Album Cover of the Week

Woody is also looking at two to four years in prison for invasion of privacy…

And finally, the song that’s been in your head since you read the headline of this post, if you’re an old-timer like me:

Barb is Back!

97X, Music, woxy.com

Former 97X/woxy.com DJ Barb Abney will be back on The Current in ~~Minneapolis~~ St. Paul this evening!

You’d be hard pressed to find a radio host more dedicated and more engaged with listeners than Barb. She was a fast friend to anyone who tuned in, at 97X, at woxy.com, at The Current, and at the other radio stations where she worked after being unceremoniously and undeservedly being let go at The Current back in 2015.

Barb spent nearly 10 years as the midday host on The Current before the rug was pulled out from under her.

The headline and content above are from this article about Barb’s radio odyssey – well worth a read.

We’re thrilled for Barb, and happy for The Current listeners – some of whom have already voiced their approval in the comments section of The Current’s announcement.

Seven years seems like a lifetime, and it’s clear from the comments that these listeners still feel such a strong connection with Barb. There’s no better testament to her dedication. And no better argument for why radio still matters.

[We interviewed Barb for our 97X podcast back in 2019 and again late last year (part 1 and part 2).]

Live music, no foolin’.

Concert Listings, Music

Another week, myriad opportunities to check out live music.

On Monday, Nektar is at Ludlow Garage. That’s a Brit prog rock band that’s been around since 1969. And the name is pronounced like “nectar”… although it’d be cooler if it were “Neck-Tar”… and it came from the instrument that was the ill-fated, banned-due-to-choking hazard follow-up to the Keytar.

Where was I? Oh, that’s right, gigs. Also on Monday, Relient K plays Bogart’s. (The “K” stands for Keytar!)

On Tuesday, Colin Hay (of Men at Work) comes all the way from the Land Down Under to the Peter Brady Icon Music Center, creating a magical marriage between vegemite sandwiches and pork chops & applesauce.

That same evening, Greta Van Zeppelin… I mean Led Fleet… I mean Greta Van Fleet, plays the Coliseum, creating a magical marriage of a band that reeks of the 70s and an arena that reeks of the 70s.

Also on Tuesday, Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia play Southgate.

Sylmar plays MOTR on Wednesday – it’s an 8 p.m. ticketed ($12 advance) show. And finger-style guitarist Yasmin Williams is at Ludlow Garage.

Thursday, Ludlow Garage has Church of Cash. It’s a tribute to Johnny Cash, not Kash Amburgy… although I’d be fine with either.

Friday is April Fools’ Day.

Celebrate with some Negative-Calorie Cookies and Tree Frog Beer… or just get sad that a formerly progressive radio station is now a parody of itself.

That evening, Johnnyswim plays the Ovation. The band features the marriage (literally) of Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano. Amanda is the daughter of Donna Summer, so she probably grew up around keytars.

Also on Friday:

Kishi Bashi is at the Madison Theater
The Wooks play Southgate’s Revival Room
Rumpke Mountain Boys kick off a two-night stand at the old Annie’s
EXTC plays Ludlow Garage. EXTC features Terry Chambers (drummer for XTC) plus Steve Tilling (vocals, guitar, ex-TC&I, the band of XTC’s Colin Moulding and Terry Chambers), Steve Hampton (guitar, vocals) and Matt Hughes (bass, vocals).

Saturday shows:

Shawn Colvin is at Memorial Hall, and she’ll be playing her brilliant 1989 debut Steady On acoustically, along with other favorites.
Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle/The Harmed Brothers have a nice twin bill show at Southgate in the Revival Room.
Rumpke Mountain Boys are back at Annie’s.
The Ben Levin Blues Band plays Ghost Baby
The Yugos play a free show at MOTR.

On Sunday, list member Dale Doyle just might win a Grammy in the Best Recording Package for his artwork/design on Matt Berninger’s solo album Serpentine Prison.

Even though Dale’s work should be feted during the evening telecast, he’s not a teenage pop songstress (at least he wasn’t the last time we checked his…er, recording package…). So you’ll have to tune in to the afternoon event where more than three-quarters of the 86 winners will be announced. The live stream will start at 3:30 EDT and will be available on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel as well as on the website live.grammy.com.

