Well my friend, I let you down. (Welcome to my wife’s daily world.) I didn’t publish a post in time to let you know about a few fabulous shows that were in our area over the last week or so, including the big VW show. Here’s a photo from that:

Whoops, wrong VW… I meant Vampire Weekend at the Peter Brady. Here’s a photo:

Dammit, that’s Peter Brady as Frankenstein, not as a Vampire… Anyhoo, I hear the actual VW show was great. I missed it, but I am firmly in Vampire Weekend’s camp when it comes to the Oxford Comma, and will gladly tell any Tom, Dick or Harry.

I also missed out on letting you know about Pitbull with T-Pain at Riverbend… you’re welcome?

Oh and I missed touting the Nelly show after the Reds game this past weekend. One thing’s for sure: Nelly couldn’t sing “Hot in Herre” at GABP until after the Reds game. (Exit stage left, David Bell…).

(Maybe next year… )

And Neko Case played Memorial Hall last night. But longtime readers of this whatchamacalit will note that we haven’t been big on seeing Neko live since she had an on-stage hissy fit at the Taft several years ago. Here’s some footage from the guy she got mad at for shooting video:

Rather than dwell on the past let’s look to the future!

Tomorrow night’s show at the Taft might feature the strangest pairing of bands I’ve ever seen. Hair band Extreme (yes, with Gary Cherone, who was in Van Halen for a hot minute) is headlining, and the opener is Living Colour. Weird combo, dude!

Burton Cummings of The Guess Who has back-to-back shows this week. He’s at the Taft on Wednesday and then at the Rose in Dayton on Thursday.

Speaking of Burton Cummings, guess who is America’s #1 Fleetwood Mac experience? Why it has to be Fleetwood Gold, and they’re playing Memorial Hall on Wednesday.

Other Thursday gigs include:

• The Jesus Lizard at Bogart’s
• Chatham County and Mt. Pleasant String Band at Southgate
• Colin James at Ludlow Garage.

This Friday is chock full o’ gigs:

• The Psychedelic Furs play the old Annie’s with Frankie Rose as the opener
• TyeDye (local band featuring list member John Sandman) plays Carriage House Farm in North Bend, OH
• Moonbeau plays The Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg
• The Front Bottoms are at Bogart’s
• Why? and NNamdi play the Woodward
• Siri Imani and Knotts play the Indie Friday show at Fountain Square
• Third Eye Blind plays… the lawn in front of P&G… at 5:30… as part of the Kroger Wellness Festival.

Reviews aren’t in for the Third Eye Blind show yet, but the reviews for 3EB frontman Stephan Jenkins are unanimous:

Quote above from the “60 Songs that Explain the 90s” episode on “Semi-Charmed Life.”

On Saturday:

• The Black Crowes play outdoors at the Hard Rock Casino.
• Maria Carrelli is at Liberty Theater
• Arkansauce plays Southgate’s Revival Room
• Local Americana band Jim Trace & the Makers play Streetside Brewery’s 8th birthday party (3-6 p.m.)
• Moonshine Drive plays Arnold’s

On Sunday, Alkaline Trio plays Ovation, and the free Mammoth Fest has a ton of great local bands on four stages in Newport near (or inside) the Southgate House:

Next Tuesday kicks off Roctober… get your fingers poised and ready to crank it up and rip the knob off for your favorite classic rock station.

Rocktober kicks off in Cincinnati with…

On Wednesday, October 2nd, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds does a “songs and stories” show at Memorial Hall.

Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins play the Woodward on Thursday October 3rd.

Also that evening: Shawn Mullins plays Ludlow, and Camp Springs Tavern holds its bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam.

Next Friday is October 4th — also known as C.W. McCall Tribute Day:

That evening, Cabover Pete and Pigpen Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov play the Bobby Brady, and Saving Escape headlines the Fountain Square freebie.

On Saturday October 5th Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band play Ludlow Garage and the Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg hosts Ernie Johnson from Detroit.

10/5 also is the date of the Kevin Carrico Memorial Golf Outing at California Golf Course to raise funds for scholarships for young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, in memory of list member Michael “Rico” Carrico’s brother. Sign up to play (or just donate) here.

Here Come The Mummies play the Ovation on Sunday October 6^th.

