Concert Listings

This Week in Live Music: February 24-March 1

Concert Listings, Music

Before we get into the gigs, TWILM would like to wish a hearty “Happy Birthday!” to list member Ted G., who turns 16 on February 29th.

Meet me at the end of the world…

Speaking of birthdays, I was at a real rager of a BD bash last night. It got soooo out of control that a cop showed up… to politely ask us to move our cars to the other side of the street. But that reminded me of the famous “this is the Minneapolis Police” intro to the Replacements song “Kids Don’t Follow”…

The story behind that intro (which was real, not fake) is pretty cool, and you can read all about it in this 2016 blog post from the Minneapolis radio station The Current.

OK, let’s get to the live stuff.

On Tuesday, Ben Levin (“the hardest working college sophomore in show business”) plays BrewRiver, and the Northern Kentucky Bluegrass Band plays Sis’s in Newport.

Wednesday:

  • The Austin band Star Parks plays MOTR
  • Ben Levin plays happy hour (5-8) at the Residence Inn/Phelps downtown
  • Chris Cusentino and Brad Meinerding play Ripple Wine Bar in Covington
  • Janis Ian plays Memorial Hall. List member Ted G. will undoubtedly enjoy listening to her biggest hit on Feb. 29th, 2024.

On Thursday:

  • Town Mountain plays Southgate along with Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle.
  • The Soul Rebels (“an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that incorporate elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music within a contemporary brass band framework”) are at Riverfront Live, with opener Ernie Johnson from Detroit
  • Jam band Manic Focus plays Madison Live
  • Ace of Wands (the band, not the Tarot card) plays Northside Tavern

If you’re in a movie mood on Thursday, list member Eric Weltner has poured his heart and soul into creating a cool film:

International Incidents chronicles Central Ohio’s three original professional hockey teams that played in the International Hockey League between 1966 and 1977. The film serves as a glimpse into a rough and tumble era of old time hockey in the minor leagues. Men named Wild Willie, Terrible Ted and Battleship Bob patrolled the ice. Transport yourself back to a time when helmets and common sense were optional.

https://www.facebook.com/Internationalincidents/videos/3479597982111555/

You can catch that film at the Woodward Theater. Get tickets here.

Quick, grab a goat… Bockfest kicks off Friday with the annual parade starting at Arnold’s and winding up (or down) at the Christian Moerlein Brewery.

Move along… nothing to see here, just your average, everyday motorized bathtub driven by a lederhosen-wearing, cigar-chomping dude with a rubber duck hat.

Other Friday events:

  • Chicago Farmer has a record release show in Southgate’s main Sanctuary
  • Legendary psychedelic prog rockers Nektar are at Ludlow Garage
  • Gaelic Storm plays Bogart’s
  • The Stolen Faces are at Stanley’s
  • Flocks flocks to MOTR
  • a local band with the great (or not so great) name of Two Inch Winky is playing Southgate’s Revival Room.

On Leap Day Saturday:

  • The Huntertones play Ludlow Garage
  • The Yugos play MOTR
  • Highly Likely has an album release party at Dead Low Brewing
  • Ludlow, Kentucky hosts the Cabin Fever Music + Arts Festival at several venues (lineup below)

Also on Saturday, list member Ted G. might get his driver’s license.

Hot Ticket Alert

Railbird announced their 2020 lineup:

Too Hot To Handle Ticket Alert

Foxy Shazam sold out their Taft Theater show in approximately 25 seconds.

Recommended Reading

List member Gil Kaufman wrote a great piece for Billboard about the story behind the song “Girl You Know It’s True” — which went from a Maryland trash heap to a worldwide smash for Milli Vanilli, thanks to a random telemarketing call. Very cool story.

Steve Baker, the voice of 97X and Miami U. football and basketball, recently got his Associates Degree at MU, which is pretty friggin’ cool. Read more in this blog post. (Yes, I realize I just recommended one of my own posts… I’ll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back.)

Jerry Springer and the Bakerman

Current Videos

Throwback Video

Now this was a kickass band:

Album Cover of the Week

Eat your heart out, Two Inch Winky!

This Week in Live Music: February 17-23

Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Before I tell you what’s cooking this coming week, I have to give a huge shout-out to all the list members who made the killer Cereal Killers gig at MadTree on Saturday afternoon: Dan, Joyce, Amy, Tim, Michelle, Mindy, Lisa, Phil… and at least three Daves!

He’s at MadTree!

In classic Cincinnati fashion, where three degrees of separation would set a new Tri-State record, my college buddy Tim Condron (who went to high school with Cereal Killer’s guitarist Matt Hueneman) was there with his wife, who, unbeknownst to us prior to the gig, works with the wife of my podcast partner Dave. What are the chances?

OK, better stop reminiscing before I turn into a Little River Band tribute band (name: Tiny Creek Ensemble). Let’s get to this week’s rather sparse lineup of gigs.

Tom Keifer, that fella from Cinderella (the hair band, not the Disney movie), plays Bogart’s on Tuesday.

Wednesday, Memorial Hall hosts the Americana duo Drew & Ellie Holcomb.

On Thursday, Brooklyn band Stuyedeyed plays MOTR with Oregon Space Trail and In The Pines. The Whiskey Wolves of the West play Southgate. American Authors and Magic Giant are at Bogart’s, and Ben Levin plays Smoke Justis.

There are a few gigs of note on Friday:

  • Twiddle plays Madison Theater
  • Motel Radio hits Southgate, in the Revival Room, with Calumet and Juno Dunes also on the bill.
  • All-American Rejects play Bogart’s
  • 20th Century Theater in Oakley hosts An Evening with Suzy Bogguss
  • “Steady Rollin'” Bob Margolin plays the first of back-to-back fundraisers for the Pinetop Perkins Foundation. He’ll be playing the Phone Booth Lounge (sounds cozy) in Kettering with Noah Wotherspoon, Lisa Biales, James Soiberg (longtime guitarist for Luther Allison) and Joe Tellmann (longtime son of podcast co-host Dave).
  • The Box Tops play Ludlow Garage. The current incarnation features original members Gary Talley and Bill Cunningham (not the bombastic talk radio host). R.I.P. Danny Smythe and the inimitable Alex Chilton.

