Turkey with Jam

Wow, it’s nearly Thanksgiving Day!

The concert slate could use a bit more stuffing. That’s fine, it leaves room for family gatherings… or for watching a WKRP in Cincinnati rerun.

But there are a few shows, which is a reason to be thankful.

Skip the can-shaped cranberry sauce, and feast on The Raisins instead.

Bob, Rob, Bam and Ricky have shows on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at the Woodward Theater. (They also have a documentary movie out that features performances from their March shows – check out the interview on WVXU Cincinnati Edition.) The Saturday gig is sold-out, but tickets remain for the other two shows.

Other Wednesday shows include Northern Kentucky Derby at Southgate House, and State Champs at Bogart’s.

Thursday is Turkey Day! (Or in my house, Tofurkey Day!)

Speaking of expanding waistlines, Bret Michaels is at the Hard Rock Casino on Friday.

Also on Friday:

Jeremy Pinnell kicks off a two-night stand at Southgate House with a solo set, along with Justin Wells.
Freekbass hosts “Funksgiving” at Radio Artifact, with Tracy Silverman Project.
The Raisins are at Woodward

Saturday gigs:

Jeremy Pinnell plays a full-band show in Southgate’s main room, with G.W. Garner and The Montvales also on the bill.
The Ark Band plays Ludlow Garage on Saturday
Memorial Hall hosts Christmas with the Celts
The Whiskey Shambles, Veronica Grim, and The Shivers in Southgate’s Revival Room
The Raisins at Woodward (sold-out)

Unless you’re going to NYC for the Jesse Malin benefit shows on 12/1 and 12/2 (more on that below), there’s a bit of a lull in the ol’ Koncert Keeper. Maybe you can do some holiday shopping.

Or go see your friend’s band:

On Friday, 12/6, the animals (but not The Animals) are out in full force:

Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band at Bogart’s
Spirit of the Bear and Bear the Moon in Southgate’s Revival Room
The Surfrajettes and Kyle Eldridge play Southgate’s main Sanctuary – that should be a rollicking good time!
Ludlow Garage crams three tributes into one band, when Magical Mystery Doors plays tunes by the Beatles, Led Zep, and The Doors

On Saturday, 12/7, Noah Smith’s Crooner Circus takes over all three Southgate House stages:

Other 12/7 shows include:

Tropidelic at Bogart’s
Mosant and Ascension Day at the Liberty Theater
Siren Suit with Girl Gordon and Marsha at Urban Artifact
Ludlow Garage has Aja: A Tribute to the Music of Steely Dan, with shows at 3:30 (when they play The Royal Scam in its entirety) and 7:30 p.m.

Then there’s another lull in the schedule. Maybe you can make sure the Christmas lights are hung.

The English Beat plays Ludlow Garage on Thursday, 12/12.

On Friday the 13th:

Erika Wennerstrom (Heartless Bastards) kicks off three nights of solo shows at The Loon Wine Bar in Northside. (Friday and Saturday shows are sold-out, but they added a 6 p.m. Sunday show. Tickets on sale here.)

Ludlow Garage has A John Waters Christmas on Friday and Saturday
The Tillers have a 10th anniversary vinyl release of Hand on the Plow (with cover artwork by list member Keith Neltner)

Motherfolk has “A Very Motherfolks Christmas” at Bogart’s on Satuday, 12/14.

Tears on our Cheek

R.I.P. Randy Cheek (Libertines, Ass Ponys, The Ready Stance, et al.) Here’s a loving tribute from Chuck Cleaver:

Here’s to you, Randy!

Joy to the Wussy World

Now more than ever, we need the healing words and music of our friends in Wussy, on their new release Cincinnati Ohio.

Check out Jason Cohen’s profile of Wussy in Stereogum. And put your ears on this segment about their new album from NPR’s All Songs Considered:

We live for live

It’s hard to believe that Eric Bachmann’s recent Undertow show was off my radar. Heck, he’s played an Undertow show at my house before (2019):

And I applied to host his show this time around. But somehow I missed the listing – thank goodness an alert list member tipped me off that morning, and I DID catch the show thanks to list member Jeff B.

Eric played a cool venue in South Fairmount called the Lunken Lounge. Hopefully there will be more shows there in the future.

Craig Finn also ditched my living room for the Woodward Theater this go-round on his solo tour. (Can’t blame him.) What a great storyteller!

List member Dave Tellmann and I finally made it over to Dan McCabe’s new venue, Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater, in Lawrenceburg, IN. What an amazing place to see a show! And we saw a fantastic high energy performance from Low Cut Connie.

The opening band, Sweat, from Pittsburgh, was great too!

Dan McCabe has some great shows lined up over the next couple of months… check ’em out here and support a great dude who has spent decades bringing great music to our area.

List members Joyce, Matt, Pam, and I also enjoyed the “Words and Music” event featuring Karin and Linford of Over the Rhine (photo above)… especially because we got a sneak preview of updated/upgraded/expanded Mercantile Library. It officially reopens on 12/2.

We now occupy both the 11th & 12th floors of 414 Walnut Street and have more seating areas, more workspaces, more light, more bathrooms, more bookshelves, and, most importantly, more books.

The Reading Room

Tip o’ the tam to Kevin Sullivan for the link to a Jesse Malin feature in the NYT in advance of Jesse’s return to the stage on Dec. 1 and 2, with dozens of high profile friends.

They’re just trying to return the kindness Jesse has always shown to them:

Jesse still has his PMA – positive mental attitude:

Live Performance Video of the Week Year

Waxahatchee and M.J. Lenderman at the Americana Music Awards, with an all-star backing band that includes Buddy Miller, Don Was, Larry Campbell, and Jen Gunderman. Top notch!

Album Covers of the Weeks

Cornucopia… accent on the corn.

This “little singing band” used the Thanksgiving tablecloth to make skirts and ties (or are those dickies?).

You can throw the albums shown below onto the turntable after Turkey Day to make those pounds melt away – it’s a miracle!

Tricks and Treats

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast

It’s Spooky Season!

It’s also Mookie Season!

