Before we get to this week’s gigs, I need to apologize. I let you down. There was a free show on Fountain Square this past Wednesday, featuring 500 Miles to Memphis, the Bottle Rockets, and Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers, and I failed to mention it in last week’s post. Mainly because I had no clue that it was happening until about an hour before the show started, when list member Whit G. mentioned it (he follows the Bottle Rockets on the socials and saw it posted there). Whit, his wife Barb and I hustled down for the Bottle Rockets. They were outstanding, as always.

In my defense, the show was poorly publicized. But I’m sorry, and I won’t let it happen again. At least until the next time it happens again.

OK, as the celebrities like to say after reading a non-apology apology prepared by their PR firm, “I hope we can all move forward.”

Monday, The Fleshtones play Southgate House. They have been around since 1976, but they remain relevant today.

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More CBGB stalwarts will be in town that same evening: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie will be at a book event at Walnut Hills. List member Howard Cohen (yes, THE Howard Cohen, lead singer of The Cereal Killers) will be in attendance.

On Tuesday, Young Thug and Machine Gun Kelly play PNC Pavilion, and young non-thug Ben Levin plays Arnold’s.

Wednesday, Southgate hosts An Evening with Griffin House in the Sanctuary, and Whitacre in the Revival Room. List member John Sandman’s Tie-Dye Band will be playing The Lounge in Anderson. And Ludlow Garage welcomes a band from Nashville called Towne. They’ll fit right in here, with all the shopping malls that throw a superfluous “e” on the word Town.

BLINK! starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, with six different stages in OTR, downtown and Covington (“Lov the Cov”), and their lineup of local music is rock-solid. By law, I’m required to mention that This Pine Box (featuring Joe Tellmann, son of my partner-in-podcast-crime Dave Tellmann) is playing Thursday at 10 p.m. on the 7th Street Stage in Covington, and Rob Fetters is headlining the Court Street Stage at the same time. Worlds are colliding:

Also on Thursday, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers are at Southgate, and Arielle plays Ludlow Garage. If you find yourself saying “Who is Arielle?” you’re in luck, because she has a page on her website called just that.

I’M A HIPPIE TRAVELING, GUITAR-WIELDING, SONG-WRITING, FLOWY CLOTHES WEARING LADY.
I am a  singer-songwriter, guitar player, and a lover of life.
I’ve got a hippie heartbeat, with an edgy rocker spirit. 🤘
I was born in the USA, but the world is my home.
A few of my favourite past-times are hugging fans, cuddling animals and traveling, whilst tasting the town’s tasty local kombucha.

Hmm, she was born in the USA but she spells “favourite” the Brit way… and throws in a “whilst” too…Methinks she’s had a bit too much kombucha. Or her publicist also names shopping malls in Cincinnati.

Friday:

• Anders Osborne plays Riverfront Live
• Smooth Hound Smith is at Southgate in the Sanctuary
• Angela Perley and Harlot are in the Southgate Revival Room
• Us, Today headlines the BLINK! after-party at MOTR.
• Just Strange Brothers play Latitudes in Anderson
• And maybe Michael Martin Murphey will finally find that damn lost pony Wildfire, if said pony is at Ludlow Garage. (Stranger things have happened there… just ask Jim Tarbell.)

On Saturday, Sean Geil of the Tillers plays Neltner’s Farm Fall Festival in the afternoon. Plenty of shows that evening too:

• Here Come the Mummies are at Bogart’s
• John Pizzarelli plays Ludlow Garage (don’t step in the horse doots!)
• Kongos is at Top Cats with Fitness
• Mike Oberst (the Tillers) has his album release party at Southgate
• Automagik headlines the BLINK! after-party at MOTR
• George Thorogood is at JACK Casino
• The Charlie Daniels Band plays Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg

Sunday afternoon, you can check at The Redemptioners at Neltner’s Farm. That evening, the Pat Travers Band plays Ludlow Garage (great, now the lights are going to go out and we won’t be able to see where the horse manure is). Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü comes to MOTR as part of the band Porcupine (just Porcupine, not Porcüpine), with Knife the Symphony and Hyperstatic also on the bill. And Ballyhoo! plays Riverfront Live. As if the exclamation point weren’t enough, Ballyhoo! also bills themselves as #punkrockreggaesexmusic.

I’m throwing next Monday onto this list, because I’ll still be in Chicago. My lovely bride is running the full Chicago Marathon next Sunday, and I’ll be there to cheer her on whilst tasting the town’s tasty local kombucha… or more likely sitting on my ass and stuffing my face with Nacho Doritos.

On Monday 10/14, the Nashville band Ornament is playing MOTR with White Lighter and Coy Comer & the Wanderers.

Good reading (and listening)

KEXP presented their listeners’ 666 favorite albums. And hat tip to list member Michael “Rico” Carrico for unearthing a Finnish blog that has a nice weekly playlist and recently celebrated its 18th anniversary with dozens of exclusive live performances.

Throwback photo

Video you have to see… and can’t unsee

Welcome, officially (but not officiously) to Fall. Monday, September 23rd is the Autumnal Equinox.

Summer's going fast, nights growing colder 
Children growing up, old friends growing older  
(name that tune... without using Google search) 

9/23 is also National Great American Pot Pie Day. We suggest you celebrate by cooking a Swanson’s pot pie in the oven for about 80 minutes, and then enjoying how the crust burns your tongue yet the veggies inside the pot pie are still ice cold.