After Dale picks up his hardware, Ben Levin has a 6:30 show at Schwartz’s Point, the cool jazz club in OTR. The building’s been around since about 1870, and a keytar has never darkened its doorway.

Motherfolk is at Top Cats — yes Top Cats — on Sunday.

R.I.P. Taylor Hawkins

New tunes

Here’s a fun new song from Lucius:

Grant-Lee Phillips always delivers:

Digging the new one from Soccer Mommy too:

Old tunes

Gospel great Sister Rosetta Tharpe, born on March 20th, 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, was as rockin’ as any rock star. Here she is just shredding on a 1965 gospel TV show:

https://youtu.be/cyrQJVxP6Ec?t=28

Album Cover of the Week

We heard that Bob was a fan of The Kinks. Or something like that.

Spring Awakening

Concert Listings, Music

Spring has officially arrived… meaning we should only have four more snow days before May. But the gigs are popping up like crocuses. (Sorry, no gigs from Krokus though. Guess you’ll have to settle for their “Live at Wacken” album.)

Krokus fans and Wacken – they go together

Graham Nash rambles into Memorial Hall on Tuesday for “An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories.” Graham’s 80 now, so I don’t know how “intimate” we want to get with him… that’s a hard pass even for Joni Mitchell.

“I’m not wearing any pants!
(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Meanwhile Thao (of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down fame) plays the Woodward with her band (which may or may not be the Get Down Stay Down…). Becca Mancari and Why Bonnie open the show.

On Wednesday, David Ramirez plays Ludlow Garage, with TWILM favorite Caroline Spence as the opener.

Thursday’s gigs:

Dark Star Orchestra plays Ovation
The Other Favorites are at Southgate
Ben Levin is at Shire’s Garden
The Red Hot Chili PIPERS play Ludlow (so no Flea… also no fly, because they wear kilts)

Freekbass and the Bump Assembly hit Ludlow on Friday for FunKISSdelic – a Funkadelic/KISS mash-up.

That same evening, the equally funky Combo Chimbita plays Northside Tavern.

On Saturday, Todd Snider plays Madison Theater, and əkoostik hookah is playing the old Annie’s. That’s an indoor show – the better to smell the Hookah.

Sunday is the perfect day for Holy F*ck to play Madison Live. More for the “Holy” part than the… well, you know.

Ticketbastard!

Faithful readers of This Week in Live Music (all three of you) already know how much I despise Ticketmaster. John Oliver just add more heat to my already-boiling blood:

Listen to this!

Here’s a nice half-hour interview with Michael Stipe on World Cafe:

Watch this!

Sly Stone in a halter top… with a super-tight band… and, at the seven-minute mark, a dancer who is a dead ringer for Roger from What’s Happening!!? Yes please!

https://youtu.be/bJ_QaEir7FU

Album Cover of the Week

I can certainly understand why Elvis shot his TV set when this guy was on…

Parting shot

Spring forward. Irish Spring. March madness.

Concert Listings, Music

Top o’ the evening to ya. Can you believe how late it stayed light tonight? Other than the car wrecks, Daylight Saving Time is the best.

Actually I wrecked trying to change the car clock while driving.

Speaking of car wrecks, congrats to my beloved Xavier Musketeers for backing into the NIT like Jim Rockford eluding the bad guys.

That’s OK, though, I’m sure the entire Tri-State will get behind the… Wright State Raiders?

Their mascot name is Raiders and their mascot is a wolf. Makes sense.

OK, enough sporty-sports talk, let’s get to the music:

Monday, Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus tour comes to the Taft, with opener Ida Mae. And Rob Schneider’s daughter (Elle King) plays Bogart’s.

Sammy Rae & Friends play Memorial Hall on Tuesday

Wednesday, Manchester Orchestra plays Ovation, and Sam Bush is at Ludlow Garage.

Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day – here’s a public service announcement:

List member Howard Cohen recommends this particular brew:

If you’re looking for tunes that evening, Ludlow Garage is hosting An Evening with J.D. Souther – all the hits, some of the stories.

Friday, 10,000 Maniacs will be at Ludlow, and Jukebox the Ghost plays Taft.

Saturday is a Jethro night.

Martin Barre from Jethro Tull will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Aqualung with a show at Memorial Hall. And David Sanborn will sax up Ludlow Garage.

