It’s a musical mystery that cannot be solved. No, I’m not talking about “Why is Panic at the Disco! suddenly popular again?” or “Why does Cardi B yell at us in every song?” or even “What kind of shoes is Jay Ferguson wearing on the cover of the Thunder Island album? Are those macramé crocs?”
No, this mystery is even more puzzling. If it were a Quinn Martin Production or an Encyclopedia Brown story, it would be “The Sudden Disappearance of Sons of Bill.”
Sons of Bill are (or were… still trying to figure that out) a band out of Charlottesville, Virginia, featuring three brothers, all sons of a UVA professor named Bill Wilson. (So it’s no mystery how they came up with their band name.)
My buddy Joe put them on my radar several years ago, and I really liked their sound. We even saw them in concert at the Southgate House in 2012, and ran into the lead singer James Wilson prior to the show – nice guy. We spoke with the other two brothers, Sam and Abe, after the show. They’re super-friendly too. And I really liked their 2012 release Sirens, and their 2013 album Love & Logic.
They were never even close to the big time, but it seems like they had a decent following. Last summer, they released a new album called Oh God Ma’am, put out a promo video… and then promptly vanished from the face of the earth.
Seriously, they just ghosted on us. Even in the age of the Interwebs, where you can find out anything and everything about anyone with just a few clicks, Sons of Bill have pulled a disappearing act that would make Houdini proud. Their website touts the album from last summer. Their last Facebook post is from July 10th of 2018. Their pinned tweet is from April of last year. After a relative flurry of press for the album release last spring, it’s been radio silence.
I’m sounding the clarion call… detectives, assemble! Let’s get the entire NBC Sunday Mystery Movie lineup on the case too.
Howdy folks, I’m back from vacation – tan, rested, and ready to rock.
While I was on vacation, I saw a great show every evening:
Rockin’!
But let’s focus on the Tri-State Area.
More specifically, let’s focus on live music in the Tri-State Area.
On Tuesday, “Hell is for Children“… and the Fraze Pavilion is for the Pat Benatar/Neil Giraldo show. I said Neil Giraldo, not Gerardo.
Fun fact: The Fraze Pavilion is named after Ermal Fraze, late resident of Kettering, Ohio, and inventor of the pop-top beverage can.
That same night, the underage Ben Levin is at Arnold’s.
Wednesday, Sheryl Crow is playing Fraze, which is named after… someone whose first name is an anagram for Lamer.
On Thursday, Leggy is playing Urban Artifact, along with And The Kids, Strobobean and The Harmaleighs.
Friday, the legendary local band Cereal Killers are playing MadTree Brewing in Oakley. Tell a buddy, bring a friend, but don’t you dare miss this big show!
That same evening, there are several other gigs on tap:
Junior Brown is playing Southgate
Michigan Rattlers and Oliver Hazard are playing the free gig at Fountain Square
Peter “I used to live in Cincinnati” Frampton makes a stop at Riverbend on his farewell tour, with Jason Bonham’s “Led Zeppelin Evening” as the opener. Lawn 4-packs for that show are $90.
Carly Rae Jepsen is at Bogart’s. If you have an extra ticket, maybe you should go up to someone you just met and give them your phone number. It’s crazy, I know, but it just might work.
Forecastle Festival also kicks off in Louisville on Friday, and runs through Sunday evening.
Saturday is quite the musical grab bag:
Like indie rock? Check out Gringo Star at Northside Tavern.
For metal/slasher movie fans, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson are playing Riverbend.
Disco till you die? Shake (shake shake) your booty at the KC & the Sunshine Band show at Riverfront Live.
Hair band/glam enthusiasts can check out Faster Pussycat and Bang Tango at MVP Bar & Grille in Silverton (this is a sign that Faster Pussycat and Bang Tango need to hang it up).
Grunge-ish rockers can hit Bogart’s for the Candlebox show.
For Americana/acoustic/local music fans, Highly Likely is playing Camp Springs Tavern and The Harmed Brothers/Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle/The Old Souls String Band are at Southgate.
Sunday, the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars will play their usual gig at the bar that gave them their name, and Ricky Nye & Chris Douglas are at MOTR.
In case you missed it, Taft Theater recently announced dates for Wilco and Elvis Costello & The Imposters… Wilco plays 11/9 and Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus (a.k.a. Elvis Costello… wonder why he changed his stage name) is on 11/19. Tickets are on sale now… go to the Taft box office to save the TicketBastard charges. (If you don’t work downtown, I’ll be your ticket gitter.)
