Those April showers are a distant memory. They’ve been replaced by May pollen.
But plenty of live tunes are in bloom too, including a rare Cereal Killers show. Let’s get into it!
Tonight, you can catch Cockburn at Memorial Hall.
Oops, my bad, the video above is Frank Cockburn. It’s Bruce Cockburn who is playing Memorial Hall this evening.
Other shows tonight include:
The Arcadian Wild w/ River & Rail at the Woodward
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass at the Taft
Ovation is hosting a Clown show. I hear there will be lots of jugglers there. Oops, my bad. Juggalos.
Tomorrow night, the Smoking Popes will be at Madison Live. They’re from Chicago, just like the white smoke Pope!
Also, Lettuce and GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan will be co-headlining a show at the Taft.
And Dave Mason brings his “Let it Flow 2025 Tour” to Memorial Hall. It sounds a little something like this:
On Thursday, you can choose Furious Bongos (Ludlow Garage) or Napalm Death (Bogarts, with The Melvins).
Or you can chill out with the Farm Jam at Lost Bridge Beverage Company (North Bend, OH), featuring Sean Geil of the Tillers. And Liberty Theater has the Tray Wellington Band with Adam Gilliam.
Tray Wellington Band is a high energy progressive bluegrass band, led by IBMA award winner Tray Wellington. This band continues to push themselves musically to draw on the influences that continue to shape their musical mold.
Oh, and Jim Gaffigan kicks off six shows over the course of four days at the Taft.
This Friday and Saturday, Springfield will be the center of the musical universe.
Springfield, Ohio is hosting a FREE music festival called IndieCraft. Here’s the lineup:
Wild Pink and Aaron Lee Tasjan for free? You’re damn right I’ll be there Saturday!
(I like what I’ve heard from Snarls too. And I’ll be there in time for The Back Alley – the ticket price is right.)
Shows a bit closer to home (unless you live in Springfield) Friday evening:
Tommy Prine plays Southgate with Conrad Moore and Jordan Lee King
Rachel Baiman is at Liberty Theater with Maggie Noëlle of Magnolia Boulevard
Ben Levin plays Arnold’s
Alex Salcido (of The Harmed Brothers) plays Lost Bridge Beverage Co. in North Bend
Ludlow Garage has FJ: a tribute to Foreigner AND Journey featuring Constantine Maroulis (“sixth-place finalist on American Idol season 4!”)
For some strange reason, you see a lot of FJ band fans on the golf course.
And the Madison Theater has Kid Kentucky and the American Badass Band… yes, that’s a Kid Rock Tribute. Or you can go to the waste treatment plant on Kellogg Avenue near Lunken Airport for free. Potato/Po-tah-toe.
Speaking of punchable faces, Truist Arena (NKU) has Gutfield Live on Saturday.
And here’s the list of shows that actually will be entertaining on Saturday:
The aforementioned freebie Wild Pink, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Snarls show in Springfield
JJ Grey & Mofro w/ The Marshall Tucker Band on the lawn outside the Hard Rock Casino
Jeffrey Osborne at Ludlow Garage
Plazmatic album release show with Electric Indigo and Cousins at the Woodward
Hyryder (Grateful Dead tribute) at the Madison Theater
On Sunday, The String Cheese Incident and The Wood Brothers play the Rose Music Center, and Travis Talbert will be at the Lost Bridge Beverage Co.
On Monday and/or Tuesday, you can be part of a massive 69 at Memorial Hall.
The Magnetic Fields will be performing their 1999 triple album masterpiece 69 Love Songs in its entirety over those two nights.
Also on Monday:
A Place to Bury Strangers, The Serfs, and The Mall play Northside Tavern
The Toasters play Southgate
Next Wednesday, May 21, the always progressive, cutting edge lineup of shows at Riverbend kicks off with… (checks list)… Billy Idol and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Who needs the Bill & Ted phone booth when you can just buy a ticket to a Riverbend show?
Next Friday, Dark Star Jubilee weekend kicks off in Legend Valley (nee Buckeye Lake):
Other shows on Friday, May 23:
Blues singer Carolyn Wonderland plays Southgate’s main room with Scotty Bratcher opening
Angela Perley and Hello June are upstairs in the Southgate Revival Room
Ricky Nye Inc. plays the Southgate Lounge for free
Hunter Root plays the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana
The Ben Levin Quartet plays The 1931 (at the Hilton Netherland downtown)
On Saturday, May 24, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: The Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing!
Regular readers* of this…uh, whatever the heck this is… know that I’m cuckoo for CK and their amazing repertoire of classic punk, new wave, power pop, and just plain damn fine songs. It’s like a 97X Modern Rock 500 come to life!
*all 3 of them
Cereal Killers gigs have been as rare as hen’s teeth over the past several months. They are the local band equivalent of a century plant:
Some flowers are so rare and extraordinary that they bloom just once in a lifetime—or even once in a century! These plants may require decades of patience, but when they finally burst into bloom, the display is nothing short of spectacular.**
Rare and extraordinary? Check. Decades of patience? Well, maybe just months, but it feels like decades. “The display is nothing short of spectacular” is 100% accurate!
As usual, I’ll be offering my “first beer’s on me” guarantee that this show will be time well spent. Just present this voucher (which I totally did NOT steal from some unsuspecting artist on the interwebs) on your phone and I will buy your first beer.
**it should be noted that although I compared the Cereal Killers to a plant that blooms only rarely, I am NOT comparing them to the corpse plant, whose unique aroma when it blooms every 7-10 years has been described as “smelling like cheese, garlic, smelly feet, diapers, or rotten fish.”