Do the Right Thing and support live music. Here are your options over the next couple of weeks:

This Wednesday, Richard Lloyd (of Television* fame) plays the Woodward Theater with a full band. Static Falls also is on the bill.

*Television the band, not the medium. But here’s Television on (Spanish) Television:

Also on Wednesday, Judy Collins plays Memorial Hall. Speaking o’ Spooky Season, ol’ “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes” is looking more like a Hocus Pocus witch these days:

Alice Peacock plays the Southgate House on Thursday. She’ll be in the Revival Room, with a lead pipe.

Wait, wrong Peacock!

Friday shows:

The Steep Canyon Rangers play Memorial Hall
Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle are at Southgate (maybe the ghost of Pete Rose will show up)
America plays the Taft (they won’t have a headless horseman, but they will have a horse with no name)
Ludlow Garage has Dead Letter Office, a tribute to R.E.M.

This Saturday, Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing!

(Continuing my string of ill-timed trips, and jeopardizing my status as a Cereal Killers superfan, I once again will be out of town for their gig. Our whole fam-damily is going to Bloomington, Indiana to see the perennial football powerhouse Hoosiers take on their longstanding Big 10 27 rival, the Washington Huskies.)

Other Saturday shows include the sold-out “BEAT” show at Taft

Former King Crimson members ADRIAN BELEW and TONY LEVIN band together with guitar virtuoso STEVE VAI and explosive Tool drummer DANNY CAREY for the first time to create BEAT, a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 80s KING CRIMSON albums – Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair.

ekoostic hookah plays the Liberty Theater
Blues Traveler brings their “30 years of Four” tour to… Turfway Park
Pappy’s Jam Band plays Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest (1:30-4:30)
Lotus Land (a tribute to Rush) plays Ludlow Garage

On Sunday, the Casey Campbell Project plays Neltner’s Farm, Pink Martini plays Memorial Hall, and Taft has Mania, the ABBA tribute.

Next Tuesday (10/29), the Buena Vista Social Orchestra is at Bogart’s.

Next Wednesday:

KMFDM and the Morlocks play the Ovation
The Woodward hosts two showings (7:30 and 10:30) of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a shadow cast
Daphne Eckman plays Southgate’s Revival Room
Disco Biscuits (hold the Yung Gravy) play the Madison Theater

Next Thursday is Halloween.

That’s “hallow”-een not “hollow”-een… Hollow is for Easter.

“Rollvember” kicks off a week from Friday. There are several shows slated for Friday, 11/1:

Los Honchos play Southgate
Anthony Ray Wright and Andrew Hibbard are at Liberty Theater
Stacy Mitchhart plays an album release gig at Ludlow Garage
The Jacksons (R.I.P. Tito) play the Hard Rock Casino

I’ll be up in Boston that weekend for the Please Come to Boston festival. My favoritest band Buffalo Tom will be doing three concerts in three days (including an old-person-friendly “matinee” show on Sunday). They’re playing a different album from their 90s oeuvre each show, and the festival also features comedy sets from Eugene Mirman and Dave Hill, and something called “Punk Rock Aerobics”… I’m sure it’s quite the workout!

On Saturday, Nov. 2nd,

Gipsy Kings play the Hard Rock
The Peter Brady hosts “Life is a Carnival – The Last Waltz Tour ’24” with Ryan Bingham, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Jamey Johnson and more.
Trippin’ Billies (Dave Matthews Band tribute) are at Ludlow Garage.

Here’s some Trippin’ Beverly Hillbillies:

The Drive-by Truckers play a Southern Rock Opera Revisited show at Bogart’s on Sunday, 11/3. Shut your mouth and get your ass ~~on that plane~~ into that show!

On Thursday, Nov. 7th, “Turn to Stone: A Tribute to ELO” will be at Memorial Hall, and Yngwie Malmsteen plays the Madison Theater.

On Friday, 11/8:

Goose opens up a three-night stand at the Carol Brady
Billie Eilish plays the Coliseum
Noah Wotherspoon plays the Liberty Theater with Noah Pavey

Saturday, 11/9 gigs:

Wussy plays a full-band show at the Woodward, with the Chris Brokaw Band as the opener.
Jimmy Webb (“America’s Songwriter”) is at Memorial Hall
Samantha Fish plays Ludlow Garage, with Mitch Ryder performing as part of Samantha’s band, and Canned Heat as the opener
Moonshine Drive plays Arnold’s

City & Colour are at Bogart’s with Pedro the Lion on Monday, 11/11.

We live for live

It’s been quite a fortnight for your music-addicted editor. Charly Bliss at the Exit/In in Nashville was great…

The opener, Pronoun, was cool too. And Marc from the one-hit-wonder band Len came up on stage for the encore to do “Steal My Sunshine” with Charly Bliss.

A week ago, list member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube (check out his show on Inhailer Radio, Fridays 11a-3p) and I went to Columbus to see Superchunk. They rocked!

(Bassist Jason Narducy’s set list – he gave it to a kid in the front row… classy!)

For the final song of the encore, noted Breeder Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery of R. Ring came on stage to do their song “Cartoon Heart/Build Me a Question.” (R. Ring drummer Laura King is touring with Superchunk right now.)

The opening band, Quivers, was stellar too.

While Ken was waiting in line to get Mac from Superchunk to sign his poster (yes, Mac was at the merch booth – dude’s top-notch in my book), I chatted with the members of Quivers – Mike, Holly, Bella and Sam. They were super-nice to this old man, and funny as heck. Check out their recent live in-studio set at KEXP and you’ll be hooked by their hooks:

List members Dave Tellmann, Todd Butler, Carl “The Truth” Williams and I caught the Eddie 9V/Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears double bill at the Woodward on Wednesday.

And those shows were just the warm-up for another Chuck Cleaver/Lisa Walker Wussy Duo house show at my place this past weekend.

List members Todd, Regi, Tom, and Jamie were in the house, and they can attest that it was amazing.

I didn’t make the Mountain Goats show at Taft, but their stage setup was interesting:

Malin on the mend

Here’s a nice CBS Saturday Morning sessions interview with Jesse Malin.