And just in case I’m tardy with my next post, here are a few other upcoming shows:

• 10/9: Martin Sexton does an Abbey Road show at Memorial Hall
• 10/10 Chromeo and the Midnight at the Ovation
• 10/11 John Hiatt at Memorial Hall, Keller Williams and the Motet at Annie’s, Parker Millsap and Nat Meyers at Southgate House, The Yugos headline the free show at Fountain Square and Yung Gravy plays Bogart’s.

Kim Deal: American Treasure

Kim finally has a solo album coming out. Here’s a great interview with The Guardian. Money quote:

and another:

Her parents were incredibly supportive of their daughters’ careers: Ann would often capture their vocals on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Their father, Ed, meanwhile, once drove the Breeders around on tour with Nirvana (and listened to Ray Charles on headphones the whole way). Deal would later return the favour, ferrying her elderly parents down to the Florida Keys for holidays.

I went to a fight the other night and a Jane’s Addiction concert broke out

Oh Perry Farrell… so sad. But this is funny:

(Someone’s been huffing too much hairspray!)

Jesse rocks – and so do his pals

Order the vinyl here.

Album Covers of the Weeks

Did you find the 27 things wrong with this album cover? Let’s cleanse our palate with something much more pure:

I’m pretty sure this is just a still photo from a Monty Python skit. (L to R: Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Eric Idle)

Holy schnikes, it’s June already? This month, we celebrate grads.

We also celebrate Dads.

But mostly we celebrate rad dads… and moms… and anybody who still goes to concerts. Let’s get to those June gigs!

On Wednesday, the Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power play the Peter Brady. (Yes, a Cat and a Mouse, together… chaos surely will ensue).

This not-so-rad dad will be at that gig, with my oldest son Gabriel, a.k.a. Chris Cornell Junior.

That same evening, there are a couple of freebie shows of note:

• Leroy Ellington plays Fountain Square from 5-8
• The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars are at Burnet Woods from 7-9

On Thursday:

• Ludlow Garage hosts An Evening with Noah Gunderson
• Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle play a free gig at Washington Park
• Blessid Union of Souls does a freebie at Fairfield Village Green
• Motherfolk plays a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in downtown Dayton, with Matt Rouch & The Noise Upstairs as the opener.

[Keen readers — all three of you — will no doubt note the abundance of free shows in this post. That’s thanks to the hard work of Luann Gibbs (a.k.a. “Miss Kitty” from 97X/woxy.com). She compiled this exhaustive list of free summer shows for Cincinnati.com/The Cincinnati Enquirer and your humble scribe combed through it to find the gems. You’re welcome! – Ed.]

Hootie and the Blowfish play Riverbend on Friday, with Collective Soul and Edwin McCain.

That same evening, we have dueling Maggies:

• Maggie Rogers plays the Marsha Brady’s outdoor stage, with The Japanese House (not Japanese Breakfast) as the opener.
• Maggie Rose plays a free show at RiversEDGE in Hamilton, with Crowe Boys also on the bill.

And the Cincinnati Nature Center kicks off their “Music Under the Moon” concert series with the Gina and Johnny Band.

Set against the idyllic backdrop of Krippendorf Lodge, this summer concert series will feature a different local band each month. Each date will feature a different local food truck with food for purchase. Wine, beer, and a signature foraged cocktail will be available for purchase as well. Event time is 7-10pm, with music from 7:30-9:30pm.

I’m duty-bound to mention the CNC’s summer concert series because list member Anne Robinson works there and apparently forwards this silly little whozeewhatzit to several co-workers, thus doubling my readership from three people to a whopping six people! Watch your back, The Skimm!

On Saturday:

• Haley Reinhart is at Memorial Hall
• Electric Citizen and Moonbow (apparently different than Moonbeau) play Northside Tavern
• Orville Peck plays the Mike Brady, with Durand Jones and Debbii Dawson also on the bill. Fun fact: if you attend four Orville Peck concerts, you will have seen a bushel of shows.

Faye Webster plays the Ovation next Tuesday (6/11), with Benet.