Oh, and 9/23 is National Checkers Day… as in Nixon’s dog.

Almost makes you wistful for those carefree, PAC-free days, doesn’t it?

OK, enough meandering, let’s get to the gigs.

Monday, a Beach Boy and some Zombies walked into a theatre. No, it’s not the setup for a joke, it just means Brian Wilson and The Zombies are playing Taft. Also, Bad Religion is playing Bogart’s, with Dave Hause & The Mermaid and Emily Davis.

Jesse Dayton is playing Southgate on Tuesday, with the Taylor Shannon Band and Mike Stinson. Broadside is at Top Cats, and Scott Stapp of Creed is playing Bogart’s. (If you’re keeping score at home, that means Bogart’s has Bad Religion on Monday, and bad religious guy on Tuesday.)

On Wednesday, Patty Griffin is at 20th Century Theater in Oakley, with former V-Roy Scott Miller as the opener. I’ll be at that gig, because I adore Patty Griffin. Other shows that evening:

• The Brother Brothers are playing Southgate
• Dressy Bess is at MOTR
• Joel Ansett is at Listing Loon
• Chainsmokers are at the Coliseum
• Andy Grammer performs at Bogart’s. (Update your scorecard with some bad grammer.)

Thursday, Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line play Southgate, and Felix Pastorius’ Hipster Assassins roll into the Ludlow Garage.

Friday night, our old pal Chris Comer starts what will be a recurring weekend gig at The View at Shires Garden, the new rooftop bar at 309 Vine Street.

There are several other notable gigs that evening:

• Brett Newski plays the Parlor & Patio house concert in Ft. Thomas (I’ll be at that gig)
• Devotchka and The Joy Formidable form a great twin bill at Woodward Theater
• Tommy Emmanuel plays Taft with Jorma Kaukonen, making that show a picker’s paradise
• Tracy Walker plays the grand opening of the new Braxton Barrel House in Ft. Mitchell
• The Toasters, Scotch Bonnets and Newport Secret Six are at Northside Yacht Club
• Stoney LaRue plays Madison Live
• Warrick & Lowell play MOTR with Nick Dittmeier and Chelsea Ford & The Trouble
• REO Speedwagon chugs into Rose Music Center

We also have two multi-stage festivals on tap Friday through Sunday. The Rhythm Brew Art & Music Festival takes over Riverfront Live.

And down in Louisville, Louder than Life rocks the Kentucky Expo Center fairgrounds.

Saturday, the Neltner’s Farm Fall Festival kicks off (pumpkins, games, corn maze, petting zoo… learn more here). It’s a great place to bring the family because A. it’s a legit family farm, not some hay bales on asphalt, B. the Neltner family is super-nice, and C. they’ll have live music every Saturday and Sunday through 10/27. Here’s the lineup:

Also on Saturday, a white trash guy and a redneck walk into a shed. That’s not the setup to a joke… actually it is… Kid Rock and Hank Williams Jr. are playing Riverbend. That same evening:

• Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers and Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper play Miami University-Middletown (affectionately known as MUM)
• Filter plays the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg (affectionately known as Hoosier Hollywood)
• Not a music show, but should be fun: Southgate hosts the annual beard and mustache competition known as Big Whisker Revival IV. In the Cartoon Mustache category, the smart money is on Dick Dastardly, Snidely Whiplash and Yosemite Sam… but Yukon Cornelius might sweep.

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On Sunday, the Women of the Blues show in Southgate’s main room features Cheryl Renee, Kelly Richey, Kelly Walker, Alice Hoskins and more (doors at 1:30). The Cowpokes and Jane Rose & the Dead End Boys play a free afternoon show in Southgate’s Lounge. Amy Gerhartz and Jonathan Cody White play the Downtowne Listening Room, and Billy Alletzhauser (The Hiders, Ass Ponys) plays MOTR with Remnose.

Good Reading

Matthew Caws of Nada Surf wrote a nice tribute to former Ohio resident Ric Ocasek of the Cars, who passed away last week and Jonathan Richman sings the praises of the Rubinoos.

Shameless Self-promotion (disguised as reunion news)

Bauhaus recently announced a gig at the Hollywood Palladium on November 3rd. Their most famous song is “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” a nine-minute-and-36-second dirge that was a popular “bathroom break” song at 97X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0MX-ekH4sw

If you listen to the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast, you’ll note that my co-host Dave Tellmann and I try to keep each episode’s length to “two Bela Lugosi’s Deads”… or roughly 19 minutes. Oh, and since we mentioned that podcast, the latest episode features a 5th grade weather reporter, Abe Vigoda’s birthday, romance tips from Fabio and news about John Curley’s XXL t-shirt. You can listen via the 97Xbam.com website (which includes bonus content – photos, videos, etc.) or on Podbean, Spotify or iTunes.

Hot Ticket Alert

My main man Jesse Malin is playing Southgate on Friday, November 15th. Dude is brilliant. New album is stellar.

I’ve seen Jesse live several times and he always puts on a killer show… sadly, the crowds are usually pretty sparse in Cincy. Let’s change that, with my Double D Money Back Guarantee™: if you go to the show and aren’t completely satisfied, I’ll pay you back the ticket price out of my own pocket. I’m not rich, I’m just super-confident that Jesse Malin will rock your world. Here are two tracks from the new album that showcase his range.

That’s a wrap – have a great week!