This Week in Live Music: January 27-February 2

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.

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.

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:

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.
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.

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.

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:

Hang stockings by the chimney with care
Make my famous eggnog (1. Pour fifth of rum into punch bowl. 2. Pour carton of eggnog down drain. 3. Enjoy!) and
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:

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.

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

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

This Week in Live Music: November 25-December 1

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast

It’s Turkey Week! (Or in my case, Tofurkey Week.)

I’m thankful for tasty tunes and good friends like you! Before we get to this week’s gigs, I must say Elvis Costello & The Imposters were stellar at the Taft last week. Lots of TWILM list members in attendance too…. on a school night! (7:30 show time, no opener… it’s a dream come true for folks of my vintage.)

OK, here’s the Turkey Week lineup:

On Tuesday, Cloud Nothings are at Woodward, with Leggy as the opener. That’s a nice double bill. Jackyl is at Bogart’s, in what feels like a standing monthly gig since 1991.

Wednesday, Dawg Yawp is at Woodward, with Ruby Vileos and Bendigo Fletcher. (Nice to see back-to-back concerts at Woodward… must be a slow week for wedding receptions.) Memorial Hall hosts “Abbey Road: a 50th Anniversary Beatles Celebration.” The complete Abbey Road album will be performed live by The Newbees with the Bee Strings and the Horn-Its.

The Tillers have a cool gig at Arnold’s on hump day too. Here’s the blurb from Arnold’s Facebook page:

We partnered up with Neltner Small Batch, Otto Printing and Mus-i-col Records to give offer a handmade, one-off, limited edition 7” vinyl record. The album is two live versions of the Tiller’s songs The Boatman’s Dance, Hickory Jack and Down at the Bottom. The records will also be pressed on transparent green vinyl to look just like a Jameson bottle. The awesome part? It’s free! That’s right, we are giving them all away. We have 250 total pressed on transparent hunter green vinyl to hand out and they will be first come first serve.
.
Drink and Menu Specials run all day, The Tillers take the stage at 9. The Records will be available at 8pm.

Also on Wednesday, Ben Levin plays the lobby bar at the Phelps/downtown Marriott from 5:30-8:30.

Thursday is a day to take a break from the live music and spend time with family… even if they drive you nuts.

On Friday, Pomegranates play… holy crap, the Woodward. Three shows in one week! Sylmar and Grand Ace are also on the bill.

That same evening:

Frontier Folk Nebraska have a record release party in Southgate’s Revival Room
Joslyn & The Sweet Compression play Ludlow Garage
Jordan Smart plays Camp Springs Tavern
Static-X is at Riverfront Live (formerly Annie’s)
the Trans-Siberian Orchestra has two shows at the Coliseum (presently Some-Bank Arena)
Ben Levin performs at BrewRiver
Freekbass plays FUNKsgiving in Southgate’s Sanctuary. That’ll shake you out of your tryptophan coma.

Saturday:

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays Southgate’s Sanctuary. Amen to that! Col. JD Wilkes (of Legendary Shack Shakers fame) opens up.
Sierra Hull is at Memorial Hall
Anna Stine plays Ludlow Garage
Stolen Faces noodle a Grateful Dead tribute at Stanley’s
Fretboard Brewing hosts an “Americana Gives Back” show starting at 5, with RootCellarXtract, Hickory Robot, Jeremy Francis and John Ford. Please bring a gift to donate to Toys for Tots.

Also on Saturday, Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant are at the Coliseum, which I mention merely because it gives me a convenient excuse to play this fantastic tune by the Young Fresh Fellows:

I saw the Young Fresh Fellows opening up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Bogart’s eons ago. Which gives me a handy excuse to do a callback to the Abbey Road mention earlier in this post:

Where was I? Oh, live gigs, right…

Sunday, the Ludlow Garage features Poco. The current lineup is sans Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Timothy B. Schmidt and Randy Meisner… but Rusty Young is playing.

The Aronoff Center features “It Was 50 Years Ago Today”… which is billed as “an All Star Tribute to the Beatles White Album – featuring Christopher Cross, Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, Jason Scheff (Chicago) Joey Molland (Badfinger) – performing their greatest hits along with songs from the White Album.” Wow, Christopher Cross, Todd Rundgren and a Monkee together, whodathunkit? Of course, mentioning the White Album merits a shout-out to this:

And now you know how my brain works (or rather, doesn’t work).