Other Saturday shows that you won’t be attending because you’ll be at Big Ash drinking free beer and rocking out to great tunes:
North by Northside kicks off a two-night run at the Northside Tavern
Carriers have an album release show at the Woodward with Gardener and Dyan
Maria, etc. has an album release show at the Liberty Theater with Anna Applegate
Brit Floyd “Wish You Were Here” 50th anniversary show at the Rose – it’s sold out, but fear not, you can catch the same band on the same tour at the same venue in August…
On Sunday, 5/25, Kinda Grassy plays Lost Bridge (Carriage House Farm).
Monday, May 26 is Memorial Day, a day when we pay tribute to fallen soldiers… typically by grilling hot dogs at the pool.
The Garcia Project (Jerry Garcia Band tribute) plays the Woodward on Tuesday, May 27.
On Wednesday, May 28, I’ll be motoring up to Cleveland to catch The Wedding Present and The Tubs at the Grog Shop.
Peelander-Z and Penfold’s Revenge play Southgate that evening too.
Young Widows play the Woodward on Thursday, May 29 with Kowloon Walled City and Fotocrime on the undercard. And Stanley Clarke kicks off a two-night stand at Ludlow Garage.
Midwest Fest kicks off on Friday, May 30.
Other shows on Friday, May 30:
Casey Campbell plays Lost Bridge Beverage Co.
Nikka Costa is at the Woodward
Dallas Moore w/ Pure Grain at the Liberty Theater
Taft Theatre has An Evening with Jon Stewart… it’s sold out
Wrapping up the month, Italian guitar phenom Matteo Mancusco plays Ludlow Garage on Saturday, May 31.
American Aquarium plays the Southgate House on Sunday, June 1, with Justin Wells opening. I plan to hit that show. Eric Johnson is at Ludlow Garage that same night.
We love it live!
Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube, his friend Suzanne and I went up to Columbus to see Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds on 5/2. What a show! Our seats were pretty far back on the main floor, but we bum-rushed the stage during the 2nd song and stayed there for the duration of the gig. Nick’s a live wire!
List member couples Rico & Ashley and Jay & Alyssa also were in attendance. Nick loves us all.
“When I tell the audience that I love them, the sentiment is entirely true. I feel an emotional transaction with the crowd that is powerful and profoundly intimate. I stand before you all – strangers – witnessing you both individually and collectively, and sense an unbounded love. This love is true. It is not symbolic, metaphorical, or platitudinous. I see before me a group of human beings, precarious and vulnerable, granted a brief time on this earth, each filled with a shocking potential for beauty and terror, good and evil, and with the extraordinary capacity to give and receive love. At that moment, love is the appropriate response.”
True to his word, “Disco Dan” Lewis was at the Son Volt show, along with his friends John W. (also a list member) and Steve (the voice of “The Oasis” – the station that is now on 97.7 FM… I remember that frequency!).
Other list members in attendance: Dan Bockrath, Gene Dow, Mark Morse, Tim Morse, Andy B., Tom W. and Jamie. Dan Bockrath summed up the show quite nicely:
Fantastic show from Son Volt at The Ludlow Garage. Bumped into many longtime music friends at the gig. Up close and personal for a career spanning set. Amazing!
Meanwhile, list member Kevin Sullivan snuck down to Nashville to catch Lucy Dacus at the Ryman:
An updated version of the 97X Modern Rock 500… with a new spin!
Inhailer Radio (catch Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube Fridays 11a-3p!) is doing an updated version of the old 97X Modern Rock 500, counting down the top 500 indie songs over Memorial Day Weekend.
And this year, they’re expanding the list of songs and extending the listening window with “qualifying laps”:
If you tune in to the 500, you might just catch your ol’ pals Dave and Damian doing a few breaks.
Shameless Self-Promotion (while also promoting the Indie 500)
Dave and I also interviewed Inhailer’s Music Director, Nils Illokken, about the station and this year’s countdown for a “very special episode” of our “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast. You can catch that episode on 97Xbam.com here, or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, or any other podcast platform that hasn’t banned us yet.
Hot Ticket Alert
X and Los Lobos play the Rose Music Center on Sunday, September 21. They’re calling it the “99 Years of Rock ‘n Roll” tour.
I already have my ticket, courtesy of Steve “El Blanco” White.
The Sad Section
A heartfelt FB post from list member “The Lovely & Talented Elizabeth Cannon”:
Follow-up single “Spirit of ’76” — which Peters co-wrote, as he did for most of the band’s songs — recounted his early days of discovering punk rock and name-checks the likes of Johnny Rotter and Siouxsie Sioux.
“The song is about the most important time in my life,” Peters wrote in the program for the Strength tour. “I had my whole life mapped out before me and life seemed pretty unexciting. Then I saw bands like The Jam and The Buzzcocks and U2, and things and they really had an impact on my life. It gave me the courage to leave something behind and go out and try to build a new life for myself.”
Here’s a shot of Mike Peters with Mr. K and Jetson from 97X, along with some fans (not pictured: The Lovely & Talented Elizabeth Cannon):
And R.I.P to singer/songwriter Jill Sobule, who died in a house fire.
Sobule was known for taking control of her career by fundraising so she could make her next album. In 2008, after two major record companies dumped her and two indie labels went bankrupt beneath her, she raised tens of thousands of dollars from fans so she could make a new album.
“The old kind of paradigm, where you’ve always waited for other people to do things, you’d have your manager and your agent,” she said at the time. “You’d wait for the big record company to give you money to do things and they tell you what to do. This is so great. I want to do everything like this.”
Shortly before her death, Sobule had written and recorded a provocative song titled “J.D. Vance Is a C***” in collaboration with friends Michelle Lewis and Kay Hanley under the name Sugar Tits. The song, filled with biting satire and rhymes, quickly went viral on social media, thrusting Sobule back into the spotlight in her final days. It’s not radio-friendly. It’s not my best song, but it does get to the point.”
