Dorsie Fyffe worked at 97X from 1993 to 1998, eventually winding up as Music Director (nominated by Billboard Magazine for “Music Director of the Year”) and afternoon host. During that same era, he led the local band Johnny Smoke, and lived with Tim Taylor, lead singer of Brainiac, and Dave Doughman of Swearing at Motorists. Since then, much like Johnny Cash, he’s “been everywhere, man” – San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, Austin, Los Angeles. But he’s still rockin’. We chat with Dorsie about his 97X days and his new Cincinnati-via-Northern California band Beverly Hills Supper Club.
This photo of Dorsie at 97X sums up the inimitable Dorsie vibe quite nicely:
Dorsie’s new band Beverly Hills Supper Club features Cincinnati-based members including Billy Catfish.
You can check out BHSC’s music on all the major streaming services. Here’s their artist link on Spotify and here’s their latest release:
https://youtu.be/1IMi-XhJ3UA
Lydia Loveless loves Dorsie
Dorsie in Lawrence, KS circa 2013. Pants courtesy of the Herb Tarlek Collection.
We continue our conversation with Mark Messerly, a key player in the Cincinnati music scene. In this episode, he talks about the genius of his Wussy bandmates Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, and pays tribute to John Erhardt, who passed away earlier this year. We also talk about his tour blogging (Robert Christgau loves it and we do too!), his day job as a music teacher… and Superchunk.
Mark’s tour diary entries are profound, poignant… and often hilarious as well. (Who doesn’t love a good Snack of the Day review?) The archive is on Wussy’s website here. Robert Christgau, “the dean of American rock critics” loves Mark’s writing. He loves Wussy too – you can read his brief reviews of each Wussy release here.
Mark and Chuck Cleaver both wrote fond tributes to John Erhardt, who played in both the Ass Ponys and Wussy. Read them here.
Yes, you read that right, it’s the 32nd livestream from Wussy band members… each one is a true gem, showcasing brilliant songwriting and playful banter. Check them out here and if you can, cough up some cash for the tip jar.
Mark Messerly has been a key player in the Cincinnati music scene for decades, and he’s still going strong. (No wonder he calls himself a “lifer.”) Mark was the longtime co-leader of Messerly & Ewing, which won 97Xposure in 2002, and he joined Wussy as their bassist that same year when they expanded from a duo to a full band. He also released a 2018 album under the INERT moniker, and his day job is working as a music teacher in the Cincinnati Public Schools district. In this first of a two-part interview, we talk to Mark about INERT, the perks of winning 97Xposure, and what 97X meant to local bands and true music fans.
Mark Messerly and Brian Ewing
Here’s the Messerly & Ewing song “Shallow Grave” which got plenty of airplay on 97X as part of their 97Xposure win.
Messerly & Ewing “Shallow Grave”
Messerly and Ewing-Shallow Grave
“With Pixies/Nirvana-esque dynamics, clever lyrics and giant sized hooks, these supposed Folk rockers teach the world to sing the best local Pop song of the year.”
CityBeat Cincinnati
Check out this CityBeat Local Roots Music Primer from 2001 for a mention of M&E and several other great local bands, including a couple with 97X connections (Big in Iowa featured Mr. K, and Monkey Biscuit was led by Rob Ervin). And here’s a nice M&E CityBeat feature from 2015.
Messerly and Ewing Band, Bunbury 2012 with MidPoint found Sean Rhiney on bass and MidPoint and Bunbury founder Bill Donabedian on drums. Photo credit: Michael A. Kearns
Three Messerly & Ewing albums can be found on Bandcamp.
From 1991-1999, Dan McCabe booked local and national bands (and tended bar, and cleaned the washing machines) at the late, great Sudsy Malone’s on Short Vine, fronting his own money to book the national acts. Decades later, he’s still promoting great live music, as co-owner of MOTR Pub and the Woodward Theater in Over-the-Rhine. Dan shares some amazing memories from his Sudsy’s days (Morphine, Jesus Lizard, Mercury Rev… and Reverend blood on the sidewalk), and talks about why indie venues are crucial to up-and-coming bands. (Oh, this live episode also features special guest appearances from Rictile and Howard Cohen of The Cereal Killers.)
MOTR and The Woodward, like many indie venues across the country, have been shuttered by COVID-19 and need our help. All of us can #SaveOurStages by taking action (writing congresspeople, donating to an indie venue emergency relief fund, etc.) at NIVAssoc.org.
MOTR Pub’s credo sounds a lot like the way 97X operated back in the day.
The building that housed Sudsy Malone’s (daytime laundromat/bar and nighttime rock club) was recently knocked down. Dan McCabe shared some Sudsy’s memories in this interview with Chris Varias (also a partner in MOTR and the Woodward Theater) on Cincinnati.com.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given there to work with local music and music fans. It was fantastic. The ‘90s were pretty crazy. The ‘90s were when music became accessible. There was no longer this magical laboratory on a hill. Live music and clubs like that were where the bands would bubble up from. You would see them at Sudsy’s one day and MTV the next. It was pretty fun that way.”
Dan McCabe in the Cincinnati Enquirer article linked above
Dan also has played in several Cincinnati-based bands, most notably Roundhead. Here’s a Roundhead reunion panel from earlier this year:
Another partner in MOTR and the Woodward is Chris Schadler, who booked bands at Southgate House starting in the late 90s.
We all miss live music… and we need these great venues to still be in operation when the pandemic has passed. Please visit NIVAssoc.org and do what you can to help #SaveOurStages.