Shameless Self-promotion

Dave Tellmann and I got the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast out of mothballs to chat with Randy Malloy, who went from unpaid college intern to owner of WWCD-FM in Columbus (nee “CD101″… and later “CD102.5″… and finally “CD92.9” before signing off under duress earlier this year).

The Randy interview is here, and you can catch all the episodes on your favorite podcasting platform.

Album Covers of the Week(s)

Here on earth, I’m a bit disappointed that a band named “Rebels” chose conformity in their outfits.

On the other hand (the one with five fingers), at least Rebels don’t struggle with basic math. Or perhaps the dudes are the Gospel Four and the woman is there because her hair is heavenly.

No Bummer Summer

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast

We have so much for be grateful for this summer, especially if our cars don’t have vinyl seats.

Let’s peel our butts off our chairs and head to some concerts, shall we?

Tuesday:

Band of Horses plays Bogart’s (I’ll be there with list members Deuce and Matt V.). Maybe I’ll run into BoH drummer Creighton again like I did outside the Ryman in Nashville in 2013.

Former Tom Petty Heartbreaker Mike Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs play the Taft
Old Crow Medicine Show is at the Rose in Dayton, with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway also on the bill

Norah Jones plays the Rose on Wednesday.

Thursday gigs:

The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and The Tillers play Memorial Hall
Sungaze and Sylmar will be “Rockin’ the Roebling” at Smale Park
Blueswoman Lauren Anderson plays a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
The Artimus Pyle Band (“honoring Ronnie Van Zant’s Lynyrd Skynyrd”) plays Ludlow Garage

Whoops, wrong Pyle.

On Friday, Arlo McKinley will headline the “Indie Friday” free show at Fountain Square. And Tye Dye Band (featuring list member John Sandman) will play Carriage House Farms.

Other Friday night gigs:

Riverbend hosts a tribute to Planes, Trains and Automobiles…

OK, actually it’s Boats (Yacht Rock Revue), Train (the band) and Automobiles (REO Speedwagon).

Old Crow Medicine Show will be roosting at the Cindy Brady, with the Del McCoury Band – Tiger better behave himself!

Whiskey Myers plays the Rose, with Whitey Morgan & the 78s and Reid Houghton
The Samples play Ludlow Garage

Whoops, wrong Samples. Wrong band too!

On Saturday, there are two festivals of note(s):

Or you can head to the Madison Theater to catch Genesis ReTouched – a Cincy band that claims “our live shows capture the aural and visual essence of Genesis between the mid 80’s and late 2000’s.” So go to the (Tony) Banks to get money for tickets, then treat yourself to a Tom Collins at the show while the ersatz Phil Collins steps up to the Mike (Rutherford). Gotta be better than the other Genesis gig in the area:

Next Sunday (7/14):

Lake Street Dive plays the Bobby Brady, with The Lemon Twigs as the opener
Southgate House hosts The Good People Festival, a benefit for the Incubator Kitchen Collective. Featured acts include: The Local Honeys, Maria Carrelli, Ben Knight & David Faul, Stephen J Williams & The 1865, Ray Vietti, Tinfoil Hat Cowboys, Chelsea Ford, and Adam Lee

And Ludlow Garage has the “We Love Zappa” tour:

On Monday, 7/15, Hurray for the Riff Raff will play the Woodward, with Hannah Frances. I’ll be there… mostly because I’m riffraff, but also because the last H4TRR show at the Woodward gave me all the feels.

Musiq Soulchild kicks off a three-night residency at the Ludlow Garage on Tuesday, 7/16.

On Wednesday, 7/17, The Tillers play a free show at the Delhi Park Pavilion, and The SunBurners do the freebie at Burnet Woods. Both shows start at 7 p.m. (although Delhi is so far west that it might be on Central Time).

Jon Spencer plays MOTR on Thursday, 7/18, with IdleAires opening the 8 p.m. show, which, in a concession to the average age of Jon Spencer fans, will offer some seated tickets.

That evening (7/18) also features an overwhelming slate of free shows:

Erin Coburn plays Smale
Carriers play Washington Park
Buffalo Nichols (blues) at Levitt in Dayton
RiversEDGE in Hamilton has Foreigner’s Journey with Draven & the Ravens
Lawrenceburg Civic Park hosts Gone 2 Paradise: the Ultimate Jimmy Buffett Tribute
Fairfield Village Green features The Eagles Project
Marsha Brady (the band) plays ~~the Marsha Brady~~ Ault Park

On Friday, 7/19, Aaron Lee Tasjan headlines the Indie Friday show at Fountain Square. I’ll be there, and you should go too!

“My most effective tool in sharing my music and live performances with new listeners is word of mouth, and you can do so much to support me when you invite people into this lovely little world we’ve built and continue to build.”
Aaron Lee Tasjan

That same evening:

Torres plays the Woodward
moe. plays the Rose in Dayton, with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire play Riverbend
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience will play for free at Levitt in Dayton
Ludlow Garage has Adrenalize: the Ultimate Def Leppard Experience
If you want to catch the band X on their farewell tour, they’ll be at their closest stop to the Tri-state: The Vogue in Indy. Here’s a tune from their new album, out 8/2:

Acoustic Alchemy plays the Ludlow Garage on Saturday, 7/20, and Rick Springfield and Richard Marx play the Fraze in Dayton.

That ageless cat Al Stewart plays Ludlow Garage on Sunday, 7/21 and MOTR hosts Thelma & The Sleaze.

Monday, 7/22, PNC Pavilion hosts Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, with blues stars Keb’ Mo’, ZZ Ward and Jackie Venson on the bill. (In case you were wondering, “S.E.R.P.E.N.T. is an anagram that stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance.” And now you know. Quiz next week.)

The Best Sibling Duo from Dayton ain’t the Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur are no match for Kim and Kelley Deal. A Breeders show at the Henry Miller Library near Big Sur got rained out last fall, so they played an impromptu stripped-down gig among the redwoods. Gorgeous!