Next Wednesday (6/12):

• The Ark Band plays Reggae Wednesdays at Washington Park
• Just Strange Brothers will be at Factory 52’s “Wild Card Wednesdays”
• Leggy and The Harlequins play Northside Tavern

A whole bushel (four pecks!) of shows are on the docket next Thursday (6/13):

• Michael Franti & Spearhead team up with Stephen Marley for the Togetherness Tour at the old Annie’s.
• Whiskey Bent Valley Boys play the Washington Park “Roots Revival” freebie
• Eddie 9V and CFG & the Family play a freebie at RiversEDGE
• The Huntertones play a free gig at Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
• Camp Springs Tavern hosts their bi-weekly bluegrass jam
• Tower Park in Ft. Thomas will host the induction ceremony (and free concert) for the Northern Kentucky Music Legends… one of the legends is list member Daniele Cusentino’s hubby Chris. (Another is Doug Hils, brother of my former co-worker Mark. Per the Kevin Bacon “Bacon number” rules, I’m practically NKY music royalty!)

On Friday, June 14th, S.G. Goodman plays Southgate. I’ll be at that gig, along with list members Matt and Pam F., and “Rico” (trust me, he needs an alias).

That same evening, Sarah McLachlan and Feist have a sold-out show at PNC Pavilion. And, in a clever bit of counter-programming, Warrant, FireHouse and Bullet Boys play the Rose in Dayton.

Camp Springs Tavern hosts a wine release party from 4 Mile Wine Co. on Saturday, June 15th. Music by Evan McMillan. And Carriage House Farm has Zapruder Point, Sarah Asher and Tim Reisert as part of their Summer Music Series (shows every Fri/Sat/Sun in June – full list is here.)

Two big shows on Tuesday, June 18th:

• Little Feat and Los Lobos play PNC.
• Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at the Rose in Dayton.

New tunes from old friends

Buffalo Tom and Richard Thompson both released new albums this past Friday.

I’m very happy about that.

New tunes from newer friends

Charly Bliss has a new album coming out soon. Here’s one of the advance tracks.

I’m your StubHub… or your SeatGeek… or just a geek.

Got this note from list member Jason Hipskind:

I think the real mistake is going on a golf trip with list member Chris “Jonesy” Jones. That’ll wind up costing Jason more than the four Franklins he dropped on Green Day tix. (BTW, Green Day has come a long way from their $5 shows at Gilman in Berkeley…) If you’re interested in the tickets, text Jason at the # above and tell him a geek sent you. Show details are below.

Take that, Fetchin Bones!

Remember the band Fetchin Bones? Remember their killer 1986 tune “Greensburg” that starts with the line “Stuck in Greensburg, Indiana…”?

Wellsir, Greensburg (“Tree City” and the home of William Cumback, Civil War Army paymaster and 16th lieutenant governor of Indiana!) wasn’t going to take that abuse lying down. Nearly 40 years later, they’re rockin’ out with a summer concert series featuring Pearl Jam (OK, a Pearl Jam tribute band, but potato/po-tah-toe) and Yacht Rock!

Surely the ghost of William Cumback would approve.

William Cumback also probably would approve of the…

Album Cover of the Week(s)

This eponymous album came out on 5/24. Much to the delight of music writers everywhere, and much to the dismay of their editors.

I’m shivering with anticipation…

I’m anticipating some Heinz ketchup.

Why yes, that is a young Corey Feldman at his impish best. (And Casey Kasem with the voiceover at the end.)

Actually, my real anticipation is for new albums, including releases from Buffalo Tom and Waxahatchee. First singles are out already, and they’re delicious:

Superchunk has a tasty new tune out as well… with the less-than-uplifting title of “Everybody Dies.”

Now let’s take a look at the concerts coming our way in the not-so-merry month of February.

Shows on Friday, February 2nd:

• The Montvales have an album release party at the Woodward Theater, with Jordan Smart and Maria Carrelli also on the bill.
• Lung, Touchdown Jesus, The Metric Ton, and Bug Juice play Northside Tavern
• The Outlaws play Ludlow Garage.
• A rodent will predict the weather about as well as the Super Doppler-brandishing TV meteorologists usually do.

Yours truly will be volunteering at Winter Beerfest on Saturday, Feb. 3rd. I’ll mostly be volunteering to drink some beer.

Perhaps I’ll get so hammered that Disco Night at Annie’s will be appealing to me.

Or the L.A. Guns show at the Blue Note in Harrison.

Pure Grain plays the Rabbit Hash General Store at 2:30 on Sunday, Feb. 4th.

On Thursday, Feb. 8th, Ellis Paul plays Southgate.

On Friday, Feb. 9th, Umphrey’s McGee plays the Ovation, and The Hiders and Royal Holland are at MOTR.

