Todd Lipscomb

New Year, New Tunes

Concert Listings, Music

Happy New Year, my friend! May your 2025 be rockin’!

I hope your resolutions are holding up well, too.

It’s not exactly a monster lineup of concerts, but let’s check the ol’ calendar to see what’s brewing the the live lab.

Tomorrow night, Memorial Hall has Queen Of The Queen City, The Musical Times of Mamie Smith. The band will be Ben Levin, Candice Ivory, Noah Wotherspoon, and Brandon Pettiford. And the Woodward Theater screens Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story.

On Wednesday, Hillary Hahn (the NKY singer-songwriter, not Hilary Hahn, the violinist) plays Arnold’s, and The Gilmour Project: Wish You Were Here is at Memorial Hall. The Gilmour Project is:

  • Pete Lavezzoli (drums with Black JGB, Oteil & Friends), and Hilary Hahn plays Arnold’s
  • Jeff Pevar (lead guitar with CSN, David Crosby/CPR, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, Phil Lesh & Friends, Ricki Lee Jones, Marc Cohn)
  • Berry Oakley (bass & vocals with Allman Betts Band, North Mississippi All-Stars, Blue Floyd & The Doors)
  • Mark Karan (guitar & vocals with Bob Weir, RatDog, The Other Ones, Dave Mason)
  • Scott Guberman (keyboard & vocals with Phil Lesh & Friends, Keystone Revisited)

The Gilmour Project isn’t: David Gilmour.

Thursday, The Daniel Wayne Band (more on them later) plays MOTR. And if you’re into pro wrasslin’, Lori’s Roadhouse in West Chester has something big… er, little, in store.

Shows this Friday:

  • Peter Mulvey plays Southgate
  • Ernie Johnson from Detroit is at the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, IN
  • Ludlow Garage has The Ultimate Doors
  • Ludlow Theater rolls out the red(s) carpet for the Bronson Arroyo Band

On Saturday:

  • Pelican and Knife the Symphony play the Woodward
  • Southgate House hosts Blind Mouse (a Radiohead tribute band)
  • Annie’s has the KISS tribute band Strutter

I wonder if, when Strutter hits the stage, they say “you wanted a reasonable facsimile of the best, you got a reasonable facsimile of the best”…

A week from tomorrow — on MLK Jr. Day, no less — it’s inauguration day for, as Jeff Tiedrich calls him:

a quadrice-indicted twice-impeached once-convicted popular-vote-losing adderall-huffing insurrection-leading ear-diapering testimony-ducking judge-threatening lawyer-ignoring debate-avoiding witness-tampering day-one-dictatoring disabled-veteran-dishonoring inheritance-squandering rube-fleecing clown-makeup-smearing language-mangling sneaker-hawking serial-sexual-predating draft-dodging casino-bankrupting butler-bullying daughter-perving hush-money-paying real-estate-scamming bone-spur-faking ketchup-hurling justice-obstructing classified-war-plan-thieving golf-cheating stock-manipulating weather-map-defacing war-criminal-pardoning horse-paste-promoting paper-towel-flinging race-baiting tax-evading evidence-destroying charity-defrauding money-laundering diaper-filling 88-count 78-year-old fluorescent-tangerine narcoleptic fart factory. 

Next Tuesday (1/21), local singer/songwriter/all-around-great-guy Todd Lipscomb plays Arnold’s.

Liberty Theater has a free Songwriters in the Round show next Thursday (1/23) featuring Harley Day and James Reed.

Shows on Friday, Jan. 24:

  • Webb Wilder and Bucket play Southgate
  • Mosant is at MOTR
  • Papadosio kicks off a two-night stand at the Madison Theater
  • Meshell Ndegeocello plays Ludlow Garage
  • Little Miami Brewing Co. hosts The Eagles Project
  • The Blue Note in Harrison has Captain Fantastic (Elton John tribute) with 52nd Street (yes, a Billy Joel tribute band)

On Saturday, Jan. 25:

  • Memorial Hall has “On a Winter’s Night” with singer/songwriters Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, and Patty Larkin
  • Magnolia Boulevard plays the Liberty Theater, with Pure Grain also on the bill
  • The Montvales play the Woodward, with The Harmed Brothers and Rae Fisher
  • Papadosio is papa-doing it again at Madison Theater
  • Adeem the Artist plays Southgate
  • JD Legends in Franklin, OH has Thunderstruck (America’s AC/DC)
  • The Aronoff hosts The Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular

Noah Wotherspoon plays the Rabbit Hash “Music Behind the Stove” series on Sunday, Jan. 26 (2 p.m. show start) and Tinfoil Hat Cowboys play two sets that evening at MOTR.