It’s always a treat to feel the Heat

The Reverend Horton Heat put on a spectacular (free) show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton on 6/22 (wrapping up their encore with a killer version of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades.”) List members Dave Tellmann, El Blanco, Michael T. and I were there, along with list member Gene “The Photo Machine” Dow, who snapped these stellar shots:

You can check out more of Gene’s photos from the show here, and view more from his portfolio here. Gene’s available for weddings, senior photos, and general lifestyle photography, yet he refused to do a bit of boudoir photography for me. I can’t imagine why not.

Valley Heat is a treat too!

I know I’ve sung the praises of the Valley Heat podcast before. It’s the aural equivalent of Fernwood 2 Night meets Arrested Development. Hilarious. In the clip below, the host Doug sings the praises of the lowly 8-track, while also pointing out the challenges of playing an LP … and taking a few spot-on shots at vinyl snobs.

I missed the hottest heat

List member Mighty Joe Sampson pointed out a glaring omission from last week’s heat-related visuals:

Jesse is a friend, with some really cool friends

In December, Jesse Malin will be back on stage for the first time since his spinal stroke in May of ’23. And he has an all-star cast joining him for two benefit shows (read more on Relix). The first gig on 12/1 sold out quickly; the 12/2 show still has a few tickets left.

Life imitates Art (but not Art Garfunkel)

Album Cover of the Week(s) – Retail Nostalgia Edition

Why yes, that is Bonnie Raitt’s dad John Raitt in the middle… and yes, that’s a Record Theatre 4.99 sticker too!

This band is as-advertised… they look pretty plain to me. And yes, that’s a Swallen’s sticker! Maybe this album was free with the purchase of any white appliance.

July came Swiftly

Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Did you go to the big show downtown last night? I did! It was everything I hoped for and more!

I’m referring, of course, to the Dave Alvin & the Guilty Ones show in downtown Dayton at the Levitt Pavilion, with Dayton’s own The Mulchmen doing a stellar opening set.

Why yes, that is Jim McPherson of The Breeders on drums for The Mulchmen. I challenged him to an arm-wrestling contest after their set. It did not end well for me.

The Mulchmen and Dave Alvin both sounded great – Dave even busted out a few Blasters tunes. Admission was free, and Levitt Pavilion allows attendees to bring their own food and beverages (cans only). Such a deal!

Alrighty, let’s take a gander at some upcoming live shows in the Tri-state area.

Tonight, it’s The Invasion of the Swifties, Part II. I’m not a Taylor-lover (or ex-lover… no songs about me) but I’m also not a hater. CincyMusic had a great take on Taylor-mania:

Just down the street from Paul Brown Stadium (that payroll company isn’t paying me, so I’m using the old name), local blues wunderkind Erin Coburn will be playing at Sawyer Point at 4 p.m., followed by The Classic Rock Experience (6pm) and the AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck (8pm).

Greensky Bluegrass is at the Bobby Brady.

Levitt Pavilion in Dayton (perhaps you’ve heard of it?) has another freebie show tonight, featuring Ernie Johnson from Detroit.

Last but not least (except in Liam Gallagher’s rankings), Noah Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Garbage and Metric are at Riverbend.

Then there’s a bit of a lull in live gigs as we celebrate our independence with discount fireworks.

On Thursday:

Tab Benoit plays a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton (yes, that place again)
Noah Wotherspoon will be “Rockin’ the Roebling” in Smale Park (the stage by Moerlein)
The Harmed Brothers Duo does a freebie at Washington Park
Candlebox is at Bogart’s
Chicago is at the PNC Pavilion
(Yours truly will be at Summerfest in Milwaukee, watching Jenny Lewis, Horsegirl, The Regrettes, The War on Drugs and perhaps a bit of Dinosaur Jr.)

Friday:

Lettuce and Steel Pulse play the PNC Pavilion
3 Doors Down and Candlebox are at the Rose Music Center
The Steve Miller Band will be at The Hard Rock Casino (“Take the money and run”…)
Kansas plays the Taft
The Sunburners play a free show at Stanbury Park in scenic Mt. Washington (a.k.a. “Anderson Heights”)
(Yours truly will still be in Milwaukee, watching the Reds-Brewers game)

Saturday (7/8) shows:

Future Islands are at Bogart’s
Lettuce and Steel Pulse head up the road to the Rose
For those who just can’t get enough T-Swizzle (or couldn’t drain their bank account for tickets), RiversEdge in Hamilton! has Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience for free.

Dream Theater is at the Ovation in Newport on Sunday (7/9) and Post Malone plays Riverbend.

Belinda Carlisle goes (or Go-Gos) to the Rose Music Center on Tuesday, July 11th.

The High Kings play Memorial Hall on Thursday, July 13th, and RiversEdge has “Nirvani” and “Fooz Fighters.” (Isn’t “Dave Grull” in both of those bands?)

Braxton Brewing in Covington, KY is hosting the Paradise Music and Beer Festival on 7/14-15:

Also on Friday, July 14th, Jessica Lea Mayfield headlines the free show at Fountain Square. I’ll probably make that gig. You should join me, unless you’re the type of person who likes Neil Diamond, then you can catch Super Diamond, the Neil Diamond tribute band, at Ovation.

Other shows on Saturday, July 15th:

Ruby Vileos has an album release show at The Loon in Northside, with special guest Tyler Ramsey (formerly of Band of Horses).
Fall Out Boy plays Riverbend
George Thorogood & the Destroyers are at Fraze Pavilion
The Cincy Blues Fest happens in Fairfield

Jesse is a friend…

… and he needs our help. Longtime “This week in live music” favorite Jesse Malin was climbing onto the bar at Webster Hall in NYC during a concert in late March…

In early May, he suffered a rare spinal stroke, and has been paralyzed from the waist down since. A Sweet Relief fund has been set up to help with Jesse’s medical bills.

“The reports from the doctors have been tough, and there’s moments in the day where you want to cry, and where you’re scared. But I keep saying to myself that I can make this happen. I can recover my body.”
Jesse Malin in Rolling Stone

Hiding in plain sight

We mentioned the Ruby Vileos album release earlier… Billy Alletzhauser’s other band The Hiders also is working on some new music. Dave Tellmann and I chatted with Billy and his Hiders bandmate Beth Harris about that (and towns in Arkansas… and Ass Ponys… and much more) in the latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast.