Public Service Reminder for hipster parents of teens
Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)
There’s so much to love in this one. The outfits, of course. The amazing hairdo on the woman… or is that a beaver pelt? And best of all, the band name that’s illegible on that busy background. But we don’t need to read that! Everybody who is anybody knows that’s Johnny & Nadine Rexroat (and the Gospel Travelers).
“Great day for a hike! Let’s put on our best dresses and our white high heels and start ‘going through the land.’”
One response to “Tunes in bloom”
Fred
“And the Madison Theater has Kid Kentucky and the American Badass Band… yes, that’s a Kid Rock Tribute. Or you can go to the waste treatment plant on Kellogg Avenue near Lunken Airport for free. Potato/Po-tah-toe. ”
I was eating and almost spit out my food LOL
Your affable (and somewhat addled) co-hosts Dave and Damian have been trapped inside the Big Bush for many moons (and a few Moonpies) but we broke free to chat with Nils Illokken, Music Director and DJ for Inhailer Radio, about the upcoming Inhailer Indie 500. If you remember the 97X Modern Rock 500, Inhailer’s Indie 500 is an updated version of that annual Memorial Day Weekend countdown.
Back in 2023, Inhailer hosted the 40th anniversary Modern Rock 500, with 97X DJs from throughout the station’s rich history hosting the countdown of the top songs played during the 97X and woxy.com era (1983-2010).
You can listen to the archive of that broadcast here.
Last year, Inhailer launched the Indie 500, which added in songs from 2010 to the present… picking up the torch from 97X and WNKU’s annual “Top 89.”
And this year, the cool kids at Inhailer have added a new twist to put even more great tunes into the mix… and to extend the fun to more than a full week!
We chatted with Nils about the Indie 500, his background in broadcasting, how Inhailer got started, how he finds the artists that Inhailer plays, and much more.
You can find all 100+ episodes of the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast on Podbean, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Podcast Addict, and most major podcasting platforms. Hear interviews with former 97X DJs and station staffers, listeners, bands that were played on the station, record label execs, advertisers, and more.
The concerts coming to our area this month are radical, Dude! Almost as radical as this thrift store Tony Hawk display:
What could be more radical than a Handsome Dick? And tonight, Handsome Dick Manitoba sings Dictators songs and other punk classics in the Sanctuary at the Southgate House. Other totally tubular gigs include Chloe Kimes at Liberty Theater and Paul McDonald upstairs in the Southgate Revival Room.
On Friday night, I’m going to see MJ Lenderman — with Wild Pink as the opener! — at a small club show in Lexington, KY. For free!
My ticket is courtesy of list member Frank B., who snatched up a couple o’ tix before MJ blew up. Smart man (other than inviting his boorish neighbor to a show when he could sell his other ticket for $500)!
Shows closer to home on Friday night:
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives are at Memorial Hall
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country plays Taft
ekoostik hookah will be at the Liberty Theater
Twain and Esther Rose play Southgate
Bockfest also kicks off Friday. It’s the one time of year you can hang out with a goat and not get arrested.
On Saturday, Ace Frehley lands his spaceship at Belterra Casino in Florence, Indiana. Seems fitting.
That same evening, Armchair Boogie and The Montvales play the Liberty Theater, July For Kings plays MOTR, and Southgate House hosts the “Rockn’ Revival” fundraiser with a slew of local bands:
On Sunday:
Anthony Ray Wright has the afternoon gig at Rabbit Hash
Clem Snide plays Southgate’s Revival Room
The Steel Wheels roll into Ludlow Garage
The Turkeys play two sets at MOTR as part of Bockfest – 8 p.m. free show
On Tuesday, Marc Broussard plays Memorial Hall and the Taft Theatre has the “Experience Hendrix” Tour featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Devon Allman and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles will be at the Aronoff on Wednesday… or you can catch “The Fab Four (USA Meets The Beatles) next Friday (3/14) at the Taft.
Other, less derivative shows on Friday, March 14:
Town Mountain plays Memorial Hall
Frontier Folk Nebraska and Lee Bains play MOTR
Scotty Bratcher plays Liberty Theater with CFG & the Family
Kyle Eldridge and the Honky Tonk Wrangers are at Southgate
Agnostic Front rocks Madison Live
Simply Queen (a tribute to… you guessed it… Queen) at the Little Miami Brewing Events Center
Jeremy Short plays Southgate – kudos to Jeremy’s publicist, who penned these lines:
“With an orange mustache, golden voice and cherry red Gibson ES-335, Eastern Kentucky Space Funk artist Jeremy Short has quickly risen to the top shelf of must-hear players on the scene.”
When I grow up, I want to be a Space Funk artist.
Shows on Saturday, March 15:
Tower of Power plays the Hard Rock Casino
Them Coulee Boys are at the Liberty Theater
The Ark Band plays a Bob Marley tribute at Ludlow Garage
Sunday, March 16:
TopHouse plays Madison Theater with The Wildwoods
My Brother’s Keeper and The Foreign Landers are at Liberty Theater
Mike Farris plays Ludlow Garage… I loved him on M*A*S*H!
Oops, my bad, that was Mike Farrell
Monday, March 17 is some sort of holiday… Irish I could remember which one.
Todd Lipscomb plays Arnold’s on Tuesday, March 18.
Gigs on Wednesday, March 19:
The Dollyrots at Southgate
Dream Theater plays a sold-out show at the Marsha Brady
Bogart’s has one of the 27 Fleetwood Mac tribute bands
Thursday, March 20:
The Travelin’ McCourys play Ludlow Garage
Buckethead is at Bogart’s
Liberty Theater has a free Songwriters in the Round show with Adam Gillam and Ryan Brewer
The Brant Bjork Trio (no relation to Björk, unless someone stole their umlaut) and Moonbow (no relation to Moonbeau) play Southgate
We love it live!
Kim Deal’s show at the Woodward was fantastic. Horns! Strings! Backing vocalists!
