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
• Todd Lipscomb plays Arnold’s
• The Close Trio and Jonathan Cody White play a Downtowne Listening Room show at the Historic Boone County Courthouse
• 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.

Tune in via the link below.

The “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast is back, baby!

Maine gets it

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.

The 80s sure were a different time.