Modern Rock 500 heavy hitters

97X superfan Scott Buckley created an interactive data visualization that allows you to get a snapshot view of the various artists in the 2023 97X Modern Rock 500 on Inhailer Radio and quickly see where their songs landed. Check it out here.

Speaking of Inhailer Radio, former 97Xers Matt Sledge and Jae Forman now have weekly airshifts there, along with list member Ken Laube (Fridays 3-7pm).

Album Cover of the Fortnight

Dennis Coffey makes his own Declaration of Independence. He’s a red, white and blue (and maroon and fuchsia) hero!

Back to the Future

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast, woxy.com

Perhaps you’ve heard that the 97X Modern Rock 500 is making a comeback?

More than 30 former on-air folks (Steve Baker, Julie Maxwell, Dan Reed, Rictile, Barb, Shiv, et al.) will be counting down the top tunes of the 97X/woxy.com era on Inhailer Radio May 22-29. Press release is here, Mike Taylor’s interview with WVXU is here, and Dave Tellmann and I also talk about it during our Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast episode with the folks who were at the station when it signed off the airwaves in 2004.

It’s pretty exciting stuff if I do say so myself… granted, I’m not exactly an impartial observer.

Let’s observe the bands who are coming to town over the next couple of weeks, shall we?

Tonight, Southgate has Rock’n Revival for the Cure, with a slew of local bands:

And Ark Band plays Ludlow Garage.

On Sunday, Ben Levin plays Schwartz’s Point, and Ludlow hosts Nektar… no relation to keytar.

On Wednesday, The Dollyrots play Southgate, with The Von Tramps at the opener, and Altan fiddles around at Ludlow Garage.

Thursday evening, Billy Strings kicks off a sold-out three-night run at the Greg Brady.

That same evening, Kenny Wayne Shepherd will at the Taft, doing a 25th anniversary tour of his Trouble Is… album.

Friday, Billy Strings has a second helping of the Peter Brady.

Don’t Bogart your Billy Strings tickets.

That same day, Ben Levin plays happy hour at Element Eatery, The Huntertones and Doc Robinson play Woodward, and Vanessa Carlton is at Ludlow. Oh, and ’tis St. Paddy’s Day, too.

Next Saturday, Bogart’s hosts Rumours: A Fleetwood Mac tribute. And Billy Strings plays Night 3 at the Marsha Marsha Marsha Brady.

Marsha Brady thinks Billy Strings is hotter than Alice’s pot roast

And NRBQ rocks the Ludlow Garage.

Southgate House has an embarrassment of riches on Tuesday, March 21st:

The Casey Campbell Band and El Dorado play the main room
Adam Weiner (of Low Cut Connie) plays the Revival Room upstairs

On Wednesday, March 22nd, The Quebe Sisters are at Southgate, and Dead Letter Office (yes, an R.E.M. tribute band), plays Ludlow Garage.

On Thursday, 3/23:

Beth Harris and Freedom Nicole Moore play a freebie at the Listing Loon in Northside
Leo Sayer plays Ludlow Garage
Blake Shelton plays the Coliseum

On Friday, 3/24:

Whiskey Bent Valley Boys, Slippery Creek and Mike Oberst are at Southgate
Them Dirty Roses and The Josephines play the old Annie’s
Aronoff Center has The Blues is Alright tour:

Pokey Bear, second cousin of streetwise informant Huggy Bear on *Starsky & Hutch*

On Saturday, March 25th:

They Might Be Giants play a sold-out gig at Madison Theater.
Florence Dore plays Southgate (her backing band includes Will Rigby and Gene Holder of the dBs, and Son Volt’s Mark Spencer)
Aronoff has The Simon & Garfunkel Story (per the press release: “The show features huge projection photos, original film footage, and a full live band performing all of Simon & Garfunkels’s hits, including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound,” and many more.” In other words, since Paul and Artie will never share a stage again, holograms will have to suffice.)

And if the fates cooperate and the stars align, your humble scribe will be in NYC that evening for this show:

*The Fine Art of Self-Destruction* is one of my all-time favorite albums.

On Sunday, 3/26, New Edition (which really should be called Old Edition at this point) will be at the Coliseum, with Keith Sweat, Guy and Tank. Note: “Guy” is a band and “Tank” is another band… in case you were expecting this:

Instant Karma

In our last missive, we mentioned that Dan “Reds: 2027 World Series Champs” Lewis loves Debbie Gibson… right after we listed some incorrect tickets-on-sale info. So who do you think pointed out our error almost immediately?

I’ll refrain from pointing out that we listed TTB, not DTB…

Dan is a superfan of both Dwight and The Mavericks, so the PNC gig is a dream date for him. (So is Debbie Gibson, btw.)

Like father, like son

Dan’s son Cullen also is a music superfan, and in a recent edition of his Substack newsletter he linked to this really cool “Music Map” site where you can type in the name of a band you like and it’ll suggest other bands you may enjoy.

Your own personal hit factory

HT to list member Todd Butler for the link.

Album Cover of the Week

This album came out yesterday. If your band’s name is “The Atomic Bitchwax” you are contractually obligated to play the Freak Valley Fest. It’s a combination as classic as peanut butter and jelly…. or Dan Lewis and Debbie Gibson.

The infinite sadness

Concert Listings, Music

Sorry to start off on a sad note… notes, actually… but ye olde music list is a man down. He was a good man too. Mark Celsor – longtime Cincinnati Recreation Commission staffer, Mt. Washington neighbor, active in the community, musician, music lover… just an all-around great dude. Heart attack. 65. I just spoke with Mark at the Waxahatchee show… of course he was there – Mark attended tons of concerts over the past 50 years. A week later, he was gone. R.I.P. M.C. You’ll be sorely missed by friends and family.

While we’re still in sadness mode, I want to remind you that May is Mental Health Awareness Month… and it’s also the month that we lost John Erhardt (Ass Ponys, Wussy) and Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit). Those factoids are related.

