Substance over Style

97X, Concert Listings, Music

Your live music connection has become unplugged. Sorry, I’ve been busy going to Red Rocks for Tedeschi-Trucks and Jason Isbell/Lucinda Williams shows. But I don’t want to let down Dan “The Reds are going to win it all… this year!” Lewis.

I totally missed out on letting you know about both Hall and Oates. (They’re at Riverbend tonight… from my palatial estate in Mt. Washington I can sometimes hear tunes emanating from that venue, so I stuck my head outside the window earlier in hopes of catching the sweet strains of “Maneater”… no dice.)

Apologies for the slacking. Let’s get to the list, and skip the ol’ jazz hands.

The Wallflowers open up for Matchbox Twenty tomorrow at Riverbend. Guess I’ll have to stick my head out the window earlier tomorrow night. (The Wallflowers new album is a solid effort, btw… but “One Headlight” is still my favorite dance tune.)

Also Tuesday:

Shakey Graves plays Bogart’s
Enjoy a free local show with Ricky Nye Inc. at the Blue Ash Nature Park. (Pro tip: don’t make the same mistake I did… it’s a nature park, not a naturist park… wear clothes!)

Todd Snider is playing the 20th Century Theater in Oakley on Wednesday, with the amazing Aaron Lee Tasjan as the opener.

On Thursday, Buddy Guy plays the PNC Pavilion with Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Wait, this just in, that show is CANCELLED.

Friday, it’s a Yacht Rock special at Ludlow Garage: Pablo F-ing Cruise!

Wait, this just in… the Pablo Cruise show has been cancelled. Next thing you know, they’ll cancel the Catalina Wine Mixer.

https://youtu.be/RGB8QgwxZqw

Still slated for Friday: Live at the Fillmore (“the definitive tribute to the Allman Brothers Band”) and Joshua Ray Walker play outdoors at my new favorite venue, RiversEdge in Hamilton! Ohio. And Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick play PNC Pavilion. I won’t have to stick my head out the window to hear Rick Nielsen’s guitar.

Saturday is a huge day for gigs:

Maroon 5 plays Riverbend… I’ll stick my head out the window and hear every middle-aged woman in the Tri-State — including my wife and her Jazzercise friends — squealing about the lead singer. (Oh, and probably Dan Lewis too.)

Also on Saturday, Soul Asylum is playing the old Annie’s with Local H. Juliana Hatfield was also supposed to be on the bill, but she dropped out of the tour due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

Plenty o’ local bands in action on Saturday as well:

This Pine Box is playing Southgate with Buck the Taxidermist and Circle It.
Lung has an album release party on Fountain Square, with Paige Beller and Small Reactions.
Last but certainly not least, list member Dave “Lenny” Lenehan’s band Outta Here (“a good time blues-rock band) is playing Wiedemann’s taproom.

Looking ahead to next week (because I’ve been slacking and probably won’t get another post out before then), St. Paul & the Broken Bones are at the old Annie’s on Tuesday, 8/31. And Kings of Leon and Cold War Kids are playing Riverbend. (Although they cancelled a show in Cleveland last week due to a positive COVID test for a band staffer.)

Thursday, September 2nd, Drive-by Truckers are playing the old Annie’s… and I’ll be down in Louisville for the Waxahatchee show at Headliner’s. Jefferson Starship plays Memorial Hall that night too. And Ben Levin will be at Big Ash Brewing. (Ben’s also opening for Booker T. Jones on Thursday, September 9th… amazing!)

JJ Grey & Mofro plays RiversEdge on Friday, September 3rd, with opener Jackie Vernon. This is the only show of the season where general admission isn’t free. But JJ Grey is totally worth it.

That same evening, Neko Case plays Memorial Hall with A.C. Newman… a double dose of New Pornographers! Let’s hope Neko is in a better mood than she was at her gig at the Taft a few year’s back. And The Roots are at the Icon.

On Saturday, September 4th, Meshell Ndegeocello is at Memorial Hall, and the Legendary Wailers (featuring Julian “Junior” Marvin) are at Ludlow Garage.

Tuesday September 7th:

St. Vincent plays the Icon
Chris Hillman is at Memorial Hall with Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson.