That’ll do it for this week. The latest live show photo comes courtesy of Todd Butler, who thoroughly enjoyed the Courtney Barnett gig at Madison Theater last week.
Playing it lefty… but it’s right-handed in Australia.
Matt Shiverdecker, a.k.a. Shiv, ran the gamut at 97X… from boyhood superfan/long-distance listener to station intern to part-time DJ to full-timer at 97X, then woxy.com, where he worked until the bitter(sweet) end in Austin, Texas. Dave and Damian talk to Matt about his journey, get his take on the online station’s untimely demise, and find out more about middle school broadcast camp and the top-secret WOXY historical archives.
That’s right kids, this go-round you get a “special double issue” because I care so much that I want to give you double the usual content, as a no-cost bonus to you. It’s like two, two, two mints in one!
(This double issue has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I’ll be on vacation next week. I would never, ever, ever prioritize relaxing/drinking on the beach over delivering piping-hot TWILM content.) OK, on with the show(s)!
Hmm, there’s not much live music action in this neck of the woods on Monday or Tuesday… guess this is more like a “special one-and-a-half issue.” But hey, Delta Rae will be at the 20th Century in Oakley on Wednesday.
Thursday, Jimmie Vaughan will be at Memorial Hall, with a full band.
Jimmie is perhaps best known for being a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s older brother/mentor/inspiration, but I always liked this quote about him from his little bro:
“I play probably 80 percent of what I can play. Jimmie plays one percent of what he knows. He can play anything.”
— Stevie Ray Vaughan
It should be a Fabulous show (see what I did there?). At last check, only a handful of single seats remained for this gig.
Also on Thursday, John R. Miller and the Engine Lights are at Southgate, Mykal Rose featuring Sly and Robbie will be at the old Annie’s, and Ben Levin Trio is playing Latitudes in Anderson Township, and pimping Ben’s new CD.
Hey, he looks like the kid who lives down the street from me. Wait, he IS the kid who lives down the street from me!
Guided By Voices are playing a sold-out show at the Woodward Theater on Friday evening. Bob Pollard and the boys always put on an entertaining show. Also, in the time it took you to read that last sentence, they released three new albums.
Some other shows of note on Friday:
NRBQ is at Southgate
Ricky Nye and Chris Douglas are at Wiedemann Brewery & Taproom
The Stolen Faces play Stanley’s
Ben Levin & Noah Wotherspoon are playing a Cincy Blues Fest fundraiser at Christian Moerlein Taproom
Saturday, the fabulous local band Cereal Killers will be playing Mt. Adams Pavilion. I’d totally be there if I weren’t on vacation. Please go in my stead. Also on Saturday:
Car Seat Headrest is at Bogart’s
Dark Star Orchestra plays Annie’s (OK, Riverfront Live)
Stanley’s has the 9th annual Reggae Fest, featuring the Cliftones, Elementree, the Ark Band and more
Ray Vietti of the Harmed Brothers plays Camp Springs Tavern. I saw Ray open up for Caroline Spence about a month ago, great stuff.
Ben Levin Duo is at Streetside Brewery
Styx is playing a sold-out gig at the Rose Music Center. Huber Heights loves their Mr. Roboto almost as much as they love brick homes.
All of those shows are really just appetizers, the main course is a Sunday show: Kidz Bop World Tour at PNC Pavilion!
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are playing Taft that night, too. Good luck trying to compete with Kidz Bop, Banjo Boy!
Well, that does it for this week’s live gigs…
Congratulations, you’ve reached the bonus round! Your reward? Courtney Barnett at Madison Theater on Monday, July 1st.
One of my favorite tunes of the past decade.
Tuesday, July 2nd, the Dave Matthews Band will be at Riverbend. I hate to name drop, but my youngest son went to grade school with the sons of the drum tech for DMB.
On Wednesday, July 3rd, Built to Spill is playing their classic album Keep It Like A Secret in its entirety at Woodward Theater. Crap! I’m missing Cereal Killers, GBV, Courtney Barnett and BTS? Looks like I picked the wrong week to go on vacation.
That same evening, Reel Big Fish and Aquabats are at Bogart’s, and Weird Al is playing the Fraze Pavilion in Dayton.
