Dog days, sweet tunes

Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Are you ready for the dog days of summer?

Damn right “Attica!”

Are you ready for the Dawg days of summer too?

How about the Dogg days?

Well, ready or not, here comes August – the month that gets its name from Augustus Gloop, the fat kid who got sucked up into the chocolate pipe (not as dirty as it sounds) in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Augustus Gloop also was the inspiration for these sophisticated Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar on Me” lyrics:

I’m hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah

In other words, Augustus Gloop rocks! And you can too – let’s take a look at all the hot, sticky sweet shows coming your way in the month ahead.

(Note: this post covers only August gigs. If you’d like listings for August and Everything After, please contact Counting Crows.)

My oh my, the sweetest treat comes right out of the chute (again, not as dirty as it sounds):

Cereal Killers play Big Ash this Saturday, August 1st! (a.k.a. “tomorrow”)

They will play all your favorite 97X hits, some Petty… and maybe an Oompa Loompa song for good measure. The usual d2 discount will apply – first beer’s on me (with coupon):

There are other shows on Saturday — although they pale in comparison to the big Cereal Killers gig, much like Cereal Killers’ lead singer Howard Cohen’s skin pales in comparison to Oompa Loompa skin:

  • The Levitt Pavilion in Dayton has a free Rock Fest event, with headliner Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
  • Chris Stapleton plays the Bengals Stadium (my missus will be there with the Jazzercise gals. You’ve been warned!)
  • Yonder Mountain String Band and East Nash Grass are at the old Annie’s
  • Evanescence plays Riverbend
  • The Grove and Casey Campbell play Radio Artifact
  • Ludlow Garage hosts Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience

(Accent on the “criminal” part.)

Deke Dickerson plays Southgate’s Revival Room on Sunday, August 2, with Kyle Eldridge opening.

On Tuesday:

  • The Black Keys and Eddie 9V play Ovation in Newport – still on the fence about going
  • Andrew Bird plays Taft with a symphony orchestra to be named later

Wednesday is both a WEENsday and a Weenieday. The former because The Columbia in the East End will be spinning Ween’s Quebec album from 7-9 p.m., and the latter because Barry Manilow is playing the Coliseum. If you’re downtown, please watch out for Fanilows.

On Thursday, Watchhouse plays the Taft, and Styx and Chicago bring their “All the Hits” tour to Riverbend.

Gigs next Friday (August 7):

  • Chuck Prophet (and band) at Ludlow Garage
  • J. Roddy Walston & the Business play the Fountain Square freebie, with The Bright Light Social Hour
  • The Collies (a dog days of summer band if ever there were one – also the band that my son is in) play the Anderson Tap House – please join me!
  • RiversEdge in Hamilton! has Ozzmosis (a tribute to Ozzie Nelson Ozzy Osbourne) with the Warped Band (a tribute to Home Depot lumber the Warped Tour)

On Saturday, August 8, the two-day Arcade Music Fest kicks off in Covington.

The full daily schedules are here.

Other August 8 shows:

  • Tori Amos plays a sold-out show at the Taft, with Bartees Strange
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd (featuring zero original members!) and Foreigner (featuring one original member!) play Riverbend
  • Boney James is at Ludlow
  • The Fraze Pavilion in Dayton has BaconFest

Rod Stewart brings his “One Last Time” tour to Riverbend on Sunday, August 9, with Richard Marx opening.

On Monday, August 10, The Stray Cats play the Rose Music Center in Dayton and Five Finger Death Punch plays Riverbend.

It’s dueling Dayton concerts on Tuesday, August 11:

  • Joe Bonamassa and Gov’t Mule at the Rose
  • Howard Jones at Fraze

Meanwhile Cincy has The High Kings at Memorial Hall

Lotsa gigs on Wednesday, August 12:

  • Goo Goo Dolls and Neon Trees at the Rose
  • Simple Plan and Bowling for Soup at the Mike Brady
  • The Beach Boys play PNC
  • Fraze has Get the Led Out
  • TyeDye (feat. list member John Sandman) plays Arnold’s (6-8 p.m.)

Shows on Thursday, August 13:

  • Andy Frasco & the UN with Kitchen Dwellers at the old Annie’s
  • Jack Harlow at the Marsha Brady
  • Terrance Simien plays a freebie at the Levitt in downtown Dayton
  • Soul Pocket does a free show at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington

Whimmydiddle kicks off on Friday, August 14 at RiversEdge, with Sam Bush and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes topping the Friday night bill, and The Jack Wharff Band and Ben Chapman on Saturday. General admission is free, and the full lineup can be found here.

Other shows on Friday, August 14:

  • Courtney Barnett at the Ovation (I’ll be at that gig!)
  • The Mountain Goats play the Taft Theatre
  • Aldo Nova at Ludlow
  • Tusk (yes, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band) at Memorial Hall
  • The Funky Ducks at Stanley’s
  • Abby Holiday at Fountain Square
  • Rick Ro$$ plays a post-game show at Great American Ball Park – maybe he can lend some of his $$ to the Reds.

Saturday, August 15 is another busy day for concerts:

  • Chris Smither plays Southgate
  • Todd Rundgren is at the Ovation
  • The Hiders play Carriage House Farm in North Bend
  • Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes at the Liberty Theater
  • Todd Lipscomb plays Camp Springs Tavern (I’ll be there!)
  • McGuffey Lane is at the Levitt
  • Ludlow Garage hosts Kashmir (“the spirit of Led Zeppelin live”)
  • Hard Rock Casino has The Concert: a Tribute to ABBA
  • Tracy Walker plays New Riff Distilling
  • Rose Music Center hosts the Totally Tubular Festival featuring Thomas Dolby, A Flock of Seagulls, The Motels, The Producers, Animotion, The Escape Club and Tommy Tutone

Steve Earle plays solo and acoustic at Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, August 19.

On Thursday, August 20, Annie’s has Lettuce (but not the Taylor Farms kind!)

And RiversEdge has Sensamotion, which is (choose all that apply):

  • a reggae band
  • the brand name of a truck stop restroom condom
  • an updated version of the old “Magic Fingers” motel bed massage
  • what 70s disaster movies were filmed in

On Friday, August 21:

  • Wildermiss plays a freebie at Fountain Square
  • Arts Fishing Club plays a free backyard show in Pleasant Ridge (reserve your spot here)
  • The Temptations and the Four Tops play the Hard Rock Casino
  • Riverbend features TLC and Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue

Shows on Saturday, August 22:

  • Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order) & the Light at Bogart’s
  • Noah Wotherspoon at the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, IN
  • Tommy Emmanuel plays the Taft
  • Stanley Jordan is at Ludlow Garage
  • Slave (Dayton funk legends) play a freebie at the Levitt
  • The Rose Music Center has the Happy Together Tour 2026 featuring The Association, The Troggs, Jason Scheff (of Chicago), Gary Puckett, The Fortunes, Ron Dante (of The Archies), The Vogues and The Cowsills

Bust out the Aquanet for Mötley Crüe with Tesla and Extreme at Riverbend on Tuesday, August 25.

Shows on Wednesday, August 26:

  • Tedeschi Trucks Band with Alabama Shakes at Riverbend
  • Don Was & the Pan Detroit Ensemble at Ludlow (check out this Broken Record interview with Don Was and you’ll definitely want to attend)
  • David Nail at the Levitt
  • TyeDye at Wunderbar

On Thursday, August 27, Hiroshima plays Ludlow and Levitt has Bad Co. Legacy

The Jayhawks play a free set at Fountain Square on Friday, August 28. I’ll definitely be there!

That same evening:

  • Brothers Osborne play the Rose
  • Knotts have a record release party at the Woodward with Moonbeau
  • Ludlow has Strangelove (a Depeche Mode tribute)

Gigs on Saturday, August 29:

  • Heather Redman & the Reputation at the Liberty Theater
  • Ray’s Music Exchange at the Woodward
  • Bret Michaels with Great White at the Rose
  • the family-friendly Fountain Square freebie features “Karate Girls”… guess they’ll have to put their clothes on

ZZ Top tops off August with a show at the Fraze on Sunday, August 30.

We love it live!

Good times in July with Death Cab for Cutie/Jay Som at Megacorp – with list members Todd and Regi and Mighty Joe.

The ageless wonder Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets at Memorial Hall – with list member Dan “Reds in ’27” Lewis:

And Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit (not pictured*) at the Rose with list members Whit & Barb (not pictured), Dan Bockrath…

… and Tonya, Arnie, and Angelique:

*Isbell’s show was a “no photos or video” show – I respect that.

Arnie gets special props for adding friends to the distro list for this monthly silliness. Feel free to do the same. And Dan Bockrath offered this pro tip for attending any show that isn’t sold out: look at the seating chart on the day of the show, and any “blue dot” seats = instant free upgrade.