It’s not just about musicians, though. It’s about family, friends and neighbors. The link above has some good resources and suggestions for ways to reach out and help out.

May is also the month we lost my friend Kim Collins (sister to three folks on this list, friend to countless others) to a heart attack, at age 52. Kim was an avid music fan, and her way-too-soon passing was both the inspiration and the impetus for this list of live gigs. Go to a show… and savor it!

Friday night Cereal Killers play Fries Cafe in Clifton, from 7-11 p.m. First beer is on me, as we drink a toast to Mark, Kim, John, Scott… and to the music that touches our hearts. (Watch out for Cereal Killers lead singer Howard Cohen though… he might touch lower.)

Other notable gigs on Friday:

Leon Bridges plays the Jan Brady.
Heywood Banks is at Ludlow Garage.
Run to the (Western) Hills to catch Iron Maidens (female Iron Maiden tribute band) at the Blue Note in Harrison. The lead singer’s stage name is Bruce Chickinson. Not sure if they have an monster mascot named Edwina… but they probably use the same hair care products.

Speaking of great hair, there’s one more show on Friday – it’s a supermarket matinee. Local musician Chris Cusentino plays the Hyde Park Kroger (great tunes, good prices!) from 4-8 p.m.

I’m not sure what section Chris will be in (Produce? Not Dairy because he isn’t cheesy…), but his gig will be more melodic — and just as entertaining — as the “show” at another retail location:

Chris Cusentino is playing the Hyde Park Kroger again on Saturday… from 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. (Is he sleeping in the stockroom?) Chris’ brother-in-law is a big Deadhead, and he always asks Chris to play “China Cat Sunflower”… which Chris refuses to play. So if you’re picking up some delicious Kroger® Sea Salt Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels (just $1.99!) and roll past CC, ask him to play “CCS”… it’ll be a hoot!

Saturday (and some Sunday) evening shows:

Camp Springs Tavern hosts Jam on the Creek, with great local music (Randy Steffen, Michael Moeller, The Pour Hours), food (Little Rock Farm) and beer (Fifty West).
Joe’s Truck Stop has an album release party in the Southgate Lounge, while upstairs in the Revival Room it’s The Mango Furs.
Coney Island hosts Appalachian Festival (Sunday too!).
Yonder Mountain String Band headlines both evenings (Sat-Sun) of the Rivergrass music festival at the old Annie’s.
Testament, Exodus and Death Angel play a sold-out (and likely quite loud) show at Madison Theater.

On Sunday, in addition to the aforementioned festivals above, Mudhoney plays the Southgate House, and Deftones play the Cindy Brady.

Mud. Cindy Brady. They go together. But they’re separate shows.

On Tuesday:

AJR kicks off the Riverbend season (Good lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise…).
Band of Heathens and Chicago Farmer are at the Woodward.
Last — and least — the Mixtape Tour (i.e. New Kids on the Block, Salt ‘n Pepa, Rick Astley and En Vogue) hits the Coliseum (speaking of ancient artifacts).

Wednesday:

Guitar wizard Eric Johnson plays Ludlow Garage.
Victor Wooten/The Wooten Brothers play Memorial Hall.
Lung is at MOTR.

Next Friday marks the return of the Parlor & Patio house concert series, with Ritt & Wilder Dietz playing at the home of list members Dave and Jacqui Killen, in scenic Ft. Thomas, Kentucky. Ft. Thomas is known for its “cake eaters” but at P&P, they serve pie!

The P&P show is sold out (live music + pie = high demand), but they have Jesse Terry booked for 6/16. Get yer tix now!

Other shows on Friday, May 13th:

Marc Cohn plays Ludlow Garage (he’ll be walkin’ in Clifton….)
The Ghost of Paul Revere gallops into Taft
Bitch, Katie Cash and Kristen Ford are in Southgate’s Revival Room
Night Owl and The Hiders (duo) play a free gig in the Southgate Lounge.
Garth Brooks opens a two-night stand at Paul Brown Stadium.

Gig radar

King Cobra is gone for good, but Timberwolf is back, baby!

And for this year’s Timberwolf Amphitheatre shows, you don’t have to purchase a ticket to the amusement park. The Avett Brothers kick off the series on Tuesday, June 28th. Full summer lineup and ticket links are here.

The Afghan Whigs just announced a hometown show at Bogart’s on Sept. 11. And Built to Spill is playing the Woodward on Monday, August 22nd.

Jesse is a friend… of democracy

Jesse Malin and Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello) teamed up to cover the Pogues to drum up donations for the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation.

Love your mom… KISS your dad

Happy Mother’s Day to all the real mothers. And Paul Stanley had some sage advice for all of us

as he paid tribute to his dad, who passed away last April at the age of 101.

Pearls of wisdom from the guy who wrote “Love Gun”… who’d a thunk it?

Album Cover of the Week

We’re turning over an old Leif. Because the back cover can’t be any worse.

This Week in Live Music: November 4-10

Concert Listings, Music

Welp, our Ragnar Relay from San Francisco to Napa was a bust; it was cancelled due to wildfires. Some may blame global climate change, but I know the real culprit is Michael Martin Murphey.

The cancellation actually worked out pretty well for our 12-person team. We got to skip the tired, sweaty, smelly, trying-to-sleep-in-a-van parts, and just did the fun tourist parts. On Friday, we did a 6-mile run from the beach at Golden Gate Park, along waterfront cliffs and across the Golden Gate Bridge. That was pretty cool.

You know what else is cool? Live music! Let’s get to the gigs.

Sunday, November 3rd, John Cusack will be at Taft for a screening of the movie Say Anything, followed by a live conversation. Not bad if you enjoy paying a minimum of $52.75 (plus fees) to watch a 30-year-old movie.

On Monday, 11/4, The Japanese House plays the Taft Ballroom, and list member John Sandman’s Tye Dye Band appears at The Lounge in Anderson. (If you’ve never been to The Lounge, it’s the Anderson Township equivalent of the cantina in the original Star Wars.) John was the captain of our Napa relay team and did a great job making lemonade out of the lemons we were handed.

