Former 97X DJ Brett Heartz needs our help. About a year ago, he was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), which is incurable. He’s currently on “the list” of folks who need kidney donors, and it could be years before a suitable donor is found.
In the interim, his wife Wendy has given up her management role for an hourly, overnight position so she can help with home dialysis, doctor appointments, treatments, etc. And the medical bills are mounting.
Welp, our Ragnar Relay from San Francisco to Napa was a bust; it was cancelled due to wildfires. Some may blame global climate change, but I know the real culprit is Michael Martin Murphey.
The cancellation actually worked out pretty well for our 12-person team. We got to skip the tired, sweaty, smelly, trying-to-sleep-in-a-van parts, and just did the fun tourist parts. On Friday, we did a 6-mile run from the beach at Golden Gate Park, along waterfront cliffs and across the Golden Gate Bridge. That was pretty cool.
You know what else is cool? Live music! Let’s get to the gigs.
Sunday, November 3rd, John Cusack will be at Taft for a screening of the movie Say Anything, followed by a live conversation. Not bad if you enjoy paying a minimum of $52.75 (plus fees) to watch a 30-year-old movie.
On Monday, 11/4, The Japanese House plays the Taft Ballroom, and list member John Sandman’s Tye Dye Band appears at The Lounge in Anderson. (If you’ve never been to The Lounge, it’s the Anderson Township equivalent of the cantina in the original Star Wars.) John was the captain of our Napa relay team and did a great job making lemonade out of the lemons we were handed.
John’s in the center of the photo above, in the tie-dye shirt and the unicorn headgear. If he wears that ensemble tomorrow at The Lounge, he’ll fit right in.
Tuesday, 11/5 is election day, so you need to rock the vote.
After the polls close, you can enjoy any of these gigs:
Lucy Dacus plays Woodward, with Liza Anne as the opener (check out her fun cover song at the end of this post)
Tool is at Riverfront Coliseum, with opener Killing Joke
Icon for Hire plays Top Cats
Madison Theater hosts An Evening with Billy Corgan
Wednesday, 11/6 has a crowded concert menu too:
Joan Shelley plays Southgate
Dream Theater is at Taft
The California Honeydrops play Riverfront Live
The Kingston Trio plays Memorial Hall. Perhaps the opening acts will be Mitch & Mickey, The Folksmen and The New Main Street Singers.
And last but not least, list member Mark Celsor’s new band Left of Center is at Urban Artifact on Wednesday. Here’s a blurb from Facebook event page:
Join us for the sweet taste of victory, or the haunting solemness of defeat, the day after this year’s election with the modern folk, labor and protest music stylings of Left of Center as they perform new and classic American folk songs.
On Thursday, November 7th, you can see Kung Fu at Ludlow Garage. [NOTE: This does not mean you’ll watch the movie Kung Fu Panda with an actual panda… although I’d pay $52.75 for that!) Ben Levin plays BrewRiver that evening, too.
Friday (11/8), Ricky Nye and Paul Ellis play Wiedemann’s taproom, Marcus Miller is at Ludlow Garage and Bogart’s hosts Yacht Rock Revue, which is absolutely nothing like this:
Saturday, 11/9 is a musical buffet of the non-Jimmy Buffett variety:
Wilco will be at Taft. List member Joe Sampson and I saw Jay Bennett-era Wilco at Ripley’s in Clifton back in February of 1997. Killer show, complete with Cheap Trick and Replacements cover songs and a few Uncle Tupelo tunes (setlist is here). Hard to top that one.
The Amy Helm Band plays Miami U-Middletown
Katie Toupin (formerly of Houndmouth) is at MOTR
Shemekia Copeland plays Memorial Hall
Mayday! is at Top Cats
Randy Steffen plays Camp Springs Tavern
Ben Levin plays Overlook Kitchen & Bar at the Summit Hotel in Madisonville.