New tunes turn-ons

The Tubs continue their power-pop brilliance. I love them so much!

(List member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube and I will be road-tripping to see them in Cleveland on 10/19.)

And Wishy also just released another tasty confection.

In memoriam

Bonnie Tyler may be gone, but her literal video will live forever.

On a much more serious note, my heart was filled with joy when Jeff Tweedy gave a shout-out to the late great Jay Bennett during the Billy Bragg/Wilco Mermaid Avenue set at Solid Sound.

The Jay Bennett era of Wilco was the best version of that band, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. Check out the Jay Bennett documentary for a deeper dive.

TicketBastard still sucks

Shameless Self-promotion

Dave Tellmann and I had a great time chatting with John Fox (editor of Cincinnati Magazine, former editor of CityBeat and Everybody’s News) on our 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast. Check it out here.

Album Covers of the Month

If their priority was looking friggin’ awesome, they can consider that box checked! (Clockwise from top: Kojak’s brother, Tony Orlando, Tim Conway and Michael Gross)

We can’t decide which design element we like more: the pixelated band photo or the illegible font for the band name. Nice work, Mylon. Or is it Mylor? Myloo?

Parting shot

But probably not as much as I regret paying some of my hard-earned Piggly Wiggly bag boy paycheck on a Starship concert back in the early 80s.

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: John Fox has the write stuff!

97X, podcast

John Fox served as the editor at Everybody’s News in the late 80s and early 90s, then co-founded CityBeat, and now is the editor of Cincinnati Magazine.

Everybody’s News and CityBeat were strong supporters of 97X – John and music editor Mike Breen would make the trek to Oxford once a week to highlight local music and arts events on the airwaves, and the 97X air staff had free rein when creating commercials for those publications. John talks about the symbiotic relationship, our shared “weird” audience (spoiler: they weren’t weird, just cool), how both CityBeat and 97X were ahead of the curve, and the magic of the old MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF). We also talk about his current role at Cincinnati Magazine.

If the link above isn’t working, you can listen here: https://woxy.podbean.com/e/john-fox-has-the-write-stuff/

John still has his throwback 97X shirt – he wore it for our interview:

When John came to Cincinnati, he started writing for Everybody’s News, and later became that paper’s editor. Here’s a 97X “Christmas card” ad that ran in Everybody’s News in the early 90s:

In 1994, John left Everybody’s News to co-found CityBeat.

John’s friend Dan Bockrath served as publisher at CityBeat. We spoke with him for Episode #55.

CityBeat took over programming of the MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF) in 2008, letting legendary concert booker/promoter Dan McCabe (our guest on Episode #48) handle the bookings. Check out the who’s who of bands that appeared at MPMF over the years here.

John is now the editor of Cincinnati Magazine.

Yours truly has written a few pieces for Cincinnati Magazine, including a profile of Freekbass for last July’s issue.

The main photo from that feature (taken by Devyn Glista) wound up becoming part of a Jimmy Fallon bit on The Tonight Show.

I like American Music

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Do you like American music?
I like American music
Don’t you like American music, baby?…

… I like all kinds of music.

Well, actually not Swedish death metal. And not bro country – other than this brilliant tune:

I also like Kiwi music. Uh, not this kind:

But this kind:

That’s Jonathan, Ben, Liz, and Tristan of the New Zealand band The Beths. They’re fantastic, and so fun live. Which is why I’m super-pumped to see them with Spoon and Squirrel Flower tomorrow at Ovation in Newport.

If you’re in town, you should be there too! But you’re probably in D.C. at the the Great American Pork Festival State Fair. Looks like a sold-out rager:

I heard they were out of both ice cream and Vanilla Ice. But I’m sure they have plenty of deep fried algae on a stick!

Here’s hoping you’ll be back in time for the July gigs – let’s take a lookie-lou at the listy-list.

The first day of the July is also the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s Ween Wednesday at the Columbia in the East End. 7-9 p.m. BYOB.

Oh, and Noah Kahan is playing a sold-out gig at Great American Ball Park.

On Thursday:

  • Noah Wotherspoon plays the “Rockin’ the Roebling” freebie on the lawn by the Cincinnati Lager House (formerly Moerlein)
  • Ernie Johnson from Detroit plays a freebie at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
  • The Summit, Electric Indigo and Hey Dreamer play Southgate

Friday:

  • River Shook (who used to go by the name Sarah Shook) plays Southgate
  • The Funky Ducks play MOTR with Dilly & the Doves and Fish and Wildlife Service (a John Ruthven triple bill!)
  • Ludlow Garage has the Artimus Pyle Band “honoring Ronnie Van Zant’s Lynyrd Skynyrd” (if they really wanted to honor that band, they’d give it a rest)

On Saturday, we celebrate 250 years of independence.

And what better way to honor America and celebrate the Spirit of (19)76 than to exercise our right* to see a KISS tribute band (Mr. Speed) for free at RiversEdge in a city named after a hit musical (Hamilton)!

*2nd amendment original text: A well regulated KISS Army, being necessary to the rocking of the hottest band in the land, the right of the people to keep and bear love guns shall not be infringed.

Keep rockin’ the 250th, ‘merica! Here’s hoping we make it to 251 years. And here’s hoping you make it to July 5 with all your fingers intact.

The fittingly named American Aquarium wraps up a big ol’ USA weekend at Ludlow Garage on Sunday, July 5.

On Tuesday, July 7, Buju Banton & Stephen Marley bring their Roots and Rhymes Tour to the old Annie’s.

Shows on Wednesday, July 8:

  • Jack Johnson with Hermanos Guitierrez at Riverbend
  • TyeDye plays Arnold’s (6-8p)
  • Toast (the best of Bread) at Ludlow Garage

(Why doesn’t anyone eat toast that has an image of Jesus on it? I’ll bet it tastes divine!… I’ll see myself out.)

Hey, hey, he’s the only surviving Monkee – Mickey Dolenz plays the Fraze on Thursday July 9. Other shows that evening include these freebies:

  • Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at the Levitt
  • The Newbees at Behringer-Crawford Museum
  • RiversEdge has Lamont Landers, plus Ernie Johnson from Detroit.

Personally, we prefer 70s TV Lamont.

But that Lamont always got upstaged by Fred.

There are tons o’ shows on Friday July 10:

  • Bob Dylan plays the PNC Pavilion with Lucinda Williams and the John Doe Folk Trio
  • Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ with Laid Back Country Picker at Ludlow Garage
  • Steep Canyon Rangers play a freebie at the Levitt in Dayton
  • The Chris Comer Trio plays Juniper’s Gin Bar in Covington (8-11pm)
  • In the Pines headlines the Inhailer Radio “513 Airwaves” show on Fountain Square
  • Taft has The Ultimate Tribute to the Bee Gees
  • Memorial Hall has Awaken: the music of Yes
  • Organized Gentlemen at Harmony Hill Vineyards
  • “Listening Factory” at Factory 52 features 3 “next gen” writers: Abigail Horan, Dixie Nash, and Kamdyn Metcalf
  • Moose Miller plays a house concert in Pleasant Ridge. It’s free, but you need to RSVP here.

Moose is a great name, btw! My dad loved telling me baseball stories that involved this Moose:

Let’s also pause for a moment to appreciate the fact that Bob Dylan (age 85), Lucinda Williams (73), and John Doe (also 73) are still doing their thing. Here’s Lu in a Paste Magazine interview talking about the songs on her new album:

It’s just… things are crappy and shitty right now. So, I wrote some songs about it. I have to admit: I do like pushing people’s buttons. I want to wake them up. People need to get mad and say, “Come on, let’s do something!” There’s always some decision you can make—something you can do to make a difference. 

Amen, sister!

Shows on Saturday, July 11:

  • Muse at Riverbend
  • Hot Magnolias headline the free show on Fountain Square
  • Sabbath Knights (featuring Vinny Appice) play Sabbath and Dio at the old Annie’s
  • The Filthy Heathens and The Damn Shames at the Liberty Theatre in Lawrenceburg, IN

The band name Filthy Heathens conjures up some Sanford & Son memories too!

Follow the flaming arrow to the Rose Music Center on Sunday, July 12 to catch Ted Nugent. But you’d better bring some Wang Dang Sweet… Dorothy Lane Market Killer Brownies?

Tuesday, July 14 might have you on the horns of an indie rock dilemma:

  • Death Cab for Cutie plays the Ovation with Jay Som as the opener
  • The Strokes play Riverbend

(I chose Horn #1: I’ll be at the Death Cab/Jay Som show.)

The Funky Ducks continue their run of shows with other animal bands, playing Stanley’s Pub with Interprid Cat on Wednesday, July 15.

