The Music, Man.

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Ya got concerts, folks! Right here in the River(front) City. Concerts with a capital “C” and that rhyme with “G” and that stands for “Gee, I should probably go to a show or three.”

Speaking of Shirley Partridge Marian the Librarian, The Mercantile Library hosts Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine on Tuesday as part of their “Words and Music” series. The event is sold out – good thing I got my tickets long ago.

Meanwhile at Ludlow Garage, Patty Griffin, Hayes Carll, and Lori McKenna are doing a sold-out “sharing the stage” gig. And Amythyst Kiah plays Southgate.

Here’s an interesting show on Wednesday:

That same evening, the Hackensaw Boys play Southgate (with Mike Oberst & Justine Cefalu opening). And Dawes plays the Taft. Remember when Dawes was called Simon Dawes and they played a gig at the old Alchemize bar in Northside back in 2006 with Chad VanGaalen and Band of Horses? I do, because I was there!

Speaking of cookies with jam, Camp Springs Tavern hosts their bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam on Thursday.

Johnny Delaware goes to Indiana on Friday, to play the Liberty Theater, with The Hiders also on the bill.

Saturday is a big day for shows:

  • Flatland Cavalry plays the Bobby Brady
  • The Paul Thorn Band is at Memorial Hall
  • Jess Williamson (who recently collaborated with Waxahatchee) plays Southgate
  • Madison Theater has Start Making Sense: A Tribute to Talking Heads
  • Everclear and Buckcherry are at the Lawrenceburg Event Center… we’re assuming it’s called “The Compound Words Tour”
  • Warrant and Lita Ford play the Hard Rock Casino (Aqua Net hairspray sold separately)

Last, but certainly not least on the Saturday roster, Ludlow Garage has the tribute show you never knew you needed… “Toast: The Ultimate Bread Experience.”

There must be a lot of folks in the Tristate who said “Baby, I’m-a Want You” to this, as there are not one but two shows (3pm and 8pm).

Personally, I’d rather go for Toast on a Stick.

Low Cut Connie plays the Liberty Theater next Sunday (11/17), with the band Sweat (good luck Googling “Sweat Band”) as the opener. List member Dave Tellmann and I will be at that show. That same evening, Will Hoge plays the Southgate.

Next Monday, 11/18, Woodward Theater screens the Ani DiFranco doc 1-800-On-Her-Own.

Wishbone Ash plays Ludlow Garage on Tuesday, Nov. 19th.

Wishbone Ash: pairs well with Toast!

Craig Finn of The Hold Steady plays the Woodward on Wednesday, November 20th, with Katy Kirby as the opener. List member “Rico” and I will be there. Remember when Craig Finn played that house concert in Cincinnati back in 2017? I do, because it was my house!

That same evening, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder play Memorial Hall.

Americana power couple Gillian Welch and David Rawlings play the Taft on Thursday, 11/21 and Wayne “The Train” Hancock plays Southgate.

Shows on Friday, 11/22:

  • The Wood Brothers at Taft
  • The Tubes at Ludlow Garage
  • Tiny Moving Parts at Southgate
  • TyeDye Band (featuring list member John Sandman) at Plain Folk Cafe in Pleasant Plain, OH.
  • Liberty Theater hosts a free Singer/Songwriter Night

On Saturday, 11/23:

  • The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and Joe’s Truck Stop play Southgate
  • Ric Hordinski and Kim Taylor play the Woodward
  • Hyryder (Grateful Dead tribute) at Madison Theater
  • Mark Gibson and Danni Nicholls play a “Downtowne Listening Room” show at the Hellmann Creative Center in Covington, KY
  • Ludlow has Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience… with special guest Electric Duke (tribute to David Bowie)

On Sunday, 11/24, Ballyhoo! and Keep Flying are at the Liberty Theater, Ace Monroe is at Southgate, and Hard Rock Casino has Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening.

The Reading Room

Bon Iver interview in The New Yorker. Money quote:

“I believe in the power of the individual — don’t get me wrong — but I’ve always just found that it distracts from the point. Why do we like a song? Is it because of who’s singing it to us? Or is it the song? And I just think it’s the song. For me, it is. For me, it’s about the song and what the music does. It can be very distracting when it becomes, ‘Oh, I love Bon Iver so much. I want more Bon Iver. I want to see Bon Iver. I want to get his autograph.’ I’m sensitive to it, and the attention can be overwhelming. I’m also uncomfortable with it because it distracts from the point that music delivered me to myself.”

We need some “Divine Intervention”

Matthew Sweet recently suffered a debilitating stroke in Canada. There’s a GoFundMe to help pay for his medical bills and ongoing therapy and care.

And you thought 8-tracks were weird

Here’s the live link to the Demastered site.

We live for live

I couldn’t make the Cereal Killers show at Big Ash the weekend before Halloween, but I love their Ramones vibe:

No, I didn’t get tickets for the Jack White show at Bogart’s. But list members Dave Tellmann and Rico did.

I DID, however, catch all three Buffalo Tom shows during their “Please Come to Boston” festival, along with comedy from Eugene Mirman and Dave Hill, book readings from Tom Perrotta, Bill Janovitz, and Dave Hill, and a band Q&A hosted by comedian/actor Mike O’Malley.

Dave Hill is hilarious, btw.