The Cabin Fever Festival in Ludlow, KY is the best off-the-beaten-path festival going, and a great way to see local, regional and national artists in cool settings… like seeing the leader of Carriers in a funeral parlor!
Robyn Hitchcock at Southgate House this past Saturday was absolutely stellar! Two sets (one solo, one featuring vocals from his partner Emma Swift) with a fantastic set list.
My non-fandom of the Beatles is well-documented, but when Robyn strolled through the entire crowd during the encore, strumming his guitar and leading everyone in a singalong to “A Day in the Life” that was pretty damn cool! Great to see list members Dave Tellmann, El Blanco, and Ken “The Lobby Boy” Laube (Fridays 11a-3p on Inhailer) too.
Mailbag
We love the recent comment from Victor Garcia-Rivera about the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush episodes where we interviewed Dan “Danny Crash” Reed. They were both in Chem-Dyne together. (The pod episodes: Part 1 and Part 2.)
Love the ‘mats story – very on-brand for them!
And here are the two Chem-Dyne songs Victor mentioned in his comment:
The Highwaymen later moved to Austin and became Loose Diamonds… I miss that band. Here’s a cool documentary about them.
Lead singer Troy Campbell gives a shoutout to 97X at the 2:40 mark.
Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)
I believe in America too. I miss it. I also believe that we’ll come back. We just need a plumber to get rid of the orange turd and the DOGE-faced boy that are messing up our system of checks and balances. If it doesn’t happen soon, I’ll be just like Dean Friedman: reading the news, drinking booze, and getting sadder by the minute.
[This would probably be a good time to mention that if you receive this post via an email, you can unsubscribe at any time.]
But I do love pie. Except for the Shepherd’s kind.
You can’t spell February without “F-U.”
Let’s warm up our weary bones with some hot live tunes.
Tomorrow night (2/20):
Robert Ellis plays Southgate
Young Heirlooms, Mol Sullivan, and Annie D are at the Northside Tavern
Liberty Theater has a Songwriters in the Round free show with Anthony Ray Wright and Andrew Hibbard
Kim Deal (Pixies, Breeders, Huber Heights, OH) plays a sold-out show at the Woodward Theater on Friday night. I’ll be there, along with list members Mighty Joe, Deuce, Lobby Boy, Matty V, Jarrod, Shay-Shay, and a cavalcade of stars. It’ll be like the greatest episode ever of The Love Boat
Other Friday shows:
Justin Wells has an album release show at Southgate, with Casey Campbell and Adam Lee also on the bill
Susto and Rose Hotel are at Ludlow Garage
Cincy Brass plays a free show at MOTR (9:30)
Jim Trace & the Makers (featuring two of my co-workers) play an album release show at Northside Tavern, with The Electric Indigo and The Laurelys
On Saturday, the Cabin Fever Festival takes over historic Ludlow, KY. I went last year and loved it – it’s a great showcase for the amazing roots/Americana/bluegrass talent in this area, in some really cool venues (including a Funeral Parlor!).
Needless to say, I’m going again this year. (I just hope the funeral home folks don’t try to stick me in a coffin.)
Join me, won’t you? (At the festival, not in the coffin.) Tickets are dirt cheap too – get ’em here.
Other Saturday shows:
Nicholas Jamerson plays Southgate, with Jonathan Peyton as the opener (I really like Jonathan’s latest release)
Mike Detmer has an album release show at Liberty Theater, with Rob L. Ford, and Adam Gilliam
Annie’s hosts Fillmore on the River 2 with the Almond Butter Band and Scarlet Fire
The HercuLeons (feat. Bluegrass Hall of Famer John Cowan and fiddler/vocalist Andrea Zonn) play Ludlow Garage
Memorial Hall has The Drowsy Lads
On Sunday, Mike Oberst and Justine Cefalu play the Rabbit Hash “Music Behind the Stove” series and Tinfoil Hat Cowboys play MOTR.
The Nasty Nati Brass Band is at Memorial Hall on Monday.
On Tuesday, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddler from Molly Tuttle’s band) is at Southgate, and the Mercantile Library’s Memoir Lecture is from Michelle Zauner, author of Crying in H Mart and also lead singer of Japanese Breakfast. (That appearance is sold-out.)
Taft Theatre has An Evening with Drew and Ellie Holcomb next Wednesday (2/26).
The Joe Stamm Band plays Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater on Thursday, Feb. 27th, with Clint Park as the opener.
The Noah Smith Band is at Liberty Theater on Friday, 2/28, and Southgate has a couple of shows going on that evening:
Eddie Spaghetti and “Metal” Marty Chandler from Supersuckers play the main room (Skunkdog opens)
Logan Ledger plays the Revival Room, with Mason Via.
Lydia Shae, Amy Jo, and Stone & Snow play Southgate’s Revival Room
Helles Belles (all-female AC/DC cover band) play Ludlow
The Blue Note in Harrison hosts Crown Watts: An Evening of Rush
Shows on Sunday, March 2nd:
Burning Caravan plays Rabbit Hash (2pm)
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers are in Southgate’s main Sanctuary
Flamy Grant and Heather Mae play the Southgate Revival Room
Dropkick Murphys are at the Bobby Brady
Comedian John Caparulo plays a 6:30 show at the Woodward
Gigs on Wednesday, March 5th:
Jordan Tice plays the Liberty Theater
Crumbsnatchers play Southgate (bio description: “Hailing from Nashville, Crumbsnatchers’ catchy songs echo the wit of Pixies and Talking Heads, backed by the fervent force of Beastie Boys.”)
It’s WEEN Wednesday at the Columbia – the album featured will be Pure Guava
Life is a carnival. Summer is a festival (or seven).