Shows on Thursday, July 16:

  • Lyle Lovett and his Small Large Band are at the Taft (Lyle certainly can have an oxymoronic Small Large Band if our country can have an oxymoronic/moronic Department of Government Efficiency)
  • Sun Kil Moon plays Ludlow Garage
  • Memorial Hall hosts Back to Black, the music of Amy Winehouse
  • The Turkeys play the Behringer-Crawford Museum freebie
  • The Rose Music Center has a “Wow, they’re still together?” quadruple bill with Jefferson Starship, The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall, and Orleans
  • Save your cash and head to the Levitt Pavilion free show in downtown Dayton for some killer blues from Larry McCray – he’s from Magnolia, Arkansas

Arkansas fun facts from a kid who grew up there (and rarely uses “Arkansas” and “fun” in the same phrase)

Magnolia, Arkansas is the home of Southern Arkansas University, whose mascot is the Muleriders.

Souther Arkansas Logo

They’re in the same conference as the University of Arkansas-Monticello. Their mascot is the Boll Weevils.

Next month: the Arkansas Tech University nickname for both the men’s and women’s athletic teams.

Plenty of shows on Friday, July 17 as well:

  • Trampled by Turtles at the Rose
  • Eddie 9V and Johnny Mullinax play a free show at RiversEdge
  • Ludlow Garage has Richie Furay
  • Levitt Pavilion features the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band(J2B2)
  • Vince Gill plays the Taft
  • Victor Jones tops the Inhailer Fountain Square bill, with Dearest and Horsesitter
  • Matthew Shelton has an album release show at the Woodward
  • Wilco plays an outdoor show at the Burl in Lexington

On Saturday, July 18, Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets play Memorial Hall. I’ll be at that show with list members Dan “Reds in 2027!” Lewis and Bruce F.

That same evening, Benson Boone will backflip his way into the Coliseum. And Bogarts has Smells like Nirvana… which is either a tribute band or a musty flannel shirt.

Gigs on Sunday, July 19:

  • John Mellencamp brings his Greatest Hits tour to Riverbend
  • The Fabulous Thunderbirds play Ludlow Garage
  • Young Heirlooms and Weedbloom play Westwood Town Hall
  • Harry Connick Jr. croons at the Fraze Pavilion
  • Pablo Cruise cruises into Memorial Hall

If you go to the Pablo Cruise show, be sure to get the t-shirt!

On Tuesday, July 21, Sarah McLaughlin plays the PNC Pavilion with Allison Russell, and Jason Newstead & the Chophouse Band are at Southgate.

On Wednesday, July 22, the Woodward Theater hosts “Korean rock girl band” Rolling Quartz. Here’s their promo photo:

Looks like a mashup of the Village People and one of those local theater murder mystery shows.

David Shaw’s Big River Get Down kicks off on Thursday, July 23 and runs through Saturday, July 25. Headliners include David’s band The Revivalists (Saturday) as well as Band Of Horses and JJ Grey & Mofro (Friday). Full lineup is here.

Other shows on Thursday the 23rd include Brit Floyd at PNC Pavilion, Keiko Matsui at Ludlow Garage, and Bleed the Freak (Alice in Chains tribute band) at the Woodward.

Friday, July 24:

  • Brit Floyd rolls up the road to the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights
  • Liberty Theater has Baywater Call with the Austin Tyler Lee Band
  • The Filthy Heathens are back (don’t tell Aunt Esther!) opening for Them Dirty Roses at the old Annie’s

Shows on Saturday, July 25:

  • Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit play the Rose Music Center. My lovely bride and I will be there, much to the dismay of our oldest son…
  • The Collies (the band that our oldest son plays in) will be at Anderson Township Pub
  • Sungaze plays the Liberty Theatre with opener Phanta
  • Stewart Copeland is at the Ludlow Garage. But I don’t think he’ll be pounding the skins. It’s a spoken word tour called “Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood and Other Adventures”

Anne Bangert, Chris Damele, and Tim Brownlee play Northside Tavern on Sunday, July 26.

On Tuesday, July 28, The Magic Tuber Stringband plays the Woodward Theater with Mavis Guitar (feat. Travis from Wussy) as the opener. I miss the magic tubers of my youth.

That same evening:

  • Hilary Duff plays a sold-out show at Riverbend – don’t ask me why it’s sold out, I have no idea. Is she a TikTok thing now?
  • Graham Nash plays the Madison Theater… oh wait, no he doesn’t. The Madison Theater was abruptly shuttered a couple of weeks ago. But there’s some hope that it may reopen under new management.

In the interim, refunds are being issued for all shows.

On Wednesday, July 29:

  • Train, Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson play Riverbend
  • Nektar plays Ludlow Garage
  • Shallow Side, 3 Years Hollow, Trackside and Gravel Switch rock the old Annie’s
  • TyeDye Band does their monthly Final Wednesday show at Wunderbar in Covington

Pure Prairie League is at Ludlow Garage on Thursday, July 30.

“Pure Prairie League” also would be a great name for the official fan club for this show:

And the month wraps up with these Friday, July 31 gigs:

  • Adam Wayne Gilliam Band with Van Winkle and Jeremy Gilliam of Grand Dorado at the Liberty Theatre
  • Marshmello DJs a postgame show at Great American Ball Park

Let’s sneak a peek into August, shall we? On Saturday, August 1:

  • The Levitt Pavilion has a free Rock Fest and the headliner is Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys
  • Chris Stapleton plays Paul Brown Stadium
  • Yonder Mountain String Band and East Nash Grass are at the old Annie’s
  • Evanescence plays Riverbend
  • Ludlow Garage has “Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience” (Neverland sleepovers sold separately)

We love it live!

Robyn Hitchcock with a full band (other than the encore when he went through the crowd strumming his acoustic guitar and leading us all in a rousing “Waterloo Sunset” singalong) was tons of fun at Southgate. (It was especially cool to see Lisa from Wussy in the audience joining the singalong.) Robyn’s wife Emma Swift opened and joined him and the band on a few tunes too.

Tommy Stinson didn’t draw much of a crowd at the Woodward on a Tuesday, but he rocked the house (along with Karla Rose and Tim Schweiger & the Middlemen).

The dude’s a pro’s pro (he’s only been playing live for about 46 of his 59 years) and a good time was had by all – none more so than list member Dave Lenehan’s son Paul (named after Tommy’s Replacements pal Paul Westerberg):

I was back at the Woodward a night later, to see James McMurtry and his band, along with Bettie Soo. Hat tip to Jon Calderas for the ticket – you can see Jon’s photos of the show for CincyMusic here.

The Cereal Killers gig at Big Ash was a blast! They’re a real-life version of a 97X playlist (only hairier).

Speaking of long list radio stations, the 97X “Back to the Future of Rock and Roll” fundraiser for the Butler County Historical Society this past Saturday was a home run. It’s truly heartwarming to hear folks talk about what that station meant to them. And it’s always a treat to see some of the ol’ 97X gang.

(Jen Dalton and I were the eye candy, obvi.)

Shout out to John Kiesewetter for the nice article on WVXU’s website, as well as Eric Schwartzberg for his piece in the Journal-News, and of course Jen Dalton (former 97X student co-producer) for interviewing Bake and helping us class up the event.

We have fewer places to love it live

In addition to the aforementioned Madison Theater shutdown, Dayton’s Yellow Cab Tavern announced that they’ll be closing their doors for good on October 31.

New tunes Monday

The Tubs, my favorite Welsh performers (apologies to Tom Jones) have signed with Merge Records, the label co-founded by Mac and Laura from Superchunk. It’s a match made in indie rock heaven. (And I’ve known about it since I saw The Tubs in Detroit last September and happened to be wearing my Merge Records t-shirt – Tubs drummer Taylor mentioned they’d just signed with them.) Now The Tubs have a new single out, with a tour in the offing for the fall. (Looks like I’ll be roadtripping to Cleveland again.)

Finding their way (without Neil)

From all reports (including here and here) Rush is crushing it on their new tour, with new drummer Anika Nilles more than holding her own in a very unenviable role.

I’m excited to see Anika with Geddy and Alex. And she’s excited to be playing with them — not just because they’re rock gods but also because of this:

Mailbag

I’m very tardy with this response about first concerts from list member Todd Butler:

First concert is a great icebreaker for any group including this one. I think I was 7-8 when my sister took me to a triple bill at Blossom Music Center 1974-5?

  • John Sebastian of Welcome Back Kotter fame
  • Firefall
  • Seals & Crofts (“Summer breeze“)

Firefall softrocked and I was hooked on live music from then on!

Maybe The Beths will do a cover of Firefall’s “You are the Woman” when we’re at the show tomorrow night, Todd!

Album Covers of the Month

Hey kid, be careful if he asks to “play your kazoo.”

The Royal Palace Beefeaters have gotten really lax with their dress code. .

These dudes all went to the same barber and said “Give me the Wolfman Jack.”

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Aaron Yonka, 97X superfan!