And last night Wussy and the Chris Brokaw Band (feat. Chris Brokaw from Codeine and Come, and Clint Conley from Mission of Burma) were fantastic at the Woodward.

(That’s Brenda Sauter of The Feelies sitting in on bass.)

Todd, Regi, Tom, Jamie, Matt, Pam, Jay, Alyssa, Dave, Ken, Michelle, Dave, Kevin, Dr. David… it’d be easier to cite the list members who weren’t there – great to see such a strong turnout for our friends in Wussy.

Their new album was on sale at the show – the official release date is this Friday.

Album Covers of the Week(s)

These guys can’t count, but they look really slick.

They’ve gotten worse at counting. And/or they found out about their dad’s clandestine second family.

The 1/4 un-lonely is because his belt is off.

If my math is correct, this guy isn’t wearing pants. And/or T.G. Sheppard just walked in on him.

I love music… and you!

Concert Listings, Music

Howdy! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I want you to know that you are the Porter Wagoner to my Dolly Parton, and I will always love you.

If you think I look nothing like Dolly, you haven’t seen my moobs lately.

Or maybe I’m the Ralph Wiggum to your Lisa Simpson, and you choo-choo-choose to read this rag because you feel sorry for me.

Let’s take a loving look at the shows coming to the Tri-State Area, shall we?

We covered this in our last missive, but just in case you missed it:

There’s quite a grab bag of shows (and venues) on Saturday, Feb. 11th:

  • Blackberry Smoke plays the Lawrenceburg Event Center
  • Joe’s Truck Stop, Willy Tea Taylor and Jordan Smart play Southgate’s Revival Room
  • The Judds (featuring one original member!) are at the Nutter Center in Dayton
  • The Coliseum hosts the Legendz of the Streetz Tour (in case you hadn’t guessed from the use of the “z plurals” — there will be hippin’ and/or hoppin’ at that show. Per the show description, it will be “an interchanging ensemble of some of the most Iconic names in Hip-Hop including Rick Ross, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Jadakiss, Cam’ron with Special Guest Jucee Froot”
  • Last, and most incongruously of all, Michael Bolton will be at the Hard Rock Casino. (Which might be the first time that “Michael Bolton” and “Hard Rock” have been used in the same sentence.)

On Sunday, Ben Levin plays Schwartz’s Point.

Then there’s a whole lot of nothin’ until Valentine’s Day is over.

On Thursday, The Gibson Brothers play Southgate.

Joshua Redman plays Memorial Hall on Friday.

Gigs next Saturday (2/18):

  • Ana Popovic is at Ludlow Garage
  • Dave Mason plays Memorial Hall
  • Ben Levin plays the Hilton Netherland for the first time
  • Bogart’s hosts “That Arena Rock Show”:
If they don’t play some Ratt, I’m gonna demand a refund…

If you’re more into “That Used-to-Be-Opening-Act at an Arena Rock Show,” Jackyl plays the Blue Note in Harrison.

Gaelic Storm is at the Taft on Tuesday 2/21.

That’s Fat Tuesday, by the way.

Blues-rock guitarist Eric Gales plays Ludlow Garage next Wednesday, 2/22, and if you’re up for a wild road trip, you can go to Kentucky to see Canada. (Cody Canada plays The Burl in Lexington.)

On Friday, Feb. 24th, Silversun Pickups are at Bogart’s, and Rob Fetters plays another “Fetters is Cheap!” home live stream with special guest Bob Nyswonger:

And a couple of Saturdays from now (Feb. 25th), the remaining members of Brainiac (R.I.P. Tim Taylor) will play the Woodward. (The New York Times did a nice article about the tour.)

Or you could observe the Sabbath:

Is that Ozzy or Fran Lebowitz?

They’ll be at Ludlow Garage that evening. After sundown.

Say it ain’t so, Joe Jon

Longtime This Week in Live Music favorite Jon Wurster is leaving Superchunk.

Sure, he’s still the drummer for The Mountain Goats and Bob Mould, and he’s still part of The Best Show… and he’ll still be hilarious on Twitter and Instagram.

But he’ll be missed in the ‘chunk. Oh well, as list member Mighty Joe Sampson said, “we’ll always have our Sudsy’s memories”… including the Superchunk show at that venue when an overpowering acrid smell nearly cleared out the room — and I used that as my opportunity to get closer to the stage.

Breaking news: Ticketmaster still sucks

I don’t know much about the band Lawrence, but kudos to co-lead Clyde Lawrence (great name – his sister Gracie is also in the band) for testifying before the Senate about the ridiculous monopoly that is Live Nation/Ticketbastard:

I hope the $25 towels were extra fluffy.

Summer festivals: coming soon to a venue (not so) near you

Ticket info for this Columbus festival here: https://columbus.resetconcertseries.com/

Speaking of boygenius, they recreated the iconic Nirvana Rolling Stone cover.

Nice interview feature too.

Philly + Minneapolis = Detroit?

War on Drugs and Craig Finn covering Bob Seger…

Won’t you be my Valentine?

Speaking of the ‘mats, Paul’s got more style than Styles, because he wore it first, and better:

Yes, it’s from Jon Wurster… he’s the best!

Album Covers of the Fortnight

Nothing says “love” quite like belly dancing and Jerry Wallace.