Lots of venues and artists are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test… I’m on board with that. As is my bud Jason Isbell:

I feel like some of us saw the exit, and the building was on fire, and now we are trying to talk everyone into following us to the exit so we don’t get burned. It’s pretty much as simple as that. And also, I just don’t think that our business is going to be able to continue this way unless we put some restrictions in place. I know my crew and my band might not be able to withstand another shutdown, and I think a lot of people are in that same situation. So I’m just happy that it’s happening and that people are getting on board.
Jason Isbell in this Variety interview

Reading list:

Tip o’ the hat to list member Dave Tellmann for the link to this great article about how Happy Chichester of the Royal Crescent Mob (97X faves from back in the day) nearly joined the Foo Fighters.

Listening list:

Speaking of Dave Tellmann and 97X, the newest episode of our podcast features another interview with former station owners Doug & Linda Balogh. Tune in via the 97Xbam website or on Podbean, Spotify , Google Podcasts, TuneIn or Apple podcasts. You can even tell your Amazon or Google ~~spying machine~~ device “Play the latest episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast” and hear it.

Must-see TV

I leave you with this gorgeous Tanya Donelly cover by Gabi Lima (who also sat in on bass and vocals on “Darl” when I saw Buffalo Tom in L.A. a few years ago and crushed it). Gabi’s dog isn’t blown away by it, but I am.

Episode 66: Doug & Linda’s 97X-cellent Adventure

97X, Music, podcast

Yes, we’ve interviewed 97X station owners Doug and Linda Balogh before (check out Episodes 56 and 57). But they are such founts of 97X knowledge and stories that we had to go back to the well. In this episode, Doug does a 97X role call, we talk about 97Xposure, the station’s charitable endeavors, a Riverbend-adjacent party, and one of Linda’s decidedly unglamorous yet crucial behind-the-scenes role on the prize patrol.

Doug cited 97Xposure as perhaps the finest example of what made the station unique. Every year, dozens if not hundreds of local/regional bands would submit their songs, and multiple 97X staffers would evaluate them to determine a Top 20, and eventually a final four to play in a “battle of the bands” style concert, with the winner getting recording equipment and free studio time.

The 97X Modern Rock Cookbook featured recipes from band members, station staffers and listeners, and proceeds went to local charities.

Features “Dave’s Succulent Seven-Layer Salad”…

Doug and Linda mentioned Julie Maxwell’s tireless work to bring the Modern Rock Cookbook to life.

Julie Maxwell, always cooking up fantastic promotions.

Here’s an aerial view of the house in California, Ohio (near Riverbend) that hosted a 97X event on the day of the Elvis Costello/Crash Test Dummies concert. Crash Test Dummies showed up… but Elvis didn’t enter the building.

Read more about the house in this Cincinnati Magazine article from 2019

Linda Balogh had to truck all the prizes to the Post Office. Mr. Zip has nothing on Mrs. 97X.

Live Music, a reason to Live

Concert Listings, Music

Live music is a thing again! Last Friday, I saw a concert featuring national acts for the first time since… forever ago. And what a way to get back into the swing of things – the Aaron Lee Tasjan/S.G. Goodman gig in Hamilton was out-freakin-standing!

The concert organizers wisely decided to move the show under cover – it rained buckets a few times – but the precipitation didn’t dampen the spirits of the crowd or the performers. S.G. Goodman is the real deal. Her debut album is soooo good. But don’t take it from me, take it from list member Michael “Rico” Carrico:

And Aaron Lee Tasjan was a delight too… amazingly talented and an engaging performer.

Here’s a brief snippet of Aaron Lee playing keyboards:

Before the show, we had a pregame beverage (OK maybe two…) at Municipal Brew Works, where The Todds were able to join forces.

List members Todd Butler and Todd Quincy… “High five!”

I know I made fun of Hamil-tucky last week, but I’ve done a 180… downtown Hamilton has got it going on (and by “it” I mean urban renewal).

In fact, I’ll be back in Hamilton again this Friday with list member John Sandman for the Arlo McKinley/Morgan Wade show… and the weather gods will allow this one to be at the RiversEdge outdoor amphitheater.