97X, podcast, woxy.com

Aaron Yonka tuned in to 97X back in high school, then got a full-blown fever for the station and the music the summer before he started at Miami University in 1991. He became an around-the-clock listener… other than when he was co-hosting a music show on Miami’s student radio station. And after he graduated, he still tuned in, especially to catch his college friend Matt Sledge, and joined the 97X message boards to keep a sense of community with fellow listeners and station staff. In this “Rumblings” episode, Aaron shares tales of gift card laundering, grilled breakfast pastries, anchovy pizzas and what makes a tune a “97X song.” 

If the embed link above isn’t working, you can listen to the podcast here.


Here’s Aaron’s “Last Supper” – a.k.a. the meal he had the night that 97X signed off the airwaves back in 2004:

If you’re a 97X superfan too, please plan to join Steve “Bakerman” Baker, Dave Tellmann, Jen Dalton (former 97X co-producer), Matt Sledge, Bill Douglas and Damian at the 97X “Back to the Future of Rock & Roll” event on Saturday, June 27 in Fairfield.

It’s a fundraiser for the Butler County Historical Society.

Get tickets here and learn more about the event in this article from WVXU, this article from the Hamilton Journal-News, and this interview Bake did with Jen Dalton on WKRC.

June’s tunes

Uncategorized

Gee, Wally, is it nearly June already?

My how time flies! (Or, as Townes Van Zandt liked to say, “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.”)

June is super-cool though.

Although this is my favorite June:

June Foray. From her Wikipedia entry: “best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney’s Cinderella, Cindy Lou Who, Jokey Smurf, Granny from the Warner Bros. cartoons directed by Friz Freleng.”

June Foray also was the voice of Chatty Cathy.

And in a fun case of art imitating life, being “Chatty Cathy” got June cast as “Talky Tina” in a classic Twilight Zone episode:

Oh snap, Kojak! Let’s put a tarp over this interwebs rabbit hole before my brain gets completely lost in space.

Where was I? Oh yes, June. There are plenty of good gigs coming our way in June. No jive!

This Wednesday, Robin Hitchcock plays a full band show at the Southgate House with the lovely Emma Swift (also Robyn’s ladyfriend) opening the show. I’ll be there.

It’s also WEEN Wednesday at The Columbia in the East End. And Organized Gentlemen (featuring my co-worker George on guitar) play a free “Jazz Alive” show the American Sign Museum. You can even bring your own snacks from home! Full list of Jazz Alive shows is here.

Shows on Thursday:

  • Nashville-based soul artist Jed Harrelson plays the Woodward, with Samuel James as the opener
  • RiversEDGE in Hamil-tucky has a free(will) show: The Rush Experience
  • Not to be outdone, the Levitt pavilion in Dayton also has a free show. It’s the Pride Month celebration featuring the best stage name in this month’s missive: Flamy Grant

On Friday:

  • Stacy Mitchhart plays the Ludlow Garage
  • Greensky Bluegrass plays the Ovation
  • TopHouse plays Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, with Good Morning Bedlam
  • The Woodward has a dose of Dylan & the Dead featuring the bands Shelter from the Storm and The Dead Revival Band.
  • The Redmoor in Mt. Lookout has Chest Fever (The Band tribute) and Saturday’s Children (Dylan tribute).

Not a music show, but the Taft has Comedy Bang Bang Live. CBB is one of my favorite podcasts, and I’m bummed to miss this show. (Don’t feel too bad for me, the missus and I are visiting Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone NP.)

I’m even more bummed to still be out of town this Saturday when Cereal Killers play The Belle & The Bear in Montgomery. I guess you’ll have to buy your own first drink. (If you go, please yell out a request for “Convoy” since it’ll be “the dark of the moon on the 6th of June…”)

That same evening, the Ween tribute band Fluffy will be playing Stanley’s Pub.

And Mic Harrison & the High Score play Southgate’s Lounge. (Mic was in the V-Roys and later Superdrag.)

Next Sunday, June 7, Ludlow Garage has Jackrabbit (a band featuring actor Dermot Mulroney and his brother Kieran – watch your back, Bacon Brothers!)

Sharp Pins are back at the Woodward on Monday, June 8, with Winston Hightower and Eatt.

On Tuesday, June 9:

  • The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers play Riverbend
  • The Rose Music Center in Dayton has “A Night with David Lee Roth”

If you can’t make it to the latter gig, this DLR soundboard will provide a reasonable facsimile:

List member John Sandman’s band TyeDye plays Arnold’s on Wednesday June 10 (6-8 p.m.)

Shows on Thursday June 11:

  • Devon Allman’s Blues Summit at Ludlow Garage
  • Mountain Grass Unit with Steph Strings at RiversEDGE (free show!)
  • Hippies and Cowboys with Velvet Daydream at the Woodward Theater
  • Jake Speed & the Freddies play a freebie at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington

There are a whole slew of shows on Friday June 12:

  • The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
  • The Local Honeys are at Woodward with Casey Campbell
  • Multimagic with DYAN and PBAJ play a free “513 Airwaves” show on Fountain Square sponsored by Inhailer Radio (full summer lineup is here — it includes national artists J. Roddy Walston & the Business and The Jayhawks!)
  • Last but certainly not least, the Fraze Pavilion in Dayton has Warrant. (Please tell me the concession stands will be selling cherry pie!)

Shows on Saturday June 13:

  • Journey brings their “Final Frontier” tour to the Coliseum
  • Augustana and Phantom Planet play Bogart’s
  • Ludlow Garage has The Dark Side of the Moon
  • The Funky Ducks play Stanley’s Pub with Colour Phase
  • If you’re into road trips Tyler Childers headlines the “Buckeye Country Superfest” at the Horseshoe in C-bus.

If you’d rather stay closer to home, you can hit up the Sayler Park Sustains Festival. Here’s the music lineup:

Sunday, June 14 shows:

  • Deer Tick plays Ludlow Garage with Jobi Riccio as the opener
  • The Wailin’ Jennies at Memorial Hall
  • The Taft features Edwin McCain and Five for Fighting

On Monday June 15 you can catch Horse The Band (NOT Band Of Horses) at Bogart’s.

Tuesday June 16:  

  • Ben Folds and a Piano at the Taft Theatre
  • Tommy Stinson (of The Replacements) & Friends play the Woodward with Tim Schweiger & the Middle Men and featuring Karla Rose
  • The Animeros play Southgate’s Revival Room

On Wednesday June 17:

  • James McMurtry is at the Woodward with Betty Soo as the opener
  • Brandy Clark plays Ludlow Garage
  • Santana and The Doobie Brothers play Riverbend for the 900th consecutive year

The Nelsonville Music Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 18 (it runs Th-Sat this year), with Wednesday and Geese topping the bill on Thursday (yes, Wednesday on a Thursday…). Friday’s lineup includes Ryan Davis, Mavis Staples, S.G. Goodman, and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. On Saturday, Fruit Bats and the Marcus King Band will be the evening acts on the big stage. See the full daily lineups here.

Other shows closer to home on Thursday June 18:

  • Paul Simon plays PNC Pavilion
  • The Record Company plays a free show at RiversEDGE with Kyndle Wylde as the opener
  • Liberty Theater has a free Songwriters in the Round show with Fred Steffen, David Lacey, and Austin Tyler Lee
  • Acoustic Alchemy at Ludlow Garage
  • My son’s band The Collies will play the “June in Olde Williamsburg” Festival from 7-10 p.m.

(“Come for the music, stay for the corn dogs!”)

Friday June 19 gigs:

  • The North Mississippi Allstars are at Ludlow Garage
  • Fruit Bats play an outdoor show at The Burl in Lexington
  • Sonny Moorman Band at Liberty Theater
  • Mike Holmes (Spookfloaters) plays the Anderson Tap House
  • The Woodward Theater has Nearly Nicks (yes, it’s a Stevie Nicks tribute band)

On Saturday June 20, Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing (OK, fine the LaRosa’s Taphouse). I WILL be there for that show, which means you can cash in your free beer coupon.

Other shows that evening include:

  • Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country with Marty Stuart & his Fabulous Superlatives at the Rose Music Center
  • The Pharcyde at Ludlow Garage

Sunday June 21 is the first official day of summer. This year, it will also mark 29 years of wedded bliss agony for my long-suffering bride. That evening, I won’t be taking her to see Silverada (nee Mike & the Moonpies) and Kelsey Waldon at Southgate, or Hot Mulligan with Joyce Manor at the Mike & Carol Brady. But maybe we’ll go shopping.

 On Monday June 22, Jessica Simpson (yes that Jessica Simpson) plays the Fraze Pavilion in Dayton.

