This Week in Live Music: March 2-8

Howdy, gang! You’re probably saying “what’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening”… perhaps you’re even singing it…

Well, I’ll tell you what’s a-happening. More live music.

Tomorrow, the Fairmount Girls kick off a four-week Monday residency at MOTR. Tomorrow’s special guest: Slutbomb. Yes, you read that right. Slutbomb.

Wednesday, Dave Mason brings his Feelin’ Alright tour to Memorial Hall for a sold-out show, and Ricky Nye and Matt Wiles play two sets at MOTR.

On Thursday, Daniel Donato plays Southgate’s Revival Room, and River Snout plays Big Ash Brewing.

Friday has a slew of shows:

Wussy plays the Woodward,with Vacation as the opener. I’ll be at that gig, along with a host of list members.
Donna the Buffalo stomps into Ludlow Garage.
The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars are actually playing a different bar: Big Ash Brewing
The Brook & The Bluff is at Madison Live
Maurice Mattei & The Tempers play Wiedemann’s Tap Room
The Harlequins are at Northside Tavern
Matt Waters & the Recipe play Southgate’s Revival Room

Saturday‘s busy too. Southgate hosts Rock n’ Revival for a Cure – doors at 3, show starts at 3:45.

Other Saturday shows:

A.J. Croce plays the songs of his father Jim at the Fairfield Community Arts Center. (That show is sold out… but you can get in if your name is Slim or if you are the jealous husband of a Southside Chicago resident named Doris.)
Ohio Valley Salvage plays Bircus Brewing
Heavy Hinges and 3 other bands play Urban Artifact
Hot Magnolias are at Big Ash
Dave Webster is at Camp Springs Tavern
The Indiana casino circuit is busy with “heritage” acts: The Little River Band is at the Lawrenceburg (IN) Event Center and Blue Öyster Cult plays Belterra in Florence (Indiana, not KY y’all). B.Y.O.Cowbell.

Last but certainly not least, the Warsaw Falcons play Weidemann on Saturday Night as they celebrate the 70th birthday of local legend David Rhodes Brown. Check out this article about DRB.

On Sunday, Big Ash hosts an Irish Music Jam Session (B.Y.O.Bodhrán) and Geldings play MOTR with El Chapo.

Hot Ticket Alert

The Record Company plays 20th Century Theater on Tuesday, May 19th. Maybe not the hottest of hot tickets, but I thought I’d mention it because 20th Century shows can slip through the cracks.

Recommended Listening

Throwing Muses and Archers of Loaf have new music out. Read more about Throwing Muses in Rolling Stone and check out the new tunes below.

Just for Fun

Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers play production assistants to Conan O’Brien… hilarious.

Shameless Self-promotion

The newest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast features an interview with Timothy Hiatt, who was only at 97X for a year back in the late 80s, but has carved out a very cool career as a live music photographer in Chicago. Here are a few of his concert shots:

Have a great week!

Episode 30: Tim Hiatt – The Kid Stays in the Picture(s)

97X, Music, podcast

A self-proclaimed “bit player” at 97X in the late 80s, Timothy Hiatt joined the station fresh out of high school, stayed for only a year, and has gone on to a great career as a world-renowned photographer based in Chicago. Tim talks to Dave and Damian about how 97X still influences his life, his gigs as a music photographer, and how he came full circle with Bob Mould.

Tim at far left, with Mr. K, Kurt Neumann of the BoDeans, Jetson and Sammy Llanas of the BoDeans.

Timothy’s clients have included heavy hitters such as Rolling Stone, MTV, VH1, NBC, SiriusXM, Pandora Music and Entertainment Weekly. His work has appeared in dozens of major magazines and newspapers around the world. In 2012, he was #9 on Complex Magazine’s 50 Greatest Music Photographers Right Now list.

Here are some of the amazing shots Tim has taken at shows:

Most of the images on Tim’s website are available as a print – contact him about sizes and pricing. Follow him on Instagram @timothy_hiatt.

Tim went on tour with The Joy Formidable.

Here are videos from two bands Tim has joined on tour.

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.

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.

Current Videos

Throwback Video

Now this was a kickass band:

Album Cover of the Week

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!

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.

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

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

Shameless Self-promotion

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

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.

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 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!

Let me go on…

97X, Music

Here’s a fun little video interview about one of the most iconic, most requested songs from the 97X era:

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.

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.

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.

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

Episode 27: Daniel Jones, dedicated listener

97X, Music, podcast

Daniel Jones was a Cleveland kid attending Miami University when 97X came to life back in 1983, and he was instantly hooked. He tuned in until he graduated and move to New York; his listening got a second wind many years later when 97X started streaming in the internet. Dave and Damian chat with Daniel about the bands he discovered via 97X, his own on-campus radio show (“Off the Wall But On The Air”) and his life after college.