Shows on Saturday, Feb. 10th:

• Dan Bern is at Southgate
• Manor House in Mason hosts the Cincinnati Winter Blues Experience V – band lineup is here
• Billy Alley & the Pollies play a free show at MOTR
• The Downtowne Listening Room is hosting a bluegrass show with My Brother’s Keeper at the Madeira Silverwood Church
• Trippin’ Billies (Dave Matthews Band tribute) plays Ludlow Garage

On Sunday, 2/11, The Laurelys play a free show at MOTR.

Jeffrey Martin plays Southgate on Thursday, 2/15.

Friday (2/16):

• William Elliott Whitmore will be at Southgate (his new album came out this week -it’s quite good)
• Iswhat?! plays MOTR
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony plays the Ovation
• The Loon in Northside hosts “The Love Hangover: an evening of lovely and lovelorn duets” – tickets here

Saturday, February 17th is a busy evening for gigs:

• Fairmount Girls have a vinyl release show at MOTR, with Scrawl (yes, Scrawl!) opening the show
• The Kills play Bogart’s
• Domecrusher (featuring list member Todd Quincy on keyboards) is at the North 2nd Street Tap & Bottle in Hamilton – late-breaking news: The North 2nd Street Tap & Bottle (a.k.a. N2) is shutting down:

Seems like a cool place that supported live local music. Shame it’s closing. If you know of a backup venue for Domecrusher to play, let me know.

• Get the led out (or in) with ZOSO: Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute at Ovation

Adrian Vanderberg plays Ludlow on Sunday, 2/18.

I have no Soul

Note from list member Lisa Collins about the January edition:

I thought you might have included an RIP for David Soul with this edition. “Don’t Give Up On Us Baby” was a hit for Hutch in the mid- late ‘70’s – maybe he can be one of your album covers next month!

I actually remember the song better than I remember Starsky & Hutch because that fantastic show was on ABC and we couldn’t pick up the signal from the Little Rock ABC affiliate at my childhood shack in Hagarville*, Arkansas.

*Not named after Sammy… or the comic strip Viking.

However, I did feature this David Soul album cover in a “This Week in Live Music” edition from long ago:

R.I.P. Hutch… here’s a posthumous hug from Huggy Bear.

Columbus loses its cool

Columbus radio station WWCD 92.9 (formerly CD101, and later CD102.5 — “Central Ohio’s Alternative”) is signing off tonight after 33 years on the air. It is (soon to be was) an independently-owned station, with live DJs, playing music (including songs from local artists) that you couldn’t hear anywhere else on the dial. Surely that sounds familiar to those who loved 97X.

“Radio done right is about more than charts and ratings – it’s about community, and it’s about people. I was always brought up on the belief that with music and radio stations, even if you own the license, you are beholden to the community that you’re in. A strong music scene is part of the ecosystem of a city that makes it vibrant.”

Randy Malloy, owner and president of WWCD 92.9, in the article linked above

Sticking a fork in Pitchfork

Noted music aficionado Anna Wintour recently gutted Pitchfork, laying off a bunch of staffers and announcing that the remaining skeleton crew will be absorbed into GQ.

Pictured above, Anna Wintour, in her Halloween costume as a member of Lucius. Pictured below: Lucius.

Read the Pitchfork eulogies/lamentations from Consequence of Sound, Deflector, and NPR’s Ann Powers.

This “small-batch music blog” doesn’t want to let you down, so lemme tout a new album I’ve really been digging. It’s the debut release from an alt-country band from Norwich, England, of all places. The band is called Brown Horse, and the album is “Reservoir.”

Album Covers of the Fortnight

It’s a happy day for Ronnie and Sandy because the record label promised them a year’s supply of hairspray.

Wait a minute, this isn’t an album… it’s a cookbook!

It sounds like the setup to a joke: “A punk rock guitarist and a preacher’s daughter walk into a theater…” But when Billy Alletzhauser and Beth Harris starting singing songs together in 2004, the result was pure magic. Their band, The Hiders, is the Kevin Bacon of music, with connections to Ass Ponys, The Afghan Whigs, Throneberry, Wussy, Heartless Bastards, Band of Horses, Plow On Boy, Comet Bluegrass All-Stars, Pearlene and more. And their sound is an amazing amalgamation of folk, country, rock, psychedelia, bluegrass, and indie rock. We talked to B & B about their start, the band’s evolution, Billy’s Ass Ponys tenure, Beth’s harmony vocal work with Erika Wennerstrom and Heartless Bastards, the Hiders most recent album (2021’s Forever at the End) and their plans for the year ahead.