Taft Theatre has a supa-funky twin bill on Tuesday June 23: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. with Dumpstafunk

On Wednesday June 24:

  • TyeDye plays Wunderbar in Covington (“Come for the music, stay for the sausage!”)
  • Ludlow Garage has Mason’s Children (a tribute to the Grateful Dead). Here’s the press release: Mason’s Children brings the raw, psychedelic energy of the Grateful Dead’s early years to life. Formed by musicians who met while following Dead & Company and Bob Weir & Wolf Bros, the band built their following by playing Shakedown lots and surprise sets on the corner of Haight & Ashbury. Their shows are a full-on revival of the 1960s spirit—authentic, electric, and deeply rooted in the music. Expect deep jams, vintage tones, and that unmistakable Dead magic from the ’60s and ’70s.

That show is BYOLSD.

The Great American State Fair kicks off on Thursday, June 25 in D.C. It’s a two-week celebration of America’s 250th egofest with musical acts like Morris Day & the Time, Young MC, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Bret Michaels, and Martina McBride. Wait, this just in: all of those artists have pulled out of the sh*tshow. Damn, I was really looking forward to seeing Young MC “Bust a Move” – although these days it might be more like “Bust a seam.”

Wait, this just in, Vanilla Ice may not make it, but vanilla ice cream will be available for purchase ($50 per scoop* – order ahead with your proudly-American** Trump Gold*** Phone****), and it’ll be the best ice cream ever, like nobody’s ever seen before. Big strong men, with tears in their eyes, will be saying “Sir, this is the best vanilla ice cream.”

  • *some melting may occur during transit from the Epstein Ballroom construction site
  • **not made in America
  • ***not gold
  • ****the same one you can get for $500 less elsewhere

Shows on Friday June 26:

  • Punch Brothers at the Taft
  • Wayne “The Train” Hancock at Liberty Theater, with Andrew Hibbard
  • Ernie Johnson from Detroit has an album release party at the Woodward
  • Izzy Escobar and Illiterate Light play a free show at Fountain Square
  • Kathy Mattea is at Memorial Hall
  • Darius Rucker plays Riverbend
  • Amy Grant (not Flamy Grant) plays Ludlow Garage

Saturday June 27 is a super-busy day for shows:

  • My son’s band The Collies play Anderson Township Pub (7-10p)
  • Levitt Pavilion in Dayton has a free Blues Fest with Shemekia Copeland headlining.
  • The Guess Who and Don Felder play Riverbend. (In a related story, every time Don Henley’s lawyer calls Don Felder, he says “Guess who?!” even though Felder has heard his voice a gazillion times.)
  • Spyro Gyra plays the Ludlow Garage
  • Last and certainly least, several former 97X staffers, including Steve “Bakerman” Baker, Jen Dalton from Channel 12, Matt Sledge, Dave Tellmann, and yours truly will be at a 97X “Back to the Future” event that’s a fundraiser for the Butler County Historical Society. Yes, we’re now old enough to be considered “historical.”

(Remember, it’s a fundraiser. And Dave will sign body parts.)

Dave and I talked to Bake, Jen Dalton and Sledge about the event in our most recent episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast.

(It seems quite fitting that the event is being held in the Fairfield Freshman Building given that Dave, Sledge and I act like 14 year olds.)

Speaking of 97X, R.I.P. to the WOXY call letters. 97.7 FM on your radio dial is now known as WKRP.

OK, back to the shows. On Sunday June 28:

  • Chris Knight plays Southgate’s big room
  • Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE play Bogart’s
  • Insane Clown Posse plays the Ovation in Newport.

Which means I’ll probably get two-day-old Faygo stuck to the bottom of my sneakers when I’m at Ovation on Tuesday June 30 for the fantastic triple bill of Spoon, The Beths, and Squirrel Flower.

Also on 6/30, Wynonna Judd and Melissa Etheridge play the Rose Music Center with special guest Maggie Rose. Speaking o’ Maggie Rose…

We love it live!

My son Gabriel (he’s the drummer in The Collies) and I went to The Burl in Lexington on May 15 to see a co-headlining show featuring Maggie Rose and Molly Tuttle. My first cousin once removed (a.k.a. my cousin’s son) MP Gannon is the lead guitarist for Maggie Rose.

Two nights before that gig, Jason Narducy played a house concert at our place. Great songs, hilarious stories, and Jason’s a very nice dude.

And we capped off a big weekend with Built to Spill and a “Chuck-less” Wussy at the Ludlow Garage.

Lest I forget (I can’t – it was an amazing experience), waaay back on May 1, I joined list members Matt and Deuce at the David Byrne show in Indy. May we all be so creative and so energetic at 73 (he’s 74 now, BD was 5/14).

Oh, and then there was the Afghan Whigs hometown show at Bogart’s on May 6.

[Afghan Whigs photo is from Ben Gastright’s gallery on CincyMusic.com… my phone’s camera isn’t so great.]

S.G. stands for “So Good!”

While we’re on the live music tip, definitely check out the full taping of S.G. Goodman’s set for an Austin City Limits episode.

Under the Radar Album(s) of the Month(s)

Thomas Dollbaum’s new release Birds of Paradise is really scratching that Jason Molina itch:

And the new album from The Blue Herons is some of the dreamiest dreampop that I’ve laid my ears on in a while. Clearly the Spotify algorithm is broken (or more likely rigged) if they only have 413 listeners. Make it 414 and thank me next month!

TicketBastard still sucks, but we’re gonna Hold Steady

Franz Nicolai of The Hold Steady testified before Congress about how much LiveNation/Ticketmaster blows. Read more from former 97X Rumblings podcast guest Chris DeVille on Stereogum, and you can watch Franz’s testimony at the 55-minute mark of the C-SPAN recording of the session, or read his transcript and some other thoughts on his Substack post.

I’m not a huge Jack Antonoff fan but this quote about playing to small crowds from an NPR interview is rock solid:

It’s not just fun, it’s Funbury!

Bill Donabedian is back at it, trying to organize multi-day music festival at Clear Creek Park in Anderson Township near Newtown. Part of me hopes it happens, but the part of me that likes playing pickleball down at Clear Creek agrees that traffic and parking would be an absolute cluster.

Photo Phun

Here’s a phun photo courtesy of list member Rico:

Sayeth Rico: Never considered Pixies to be a sing-in-the-shower band but alas here we are.

Respondeth d2: It’s good stuff, but these days you can never get a Deal on it.

Album Cover(s) of the Month

Really bad as an album cover, probably a lot worse as an adult film. (Although I’d love to hear more about the decision to include a butterfly net in the shot.)

.More like permanent press on.

I picked the wrong business to be in. Teams calls are not nearly as fun as this.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: The Future of Rock and Roll is now history. And historical!

97X, Music, podcast

It’s been 43 years since 97X first started airing “modern rock for Cincinnati and Dayton” from a nondescript building in Oxford, Ohio. And it’s been 22 years since it signed off – and 16 years since woxy.com went silent. Time flies… and the Butler County Historical Society wants to celebrate the station in a fundraising event on June 27, with THE Voice of 97X, Steve “Bakerman” Baker, Jen Dalton, co-host of Good Morning Cincinnati on Channel 12 (she got her media start as a student intern at 97X), Matt Sledge (who worked at 97X, WNKU and Inhailer radio) and your ol’ 97X pals Dave and Damian. We talked to Bake, Jen and Sledge about the upcoming trip down memory lane. 

The event is a fundraiser for the Butler County Historical Society. And it should be a lot of fun. You can get tickets here.

Bake’s a stone cold double legend. The voice of 97X (that’s his voice in the movie Rainman), longtime co-host of The Breakfast Club, and also THE voice of Miami University football and basketball. (He’s quite fittingly a member of Miami U.’s Hall of Fame.

Jen Dalton has been gracing the Cincinnati TV airwaves since 2006.

Jen landed her first television job as co-host of Cinema 64 with Bob Herzog. She was then reunited with Bob when she made the switch to Local 12 in October of 2006. They now work together on Good Morning Cincinnati and co-anchor the ARC Cincinnati program at 8am on STAR-64. Jen also co-anchors the 9am news on Local 12 and anchors the breaking news/traffic desk.

Matt Waller (better known simply as “Sledge”) not only spent a decade at 97X, he later worked weekends for WNKU-FM, another Cincinnati area radio station that played similar artists and was near and dear to its listeners’ hearts. And he spent a few years doing a weekly airshift at Inhailer Radio, the current bastion of “modern rock” in Cincinnati (and streaming worldwide!). Inhailer also hosted the 40th anniversary Modern Rock 500 in 2023, and every year since has presented their own spin on that cherished countdown with their “Indie 500” over Memorial Day weekend.

And your friendly neighborhood 97X Rumblings podcast co-hosts (and 97X alums) Dave and Damian will be there. Mostly because we thought we could dress in period clothing and do a reenactment of the infamous Goo Goo Dolls/sound man fight at “Day in Eden” back in 1993.

Warning: May contain May concerts (and nuts)

Uncategorized

Mayday, mayday… May Day is on the way!