John’s in the center of the photo above, in the tie-dye shirt and the unicorn headgear. If he wears that ensemble tomorrow at The Lounge, he’ll fit right in.

Tuesday, 11/5 is election day, so you need to rock the vote.

After the polls close, you can enjoy any of these gigs:

Lucy Dacus plays Woodward, with Liza Anne as the opener (check out her fun cover song at the end of this post)
Tool is at Riverfront Coliseum, with opener Killing Joke
Icon for Hire plays Top Cats
Madison Theater hosts An Evening with Billy Corgan

Wednesday, 11/6 has a crowded concert menu too:

Joan Shelley plays Southgate
Dream Theater is at Taft
The California Honeydrops play Riverfront Live
The Kingston Trio plays Memorial Hall. Perhaps the opening acts will be Mitch & Mickey, The Folksmen and The New Main Street Singers.

And last but not least, list member Mark Celsor’s new band Left of Center is at Urban Artifact on Wednesday. Here’s a blurb from Facebook event page:

Join us for the sweet taste of victory, or the haunting solemness of defeat, the day after this year’s election with the modern folk, labor and protest music stylings of Left of Center as they perform new and classic American folk songs.

On Thursday, November 7th, you can see Kung Fu at Ludlow Garage. [NOTE: This does not mean you’ll watch the movie Kung Fu Panda with an actual panda… although I’d pay $52.75 for that!) Ben Levin plays BrewRiver that evening, too.

Friday (11/8), Ricky Nye and Paul Ellis play Wiedemann’s taproom, Marcus Miller is at Ludlow Garage and Bogart’s hosts Yacht Rock Revue, which is absolutely nothing like this:

Saturday, 11/9 is a musical buffet of the non-Jimmy Buffett variety:

Wilco will be at Taft. List member Joe Sampson and I saw Jay Bennett-era Wilco at Ripley’s in Clifton back in February of 1997. Killer show, complete with Cheap Trick and Replacements cover songs and a few Uncle Tupelo tunes (setlist is here). Hard to top that one.
The Amy Helm Band plays Miami U-Middletown
Katie Toupin (formerly of Houndmouth) is at MOTR
Shemekia Copeland plays Memorial Hall
Mayday! is at Top Cats
Randy Steffen plays Camp Springs Tavern
Ben Levin plays Overlook Kitchen & Bar at the Summit Hotel in Madisonville.

On Sunday, November 10th, the Outlaws will be at Ludlow Garage. List members Whit Gardner and Professor David Reid will be in attendance, and I may join them. Also, The Wood Brothers play Taft with Nicole Atkins, and Bogart’s has a quadruple bill of Newfound Glory, Hawthorne Heights, Free Throw and Jetty Bones, and King Buffalo will be at MOTR.

Hot ticket alert

Primo songwriter Jimmy Webb is playing a cool gig at Memorial Hall on Saturday, March 21st, 2020:

JIMMY WEBB: THE GLEN CAMPBELL YEARS highlights some of the 100+ recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook, pulling the audience in with various accounts each night of the personal side of generational touchstones like “Honey Come Back,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and more from decades of shared musical memories.

Hot ticket turned cold ticket alert

The Jesse Malin show at Southgate on 11/15 is no longer listed on Jesse’s website or the Southgate website. I was really, really, really looking forward to that gig because Jesse’s a fantastic performer and his new album Sunset Kids (produced by Lucinda Williams) is a gem. However, this is not the first time that a Jesse Malin show was scheduled at Southgate and then vanished. #FML

Shameless self-promotion

Check out the newest episode of the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast, where Dave Tellmann and I chat with intern-turned-record label exec Aaron Borns. Episodes are on this website, and also available on Podbean, Spotify and iTunes.

I also try to update the song and video on the top of the 97Xbam.com home page every couple of weeks, and you’ll always find fresh news from the website Under The Radar in our RSS feed, including a “best songs of the week.”

Tip o’ the cap

Thanks to my cousin-in-law Mike Holmes for putting us on the guest list for the Spookfloaters sold-out show at Dead Low Brewing (near Riverbend) on 11/1. Their acoustic set was outstanding, and Dead Low has a nice layout which includes a big patio and an indoor stage. I’m looking forward to hearing more live music from local bands there.

Answers to our poll question: what’s your favorite hidden gem cover tune?

Dan “2020 Reds season ticket packages are on sale now” Lewis picked Dwight Yoakam covering the Rolling Stones:

Marc Allen got very specific, selecting Jason Isbell joining Widespread Panic for an incendiary live version of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” back in 2016:

Bruce Frasure didn’t pick a cover, he was just glad to find a fellow Syd Straw fan, and mentioned this fantastic tune from her and some dude named Michael (who has been in the news of late).

Speaking of covers, here’s Lucy Dacus (at Woodward Theater this Tuesday) doing a rockin’ version of an Xmas evergreen:

Have a great week!

This Fortnight in Live Music: September 9-22

Concert Listings, Music

Yes, this time aroundwe’re covering a two week stretch, a.k.a a fortnight. But not Fortnite. Apologies to all our tween subscribers.

WORST BURP EVER! - Fortnite Funny Moments with the Crew ...

I’ll be out of town most of next week, inspecting Hurricane Dorian damage in the Outer Banks of North Cackalacky (from the comfort of a hot tub). So let’s get to it… and two it!

Glen Hansard was scheduled to play the Taft on Monday. But it got cancelled:

We are sorry to announce that have to cancel tomorrow night’s show in Cincinnati due to illness. This is something we hoped to avoid as we know how much time and energy goes into making a show happen. We would like to thank all of folks who planned on coming for their understanding. Again we apologize for this inconvenience and look forward to returning to The Taft soon. Refunds are available at point of purchase.
https://tafttheatre.org/events/2019/09/glen-hansard

On Tuesday, ZZ Top and Cheap Trick play Rose Music Center. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s spinning guitars and five neck guitars, respectively.

That same evening, Elizabeth Moen is at Southgate, and Ben Levin plays at Arnold’s.