On Thursday… it’s the Fourth of July!
(The Cereal Killers do a killer version of this fantastic tune too!)
Most bands are taking a well-deserved holiday, so you’ll just have to play your Lee Greenwood albums.
Actually, 500 Miles to Memphis is playing the lawn by the Moerlein Lager House at 5 p.m., and Kansas is playing Red, White and Blue Ash at 8:30… but the band logo in the promo poster makes it hard to figure that out:
Hey, Bob Sumerel is playing!
On Friday 7/5, Ohio Valley Salvage is playing Camp Springs Tavern, Ben Levin and Cheryl Renee are at Wiedemann, and Thunderstruck, the AC/DC tribute, is at Bogart’s.
Broson Arroyo is playing Bogart’s on Saturday, 7/6. No, it’s not a whiffleball game (although that might be pretty cool), he’s playing music. The Tillers are the headliners at the Fountain Square free show, and the indefatigable Ben Levin is playing Lucius Q with 46 Long opening. I hate to name drop, but my oldest son had 50% of 46 Long as his English teacher in middle school.
Speaking of Saturdays, I do want to note the recent passing of guitarist Jeff Walls, of Guadalcanal Diary (and the Woggles). Jeff and his bandmates in Guadalcanal Diary deserved way more recognition and acclaim than they got.
“I do miss that pioneering sense of discovery which animated rock music fans at the dawn of the ‘80s. I don’t think that music carries the same desperate sense of importance with young people today as it did with my generation, or to the generations before me.”
On Sunday, 7/7, Southgate House is hosting Blues, Brews and BBQ, a family-friendly event from 4-8 p.m. I know what you’re thinking right now: “Is the indefatigable Ben Levin playing?” The answer is “But of course, with Noah Wotherspoon on guitar and King Records legend Philip Paul on drums!”
That’ll do it for this week and next. Have a wonderful holiday!
Jae Forman ruled the evening shift in the early to mid 90s, and also served as the music director during the grunge era, a pivotal point in the station’s history. She also was the Queen of 97Xtrabeats, bringing her club DJ skills to that popular Saturday evening show. Dave and Damian chat with Jae about how she got the job, the grunge explosion, picking songs as music director, her first in-studio interview with a band, life after radio and… yes, Dave’s favorite topic: butt coolers.
Jae and Dave with a record rep (center) enjoying the butt cooler at LollapaloozaJae interviews Kim… no big Deal. Swag galore!
There were dozens if not hundreds of DJs at 97X/woxy.com over the years. Robin Plan was easily the most unique. A free-spirited person who took freeform radio to a whole new level, every evening after midnight, Robin transported 97X listeners far, far away from the ordinary, to an entirely different universe, and a magical place called Planet X. Dave and Damian talk to Robin about how she pushed the limits throughout her radio career, and what the station meant to her.
More of Dave and Damian’s conversation with Steve “Daedalus” Stenken, the original program director when WOXY-FM became “modern rock for Cincinnati” (and Oxford!) Steve talk about disco barns, horse racing, Robin Plan, the Jockey Club… and why Damian was his stalker for years.
Steve “Daedalus” Stenken was working as the nighttime DJ at WOXY back in 1983, and doing a weekly one-hour “modern rock” program… he suggested that the station should change the format to all modern rock. The rest is radio history. Steve joins Dave and Damian in the party dungeon to talk about those formative years… and bust some myths along the way.
GEORGE “GOOBER” LINDSEY, ABE VIGODA AND A GAZILLION SIX PACKS
In Episode 10, Dave and Damian talk about the Golden Rule of Celebrity Phone Calls… it involves George “Goober” Lindsey, of course. They also chat with superlistener (or perhaps superhoarder) Chris Barkley, who has amassed a mind-boggling amount of recordings of 97X’s “Six Pack” feature. Dave also talks about his side hustle as agent to the stars, and basks in the afterglow of his finest 97X moment: Abe Vigoda’s Birthday Bash.
Matt Sledge not only spent a decade at 97X, the Future of Rock and Roll, he also later worked weekends for WNKU-FM, another Cincinnati area radio station that played similar artists and was near and dear to its listeners’ hearts. Dave and Damian talk to Sledge (we’re on a last name basis with him) about local bands, living through the shutdown of both stations, f-bombs on late-night CDs, and “butt coolers.” (And listen until the very end for some fun outtakes.)