See you at the big parade! Don’t forget to bring the hot hors d’oeuvres… and a blanket!

The Merry Month of May is kicking off with a bang tomorrow night: The Collies (a.k.a. the band my son plays drums for) will be at Big Ash Brewery… er, the LaRosa’s Taproom (same location, different name).

(Normally my “first beer’s on me” offer would be in effect, but I’ll be in Indy for the David Byrne show.)

Also tomorrow evening, The Outlaws play Ludlow Garage.

Saturday is Derby Day!

Saturday shows:

  • Tommy Castro & the Painkillers at Southgate
  • Dravin & the Ravens at MOTR
  • Blackhawk at Ludlow Garage
  • Buckethead at Bogart’s

Nice getup, Mr. Buckethead, but Dumb Donald still has you beat:

Liz Cooper plays the Southgate on Sunday. I loved her on 30 Rock. Wait, that was Liz Lemon.

The Lemon Twigs play Southgate on Monday, with Josephine Network.

Tuesday is Cinco de Mayo.

Shows that evening:

  • Wolf Eyes at the Woodward
  • St. Paul and the Broken Bones* play the Taft, with Brother Wallace.

*We cannot confirm that you can use your Health Savings Account funds to buy tickets to this show, but it DOES count toward your annual concert deductible.

Wednesday is a big night for gigs:

  • The Afghan Whigs (more on them later) play their old stomping grounds of Bogart’s (of course I’ll be there!)
  • Yungblud plays a sold-out show at the Cindy Brady (you know you’re getting old when you’ve never heard of the acts who are selling out theaters)
  • Ludlow Garage has An Evening with Shawn Mullins
  • It’s WEEN Wednesday at The Columbia – free, BYOB
  • Memorial Hall hosts Live Dead & Brothers – here’s the PR blurb:

The line-up is pedigree and generational featuring Berry Duane Oakley from The Allman Betts Band, Les Dudek from the Allman Brother family, Mark Karan from Bob Weir/ Rat Dog & The Other Ones, Scott Guberman from Phil Lesh & Friends, and Pete Lavezzoli from JGB, Jazz Is Dead and Oteil & Friends. Together, these accomplished musicians skillfully recreate the magic of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band’s co-billed concerts during the period of 1969 to1973.

Shows next Thursday, May 7:

  • J. Roddy Walston and The Magicals are at Northside Tavern
  • UB40 “featuring Ali Campbell, Junior Marvin & The Legendary Wailers” plays the old Annie’s
  • Ludlow Garage has Magical Mystery Doors – the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Doors mashup* that America’s been longing for… or not!

*I feel like Zep got cheated out of having a reference in the band name… then again “Magical Mystery In Through the Out Doors” wouldn’t fit on the marquee.

On Friday, May 8, the Satchvai Band, featuring Louis Armstrong Joe Satriani & Steve Vai (and Kenny Aronoff on drums!), plays the PNC Pavilion. And The Funky Ducks play Stanley’s Pub.

Saturday, May 9 is an album release double-shot at Southgate – Ben Walz has an EP release show in the big room with Sami Riggs, and Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters have an album release show upstairs in the Revival Room with Joe’s Truck Stop opening. And Maurice Mattei & the Tempers play a freebie in the Lounge.

May 10th is Mother’s Day.

Take a page from Mr. T’s book:

(You also can take a necklace from Mr. T’s jewelry box… he won’t even miss it!)

The Woodward Theater has two nights of The Garcia Project on May 11-12.

The Garcia Project performs full, unaltered classic Jerry Garcia Band setlists from 1976–1995 — song for song, set for set — using era-correct arrangements, tempos, instrumentation, and gear to recreate the authentic sound that defined those legendary shows.

Speaking of tie-dye, the TyeDye Band (feat. list member John Sandman) plays Arnold’s on Wednesday, May 13 (6-8 p.m.)

Jason Narducy plays a house concert at… *checks notes*… my house on Thursday, May 14!

Tickets are available here.

That same evening, Ludlow Garage has Guitar Women: An Evening with Sue Foley, Rory Block & Cindy Cashdollar. Organized Gentlemen play Caffe Vivace. And Southgate has a Country Jamboree with Kyle Eldridge and Chris “Sugarballs” Sprague. I have no idea how Mr. Sprague got his nickname, and I have no desire to find out.

Shows on Friday, May 15:

  • Brit Floyd at the Rose in scenic Huber Heights, Ohio (“the worlds largest community of brick homes”… oh, and home of The Deal sisters too.)
  • S.G. Goodman plays an outdoor show at The Burl in Lexington, with Abby Hamilton and Andi Marie Tillman also on the bill.
  • Southgate has XSIV: a tribute to INXS (ah, so it’s pronounced “excessive”… got it! For a second I was trying to figure out what Roman numeral “S” was…)
  • Ludlow Garage features Hell’s Belles (all-female AC/DC tribute)
  • Downtowne Listening Room has a “Listening Factory” series at Factory 52, and this month A Tale of Two and Honey & Blue are on the bill, along with “musical forewoman” Sami Riggs

On Saturday, May 16, I’ll be down at The Burl in Lexington for an outdoor show featuring Molly Tuttle and Maggie Rose. (My first cousin once removed Michael Patrick Gannon is the guitarist for Maggie Rose!)

Closer to home, Ludlow Garage has Live at the Fillmore (“#1 tribute to the Allman Bros. Band”)

Sunday, May 17, Built to Spill plays Ludlow Garage, with Wussy. (Need you even ask if I’ll be there?)

John Wesley Harding (a.k.a. Wesley Stace) plays Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, May 20. (Wes opened for Buffalo Tom in Boston last November and he sounded great.) And Highly Suspect is at Bogart’s.

Michael Martin Murphey is at Ludlow Garage on Thursday, May 21. (But Wildfire is nowhere to be found.)

On Friday, May 22:

  • Beloved Youth and The Spectacular Fantastic play the Liberty Theater
  • Foghat and Nazareth bring 1975 (the year, not the band) to the Hard Rock Casino on Friday, May 22. Let’s hope they get the names right on the marquee.

On Saturday, May 23:

  • Parker Barrow plays the Liberty Theater, with CFG & The Family
  • The old Annie’s has Zepparella, which, as the name suggests, is a tribute to former Channel 5 sports anchor Zip Rzeppa.

Wait, check that, it’s an all-female tribute to Led Zeppelin. Sorry to disappoint you.

Monday, May 24 is Memorial Day. Formerly known as Decoration Day.

Also known as the unofficial start to summer grilling season.

Ryan Bingham & The Texas Gentlemen play the Taft on Tuesday, May 26 and Liquid Mike is at Southgate.

TyeDye plays Wunderbar in Covington on Wednesday, May 27.

Southgate House hosts the Midwest Friends Fest May 28-30. Daily lineups and ticket info here.

On Friday, May 29, Mac McAnally* plays a sold-out show at Ludlow Garage, and The Toadies play Bogart’s.

*his last name is pronounced like “Mac-in-alley” not like how Hamburglar gets his prison sausage delivered.

And the Merry Month of gigs culminates with Into the Blue (ELO tribute) at Ludlow Garage on Saturday, May 30.

We love it live!

April was action-packed. Jim Lauderdale at Southgate.

Brett Newski at Southgate one night later.

Gladie crushed it at Northside Tavern, along with local bands EATT and Maura Weaver.

The Silos have still got it, and my 97X homie Dave and I saw it in Southgate’s Revival Room, with Ric Hordinski as the opener.

Sun, Sand & Soul at Miramar Beach was five days of great weather on the beach, and three nights of great music (Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Jason Isbell, Drive-by Truckers, Molly Tuttle, Taj Mahal…)

And I loved the Gladie show at Northside Tavern so much that I drove to Bloomington, IN on Tuesday to see them again!

We love it live on bootleg tape too!

Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman together in a mostly acoustic setting? Yes please!

(And how about the artists they covered in the encore? Iris DeMent, Lucinda Williams, The Jayhawks, and Kathleen Edwards… “game recognizes game.”)

Flip Your Afghan Whigs

Jason Gargano has a nice profile of the local boys in CityBeat. Killer quotes from Mr. Dulli:

Take that, TicketBastard!

“For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power,” the statement reads. “A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process.”

(quote above from this NPR article)

Speaking o’ tickets, Ludlow Garage has reduced their box office hours:

Shameless self-promotion… and another thing

The latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast features Jae Forman talking about her 97X days and her current “Planet of Sound” gig at Inhailer Radio on Tuesday afternoons (3-7 p.m.).

Oh, and because Dave and I are perma-teenagers and do what the Bakerman asks of us, we’ll be in a high school building for a throwback event Steve Baker has had a hand in organizing:

If you ask me, $30 is too much to pay… by about $30. But Dave and I will sign body parts. Unless you’ve visited Hamburglar in prison lately.