Check out more tunes from both artists here. General admission is free… and the first pre-show beer is on me at Municipal Brew Works. C’mon show Hamilton some love.

Other shows of note in the upcoming weeks:

Ben Levin plays Wiedemann’s taproom this Saturday (plus a few other gigs – check his list here.)
The Reverend Horton Heat & the Hackensaw Boys play Southgate this Sunday
Foo Fighters open the new Icon venue in downtown Cincinnati. (Didn’t get tickets in the 12 minutes before the show sold out? Me too – let’s meet at Smale Park and listen for free.)
Paul Thorn with opener Scott Miller at Memorial Hall on Thursday, July 29th… that same evening, Whiskey Myers & The Steel Woods have a sold-out show at Taft and Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle play a free show at Washington Park.
The Smithereens play Ludlow Garage on Friday, July 30th, with special guest vocalist Marshall Crenshaw.
Local faves This Pine Box play Big Ash Brewing, also on Friday 7/30.
Steve Earle is at the old Annie’s on Saturday, July 31st.
The Black Crowes play Riverbend on Tuesday, August 3rd, as part of the ~~Make Your Money, Robinson Brothers~~ Shake Your Moneymaker Tour
On Wednesday, August 4th, Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos play a co-headlining date at PNC Pavilion. Talk about two American treasures — you’d be hard-pressed to find more talent on one stage than Emmylou and “just another band from East L.A.” And that show has some Arby’s “We have the Seats” cheap seats in the upper corners for a mere $24… As always, we remind you to purchase Riverbend, PNC and Taft show tickets at the Taft or Riverbend box office to save on the ridiculous TicketBastard fees.

I’m bummed that I’ll be out of town for a lot of the shows listed above – but don’t feel too bad for me, as I’ll be seeing Tedeschi-Trucks at Red Rocks on Friday, 7/30… AND Jason Isbell with Lucinda Williams at Red Rocks on Sunday, August 1st. I love Jason and Lu… and have always wanted to see a show at Red Rocks. Bucket list, checked!

Speaking of Mr. Isbell, this tweet about his wife mishearing Springsteen lyrics cracked me up:

So curb your Ted Lasso binge, get off the couch, brush off that Cheeto dust and go see some live music. Hurry, before the anti-vaxxers ruin it for all of us.

Take me to the River

Concert Listings, Music

I hate to start out with bad news, but since you’re such a fan of great music, you should know:

That’s right, kids (I mean kidz), your favorite show of the summer is no more. Here’z hoping you get over it. I mean, you can still see Hoobastank.

They are playing “the old Annie’s” (a.k.a. Riverfront Live) tomorrow night, along with Everclear, Living Colour and Wheatus. The old Annie’s also has Phil Vassar on Friday and Hyryder on Saturday (all are indoor shows).

Take me to a different part of the river… and a different river

But enough about Riverfront Live, and there’s no need to even discuss Riverbend. Instead let’s focus on another river perspective: RiversEdge. It’s an outdoor amphitheater in Hamilton! Ohio. And this Friday, they have a great double bill of S.G. Goodman and Aaron Lee Tasjan. Not familiar with them? Check out their latest releases below.

Do not sleep on this show… because it starts at the old-person-friendly time of 7 p.m. And even better, general admission on the lawn is FREE!

Yours truly will be there (weather permitting – fingers crossed), along with list members Todd Butler and Todd Quincy (who is part of the RiversEdge committee). It’s always a good time with a Todd or two.

Come join us, won’t you? If you can’t make Friday’s show, RiversEdge has a few more ace shows up their sleeve. Wait, check that, it’s Hamilton, so they are probably in a sleeveless Harley shirt…

Anyhoo, Arlo McKinley plays RiversEdge next Friday, July 23rd, The North Mississippi Allstars are there on August 7th, The Infamous Stringdusters & Sierra Hull play on August 21st, and JJ Grey and Mofro are booked for September 3rd. (Other than the JJ Grey gig, lawn admission is free.)

