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.

Summertime blues (and other music genres)

Concert Listings, Music

The official start of summer is just around the corner. So are some decent shows. But first, a P.S.A.:

All day today (until midnight PDT), Bandcamp is holding their third annual Juneteenth fundraiser, where they donate 100% of their share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, a racial justice organization with a long history of effectively enacting change through litigation, advocacy, and public education. Read their statement here.

Tonight:

  • Steve Rosen discusses his book Lost Cincinnati Concert Venues of the 50s and 60s at MOTR at 6 p.m.
  • The two-day Hell is Ohio festival kicks off at Swine City Brewing in Fairfield, with 500 Miles to Memphis as the headliner.
  • Ben Levin plays Front Street Cafe in New Richmond
  • The Wood Brothers, Guster and David Wax Museum play the Marsha Brady
  • Fitz & the Tantrums and St. Paul & the Broken Bones double-ampersand the Fraze.
  • Matchbox Twenty and the Wallflowers are at Riverbend
  • Hiroshima is at the Ludlow Garage
  • Carriage House Farm in North Bend is hosting Songwriter Sweep: An Evening of Short Sets with The Hiders, Night Owl, Zapruder Point and Peace Police.

Saturday:

Free admission
  • Indigo De Souza plays Madison Live
  • Jackie Venson (blues) and New Breed Brass Band are at RiversEDGE in Hamilton
  • Neal Francis headlines the Fountain Square free show
  • This Pine Box plays a free show at MOTR with Boa and Fat Sal. Showtime is 10 p.m.
  • Ben Levin’s at BrewRiver
  • Jesse Terry will be at Parlor & Patio (a.k.a. the home of list members Dave & Jacqui Killen) in Ft. Thomas. A few tickets might still be available here – and check out the Jesse video below.

On Sunday, Train makes a stop (ba-dump-bump) at Riverbend, with Jewel, Blues Traveler and Will Anderson in tow. (List member Lisa Collins saw Blues Traveler play at Top Cats back in the day. Perhaps the hook will bring her back.)

But most of the smelly hippies will be at the Greg Brady on Sunday night for An Acoustic Evening with Trey Anastasio.

Greg ordering takeout – he got the Phish.

Sunday is Father’s Day too – This Week in Live Music would like to wish a very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads on this list. May your day be peaceful and relaxing.

But Tuesday, is a day for The Chicks (nee Dixie Chicks)… they play Riverbend, with Patty Griffin as the opener.

Or if you prefer Bon-Bons, you can savor Bon Iver and Bonnie Light Horseman at the Ovation. (Sorry, no Bon Jovi.)

https://youtu.be/paOGLFDADgY

Tuesday also is the official start of summer.

The smelly hippies will be back in full force on Wednesday, when Dead & Company come truckin’ into Riverbend. Yours truly will be there, as Mrs. TWILM is quite the deadhead.

Samuel Hibbard plays a free gig at Washington Park on Thursday as part of their Roots Revival series.

Next Friday, June 24th:

  • The Jan Brady hosts An Evening with Jackson Browne
  • Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers play the Taft
  • Phil Vassar plays the old Annie’s

Letters to the Editor

List member/Cereal Killer Howard Cohen riffed on last week’s SMÖRGÅSBORD theme by sending us this gem of a 70s TV commercial:

That commercial sent me down a Mason Reese rabbit hole… I’m still there.

Nimoy’s suit is highly illogical

Speaking of rabbit holes, list member Gil Kaufman and I were at the same grad party last weekend and he was telling me about his detective work trying to track down the kid from the Pearl Jam “Jeremy” video. The piece Gil wrote for Billboard back in 2017 is here – as Spock would say “fascinating!”

Silliness for a serious cause

Also from Gil comes news that you can pre-order a seven-inch vinyl edition of this Who medley from Tenacious D, with proceeds benefitting Everytown for Gun Safety:

Silliness for the sake of being silly

If you’re not familiar with James Fridman, a Photoshop whiz who accepts requests from anyone… but often turns them into something a bit too literal… you really need to check out his website. Here’s an example of his work:

Album Cover of the Week

Happy Father’s Day! Happy Summer!