On Sunday, November 10th, the Outlaws will be at Ludlow Garage. List members Whit Gardner and Professor David Reid will be in attendance, and I may join them. Also, The Wood Brothers play Taft with Nicole Atkins, and Bogart’s has a quadruple bill of Newfound Glory, Hawthorne Heights, Free Throw and Jetty Bones, and King Buffalo will be at MOTR.
Hot ticket alert
Primo songwriter Jimmy Webb is playing a cool gig at Memorial Hall on Saturday, March 21st, 2020:
JIMMY WEBB: THE GLEN CAMPBELL YEARS highlights some of the 100+ recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook, pulling the audience in with various accounts each night of the personal side of generational touchstones like “Honey Come Back,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and more from decades of shared musical memories.
Hot ticket turned cold ticket alert
The Jesse Malin show at Southgate on 11/15 is no longer listed on Jesse’s website or the Southgate website. I was really, really, really looking forward to that gig because Jesse’s a fantastic performer and his new album Sunset Kids (produced by Lucinda Williams) is a gem. However, this is not the first time that a Jesse Malin show was scheduled at Southgate and then vanished. #FML
I also try to update the song and video on the top of the 97Xbam.com home page every couple of weeks, and you’ll always find fresh news from the website Under The Radar in our RSS feed, including a “best songs of the week.”
Tip o’ the cap
Thanks to my cousin-in-law Mike Holmes for putting us on the guest list for the Spookfloaters sold-out show at Dead Low Brewing (near Riverbend) on 11/1. Their acoustic set was outstanding, and Dead Low has a nice layout which includes a big patio and an indoor stage. I’m looking forward to hearing more live music from local bands there.
Answers to our poll question: what’s your favorite hidden gem cover tune?
Dan “2020 Reds season ticket packages are on sale now” Lewis picked Dwight Yoakam covering the Rolling Stones:
Marc Allen got very specific, selecting Jason Isbell joining Widespread Panic for an incendiary live version of J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High” back in 2016:
Bruce Frasure didn’t pick a cover, he was just glad to find a fellow Syd Straw fan, and mentioned this fantastic tune from her and some dude named Michael (who has been in the news of late).
Speaking of covers, here’s Lucy Dacus (at Woodward Theater this Tuesday) doing a rockin’ version of an Xmas evergreen:
Aaron Borns started at 97X as a student intern (a.k.a. “co-producer”) for the Breakfast Club in 1993, then worked part-time shifts, answered the phones and worked with Julie Maxwell doing promotions. He wasn’t at the station long, but the lessons he learned there served him well during a 20-plus year career doing promotions and marketing at RCA Records. Dave and Damian talk to Aaron about his 97X days, his record label roles… and how he got a free car while he was at 97X.
Aaron is in the top row, far right, in this photo from the 1993 (or 94) Day in Eden concert featuring The Judybats and the Goo Goo Dolls. Promo t-shirt from the 1993 Modern Rock 500
Yes, it’s another double shot of TWILM… a Two-fer Tuesday on a Sunday! I’ll be out on the Left Coast next weekend for a Ragnar Relay (similar to a Bourbon Chase race). Our 12-person team will do a 200-mile relay run from San Francisco to Napa from Friday morning until Saturday evening. Most members of our team are hardcore runners… I’m the “anchor” who will bring down our time. To make up for that, I’ll be DD the DD for our Wine Country tour on Sunday.
Run Forrest Run!
Okey-dokey, let’s get to the double dose o’ live tuneage:
Monday evening, there aren’t any music shows of note, but David Sedaris will be at the Aronoff. I’ll be at that show.