Tina Christina was on the air at 97X for more than a decade (1991-2003) doing weekend shifts, then overnights, and eventually middays with her distinctive New York accent. She’s still in the radio biz… although she goes by a different name these days. We talk to Tina about her 97X memories, which include barking dogs, sleeping on the air, Bogart’s stage fright, and a decoration from Cake.
Tina Christina in college at SUNY-Plattsburgh – she’s in the 2nd row, second from the right. Tina Christina with her kids. She still enjoys birthday cake and drawings from the band Cake. Having co-hosted morning shows on country stations in both Cincinnati and Albany, NY, Tina Christina (a.k.a. “Dana Race”) has tons of photos of herself with guys with big hats.
In this podcast episode, we continue our chat with Phil Manning, who joined 97X in the summer of 1988 and was with the station until December of 1994, spending most of those years in the program director role. This episode features stories about Bob Mould, Richard Thompson, comedian Chip Chinery, angry Goo Goo Dolls, Folgers coffee, fax machines, Hawaiian honeymoons and a great promo featuring Phil doing his Morrissey impersonation. And somehow we manage to squeeze in some serious thoughts from Phil about the things that made 97X so special.
Phil’s in the front row, 2nd from left, at the infamous Day in Eden outdoor concert at Eden Park.
Phil Manning started at the very bottom of the totem pole at 97X shortly after he graduated from college in 1988. He began with a single weekend overnight shift but gradually worked his way up to program director, and had that role at 97X for nearly five years during the halcyon days of the early to mid 90s. Phil talks about how he got the gig, his interesting side jobs, his roommates, his “whopping” salary and how he became a “radio vagabond” in several major markets after departing 97X in 1994, including spending 10+ years at The End in Seattle and a stint at 91X in San Diego.
Phil at the mic at Bogart’s during the 10th Anniversary Concert (Barenaked Ladies, Royal Crescent Mob, Too Much Joy and Sleep Theater) We’re pretty sure that’s Dave’s hand… Phil and Dave with the B-52s “Cosmic Thing” disc… this must’ve been taken before Channel Z went on the air in Cincinnati.
There’s no denying that the music is what attracted a small-but-mighty tribe of forward-thinking listeners to 97X. But the commercials, promos, contests, station ID liners and DJ breaks helped contribute to the freewheeling, fun-loving, anti-corporate nature of the station. In this episode, Dave and Damian play several bits and breaks from back in the day. We also have a listener who needs your well-trained ears to help him figure out a mystery song from 97X.
The 97X gang at Lollapalooza 1992, Riverbend. Kneeling: Damian and Rictile. Standing L to R: Steve Baker, Linda Balogh, Jae Forman, Julie Maxwell, Doug Balogh, Phil Manning, Joe Throckmorton, Brian Ewing, Dave Tellmann and Chris Adryan. Sitting atop the 97X Blazer: Laura Kim.
Station owners Doug and Linda Balogh were very hands-off when it came to station programming. They didn’t meddle with the music, and they encouraged the on-air staff to be creative. Sure, there were a few swings-and-misses, but the supportive atmosphere they fostered allowed us to screw up and learn from it. Having a audio playground like that was very rare back then. It’s damn near non-existent among commercial radio stations now.
Shout-out to longtime advertisers like Everybody’s Records, too. They supported the station for decades.
Most of the recorded material (commercials, promos, liners) and live on-air DJ talk from the 97X era has been lost to the ether forever. The stuff you hear in this episode is culled from crappy old cassettes that we were able to digitize. If you have any recordings of 97X, drop us a line at 97Xwoxy@gmail.com. We’d love to add to our archive.
Luann Gibbs started listening to 97.7 FM in Oxford in the pre-97X/Dr. Demento days of the late 70s. When 97X debuted in 1983, she became an avid listener. When the 97X message boards started, she was quite active on them (as “Miss Kitty”). Eventually, her college friend Mike Taylor recruited her to do on-air shifts at 97X/woxy.com. Luann’s been with the Cincinnati Enquirer for 15 years (she’s the queen of “Things to Do”), and also does weekend shifts at Inhailer Radio. We chat with her about college radio, internet radio, her message board “family” and her ongoing promotion of new music.
As we mention on the the podcast, Luann is our #1 hype person – her March 18th Cincinnati Enquirer article entitled “Top 10 ways to practice social distancing” featured a shout-out for Rumblings from the Big Bush:
You can peruse Luann’s most recent articles and lists for the Cincinnati Enquirer here.
Luann also does weekend DJ shifts for Inhailer Radio, which is carrying the 97X/woxy.com/WNKU (R.I.P. X 3) torch by promoting local and national indie music. Not only can you tune in online or on your smartphone, but Inhailer was recently added as WGUC’s HD3 channel.
“Miss Kitty” also posts a monthly collaborative playlist of cool new music (curated by 97X/WOXY fans) on Spotify. Here’s a link for the August edition.
Luann stays connected with her old 97X/woxy message board friends on the WOXY Forever! Facebook group. (You’ll also find links to the monthly playlists here.)
Matt Soden moved to Oxford on Memorial Day weekend in 1990 and immediately got hooked by 97X’s annual Modern Rock 500. He parlayed his college radio experience into a DJ gig at the station for a year and a half, first doing weekend shifts, then overnights, and eventually evenings. We chat with Matt about crazy callers, drunken door knockers, Kermit the Frog inpersonations, and his massive salary… but can’t figure out how he snuck past Department of Defense screeners.
Before he worked at 97X, Matt had a gig at a Chess King clothing store. He probably can still get you a deal on parachute pants.
Matt has enjoyed reconnecting with his 97X past via the Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast, as well as the WOXY Forever Facebook group.