Hot Ticket Alert

The lineup has been announced for The National’s Homecoming festival at Smale Park on May 8-9, 2020 and it’s very strong. I got tix for both days.

Video of the Week

The Drive-by Truckers’ new song mentions Cincinnati.

Kids these days (Part II)…

List member Lisa Collins, who works at Great American Insurance, mentioned to her 20-something niece Morgan that Jon Bon Jovi was playing Great American’s annual holiday party, and Morgan asked “What’s the difference between Bon Jovi and Jon Bon Jovi?”

(The one and only time I attended a Great American holiday party was eons ago when Carl Lindner Jr. was still around and apparently picking the entertainment, because the musical guest was… drumroll please… Wayne Newton!)

Shameless self-promotion

The most recent episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast features an interview with Mark Griffin, a listener who so loved the station that he created 14 hours worth of playlists featuring songs that got airplay on 97X back in the mid-80s.

Have a happy week!

this Week in Live Music: November 18-24

Concert Listings, Music

Hey kids, welcome to TWILM Version 2.0. Henceforth, in an effort to streamline this weekly hot mess, I’ll only tout shows where I’ve heard (or at least heard of) the band/artist. So instead of trying to cram 10 pounds into a five-pound bag, it’ll be more like eight pounds, six ounces.

Okey dokey, let’s get to the gigs. Frontier Folk Nebraska plays a free show in Southgate’s Lounge on Monday.

On Tuesday, Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus, OBE, is coming to the Taft. You may know him better as Elvis Costello, and he’ll be playing with his stellar band The Imposters. I’ll be in the nosebleeds with list member Barb Gardner, and the Cereal Killers will be in the audience as well.

That same evening, The Kyle Gass Company (yes, that’s KG from Tenacious D) will be at Top Cats.

Thursday, Dustbowl Revival is at Memorial Hall, Birds of Chicago are playing Ludlow Garage, Greyson Chance is at Top Cats, William Elliott Whitmore is at Southgate with Samantha Crain as the opener, and The Hu has a sold-out gig in the Taft Ballroom.

Friday is a busy evening:

Houndmouth kicks off a two-night stand at Southgate House.
Wussy plays a sold-out house show.
Spyro Gyra is at Ludlow.
Ben Levin plays the Symphony Hotel (near Music Hall).
Beasts of Joy are at Bircus, along with something called Radiohead circus.
Adam Lee will be at Camp Springs Tavern. List member Keith Neltner, the proprietor of aforementioned Tavern, is really big on Mr. Lee, who has performed there before. Based on Keith’s reco, I plan to go to that show.

On Saturday, Billy Strings has a sold-out show at Madison Theater. Houndmouth is back for more at Southgate, and the Ben Levin Trio plays the Wiedemann Taproom.

Sunday, Ricky Nye has a solo gig at Wiedemann at 5:30, and Bill Kirchen’s Honky Tonk Holiday will be tearing up Southgate later that evening.

Hot Ticket Alert

The National is doing another “Homecoming” festival in Smale Park in 2020! The lineup in 2018 was fantastic, and I’m looking forward to more stellar selections this time around. Presale starts Monday. “Layaway options available.”

Video of the Week

Nick Cave is brilliant… and an absolute badass. Here’s proof:

Tunes I’ve been digging lately

The new Vetiver album Up on High.

Kids these days…

My goddaughter Libby is a Junior at SLU, and her sorority had a “rock and roll” party. She wore a Van Halen t-shirt, even though she admitted that she doesn’t know a single Van Halen (or Van Hagar) song. (Nobody knows any Van Cherone songs. Facts.)

As if that weren’t bad enough, here’s more proof that kids just don’t have any appreciation for the previous generation of rockers:

“Tool” is so apt. Sad!

Have a great week!

This Week in Live Music: November 11-17

97X, Concert Listings, Music, podcast

Oh hello!

Let’s get to the gigs.

Monday, Incubus plays Taft with Le Butcherettes as the opening act. Jay Madera is at MOTR with Kaitlyn Peace & the Electric Generals.

On Tuesday, Ludlow Garage hosts Rising Appalachia, The Neighbourhood plays the Short Vine neighborhood at Bogart’s, and Ben Levin tickles the ivories at Arnold’s.

Wednesday marks the return of the band whose name sounds like an dark web site that sells cut-rate ED remedies: Bonerama!