Bob Margolin is back at it on Saturday (he comes by his “Steady Rollin'” moniker honestly). He’s hosting the 6th Annual Dayton Blues Society Youth Showcase. 22 youngsters from 10 states will be showcasing their blues chops, including local whippersnappers Erin Coburn, Ben Levin and Joe Tellmann, all of whom have learned from blues masters via the Pinetop Perkins Foundation’s annual summer camps in Clarksdale, MS. Great blues for a good cause.

Also on Saturday, local jam band Spookfloaters will be at Fretboard, playing a full set of Jerry Garcia Band tunes and another set of old favorites.

If that’s not trippy enough for you, Memorial Hall has the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular that same evening.

And if that isn’t trippy enough for you, consider this: 80s pop starlet Tiffany is still a viable commodity… she’s hosting an “Ultimate 80s Party” at Kenwood Mall Bogart’s.

On Sunday, Kulick plays Southgate’s Revival Room.

Hot Ticket Alerts

Andrew Bird, Calexico and Iron & Wine will be at PNC Pavilion on Saturday, June 20th. Neko Case plays Memorial Hall on Sunday, June 28th. (Here’s hoping that she’s in a better mood than she was when she played Taft a few years back. THE most uncomfortable/disappointing fan experience I’ve ever had.) Dead & Co. waft into Riverbend on Monday, July 20th. And summer festival season is just around the corner. Tickets are on sale now for Bellwether in Waynesville:

And Forecastle in Louisville:

I find both festivals’ lineups a bit underwhelming, but maybe I’m just getting old.

The 1975? Is Patty Hearst in that band?

Speaking of which, Bunbury has a great lineup if you are a tween:

“Back in my day, a Marshmello went on a s’more!

Recommended Reading

This Esquire piece about Huey Lewis’ battle with hearing issues is an interesting read. Loved this excerpt:

Huey’s more of a risk-taker than his spot in the mainstream would suggest. He convinced his label to pay for an unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan to open for the Sports tour. (The fans weren’t ready for it: “He’d be burning it down, and the crowd would go, ‘Huuuey, Huuuey.’ It was the weirdest feeling, hating your audience.”)

Shameless Self-promotion

Shout-out to the Cereal Killers for the nice plug on their Facebook page about this website and the 97X podcast:

I’m blushing!

Since the Cereal Killers mentioned it, there IS a brand-new, piping-hot episode of the podcast available. Bryan Jay Miller (intern, sales, promotions, digital, woxy.com GM) is our guest. Tune in to find our where all the albums, posters and other 97X/woxy.com paraphernalia might be buried.

Album Cover of the Week

An album so white bread that it should come in a Wonder wrapper.

Videos

Have a great week!

This Week in Live Music: February 10-16

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Hey kids, before we get to the live gigs, we have this public service announcement:

[Crickets]… OK, on with the shows…

If you’re reading this on Sunday, 2/9, Bodega is playing MOTR with Sleepcrawler and The Wants. List member Dan B. is going, and he has it on very good authority (cough… Dan McCabe…cough) that Bodega will hit the stage around 10 p.m. which is basically a matinee show in MOTR-land.

The first part of this week is pretty slow for live music. But Tuesday, you can catch a few tunes as part of the recording of the Jerry Springer Podcast at Folk School Coffee Parlor in Ludlow, KY (7-8:15 p.m). This is smart Jerry, not dumbed-down-for-TV Jerry.

Like a meth-addicted David Carradine

I’ll be there. Please join me. We can have a beer at Bircus Brewing before the show, or after… or both.

Thursday is a busy night. 20th Century hosts “Mike Doughty Tells Your Future.” Here’s the description:

Mike Doughty, the force behind seminal 90s band Soul Coughing, accomplished solo artist and author, will tell your future on tour this February. Doughty, along with long time collaborator Andrew “Scrap” Livingston, will test the limits of their clairvoyance as they interact with the crowd and respond to online submissions unique to each show. Expect an exceptional full set each night, celebrating Doughty’s vast repertoire spanning 25+ years.

That same evening, The Earls of Leicester play Memorial Hall:

Shawn Camp (guitar, lead vocals) – Charlie Cushman (banjo, guitars) – Jerry Douglas (Dobro, vocals) – Johnny Warren (fiddle, bass vocals) – Jeff White (mandolin, vocals) When the Earls of Leicester formed in 2013, their mission was ambitious but exact: to preserve and promote the legacy of bluegrass legends Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, in hopes of reviving the duo’s music for longtime admirers and introducing a new generation to their genre-defining sound.

Southgate has a double bill on Thursday: New Bomb Turks and Nine Pound Hammer play the Sanctuary, and Parker Gispert of The Whigs (the Athens, GA band, not the Afghan variety) plays the Revival Room.

And finally, The Blue Stones (like a Canadian version of the Black Keys) play Top Cats.

Friday is Valentine’s Day! Be sure to spread some VD love around… hmm, probably should rephrase that.

  • Ludlow Garage hosts “A Night of Music and Conversation with Rodriguez.” (List member Ken Laube will be there.)
  • The Infamous Stringdusters play Bogart’s.
  • Highly Suspect is at Madison Theater.

Saturday is the MY Valentine’s Day, because I love, love, love the Cereal Killers (featuring list members Howard Cohen and Matt Hueneman) and they’ll be playing at MadTree, doing covers of 70s British and American Punk, along with a dash of New Wave and a dollop of Garage Rock from 4:30-6:30. (I also love, love, love early shows!) First beer is on me for any list member who shows up, because I love you too (well, except for Dan Lewis… more on that later).

Also on Saturday, Soul Asylum is playing Riverfront Live, although they really shouldn’t be called Soul Asylum anymore without Dan Murphy and Karl Mueller… but “Dave Pirner and Whomever He Can Get to Play With Him” doesn’t fit the marquee as well. Local H is the opener. They’re not local.

Urban Artifact hosts a “Love Hangover” show featuring several local luminaries doing duets, including Billy Alletzhauser + Beth Harris.

Maria Carelli plays MOTR, Ricky Nye, Inc. plays a free show in the Southgate Lounge, and Ben Levin plays the Manor House in Mason as part of the Cincy Winter Blues Fest. Ben is back in action on Sunday at Latitudes in Anderson, and Emily Wolfe plays MOTR that evening.