“One of Cincinnati’s musical treasures.”

Mike Breen, Cincinnati CityBeat

You can put your ears on Forever at the End via the player below.

Check out more from The Hiders on their website, as well as on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music.

Alletzhauser and gifted harmony vocalist Beth Harris, the two constant Hiders in a rotating roll call of stellar talent, have assembled an impressive canon over the past decade and a half, and all without the questionable assistance of a label structure.

Brian Baker, Cincinnati CityBeat, 2021

Here’s their 2009 session on World Cafe from WXPN (home of 97X alum Dan Reed):

Billy Alletzhauser’s old band, Ruby Vileos, (a 97Xposure finalist back in the day) got back together to do a new record. Here’s it is via Bandcamp:

Ruby Vileos is doing an album release show on Saturday, July 15th at The Loon Wine Bar in Northside, with special guest Tyler Ramsey. Looks like the show is sold-out, but if they release more tickets you can get them here.

Remember when the Bengals made the Super Bowl? That was out of this world, wasn’t it? Now it’s back down to earth…

That’s OK, because music can save your mortal soul. (But we cannot teach you how to dance real slow. Oh, and Don McLean is a bit of a d-bag.)

Let’s see what’s on the rock-it docket this week.

Tuesday, the Old 97’s and the Vandoliers play Southgate’s main room, and Jason Dea West plays a freebie in the Lounge.

On Wednesday, The Minks are in Southgate’s upstairs Revival Room.

Thursday shows:

• Dale Watson plays Southgate with The Shootouts as his opener.
• Here Come The Mummies are at Bogart’s.
• The Velveteers play Madison Live, with Wonky Tonk opening.

On Friday:

• Dwight Yoakam plays the Hard Rock Casino
• The Josephines are at Southgate.
• Jim Messina will be at the Ludlow Garage
• The Whispering Beard Folk Festival kicks off at Carriage House Farm in North Bend. Here’s the full lineup:

Saturday kicks off live local music at Neltner’s Farm during their Fall Festival (bands are on stage 1:30-4:30 p.m.). Here’s the full music lineup:

You won’t find a finer family of human beings than the Neltners, so load the kids in the truckster and head to Camp Springs, KY for some good clean fun and some great music.

After you pick up your pumpkin, head to Mt. Adams for Crowley’s 85th Anniversary celebration, with Cereal Killers on the outdoor stage around 8:30.

Other Saturday shows include Hyryder at Annie’s, Joan Osborne at Ludlow Garage, Siri Imani headlining the Fountain Square free show, and a “Corn Stand Jam” at RiversEDGE in Hamilton, with the Rumpke Mountain Boys and several other bands.

Great news… and not so great news

Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker of Wussy are playing at my house on Friday, October 28th as part of their Undertow tour, and I’m so excited…

However, tickets went on sale while I was at the beach and the show is already sold out.

(As the host, I do get to comp 5 guests – if you’re interested, lemme know.)

Odds and sods

Cereal Killers frontman Howard Cohen weighs in on the Ovation’s new name:

More proof that drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould, Mountain Goats) is hilarious:

Recommended Reading

Bandcamp wrote about the punk scene in Cincinnati.

Nice interview with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in The New Yorker.

Album Cover of the Week

Whoever was in charge of hair, wardrobe and set design should’ve been fired, but Hayley still rocks.

Howdy, I’m off to the OBX so this post is gonna be brief. Let’s get to the gigs:

Saturday night, Cereal Killers make a triumphant return to Big Ash Brewing, Freekbass plays Annie’s and Spyro Gyra is at Ludlow Garage.

On Sunday, the Afghan Whigs play a hometown show at Bogart’s. Their new album came out today, I’ve yet to put my ears on it.

Also on Sunday, Southgate hosts The Everly Brothers Experience featuring the Zmed Brothers. Why yes, thanks for asking, the Zmed Brothers ARE the sons of noted 80s big haired actor Adrian Zmed, of T.J. Hooker fame. (But lest we forget — and how could we? — Adrian also took over for Deney Terio as the host of Dance Fever in 1985.

Oh, and he was quite the guest star stud on The Love Boat.