They’re playing Riverfront Live, which used to be Annie’s. (If you’re keeping score at home, yes, that means Bonerama will be performing on Hump Day.)

That same evening, Chris Thile plays Memorial Hall, Marcia Griffiths plays Ludlow Garage, the Dallas Moore Band plays Southgate’s main room and Michael Nau is upstairs in the Revival Room.

On Thursday, The Marcus King Band is at Bogart’s, and Dylan LeBlanc and Night Moves play Southgate.

Friday, the Commonheart plays Taft’s Ballroom, The Rippingtons play Ludlow Garage, and Ambrosia is at Memorial Hall. Jesse Malin will NOT be playing Southgate, much to my dismay.

Saturday is quite busy:

Daniel Martin Moore plays the final Parlor & Patio house concert of 2019 at the home of list members Dave and Jacqui.
Gregory Alan Isakov is at Madison Theater
Jake Book plays Camp Springs Tavern
The David Bromberg Quintet is at Miami U-Hamilton
Melody Guy and Steff Mahan play the Downtowne Listening Room
Last but not least, the old Annie’s will still have a Bone… Thugs-N-Harmony

On Sunday, you can catch Hobo Johnson & the Lovemakers at Bogart’s, or see some NWF Wrestling at Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, KY.

Hot ticket alert

Shovels & Rope is playing Ludlow Garage on 4/8/20. Get tickets here.

Clarification Department

List member Rob Ervin, formerly of the Chris & Rob Late Night Talk Show on WAIF-FM, let us know that when Ben Folds stopped by their show lo those many years ago, he was playing a melodica (not a recorder as originally reported here), and it was Ben’s first interview west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Lipstick on a Pig Department

The Riverfront Coliseum has yet another corporate name. Doesn’t matter, it’s still a dump.

Heritage Bank better order 20 cases of this:

Video of the week

This clip was brought to my attention by list member Dave Tellmann… it’s smokin’ hot.

Shameless self-promotion

Speaking of Dave Tellmann, the latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast that I co-host with Dave is live now, right here. It’s a two-parter with Kevin “Couche” Couch, who worked at 97X in the mid-90s and went on to host the National Lampoon Comedy Radio show on Sirius XM and produce the top rated morning radio show in L.A. He also had a neighbor in the apartment upstairs from his who was dead for two months before being discovered, but that’s a story for another day.

Live shot

I snagged the extra Wilco ticket from Dan “Reds above .500 in 2020!” Lewis. Birthday Boy Danny (his wife calls him a sexagenarian now… and he’s never been to see Bonerama!) had great seats about 8 rows from the stage, and it was an excellent show.

This Week in Live Music: November 4-10

Concert Listings, Music

Welp, our Ragnar Relay from San Francisco to Napa was a bust; it was cancelled due to wildfires. Some may blame global climate change, but I know the real culprit is Michael Martin Murphey.

The cancellation actually worked out pretty well for our 12-person team. We got to skip the tired, sweaty, smelly, trying-to-sleep-in-a-van parts, and just did the fun tourist parts. On Friday, we did a 6-mile run from the beach at Golden Gate Park, along waterfront cliffs and across the Golden Gate Bridge. That was pretty cool.

You know what else is cool? Live music! Let’s get to the gigs.

Sunday, November 3rd, John Cusack will be at Taft for a screening of the movie Say Anything, followed by a live conversation. Not bad if you enjoy paying a minimum of $52.75 (plus fees) to watch a 30-year-old movie.

On Monday, 11/4, The Japanese House plays the Taft Ballroom, and list member John Sandman’s Tye Dye Band appears at The Lounge in Anderson. (If you’ve never been to The Lounge, it’s the Anderson Township equivalent of the cantina in the original Star Wars.) John was the captain of our Napa relay team and did a great job making lemonade out of the lemons we were handed.

John’s in the center of the photo above, in the tie-dye shirt and the unicorn headgear. If he wears that ensemble tomorrow at The Lounge, he’ll fit right in.

Tuesday, 11/5 is election day, so you need to rock the vote.