Recommended Reading

This oral history of Prince’s Super Bowl halftime performance is pretty cool. And you’ll probably want to watch the gig after reading it.

https://www.facebook.com/princepartyuk/videos/1684909648222402/

Recommended Viewing

Here’s a three-minute video from Rolling Stone featuring Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie of The Violent Femmes talking about “Blister in the Sun”:

Shameless Self-promotion

Check out the latest episode of the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast for our interview with Matt Harris, who worked spent a few years at 97X in the mid-to-late 80s and went on to work at Jacor/Clear Channel/iHeart Radio/iHeart Media, including serving as Program Director for Channel Z back when it was on the air.

Letters to the Editor

List member Dan Lewis took umbrage at our portrayal of him in last week’s post:

What have I done to you in the past 30 years I’ve known you???  I’m going through all the shows I’ve seen you at…. maybe I should have bought you a beer??? Offered you my seat? Patch on the grass? I can honestly tell you I NEVER had a mullet.

Remind me to tell you a story about the Motley Crue show and the CEO Of Frisch’s.

Actually excited about the team this year!! Go Reds…..

So let the record show that Dan never rocked a mullet. Let the record also show that he has never bought me a beer or offered me his seat at a show. (Dan knows I’m just messing with him.)

Can’t wait to hear Dan’s story about Mötley Crüe and the CEO of Frisch’s… I hope it involves the phrase “Brawny Lad”… and doesn’t involve the phrase “tartar sauce.”

Videos

Have a great week!

This one’s for Dan Lewis…

This Week in Live Music: February 3-9

Concert Listings, Music

Another slow week in the music department. But there are a few gigs, so let’s rock:

Tuesday evening, Greensky Bluegrass will be playing the Madison Theater.

Thursday, my neighbor Ben Levin, who happens to be a blues/boogie-woogie piano wunderkind, is playing Big Ash Brewing. Big Ash is right down the street from my house, on the site of the old El Rancho Rankin Motel, so I plan to be there.

A cherished musical tradition.

If you live in the Mt. Lookout/Mt. Washington/Anderson area, you should attend this gig too! (Sidebar: List member Whit G., who is also my neighbor, wants to rebrand Mt. Washington as “Anderson Heights” to boost property values. Kinda like when they renamed a stretch of Eastern Avenue “Riverside Drive.”) Way to sell the sizzle, Whit!

Also on Thursday, Tauk plays Madison Theater, and John Sebastian is at the Ludlow Garage. He did the theme from Welcome Back, Kotter, so I think I’ll go and ask him to sign my Barbarino puzzle.

On Friday, there are a few interesting gigs:

  • It’s First Friday at the Listing Loon in Northside, meaning DJ Sean P. Hafer will be spinning some great tunes and you can get happy hour prices on Great Lakes beers from 4-8 p.m.
  • Ludlow Garage hosts their 4th Annual Earthday Celebration with the Ark Band. (I thought Earth Day was 4/22, not 2/7… maybe they’re using a Jamaican calendar. Actually Bob Marley’s BD was 2/6.)
  • Eskimo Brothers play Southgate’s Revival Room. Apparently “Eskimo Brothers” is also a slang term.
  • Totally 80s Live is at Bogart’s, featuring The Motels, Bow Wow Wow, and When in Rome II (not to be confused with When in Rome UK or When in Rome Revisited or Farrington + Mann Original Members of When in Rome… legal squabbles are the best!) (According to the When in Rome II website, they have a new lead singer, Tony Fennell, who took over as the voice of Ultravox after Midge Ure left, and spent the past 3 and a half years playing guitar for Enuff Z’nuff!… this is the kind of research you can count on from TWILM!)
  • Lee Rocker (of the Stray Cats… and Phantom, Rocker and Slick… more deep research!) plays the Fairfield Community Arts Center.

Saturday is a busy evening for live tunes. The Tillers host their 2nd Annual Stringbreakers Ball at Southgate.

Didn’t the dude on this poster play the El Rancho Rankin Motel?

Other Saturday gigs:

  • The Rumpke Mountain Boys play a Fan Appreciation Night at the old Annie’s. (Uh, shouldn’t every night be a “fan appreciation night” for bands?)
  • Jake Speed and Kade Puckett play the Downtowne Listening Room
  • At Ludlow Garage, Freekbass & The Bump Assembly does P-Funk, featuring members of Turkuaz, P-Funk and Bootsy’s Rubber Band.
  • Triiibe plays MOTR

On Sunday, Alvin Youngblood Hart plays Southgate.

Hot Ticket Alerts

Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter play Memorial Hall on Thursday, April 6th. Get tickets here.

List member Dan “The Reds are Active in the Free Agent Market… 2020 is our year!” Lewis reminds you that tickets are on sale for the July 2nd show at Great American Ball Park featuring Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

Be sure to look for Dan in the front row for that gig.

Dän Lëwis, circa 1983.

Recommended Reading

Chuck Prophet is a rare gem of an artist and a genuinely funny dude. The story below is from his email newsletter (which you can sign up for here):

So there I was holding Jakob Dylan’s phone, backstage left at the Clash tribute at the Roxy organized by Jesse Malin the other night. Butch Walker was there, Duff from Guns & Roses. Is that enough names for you yet?

I was holding Jakob’s phone, trying not think about the fact that I had no I.D. and a long drive back to the Valley after midnight in my 15-passenger Econoline van ahead of me on a weekend in L.A.

We were staying with Stephanie‘s mom out in San Fernando and as I was getting closer to the gig, I couldn’t find my wallet anywhere. Finally, I grabbed the keys and hit the road. I mean I was obviously me, right? Who wouldn’t recognize Chuck Prophet? Well, lots of people, come to think.

Thank god that when I felt around in my pocket there was a wad of merch cash from the previous gig. Cruising down Sunset I was just shy of the Roxy on Sunset, when I spotted a parking garage. And as I pulled in, I noticed a sign that said “NO VANS. NO LARGE VEHICLES. NO EXCEPTIONS.” But who wouldn’t make an exception for Chuck Prophet, right? Well, lots of people, come to think.