New tunes

A live version of a new tune from Lucius… goosebumps!

Cincy’s own Afghan Whigs have a rockin’ new tune out:

And The National’s Matt Berninger does guest vocals on a new tune from TWILM favorite Caroline Spence – mighty fine!

(If you haven’t checked out Caroline’s 2019 album Mint Condition, do so posthaste. It’s fantastic.)

Art about artists from an artist

Michael Wilson, acclaimed Cincinnati-based photographer, collaborated on a new body of work with the Visionaries + Voices community. His process, using a 4×5 format camera led to a series of intimate black and white portraits of artists with the possessions they hold most dear.

During his distinguished career Michael has worked with the likes of B.B. King, David Byrne, Robert Plant, Aaron Neville, Bill Frisell, Doc Watson, and Dr. John. See Cherished at V+V’s Northside gallery this spring to learn why Michael is known widely as a master storyteller. The exhibit runs through the end of April at the Visionaries + Voices Northside Gallery, M-F, 10a-4p.

Album Cover of the Week

We’re really diggin’ the main font… and Bob’s disco shirt, of course… but the secondary font is nearly illegible.

Singin’ the blues

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Well, the Orange & Black made a valiant effort, but in the end they were edged out by the Blue & Yellow.

Wait, I’m talking about leftover Halloween candy. What did you think I meant?

Oh yeah, the Bengals lost too. But as the people on this boat said upon further reflection* “that sure was a heck of a ride!”

*i.e. after they recovered from their concussions

OK, let’s move on to the tunes. Great news: as part of the This Week in Live Music President’s Day Weekend Sale, you can buy one week of concert listings and get one week free!

Speaking of furniture, let’s give it up for Lucy Dacus, who played a great show at the Ovation while lying on a couch for most of the gig due to two herniated discs in her back. What a trooper.

Looking heavenward with the voice of an angel

New release Friday

Today, Jacob Strom (son of list members Jen and Tim Strom) has a new track called “Charger” dropping on all the major streaming sites. It’s a song he co-wrote for an artist named JVKE, who apparently is quite the TikTok-er. Check it out. And by “it” I mean the song, not TikTok. OK, go ahead and do both, you impetuous youth!

Tickets on sale today

Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples at the Greg “Johnny Bravo” Brady Center on July 19th.

Gig time

Tonight, John Scofield plays Ludlow Garage.

Saturday, Beth Hart is at the Taft, Madison Live hosts a Weezer and Smashing Pumpkins tribute, and the Icon has a sold-out show: Louis Tomlinson. (Never heard of him? Same here, my friend with discriminate taste in musical artists… apparently he was a member of One Direction.)

On Monday, Superwolves (a band featuring Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy*) plays Southgate.

*no relation to Prince

Tuesday, Drew & Ellie Holcomb play Memorial Hall, and The Thing with Feathers lands in Southgate’s Revival Room.

On Thursday:

Allison Russell plays Memorial Hall. (Allison is from Birds of Chicago, and her solo album from 2021 got rave reviews.)
Zachary Williams (of The Lone Bellow) will be at Ludlow Garage, with local band The Hiders opening the show.
Ovation has Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience. That show is BYOG (Bring Your Own Groupies)

Next Friday evening, Lily Hiatt plays Southgate, with the Harmaleighs opening, and Jack Russell’s Great White (essentially Jack Russell minus all the other members of Great White… it’s complicated when that much hair is involved) plays the Blue Note in Harrison.

“What can I say? I threw a band together because I needed the money.”

On Saturday, Feb. 26th:

Anderson East plays Bogart’s
Local artists Physco and Christian Nicholas Gough play the Woodward
Alex Williams is in Southgate’s Sanctuary
Letterkenny Live is at the Taft.

Sunday, 2/27, British blues-rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor is at Southgate and Gaelic Storm hits the Taft.

The four members of the band called We Banjo Three have two shows at Memorial Hall, on Tuesday, March 1st and Wednesday, March 2nd.

Also on Wednesday (3/2), Beach House will be on the river… at the Ovation in Newport. And Wishbone Ash plays Ludlow Garage.