After the polls close, you can enjoy any of these gigs:

Lucy Dacus plays Woodward, with Liza Anne as the opener (check out her fun cover song at the end of this post)
Tool is at Riverfront Coliseum, with opener Killing Joke
Icon for Hire plays Top Cats
Madison Theater hosts An Evening with Billy Corgan

Wednesday, 11/6 has a crowded concert menu too:

Joan Shelley plays Southgate
Dream Theater is at Taft
The California Honeydrops play Riverfront Live
The Kingston Trio plays Memorial Hall. Perhaps the opening acts will be Mitch & Mickey, The Folksmen and The New Main Street Singers.

And last but not least, list member Mark Celsor’s new band Left of Center is at Urban Artifact on Wednesday. Here’s a blurb from Facebook event page:

Join us for the sweet taste of victory, or the haunting solemness of defeat, the day after this year’s election with the modern folk, labor and protest music stylings of Left of Center as they perform new and classic American folk songs.

On Thursday, November 7th, you can see Kung Fu at Ludlow Garage. [NOTE: This does not mean you’ll watch the movie Kung Fu Panda with an actual panda… although I’d pay $52.75 for that!) Ben Levin plays BrewRiver that evening, too.

Friday (11/8), Ricky Nye and Paul Ellis play Wiedemann’s taproom, Marcus Miller is at Ludlow Garage and Bogart’s hosts Yacht Rock Revue, which is absolutely nothing like this:

Saturday, 11/9 is a musical buffet of the non-Jimmy Buffett variety:

Wilco will be at Taft. List member Joe Sampson and I saw Jay Bennett-era Wilco at Ripley’s in Clifton back in February of 1997. Killer show, complete with Cheap Trick and Replacements cover songs and a few Uncle Tupelo tunes (setlist is here). Hard to top that one.
The Amy Helm Band plays Miami U-Middletown
Katie Toupin (formerly of Houndmouth) is at MOTR
Shemekia Copeland plays Memorial Hall
Mayday! is at Top Cats
Randy Steffen plays Camp Springs Tavern
Ben Levin plays Overlook Kitchen & Bar at the Summit Hotel in Madisonville.

On Sunday, November 10th, the Outlaws will be at Ludlow Garage. List members Whit Gardner and Professor David Reid will be in attendance, and I may join them. Also, The Wood Brothers play Taft with Nicole Atkins, and Bogart’s has a quadruple bill of Newfound Glory, Hawthorne Heights, Free Throw and Jetty Bones, and King Buffalo will be at MOTR.

Hot ticket alert

Primo songwriter Jimmy Webb is playing a cool gig at Memorial Hall on Saturday, March 21st, 2020:

JIMMY WEBB: THE GLEN CAMPBELL YEARS highlights some of the 100+ recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook, pulling the audience in with various accounts each night of the personal side of generational touchstones like “Honey Come Back,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and more from decades of shared musical memories.

Hot ticket turned cold ticket alert

The Jesse Malin show at Southgate on 11/15 is no longer listed on Jesse’s website or the Southgate website. I was really, really, really looking forward to that gig because Jesse’s a fantastic performer and his new album Sunset Kids (produced by Lucinda Williams) is a gem. However, this is not the first time that a Jesse Malin show was scheduled at Southgate and then vanished. #FML

Shameless self-promotion

Check out the newest episode of the “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast, where Dave Tellmann and I chat with intern-turned-record label exec Aaron Borns. Episodes are on this website, and also available on Podbean, Spotify and iTunes.

I also try to update the song and video on the top of the 97Xbam.com home page every couple of weeks, and you’ll always find fresh news from the website Under The Radar in our RSS feed, including a “best songs of the week.”

Tip o’ the cap

Thanks to my cousin-in-law Mike Holmes for putting us on the guest list for the Spookfloaters sold-out show at Dead Low Brewing (near Riverbend) on 11/1. Their acoustic set was outstanding, and Dead Low has a nice layout which includes a big patio and an indoor stage. I’m looking forward to hearing more live music from local bands there.

Answers to our poll question: what’s your favorite hidden gem cover tune?

Dan “2020 Reds season ticket packages are on sale now” Lewis picked Dwight Yoakam covering the Rolling Stones:

Marc Allen got very specific, selecting Jason Isbell joining Widespread Panic for an incendiary live version of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” back in 2016:

Bruce Frasure didn’t pick a cover, he was just glad to find a fellow Syd Straw fan, and mentioned this fantastic tune from her and some dude named Michael (who has been in the news of late).

Speaking of covers, here’s Lucy Dacus (at Woodward Theater this Tuesday) doing a rockin’ version of an Xmas evergreen:

Have a great week!