The Faux Frenchmen play Memorial Hall on Monday, Jan. 27. Here’s my favorite faux Frenchman:

Memorial Hall has “All You Need is Love: An All-Star Tribute to the Beatles” on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

  • Kasim Sulton – Vocals, Bass, Guitar (Meatloaf, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, Blue Oyster Cult, Hall & Oates, Cheap Trick, Cyndi Lauper, Patty Smyth, Joan Jett)
  • Steve Kimock – Guitar, Bass (Zero, Oteil & Friends, Jazz Is Dead, The Other Ones, RatDog, Rhythm Devils, Phil Lesh & Friends, Kingfish, Heart of Gold Band)
  • Prairie Prince – Drums (The Tubes, Journey, Todd Rundgren, Blue Floyd, Jefferson Starship, Phil Lesh & Friends, XTC, George Harrison, Chris Isaak)
  • Bobby Lee Rodgers – Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Sitar Simulation (Jazz is Dead, The Codetalkers with Col. Bruce Hampton, Vassar Clements, Warren Haynes, Widespread Panic, George Porter Jr.)
  • Gil Assayas – Vocals, Keyboard (Kasim Sulton’s Utopia, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia)
  • Mark Rashotte – Guitar (Jake Clemons, Creed, Photograph)
  • Andy Forgie – Vocals, Theatrics (Creed, Photograph)
  • Narrated by Michael Des Barres (The Mistakes, Power Station, Detective, Silverhead)

Not part of the band: Pete Best.

Go to church on WEENsdays

Here’s a pretty cool monthly event going on down on Eastern Avenue (where it’s still called “Eastern Avenue” not the hoity toity “Riverside Drive” section). My friend Eric’s wife Laura runs The Columbia, an old church that’s been converted into a performance space.

I’ve visited the venue, it has great acoustics, a cool vibe, and a vintage jukebox in the basement.

And it’s available for audio and video recording (Ruby Vileos, The Hiders, and Daniel Wayne Band all have test driven it), rehearsal space, private shows, social gatherings, and more.

Follow The Columbia on Instagram, and email the.columbia.cincy@gmail.com for more info.  

A+ on SNL

I’m not the biggest Hozier fan in the world, but he and his band and backup singers did justice to one of the best Xmas songs ever.

Wurster has Slim musical knowledge

Jon Wurster (drummer for Mountain Goats and Bob Mould, formerly with Superchunk) is a great follow on Instagram. His #mynewworstfriend posts are consistently hilarious (see below for a prime example). But he also is a student of the the scene, and his tribute to the late great replacement Replacement Slim Dunlap was fantastic:

List member Joe Sampson and I will always fondly remember talking to Slim at the old Southgate House. The liquor store named Cabooze figured prominently in the conversation.

Jon Wurster also played on this tune (as did Wilco’s John Stirratt):

Winter weather is the Wurst

From the aforementioned Jon Wurster Instagram, where folks can submit weird and wacky photos/images to claim the daily title of his new worst friend.

America is catching on to Wussy

Their new album Cincinnati Ohio made several 2024 year-end best of lists. #50 on the Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Indie Rock Albums, #50 in the Stereogum Top 50, and #36 on Paste’s 40 Best Rock Albums.

Album Covers of the Weeks

My new year’s resolution. It’s a lot better than my current “work and stay poor” plan. I’m struggling with the “think” part, though.

Drinking and driving… what could possibly go wrong?

R.I.P. Slim

Golden April Showers

Concert Listings, Music

First and foremost, Happy Wet Day to all who celebrate!

(If you know, you know. And if you don’t, you need to listen to Comedy Bang Bang.)

April is spraying us with a steady stream of solid gold shows. But not these kind:

Let’s get to the calendar!

Tomorrow night, it’s our pick for the best under-the-radar show of the month: John Moreland at Ludlow Garage. His new album Visitor is great… dude’s an amazing songwriter.

I’d attend but I’ll be busy losing money at Keeneland while getting soaked to the bone by thunderstorms. (Not exactly an idyllic vacation day, but it still beats working.)

Also tomorrow night, Brothers Osborne play the Mike Brady.

On Friday:

  • Owl City plays Bogart’s
  • Todd Lipscomb does the MOTR happy hour (5-7 p.m.)
  • Ludlow Garage hosts “Jump: America’s Van Halen Experience”
  • Aronoff has “Piano Men: The Music of Billy Joel & Elton John”

Speaking of Van Halen, if you’ve never played with this handy toy, you need to right now. (“I’ll wait…”)

And speaking of Piano Men, this performance is brilliant on so many levels:

Saturday evening is “Pick Your Time Machine” night:

  • Ovation has “Wish You Were Here – The Sights and Sounds of Pink Floyd”
  • Ludlow Garage hosts “Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience.”

Sunday? More time machine action… this time it’s “The Kings of Queen” at Memorial Hall.

Is it just me, or do the non-lead-singer members of the “Kings of Queen” band need to put a bit more effort into their promo photo attire?