Bourbon & Beyond has crammed about five festival’s worth of artists into their lineup:
Nelsonville hasn’t announced their full lineup yet, but they had me at Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Dehd, and Low Cut Connie.
Hear, here!
The new album from Ex-Vöid is great!
One of the principals in Ex-Vöid is Owen Williams from The Tubs. I’m obsessed.
Waxahatchee has a new non-album track out (with M.J. Lenderman on guitar and backing vocals). It’s delightful.
And Katie Crutchfield harmonizes with Patterson Hood (Drive-by Truckers) on a track from his upcoming solo release. As list member Mighty Joe Sampson says, “This is the good stuff. Harmonies to melt your ears on a cold winter day.”
“There were a lot of radio stations that had been around. College stations, and then stations like WLIR in New York. So, that was all part of building the firmament, as well. It was a long process. It didn’t just happen out of thin air. And WBCN, and Matt was DJing down in South Jersey. So, that late ’80s through ’91/’92, all of that was critical infrastructure, as well. It’s just funny – you know this and I know this – but there’s sort of a ‘mainstream history,’ like, ‘There was all this hair metal, and then Nevermind came, and it changed.’ There was a lot of people who did a lot of work to get to that point.”
Amen, Brother Bob! Here’s the title track from his upcoming album:
Album Cover of the Week
I picked up this gem of an album, in this condition, note and all, at the Mt. Washington St. Vincent de Paul store. (On “Senior Sunday” when I get a 25% discount!) My best guess is that the two-time owner of the album found someone who DIDN’T like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Do the Right Thing and support live music. Here are your options over the next couple of weeks:
This Wednesday, Richard Lloyd (of Television* fame) plays the Woodward Theater with a full band. Static Falls also is on the bill.
*Television the band, not the medium. But here’s Television on (Spanish) Television:
Also on Wednesday, Judy Collins plays Memorial Hall. Speaking o’ Spooky Season, ol’ “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes” is looking more like a Hocus Pocus witch these days:
Alice Peacock plays the Southgate House on Thursday. She’ll be in the Revival Room, with a lead pipe.
Wait, wrong Peacock!
Friday shows:
The Steep Canyon Rangers play Memorial Hall
Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle are at Southgate (maybe the ghost of Pete Rose will show up)
America plays the Taft (they won’t have a headless horseman, but they will have a horse with no name)
Ludlow Garage has Dead Letter Office, a tribute to R.E.M.
This Saturday, Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing!
(Continuing my string of ill-timed trips, and jeopardizing my status as a Cereal Killers superfan, I once again will be out of town for their gig. Our whole fam-damily is going to Bloomington, Indiana to see the perennial football powerhouse Hoosiers take on their longstanding Big 10 27 rival, the Washington Huskies.)
Other Saturday shows include the sold-out “BEAT” show at Taft
Former King Crimson members ADRIAN BELEW and TONY LEVIN band together with guitar virtuoso STEVE VAI and explosive Tool drummer DANNY CAREY for the first time to create BEAT, a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 80s KING CRIMSON albums – Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair.
ekoostic hookah plays the Liberty Theater
Blues Traveler brings their “30 years of Four” tour to… Turfway Park
Pappy’s Jam Band plays Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest (1:30-4:30)
Lotus Land (a tribute to Rush) plays Ludlow Garage
On Sunday, the Casey Campbell Project plays Neltner’s Farm, Pink Martini plays Memorial Hall, and Taft has Mania, the ABBA tribute.
Next Tuesday (10/29), the Buena Vista Social Orchestra is at Bogart’s.
Next Wednesday:
KMFDM and the Morlocks play the Ovation
The Woodward hosts two showings (7:30 and 10:30) of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a shadow cast
Daphne Eckman plays Southgate’s Revival Room
Disco Biscuits (hold the Yung Gravy) play the Madison Theater
Next Thursday is Halloween.
That’s “hallow”-een not “hollow”-een… Hollow is for Easter.
“Rollvember” kicks off a week from Friday. There are several shows slated for Friday, 11/1:
Los Honchos play Southgate
Anthony Ray Wright and Andrew Hibbard are at Liberty Theater
Stacy Mitchhart plays an album release gig at Ludlow Garage
The Jacksons (R.I.P. Tito) play the Hard Rock Casino
I’ll be up in Boston that weekend for the Please Come to Boston festival. My favoritest band Buffalo Tom will be doing three concerts in three days (including an old-person-friendly “matinee” show on Sunday). They’re playing a different album from their 90s oeuvre each show, and the festival also features comedy sets from Eugene Mirman and Dave Hill, and something called “Punk Rock Aerobics”… I’m sure it’s quite the workout!
On Saturday, Nov. 2nd,
Gipsy Kings play the Hard Rock
The Peter Brady hosts “Life is a Carnival – The Last Waltz Tour ’24” with Ryan Bingham, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Jamey Johnson and more.
Trippin’ Billies (Dave Matthews Band tribute) are at Ludlow Garage.
Here’s some Trippin’ Beverly Hillbillies:
The Drive-by Truckers play a Southern Rock Opera Revisited show at Bogart’s on Sunday, 11/3. Shut your mouth and get your ass on that plane into that show!
On Thursday, Nov. 7th, “Turn to Stone: A Tribute to ELO” will be at Memorial Hall, and Yngwie Malmsteen plays the Madison Theater.
On Friday, 11/8:
Goose opens up a three-night stand at the Carol Brady
Billie Eilish plays the Coliseum
Noah Wotherspoon plays the Liberty Theater with Noah Pavey
Saturday, 11/9 gigs:
Wussy plays a full-band show at the Woodward, with the Chris Brokaw Band as the opener.
Jimmy Webb (“America’s Songwriter”) is at Memorial Hall
Samantha Fish plays Ludlow Garage, with Mitch Ryder performing as part of Samantha’s band, and Canned Heat as the opener
Moonshine Drive plays Arnold’s
City & Colour are at Bogart’s with Pedro the Lion on Monday, 11/11.