So I acted like I didn’t see the sign. Playing dumb, unfortunately, comes way too easy for me. Eventually there was an attendant there. A Hispanic kid. And I rolled down the window and kind of held a folded $20 in his general direction. He walked over, pointed in the direction of the next level, said “park it up there next to that Chevy truck.” And, I was like, “OK.” And yeah, I was in a little bit of a hurry, and so I did.

I started driving the van up to the 2nd level and the ceiling concrete seemed very low and I craned my neck and looked up through the windshield and there were lots of pipes and sprinklers and concrete and I was thinking, “I don’t know…” And then I looked back at the kid and he looked at me and he just kept gesturing to me, “Go ahead, Bro. You’re good, Bro.”

The ceiling seemed kind of low. (So that’s what the “NO VANS” thing was about.) First there was a popping sound. And then the roof of the van ended up getting wedged in there and it started to feel like I was inside an empty beer can getting crushed. Throw it in reverse and pull back and get out backwards or keep on plunging forward? I plunged. Next thing I hear is an even louder scraping. Excruciating. My metal beer can of a vehicle was scraping along inch by inch. It seemed to go on forever, but finally the scraping stopped.

Everybody in the lot was staring at me. Clash fans, I figured.

So I pulled the van next to the Chevy truck and thought to myself, “F*ck…How late am I? I’m playing the first damn song. Jesse said there was gonna be a curtain and everything. And that the curtain was open and I would play the opening chords of London Calling and then we would be off and running.

I jumped out of the van and I walked down the ramp and up to the attendant and we both just kind of shrugged at each other in a sort of universal no words necessary language that said “Well, that happened.” And I said to the kid, “I think we’re gonna need to let the air out of the tires later in order for me to get out of here.”

Hold that curtain!

On the way out, dude clues me in that, “Yeah bro, and don’t forget we close at midnight”.

So I ran to the club and I didn’t have my I.D. How could I prove I’m Chuck Prophet? I was carrying a guitar, but who cares? Thankfully, cool heads prevailed and they even gave me a wristband. A purple one. One of those “All Access” puppies.

I went backstage and ran straight into Jakob Dylan. He was on deck. Playing directly after me doing the second song. We’d met before so we fell into some easy small talk about how Jesse likes his strap to hang really low. And just strap pride in general.

I played my song and bam, it was over. After I played my song, I walked off stage and Jakob said something to the effect of “well done.”

And then he said, “Can you hold my phone?” And I said sure. And he said, “I don’t like having a bunch of things in my pocket on stage, right?”
So Jacob went up and killed. On “Brand New Cadillac.” It was loose and tight in all the right places.

And as he came off, I handed him back his phone. It was only later than I thought, “Oh man, I could have scrolled through his phone. Maybe memorize a couple phone numbers. But then again, it was probably encrypted or something. I mean, it was still WARM when he handed it to me. I could have searched for… I don’t know “Dad.” But why? It’s not like I’m going to text his dad and say, “Big fan. If you ever need a lift from the airport…” Yeah, right.

This is ridiculous. I would never do anything like that.

The night went by in a blur. One song and performer after another. Everybody brought something to the picnic.

And then like some animal instinct, I felt myself panicking and thought “Oh damn, what time is it? It’s like 11:58!” So I ran out of the club. And did I mention it was Sold Out? I was trying to work my way through crowd to the street exit and I bumped into Clem Burke and said, “Oh, hi Clem,” and kept pushing through the crowd.

And when I got back to the parking garage the attendant was nowhere to be found.

So I stood there not knowing what to do. Wondering if I was too late and everyone had gone home. And then I heard this hissing sound. And it went on and on and on. I looked up to where the van was and I didn’t see anybody up there. But the hissing persisted. So I walked up the ramp and there in between the cars was the attendant crouched down: he was letting the air out of my tires.

It took a couple tries and more hissing, but we eventually got that van out of there. And we shared a laugh. But, we didn’t say anything to each other. Not one word. Didn’t need to.

And then I just cruised back down Sunset going about 5 miles an hour looking for a gas station with an air pump. Thinking to myself “Oh for Christ, no license, no photo I.D., or license. And I’m in a serial killer van. Perfect!”

Well, the first place I went to said the air pump was down. Then I found a place and pumped the tires back up and got back to the Valley. And there was my wallet. In my other pants.

“How was the show,” Stephanie asked the next morning over coffee.

“Oh, you know, just another walk in the park. How’s that oatmeal coming?”

Videos

This Week in Live Music: January 27-February 2

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Hello, old friend. Another slow week on the live music front. Winter hibernation is real.

Tuesday, California folkie Willie Tea Taylor is doing a free show at Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, KY.

But wait, there’s more: it’s also Taco Tuesday at Bircus, with eats from Django Western Taco and Del Gardo’s Cannoli.

Todd Hepburn plays Arnold’s on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the Freddy Jones Band plays Ludlow Garage. It’s been a hot minute since they’ve come through town. List member Whit Gardner will be there. That same evening, Moon Hooch plays Madison Live… no word on whether or not Moon Turner will be the opener.

America’s favorite Bosom Buddy…

Friday gigs:

  • Wayne “The Train” Hancock plays Southgate, with local band The Tammy Whynots opening the show. That’s a very strong double bill.
  • Jackopierce is at Ludlow Garage
  • Ricky Nye Inc. plays Big Ash Brewing
  • John Morgen is at Camp Springs Tavern
  • Son del Caribe plays Woodward Theater
  • Bogart’s hosts The Iron Maidens “the world’s only female tribute to Iron Maiden” (talk about carving out a niche). The lead singer’s stage name is…

On Saturday:

  • Too Many Zooz plays Urban Artifact
  • Phillip Phillips (I think he used to work at the Department of Redundancy Department) comes to Ludlow Garage
  • Jamey Johnson (he co-wrote “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”!) plays the Lawrenceburg Event Center.

And if you’d rather catch some ‘rasslin’ that evening, you can head to Bircus for up-close Northern Wrestling Federation action.

Joshua needs a better ring name.

Sunday is February 1st, which means you can check out (or even join in) the First Sunday Bluegrass Jam at Camp Springs Tavern starting at 3:30. BYOBanjo.