Goats will march forth when Bockfest kicks off on Friday, March 4th. That same evening the Devon Allman Project (featuring Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars) plays Annie’s with the Samantha Fish Band, and The Well and Howling Giant play Northside Yacht Club. If you’re into tributes, Bogart’s has The Prince Experience (no relation to Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and Taft hosts The Fab Four Ultimate Tribute. (I’m assuming it’s a tribute to the Rutles.)

Shows on Saturday, March 5th:

Ministry, the Melvins and Corrosion of Conformity are at the Madison Theater
Mat Kearney plays the Taft
Local artist David McGlynn has an album release show at the Woodward, with Ric Hordinski and Moonshine
Aja – A tribute to Steely Dan is at Ludlow Garage (I’m assuming it’s a tribute to the BAND Steely Dan, not the… um… toy.)

Coheed & Cambria plays Ovation on Sunday, March 6th, and the husband and wife duo called Ordinary Elephant plays Southgate, with Rachael Kilgour as the opener.

Vote early, vote often

I’m with AC Newman…

Album Covers of the Week

I spend a lot of time crate-digging at the local thrift stores, trying to add to my vinyl collection on the cheap. Usually it’s a colossal waste of time, as the bins are filled with nothing but albums from Andy Williams, Engelbert ~~Hump-or-death~~ Humperdinck and the Ray Conniff Singers. But this past Sunday, I scored big:

Not a bad haul for the princely* sum of $4.63.

*no relation to Prince

Have a great fortnight!

Super. Love. Music.

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

What a great time to be in the Cincinnati area. This Sunday, the local NFL team, owned by the Browns (in more ways than one), has a chance to take home the ultimate prize: a trip to Disney World!

(Oh, and a shiny trophy too.) This town is going bonkers for their Bengals!

Then on Monday, it’s VD for everyone! Let me wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Always remember that I love you, even if I forgot to get you something… wait, sorry, that’s the note for my wife. Although sometimes I DO get her a gift and she’s still upset.

I have no idea why…

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before we get to the Super Bowl and the Super Love, we have an action-packed weekend of hard-hitting rock and/or roll.

Tonight, Lucy Dacus plays the Ovation, with Indigo De Souza as the opener. Should be a stellar show – hope to see you there.

This just in… if Lucy has back-to-back back pain, she might be crooning from a couch, like she did last night in the Motor City:

Saturday, Foxy Shazam plays the Peter Brady Icon Music Center.

That same evening, Manor House in Mason hosts The Cincy Winter Blues Experience, Rob Fetters kicks off Season #6 of his “Fetters is Cheap” live streams, and the Tri-State’s smelly hippies find themselves with a tough choice:

Local jam band Spookfloaters (feat. my wife’s cousin Mike on guitar and vocals) plays the event center at Little Miami Brewing Co. AND
Runaway Gin (a tribute to Phish) is at Annie’s.

I guess they’ll have to take two trips that night.

The Peter Brady mustache really makes the outfit.

On Super Sunday, Stay Outside and Leland Blue play Southgate.

Monday, in addition to the aforementioned hug fest that is Valentine’s Day, Langhorne Slim plays Southgate.

Southgate House has two shows on Tuesday:

The Pine Hill Haints play the main room (Sanctuary)
In the upstairs Revival Room, you can enjoy An Evening with Clem Snide – I may hit this show, could be really cool.

Wednesday, Dream Theater plays the Marsha Brady Icon Music Center.

Iconic football scene.

On Thursday, Cary Morin plays Southgate’s Revival Room.

Next Friday, John Scofield will be at Ludlow Garage.

Tickets on sale today

The Who at TQL Stadium on May 15th… yes, Quadrophenia fans, that’s 5:15…
Idles at Ovation on September 12th
“Mickey Dolenz celebrates the Monkees” at Icon on April 9th
Engelbert Humperdinck at Taft on May 6th.

Trick question

Live shot

The War on Drugs put on a stellar show at Ovation this past Sunday. The venue is similar to the Mike Brady Icon Music Center, although it only has a single wraparound balcony instead of two. The sound was very good, sightlines were decent, I just wish they had more exits for post-show egress.

Album Cover of the Week

Your collection of the best Soul music isn’t complete unless you have Hutch in your hutch.

I promised you Superlove music, so here it is:

Ass Ponys covering the Afghan Whigs… it doesn’t get any better than this.