We live for live
It’s been quite a fortnight for your music-addicted editor. Charly Bliss at the Exit/In in Nashville was great…
The opener, Pronoun, was cool too. And Marc from the one-hit-wonder band Len came up on stage for the encore to do “Steal My Sunshine” with Charly Bliss.
A week ago, list member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube (check out his show on Inhailer Radio, Fridays 11a-3p) and I went to Columbus to see Superchunk. They rocked!
(Bassist Jason Narducy’s set list – he gave it to a kid in the front row… classy!)
For the final song of the encore, noted Breeder Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery of R. Ring came on stage to do their song “Cartoon Heart/Build Me a Question.” (R. Ring drummer Laura King is touring with Superchunk right now.)
The opening band, Quivers, was stellar too.
While Ken was waiting in line to get Mac from Superchunk to sign his poster (yes, Mac was at the merch booth – dude’s top-notch in my book), I chatted with the members of Quivers – Mike, Holly, Bella and Sam. They were super-nice to this old man, and funny as heck. Check out their recent live in-studio set at KEXP and you’ll be hooked by their hooks:
List members Dave Tellmann, Todd Butler, Carl “The Truth” Williams and I caught the Eddie 9V/Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears double bill at the Woodward on Wednesday.
And those shows were just the warm-up for another Chuck Cleaver/Lisa Walker Wussy Duo house show at my place this past weekend.
List members Todd, Regi, Tom, and Jamie were in the house, and they can attest that it was amazing.
I didn’t make the Mountain Goats show at Taft, but their stage setup was interesting:
Malin on the mend
Here’s a nice CBS Saturday Morning sessions interview with Jesse Malin.
Shameless Self-promotion
Dave Tellmann and I got the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast out of mothballs to chat with Randy Malloy, who went from unpaid college intern to owner of WWCD-FM in Columbus (nee “CD101″… and later “CD102.5″… and finally “CD92.9” before signing off under duress earlier this year).
Here on earth, I’m a bit disappointed that a band named “Rebels” chose conformity in their outfits.
On the other hand (the one with five fingers), at least Rebels don’t struggle with basic math. Or perhaps the dudes are the Gospel Four and the woman is there because her hair is heavenly.
In 1991, Randy Malloy started as an unpaid college intern at WWCD-FM in Columbus, an independent, alternative rock radio station cut from the same cloth as 97X. He held a variety of positions at the station, including promotions director, marketing director, and operations director. In 2011, Randy purchased the station. Together with a dedicated band of staffers, they kept the independent/alternative flame alive for 33 years as the station moved around the radio dial from 101.1 (“CD101”) to 102.5 to 92.9 before eventually signing off on February 1st of this year.
We talked to Randy about his “Ran-sanity” career, how they looked up to 97X, how they programmed the music to let the listeners “pass through them” and why being part of the community was so important to them.
“No one told us that we couldn’t.”
Randy’s passion for the station and the community is patently obvious. Unfortunately, the station went off the air earlier this year when Randy couldn’t reach a workable financial agreement with the station’s corporate owners.
Headline above is from this article in the Columbus Navigator.
Much like 97X, WWCD-FM has a fond place in the hearts of music lovers who craved something more satisfying than mainstream music.
“And yet you could tune in to this radio station where they were playing The Cure and T. Rex and Adrian Belew and Marshall Crenshaw and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and all this other stuff that you couldn’t hear unless you owned the records.”
Like 97X/woxy.com, the station had several brushes with going off the air, somehow surviving… until earlier this year.
Ultimately, what killed WWCD is what made its existence so unlikely back in 1990: Independent radio is more of a labor of love than a business strategy.
Gonna keep this post short and sweet… or at least shorter on the jazz hands and snark. While it’s a labor of love, there’s still labor involved, and I’m heading to Denver later today to see Alvvays and The Beths. Let’s get to it!
Cereal Killers play Big Ash Brewing tonight!
I’m bummed I can’t make it – but you should go (7:30-11pm) to catch all those 97X and 97X-adjacent favorites, performed by a stellar group of upstanding individuals. Oh, and Howard Cohen is in the band too!
Other shows this evening:
Pat Travers plays the Ludlow Garage
Speaking of “out go the lights” the Cincinnati Nature Center hosts Music Under the Moon with the bluegrass band Moonshine Drive playing
Saving Escape has an album release party at MOTR, with Sylmar
Gable Price & Friends and Coastal Club play the Woodward Theater
Foreigner (basically Mick Jones and some hired hands), Styx (sans Dennis DeYoung), and John Waite play Riverbend
“Forever Diamond” (a Neil Diamond tribute) plays a freebie at Blue Ash Towne Square – that seems fitting for a not-so-hot August night.
Saturday shows:
The Avett Brothers play Ovation, with Sammy Rae & Friends opening
Marc Cohn will be walking playing six feet off of Beale under Ludlow at the Garage
Ray’s Music Exchange is back for a reunion show at the Woodward
The War & Treaty play a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
FireHouse and Nelson (yes, that Nelson) play the “Big F’N Tour” at the old Annie’s
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard play the Ovation in Newport
Blackberry Smoke and 49 Winchester play the old Annie’s
Glass Animals* are at Riverbend (*not to be confused with Glasses Animals)
(Hed) P.E. is at Madison Live
Mac Sabbath (yes, folks dressed like McDonald’s mascots playing Sabbath tunes… nothing weird about that) is at the Woodward Theater
On Tuesday, Built to Spill plays Bogart’s, celebrating the 30th anniversary of There’s Nothing Wrong with Love. I’ll be at that gig with list members Deuce and Matt (no relation to Gunnar and Matthew of Nelson fame).