Speaking of gratuitous shows (of the non-Hoobastank variety), I need to profusely apologize to you for not alerting you to the recent freebie shows at Fountain Square. Cracker was there on July 3rd (several list members were in attendance, including at least 50% of The Cereal Killers), and Red Wanting Blue played there on July 9th (list members Whit and Barb Gardner were there). Needless to say, list member Dan “The Reds are in in to win it” Lewis was not pleased with my recent lack of concert communication, as witnessed by his email to me on June 29th:

Sorry to let you down, Dan. The full list of Fountain Square Friday and Saturday gigs is here…. I highly recommend the Brett Dennan gig on August 6th. And I know you’re a big fan of The Mavericks (Taft on 9/24) and Todd Rundgren (Icon on 10/30), so please make a note of those dates. By the way, have you considered a corporate partnership with Warren Beatty?

Other gigs in the near future

The Casey Campbell Band plays a freebie at Washington Park this Thursday night, and the Reverend Horton Heat & Hackensaw Boys are at Southgate on Sunday, July 25th.

Venting my spleen

How is it that the Cincinnati area has two brand new indoor/outdoor venues opening when every friggin’ band in America is jonesing to tour, yet we still cannot manage to book more than a handful of decent shows? Case in point – Phoebe Bridgers is playing the PromoWest venues in Pittsburgh and Columbus on consecutive nights, yet is NOT playing the PromoWest venue in Newport… she’s also playing Indy and Louisville, so our Bermuda Triangle status remains in full effect.

Notable Names in the News

List member Gil Kaufman made the New York Post… but not Page Six. He’s quoted in this article about how MTV stopped playing music and jumped the shark.

“I have two teenage kids, and they know that I worked for MTV, but they’ve never seen MTV,” said Kaufman, who, after working at the network for 15-plus years, is now a senior contributing writer at Billboard. “They wouldn’t even know where to look for it.”

And Dan McCabe (co-owner of MOTR Pub and The Woodward Theater) talks about the struggles of local music venues in this Cincinnati Business Courier article.

“Survival happened. We’re certainly not whole,” McCabe said.” But we owe people money. Survival costs a lot of money. Then there are repairs that need to happen. These are both old buildings. A year and a half without maintenance shows up.”

List member Dave Tellmann and I interviewed Dan about that same topic on our 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast several months ago. Speaking o’ the podcast, all 65 glorious episodes are available on Podbean, Spotify , Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn , iHeart Radio, Pandora and Apple podcasts. It’s never been easier to tune in… or to completely ignore us.

Episode 65: Mike Jacobs, Legendary Indie Record Promoter

97X, podcast

Mike Jacobs is a legendary independent record promoter who ran campaigns for alternative success stories like The Offspring, Rancid, Nine Inch Nails, Bush and No Doubt, among others. He also was CEO of MCA joint venture Way Cool Music from 1995-98, where he signed Blink-182, and was a lifelong friend of Rick Carroll, who started the pioneering modern rock radio station KROQ-FM in L.A. We chat with Rick about his time in the trenches, his memories of 97X and the modern rock format.

97X station owners Linda and Doug Balogh, flanked by their kids Marty and Susan, when they were honored with the Rick Carroll Radio Innovator of the Year Award in 1998

Here are a couple of fun trade publication interviews with Mike Jacobs from 2011:

If you heard this album, Mike Jacobs made it happen.

What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

Mike Jacobs: It’s only no until it’s yes. If you believe in a song or an act, stick with it. Always tell the truth: even if it’s something people don’t want to hear, they will respect you later.
From the “10 Questions with Mike Jacobs” profile in 2011.

Episode 64: Randy the Redneck

97X, podcast

“Randy the Redneck” – the name pretty much sums it up. He’s like a hillbilly Forrest Gump, and had the uncanny knack for showing up at pretty much every 97X event ever. Concerts at Bogart’s, B&B Riverboat Cruises, Rock & Bowls, Breakfast Club Home Invasions… somehow he even managed to attend an music industry convention with 97X program director Phil Manning. In short, if 97X was there, so was Randy.

Randy the Redneck (at right) helps a Speedo-clad Rictile cool off during a Breakfast Club Home Invasion live broadcast.