Wednesday, Adam Ant brings his Friend or Foe tour to Taft, and Morrissey is scheduled to play Fraze Pavilion, with Interpol as the opener. (We say “scheduled to play” because Moz has been known to flake out on shows before. He’s like the bastard son of George Jones and Axl Rose.)

Shonen Knife is at Southgate, with Me Like Bees opening. Them Coulee Boys are also at Southgate, in the Revival Room, with the Restless Leg String Band. “Thrash crossover legends” (just reading the press release) DRI play Northside Yacht Club, with Deathwish, Uncle Sammy & the Warlords and (earmuff it, tweens) Fuckin Basterd. Meanwhile, the resurgent Jonas Brothers play the Riverfront Mausoleum.

Thursday night, Lord Huron will be holding court at Taft. Lord Licorice will still be playing Candyland.

On Friday, Chuck Cleaver plays the early show (7 pm) at Urban Artifact, with William Matheny, then Nappy Roots plays the late show (9 pm) with Triiibe and In2itv3. Chely Wright plays Southgate’s main room, and Honeysuckle is in the Revival Room. Bad Suns are at 20th Century, Starset plays Bogart’s, and Gladys Knight is at Taft.

Meanwhile, in the Land that Time Forgot (West Siiiiiidddee!) Sebastian Bach plays the Skid Row album at the Blue Note in Harrison.

The Raconteurs come to the Taft on Saturday, with opener Olivia Jean. CityBeat has a nice profile of the Raconteurs Cincinnati rhythm section (Jack “Little Jack” Lawrence and Patrick Keeler). Will Johnson plays a living room show in the Lebanon area, and Andrew Salgado and Jonathan Cody White play the Downtowne Listening Room.

Keb’ Mo’ has a sold out solo show at Memorial Hall on Sunday, and the Denim Wedding Tour with Blake Berglund and Belle Plaine is at Southgate in the Lounge.

Monday, Sept. 16 — Sunday, Sept. 22

Monday, Sept. 16, Sun Kil Moon plays Woodward, continuing the Woodward’s tradition of scheduling shows that I’d really like to see for dates that I’m out of town (see also Built to Spill). And in a “you got chocolate in my peanut butter” show, Blink 182 and Lil’ Wayne play Riverbend. It’s the greatest pairing since Robby Benson and Donny “Ralph Malph” Most in a Reese’s commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwGQ_w9lgHw

In the 70s, lots of people walked down the street with an open jar of peanut butter.

Kacy & Clayton play Southgate on Tuesday (9/17), and Marianas Trench is at Madison Theater.

Ludlow Garage has been rescheduling a lot of the shows that were supposed to happen over the past few weeks, but as of this writing, it appears that the Tyler Hilton show on Wednesday 9/18 is a go.

The much-anticipated Ludlow Garage 50th Anniversary show is Thursday (9/19), with Dweezil Zappa playing his dad’s Hot Rats album. That same evening, Indigo Girls are at Taft, and MeatWound, Thunderclap and Ball of Light play Northside Yacht Club.

The Bourbon & Beyond Festival kicks off Friday in Louisville at the KY Expo Center.

And the Overcast Hip Hop Festival starts its two night stand on Friday. It was originally slated for Top Cats but has been moved the Thompson House (old Southgate).

Also on Friday, 9/20:

The Mavericks play Taft
The Breeders play a free show at Dayton’s Levitt Pavilion
The Ghost Wolves visit MOTR
Steel Pulse plays Ludlow Garage
Murder by Death is at Woodward
Jason Eady is playing Southgate
Erica Blinn plays Camp Springs Tavern.

If you like to gamble on whether or not marginal bands from the 90s will still be any good in 2019, Eve 6, Fastball and Vertical Horizon are playing the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Saturday 9/21:

Dan Bern is at York Street Cafe
Unknown Hinson and Vincent Neal Emerson play Southgate
Crash Test Dummies play the 25th anniversary of God Shuffled His Feet at Memorial Hall
Agnostic Front ups the anniversary ante by playing a 35th anniversary show at Northside Yacht Club with Prong and Spear
Horace Greene, Life Brother and Mom & Dad are at Urban Artifact
Frank Gambale is at Ludlow, with Dennis Chambers, Sean Wayland and Mike Pope.

On Sunday, the Outlaw Music Festival comes to Riverbend, with Willie Nelson & Family, Bonnie Raitt, Luke Combs, Brothers Osborne and more.

That same evening, Ludlow hosts Jimmy Herring and the 5 of 7.

Notes from last week

The Avett Brothers show after the Reds game was a lot of fun. I took my 16-year-old daughter Leah – so glad that she’s finally acquiring her old man’s stellar taste in music. 🙂 Leah and I also saw Jake Speed & The Freddies at Stanbury Park in scenic Mt. Washington (a.k.a. “Anderson Heights”) on Friday night. Well, I call him Jake Speed, but Leah calls him “Mr. Riordon, my 7th grade English teacher at Walnut Hills.”

Album of the Week

One of my all-time favorite under-the-radar artists, Jesse Malin, has a new album out called Sunset Kids, produced by Lucinda Williams. Please put your ears on it now and thank me later.

Album of the other week

Since this is a fortnight post, let’s double down on the tunes. Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby and Maren Morris have teamed up to become The Highwomen (a distaff version of the Willie/Waylon/Johnny/Kris Highwaymen). Their self-titled debut is out now.

This cover isn’t on the album, but it’s on a movie soundtrack:

Shameless plea for Cystic Fibrosis donations

As noted in a previous post, I’m riding 32 miles in the Cystic Fibrosis Cycle for Life event in Cincinnati this Saturday. Thanks much to those who have already donated. If you haven’t, there’s still time… and I’m only $25 away from hitting the $1,000 mark in donations, which would be pretty friggin’ cool. Don’t feel obligated, but if you are so inclined, you can do so here: http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/Cycle/42_Greater_Cincinnati_Cincinnati?team_id=82559&pg=team&fr_id=7574#teamRoster

Album cover of the week

Have a great week! And have a great next week!