Also on Tuesday:
The Gaslight Anthem, Joyce Manor, and Pinkshift play the Carol Brady
Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Jason Bonham rock Riverbend with Van Hagar tunes. Loverboy is the opener. Mike Reno is still sporting the bandana, but he’s also sporting some extra heft.
The Lauryn Hill & The Fugees show slated for Wednesday at Riverbend has been cancelled.
Thursday features a lot of free (or free-adjacent) shows:
Bedel & Hibbard play the Roots Revival free show at Washington Park
Texas Flood (a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Bedford play the RiversEDGE freebie
You can see The Eagles Project at Lawrenceburg Civic Park
Thomas Rhett plays a concert after the Reds game at GABP
GBV’s Heedfest 12 also kicks off on 8/29 in Dayton, Ohio. Love the promo:
Shows next Friday (8/30):
Cage the Elephant plays Riverbend, with Young the Giant and Bakar
O.A.R. is at Ovation, with Ripe, and DJ Logic
King Buffalo headlines the Fountain Square free show
On Saturday, August 31st, Domecrusher, a band featuring list member Todd Quincy, plays 513 Hamilton. Here’s Todd’s description of the band:
Other 8/31 shows:
Southgate House hosts MidWest Friends Fest (“21 awesome local, regional, and touring indie, punk, emo, rock, alternative, and power pop bands. 3 super rad stages. 1 awesome venue”)
Wailing Souls play for free at Levitt Pavilion on Dayton
Catalina Wine Mixer and The Eagles Project play Ovation
The Prince Project is at the old Annie’s
Sungaze has an album release party at the Woodward, with Fern Murphy and Ascension Day also on the bill
Aja (Steely Dan tribute) plays the Fountain Square freebie
JBO and Mark Messerly play The Overlook Lodge in P-Ridge
Tesla is at the Greg Brady
Simple twist of fate fun fact: Greg Brady drove the original Tesla:
On Sunday, September 1st, the corporate-sponsored fireworks display from the corporate radio station will probably feature some Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin on the soundtrack. Just like every other year. That damn frog is soooo tired.
After that, it’s all quite on the concert front until after Labor Day. I’ll holler at you before then.
Speaking of evil corporate radio overlords though:
I just threw up a bit in my mouth. How about a palate cleaner?
Wussy house concert tickets on sale Wednesday at 11 am
Show is Saturday 10/19. If you don’t know the venue, you haven’t been paying attention. (And house concerts are sooo hot right now, per the WaPo.)
I talked to Chuck and Lisa yesterday – such sweet human beings who also happen to be amazing songwriters/musicians. They should have some new tunes to sell at the show.
A heartfelt message from list member “Rico”
I lost my brother to cancer five years ago, and before he passed, I promised him that I would do anything that I could to help fight the terrible disease that took him from us too early. One of the initiatives that our family has taken up is to help fundraise for the National Collegiate Cancer Foundation, which provides scholarships to young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Our primary fundraiser is a memorial golf outing, which will be held this year at California Golf Course on October 5, 2024. In the first three years of our outing, we have raised funds to award 60 of these scholarships, and we hope to add on a bunch more this year with the help of friends like you. Whether that is getting a team together to play in the scramble, providing sponsorship, or donating items for auction, any and all support is welcome and appreciated.
Wait a minute, something ain’t right with that button…
There, fixed it!
Friends, we’re gathered together today for a very special episode of “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” as we pay tribute to the man who saw Jesus at McDonald’s at midnight. The man who impregnated Debbie Gibson. The man whose antipathy for Don Henley knows no bounds, and whose love for Martha Quinn is eternal. The man, the myth, the Mojo-est MoFo of them all. The Bo-Day-Shus Mr. Mojo Nixon!
(Photo above is from Mojo’s last performance, on the Outlaw Country Cruise.)
Dave “The Dick Cavett of Modern Rock” interviewed Mojo in 1990, and that interview clip is part of this episode – and stick around for his live in-studio performance of “I’m in love with Oprah” from 97X back in 1986.
Here’s a recent photo of Mojo with Dave… Mojo’s wearing the same shirt in this photo that he was wearing during his final performance!
Every performance was entertaining. You’d never know he was a double-major (political science and history) graduate of Miami University…
And every Mojo encounter was memorable… here’s 97X super-listener Dave Lenehan’s tales:
Mojo went out in his trademark, inimitable style.
Here’s another song Mojo did in the 97X studios in 1986, with Mr. K.
A Mojo promo liner from the station:
Vinyl album from the 97X studio:
In recent years, many of us have enjoyed listening to Mojo on Outlaw Country. Here’s their blog post interview with him from 2017.
A Mojo documentary came out last year.
Rest in peace, Mojo… you’ll always be on our Wall of Fame.
First, an apology. List member Mighty Joe Sampson pointed out that our previous post’s headline was a bait-and-switch. You can’t call a post “Cruel, Cruel Summer” without paying it off with some Bananarama. So here you go, Joe:
Oops, my bad. Let’s try that again:
Ah, that’s better. OK, now, on with the show(s).
Thursday:
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays a free show (paid VIP tickets also available) at RiversEDGE in Hamilton, with Cristina Vane as the opener.
The TyeDye Band (fronted by list member John Sandman) plays a free gig at Washington Park as part of their Roots Revival series.
Devon Allman and Donovan Frankenreiter play the Madison Theater.
James Taylor & His All-Star Band are at Riverbend
All four shows are guaranteed to be hot, hot, hot.
(Sorry Joe, not gonna add a Buster Poindexter video… )
On Friday:
Sam Bush plays the old Annie’s – it’s an indoor show
Michigander headlines the free concert at Fountain Square
Danielle Nicole plays the blues at a freebie show at Levitt Pavilion in downtown Dayton
ZZ Top (featuring two original members) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (featuring two fewer original members than ZZ Top) play Riverbend, with Uncle Kracker (featuring one original Kracker… or uncle… or both)
On Saturday, the Cereal Killers bring their inimitable brand of vintage punk and new wave music to Big Ash Brewing.