I do wish I could go “back to the future” and get back my beloved Conway Twitty t-shirt that I was wearing at 97X long ago:

Words of wisdom

Amen, Brother John, amen!

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

Subtitle: The Ticketmaster Song.

Also, those fingernails are almost as stylish as Jay Ferguson’s macramé shoes:

Jay invented the “Blue Steel” look.

Keep it in your Sansabelts, Woody… at your age, it’s more like “Songs for Hip Replacements.”

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Jae Forman and her Planet of Sound

97X, Music, podcast

Jae Forman just couldn’t quit radio – although she did take a 23-year “gap year” after her long stint at 97X back in the 90s and a few stops at other stations in Nashville and Albuquerque.

Now she shares her energy, enthusiasm, and ear for great tunes on Inhailer Radio on Tuesday afternoons (3-7 p.m. Eastern). We talk to her about her Inhailer show, Boston, Beastie Boys, boxcutters, music festivals, the grunge-splosion, and… reptiles. 

As Jae mentioned in our podcast interview, her radio revival started over Memorial Day weekend in 2023 when nearly three dozen former 97X DJs teamed up Inhailer Radio to broadcast a very special edition of the beloved “Modern Rock 500” as a way to pay tribute to 97X, which came on the air 40 years prior.

You can listen to the archive of that broadcast here: https://www.inhailer.com/2023modernrock500

These days, you can catch Jae’s “Planet of Sound” show on Inhailer via the website or the app (Apple or Android). And if you’re in the Cincinnati area and have a high-definition radio, you can tune in on 90.9 FM HD-3.

If you miss the old 97X message boards, don’t forget that you can connect with Jae and the other Inhailer staffers via their Discord server here: https://discord.gg/aZtGJHJ72V. Maybe Jae will even hook you up with a throwback 97X keychain…

And of course the inspiration for the name of Jae’s Inhailer show came — fittingly enough — from a Boston band.

April showers bring more tunes

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

Actually, April showers bring May flowers. And Mayflowers bring Pilgrims. And Pilgrims bring smallpox. But that’s not why we’re here. (Actually, it IS why we’re here here.)

Man, this turned dark quickly… let’s make like Plymouth and Rock this month! 

But first, before the strong rains come and wash all the crops away (shout-out Clarence Carter’s “Patches”), some non-broken breaking news: my son took a hard tumble in his backyard (the perils of homeownership) and messed up his elbow. Thankfully no bones are broken, but his band The Collies had to cancel their gig Friday night at The Vault. (Despite our pleas to channel his inner Rick Allen.) 

Instead of the Collies, you can catch the Funky Ducks, Eastwood, and Dilly & the Doves at MOTR or Organized Gentlemen (featuring my co-worker George Simon) at Ghost Baby.

Here’s hoping our son recovers quickly — and that he doesn’t become the Wally Pipp of the Collies.

There’s more animal action on Saturday: Gorilla Biscuits and the Circle Jerks at Bogart’s. (BTW, Circle Jerks are the official band of April.) 

That same evening, Southgate House hosts a Jimmy D Celebration of Life.

Here’s the full lineup:

And Ludlow Garage has Sabbath: Long Live Ozzy. (Do you want to tell them or should I?) 

Patterson Hood (of the Drive-by Truckers) and John Moreland play Ludlow on Sunday. I’ll be in the house Garage for that one. Over at the (Southgate) House, it’s Handsome Dick Manitoba, The Strains, and Rat Trap. And the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars play the venue that gave them their name.

Mirah plays the Woodward on Tuesday to wrap up March. Oh, and Good Flying Birds, Touch Girl Apple Blossom, and Personality Hire play an in-store gig at Feel It Records on Ludlow in Clifton.

This coming Wednesday isn’t just Ween Wednesday at The Columbia. It’s also April Fool’s Day. 

For people of a certain age who grew up in the Cincinnati area, it’s the annual reminder that WEBN used to not suck.

On April Fool’s Day, my slightly less sarcastic brother-from-another-mother Daniel Tosh will celebrate at the Peter Brady.

Meanwhile, Mammoth (Wolfie Van Halen’s band) will be at Bogart’s. The Aronoff hosts The Simon & Garfunkel Story. And Memorial Hall has “Seals & Crofts 2” (Brady Seals, cousin of Jim and former co-lead singer of Little Texas, and Lua Crofts, daughter of Dash Crofts). 

True story: Dash Crofts (at right in the photo above) was the real inspiration for the middle child in The Incredibles. 

Uh, they took some artistic liberties.

On Thursday, April 2, it’s a double dose of Jo(h)nny and Nicole. Tunes & Blooms kicks off at the Cincinnati Zoo (6-8 p.m. – free admission after 5) with Jonny Estep on the main stage, and Nicole Polara in the Grove. Meanwhile, Danielle Nicole plays Ludlow with Gina & Johnny.

Friday, April 3:

  • Nick Hexum (311) plays Ludlow Garage
  • The Redmoor has “Fins Up!” (a Jimmy Buffett tribute show)
  • Ludlow has “Rick Nelson Remembered (starring Matthew and Gunnar Nelson).” I don’t really remember Rick, but I remember Matthew & Gunnar had — and perhaps still have — luscious manes of hair. 

(Are we sure they’re Rick Nelson’s kids, and not Fabio’s?)

On Saturday, April 4:

  • The Tillers and Harlot play Southgate
  • Avery*Sunshine plays Ludlow
  • Rachel Holt and Brooks Werner are at the Liberty Theater.

Jeffrey Lewis & the Voltage play Southgate on Sunday, April 5. 

On Tuesday April 7, “platinum-selling* indie superstar” Ben Rector plays “Songs from America” with the Cincinnati Pops at the Aronoff, and Our Lady Peace rocks Bogart’s.

*Let’s call Ben Rector on April Fool’s and say “I would like to purchase some platinum from you.”

On Wednesday the 8th, Madison Cunningham plays Memorial Hall with special guest Sam Weber, list member John S. and his TyeDye band play Arnold’s from 6-8 p.m., and The Emo Orchestra featuring The Spill Canvas is at the Taft.

“Known for transforming emo and alternative hits into cinematic arrangements alongside a popular band from the genre, Emo Orchestra and The Spill Canvas bring a unique show that merges nostalgia, emotional storytelling, and orchestral grandeur. Together, on stage, they will perform a curated mix of their own fan-favorite songs alongside reimagined classics from across the emo genre—backed by the full orchestra. Fans will hear songs by My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, A Day To Remember and more in a way they never have before.” [Guyliner sold separately – Ed.]

Shows on Thursday April 9:

  • Jim Lauderdale & the Game Changers play Southgate House with Krystal Peterson opening – I’ll be there!
  • Memorial Hall has An Evening with Chris Thile
  • Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers at the Taft
  • Tunes & Blooms: Jake Speed & the Freddies (main stage) and Clark Jenkins (Grove)
  • Stillhouse Junkies and Stone & Snow play a listening room to be named later in Northside
  • The old Annie’s has The Broken Hearts: A Tribute to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
  • Soul Asylum plays an acoustic set at Ludlow Garage with special guest Corey Glover – it says so right on the LG website visual:

Not so fast, my friend! Turns out that it’s not Living Colour lead singer Corey GLOVER.

Instead, it’s Corey CLOVER.

It’s pretty bad when AI is calling YOU a deepfake:

(Good luck searching the interwebs for “Corey Clover” though. Our computer overlords keep trying to give Corey Glover results.)

Gigs on Friday April 10:

  • Wayne “The Train” Hancock plays Southgate’s main room, with Kyle Eldridge opening
  • Brett Newski plays a free show in the Southgate Lounge — I’ll be at that one
  • Ludlow garage has Steely Dead (“a sonic fusion of the Grateful Dead and Steely Dan”)
  • AJ and Allie play Bogart’s
  • Sami Riggs hosts a “Listening Factory” show at Factory 52 featuring Ryce Mullins and Scott Siefferman
  • Beth Stelling

Gigs on Saturday April 11:

  • Lee Fields and the Monophonics are at the old Annie’s
  • 49 Winchester place the Ovation
  • Pat Metheny’s Side Eye III+ is at the Taft
  • Jim Trace & the Makers play Plain Folk Café
  • Tony Holt and The Wildwood Valley Boys play the Liberty Theater
  • Southgate has Back 2 Mac (Fleetwood Mac tribute) with No Good Ponies (music of Linda Ronstadt)

My under the radar gig of the month (UTRGOTM for short) is Sunday April 12 at the Northside Tavern: Gladie headlines with Maura Weaver and Eatt also on the bill. Damn straight I’ll be there- school night be damned! Gladie’s new album absolutely rocks.

Their previous one was great too, and lead singer Augusta was kind enough to include a personal note when vinyl versions were delayed.