Hot Ticket Alerts

The Watkins Family Hour (Sara and Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek) plays Memorial Hall on Saturday, April 11th. Get your tickets here. And Band of Horses plays Bogart’s on Thursday, March 26th, with Pomegranates as the opener. Two things to note about that gig:

  1. Last time I saw BoH at Bogart’s, the sound was absolutely awful. They sounded like they were playing inside a giant oil drum submerged in 10 feet of sludge.
  2. Longtime guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bass player Bill Reynolds both quit the band about a year and a half ago… and BoH hasn’t put out any new music since 2016.

More 97X lists

This Spotify playlist covers all the Modern Rock 500 lists from 1989 through 2009. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ndUg4bPCgBesDtw8yvYit

And Mark Griffin, a WOXY-FM superfan, created 11 hours worth of playlists from 1985… impressive: 
https://markfgriffin.com/2017/06/sounds-of-woxy-97x-college-rock/

Shameless Self-Promotion

The latest episode of the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast features Dave Tellmann and yours truly chatting with another 97X superfan, Daniel Jones.

Must See TV

This video from 1985 with then-97Xers Danny Crash and Mr. K (interviewed by Brett Heartz, then a high schooler and later a 97X jock) is priceless:

R.I.P. David Olney

He was a songwriter’s songwriter who died onstage last week at age 71.

“Any time anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are… I say Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard — and that’s true. I mean that from my heart.” 

Townes Van Zandt

I saw David play live once, opening for another singer-songwriter (whose name escapes me) at Top Cats, of all places. Spellbinding stuff. This article in Variety does a good job covering his career and influences.

The ceiling will fall to the floor
The windows will walk out the door
The old clock will run out of time
And reason will run out of rhyme

The sea will no longer be blue
The truth will no longer be true
And ev’rything left is a lie
The moment I tell you goodbye

Tomorrow will never begin
Forever will come to an end
The sun will fall from the sky
The moment I tell you goodbye

This Week in Live Music: January 20-26

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Can’t go wrong with that gif, amiright? Let’s get to the tunes.

Monday is a holiday for most folks… including touring bands, it appears. Also, please note that the Yola show originally slated for Tuesday in the Taft Ballroom has been rescheduled for Sunday, June 14 due to “unforeseen scheduling conflicts.”

On Tuesday, Cheryl Renee plays Bluesday Tuesday at Arnold’s and the Mynah Tones play the Comet.

On Wednesday, Grace Potter plays a nocturnal show (without the Nocturnals) at Taft Theater. Mipso is at the Woodward Theater, with Bridget Kearney (of Lake Street Dive) and Benjamin Lazar Davis (of Okkervil River) as openers. There are a couple of notable local gigs on Wednesday also:

  • Ben Levin plays the Phelps/Residence Inn downtown. List member Howard Cohen has informed me that it’s a Great Lakes Brewing Company Pint Night from 5-8, featuring Dortmunder Gold Lager, Conway’s Irish Ale, and the new beast in town, Bierwolf Dunkelweizen. A tasting flight is only $10. Ben plays starting at 5:30.
  • List member Mark Celsor’s band Left of Center is opening for the Blue Eyed Bettys at Urban Artifact. Mark doesn’t work for a beer company, but he will work for beer.

Thursday, 20th Century Theater hosts An Evening with Mike Gordon, he of Phish Phame. All those smelly hippies in Oakley should bring housing prices down at bit.

Sure they misspelled “hobby”… but it’s still phunny.

On Friday, Turkuaz plays Madison Theater, Shiny Old Soul is at Big Ash Brewing, Todd Lipscomb is at Arnold’s and Ben Levin plays BrewRiver.

Saturday shows:

  • Olivia Jean plays Southgate’s main room, and Ben Levin is in the Lounge
  • Noah Wotherspoon plays a gig at Band of Helping Hands in Covington
  • KY Myle is at Camp Springs Tavern
  • Fretboard hosts ‘Nati Dread Day, with the Quasi Kings as headliners.

On Sunday, The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars play… The Comet.

Action Photos

That’s list member Dale Doyle (the original D2!) on the right, hanging in Cali with Matt Berninger of The National (in a 97X t-shirt!). Dale is doing the artwork/design for Matt’s solo album. The story of how these two hooked up is pretty cool – you can read it on the website here.

Hot Ticket Alerts

Ludlow is hosting “a night of music and conversation with Rodriguez” on Valentine’s Day. Paul Thorn is coming to Memorial Hall on Saturday, May 2nd (Derby Day!) with Angela Perley as the opener.

Shameless Self-promotion

The most recent episode of the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast features Rob Ervin, who worked at 97X, co-hosted the Chris & Rob Late Night Talk Show on WAIF for years, and worked on the Gary Burbank Show for a decade-plus. You can listen on the website here, or catch all the episodes on Spotify, Apple Music or Podbean.

Oh, and if you enjoyed the annual 97X “Modern Rock 500” countdown back in the day, a listener crunched the data from each year of the countdown to create an overall “Top 500″… check it out here.

Tweet of the Week

Videos

Have a wonderful week!

This Week in Live Music: January 13-19

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast

First and foremost, R.I.P. Neil Peart.

The absolute best.

This NPR tribute by Annie Zaleski is very nice. Love this quote:

“He was in many ways like an outsider — the guy who was often different from everyone else,” Halper says. “But that was okay with him. He didn’t want to be like everyone else. He just wanted to be Neil. He loved being a rock drummer, but he also loved literature. He loved poetry. He loved the outdoors. He didn’t care what society thought a rock star was ‘supposed to be’ — he wasn’t afraid to be himself, and he didn’t really care about fame. He just wanted to be good at what he did — and he was! — and he just wanted to share his music with the fans.”

I can totally relate to that… well, other than the musical talent part.

It’s a slow week for nationally touring band gigs, so this week I’m going to highlight a few more local artists than usual.

On Tuesday, The Dead South (Canadian folk-bluegrass) hits Bogart’s. And Jerry Springer is doing a live taping (sounds like an oxymoron, I know) of two podcast episodes at Folk School Coffee Parlor in Ludlow, KY, from 7-8 p.m. This isn’t the crazy TV version of Jerry, it’s the politically astute Jerry, along with some live music and a bit of shtick. I’ve been before and it’s fun.