[I originally planned to edit our phone call with Dan but the conversation was flowing so nicely that it made sense to air the full “Double Bela” phone call. – Damian]

After our phone chat, Daniel reached out by email:

Thanks again for the opportunity to talk about the station. The times I went back to Oxford to see former professors or once even to speak on campus about a 9/11 family group I helped found, I was always impressed that the feel of the broadcast stayed the same — good-natured, conversational, like hanging out in a record store talking about music. And the sense of humor was always there especially in the advertising spots. I remember one time driving within range and hearing whoever was on air reassuring listeners they would never hear Hoobastank on 97.7.

Love your podcast and I am sure I am not the only one who hears the back announcing of an imaginary set and wishes it were real.

Take care and please keep up the great work.

Here’s another email from Dan:

I didn’t really have an answer to your question about new music sources of info. The “Sound Opinions” podcast is a good source for new music, week to week and these semiannual best of shows.

One episode of their pod though from a couple of years ago really pissed me off. They interviewed some author who wrote an book about new wave and 80’s music but she really only liked Duran Duran, and their pop shit phase. Reflex and what not, not Girls on Film or Planet Earth. She hadn’t heard of Roxy Music and did not consider the Smiths. WTF?!

I am sending you a link to the Sound Opinions “best albums of 2019 so far” episode, but they do a great deep dive on Rust Never Sleeps which is as much about the advent of punk as it is about Neil Young. They also have a really good history of punk and new wave two-parter, England and NYC, from 2012 if you look back in the archives. [The punk two-parter is here (part 1) and here (part 2). – Damian]

Thanks again for your pod and the opportunity to contribute.

And here’s yet another email from Dan:

Hi, gents
As this is my third email since recording you are likely surmising I suffer under the burden of believing I left out a lot I wanted to say. The question that bugs me is my lack of answer to bands 97X turned me on to. The Replacements, the Smiths, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Cure, The Bangles, Big Audio Dynamite, World Party, The Waterboys, Cactus World News, Bananarama, Talk Talk, the Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, APB, Big Country, Sade before mainstream got a hold of her first album, Ultravox… Many more. All these great songs especially things like early Bangles like Liverpool or Hero Takes a Fall that I wondered why mainstream stations wouldn’t play. It was straight up rock n roll. But I was glad WOXY was there so I could hear the Bangles before walk like an Egyptian or Manic Monday.

So sorry if I fumbled the handoff. But having lived in NYC as LIR became WDRE then went back again before folding, I have to say WOXY was far superior.

As we’ve said many times over the course of the podcast, it was passionate listeners like Daniel that made 97X so special. Here’s his three-song set, via YouTube:

If you’d like to get in touch with us, drop us an email at 97Xwoxy@gmail.com.

Hamilton, Ohio: Center of the Modern Rock Universe

97X, Music

Here’s an absolute gem: a Hamilton High School-produced TV show from 1985. This episode is guest-hosted by Brett Heartz, who later went on to work at 97X. His guests were:

Dan “Danny Crash” Reed, who also worked at 97X, WFPK in Louisville, WNKU, managed Bogart’s and now serves as afternoon host and music director for WXPN in Philadelphia as well as Talent Relations Manager for the syndicated World Cafe program.
Ken “Mr. K” Glidewell, who worked at 97X, WEBN and 92.5 The Fox until his tragic passing from injuries due to a motorcycle accident in 2008.

In other words, it’s one radio legend interviewing two others. Dan and Mr. K were at 97X at the time of this show, so they talk about the station quite a bit.

It’s well worth noting that all three of these gents go started on their radio path thanks to the Broadcasting Arts class at Hamilton High School. What Dan says in the interview is spot on: the opportunity to work on radio and TV productions in high school gives students a leg up in their career path.

According to the YouTube description, the Broadcasting Arts class ran from 1981-1988 at Hamilton HS. Probably a victim of budget cuts, or perhaps the teacher who organized it moved on. I’m sure there are far fewer classes like this in 2020 than there were in 1985, and that’s a crying shame. Because this show is a great indication of how a passion for music can be channeled into a career.

Hot Ticket Alert

Recommended Reading

Recommended Listening

Just for Fun

Shameless Self-promotion

Hot Ticket Alert

Too Hot To Handle Ticket Alert

Recommended Reading

Current Videos

Throwback Video

Album Cover of the Week

Hot Ticket Alerts

Recommended Reading

Shameless Self-promotion

Album Cover of the Week

Videos

Recommended Reading

Recommended Viewing

Shameless Self-promotion

Letters to the Editor

Videos

Hot Ticket Alerts

Recommended Reading

Videos

Hot Ticket Alerts

More 97X lists

Shameless Self-Promotion

Must See TV

R.I.P. David Olney