It’s like Freddie Mercury stopped by a pawn shop and took a quick photo with the staff.

Things pick up a bit on Monday, when Suzanne Vega plays “Old Songs, New Songs and Other Songs” at Memorial Hall. I have a single ticket to that show, in the very last row of the balcony… I call it my Solitude Standing tribute.

Tuesday gigs:

  • Scott H. Biram plays Southgate with Dead Man String Band opening
  • Todd Lipscomb is at Arnold’s
  • Queensryche rocks Bogart’s

The Bygones play the Woodward Theater next Wednesday, April 17th.

Next Thursday (4/18):

  • Southgate has Wonder Women of Country featuring Kelly Willis, Melissa Caper and Brennen Leight
  • Memorial Hall hosts Live Dead & Brothers, a tribute to Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers (show description: Les Dudek from The Allman Brothers, original Grateful Dead pianist Tom Constanten, Berry Duane Oakley from The Allman Betts Band, Mark Karan from Bob Weir & Rat Dog, Scott Guberman from Phil Lesh & Friends, and Pete Lavezzoli from Oteil & Friends… skillfully recreate the magic of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band’s co-billed concerts during the period of 1969 to1973. Their performances capture the raw energy, improvisational prowess, and soul-stirring melodies that defined an era of musical innovation.)
  • Busta Rhymes hits the Jan Brady
  • “Bust a banjo” might happen at the bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam at Camp Springs Tavern

Next Friday (4/19), it’s the show I always dreamed of — the band Alvvays — at the less-than-dreamy venue of Bogart’s. I love the former so much that I’m willing to put up with the latter.

Other shows on Friday 4/19:

  • Carbon Leaf at Ludlow Garage
  • Ricky Nye Inc. plays the Southgate Lounge
  • Joe Satriani and Steve Vai shred at the Greg Brady
  • The old Annie’s hosts An Evening with the Sam Grisman Project
  • Big Something plays Madison Theater

Next Saturday is 4/20, dude.

Shows that evening include:

  • Los Honchos in the Southgate Lounge
  • Todd Lipscomb at Camp Springs Tavern
  • Spyro Gyra at Ludlow Garage
  • Christine Havrilla & Mama’s Black Sheep play the Downtowne Listening Room
  • Aronoff hosts Rain: a Tribute to the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

The Skatalites play Ludlow Garage on Sunday, April 21st and The Ruen Brothers are at Southgate House.

On Monday, April 22nd, The Toasters celebrate 43 Years of Ska at Southgate. Speaking of toasters, it’s also Earth Day, and our planet might be toast unless we switch to clean energy.

Matthew Sweet plays Ludlow Garage on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Wednesday, April 24th is a busy concert evening:

  • Todd Rundgren is at the Carol Brady
  • The Robert Cray Band plays Memorial Hall
  • The Young Dubliners roll into Ludlow Garage

Friday, April 26th is a big day for all things Ohio:

  • Rob Harvilla, music writer for The Ringer (as well as Medina native, proud Ohio U. grad, and Columbus resident) comes to Knox Joseph Distilling in OTR (courtesy of the Mercantile Library) to discuss his book 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s with list member Jay Stowe. The book is a companion piece to Rob’s hilarious podcast of the same name. (Listen to the first 10 minutes of this episode for proof.) I’ll be there (starts at 6 p.m.), but I have to cut out early to make it to:
  • Dayton’s own Guided By Voices and Cincinnati’s own Wussy (full band) at the Madison Theater

Other shows that evening include Flock of Seagulls at Ludlow, and Todd Lipscomb with Michael Moeller at Wunderbar in Covington.

Ludlow Garage has Catalina Wine Mixer on Saturday, 4/27. And Howie Day plays there on Sunday, 4/28.

Damning with faint (yet accurate) praise

List member Michael “Rico” Carrico and his lovely bride Ashley recently attended the Josh Ritter show at Memorial Hall, and he said it was “thanks to being alerted by a reputable newsletter published by a questionable character.” Hey, I resemble that remark!

Making Hay while the sun shines

On Opening Day, I loaded up on free food and beer at my company’s lunch celebration during the parade, went to the Reds game courtesy of list member Dave “Deuce” Richmond, and then my lovely bride and I saw Colin Hay at Taft thanks to free tickets from list members Dave and Jacqui Killen. It was, as Jacqui called it, my own Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Someone who obviously didn’t scheme as well as Ferris was this person:

If it was a bro-country show, they definitely should’ve been fired.

Math is funky

Here’s your annual reminder to stay on the one, courtesy of Bootsy and list member Todd Butler:

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

Swingers and nannies… the perfect combo!

“Stay gold, Ponyboy!”