Whoops, I was trying to keep this post short but Adrian Zmed’s long and luxurious locks dragged me down the 80s rabbit hole.

Idles play the Ovation (yes, Ovation) on Monday.

Wednesday, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls (bluegrass on speed) play Southgate’s main room, The Steepwater Band is upstairs in the Revival Room, and the Peter Brady hosts blackbear, State Champs and Heart Attack Man.

Josh Rouse is at Southgate on Thursday, with the Newbees as the opener.

Next Friday, the Watkins Family Hour is at Memorial Hall, Lung is at MOTR, and Lee Brice plays PNC, with Michael Jackson as the opener. Wait, scratch that, it’s Michael Ray and Jackson Dean. Common mistake. (Common isn’t playing either.)

Next Saturday:

• King Buffalo plays Madison Live (I kinda like their new album).
• Maurice Mattei & the Tempers headline the Fountain Square freebie
• RiversEDGE in Hamilton (you can’t call it Hamiltucky anymore!) has Signs of Life (a Pink Floyd tribute band) and
• the King of Yacht Rock, Christopher Cross, sails into Ludlow Garage.

A eulogy for a radio station like 97X

I posted this earlier in the week – this 10-minute episode of The Memory Palace really struck a chord with me. If you grew up with a station like 97X or WBRU, it’ll certainly be near and dear to your heart as well. You should listen to the entire episode, but here’s the two-minute culmination:

Album Cover of the Week

Brian Niesz engineered more than 400 live on-air performances at the woxy.com studio in Longworth Hall in Cincinnati, as well as dozens more during the station’s short-lived stint in Austin, Texas. No one had more of a hand in capturing the magic of those live music moments than he did. Brian tells us how he connected with woxy.com, lists some of his favorite live performances, and shares how he’s keeping “Lounge Acts” alive at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.

Brian cites the Magnolia Electric Company performance as one of the most memorable. Here’s the audio from that session from 2009:

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings stopped by the Austin studios in 2010 as part of the SXSW performances:

And here are two performances from Frightened Rabbit:

Brian also toured with Heartless Bastards, mixing front-of-house sound for that band.

As Brian mentioned in our interview, he’s keeping the “Lounge Acts” brand alive in his current role as a multimedia producer at Channel 9 in Cincinnati.

You can check out all of the performances here: WCPO Lounge Acts. Below is the latest one, from the band Lung:

Aaron Sharpe never listened to 97X… but he wore many hats at WNKU-FM, a station that picked up the mantle from 97X/woxy.com in being a free-spirited, adventurous, community-oriented radio station that introduced many to music they couldn’t hear elsewhere — including plenty of local artists. Unfortunately, WNKU suffered a similar fate to 97X, signing off for good in September of 2017 after the station was sold.

In this episode, Aaron talks about how he got involved at WNKU-FM, the bittersweet ending, and what he’s up to now.

Many saw WNKU carrying the torch for Oxford’s much-beloved WOXY, which transitioned from the radio to the internet in 2004 and ceased altogether in 2010. 

“Today is a moment of deja vu and reliving the same end that came to WOXY many years before this day,” wrote listener Michelle Voss on WNKU’s Facebook page Thursday.  “It’s such a shame that all WNKU has stood for and stood with, is to be removed from existence.”

From this Sept. 28, 2017 article from Scott Wartman on Cincinnati.com

Similar to Steve Baker’s iconic sign-off at 97X in 2004, Aaron was on the mic when WNKU-FM went off the air. You can watch the very moving final minutes of the station from the Facebook Live broadcast here: https://fb.watch/bp_9zdTJrO/

CincyMusic.com published the playlist of the final day’s broadcast… 97X fans will recognize most, if not all, of the artists on the list. CincyMusic also created this Spotify playlist of the songs:

97X alums Dan Reed, Barb Abney and Matt Sledge all spent time at WNKU-FM.

Several WNKU-FM alums shared their favorite station memories in this WVXU article from 2017.

Aaron is now the co-owner of Lucius Q, a barbecue restaurant in the Pendleton neighborhood of Cincinnati.

And he’s also the official DJ for the Cincinnati Reds.