Shiny Old Soul plays the Northside Tavern on Wednesday, and the Blue Wisp Big Band is at Caffè Vivace.

On Thursday, Fuel will make a pit stop at the Ludlow Garage. In addition, the Philip Paul Trio plays Arnold’s, and the Mt. Pleasant String Band plays Southgate’s Lounge — both of those are free shows.

Friday, We Banjo 3 plays a sold-out gig at Memorial Hall. In the cherished tradition of “Wrong Number” bands like the Thompson Twins and Ben Folds Five, We Banjo 3 actually has 4 members… and they play more instruments than banjo, too!

Also on Friday:

  • Ghost Man on Second plays Lucius Q
  • Stanley’s hosts an evening with Terrapin Moon
  • The Ben Levin Trio plays Wiedemann’s Tap Room
  • This Pine Box has a single release party at MOTR, with Sugadaisy and a great White Stripes/Black Keys type band from Lexington called Johnny Conqueroo (video below).

On Saturday, The Levin Brothers Band plays Ludlow Garage.

Other Saturday shows:

  • Ben Levin (he’s a Levin brother too!) plays Smoke Justis
  • Stanley’s hosts the Winter Blues Revival
  • Nicholas Clay and Kelly Fine (Young Heirlooms) play Camp Springs Tavern (check out this nugget from Nicholas Clay’s music FB page:

On Sunday:

  • Stef Chura plays MOTR with Leggy
  • The Boston band called Ripe (“part jam band, part funk, part jazz and part soul”) plays the Madison Theater
  • The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars do their weekly residency at the bar that gave them their name.

Musical musings

The Parlor & Patio house concert last night was great. Chelsea Nolan has a wonderful voice, and is a fun storyteller. Her TED talk is well worth checking out for inspiration (embedded at the end of this week’s post). If you’ve yet to attend a Parlor & Patio show, you really should check one out. Great songwriters in an intimate setting with a super-friendly and casual vibe… and free pie from Piebird at intermission! The current 2020 bookings are listed here. You can check out the artists on this Spotify playlist. Get tickets early because the shows will sell out.

Hot Ticket Alert

Wussy is playing the Woodward Theater on Friday, March 6th. Tickets here.

Hot No-Ticket-Required Alert

The Cereal Killers are playing MadTree Brewing on Saturday, February 15th, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Perfect set time for an old fart like me… like a Bob Evans early-bird special, only with beer instead of meatloaf!

2019 tunes worth checking out

Hat tip to list member Michael “Rico” Carrico for directing us to a guy from Finland who has being doing a blog (“One Chord to Another”) covering Americana/folk/etc. for more than a decade. His 2019 favorites list is here and he also does a weekly playlist that’s very cool.

Tweet of the Week

Videos

This Week in Live Music: January 6-12

Concert Listings, Concert review, Music

Hey gang, Happy New Year! America’s Least Beloved Blog* is back to inflict weekly pain and suffering upon you. (Better call 444-4444.) Let’s see… I forgot how this works… oh, that’s right, I provide an admittedly incomplete list of the gigs in the Tri-State area and you, gentle reader, proceed to pay incomplete attention to said list, just like that one kid in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off…

*Source: WordPress stats

My 2020 Resolution is to go see 20 live music performances. We’re talking band gigs, not the church organist. Who’s with me?

There ain’t much wattage in the live music cottage this week. Legendary guitarist Albert Lee plays Southgate on Wednesday.

On Thursday, you have several fine options for your live-music listening pleasure… get one of the 20 gigs under your belt by attending any of these:

  • Jason Ringenberg (of Jason & The Scorchers fame) is at Southgate
  • Ben Levin will be at BrewRiver
  • The Ricky Nye duo (featuring Matt McCoy) plays at Big Ash Brewing
  • The TyeDye Band plays The Lounge in Anderson (I’ll be there… 2020 Gig #1)

Friday gigs:

  • Ben Levin is at Lucius Q
  • Orleans plays Ludlow Garage
  • Leroy Ellington’s Sacred Heart is at Big Ash Brewing
  • The Harmless Varmints (great name!) play Camp Springs Tavern
  • Peter Asher plays “a musical memoir of the 60s” at 20th Century. I’m not sure how you can do a memoir of the 60s…

On Saturday, the talented youngster Chelsea Nolan plays the first Parlor & Patio gig of 2020 at the home of Dave & Jacqui Killen. I’ll be there (if you’re keeping score at home, that’s Gig #2 of 2020). This show is sold out… check out the video below and you’ll hear why.

Check the Parlor & Patio shows page to find out about other shows this year, and get your tickets early!

The Sunday gig isn’t a house concert, but it’s close: Chris Carpenter and Kevin Stokley play the Downtowne Listening Room. Here’s a description of the venue from their website:

We support a true, music lover’s listening vibe with no crowd noise so you can enjoy the music. When the show starts, we ask everyone to refrain from talking, turn off cell phones, and turn on to the music. Our performers appreciate your respect for their craft and put on an intimate and inviting show. Social time with friends and the artists occurs before and after each performance.

More gigs at that venue can be found here.

Hot Ticket Alerts

Guster plays an acoustic show at Memorial Hall on March 14th, and “they’ll also be inviting a rotating cast of improv friends to join them on stage for some on the spot songwriting and comedy.”

The Bottle Rockets have an April 1st gig at Southgate. No foolin’!

Cold Ticket Alerts

You might wanna steer clear of downtown Cincy on Saturday, May 16th. Garth Brooks will be at Paul Brown Stadium, and Michael Buble will be at the Coliseum. I’m calling it “A Night of Historic Histrionics.”

Tweets/posts about local legends

Here’s Craig Finn of The Hold Steady talking about one of their recent NYC shows:

(I do too, Craig!)