This Week (and a Day) in Live Music: August 26-September 2

Concert Listings, Concert review

Yes, that’s right, for this edition of TWILM we’re throwing in a bonus day absolutely free. That’s nearly 15% more than our regular TWILM at no cost! How do we do it? We buy in volume and pass the savings on to you!

“It’s one louder”

Before we get into this week’s gigs, I need to apologize for not letting you know that Stevie Wonder and Chance the Rapper were playing in Dayton yesterday. My bad.

OK, moving on to this week. Wow, can you believe it’s almost Labor Day? Thanks to WEBN, the station that plays four AC/DC songs every hour, summer in Cincinnati always ends with a bang. Also thanks to WEBN, summer ends with the country’s largest outdoor display of mullets, jorts and prison ink.

Kentucky side or Ohio side? Yes, that’s correct.

It’s a relatively quiet week for live music, and a few of the gigs have a novelty flair to them. Knotts plays MOTR on Monday, with Circadian Clocks also on the bill. Tuesday, Roots of Creation plays Top Cats. Their website bills them as “electronic dance music, jam, reggae, rock, ska, world group from New Hampshire.” Their new album is Grateful Dub: A Reggae-Infused Tribute to the Grateful Dead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2W33u-2J1c

Columbus reggae band Quasi Kings opens. Your dreadlocks must be at least one foot long to enter the show.

Zapruder Point plays The Listing Loon on Wednesday.

On Thursday…

Yes, KISS will be playing Riverbend, as part of an alleged farewell tour. Gene Simmons turned 70 yesterday, so perhaps instead of spitting blood he’ll be spitting Geritol.

In a KISS-related story, Ace Frehley will be playing a Dodge dealership in East Hanover, NJ next month.

On Friday, Macy Gray was supposed to play Ludlow Garage, but that gig has been rescheduled to October 15th. But here are the gigs that are on: Dailey & Vincent play Memorial Hall; Will Payne Harrison, Chelsea Ford & The Trouble and My Brother’s Keeper are in Southgate’s Revival Room; Lagniappe is playing Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, Kentucky, with circus acrobats also working the room (really!); the Nick Netherton Band and Noah Smith play the free show at Sawyer Point; Ben Levin and Noah Wotherspoon play Mansion Hill Tavern; The Doors of Chicago are at Bogart’s; and This Pine Box plays Blind Bob’s in Dayton’s Oregon District, a venue and district that both could use some positive vibes.

Saturday, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, a Finnish band that plays bluegrass versions of metal songs (seriously, I couldn’t even make that up), is on Southgate’s main stage, with ClusterPluck as the opener.

Meanwhile, the Steepwater Band plays Southgate’s Revival Room, Lagniappe (and tightrope walkers) are back at Bircus, and Pearl Crush is at Northside Tavern along with Britt and Brooklynn Rae.

Sunday, Judah & The Lion, Steven Puth and Public play Sawyer Point as part of the fireworks festivities, starting at 5 p.m. Mike & The Moonpies are at Southgate, and rockabilly band Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones are at MOTR.

List member Dave Tellmann, the Detective Phil Fish of Modern Rock, has caught wind of a block party in Mt. Adams called The Annual, featuring tunes from 3 p.m. until midnight, including an Allman Bros. tribute band at 7:30 and the Just Strange Brothers (CCM folks) doing a tribute to Talking Heads at 10 p.m. I’m intrigued. I’m hoping to go, even though I’ll probably have to walk a bit due to the fireworks cluster/closed streets. Who’s with me?

Next Monday is Labor Day. This song is required listening:

Notes from last week

List member Todd Butler and I caught Todd Lipscomb (and friends Brandon and Adam) at Camp Springs Tavern on Saturday night. Camp Springs Tavern is a neat little bar owned by list member Keith Neltner, whose multi-generation family farm is just across the street. If you haven’t been to CST, you really need to check it out, it’s got a great vibe, a nice little outdoor patio, and live “down-home” music most weekends.

Todd Lipscomb at Camp Springs Tavern

Blatant self-promotion

Another episode of the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast, co-hosted by super sleuth Dave Tellmann and yours truly, was recently posted on this website, as well as in iTunes, Spotify and Podbean. In this edition, we chat with John “JJ” Jesser, the original Breakfast Club co-host.

Hot ticket alert

There are only a handful of tickets left for the Brett Newski house concert at Parlor & Patio (the home of list members Jacqui and Dave Killen) in Ft. Thomas on Friday, Sept. 27th. Get yours here with the password Parlor

Mini movie worth watching

Hat tip to list member Joe Sampson for the link to a mini-movie about the making of the Tiny Changes album, an all-star tribute to Frightened Rabbit’s brilliant 2008 release The Midnight Organ Fight.

Band name of the week (NSFW variety)

Album cover of the week

If only they still taught kids in grades K-6 how to do “The Monkey” and “Funky Broadway”… the world would be a better place.

Have a wonderful week and a day!