Howdy, I hope you’re staying warm and dry. Aw, who am I kidding? This monsoon season weather has been for the birds – as long as they’re aquatic and like cold weather.
But even Canada geese are probably boycotting our country. Can’t say I blame them.
Maybe the live music schedule will heat things up a bit. I can feel it, coming in the air tonight… when The Phil Collins Experience plays Ludlow Garage.
On Tuesday, ZZ Top plays the Mike Brady. Their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis has replaced the late great Dusty Hill on bass. He certainly fits the hirsute profile:
Whenever I hear the name “ZZ Top” I’m reminded of the time my high school friend Mauricio Sanchez and I drove from Morrilton, Arkansas (the original “Mo-town”) to Little Rock to see them in concert back in ’83, during their Eliminator tour. Somehow* I convinced myself that spending $25** of my hard-earned*** cash on the sleeveless tour t-shirt was a good idea, even though I had zero muscles. When I put that shirt on in the harsh light of day, it was a sobering experience.
Needless to say, the Top top was “eliminated” from my wardrobe immediately. $25 down the drain.
*it was the beer
**today’s value: $1,500
***Lifeguard at the Morrilton city pool… it was tough twirling a whistle in the sun
The Tallest Man on Earth will be at the Taft on Thursday. (To clarify, it’s the band called The Tallest Man on Earth, not 8′ 11″ Robert Wadlow, that guy from the Guinness Book of World Records.)
Also on Thursday, Jeffrey Martin plays Southgate’s Revival Room, with Lou Hazel opening. And the Cincinnati Zoo’s April “Tunes & Blooms” series features Gina & Johnny plus Linus Tate.
Shows on Friday:
- Heavy Hinges, Easy Mark and Veronica Grimm at Northside Tavern
- Midwinter’s Dream and Agents of the Apocalypse at Liberty Theater
- Kashmir: the Led Zeppelin Show at Madison Theater (it’s “the” Zep show but not the “ultimate” – that’s on Saturday… )
- Blue Note in Harrison has a hair band extravaganza with Trixter, Enuff Z Nuff, Pretty Boy Floyd
(The answer is Harrison, Ohio…)
The Southgate House presents a real Sophie’s Choice on Saturday. Alejandro Escovedo plays the main room, with Kevn Kinney (Drivin N Cryin) as the opener. I’ll be at that show, along with Dave “the Magnum P.I. of Modern Rock” Tellmann and Steve “El Blanco” White (“the White Shadow of Modern Rock”). But were it not for that gig, I’d be upstairs in the Revival Room for Brett Newski with The Dreaded Laramie and Tooth Lures a Fang.
Other Saturday shows:
- Jay Ashton’s Gene Loves Jezebel (they have to be billed that way, for legal reasons) at Ludlow Garage
- Smoke Healer at Liberty Theater
- Lunar Ticks at Stanley’s
- ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience at Ovation
- Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd at Madison Theater
Next Sunday (4/13):
- Asleep at the Wheel at Memorial Hall
- The Queers with The Usuals and The Raging Nathans at Madison Live
- Jason Eady at Southgate
And, if you often find yourself saying “Boy, I really wish I could hear a ukulele orchestra”:
- Better change your meds.
- Taft Theatre has The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
Tuesday, April 15 is IRS tax deadline day… assuming we still have an IRS by then. We may not need it if those penguins from the Heard and McDonald Islands quit pillaging us.
Lanky local troubadour Todd Lipscomb plays Arnold’s that evening, and Ben Folds will be rockin’ the suburbs woodwinds live with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall.
Victor Wooten & the Wooten Brothers play Memorial Hall on Wednesday, April 16, and British blues-rocker Joanne Taylor Shaw will be there on Thursday, April 17.
Other 4/17 shows include The Yardbirds (drummer) [they don’t have to be billed that way legally, but my conscience won’t let me type it any other way] at Ludlow Garage, and Tunes & Blooms at the Zoo features Cecil Jackson & Dry Ridge on one stage and The Laurelys on the other.
Friday 4/18 is a busy evening for gigs:
- Grayson Jenkins at Liberty Theater
- Remi Wolf plays Ovation
- Mol Sullivan with Namby Pamby and Sappha at Northside Tavern
- Memorial Hall hosts Live Dead & Brothers (music of the Grateful Dead and the Allman Bros.)
- Sqwerv (jam band from Denver) plays Stanley’s
Shows on Saturday, 4/19:
- The Bright Light Social Hour at Liberty Theater
- Blackjack: a Neil Young tribute band at Big Ash Brewing
- Saturday’s Children (Grateful Dead tribute band) at Stanley’s
- Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, KY has Pirate’s Creed.
Please note that Pirate’s Creed isn’t taking a page from the Dread Zeppelin playbook. They are NOT a Creed cover band with members dressed in pirate regalia. But it would be pretty cool to hear “Arrrrrrrrrrms Wide Open” and “High-arrrrrrr,” dontchathink?
Looking ahead a bit further, here are the live concerts on Wednesday, April 23:
- Bright Eyes plays the Ovation, with Cursive as the opener
- The Fixx and Jill Sobule are at Ludlow Garage
- Bluegrass band Never Come Down is at the Woodward
- The Ben Levin Trio plays the rooftop at the Phelps Hotel
We love it live
The Yo La Tengo show at the Woodward Theater was phenomenal. Great to see a whole slew of list members there (Frank, Matt, Pam, Jay, Alyssa, Dave R, Kevin S, Rico, Lobby Boy, et al.)
And I’m really glad I hydroplaned over to Lawrenceburg, Indiana last Sunday for the Sarah Shook & the Disarmers show. They were making it rain more than the thunderstorms were.
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers’ leader goes by River these days, and here’s what they had to say about the music vs. business equation:
It shows! Quote above is from this Brooklyn Vegan article.
Listen here!
Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver from Wussy were at the Yo La Tengo show, naturally. If you haven’t checked out their Forever Sounds radio show on WAIF-FM, you can catch the replays here. Come for the great tunes, stay for the playful banter.
Columbus legends Scrawl got a lot of love from Chicago music critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis on this seven-minute bonus episode of their Sound Opinions podcast.
The new release from Craig Finn — produced by Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs and featuring a few WoD band members as well as Kathleen Edwards — is really good.
We should’ve heeded the warning Signal
Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)
“We’ve traced the source of the trumpet player… it’s coming from inside the house!”
Oh snap, the Reverend Cleophus… I heard about him from Cab Calloway!
