Aaron Borns started at 97X as a student intern (a.k.a. “co-producer”) for the Breakfast Club in 1993, then worked part-time shifts, answered the phones and worked with Julie Maxwell doing promotions. He wasn’t at the station long, but the lessons he learned there served him well during a 20-plus year career doing promotions and marketing at RCA Records. Dave and Damian talk to Aaron about his 97X days, his record label roles… and how he got a free car while he was at 97X.
Yes, it’s another double shot of TWILM… a Two-fer Tuesday on a Sunday! I’ll be out on the Left Coast next weekend for a Ragnar Relay (similar to a Bourbon Chase race). Our 12-person team will do a 200-mile relay run from San Francisco to Napa from Friday morning until Saturday evening. Most members of our team are hardcore runners… I’m the “anchor” who will bring down our time. To make up for that, I’ll be DD the DD for our Wine Country tour on Sunday.
Okey-dokey, let’s get to the double dose o’ live tuneage:
Monday evening, there aren’t any music shows of note, but David Sedaris will be at the Aronoff. I’ll be at that show.
Tuesday, Southern Culture on the Skids plays Southgate. The SCOTS are always a fun time. Bring your 8 Piece Box! That same evening, the kids will be at Riverfront Coliseum for the sold-out Twenty One Pilots show. Actually, looks like some of the kids might be camping out Monday night, according to the Coliseum website:
Also on Tuesday, at Bogart’s, UFO will be playing their “50th Anniversary and Final Tour” show. I saw UFO open for Ozzy Osbourne back in 1982 at the Pine Bluff (Arkansas) Convention Center. This was at the height of “Ozzy is a devil worshipper” paranoia, shortly after ol’ Ozzy bit the head off of a live bat. So security was heightened at the venue, and my high school buddies made me sneak in the whiskey bottle. “You’re clean cut, they won’t ever suspect you.” Sure enough, I waltzed right in with contraband hooch crammed into my Levis, while my long-haired friends were patted down. Saints be praised!
(Perhaps a more notable historical tidbit is that Ozzy’s guitarist Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash two weeks later.)
On Wednesday, Bumpin Uglies (“East Coast Ska/Punk/Reggae”) will be at Madison Live, and Marc Roberge of O.A.R. does a solo show at Ludlow Garage.
Thursday, Ben Folds plays Taft Theater. Many moons ago, the Ben Folds Five played the bar that’s now Below Zero in OTR, and after the show my friend Chris Comer asked the band to stop by his Chris & Rob Late Night Talk Show on WAIF-FM… and they did show up, and played a game of “Stump the Band” where listeners could call in and request a cover tune… I think Ben played a recorder.
[Sorry this post has turned into “Area man tries to remember stuff from decades ago.”]
That same evening, Kelsey Waldron plays Southgate’s Revival Room, Sawyer Fredericks is in the Southgate Sanctuary… and the bombastic Celine Dion will play the Coliseum. I don’t think anyone will be camping out for that show.
Rhett Miller of the Old 97’s plays a solo gig in the Taft Theatre Ballroom on Friday. In Real Life plays Top Cats, Ben Levin is at BrewRiver, the Mt. Pleasant String Band plays Camp Springs Tavern, and Inhailer Radio takes over all three of the Southgate House stages for INspired, a fundraiser for the station featuring local bands doing original music and cover songs of bands who inspired them.
If you’ve been jonesing for a Lachey Bros fix since their OTR bar went out of business, please note that 98 Degrees is at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. Also, please consider getting a life.
Saturday, Mat Kearney has a sold out acoustic show at Memorial Hall, Dudley Taft has a CD release show at Madison Live, and Root Cellar Xtract is the featured band at Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest.
On Sunday, October 27th, Chelsea Ford & The Trouble are at Neltner’s Farm, Joshua Radin and The Weepies play Memorial Hall, Mystery Skulls is at Top Cats, and Ricky Nye and Paul Ellis play Wiedemann’s taproom (5pm show).
Boz Skaggs shuffles into the Taft on Wednesday, October 30th, and Michael Franti & Spearhead will be at Riverfront Live.
On Halloween, Elizabeth Cook and Will Hoge are playing Southgate.
Friday, November 1st is a big day for live music:
On Saturday, 11/2, Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, KY (the Northside of NKY) is screening the film When It Breaks at noon. List member Keith Neltner highly recommends it. Here’s the synopsis from imdb.com:
When It Breaks is the inspiring story of Special Education teacher Konrad Wert and his personal journey to avoid becoming another victim of teacher burnout. Stepping away from the classroom, Wert turns to his musical side career as a means to tour the country with his family and engage teachers, parents, and audiences in a conversation about the current state of Special Education. As opportunities arise, Konrad must decide how his service is most effective- as an advocating artist or as a teacher in the classroom.
That evening, Jonathan Edwards and Jon Pousette-Dart are at Memorial Hall and Hiroshima plays Ludlow Garage.
Sunday, November 3rd, John Cusack will be at Taft for a screening of the movie Say Anything, followed by a live conversation. Not bad if you enjoy paying a minimum of $52.75 (plus fees) to watch a 30-year-old movie.
Wussy is playing a living room show on 11/22, but tickets sold out in a few hours.
Here’s mine: Little Feat’s “I’ve Been The One” as done by Golden Palominos, with the inimitable Syd Straw on lead vocals. The original tune is very nice, but I absolutely adore this version. “And I’ve tried everything that whiskey cures, but the pain endures.”
Have a great couple of weeks!
Howdy kids, I’m back from the City of the Big Shoulders, the Windy City. I’d like to propose a toast to my wife, who ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday.
And I’d also like to propose a toast to my Chicago-dwelling friend Jessica, who hooked me up with an extra ticket to the Luna concert at Lincoln Hall last night, where they played their album Penthouse in its entirety.
OK, short week, short post.
Tuesday, Macy Gray plays Ludlow Garage. All That Remains and Lacuna Coil are at Riverfront Live. Capstan plays Top Cats and local musician Zapruder Point is at the Brew House.
On Wednesday, Just Friends, Save Face, the Sonder Bombs and Pool Kids play the Southgate House; Andy Frasco and the UN are at Madison Live; The New Mastersounds are at Ludlow; Sarah Asher plays MOTR with Mavis Guitar, Billy Alletzhauser and Beth Harris; and list member John Sandman’s Tye Dye Band plays Tina’s downtown from 4:30-8 p.m.
Della Mae is at Memorial Hall on Thursday, Charlie Parr has a CD release show in Southgate’s Revival Room, and Brit blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor is in Southgate’s main room. Brand X is at Ludlow Garage that evening… not to be confused with Kroger’s old generic brand.
Friday, you can enjoy Cigarettes After Sex… at the Madison Theater. Or you can go to the zombie party hosted by 500 Miles to Memphis at Southgate, in the Sanctuary. The Minks and the Nailers are in Southgate’s Sanctuary, and Arlo McKinley & the Lonesome Sound play Madison Live.
Murphy’s Pub is celebrating 30th years with Dirty Thirty gigs on Friday and Saturday. You can read more in CityBeat.
Taking Back Sunday kicks off a two-night stand at Bogart’s on Friday. Apparently they are trying to corner the market on weekends.
On Saturday:
Sunday, John Morgen plays Neltner’s Farm, the Aquadolls are at Top Cats, and the Q102 Bosom Ball is at Madison Theater, with Ingrid Michaelson as the headliner and Maddie Poppe, the Season 16 winner of American karaoke Idol, also on the bill.
Merge Records was founded by Mac & Laura from Superchunk, so naturally I’m biased, but they have a stellar stable of artists. This year, they were celebrating their 30th anniversary and I subscribed to their “Born Under A Good Sign” promo, which got me a quarterly shipment of surprise/limited edition tunes and some other swag. This quarter, it was a Polvo reissue on green vinyl and a Holiday Sampler on peppermint vinyl.
Speaking of Superchunk, if you’re not following Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster (also drummer for Bob Mould and The Mountain Goats and co-star of The Best Show), you’re missing out. On Insta, he does a “new worst friend” thing when someone sends him a weird photo:
And his tweets are great too:
The latest episode of the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast features our chat with Rik Helton, the former owner of CD World, who used to promote his record store by attending indie rock concerts dressed in superhero tights. We also play some other throwback commercials from the 97X airwaves.