By now, you should know the drill: first beer’s on me.
Other Saturday gigs include Black Flag at Ludlow Garage, Barry Manilow at the Coliseum (not a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram of Black Flag and Barry Manilow fans), and Live with Fuel at the Hard Rock Casino. “Live with Fuel” sounds like a commercial for a drag racing event (non-RuPaul version):
Or “Live with Fuel” could be be a Zoolander scene:
Speaking of fire, Ring of Fire: the Music of Johnny Cash opens at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Train comes chugging into the Rose Music Center on Tuesday and Pentatonix is at Riverbend. (Pentatonix is NOT a doom metal band… if you go expecting one, you’ll be quite disappointed.)
Wednesday:
The Offspring, Simple Plan and Sum 41 are at Riverbend
The TyeDye Band plays Wunderbar in Covington
tu:NER [“a musical trio comprised of Trey Gunn, Markus Reuter, and Pat Mastelotto, that celebrates the music of the Double Duo era (1998 to 2003) of King Crimson”] is at Ludlow Garage
RiversEDGE has Satisfaction: a tribute to the Rolling Stones and the Billy Rock Band
Darlingside plays Memorial Hall next Thursday (8/31) and Ludlow Garage has an evening with Ottmar Liebert.
Next Friday and Saturday (9/1 and 9/2), Guided By Voices celebrate 40 years with an amazing lineup:
Other Friday 9/1 shows include Los Straitjackets with the Jake La Botz Trio at the Woodward Theater, Modern English at Ludlow Garage, and Union Son doing an acoustic show at Stanbery Park in scenic Mt. Washington.
9/2 shows include Men without Hats at Ludlow Garage, and the Kings of Late Night (Craig Ferguson, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall) at the Hard Rock Casino.
Staind will leave their mark on the Hard Rock Casino on Sunday, 9/3.
Monday, September 4th is Labor Day. Here’s your holiday P.S.A. from Billy Bragg:
Smashing Pumpkins play PNC Pavilion on Tuesday, September 5th. (The W.A.S.P./Armored Saint gig slated for the Cindy Brady has been cancelled.)
Skid Row (featuring a lead singer not named Sebastian Bach) and Buckcherry play the Rose on Wednesday, 9/6.
Bobbing for Tickets
Tickets go on sale Friday for Bob Dylan’s Oct. 20th show at the Carol Brady. Buy ’em at the box office and save on the TicketBastard fees.
Concert review X 2
List member Dave Green raved about Charley Crockett’s gig at the Peter Brady. Meanwhile, faithful readers (all two of them) will recall that the last post from a poorly written, sporadically published, lazily distributed, rarely read blog made this audacious claim:
That prediction was 110% accurate. Or 25% accurate, because it might’ve been the show of the year! The Beths were amazing. Elizabeth Stokes writes some fantastic songs, and the three dudes in the band aren’t just great on guitar, bass and drums but they also contribute strong backing vocals. Great sound, stellar set list, enthusiastic crowd… and an inflatable fish on stage. Perfect! (Opener DISQ was very cool too.)
Mic Drop
It’s yet another sign-off for 97X – list member Dave Tellmann and I wrapped up our “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast with Episode 97.7. We only had about 13 regular listeners, but they appreciated it:
Dave was hoping that our final episode might earn us some “M.A.S.H. finale ratings” but I told him ours would be more like South of Sunset.
(Look on the bright side, Dave – our show is bigger than Glenn Frey’s!)
Album Cover of the Fortnight
This might be the most unintentionally creepy album cover ever. I’m not quite sure what’s going on here, but I think Rex Allen Jr. might be stalking Billy Barty.
Nearly five years ago, Dave and Damian started a podcast about 97X. They had no idea what they were doing.
They still don’t know what they’re doing, but they DO know that as they stumbled through nearly a hundred episodes, they had a blast reconnecting with station staffers, listeners, advertisers, record reps, and even some bands that made the station so special.
But now they’ve caught up with nearly everyone affiliated with the station (in both the 97X and woxy.com era).
They had the distinct privilege of co-hosting the Mercantile Library’s event with 97X book author Robin James.
They helped usher the 2023 97X Modern Rock 500 from crazy idea to amazing reality, thanks to more than 30 former DJs, Dave’s son Jack (producer extraordinaire) and our friends at Inhailer Radio.
Dave and Damian sucked at promoting the podcast, but somehow, some way, through the magic that was and IS 97X, listeners found it:
“I am not sure you guys realize just what impact having this modern rock format has had on my life… your podcast has brought about all of these thoughts, feelings, and memories of the soundtrack of 21 years on my life. I thank you for playing your part in it back then and I thank you for creating this podcast to help me process just what those 21 years have meant to me.”
“Anyway, I know you’ve heard it before, but you did a hell of a job preserving the mental health of lots of weird sullen people in our corner of the Rust Belt. I cried real drunken tears from Baltimore when the terrestrial signal died and I’ll never be able to tell you how important you all were in helping me get to adulthood.”
“Thanks for the pod. It is like finally being able to talk with someone about the treasure that was WOXY.”
“There are so many bands and songs that make me think so fondly of 97X. 97X will forever have a place in my heart.”
“That was about the only good thing about where I lived: 97X came in crystal clear and was like an oasis among the fields of corn. The music you played opened my mind and heart to soundscapes so different than anything I’d ever known. You took me to places I was sure I’d never get to go. How lucky was I!… Really I just wanted to let you know how much 97X meant to me in my teen years. You truly saved me. I can’t fully express how much you did. But I am Here in large part because of this station. You gave me hope and an outlet. I heard you, and my spirit felt heard in return.
Thank you, friend, for listening. So long for now…
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