Randy first heard of (and listened to) 97X through his friend Kevin, who was also friends with 97X’s Brett Heartz. Randy started hanging out with Brett and going to shows with him, and also played in a band called The Urinal Biscuits that shared bills with bands featuring 97X employees and fans. The rest is history… and legend.

Modern day Randy… still a redneck, but an artsy one.

Episode 63: Robin James is writing the book on 97X

97X, Music, podcast, woxy.com

Author and college professor Robin James is a self-described “philosopher of popular music.” She grew up in West Chester, Ohio listening to 97X and is writing a book about the station and the community that formed around it. She’s also going to give a talk about the Modern Rock 500 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame once we get through the pandemic phase. In this episode, Robin gives us an update on when the book will be published… and turns the tables by interviewing Dave and Damian for that book.

Robin James, the coolest college professor ever!

We first chatted with Robin a year ago, on Episode 34. If you missed that show, it’s well worth a listen.

Here’s Robin’s page on the UNC Charlotte website. She also co-edits the Journal of Popular Music Studies. And here’s her blog, It’s Her Factory.

On her blog, here’s how Robin summarizes the 97X book project:

The Future of Rock and Roll: 97X WOXY and the fight for true independence. (Under contract with UNC Press). This is a book about the philosophy behind former modern rock radio station 97X FM/woxy.com. The station and its programming was driven by the idea that true independence is possible only when practiced with and for other people. The book argues that this idea of independence is what we need to fight the 21st century corporate mainstream, which is driven by the false idea that real independence is being left to fend for yourself.

Here’s a link to the draft version of “What was the Modern Rock 500?” – the talk Robin will be giving at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The date for that presentation is still TBD due to pandemic restrictions, but we’ll let you know when it’s happening.

My dad didn’t like music, and I didn’t have older siblings, so the Modern Rock 500 was the curriculum I used to educate myself about cool music and its history.
Robin James

Rumblings from the Big Bush mailbag

Hey guys,
I’ve been a big fan of the show. For years I’ve enjoyed listening to a playlist created from an old Modern Rock 500, and every year I think, I should contact some of the old radio guys and see what would be on the list today. I always think of this leading up to Memorial Day weekend. It would be great if you could get some of the old crew together and make an updated list.
Keep up the good work!
– Nick Frisch

That’s a great idea, Nick! Unfortunately, it’s also a rather daunting task, and we have our hands full with the podcast (and our day jobs). We tried to strong-arm longtime 97X PD Phil Manning into creating an updated MR500, but to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions, we’re all ears.

In the interim, the Cincinnati-based online radio station Inhailer recently counted down their Top 500 Albums of All Time, and you’ll find plenty of 97X artists on that list. Former woxy.com DJ Luann Gibbs (a.k.a. “Miss Kitty” – we chatted with her on Episode 43) does weekend shifts on Inhailer, and Taylor Fox, who was quite active on the 97X message boards, is the Program Director and hosts the morning show Tuesdays thru Thursdays, so the station is a kindred spirit of 97X/woxy.com. They play a great mix of music, including a healthy dose of local bands, and have specialty shows on weekends and in the evening. Check it out!

Modern Rock 500 playlists

Nick’s email above mentioned playlists created from old Modern Rock 500 countdown lists. Kudos to John Spurlock for creating Spotify AND Google Music playlists for each year of the Modern Rock 500, from 1989 through 2009.

And James Brubaker crunched the numbers from Craig Froehle’s lists of MR500s through the years, and came up with an overall Modern Rock 500 Top 500. (Read more about how James created this meta-list in this post.)

This post on The Cincy Vinyl Trail website also has a nice tribute to the Modern Rock 500.

Traditionally, Memorial Day weekend has always been the unofficial beginning of summer. Schools close, pools open, we honor fallen heroes and the Taste of Cincinnati takes center stage. Memorial Day weekend of years gone by also brought us the 500. No, not the Indy 500, that’s still running. To die-hard music fans, it was the 97X Modern Rock 500. The start of every summer the radio would be tuned to 97.7.
From a 2018 post on The Cincy Vinyl Trail website

Live Music is Back!

Concert Listings

Great news: after a loooong dormancy, concerts are becoming as plentiful as cicada shells! (Sorry, the cicada reference is mandatory… check back in 17 years for another one.)

The not-so-great news: Cincinnati remains the Bermuda Triangle of concert tours.

Artist after artist plays Louisville, Columbus and Indy and just blows right past our fair burg. It’s downright depressing… and after the year we’ve endured, we need No Depression.

Actually the “Bermuda Triangle of the Midwest” map above isn’t accurate… because pound for pound, even Hamil-tucky, Ohio (motto: “stop asking about the exclamation point already!”) is kicking Cincinnati’s buttocks in the live music game. Gigs this summer and fall at RiversEDGE Amphitheater include:

Aaron Lee Tasjan with SG Goodman (Friday, July 16th)
Arlo McKinley (Friday, July 28th)
North Mississippi Allstars (Saturday, August 7th)
The Infamous Stringdusters with Sierra Hull (Saturday, August 21st)
JJ Grey & Mofro (Friday, September 3rd)

Whereas Riverbend’s schedule remains a time capsule from 1985, answering the musical question “How many years in a row can an outdoor shed book both Chicago AND The Doobie Brothers?” with an emphatic “Every friggin’ year!”

Wait, this just in: Riverbend’s marketing department has informed me that they are actually “hep” and “with it” in 2021. As proof, they cite the appearance of an up-and-coming artist named Jimmy Buffett.

But our good friend, list member Dan “The Reds are gonna win it all ~~this~~ next year” Lewis has booked some of his favorite bands at Great American Ball Park:

Does that lineup sound töo göod to be trüe? Well, Dan “I love umlauts” Lewis has just informed us that the show above has been postponed until 2022… and he’s pissed because he already made an appointment to get his hair extensions done this year. But another of Dan’s faves will be playing GABP:

Are we sure this isn’t a photo of Stanley Tucci after eating all that fattening food in Italy?

Billy Joel had an open date on his schedule because the Allentown, PA minor league baseball team cancelled his gig at their stadium. (Fun fact: the team is called the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.)

Are we sure this isn’t a photo of Billy Joel after having a bottle of red and a bottle of white at an Italian restaurant?

If Billy Joel cancels his gig, Dan will really be pissed. Perhaps we can all pitch in to book the cover band Uptown Girl for a wine mixer at Dan’s house.

https://youtu.be/8QIICilg90Q

Meanwhile, just over the border in the Hoosier State, it’s shaping up to be “The Summer of Musicians Who Were Kicked Out of Bands by Their Greedy Bandmates” with shows from both Ace Frehley and Don Felder at the Lawrenceburg Event Center. (Note to Dan “Kickstart My Heart” Lewis: Vince Neil is playing there too!)

But fear not, good citizens of the Tri-State… there are a few good gigs coming our way. Not many, but a few. I’ll try to keep you posted. Local piano wunderkind Ben Levin (hey, he’s our neighbor!) is playing Big Ash Brewing this Saturday evening. All the cool kids will be there – oh, and I’ll be there too.

Honestly, the one place in town that’s punching well above its weight in decent concerts is the old Annie’s on Eastern Avenue. (The new name of the venue is Riverfront Live but dollars to donuts that 95% of the people who talk about it call it “the old Annie’s.”) Their full line-up of concerts is here.

As fate would have it, the Drive-by Truckers show at “the old Annie’s” was announced a few weeks after list member Mighty Joe Sampson and I bought tickets to see Waxahatchee in Louisville on that same night (9/2). So even when we win, we lose.

Before I sign off, I want to give props to the Cincinnati Enquirer (that’s a newspaper, kids… a newspaper is a printed publication… printing is… aw, nevermind!) for publishing a list of all the free summer shows in the area.

And I also want to mock the Cincinnati Enquirer (it’s a fungible token… aw, nevermind!) for not publishing the full name of a band that just booked a show at the Woodward Theater:

What a bunch of… wussies! Oh, speaking of Wussy, members of that stellar band have played more than 52 free livestream shows since the COVID lockdown began, and they rarely ever mention their tip jar. Those gigs have been a real lifesaver, and the beauty of the songs is nearly matched by the hilarity of the between-songs banter. Chuck Cleaver is my spirit animal.

And speaking of The Woodward Theater, it’s good to see them back in action. I hope they can book more shows soon. Ditto for MOTR Pub.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I’m still doing a podcast with my old 97X buddy Dave Tellmann… we chat with the folks that made 97X so special back in the day. We even interviewed Dan McCabe of MOTR/Woodward Theater fame (and Sudsy’s too… R.I.P.) and Mark Messerly of Wussy. We drop a new episode every couple of weeks, and you can listen via all the major podcast aggregators: Apple Music. Spotify. Pandora. Podbean. iHeart Radio. Google Podcasts. TuneIn.

Just tell that device that’s always spying on you to “Play the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast” and treat your ears to 18 minutes or so of pure magic.

Hope to see you in person at a show soon, my friends!

Episode 62: Mark Abuzzahab, Music Skills from A to Z

97X, Music, podcast

Mark Abuzzahab (who just went by “Mark” on air… we can’t imagine why) was at 97X for a year and change (Jul ’98-Sept. ’99) at the dawn of the streaming era. He then served as music director at several other cool stations all over the map (Vermont, Boulder, Austin, Dallas) and still programs music and promotes cool artists today. We chat with Mark about his 97X memories, his current gigs and how he protected our ears from bad “alternative” music.

Mark still has a going-away present that reminds him of the **good time** he had at 97X (see what we did there?)

After he left 97X, Mark went to a station in Burlington, Vermont, and eventually recruited fellow 97X alum Rictile to work the morning show there.

Mark now works with VuHaus, the non-profit company that provides content for the Live Sessions on NPR Music.

VuHaus (pronounced “View House”) is a non-profit, digital music video service that introduces emerging and established artists to new audiences. VuHaus aggregates live performance videos, and live stream sessions from leading “Music Discovery” public radio stations from markets across the U.S. With unique local video channels including nationally curated playlists, local market playlists, and custom playlists from artists and tastemakers, VuHaus gives fans a unique window into the country’s most vibrant music scenes.
VuHaus is a collaboration of the country’s leading public radio music stations: KCRW in Los Angeles, KEXP in Seattle, WFUV in New York, WXPN in Philly, KUTX in Austin, The Bridge in Kansas City, KXT in Dallas, opbmusic in Portland, Mountain Stage in West Virginia, KDHX in St. Louis, Live from the Fort from Vermont and WGBH Boston.
From the VuHaus Facebook page

Mark also works with Custom Channels, a company that creates custom music mixes for businesses. So you’ve probably heard his handiwork at restaurants, stores and fitness centers.

Episode 61: Steve Roemer, co-producer to the (non) Stars

Uncategorized

Steve Roemer (affectionately known “Roemie da Homie”) served three tours of duty as a Breakfast Club co-producer in 1993, commuting to the station on a balky bicycle. He also started a heavy metal sport at Miami U., was the 90s version of “Schneider” from One Day at a Time… and even though he’s a lifetime non-smoker, his two favorite stories from his 97X days involve generic cigarettes.

Steve shares his radio memories and also talks about PawsForPatrick, the charity that his family started to the memory of his son Patrick, who passed away last May.

Breakfast club co-producers Joe Sampson and Steve Roemer also worked at Miami University’s student-run radio station, WMSR.

Former Breakfast Club co-producers Jessica Vahey, Steve Roemer and Joe Sampson.

Steve worked as a student manager of an apartment complex in Oxford, Ohio… just like his role model, Schneider.

Day in Eden: Steve is top row, center… before he got up close and personal with a Goo Goo Doll

Paws for Patrick is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting young people to emotional support animals to aid them as they live with mental health illness.

Our vision is to facilitate the acquisition of emotional support animals (ESA) for young people coping with mental health issues, by providing and sourcing the animals, as well as training and educating, and securing letters of certification for ESAs.

In addition, we provide opportunities for young people to interact with therapy dogs in group settings.

Learn more about this great charity at the Paws for Patrick website.

Reliving the Future

Musical musings from aging hipsters