Along with a few other side hustles:

The first treat is the Cereal Killers gig at MadTree tonight, 7-10 p.m. EDT. Sage advice from list member/Cereal Killer Howard Cohen (lead singer and driver of the Winnebago):

Dress in layers and pray it doesn’t rain

The forecast looks semi-promising (my glass is half-full, and that’s not rainwater). The second treat is a glass that’s completely full: a free MadTree beer (or non-alcoholic beverage) from me. Usually when I open my wallet a few moths fly out, so you’ll want to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Other gigs of note tonight: Earth, Wind & Fire will be playing the Horseshoe Jack Hard Rock Casino, Will Hoge plays Southgate, and Hyryder opens a two-night stint at the old Annie’s.

Hyryder will still be playing Annie’s on Saturday (perhaps it will be the same song, as they are a Grateful Dead tribute band).

Also on Saturday:

• Todd Rundgren (a fave of Dan “Who needs a bullpen?” Lewis) is playing the Icon
• Rodney Crowell* will be at Memorial Hall
• Peabo Bryson is at Ludlow Garage
• Blessid Union of Souls will play an acoustic set at Music Resource Center (a.k.a. MRC) in Walnut Hills (tickets here). Jacob Strom is the opener, which is a real treat. My oldest son used to play in a band with Jacob (and the son of list member Matt Fellerhoff) back in high school – they formed their band at MRC, a wonderful place for teens to learn about music and life.
• the Tom Petty tribute band Tom the Torpedoes plays Hamilton’s Urban Backyard (which sounds like a place you’d find a lot of used syringes, but it’s actually a bar on Main Street in Hamilton with a covered outdoor stage, food trucks, etc.)
• Carter Bridge is the featured musical entertainment at Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest (with The Pour Hours playing on Sunday… the last day to enjoy this great family-friendly event)

*Last time I saw Rodney Crowell live was waaay back in the late 80s when I worked at local country music station B-105. He was part of the lineup at the station’s annual “Free Day in the Country” free concert… the running gag was “What has 100 arms and legs and only 3 teeth? The front row at Free Day!”

We love Blue Monday, but this week we’ll also have Blues Sunday: Joe Bonamassa will be guitar-slinging at the Taft, and another bluesy guitar hotshot, Carolyn Wonderland, will be at Southgate.

But wait, there’s more: Ben Levin will be playing the first of his “Ben’s Blues Brunch” shows at the Horseshoe Jack Hard Rock Casino at 10 a.m. on Sunday, with special guest Bob Stronger. Lose yourself in the music… lose your money at the craps tables.

Ben & Bob are also playing Schwartz’s Point on Monday.

On Wednesday, Dawes plays Taft with opener Erin Rae, and The Districts play Madison Live. (And Ben Levin has yet another gig, his trio is playing at Ghost Baby).

It’s not exactly music, but Mystery Science Theater 3000 has always been music to my ears (and eyeballs). MST3K Live comes to the Taft on Thursday. I don’t think I’ll make it, as I prefer the “classic” cast members. Besides, I’ll be…uh… busy… that evening.

Speaking of Slippery Creek, they’re opening for The Del McCoury Band next Friday at Memorial Hall. That same evening, Melvin Seals and the Jerry Garcia Band play Ludlow Garage, and the Ben Levin Trio will be at Dead Low Brewing, with Noah Wotherspoon.

Gig Pics

List member “Lenny” is right. Bob Mould abso-fu#&^in’-lutely rocked the house last Friday. Amazing energy and a stellar career-encompassing set list from a dude who has been doing it a long, long time. (More on that later…) Opener Jason Narducy was great as well.

Every touring band’s nightmare:

Listen up

This Fresh Air interview with Nick Lowe from 2001 is still quite fresh:

Matt Lacefield, a former WVXU Nightwaves DJ, posted this tasty audio from Hüsker Dü’s concert at the Jockey Club back in 1984:

BTW, Matt has a new music playlist/blog/online radio show thing called The Unfamiliar. You can listen to the 15-song first episode here… and you can listen to our interview with Matt about his Nightwaves days and his new venture in the latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast.

Random Album Cover of the Week

Have a great week!

If you need a bit of inspiration (or motivation) to get to a show or three, this photo ought to be worth at least a thousand words of encouragement:

Live music – there ain’t nothin’ else like it. Here are your opportunities for communal energy this week:

Tonight, Bob Mould is going to rattle the rafters of Memorial Hall. Which is great, because I’ll be up in the nosebleeds, along with list member Dan Bockrath. Can’t wait. Also, Ben Levin has an album release party at BrewRiver.