And here’s what Jason Narducy (Bob Mould/Superchunk touring bassist – he also has a new solo effort out) tweeted about Bob Pollard:

If our boy Bobby can play a gazillion songs at age 62, surely you can get off your couch and go see a show or 20 (leg kicks not required). Let list member Dan Bockrath be your inspiration…

Dan Bockrath’s 2019 Music in Review

Holy crap – after a quiet start, it was another year of epic concerts. The live music experience is like no other…and I have a newfound passion and appreciation for the intimacy of house concerts thanks to Jacqui and Dave‘s Parlor & Patio series. (You must see Rob Fetters if you have the opportunity – “small is the new big”). I attended even more shows this year out of the need for my spirit to be lifted and transported…even for just a few meaningful hours.

Highlights:
– Best Discoveries: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (at the legendary Great American Music Hall in SF), Charly Bliss, Jinjer (thanks Gene) and Black Mountain.
– A double dose of Guided By Voices. They were in top form this year. Three records (all highly recommended) and a killer 50+ song, 3-hour set at The Woodward Theater left the sold-out crowd exhausted with joy. Robert Pollard is a master performer!
– The reincarnation of The Ludlow Garage. Their goal is to be the premier listening room in the region. No argument here. In a span of two weeks, I experienced next level shows from Dweezil Zappa, Frank Gambale, Jimmy Herring and local legend Adrian Belew.
– Most Fun: Beck and Cage The Elephant with my daughter and her friends.
– Top Show: No question – King Crimson at the mecca of music venues…the Ryman Auditorium. Nearly 50 years to the day of the release of their epic debut, In the Court of the Crimson King, Robert Fripp and his stellar cast are dedicated to bringing their music to new audiences.

Crimson was one of several 50th anniversary shows I attended in 2019. Proof once again that you’re never too old to rock and roll.
Long live rock – I need it every night!!
Peace and love to you and yours in 2020.

In chronological order:
1/11 Rob Fetters house show – Parlor & Patio
1/27 Dave Davis memorial show – Woodward Theatre
2/10 John Mellencamp – Aronoff Center
3/8 Tracy Walker house show – Parlor & Patio
5/2 Welshly Arms – Bogart’s
6/10 Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – GAMH-SF
6/14 Charly Bliss – Top Cat’s
6/18 Howard Jones – Bogart’s
6/28 Guided By Voices – Woodward Theatre
6/30 Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – Taft Theatre
7/1 Courtney Barnett – Madison Theatre
7/3 Built To Spill – Woodward Theatre
7/3 Warbly Jets – MOTR Pub (after BTS show)
7/4 Kansas – Red, White & Blue Ash
7/12 Peter Frampton / Jason Bonham – Riverbend
7/13 The Right Now – Levitt Pavilion-Dayton
7/19 Tedeschi Trucks – PNC Pavilion
7/27 Heart / Elle King – Riverbend
8/1 Eric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf) house concert
8/2 Beck / Cage The Elephant / Spoon – Riverbend
8/8 JJ Grey & Mofro / Jonny Lang – PNC Pavilion
8/10 Bellwether Fest (STRFKR, Sego, GBV, Beach House)
8/21 Get The Led Out – Fraze Pavilion
9/4 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Bogart’s
9/11 Adam Ant – Taft Theatre
9/19 Dweezil Zappa – Ludlow Garage (50th – Hot Rats)
9/21 Frank Gambale – Ludlow Garage
9/22 Jimmy Herring – Ludlow Garage
9/27 King Crimson – Ryman Auditorium (50th – Court)
10/2 Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – Fountain Square
10/4 Adrian Belew – Ludlow Garage
10/12 Jinjer – Riverfront Live
10/22 UFO – Bogart’s (50th anniversary)
11/16 Daniel Martin Moore house show – Parlor & Patio
11/19 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Taft Theatre
11/22 Black Mountain – Headliners-Louisville
11/26 Cloud Nothings – Woodward Theatre

This Month (not week) in Live Music

Concert Listings, Music

Howdy, I’m going to give myself a little present this month: the gift of a few weeks off from this update.

“You shouldn’t have”

December is kinda light on non-Mannheim Steamroller concerts anyway. Plus, I’ll be out of town after Xmas, and before that I need to:

  1. Hang stockings by the chimney with care
  2. Make my famous eggnog (1. Pour fifth of rum into punch bowl. 2. Pour carton of eggnog down drain. 3. Enjoy!) and
  3. Sing carols in the neighborhood (…”our next selection is called ‘Christmas in Hollis’ by Run DMC”…).

OK, let’s get to this merry month of music:

The Get Up Kids play Southgate on Wednesday, bluegrass band Kitchen Dwellers are at Madison Live, and Ludlow Garage has “Scrantonicity” which is described thusly: ‘Scrantonicity’ will feature “The Office” themed trivia, a live DJ, comedian, bar games and costume contest. Specially crafted “Office” themed drinks such as “Mexican Lemoñade” and “Lord, Beer Me Strength” will be on hand for those 21 and over.

On Thursday, Chevelle plays Bogart’s, and George Winston plays a Christmas gig at Ludlow.

On Friday (the 13th)

  • Will Kimbrough plays Southgate
  • Phantogram is at Bogart’s
  • Ricky Nye and Chris Douglas are at Wiedemann
  • Goose (not the old local band, the “American Indie-Groove band” from Connecticut that “could be likened to a keg party in the woods on a summer night with all of your closest friends”) plays Madison Theater
  • Bonerama (winner of the 2019 band name of the year award) is back at Riverfront Live with Ernie Johnson from Detroit
  • Mike Oberst of the Tillers plays Camp Springs Tavern
  • Ben Levin is at Arnold’s

On Saturday, the Warsaw Falcons and Ricky Nye play Wiedemann’s, Wonky Tonk plays Camp Springs Tavern, and Sum 41 is at Bogart’s.

Sunday, Bogart’s hosts Angels & Airwaves.

Here’s the rest of the month (and really the first week of 2020, since there are no concerts of note that week):

Jeremy Pinnell plays Southgate’s Revival Room on Monday, 12/16.

Mannequin Pussy is at the Woodward on Wednesday, 12/18, with Kississippi opening.

10,000 Maniacs play Ludlow on Thursday, 12/19. This is the non-Natalie Merchant version, but the rest of the gang is there, including John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey.

On Friday, 12/20, Motherfolk plays “A Very Motherfolk Christmas V” at 20th Century, and local luminaries Over the Rhine kick off three nights of their Acoustic Christmas show (12/20-22).

