Jack White

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.

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: