Fall (season, not band) means it’s time to sip on your Pumpkin Spice latte. Or dip your Pumpkin Spice Oreos into Pumpkin Spice Almond Milk. Or have a bowl of Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes. Or spread some Pumpkin Spice cream cheese on your Pumpkin Spice bagel. Or snack on some Pumpkin Spice pretzel crisps, or Pumpkin Spice graham cracker Goldfish, or a Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tart.
Or better yet, just put on some Pumpkin Old Spice deodorant, and get thee to a Fall gig or three.
You’ll be falling for Fall shows so much that your friends will start calling you Mrs. Fletcher.
Tonight, the Front Bottoms “10 Years of Back on Top” tour is at the Ovation in Newport. And Peach Pit plays Bogart’s* the Madison Theater… although it’d be more on-brand if they played the Peach Pit After Dark in Beverly Hills.
It’s worth noting that Steve was ahead of the curve on non-alcoholic “functional” beverages. They later helped him fight flying sharks.
*Note: several recent and upcoming shows have been moved from Bogart’s to the Madison Theater. Apparently, Bogart’s had some “unforeseen venue maintenance” – which probably means all those years of having hideous restrooms are coming back to haunt them.
On Thursday:
The Avett Brothers play Ovation, with Heartless Bastards – great double bill!
Leo Kottke is at Ludlow Garage
Southgate hosts the monthly “Crooner Circus” songwriter showcase
Friday shows:
Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls play PNC Pavilion
John PayCheck (son of Johnny) and Wes Shipp are in the Southgate Sanctuary
Eric McM and Sharp Toys play “a doom-folk nightmare carnival” free show in the Southgate Lounge
Mosant, Harlow, and Happy Tuesday are at MOTR
GWAR is at the Madison Theater… bumping TUSK: the classic Fleetwood Mac Tribute… and breaking the Cincinnati area’s streak of having a Fleetwood Mac tribute band every month.
We’re at that age where rock stars are at that age
Billy Joel cancelled his Paul Brown Stadium gig with Rod Stewart that was originally slated for Saturday. And the X & Los Lobos “99 Years of Rock ‘N Roll” show at the Rose in Dayton on Sunday has been cancelled. In fact, that entire tour has been scrapped. Major bummer, as I was really looking forward to that gig.
But there still are a few shows on tap for the weekend.
Saturday:
Inhaler (a.k.a. the band that Bono’s son is in, not Inhailer Radio) plays Bogart’s The Madison Theater (you definitely didn’t want to inhale when you were in Bogart’s bathrooms)
Sungaze, Leggy, and Laveda are at MOTR
Sunday:
Mat Kearney is at the Taft
Walter Trout plays Ludlow Garage
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds play MOTR with Motorbike
On Monday, The Damned plays Bogart’s Madison Theater (Bogart’s bathrooms were damned… and the toilets and urinals were dammed).
Papa Roach and Rise Against are at PNC on Tuesday.
Next Wednesday, 9/24, Kaleo plays the Taft with Stephen Day and Júníus Meyvant. Meanwhile, your humble scribe will be in Detroit, to see The Tubs at Third Man Records.
The Whispering Beard Festival kicks off on Thursday, September 25. Tickets.
Also on Thursday, the always-entertaining Low Cut Connie plays the Woodward, and Liberty Theater has a Songwriters in the Round free show with G.W. Garner and Ben Turner.
Shows on Friday, 9/26:
Dwight Yoakam and The Mavericks (great double bill!) play PNC
The Gibson Brothers play the Liberty Theater
Whispering Beard keeps on beardin’ with beardos
The AmpFibians (surf rock) play Southgate’s Lounge (tickets are $2 – a low-dough show!)
Ludlow Garage has “Live from Laurel Canyon” – billed as “an evening of live music and narrated stories of some of the most influential songwriters who lived in Laurel Canyon in the mid 1960’s and 70’s.” (not scheduled to appear: some of the most influential songwriters who lived in Laurel Canyon in the mid 1960’s and 70’s)
The Talk low festival (similar to the old MusicNow festival) kicks off and runs through Monday, 9/29. Full lineup is here.
On Saturday, 9/27, the Filthy Heathens play the Liberty Theater. “Filthy heathen” was what Aunt Esther loved to call Fred G. Sanford.
Other 9/27 shows are of the tribute variety:
Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd at RiversEDGE (free!)
The Redmoor double dips their Macca with The Ultimate Beatles & Wings Experience (unless it’s just a Beatles tribute band and a sale on Buffalo wings).
On Sunday, 9/28, Matt Hecker and Joe’s Truck Stop play the Southgate, and Lene Lovich is at Ludlow Garage.
Monday, 9/29 features the show you’ve been waiting for all month – if you’ve been waiting for the legendary double bill of BabyTron and ShittyBoyz. They are playing Bogart’s The Madison Theater. (When you think of ShittyBoyz restrooms, you naturally think of Bogart’s.)
Septuneber (yes, it’s still a thing!) wraps up on Tuesday, 9/30 with:
Garbage and Starcrawler at the Ovation (indoor show)
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nicholas Kristof will discuss his new book Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life at the Aronoff. Tickets. (BTW, balcony seats are $5, Loge is $10, and Orchestra level is $15.)
We love it live!
James McMurtry and his band were superb, as always, at the Woodward. List members Geoff S. and Kevin S. (no relation) were in the house.
The next night I was back at the Woodward for Momma and Villagerrr. Taylor from Inhailer was there, of course. He goes to more shows than I do!
Noted local photographer Jon Calderas was there too, and offered me tickets to the Weird Al/Puddles Pity Party show last night…
… where I ran into list members David and Amy G. Weird Al put on a great show, too!
My house concert worlds are colliding
Craig Finn (who played my house in 2018) interviewed Chuck and Lisa of Wussy (who have played my house several times) for his That’s How I Remember It podcast. The episode is great, and it’s here. It also features Lisa’s shout-out for 97X:
You can never step into the same River Roots Festival twice
Because you’ve changed. And the River Roots Festival organizers have cancelled the headliners.
My guess is that “a changing entertainment landscape” = “we’d have a mountain o’ debt because tickets aren’t selling.” Speaking of “a changing entertainment landscape” I hope the Bogart’s bathrooms are OK.
Maybe Big in Iowa will finally live up to their name
Dave Tellmann shared this AmericanaUK (not an oxymoron, I suppose) article about Big in Iowa in their “More People Should Really Know About” series.
“So why are a band defunct for over 25 years worth seeking out? Because they were good. They released four albums that should be in any self-respecting collection of Americana…”
Shameless self-promotion
Speaking o’ Dave Tellmann (“the Gene Rayburn of modern rock” – shown below), he and I chatted with longtime 97X listener and “Rumblings from the Big Bush” superfan Jayson (not Jason) Alexander on our latest episode. Check it out and get some bonus content here.
Kids these days…
They have talent! List member Anne Robinson shared this clip of a local 16-year-old guitar virtuoso, playing live in the new Cincinnati Public Radio studio recording space.
Town Hall invaded by robot!
I hope he comes to a Cincinnati City Council meeting next. See the amazing footage here!
Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)
In honor of Roktoberfest…
Oh Käpt’n, my Käpt’n!
The Vokal Produktion on this album is wunderbar! And the cover model is the Teutonic Olivia Newton Johann.
Wow, the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast has really come a long way. Now we’re interviewing A-list celebrities like Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on Seinfeld!
Wait just a minute, I’m getting breaking news from the Aye Team News Bubble. It’s not Jason Alexander, it’s Jayson Alexander. Which is even better! Let’s check the stats:
Jason Alexander has never listened to a single second of 97X
Jason Alexander has never heard of — much less heard — the Rumblings podcast.
Jayson Alexander listened to 97X for years.
Jayson Alexander has listened to every one of our “Rumblings” podcasts… and yet somehow is still considered to be of sound mind.
Jason Alexander won an Emmy, a Tony, and a SAG Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.” But Jayson Alexander’s accomplishments are even more impressive:
He won a 97X frisbee
He knows two guys named Tony
He won a saggy pants award for “Outstanding Performance in an Old-Timey Base Ball Game”
Jayson, who first started listening to 97X in the 90s, shared tales of Ben Harper close encounters, being the lead singer of Ozomatli, leading the old-time baseball league in putouts, and absolutely crushing pins in several Rock & Bowls.
Jayson also got to sit in with Rictile on the Breakfast Club one day when co-host Kevin Couche was out. He was “Couche for a Day”… and Rictile did him dirty with the alleged “news” he gave him to read cold after Shiv…
Jayson had more luck answering Trivia Ahoy questions as a listener.
We don’t have a photo of Jayson from the old time “base ball” game they played against the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings vintage team. So these 97X softball team shots will have to suffice.
Below is a bit more info about the old timey game and its rules – as Jayson mentioned, their code of conduct was quite strict.
This isn’t Jayson’s car, but it should be:
Thanks for listening, Jayson! You have inspired Dave to put more effort into his podcast prep work:
Hey, if “classic rock” radio stations can use the terms “Rocktober” and “Rollvember” then the staff at 97Xbam (all one of us) can coin our own phrase for the 9th month of the year.
We hope your Labor Day weekend was gloriously labor-free. Now let’s get back to work on the gigs:
Tonight:
Ani DiFranco plays the Taft with Hurray for the Riff Raff opening
Woodward Theater has The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis with Touchdown Jesus
It’s another Ween Wednesday at The Columbia. Tonight they’ll be spinning the Ween album Quebec
Thursday:
Ludlow Garage has the Texas Headhunters feat. Ian Moore, Jesse Dayton, and Johnny Moeller
Burning Witches play Madison Live
(Remember that before you burn a witch, you have to make sure she weighs the same as a duck.)
The Whimmydiddle Festival kicks off a two-day stand at RiversEDGE in Hamilton on Friday, with The Devil Makes Three and Town Mountain on the bill. Saturday, Grace Potter headlines with Taylor Hunnicutt and Clay Street Unit.
Other Friday shows:
Red Wanting Blue and Justin Wells plays Southgate’s main room
Colby T. Helms & the Virginia Creepers play the Southgate Revival Room
Electric Cars and Tragic Blonde Weekend are at the Woodward
CFG & the Family play the Liberty Theater
Miller & Other Sinners do the free gig at the Levitt in Dayton
The Redmoor in Mt. Lookout hosts Fleetwood Gold, which is either a Fleetwood Mac tribute band or a classic Cadillac
Ludlow Garage has Toast: the Ultimate Bread Tribute
Note: Toast is the Ultimate Tribute to the band Bread, and this is the ultimate tribute to toast:
It should be noted that Ludlow’s Toast is NOT on a stick.
Saturday is jam-packed with gigs:
Whimmydiddle Night 2 (Grace Potter, Taylor Hunnicutt and Clay Street Unit in case you’ve already forgotten the info from a couple paragraphs ago… and I get it!)
Carriers play a free show at MadTree Oakley, with the Wussy Duo and Lylak also on the bill, starting at 6 p.m.
Bonnie Raitt plays the Rose in Dayton, with Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt-a-Whirl Band opening
The War and Treaty play Music Hall
The Brooks Werner Band will be at the Liberty Theater
Barrington Levy plays Ludlow Garage
The Red Clay Strays and The Dip are at the Carol Brady
The Redmoor has the Dead Revival Band
Dead Centric is at Stanley’s, with I Dig Pig as the opener
Back in high school, I dug the Pig too. My afterschool job was at the Piggly Wiggly in Morrilton, Arkansas.
Morrilton is also home to Petit Jean Meats, makers of a Mock Chicken Loaf.
Was there really a need in the lunch meat category for “mock chicken loaf”…???
Speaking of mockery, The Beach Boys play the Fraze on Sunday.
That same evening, Jerry Cantrell and Filter play Bogart’s, and Southgate House features Renegade: The Songs of Warren Zevon.
Shows this coming Tuesday:
Bob Mould does his solo electric thing at Memorial Hall, with J. Robbins
Bogart’s has the Yacht Rock Revue
Katie Pruitt and Jess Nolan play Southgate’s Sanctuary
Upstairs in the Southgate Revival Room, it’s Thelma and the Sleaze with Leggy
Shows next Wednesday, the 10th of Septuneber (yes, I’m sticking with it until it sticks):
Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett (“The Crooner and the Cowboy”) play the outdoor stage at the Marsha Brady*
Soccer Mommy is at Bogart’s
Chevelle plays the PNC Pavilion
AJ Lee & Blue Summit (California bluegrass) at Southgate in the Revival Room
Skerryvore (Scottish music) plays Ludlow Garage
*we chose Marsha for the outdoor stage because it always reminds us of this classic outdoor clip:
Shows on Thursday, Septuneber 11:
Gangstagrass plays Ludlow Garage
Scotty Bratcher and Johnny Mullenax play a free show at RiversEDGE
Liberty Theater has a free Songwriters in the Round show with Ryan Moore, Dave Lacey, and TC Eckstein
Erin Viancourt (country music… from Cleveland!) and Andrew Hibbard are at Southgate
Little Big Town plays Riverbend with Wynonna Judd and Shelby Lynne
(Morrilton, Arkansas is a Little Big Town, because it has a population of 6,992 yet it still has the temerity to mock chicken.)
Friday, Sept.(up to you whether it’s an abbreviation for September or Septuneber) 12:
James McMurtry and his band play the Woodward, with Betty Soo opening (I’ll be at that gig)
Bonnie Raitt and Jimmie Vaughan circle back to the area to play the Greg Brady
The Doobie Brothers and the Coral Reefer Band play Riverbend
Carson Lowe & Kayla Rose with Harley Day at the Liberty Theater
Poppy plays Bogart’s with MSPaint
Southgate House has Back to Mac, which is either a tribute to Fleetwood Mac or Mac Davis (Mac D. had the better perm back in the day)
Shows on Saturday, September (I give up) 13:
Momma plays the Woodward, with Villagerrr (not a typo) – I’ll be there!
Conan Gray is at Riverbend
The Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana has an improv comedy show (featuring one of my co-workers in the troupe called Crash Course)
Tuesday, September 16:
“Weird Al” Yankovic and Puddles Pity Party are at the Ovation in Newport
blink-182 is at Riverbend – this was their finest hour:
We love it live!
I think we had a record number of folks cash in their “free beer” coupon at the last Cereal Killers show at Big Ash. Which was great. But the tunes from Cereal Killers were even greater.
Dave T. and I also attended a joyful house show featuring Jay and Tim from Too Much Joy — now in the band Wonderlick — in Hamilton.
(Tim and Jay might be coming soon to a podcast near you… )
Speaking o’ podcasts
The Kelce Bros and T-Swift…
… are no match for the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” Bros and Julie Maxwell.
Saw this posted on a shop window in Portland and fell even more in love with Maine:
It’s a New Tunes Bonanza!
Uh, that’s not what I had in mind. (But I still love you, Hoss!) I was referring to the new releases from Superchunk (below), Kathleen Edwards, and The Beths. Put yer ears on ’em!
Reason #2,327,097 why I love Chuck Cleaver
This exchange between Dave Tellmann and Chuck on FB was pure gold!
Akron rules!
Album (and 45 rpm) Covers of the Week(s)
The Bonanza cover above was a bonus. But here’s the back cover, so you can see an action photo of Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Pernell Roberts contributing those sweet vocal harmonies to mix:
Spoiler alert: It involves booze. Thomas returned to the Hotel Chelsea, declaring, “I’ve had eighteen straight whiskeys. I think that’s the record!” Which means the record above is a record of the record.
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