On Saturday, Whitney Rose plays Southgate House. If you’d rather hear “Ramble On Rose” you can head to Stanley’s for U.S. Blues, a Grateful Dead cover band.

Speaking of stoned, Stone Temple Pilots play the Madison Theater on Tuesday. We miss Cap’n Scott Weiland, but Jeff Gutt is at the controls now. Is Herr Gutt any gut? Ich weiss nicht!

I find myself on the horns of a musical dilemma on Wednesday. Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express are playing Southgate, and I really want to go to that gig. But it’s also my wife’s birthday. Not just any birthday either – it’s her Steve McGarrett birthday!

So I might have to miss the Chuck concert in the interest of maintaining harmony at home. Or maybe I can just go to the Chuck Prophet concert and get my wife a personalized BD greeting from 90s indie rock heartthrob Evan Dando of The Lemonheads.

The only problem with that plan is my wife has no idea who Evan Dando is… she’d probably be happier if I gave her a box of Lemonheads.

• 

• 

Also on Wednesday, Memorial Hall is hosting The Musical Box: A Genesis Extravaganza. It’s a re-enactment (don’t call it a tribute) of the band Genesis (circa 1970-1978), not the biblical book. Although that could be cool too, what with all the nakedness.

Weigh station ahead – trucks, please present your fee waybill

Fee Waybill! It’s fun to say. It’s also fun to know that The Tubes still have their wacky lead singer Fee Waybill (along with other original members: drummer Prairie Prince, guitarist Roger Steen and bassist Rick Gator Anderson) in their lineup.

They’ll be playing at the Ludlow Garage on Thursday, and playing their 1981 album The Completion Backward Principle in its entirety.

Also on Thursday, The Steel Woods are playing Madison Theater, and the Southgate House is chock-full of good music: The Wooks are playing the Sanctuary (main room), Joshua Powell, Freedom Nicole Moore, and Hyssop are in the Revival Room (upstairs) and Stephen Babcock and Brad Goodall of the band Ona are playing a free gig in the Lounge (bar).

All of the gigs listed above are merely appetizers… the main course is Cereal Killers at MadTree next Friday, October 29th.

For the uninitiated, Cereal Killers played their first gig at Sudsy Malone’s on Short Vine in 1989, and their current set list consists predominantly of songs from late ’70’s British & American punk, with a dash of the New Wave, a dollop of garage rock, a heaping helping of hijinks, and a side of shenanigans. It’s like 97X is still on the air, but better because it’s live! List members Howard Cohen and Matt Hueneman are in the band (and their new drummer is Chris Glen – he was in local faves Plow on Boy back in the day). The patio show is absolutely free… and yours truly will buy your first round of beverages. You truly can’t afford to miss it!

[List member Dave “The Reuben Kincaid of Modern Rock” Tellmann, co-host of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast, will also be at MadTree. We’re happy to sign your earbuds…]

While we’re on the subject of podcasts, this Andy Richter interview with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants was quite entertaining:

For a real newsletter, try this:

List member Cullen “My dad is delusional – he thinks the Reds can win it all next year” Lewis is killin’ it weekly with his Friday Links newsletter on Substack. (Whereas I’m so out of it, I thought “Substack” was a footlong with extra meat at Subway.) If not for Cullen and his cool coverage of music, fashion, art, and culture, I never would’ve heard this tasty new tune from Corridor:

Cullen also featured this new gem from Lightning Bug:

You can (and should) subscribe to Cullen’s Friday Links email via the link above.

A tip o’ the 97XBam cap to list member Joe Sampson for the link to the NYT profile of Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs. Really looking forward to their new album. Ditto for new music from Charly Bliss, who recently opened for Japanese Breakfast in NYC (a d2 dream gig).

Check out this audio-only live concert recording of Japanese Breakfast from WXPN in Philly (also courtesy of Mighty Joe).

Gig Pics

The photo above of Elvis Costello & the Imposters was taken by list member Todd Butler, who also provided a nice overview of the new Icon venue:

It is like a rectangle box with U shaped balconies (2) although top level was closed. Floor is concrete with connected folding chairs that were cushioned and were impressively quite comfortable. Most seats and sight lines I thought were good. They used modern construction methods to avoid support structures blocking views. Good amount of bathrooms so not much wait there. Beer line was long however.

If you know Todd, you know the beer line (or lack thereof) is crucial to his experience.

Have a great week!