OMG, it’s Summer’s Eve!

Speaking of douches, how about that taxpayer-funded $45 million BD party for the Mango Mussolini?

OK, political rant over (maybe).

Just remember, the best way to combat that “not-so-fresh feeling” is to see some live music. 

Tonight:

•  The Allman-Betts Band plays the old Annie’s
• the Marsha Brady hosts Dispatch with John Butler and G. Love & Special Sauce + Donavon Frankenreiter
• Emily Nenni and William Matheny will be at Southgate House

Queens of the Stone Age play a sold-out show at the Jan Brady on Wednesday. 

Speaking of Queens of the Stone Age: 

Gigs on Thursday: 

• The String Cheese Incident at the Cindy Brady
• North Mississippi Allstars at Ludlow Garage
• Sean Geil of the Tillers hosts the Farm Jam at Lost Bridge Beverage Co. 
• Murder by Death: The Farewell Tour 2025 with Laura Jane Grace at Southgate
• Genesis Retouched: The Essence of the Phil Collins Era of Genesis at RiversEDGE
• Megan Bee and Ma Crow & Company at Washington Park (free)
• The Red NOT Chili Peppers play the Madison Theater

Shows on Friday: 

• James Arthur plays the Greg Brady
• Robbie Fulks headlines the FREE show at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
• Sungaze and Horsehell are at the Liberty Theater
• Garrett T. Capps and Nasa Country, Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, and Styrofoam Winos play the Southgate (in advance of their Nelsonville sets)
• Ally Venable plays Ludlow Garage
• Dexter & the Moonrocks play the Ovation
• MadTree Oakley has a summer solstice party with Jess Lamb, Siri Imani, Abby Vice, Aunty JoJo and KY Honey

Also, on Friday, the Nelsonville Music Festival kicks off with MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee, Dehd and The Bug Club topping that day’s lineup. I’ll be there, as will list members Matt & Pam (not to be confused with Matt & Kim).

Oh, and the kids TV show stars The Wiggles have a show at the Rose Music Center in Dayton, but they really should be ashamed of and/or arrested for the show’s title:

Does Chris Hanson know about this?

Saturday is the first day of summer!

It’s also the longest day of the year. Perhaps not coincidentally, it’s my wedding anniversary! My lovely bride of (nearly) 28 years plans to join me at the Nelsonville Music Festival to:

a. see a bunch of bands she’s never heard of (Styrofoam Winos, Low Cut Connie, Esther Rose, Watchhouse, Being Dead, Bonnie Prince Billy, Charley Crockett and Black Lips) and

b. celebrate setting a new Guinness record for “most years married to a ne’er-do-well who spends most of his free time going to concerts and writing a really weird music blog.” (The Guinness folks are getting reeeeeally specific these days, and it’s a bit hurtful, tbh. They should stick to categories like “World’s Heaviest Twins”)

Also on Saturday, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit kick off a two-night “Evening with” stand at the Peter Brady. (It should be noted that the McCreary brothers never called what they were wearing an “outfit.”)

Other Saturday shows:

• The Gaslight Anthem at Bogart’s
• Say She She plays a show that’s free-free at Levitt Pavilion in Dayton
• Taj Mahal is at the Ludlow Garage as a tune-up for his Nelsonville gig the next day
• The Little River Band plays the Lawrenceburg Event Center
• the Daniel Wayne Band headlines a show in Southgate’s Lounge
• Tracy Walker plays a 5pm freebie at Smale’s Castellini Esplanade
• Covington Metal Fest at Madison Live (bring 2 sets of earplugs)

On Sunday, the Outlaw Music Festival rolls into Riverbend, with Willie Nelson, Timothée Chalamet Bob Dylan, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, and Myron Elkins.

That same evening, Jason Isbell plays Night #2 at the Bobby Brady. Southgate House has the California Guitar Trio and Kaki King, Nelsonville has The War & Treaty and Taj Mahal on tap, and Band of Horses plays an outdoor show at The Burl in Lexington.

Sweet Baby James Taylor plays Riverbend on Monday, 6/23, and the Rose in Dayton hosts “I want my 80s” tour featuring Rick Springfield, John Waite, Wang Chung, and Paul Young.

Get yer energy domes out on Tuesday, June 24 for Devo at the Carol Brady. (I’ll be there!)

Come to think of it, Carol Brady did have a bit of a Devo “hair helmet” vibe going on back in the day:

Other shows that evening:

• Less than Jake at Bogart’s
• The Mission UK with Poppy Jean Crawford at Ludlow Garage
• The “I want my 80s” tour plays Riverbend. Which means if you are really ambitious, you can Wang Chung tonight for two nights in a row!