Tuesday, Southern Culture on the Skids plays Southgate. The SCOTS are always a fun time. Bring your 8 Piece Box! That same evening, the kids will be at Riverfront Coliseum for the sold-out Twenty One Pilots show. Actually, looks like some of the kids might be camping out Monday night, according to the Coliseum website:
Also on Tuesday, at Bogart’s, UFO will be playing their “50th Anniversary and Final Tour” show. I saw UFO open for Ozzy Osbourne back in 1982 at the Pine Bluff (Arkansas) Convention Center. This was at the height of “Ozzy is a devil worshipper” paranoia, shortly after ol’ Ozzy bit the head off of a live bat. So security was heightened at the venue, and my high school buddies made me sneak in the whiskey bottle. “You’re clean cut, they won’t ever suspect you.” Sure enough, I waltzed right in with contraband hooch crammed into my Levis, while my long-haired friends were patted down. Saints be praised!
Why yes, that is a 375 ml bottle of Jack Daniels in my pants. But I’m happy to see you too!
(Perhaps a more notable historical tidbit is that Ozzy’s guitarist Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash two weeks later.)
On Wednesday, Bumpin Uglies (“East Coast Ska/Punk/Reggae”) will be at Madison Live, and Marc Roberge of O.A.R. does a solo show at Ludlow Garage.
Thursday, Ben Folds plays Taft Theater. Many moons ago, the Ben Folds Five played the bar that’s now Below Zero in OTR, and after the show my friend Chris Comer asked the band to stop by his Chris & Rob Late Night Talk Show on WAIF-FM… and they did show up, and played a game of “Stump the Band” where listeners could call in and request a cover tune… I think Ben played a recorder.
[Sorry this post has turned into “Area man tries to remember stuff from decades ago.”]
That same evening, Kelsey Waldron plays Southgate’s Revival Room, Sawyer Fredericks is in the Southgate Sanctuary… and the bombastic Celine Dion will play the Coliseum. I don’t think anyone will be camping out for that show.
Sacrebleu!
Rhett Miller of the Old 97’s plays a solo gig in the Taft Theatre Ballroom on Friday. In Real Life plays Top Cats, Ben Levin is at BrewRiver, the Mt. Pleasant String Band plays Camp Springs Tavern, and Inhailer Radio takes over all three of the Southgate House stages for INspired, a fundraiser for the station featuring local bands doing original music and cover songs of bands who inspired them.
If you’ve been jonesing for a Lachey Bros fix since their OTR bar went out of business, please note that 98 Degrees is at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. Also, please consider getting a life.
Saturday, Mat Kearney has a sold out acoustic show at Memorial Hall, Dudley Taft has a CD release show at Madison Live, and Root Cellar Xtract is the featured band at Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest.
On Sunday, October 27th, Chelsea Ford & The Trouble are at Neltner’s Farm, Joshua Radin and The Weepies play Memorial Hall, Mystery Skulls is at Top Cats, and Ricky Nye and Paul Ellis play Wiedemann’s taproom (5pm show).
Boz Skaggs shuffles into the Taft on Wednesday, October 30th, and Michael Franti & Spearhead will be at Riverfront Live.
On Halloween, Elizabeth Cook and Will Hoge are playing Southgate.
Friday, November 1st is a big day for live music:
Talented singer/songwriter Ian Noe, who reminds me a lot of John Prine, plays Southgate (I’ll be at that gig – check out the video of Ian below. Tickets are a mere $10 in advance.)
Asleep at the Wheel will be at Memorial Hall, with the Quebe Sisters
William Duvall (of Alice in Chains) plays Top Cats
999 and The Clap will be at Ludlow Garage
Blue October plays Bogart’s
Root Cellar Xtract is at Fretboard Brewing in Blue Ash
Ohio Valley Salvage plays Camp Springs Tavern
Local jam band Spookfloaters have a sold-out “For the Faithful” gig celebrating all things Grateful Dead, at the recently-opened Dead Low Brewing (near Riverbend)
Speaking of Dead-related bands, Terrapin Moon plays Stanley’s
The other Bob.
On Saturday, 11/2, Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, KY (the Northside of NKY) is screening the film When It Breaks at noon. List member Keith Neltner highly recommends it. Here’s the synopsis from imdb.com:
When It Breaks is the inspiring story of Special Education teacher Konrad Wert and his personal journey to avoid becoming another victim of teacher burnout. Stepping away from the classroom, Wert turns to his musical side career as a means to tour the country with his family and engage teachers, parents, and audiences in a conversation about the current state of Special Education. As opportunities arise, Konrad must decide how his service is most effective- as an advocating artist or as a teacher in the classroom.
That evening, Jonathan Edwards and Jon Pousette-Dart are at Memorial Hall and Hiroshima plays Ludlow Garage.
Sunday, November 3rd, John Cusack will be at Taft for a screening of the movie Say Anything, followed by a live conversation. Not bad if you enjoy paying a minimum of $52.75 (plus fees) to watch a 30-year-old movie.
Hot ticket turned cold ticket alert
Wussy is playing a living room show on 11/22, but tickets sold out in a few hours.
Poll question: what’s your favorite hidden gem cover tune?
Here’s mine: Little Feat’s “I’ve Been The One” as done by Golden Palominos, with the inimitable Syd Straw on lead vocals. The original tune is very nice, but I absolutely adore this version. “And I’ve tried everything that whiskey cures, but the pain endures.”
Howdy kids, I’m back from the City of the Big Shoulders, the Windy City. I’d like to propose a toast to my wife, who ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday.
And I’d also like to propose a toast to my Chicago-dwelling friend Jessica, who hooked me up with an extra ticket to the Luna concert at Lincoln Hall last night, where they played their album Penthouse in its entirety.
OK, short week, short post.
Tuesday, Macy Gray plays Ludlow Garage. All That Remains and Lacuna Coil are at Riverfront Live. Capstan plays Top Cats and local musician Zapruder Point is at the Brew House.
On Wednesday, Just Friends, Save Face, the Sonder Bombs and Pool Kids play the Southgate House; Andy Frasco and the UN are at Madison Live; The New Mastersounds are at Ludlow; Sarah Asher plays MOTR with Mavis Guitar, Billy Alletzhauser and Beth Harris; and list member John Sandman’s Tye Dye Band plays Tina’s downtown from 4:30-8 p.m.
Della Mae is at Memorial Hall on Thursday, Charlie Parr has a CD release show in Southgate’s Revival Room, and Brit blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor is in Southgate’s main room. Brand X is at Ludlow Garage that evening… not to be confused with Kroger’s old generic brand.
Mmm, tasty!
Friday, you can enjoy Cigarettes After Sex… at the Madison Theater. Or you can go to the zombie party hosted by 500 Miles to Memphis at Southgate, in the Sanctuary. The Minks and the Nailers are in Southgate’s Sanctuary, and Arlo McKinley & the Lonesome Sound play Madison Live.
Murphy’s Pub is celebrating 30th years with Dirty Thirty gigs on Friday and Saturday. You can read more in CityBeat.
Taking Back Sunday kicks off a two-night stand at Bogart’s on Friday. Apparently they are trying to corner the market on weekends.
Mmm, tasty!
On Saturday:
Warrick & Lowell play Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest
Rickie Lee Jones is at Ludlow Garage
the father-son duo of Ritt & Wilder Dietz plays the Parlor & Patio house concert in Ft. Thomas
Maurice Mattei is in Southgate’s Lounge
Rob Harris & Marcia Ramirez play a special Downtowne Listening Room show at Covenant First Presbyterian Church
Rhonda Vincent & The Rage are at Miami U – Hamilton
The Cliftones play MOTR
Comedian John Mulaney is at Miami’s main campus
Sunday, John Morgen plays Neltner’s Farm, the Aquadolls are at Top Cats, and the Q102 Bosom Ball is at Madison Theater, with Ingrid Michaelson as the headliner and Maddie Poppe, the Season 16 winner of American karaoke Idol, also on the bill.
My Favorite Record Label
Merge Records was founded by Mac & Laura from Superchunk, so naturally I’m biased, but they have a stellar stable of artists. This year, they were celebrating their 30th anniversary and I subscribed to their “Born Under A Good Sign” promo, which got me a quarterly shipment of surprise/limited edition tunes and some other swag. This quarter, it was a Polvo reissue on green vinyl and a Holiday Sampler on peppermint vinyl.
Mmm, tasty!
Dude to follow on the socials
Speaking of Superchunk, if you’re not following Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster (also drummer for Bob Mould and The Mountain Goats and co-star of The Best Show), you’re missing out. On Insta, he does a “new worst friend” thing when someone sends him a weird photo:
The latest episode of the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast features our chat with Rik Helton, the former owner of CD World, who used to promote his record store by attending indie rock concerts dressed in superhero tights. We also play some other throwback commercials from the 97X airwaves.
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.
Admit it, you’ve never heard of Brewmania either.
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.
1976 flesh tones
2019 Fleshtones
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.
Pure sizzurp
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.
The fancier it sounds, the more you can charge.
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.)
Now THAT is a 70s hairdo!
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.
Wow, it’s nearly October. Or should I say Rocktober? You know the month will rock you like a climate-change-induced hurricane.
Let’s get right to the rock. And the tober.
Monday, Nashville band The Medium is at MOTR, with Nave Netoow opening. Here’s the promo photo of Nave:
Note to self: if Nave offers a carrot/orange smoothie, politely decline.
On Tuesday, Yung Gravy is playing Bogart’s. He’s a rapper from the hip-hop hotbed of Rochester, Minnesota. After watching one of his videos, I can’t figure out if he’s serious or if it’s an Andy Samberg short from SNL.
You can chase that Gravy with some Catfish, as Catfish & the Bottlemen are at Bogart’s on Wednesday. That same evening, Church Girls are playing Urban Artifact, with Soften and Fycus, and Lee Ann Womack is at Memorial Hall with Sarah Siskind.
Thursday, Mt. Pleasant String Band plays the Southgate Lounge, Blackfoot Gypsies hit Madison Live, Bam Powell performs solo at Latitudes, Cody Johnson is at Bogart’s, Mynah Tones play MOTR, an Eagles tribute band (The Eagles Project) is at Memorial Hall, and Ben Levin will be playing the “Top of the Park” rooftop at the Phelps Hotel.
Plenty o’ music from which to choose on Friday:
the Adrian Belew Power Trio plays Ludlow Garage with Saul Zonana
Sublime with Rome is at Riverfront Live
Com Truse plays Madison Theater
Dead Centric is at Urban Artifact
Chris Comer plays The View at Shires Garden
Riverfront Coliseum hosts the Legends of Hip Hop featuring E-40, Mystikal, Scarface, 8 Ball & MJG, Too Short, Bun B and Pastor Troy.
Saturday has a full slate o’ tunes too, including the Cripple Creek Music Festival in Fort Mitchell:
The Harmed Brothers play Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest starting at 1:30
Jukebox The Ghost is at Madison Theater
Plastic Ants, This Pine Box and the Amprays play MOTR
ghost man on second is at Lucius Q
Ludlow Garage has the tribute band The Dirty Doors
If you’re into clean comedy instead of Dirty Doors, Nate Bargatze is at Taft.
Last but not least, there’s a free show in Eden park:
The event is a fundraiser for the Community Program for Recovery, a non-profit that helps recovering alcoholics and addicts living in transitional recovery housing.
On Sunday, Neltner’s Farm has a Kentucky Showcase: The Poor Hours, T. Lipscomp, Chris Lloyd, Randy Steffen and Sami Riggs. Luckman Coffee in Mt. Washington is hosting a #LocalFoodRocks event from 4-6 p.m., featuring local food and local bands BackBeat and Prestige Grease. That evening, Man Man plays Top Cats… with GRLwood also on the bill (let’s hear it for Title IX!) and Go Go Buffalo.
Obviously, we wanted to be successful with everything we did. But we also were the first ones to fuck it up half the time. … Most of the time in fact. … OK, all the time!
Tommy Stinson of The Replacements
Speaking of the ‘Mats and f-ing up, list member Mighty Joe Sampson ordered the new Replacements deluxe set called Dead Man’s Pop, which contains the original Matt Wallace mixes of Don’t Tell A Soul (on LP and CD), plus a 29-song live concert recording from 1989, and a disc of outtakes, including some tunes with Tom Waits. Perhaps because Joe is 10 times the Replacements fan as anyone else I know, Amazon sent him 11 copies, not 1.
Thanks, Bezos!
Joe even contacted Amazon to alert them of their $600 error, but they told him to keep his bounty.
It’s not like Jeff Bezos needs the money for alimony payments or anything. Joe was kind enough to gift me with one of the sets. Much obliged!
Hot Ticket Alert
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein from Blondie will be at Walnut Hills High School on Monday, October 7th, with artist/director Rob Roth, for a Joseph-Beth sponsored book event for Debbie Harry’s new memoir Face It, along with a “visual presentation.”
Ticket price includes a pre-signed copy of the book.
Grace Potter plays Taft on January 22. Tickets are on sale now.
Concert review
Brett Newski rocked the house at the Parlor & Patio show on Friday. He’s a very entertaining dude, and a nice guy to boot. Parlor & Patio has two more shows on tap for 2019, you really should get to one… or both!
Shameless Self-promotion
You’ll find a new episode of the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast on this website, as well as on Spotify, iTunes and Podbean. Dave Tellmann and I chat with “Gentleman Jim” Mercer, the dean of all part-time DJs at 97X.
97X had dozens if not hundreds of part-time DJs over the lifetime of the station, but no one else can top the tenure of “Gentleman” Jim Mercer, who worked weekend and vacation fill-in shifts for a whopping 14 years, from 1990 through 2004. His dedication and professionalism made him the ultimate weekend warrior. Dave and Damian talk to Jim about his day job, how he got the DJ gig, and how he made his shifts sound so smooth.
Jim nearing the end of a Saturday shift in 2004. This photo was taken by Luann Gibbs.
Like most radio stations, 97X typically had five full-time shifts: mornings, midday, afternoons, evenings and overnight. Having Jim as a part-timer for more than a decade was a luxury. He could — and did — handle any weekend shift, and was always willing to fill in on the evening and overnight shifts to cover vacations.
The NBA gives out a Sixth Man of the Year Award for someone who is the best performer coming off the bench. Gentleman Jim was the 97X equivalent of the Sixth Man of the Year for 14 years running.
Left to right: Jim Mercer, Julie Maxwell, Bakerman, Sledge and Kathy Lucas, at a 97X reunion in 2009.
When Bakerman did the final break on 97X, he gave a special shout-out to Jim.
Jim and Steve Baker in the press box for the Miami-UC game in 2016.
Craig later worked at EMI (shh, don’t tell Johnny Rotten) and is now Director of Music Partnerships at ReverbNation. Please read the entire piece. I love Craig’s passion for the music, and how he’s encouraging all of us to rage against the machine(s):
Amen to that, Brother Craig! Taking his cue, I’ll mention yet again that the new album from Jesse Malin is fantastic, and I’m offering my Double D Money Back Guarantee™ for his show at Southgate House on Friday, November 15th. If you go to the show and aren’t completely satisfied by Mr. Malin’s music and stage presence, I’ll refund your ticket price out of my own pocket.
Welcome, officially (but not officiously) to Fall. Monday, September 23rd is the Autumnal Equinox.
Summer's goingfast, 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.
I still miss the Chris & Rob Late Night Talk Show on WAIF-FM.
There are several other notable gigs that evening:
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.
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.
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.
Pint-sized punk poet Jesse Malin
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.