There are a few interesting Xmas gigs on Saturday, December 21st:

  • Chris Knight plays Southgate’s Sanctuary, and the Whiskey Daredevils play a free gig in the Lounge
  • Ben Levin & the Heaters play Mansion Hill Tavern
  • Gehner Dueling Pianos at Camp Springs Tavern
  • Afroman does “Merry Spliffmas” at Riverfront Live
  • Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits hosts An Olde English Christmas at Ludlow Garage. We think “Olde English” means classic tunes from Great Britain, but it could mean this:
It helps merry gentlemen rest too!

The aforementioned Mannheim Steamroller are playing a Christmas show on… December 26th? They must be using a different type of calendar, perhaps Julian or MilkingTheChristmasMoneyian. Fun fact: Mannheim founder and Ohio native Chip Davis had a hand in writing that classic CB radio (kids, ask your parents what the hell that was)/trucker tune from 1976 called “Convoy” by the fictional C.W. McCall. I’d rather hear that 20 times in a row than hear bloated neoclassical versions of Xmas tunes.

Clutch plays Bogart’s on Friday, December 27th and Ben Levin plays BrewRiver.

On Saturday, December 28th:

  • The Wooks and Kind Country are at Southgate
  • Terrapin Flyer plays Ludlow
  • local rockers Prizoner play their “final show” at Riverfront Live
  • The Poor Hours are at Camp Springs Tavern

Ricky Nye has a solo gig at Wiedemann on Sunday, December 29th… and at the other end of the spectrum, you can “Ratt & Roll into 2020” by seeing Ratt at Bogart’s.

There’s another contrast of styles on New Year’s Eve: you can attend the Drunken Hog NYE party at Riverfront Live featuring Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle, Hackensaw Boys and Hickory Robot… or catch GWAR at Bogart’s.

The Bogart’s bathrooms are scarier.

Rumpke Mountain Boys also have a NYE celebration at 20th Century, on both Monday 12/30 and Tuesday 12/31, with different support bands. And Sweet Alice Hoskins plays Dead Low Brewing’s NYE party.

Hot Ticket Alerts (plural)

Chelsea Nolan kicks off Season 2 of the Parlor & Patio house concert series on Saturday, January 11th. Get tickets here.

Bob Mould is playing a solo gig at 20th Century on Sunday, March 22nd. Tickets here.

Robyn Hitchcock will be at Southgate on Sunday, April 26th. Tickets.

Favorite Albums of 2019

If you feel so inclined, you can list your favorites on the discussion board section of this website. That way everyone can see what great taste you have! It’ll also save my lazy ass from having to compile all your submissions into a mega-list. My picks are already on the discussion board, and also below.

The Reading List

KEXP midday DJ Cheryl Waters is battling cancer once again.

Blast from the Past

97X holiday ad from Everybody’s News

Have a wonderful [insert favorite December holiday here] and here’s to a rockin’ 2020!

One of my holiday favorites… the Copperhead Road album version features Maria McKee from Lone Justice.

This Week in Live Music: December 2-8

Concert Listings, Music

Greetings fellow earthlings! Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful.

Fred G. Sanford… the “G” stands for “gravy.”

Let’s take a look at this week’s live music. Monday Silversun Pickups are at Bogart’s.

If you’re wondering “What’s Happening!!” on Tuesday, the answer is a big fat nothing… and that’s not a rip on Rerun and/or Shirley.

Remember the very special two-part episode featuring the Doobie Brothers? I sure do!

Wednesday, Farmer & Adele play a Country Western Christmas show with Mike Oberst of the Tillers at Southgate, Livingston Taylor (Sweet Baby James’ Baby Brother) plays the 20th Century Theater, and spoof hair band Steel Panther plays a “Big Hairy Xmas” show at Bogart’s.

If you’re a fan of live comedy, former Gary Burbank Show writer John Bunyan will be celebrating his birthday on Wednesday by closing out a Go Bananas Pro-Am show with a long set. John’s the funniest CPA I know (pretty low bar, I realize). Other folks on the bill are friends of his, including headliners like Gabe Kea, Mark Chalifoux and Tabari McCoy, so it should be a good time. Tickets are $5, show starts at 8.

Ben Levin plays BrewRiver on Thursday. Speaking of Ben, he’s got a fun new holiday tune out.

On Friday, the underwear-clad duo called The Skivvies plays a holiday show at Ludlow Garage. The dude is from Fairfield, where appearing in public in your underwear is de rigueur. You can read more about these “undie-rockers” in CityBeat.

Also, Aqueous is at Madison Live. Fully clothed. (You can listen to their new EP here.) And Ben Levin & the Heaters play Southgate’s Lounge.

Saturday, Dopapod is at the Madison Theater, Randy Steffen plays Camp Springs Tavern, and Pink Talking Fish (a fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish) hits Ludlow Garage. Also, The Band of Helping Hands (Covington) will host a Blue Christmas toy drive/fundraiser show with G. Miles and the Band of Helping Hands house band along with Ricky Nye INC featuring Bekah Williams and Ben Levin.

Video of the Week

Local artist Wonky Tonk’s video for her song “Lessons” is directed by the lovely and talented Dave Morrison (Ass Ponys).

Happy Anniversary

CityBeat is celebrating 25 years as our fair city’s alt-weekly (actually alt-biweekly now), and the current issue features a grainy photo of list members John Fox and Dan Bockrath from back in the day. They’ve both moved on from CityBeat, but their boyish good looks haven’t changed a bit.

Hair Band Redemption

If you ever find yourself saying “whatever happened to Kip Winger, lead singer of the band Winger?” well, here’s your answer… and it may surprise you:

New Artist Spotlight

Danielle Durack is a youngster from Phoenix, AZ. She released her album Bashful way back in January, but I stumbled across it recently when Undertow added her to their roster of artists doing living room shows. Recommended if you like Phoebe Bridgers (and if you don’t like Phoebe, you may as well unsubscribe right now!).

The Reading List

This interview with Robbie Robertson of The Band from The Ringer is worth a read… although he should’ve given equal writing credits to every member of The Band. (Also, the new Scorsese/De Niro/Pacino flick isn’t even out yet and I’m already tired of hearing about it.)

Parting Tweet