 That same evening (4/12), Southgate’s Revival Room has “Girls Rock Cinci Remix Showcase” with Girl Gordon, Moonbeau, Swelle, Milque, and Blue Light Room. And Penny and Sparrow played the Ludlow Garage

Lake Street Dive is at the Ovation on Tuesday April 14

The Surfragettes play Southgate on Wednesday the 15th with Bethlehem Shalom as the opener.

Thursday April 16:

  • The Del McCoury Band plays Memorial Hall
  • Tunes & Blooms features the Shelby Lore Band and Cecil Jackson & Dry Ridge
  • Stick Men featuring Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Markus Reuter at Ludlow Garage
  • The Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, IN has their “Third Thursdays Tribute Series” with “Aja, the Music of Steely Dan.”

On Friday April 17:

  • The Silos place Southgate House. I’ll be there along with list members Dave T. (co-host of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast) and our friend El Blanco.
  • Organized Gentleman (a Cincinnati-based instrumental trio blending guitar, organ, and drums into a groove-forward mix of funk, soul, and jazz, inspired by bands like The Meters, Soulive, and Ghost-Note) play Radio Artifact. You can get tickets here.
  • Hard Rock Casino has many temptations but it’s doubtful any of them will be in the band listed as “The Temptations” (actually Otis Williams is still in the mix!). The other band on the bill is The Four Tops (minus all four of the original members).

Dead Centric and The Electric Indigo place Southgate on Saturday April 18 and the Michelle Robinson Band plays the Liberty Theater.

On Sunday the 19th Puscifer (Maynard James Keenan of Tool with some friends) plays the Taft with the amazingly hilarious Dave Hill as the opener.

That same evening  Ambrosia plays Memorial Hall, and my son’s other band VanWinkle plays MOTR, with Bugday and Hummingbird.

Chuck Meade from BR549 plays Southgate on Wednesday April 22 with Laid Back Country Picker as the opener.

This guy was a laid back country picker too:

Shows on Thursday April 23:

  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd plays a 30th anniversary of his album Ledbetter Heights at the Taft
  • Jess Lamb & Friends are at MOTR
  • Tunes & Blooms: The Tillers and Stick & Bindle
  • Ludlow Garage has Bohemian Queen – which is either a tribute to Freddy Mercury’s old band or to the barefoot, dreadlocked lady who sells grilled cheese sandwiches in the parking lot at Phish shows.

Oh, speaking of barefoot, I’ll be here:

On Friday April 24:

  • The Reverend Horton Heat, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, and Piñata Protest play Southgate’s big room while in the Revival Room you can catch Portland (Oregon) singer-songwriter Jeffrey Martin
  • Ana Popovic plays Ludlow
  • Memorial Hall has Genesis ReTouched… which is not nearly as dirty as it sounds.

(It’s actually a tribute to the Genesis concerts of the late 80s through the late aughts.)

Shows on Saturday, April 25:

  • Ethel Cain plays the Ovation
  • The Hard Rock Casino has Starship featuring Mickey Thomas (I guess the “Jefferson” part of Jefferson Starship moved on up)
  • Downtowne Listening Room Sirens of Spring tour: Mama’s Black Sheep + Regina Sayles + Colleen Clark

Vanessa Carlton plays Ludlow garage on Sunday the 26th

On Wednesday April 29:

  • Mary Gauthier and Stephen Kellogg are at Ludlow Garage.
  • The Toasters celebrate 45 years of reggae with Rat Trap and U.S. Daggers at Southgate House.
  • TyeDye plays Wunderbar in Covington

And the month wraps up on Thursday April 30 with a Supertramp tribute at Memorial Hall. (Breakfast in America sold separately.)

Taking a quick sneak peek into May: I’ll be heading to Indy on Friday, May 1 with list members Deuce and Matt for the David Byrne show at the Old National Theater. That same evening, The Outlaws play Ludlow Garage.

We love it live!

The supergroup R.E.M. tribute show at the Bluebird in Bloomington was absolutely amazing. Some dude named Mike Mills sat in on several songs. 

And he had great things to say about his experience:

Future house concert performer Jason Narducy was all agog too!

Hat tip to list member John Sandman for the Shawn Colvin ticket – great show at Memorial Hall. 

List member Matt Lacefield (catch his “Side Effects” show on Inhailer Radio Saturday evenings 7-9 p.m.) and I  I brought up the average age of attendees by about 20 years at the Snõõper, Shrudd, and Pal show at the Woodward. But all three bands brought such great punk energy that we felt decades younger.

Check out Blair from Snõõper getting into the crowd:

The Downtown Listening Room singer-songwriter showcase at The Columbia was a bit twangier than my usual musical adventures but thoroughly enjoyable. Such a great venue!

And last but certainly not least, Wussy rocked the Woodward!

It was great hanging with list members Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube (on Inhailer Fridays 11a-3p) and David & Amy Groff. 

We love live poetry too! 

Manuel Iris is a treasure, and his readings from his latest book of poetry called The Whole Earth is a Garden of Monsters at the Mercantile Library were powerful and moving. He says he writes poetry as if it’s music – by rhythm. 

Manuel’s new book also won the 2025 Ambroggio Prize. The Prize is given annually for a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. His English translator is Kevin McHugh, a friend from my ad agency days.

Radio people are happy even when they’re sad

Gary Burbank’s Celebration of Life was a wonderful tribute to a radio legend. It was good to reconnect with my old radio homies too. They’re all crazy, of course, which is what makes them so much fun to be around.

Former WLW superstar salesman Dan Lewis was not in attendance. He had another modeling gig.

Jason Narducy at my place – Thursday, May 14

Jason’s playing a “songs and stories” solo gig at Casa de d2 on May 14th. 8-9:30pm (perfect timing for a school night). You can get tickets here. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Narducy, his first band inspired Dave Grohl to start making music. And he not only organized the R.E.M. tours with Michael Shannon (read more here and here) and assembled a killer band, but he’s also the bassist for Bob Mould, touring bassist for Superchunk, makes solo records as Split Single, and has a new book of road stories out.

Here’s a fun video for a Split Single tune, with the aforementioned funnyman Dave Hill and Anya Marina:

And here’s the full Split Single live set on KEXP:

Don’t let the TicketBastards get you down

Last week I made a box office run to Ovation, Bogart’s, and Ludlow Garage to get tickets for my friends and me. 7 shows. 19 tickets. 1 hour of my time. And we saved $180 in fees.

They don’t make it easy (Ovation box office is only open Tuesday through Friday from 10a-3p… although the woman at the box office said they stay open until 4.) But it’s totally worth it if you know the show won’t sell out. FWIW, the Mike Brady box office is open M-W-F 11a-3p (and you can park right by the box office) and they also sell tickets to Taft and Riverbend/PNC shows there. Ludlow’s box office hours are W-F, 4-9p, and Sa-Su 11a-9p. Bogart’s is noon-5p M-F and also longer hours on show days.

College rockin’

List member Daniel passed along a fun article from Loudwire:

Check it out here and let the debates begin!

Shameless self-promotion

The latest episode of the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast features Rob Mason, who interned at 97X and later went on to start Old Flame Records.

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

I mostly love your track suit. And your Doug Henning vibes.

Who knew Julia Child had a side hustle?

I’ve never seen someone less excited about love. I think he’s being forced to play guitar against his will, and the Stockholm Syndrome hasn’t fully kicked in yet.

Speaking of kicking in, we can smell what Larry’s smoking with his “High Time” album title and the greenery behind him. But his shirt has made me forget all about Mickey Thomas’ track suit.

97X Rumblings from the Big Bush: Rob Mason of Old Flame Records

97X, Music, podcast

After discovering 97X as a Miami University student and interning for Barb Abney, Rob Mason channeled his love of music into founding and running a record label. Old Flame Records featured releases from a slew of bands, including Cloud Nothings, Twin Tigers, and Cincinnati artists such as Carriers, Moonbeau, Frontier Folk Nebraska, and Dawg Yawp. And he’s our only guest (so far) to have released music from a group that won a Norwegian Grammy. Rob shares his stories (including babysitting Kings of Leon during their Oxford visit) and talks about how he’s still passionate about helping cool bands get their music heard.

Here’s an excerpt from Rob’s description of Old Flame in Impose Magazine:

From my days as a Music Director at WMSR to being an intern at WOXY, I found my love of discovering and exposing people to new music. Different jobs at labels and record stores and even mortgage lenders helped shape me in terms of learning what I liked, what worked/didn’t work, and what I wanted to do and not do with my time and my life.

Here’s a screen grab of the Old Flame roster on Bandcamp -it’s quite impressive:

You can check out Old Flame playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazing Radio, among others.

During our interview, Rob mentioned the self-titled debut release from Dawg Yawp, produced by Rob Fetters (Raisins, The Bears, Psychodots).

Here’s Dawg Yawp’s NPR Tiny Desk performance: