Wait a minute, something ain’t right with that button…
There, fixed it!
Friends, we’re gathered together today for a very special episode of “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” as we pay tribute to the man who saw Jesus at McDonald’s at midnight. The man who impregnated Debbie Gibson. The man whose antipathy for Don Henley knows no bounds, and whose love for Martha Quinn is eternal. The man, the myth, the Mojo-est MoFo of them all. The Bo-Day-Shus Mr. Mojo Nixon!
(Photo above is from Mojo’s last performance, on the Outlaw Country Cruise.)
Dave “The Dick Cavett of Modern Rock” interviewed Mojo in 1990, and that interview clip is part of this episode – and stick around for his live in-studio performance of “I’m in love with Oprah” from 97X back in 1986.
Here’s a recent photo of Mojo with Dave… Mojo’s wearing the same shirt in this photo that he was wearing during his final performance!
Every performance was entertaining. You’d never know he was a double-major (political science and history) graduate of Miami University…
And every Mojo encounter was memorable… here’s 97X super-listener Dave Lenehan’s tales:
Mojo went out in his trademark, inimitable style.
Here’s another song Mojo did in the 97X studios in 1986, with Mr. K.
A Mojo promo liner from the station:
Vinyl album from the 97X studio:
In recent years, many of us have enjoyed listening to Mojo on Outlaw Country. Here’s their blog post interview with him from 2017.
A Mojo documentary came out last year.
Rest in peace, Mojo… you’ll always be on our Wall of Fame.
He really liked that red shirt… he was even wearing it when list member Dave Tellmann caught up with him a while back.
And list member Dave Lenehan shared a couple of Mojo stories on Facebook:
Someone dug up this audio of Mojo (a Miami U. alum!) and Skid Roper on 97X with Mr. K:
And Ken Katkin paid tribute to Mojo on his Trash Flow Radio show. Listen here.
Outlaw to the very end. Amen.
OK, let’s talk live music.
Friday night shows:
Joe Pug and Hello Darling play the Southgate House
War Hippies and Blake Tyler are at the old Annie’s
Neck Deep plays the Ovation
On Saturday, your faithful scribe will be in Ludlow, Kentucky for their Cabin Fever extravaganza. The lineup of local artists is outstanding:
And proceeds benefit Music Fund Cincinnati, a non-profit started by list member John Sandman and his wife.
Other Saturday shows:
Saving Escape, Sunmates, and Knotts play MOTR
The Aronoff hosts Blackout featuring Siri Imani
Songwriter and longtime Jimmy Buffett Coral Reefer band member Mac McAnally kicks off a three-night stand (Sat/Sun/Tues) at Ludlow Garage.
Bogart’s has Gimme Gimme Disco: A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA. If you go to that gig, be sure to break out your best ABBA threads.
(Not sure if that’s ABBA or stunt doubles from “Logan’s Run.”)
Joe’s Truck Stop plays the Rabbit Hash “Music Behind the Stove” series Sunday at 2:30 p.m. If you go to that show, be sure to wear your best “BJ & the Bear” outfit.
(Greg Evigan hair by Vidal Sassoon. Shirt from Botany 500. Buttons sold separately.)
Mac McAnally wraps up his Ludlow series on Tuesday.
Speaking of (‘Til) Tuesday, Aimee Mann plays a sold-out show at Memorial Hall on Wednesday, with Jonathan Coulton as the opener. And Gaelic Storm storms the Taft.
Next Thursday (2/29) is Leap Day
A.k.a. the 17th birthday of list member Ted Gardner. Teddy Boy can celebrate with Eric Gales at Ludlow, or Bryan Adams at Truist Arena. The opener for the latter gig is “Eurythmics Songbook featuring Dave Stewart”… which is a better name than “the guy without Annie Lennox.”
Next Friday, March 1st, The Raisins reunite for the first of three consecutive sold-out shows at the Woodward Theater. I’ll be in the house for that one.
Other 3/1 shows are Steel Wheels at Ludlow Garage, Moonbeau and Sappha at MOTR, and Mammoth WVH at Bogart’s.
Saturday, March 2nd is action-packed:
The Raisins are back on the Woodward stage
The Tillers kick off a two-night stand at Southgate – both shows will be recorded for an upcoming live album
Joe Bonamassa plays the Taft (giving blues-rock guitar freaks a massa-ive bona)
Madison Live hosts “An Evening with Sofaburn” – acts include Mike Montgomery, Lung, Super City, Shadwick, Wilde with Quiet Hollers, and Mosant
Plain Folk Café in Pleasant Plain, OH has An Evening with Dead Centric (that should be pleasant)
Molly Hatchet plays the Madison Theater
Annie’s hosts Aces High: The Music of Iron Maiden
On Sunday, March 3rd, The Tillers are back at Southgate and rolling tape for the live album.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays Memorial Hall on Tuesday, March 5th. And Socks in the Frying Pan and Enter the Haggis play that same venue the following evening (3/6). (“Socks in the Frying Pan and Enter the Haggis – part of this complete Celtic breakfast!”)
Local Lixx
Hat tip to list member Reid McCreary for recommending Mol Sullivan’s new album Goose. Definitely worth a spin or three:
Future Shows of Note
Guided By Voices and Wussy (full band!) play Madison Theater on 4/26.
They Might Be Giants play Madison Theater on May 14 and May 15
Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power at the Carol Brady on 6/5
Railbird (June 1-2 in Lexington) and Bourbon & Beyond (Sept 19-22 in L-ville) lineups below
List member Howard Cohen shared this one, but he warned me it could be fake news:
After a bit of internet sleuthing, I think it’s the handiwork of graphic designer Cris Shapan, who does a lot of retro fakery that’s friggin’ hilarious. Check out his work on Facebook but be prepared to laugh your buttocks off. Here’s a fake TV Guide listing:
And here’s a fake ad:
Real Album Cover of the Week
This is actually more disconcerting than the fake album cover, TBH.
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.
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.”
Happy 2024! May your year be filled with peace, prosperity… and some live music!
Breaking news!
Sorry to interrupt our usual programming, but we had to inform you that sales legend (and longtime This Week/Fortnight/Month in Live Music whipping boy) Dan Lewis has hung up his Cincinnati Reds spikes sport coat.
Dan spent 17 years in sales for WLW, and another 17 in sales for the Redlegs. He’s certainly earned his retirement.
And we promise to stop poking fun at Dan “Reds in 2024, but not me” Lewis now that he’s a man of leisure.
Speaking of leisure time, your favorite Koncert Keeper blogger will be out of town for a couple of weeks. I’ll be hangin’ with Donny & Marie… and Punchy.
So let’s take a look at the entire January roster o’ shows.
Monday night, Memorial Hall has “Cincinnati’s King Records: A Musical History – featuring Ben Levin.”
On Wednesday, Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke kicks off a two-night stand at Ludlow Garage. Benji Shanks (not the prison weapon) is also on the bill. Also, ska band Mustard Plug plays Southgate.
Charlie and Benji (not the adorable dog from the 1974 movie or the 2018 reboot) will be back in the Garage on Thursday. That same evening, Jason Carter of the Del McCoury Band will play the Woodward Theater.
Friday shows:
Beth Harris plays an unplugged (no relation to Mustard Plug) happy hour freebie show at MOTR. Two sets starting at 5 p.m. Highly recommended!
The Godz (legendary hard rock band from Columbus) play the Blue Note in Harrison
Ludlow Garage has the Ultimate Doors (no relation to AE Garage Doors)
Next Saturday, Jan. 13th:
Musical comedian Heywood Banks plays the Sorg Opera House in Middletown
Non-musical comedian Nate Bargatze is at the Coliseum
Musician-who-was-in-a-comedy-show Noah Reid (David’s boyfriend in “Schitt’s Creek”) plays Bogart’s
Najee plays the Ludlow Garage
Friday, Jan. 19th:
Memorial Hall has four great singer/songwriters – it’s the “On a Winter’s Night” tour featuring Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin, John Gorka, and Cliff Eberhardt.
King Buffalo plays the Woodward, with Rezn and The Harlequins
Dead Letter Office: A Tribute to R.E.M. will be at Ludlow Garage
The old Annie’s hosts Grunge: The Sounds of Seattle. (flannel shirts and leggings under cargo shorts sold separately)
The tribute band conga line (Gloria Estefan sold separately) continues on Saturday, Jan. 20th, as Ludlow Garage hosts Kashmir – Classic Led Zeppelin Live and Madison Theater has Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd. (“Oh, by the way, which one’s fake Pink?”)
That same evening, The Electric Indigo, Junior Citizens, and Nick Fed Trio play MOTR.
On Sunday, Jan. 21st, there’s… wait for it… another tribute show! Memorial Hall hosts All You Need is Love (“a celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ arrival in America”).
On Tuesday, Jan. 23rd, Digable Planets will do a 30th anniversary show for their debut album Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) at Bogart’s.
Michael Oliva of The Harlequins plays an Artist in Residence show at MOTR on Wednesday, 1/24, with Pretty Mean and The Dolly Daredevils. (Michael is playing MOTR every Wednesday in January.)
Story of the Year will be at Bogart’s on Thursday, 1/25.
Shows on Friday, Jan. 26th:
Sugadaisy,This Pine Box, and DJ Freakboys play MOTR
Mol Sullivan has a record release show at Woodward Theater
Mr. Big (no relation to the “Sex in the City” character) plays Ludlow Garage.
The Commodores play the Hard Rock Casino on Saturday, Jan. 27th (not to be confused with “Easy Like Sunday Morning”… wait, yes, it IS!). Meanwhile, over at Tribute Band Central (a.k.a. Ludlow Garage), it’s the Hot Red Chili Peppers.
No, the Hot – Red – Chili – Peppers. See what they did there? (Tube socks sold separately.)
On Sunday, Jan. 28th:
Steve Poltz plays the Woodward Theater
Branford Marsalis (not to be confused with Wynton Marsalis… but that’s tough to do) plays Memorial Hall.
Long Live Rabbit Hash!
The Rabbit Hash General Store has a “Sunday Music Behind the Stove” Series with artists performing at 2:30 p.m. Here’s the lineup for the next few months:
Long live people who are still alive!
Reader Kevin Sullivan flagged this story from The Atlantic:
It’s a good read for folks of a certain vintage… (looking at you, Dan “I’m Retired” Lewis) and not just because it has “Fee Waybill” in it. (Also, it sounds like the Greenwich Odeum is the Ludlow Garage of Rhode Island.)
Speaking of Geriatric Rock, check out Dan Lewis rocking what he likes to call “The Banana Hammock” (because it’s so comfy):
Concerts in Space!
The Washington Post has an article where the author speculates about playing music in space (not the Grateful Dead kind… or maybe so!). Hard pass for me. I’ll stick with this:
Jim James Jams!
Here’s part of a pre-New Year’s note to the My Morning Jacket email list from lead singer Jim James:
Here are some things I tell myself to try and remember, perhaps some of them may resonate with you:
Take time to tell the people close to you that you love them and are grateful for them. Take time to sit quietly and do the same for yourself – give yourself some extra love and self-care. Look in the mirror every morning and say “I LOVE YOU (insert your name here)” even if you are sad. Go to therapy. Get out in nature and close to the source. Find God in your own way. Hug a friend. If you can’t hug a person, hug a tree or a sweet animal friend, and try to give as many hugs as you can. Don’t be afraid to ask for love if you need it, most folks aren’t mind readers and are usually happy to help if only we ask. Go to an art show, see some live music or sports or performance of any kind, and connect with folks in the real world. [emphasis mine]
Frank & Dave’s faves
List member Frank B. shared his favorite albums of 2023:
Wednesday – Rat Saw God
Superviolet – Infinite Spring
Geese – 3D Country
MJ Lenderman – Live and Loose
Sparklehorse – Bird Machine
Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World
And list member Dave Purcell (now based in Albuquerque) shared his top picks for last year, along with his wife Amy’s favorite books. Those lists are linked below. (+1 on his pick of The Tubs Dead Meat – love that album!)
However you choose to celebrate the holiday season, please don’t spin any of those overplayed seasonal tunes within earshot of me. It’s not just Mariah, it’s also Andy Williams, Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee… basically the same 12-song rotation that’s been shoved down our earholes since November 1st.
There are good Christmas songs (R.I.P. Shane and Kirsty), but you’ll rarely hear them on iHeart/Cumulus radio stations or in the malls.
Thanks, my spleen feels vented now. On with the shows!
Tonight, Ben Levin plays Schwartz’s Point, and then he’s got his big Holiday Blues Revue on Thursday.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy plays a “Wild & Swingin’ Holiday Party” at the Taft Theatre on Wednesday.
On Saturday, it’s a Sophie’s Choice for the stoners:
Afroman’s “Merry Spliffmas” is at Annie’s
Hyryder (Grateful Dead tribute band) plays the Madison Theater
After those smokin’ Saturday shows, all is calm, all is bright… two adjectives that my school teachers never used to describe me.
Things pick up a bit after the fat guy heads back to the North Pole.
On Friday, December 29th, Sylmar and Bendigo Fletcher play the Woodward, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra trots out their usual holiday tuneage at the Coliseum.
Saturday, December 30th is a very busy night for concerts:
Jess Lamb & The Factory (featuring Siri Imani) plays MOTR
Rumpke Mountain Boys kick off a two-night stand at Annie’s
Root Cellar Extract plays Plain Folk Café in Goshen
Tickled Pink (Scott Covrett, Bob Nyswonger and Bam Powell) plays the Pub in Rookwood
On Sunday, December 31st:
The Rumpke Mountain Boys ring in the new year at Annie’s
Foxy Shazam plays the Foxy Carol Brady
Your favorite writer of a semi-coherent, sporadically-published list of Cincinnati-area concerts will celebrate his birthday… by attending the wedding of one of his wife’s co-workers.
Coney Island Baby
Did you hear the news that MEMI is draining the Coney Island Sunlite Pool for good, and building a concert venue in its stead?
Oh goody, a state-of-the-art venue to host those cutting-edge Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock double bills!
I just genuinely think the record I made is really fucking good, and I love it. And again, that’s what matters. I guess maybe at the heart of this message is: If you really love something, do it. Don’t give up. Don’t overthink it. Don’t say, “Well, I should just do the other thing that works already.” No. Do the think you wanna do. Make the thing you wanna make. You know what? If it doesn’t work out, that’s OK.
And the story has a bit of a happy ending, thanks to the dumpster fire that is whatever Twitter is called now.
Album worth a spin
I’m really digging the new release from a UK band called Witching Waves.
Read an interview with the band members here and check out the album below:
Matt & Dave
Cincy meets Indy when Matt Berninger chats with David Letterman.
Hot Ticket Alert
Alvvays plays Bogart’s on Friday, 4/19, and Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew bring the Remain in Light tour to that same venue on Friday, July 26th. (The Bogart’s box office is open Mondays and Fridays from noon-5, and it opens two hours before showtime on the nights of a show — purchase your tickets there to save big on fees.)
Favorites of 2023
Steven Hyden of Uproxx has it right:
Before I share my list, I need to repeat my regular “year-end list” disclaimer. If you already know the drill, feel free to skip ahead.
1) Ranking albums is dumb … We all know this. Art isn’t a competition. I can’t really distinguish between my 13th favorite album and my 15th favorite. This is all talk. None of it really matters.
2) … but it’s kind of fun … Of course it is! Because it’s about sharing music recommendations. And I do mean share — make your own lists and show them to me, especially if you’re the sort inclined to complain about lists. Put yourself out there and let me complain about you, too!
3) … because it’s really about discovering an album or two (or possibly more!) that you might not have known about otherwise. Exactly!
Wow, can you believe it’s December already? I don’t think I’m ready for the “holiday of savings” or the “sale-a-bration” or the “December to Remember” or whatever other slogan some poor junior copywriter has to come up with (until s/he’s replaced by A.I.).
But I AM ready to rock… always. (And Alvvays!)
Let’s take a gander* at the upcoming shows.
*no relation to the Christmas goose… we hope, because if he is, we have some bad news to deliver.
Tonight:
Braxton Brewing’s Dark Charge release day features live music from Tracy Walker, Zeb South and Jeremy Short
Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real are at Bogart’s
Ben Levin 3 plays Wiedemann’s
Camp Springs Tavern has an evening with Alex Salcido (of The Harmed Bros.)
Ludlow Garage hosts Aja: a Tribute to Steely Dan
Ramblin’ Rob’s “Dead to the Core” show at Annie’s is a benefit for WAIF-FM
NoahIMean? and Tobotius of Animal Crackers host a turntable workshop at the Music Resource Center (tickets)
On Sunday, Jason’s Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening will be at the Greg Brady (because Greg was a rock god too!).
Want your own Johnny Bravo moment? On Tuesday, you can be a movie star! Jerry King & the Rivertown Ramblers will be playing a FREE show in the Southgate House’s Revival room. And the honky tonkers and rockabilly boppers in the crowd might end up in a movie, because the show is being filmed for an upcoming documentary. (More here.)
The Preservation Hall Brass Band plays a Creole Christmas show at Memorial Hall on Wednesday, and Meshuggah will be rocking the Jan Brady.
Pop (or bluegrass) quiz: “Kentucky Thunder” is:
the street name for off-brand Oxycontin.
Ricky Skaggs’ backing band.
Trick question… it’s both! But only #2 will be playing Memorial Hall (with Ricky) on Thursday.
That same evening, Steel Panther plays Bogart’s and Thunderstruck (“America’s AC/DC”) plays Annie’s.
On Friday:
Ben Levin plays Element Eatery
Ludlow Garage hosts Christmas with the Celts
Carriers play live at Music Resource Center
Next Saturday‘s smorgasbord:
Heartless Bastards play the Woodward
You can see Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (the band at the Madison Theater, or the YouTube channel from the comfort of your own home)
Welshly Arms will be arm’s length away at Madison Live
Mike & the Moonpies play Southgate, with Justin Wells and Erin Viancourt
LEZ Zeppelin will be in Ludlow Garage
On Thursday, 12/14, you can catch Tab Benoit and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Taft, or see A John Waters Christmas at Ludlow Garage.
On Friday, 12/15, Over the Rhine kicks off a three-day stand at Memorial Hall. (Sunday 12/17 show is at 4 p.m. for those who want to catch a show, catch the early bird special at Bob Evans, and catch a full night’s rest.)
Other 12/15 shows:
Pink Talking Fish (a fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish) plays the Madison Theater
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony plays a hip-hop holiday show at the Ovation
Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits hosts an Olde English Christmas at Ludlow. That show might be BYOB:
On Saturday, Dec. 16th:
Mike Oberst & Justin Cefalu play Camp Springs Tavern
Motherfolk plays “A Very Motherfolk Christmas” at Bogart’s
The Atlanta Rhythm Section is so into the Ludlow Garage
Woodward Theater hosts a screening of Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr.
And on Sunday, 12/17, you can jazz up your life by seeing Ben Levin at Schwartz’s Point.
I’ll have a Blue(s) Christmas without you
Speaking o’ young Ben Levin, he’s hosting a great lineup of Blues artists for a good cause on Solstice evening:
Guided By Voices has a new album out. Nowhere To Go But Up is merely their 39th studio album, and only the third of this year.
And guess what? It rocks! Check out the Paste review. I love this line from it:
To be a Guided By Voices fan is to be happy within your place orbiting around a flaming sun that, somehow, still burns as aggressively as it did in the early 1990s.
Geddy wrote a memoir. This CBC interview is well worth watching. Here’s a quick clip where Ged talks about being a part of Canada’s premier power rock trio (suck it, Triumph!):
Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)
Seems like a kids album, right? Guess again, my friend:
If you have an especially keen eye (or too much time on your hands), you might’ve also noticed the song entitled “Marty Feldman Two Step.”
This album seems pretty innocuous too… I was afraid to check out the track list.
And I don’t speak jive. But I know Beaver Cleaver’s mom does.
Let’s speak a universal language: music! But before we get to the gigs in the near future, just a quick reminder that pre-sale tickets were made available today for The Raisins reunion shows next March 1st and 2nd at The Woodward Theater – the code is: porkopolis.
Tonight:
The Menzingers play Bogart’s
Tiny Moving Parts and World’s Greatest Dad (which could be a warning label on a Swiss watch and a coffee mug screen printing, respectively) are at Southgate in the Revival Room
John R. Miller plays Southgate’s main room (a.k.a. Sanctuary)
On Friday, Meshell Ndegeocello plays Ludlow Garage.
Saturday gigs:
In the Pines (new album is pretty good) plays the Woodward, with Lung and Mol Sullivan also on the bill
Memorial Hall has An Evening with Joan Osborne
Ludlow Garage features Bruce in the U.S.A. (“The world’s #1 tribute to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band”) – almost as good as this act:
Sunday is a busy day for shows:
Black Stone Cherry plays the old Annie’s
John Waite and his band are at Memorial Hall
The O’Jays make a “Last Stop on the Love Train” tour appearance at the Greg AND Peter Brady
The Whiskey Shambles play Northside Tavern on Tuesday, 11/21, with Achilles Tenderloin and Sarah Dactyl also on the bill.
Wednesday, November 22nd is Thanksgiving Eve… and you can feast on live music:
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays Southgate
Ernie Johnson from Detroit is at MOTR
Maria Carrelli will be playing at Arnold’s in conjunction with the limited edition vinyl release of a live album she recorded at Arnold’s back in April. The album artwork is from list member Keith Neltner, in collaboration with Maker’s Mark. The first 150 people to show up will get the album for free!
These aren’t just regular albums. There is a ton of work that goes into them. Releasing these Thanksgiving Eve albums for free has been a passion project for Arnold’s owner Chris Breeden and celebrated graphic designer Keith Neltner for over 5 years now. They handle every aspect of this release from the vinyl pressing all the way to stuffing the records into the sleeves at the end.
Next Thursday, you’ll be too stuffed on stuffing to see a show.
But you can dance it off on Friday, 11/24 during the Funksgiving show hosted by Freekbass at Radio Artifact (in the Urban Artifact taproom). Or try this:
Other shows on Friday 11/24:
Trouble No More and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country kickoff a two-night stand at the Madison Theater
Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle are at Southgate
Tweens play MOTR
Night #1 of Inhailer Radio’s “Inspired” fundraiser concerts at The Woodward – full lineup:
Gigs on Saturday, 11/25:
Night #2 of the Inhailer fundraiser shows (Woodward) and the Trouble No More/Daniel Donato combo (Madison Theater)
Your favorite music list author will be slinging beers at the Mt. Washington Biergarten in the parking lot on Oxford Avenue. Stop by and say hi.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram puts a bow on Rollvember with a show at Ludlow Garage on Thursday, 11/30.
I went to a rock concert and a ballgame broke out… or vice versa
Foo Fighters and Green Day are both playing Great American Ball Park this summer. Foos have Pretenders and Mammoth WVH opening. The Green Day lineup also includes Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas. Look for list member Dan “Reds win it all in ’24” Lewis in the front row for both shows.
Have we learned nothing from “Disco Demolition Day”?
It turns out that Jeff Tweedy likes ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”… [story link courtesy of list member Michael “Rico” Carrico, who said “This seems like some well-timed wisdom from one of our favorites that maybe you should make note of there old (cranky, crotchety) friend…] Hmm, guess Rico wasn’t onboard with my Radiohead bashing. He’d better get off my lawn!
The 70s were the best!
I miss those halcyon days when you could you see the “I am Woman” woman and Fonzie singing along with Neil Diamond.
Jaguar Sun and Television Blonde play MOTR (9 p.m., tix are $15 day of show)
Loreena McKennitt is at the Taft
The Mat Kearney Acoustic Trio plays Memorial Hall
The Cadillac Three are at Bogart’s
Rainbow Full of Sound (yes, that’s a Grateful Dead tribute band… how’d you guess?) will be at the old Annie’s, recreating the GDs legendary 1972 tour of Europe.
Rubblebucket plays Bogart’s on Friday.
Here’s your Saturday slate o’ shows:
Blues guitarist Walter Trout is at Ludlow Garage
Willy & the Cigs play MOTR
Southgate House hosts the Queen City Blues Fest (lineup is here)
Ovation has Wish You Were Here – The Sight & Sound of Pink Floyd presents “The Dark Side of The Moon 50th and Beyond Tour” (“North America’s biggest, most authentic Pink Floyd stage production in a spectacular tribute of music, performers, lighting, lasers, videos and inflatables.”)
Travis Tritt plays the Hard Rock (although he doesn’t play hard rock)
Speaking of casinos, Tuesday is 11/7 (or 7/11 if you’re a Eurotrash Girl or Guy)… and if you’re a fan of Victor Wooten and the Wooten Brothers, it’s your lucky day. They play Memorial Hall.
On Wednesday, 11/8, Popa Chubby (yes, that’s his real name*) plays Southgate, with Luther Ray and the Flood.
*No, it isn’t. But here’s a true story: when I worked on the Gary Burbank Show at WLW, cast member Dukie Sinatra and I would sometimes fill in for Gary on holidays. We had a Popa Chubby tune as one of our “bumper” instrumental beds. As we were coming back from a commercial break. I made the mistake of saying the artist’s name… Duke never let me live it down.
Next Thursday, November 9th, is jam-packed with jams (but not jam bands… sorry Tommy Chong!)
The Head & The Heart play the Mike & Carol Brady (see what we did there?)
Memorial Hall hosts a musical conversation with Valerie June, Rachael Davis, Thao (of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down fame) and Yasmin Williams
Tommy Prine plays Southgate with Jordan Smart
Eric Hutchinson is at Ludlow Garage (which isn’t in Ludlow, KY)
The Blue Wisp Big Band plays Bircus Brewing (which IS in Ludlow, KY)
AJ Croce will be at the Taft
Jeff Tweedy’s Fall Book Tour makes a stop at Walnut Hills High School’s auditorium, with Nathan Salsburg as the moderator
Last, but certainly not least, you can enjoy some Post Sex Nachos (that’s a band… good thing they didn’t have any instrumental tracks when I worked on Gary Burbank’s show) and Divine Sweater at Madison Live.
(The original Lovin’ Spoonful)
Concerts on Friday, November 10th:
Grace Potter plays the Jan Brady
GZA and Fishbone are at Bogart’s
Freddie Gibbs plays the Madison Theater
The Ladybug Transistor plays an early show at MOTR, with Northern Kentucky Derby handling the late shift
Memorial Hall hosts The Eagles Project (acoustic) – we hope they play the Eagles new hit “Tush Push”
Eric Roberson plays Ludlow Garage on Saturday, 11/11.
On Monday, Nov. 13th, the Woodward Theater will be screening the fantastic Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense.
Nellie McKay plays Southgate’s Revival Room on Tuesday, 11/14, and Amy LaVere and Will Sexton will be in that same spot on Wednesday, 11/15.
On Thursday, November 16th, password presale tickets for The Raisins reunion shows (Mar. 1 and 2 of 2024 at the Woodward) will go on sale.
Not-so-hot Ticket
As list member Michael “Rico” Carrico said, “these top two musical headlines tell you pretty much all you need to know about Cincinnati live music scene.”
And as list member Ken Laube said “‘Nickleback but better’ is a pretty low bar.” (BTW, Ken’s weekly show on Inhailer Radio is moving to Fridays 11a-3p.)
Funny Business
This McSweeney’s piece called “So, You’ve Decided to Start Listening to Radiohead in Your Mid-Thirties” is a knee-slapper. Favorite line:
The true Radiohead experience is 80 percent confusion, 20 percent feigned understanding. That’s the sweet spot. That’s the center of a Yorke peppermint patty.
I Love It Loud (and Live)
List member Mighty Joe Sampson and I saw two relics at once a couple of weeks ago: KISS at the Riverfront Coliseum.
It was as over-the-top as you’d expect, and cheesier than Post Sex Nachos (the food, not the band). Which is exactly what we were hoping for!
The God of Thunder in a cherry-picker? Yes please!
We tried to steal the giant inflatables for our Halloween displays…
Just your average 71-year-old and 74-year-old, wearing sensible shoes.
Flash forward a week and list member Ken Laube and I were at the polar opposite show: Chuck & Lisa from Wussy playing a garage in the back of a gallery in Northside.
No pyro, no confetti cannons, just stellar singing and songwriting. The headliner was a band called Dusk from Appleton, WI. Not too shabby:
Album Cover of the Fortnight
Good ol’ Doug is up for whatever. A great Rollvember roll dawg.
Thank goodness it’s finally Pumpkin Spice Season! (Aw, who am I kidding? It’s been Pumpkin Spice season since July 5th. It’s about commerce, not the calendar.)
Let’s see who’s spicing up the concert calendar…
Matisyahu plays the Taft tomorrow night.
On Wednesday:
Agent Orange plays Southgate (orange like a pumpkin)
Men I Trust play the Bobby Brady
Dark Star Orchestra is at the Ovation
GWAR is at Bogart’s
Coco Montoya plays Ludlow Garage
On Thursday:
Dale Watson plays Southgate, with Matt Hillyer as the opener
Easy Honey is at MOTR (lead singer is a 90s Anthony Kiedis lookalike- see video below)
Bullet for My Valentine plays the Cindy Brady
Also on Thursday, KISS plays the Coliseum, on their 26th and final (for now) “final” tour.
Bob Dylan (Ever heard of him?) plays the Carol Brady on Friday evening. Back in the 90s, my wife was a huge Dylan fan.
That same evening, The Zombies play Ludlow Garage. (We appreciate the Zombies waiting until it was seasonally appropriate to do a tour.) Culture Queer is at Northside Tavern. And the old Annie’s has “Led Zeppelin 2.”
Plenty o’ shows on Saturday:
The Laurelys play Neltner’s Farm Fall Fest in the afternoon (1:30-4:30 p.m.), and Sami Riggs plays the Camp Springs Tavern (across the road from the farm) that evening.
Tommy Emmanuel plays the Taft
Zach Nugent (no relation to the Motor City mouthpiece) plays a Grateful Dead set at Ludlow Garage
Comedian Lewis Black will be at the Hard Rock Casino
Chelsea Ford & the Trouble are at Neltner’s Farm on Sunday afternoon, and Bob Mould plays a solo electric show at the 20th Century Theater that evening, with Jason Narducy as the opener.
The Ophelias and Living Hour play MOTR on Monday, October 23rd.
Messa and Maggot Heart are at the Woodward on Tuesday, 10/24.
Soft Machine will be at Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, 10/25. I love a good soft machine!
The Furious Bongos unleash their fury at Ludlow Garage on Thursday, 10/26, and Ke$ha (it’s pronounced “Key-Dolla-Sign-HA!”… or so I assume) plays the Ovation in Newport.
Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre plays “A Brief History of Tull” at Memorial Hall on Friday, 10/27, and Etta May is at Ludlow Garage. Back in the 70s, I was in love with Etta May.
No, wait, that was Elly May. My bad.
Saturday, October 28th is action-packed:
Ray Vietti, Ben Knight and Stripmall Ballads play Neltner’s Farm in the afternoon, with Stripmall Ballads also playing Camp Spring Tavern that evening.
Donna the Buffalo stampedes into Ludlow Garage
Husbands play Madison Live
Georgia Middleman and Sami Riggs play a “Downtowne Listening Room” gig at 1628 co-working space at 315 W. Court Street. (I feel like they should’ve picked a different name for the space, given the address…)
On Sunday, October 29th, the Tye Dye Band (featuring list member John Sandman) plays Washington Park at 11 a.m. as part of the Fall Fest weekend (full Saturday/Sunday lineup is here.) And Mike Oberst and Justin Cefalu wrap up the musical lineup at Neltner’s Farm.
Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade has a gig at the Jan Brady on Monday, 10/30.
Steve Hackett (no relation to Buddy) wraps up Rocktober with a gig at the Taft on Tuesday, 10/31. That evening also is Halloween.
Which means Wednesday 11/1 is the official kickoff of Peppermint Candy Cane flavor season.
The track is from their forthcoming release Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-sides & Strays 2007–2023.
Part of this complete Breakfast
Longtime “This Week in Live Music” favorites Japanese Breakfast did a show at Radio City Music Hall recently, and the encore included a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Only Living Boy in New York.”
Fetters plays like a Mother
Rob Fetters has a new album out. You can order it here.
From Rob’s email: MOTHER is a collection of 11 new slightly-warped guitar-pop meditations on relishing life’s ass-kickings—past, present, & future.
MOTHER features contributions from Matt Malley (Counting Crows), Belinda Lipscomb (Midnight Star), Alice Peacock, Bam Powell, Bob Nyswonger, Noah Fetters, and Swany Fetters .