Before we get to this week’s gigs, I need to apologize. I let you down. There was a free show on Fountain Square this past Wednesday, featuring 500 Miles to Memphis, the Bottle Rockets, and Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers, and I failed to mention it in last week’s post. Mainly because I had no clue that it was happening until about an hour before the show started, when list member Whit G. mentioned it (he follows the Bottle Rockets on the socials and saw it posted there). Whit, his wife Barb and I hustled down for the Bottle Rockets. They were outstanding, as always.
In my defense, the show was poorly publicized. But I’m sorry, and I won’t let it happen again. At least until the next time it happens again.
OK, as the celebrities like to say after reading a non-apology apology prepared by their PR firm, “I hope we can all move forward.”
Monday, The Fleshtones play Southgate House. They have been around since 1976, but they remain relevant today.
More CBGB stalwarts will be in town that same evening: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie will be at a book event at Walnut Hills. List member Howard Cohen (yes, THE Howard Cohen, lead singer of The Cereal Killers) will be in attendance.
On Tuesday, Young Thug and Machine Gun Kelly play PNC Pavilion, and young non-thug Ben Levin plays Arnold’s.
Wednesday, Southgate hosts An Evening with Griffin House in the Sanctuary, and Whitacre in the Revival Room. List member John Sandman’s Tie-Dye Band will be playing The Lounge in Anderson. And Ludlow Garage welcomes a band from Nashville called Towne. They’ll fit right in here, with all the shopping malls that throw a superfluous “e” on the word Town.
BLINK! starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, with six different stages in OTR, downtown and Covington (“Lov the Cov”), and their lineup of local music is rock-solid. By law, I’m required to mention that This Pine Box (featuring Joe Tellmann, son of my partner-in-podcast-crime Dave Tellmann) is playing Thursday at 10 p.m. on the 7th Street Stage in Covington, and Rob Fetters is headlining the Court Street Stage at the same time. Worlds are colliding:
Also on Thursday, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers are at Southgate, and Arielle plays Ludlow Garage. If you find yourself saying “Who is Arielle?” you’re in luck, because she has a page on her website called just that.
I’M A HIPPIE TRAVELING, GUITAR-WIELDING, SONG-WRITING, FLOWY CLOTHES WEARING LADY.
I am a singer-songwriter, guitar player, and a lover of life.
I’ve got a hippie heartbeat, with an edgy rocker spirit. 🤘
I was born in the USA, but the world is my home.
A few of my favourite past-times are hugging fans, cuddling animals and traveling, whilst tasting the town’s tasty local kombucha.
Hmm, she was born in the USA but she spells “favourite” the Brit way… and throws in a “whilst” too…Methinks she’s had a bit too much kombucha. Or her publicist also names shopping malls in Cincinnati.
Friday:
On Saturday, Sean Geil of the Tillers plays Neltner’s Farm Fall Festival in the afternoon. Plenty of shows that evening too:
Sunday afternoon, you can check at The Redemptioners at Neltner’s Farm. That evening, the Pat Travers Band plays Ludlow Garage (great, now the lights are going to go out and we won’t be able to see where the horse manure is). Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü comes to MOTR as part of the band Porcupine (just Porcupine, not Porcüpine), with Knife the Symphony and Hyperstatic also on the bill. And Ballyhoo! plays Riverfront Live. As if the exclamation point weren’t enough, Ballyhoo! also bills themselves as #punkrockreggaesexmusic.
I’m throwing next Monday onto this list, because I’ll still be in Chicago. My lovely bride is running the full Chicago Marathon next Sunday, and I’ll be there to cheer her on whilst tasting the town’s tasty local kombucha… or more likely sitting on my ass and stuffing my face with Nacho Doritos.
On Monday 10/14, the Nashville band Ornament is playing MOTR with White Lighter and Coy Comer & the Wanderers.
KEXP presented their listeners’ 666 favorite albums. And hat tip to list member Michael “Rico” Carrico for unearthing a Finnish blog that has a nice weekly playlist and recently celebrated its 18th anniversary with dozens of exclusive live performances.