Double the Wang, Double the Chung, Double the Fun! (Er, let me modify the start of that last sentence… lest Chris Hanson pay me a visit.)

Did you know the 20th Century Theater in Oakley still has the occasional show? Neither did I, which is why we both missed out on getting tickets to see Fred Armisen’s sold-out “Comedy is for Musicians but Everyone is Welcome” show there on Wednesday, June 25.

Gigs on Thursday, June 26:

• Billy Corgan and the Machines of God play Bogart’s
• Sam Hibbard and the Whiskey Bent Valley Boys play the free Washington Park Roots Revival show
• Across the street at Memorial Hall, it’s The Rush Tribute Project (I think it should be called “Out of the Rutsey” or “Closer to the Peart” or “Xana-don’t” of “La Villa Doppelgänger”…)
• Way up yonder in Dayton, the Jayne Sachs Band (winner of 97Xposure 1995) plays a reunion show at Brightside (Dave and I talked to Jayne for an episode of the 97X “Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast back in 2021.)
• Mr. Nicole Kidman plays Riverbend

Friday, June 27 is bursting at the seams with live music:

• Young the Giant and Joywave play the Hard Rock lawn
• Mannequin Pussy is at Bogart’s (they might’ve gotten their name from the infamous “Wheel o’ Sex” in Bogart’s backstage office)
• Paleface plays a free show in the Southgate Lounge
• Bear Hands and OK Cowgirl play Madison Live
• Tyler the Creator is at the Coliseum, with Lil Yachty and Paris Texas
• The old Annie’s has the AC/DC tribute band Back in Black
• The Rose Music Center hosts The Fab Four: USA Meets the Beatles

Saturday, June 28 isn’t too shabby in the concert department either:

• Patty Griffin plays Over the Rhine’s Nowhere Else Farm, with OTR doing the opening set (I’ll be at that gig!)
• Sinkane and Moonbeau play the Liberty Theater
• The Avett Brothers are at the Fraze
• Dayton’s Levitt Pavilion hosts the Dayton Blues Fest

The Sun Ra Arkestra plays Memorial Hall on Tuesday, July 1.

Shows on Wednesday, July 2:

• Manchester Orchestra at the Burl in Lexington
• Greensky Bluegrass at the Rose
• Ween Wednesday at the Columbia in the East End 6-10pm). They’ll be spinning White Pepper. BYOB. I was there last month, as was the legendary Billy Alletzhauser (Ass Ponys, Ruby Vileos, The Hiders) and the equally legendary Taylor Fox of Inhailer Radio. It’s a cool hang – stop by!

Ass Ponys sighting… OK, hearing

A recent episode of the Sound Opinions podcast (hosted by longtime Chicago music writers Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis) is about “Regrettable Band Names.” Jim talks quite a bit about the Ass Ponys (any publicity is good publicity, right?), and Greg calls Wussy a great band. (The segment starts around the 34:50 mark.)

Bootsy!

Tune in here. Or see Bootsy’s outfit when you watch it here. Bootsy always stays on the one.

We love it live!

Well, I missed the American Aquarium show (it was a lazy Sunday…) but I hear it was great. I did, however, catch Blonde Redhead and Squirrel Flower at the Woodward with list member Ken “Lobby Boy” Laube (also of Inhailer Radio fame – Fridays 11a-3p).

We mourn the dead

R.I.P. to Brian Wilson and Sly Stone.

“Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music. His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable.” (from his family’s statement)

We’re not getting any younger either!

Shirley’s had BOTH hips replaced. She’s still hip, though. Check out her interview on the Broken Record podcast here.

My angel former co-worker is a centerfold

List member Dale Doyle (the OG D2) was on The Tonight Show – Jimmy Fallon shows off the artwork Dale created for Matt Berninger’s new album, including a quick peek at the centerfold at the end of this clip:

The Reading Room

The Oxford American has a lovely “on the road with…” profile of Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee. Katie’s twin sister Allison (Swearin’) is also part of the story as Katie’s A&R rep for Anti- Records, and in an interesting bit of sibling symmetry, the feature was written by Jenn Pelly, whose twin sister Liz wrote the book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist. (Highly recommended.)

The “We can’t read” Room

That’s the album title, not a song title. Nice try, AI! Article is here.

What a lineup!

There’s only one possible reaction to that bill…

Details are here. Wish me luck convincing my wife that I need to go. Or better yet, buy my ticket.

Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)

E, L, and P are clearly trying to steal Jay Ferguson’s Thunder, but they don’t have the proper footwear:

Remember, when you have a hankering for falling down laughing in the wet grass, or nights in the cool sand, accept no substitute… ask for Jay Ferguson by name!