Album Covers for Halloween
Nothing’s scarier than some stereo dynamics…
Actually, a Barbershop Quartet is scarier…
But this guy’s Bond villain vibes really creep me out. And you should never mess with someone named Thelma.
I’ve been slacking on my Koncert Keeper duties. (Sorry, life got in the way.) But now I’m back, baby… just in time to be the bearer of some really sad news:
These back-to-back gut punches have music fans reeling.
Carlton and Chris brought joy to so many folks all over the world – not just through their music but also through their spirit. May both live on.
(And ICYMI, check out the 97X Rumblings from the Big Bush podcast episode where Dave Tellmann and I talked to Carlton and Happy from the RC Mob prior to their reunion shows late last year.
Tomorrow, the Newbees headline the free show at Fountain Square, and list member Keith Neltner has a opening for his art show at MOTR Pub. The show is called “Blood & Ink Rising Up from Underneath” and it’ll be at MOTR through Oct. 24. Here are details about the opening celebration:
Speaking o’ Farmer Keith, they’re kicking off the Neltner’s Farm Fall Festival music lineup on Saturday in Camp Springs, KY, with TLipscomb and Chaya J. The full music list is below, and details about the Fall Festival can be found here.
Other Saturday shows include:
Blackberry Smoke at the old Annie’s
The Mars Volta at the Mike Brady
Braxton Brewing in Covington will celebrate the release of their BonBonerie Opera Cream Stout with live music from StringSource and opera singer Grace Graham.
The Witches of Rifle Range play Neltner’s Tavern (yes, it’s a Neltner lovefest.. no, he’s not paying me)
Lotus Land (the American Rush Tribute) plays Ludlow Garage
Last, and certainly least, Nickelback is at Riverbend
GA-20 plays the Woodward Theater on Sunday, and Brian Setzer brings his “Rockabilly Riot” to the Taft Theatre on Tuesday.
Wednesday is an action-packed night for live music:
Speedy Ortiz is at MOTR (8 p.m. ticketed show)
Mt. Joy plays the Carol Brady
Great Lake Swimmers are at Southgate
Eric Johnson plays Ludlow Garage
Neal Francis plays the Woodward on Thursday, while Christopher Cross goes sailing into the Ludlow Garage.
From “Sailing” we shift to swimming: Johnnyswim plays Bogart’s on Friday 10/6.
That same evening (10/6), Briscoe plays a free show at MOTR.
Dave Webster plays Neltner’s Tavern on Saturday, 10/7.
On Sunday, 10/8, The Brook & The Bluff are at Memorial Hall, and Valley plays the Woodward Theater.
Helmet plays Bogart’s on Tuesday, Rocktober 10th, and that same evening Phish kicks off a two-night stand at the Nut House, a.k.a. The Nutter Center.
On Wednesday, October 11th:
Juliana Hatfield plays a solo show at the Woodward
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals play the Greg Brady
Ekoostik Hookah is at the old Annie’s on Thursday, 10/12, and Tim Reynolds and TR3 play Ludlow Garage.
Shows on Friday, October 13th:
The Church plays Madison Theater
Songwriter extraordinaire Jimmy Webb is at Memorial Hall
Moon Taxi and The Stews play the old Annie’s
On Saturday, 10/14, the Madison Theater has a double bill of bands with fun names: Moon Hooch & Doom Flamingo. That same evening, Ax & The Hatchetmen are at Madison Live and Foreigner* plays the Hard Rock Casino.
*Featuring one original member– but at least it’s Mick Jones
Blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor plays Memorial Hall on Sunday, October 15th.
Guess who’s coming to the Marsha Brady on Monday, October 16th? No, not the Guess Who. It’s Yes.
(I never tire of seeing Derek Smalls and Squiggy together…)
Love it live
Since our last post, your humble scribe has thoroughly enjoyed killer shows from Cereal Killers, Drive-by Truckers with American Aquarium, James McMurtry, and both nights of the Guided by Voices 40th anniversary shows in Dayton. Oh, and a Barenaked Ladies free show downtown.
Cancer sucks.
List member Michael “Rico” Carrico lost his brother Kevin to cancer four years ago. It not only sucked because Kevin was so young (25), but also because Kevin had survived a bout with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a few years earlier and was studying to be a pediatric oncologist when he succumbed to Ewing’s Sarcoma.
In Kevin’s honor, Rico and his family and friends have raised funds for the National Collegiate Cancer Foundation, which provides scholarships to young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. Their biggest annual fundraiser is a golf scramble – this year’s event is next Saturday, October 7th, at California Golf Course. If you’d like to register or just make a donation, you can do so here.
Album Cover of the Fortnight
And in your next life, may your garments look less like couch coverings.
