Jason Isbell

Sizzlin’ Summer Shows

97X, Concert Listings, Concert review, Music, podcast

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!

May the Concert Force be with you

97X, Concert Listings, Music

I still owe you a beer, because Cereal Killers had to cancel their Earth Day gig:

I blame global climate change. But I’ll try to stay positive, like CK and The Hold Steady advise.

Rather than lament what could have been, let’s take a look at the future.

Tonight, Ben Folds plays Music Hall with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and Shakey Graves is at Bogart’s. Music Hall has an orchestra pit, and Bogart’s is a pit… same difference.

Tomorrow night, Tesla plays the Greg Brady. Greg used to drive a Tesla.

Too soon?

On Friday night, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit kick off a two-night stand at the Cindy Brady. My lovely bride and I will be at that show courtesy of list members Whit and Barb Gardner.

Also on Friday, Will Kimbrough plays Southgate, and “Tusk” (either a Fleetwood Mac tribute or a tribute to Smedley the original mascot for Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter) plays Ludlow Garage.

Jason Isbell will be whipping out his 400 Unit again on Saturday at the Peter Brady. (That’s not as dirty as it sounds.)

Speaking of not dirty, you can’t get more squeaky clean (and let’s be honest, lily white) than the Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church. And that’s the venue for a Downtowne Listening Room show featuring 3 Nashville singer-songwriters: Rob Harris, Marcia Ramirez and Mike Waldron.

Another Saturday night gig is “An evening on the farm with The Tillers” at Lost Bridge Beverage Co. in North Bend. (Weather permitting.)

August Burns Red plays Bogart’s on Sunday, and the “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” tour comes to Woodward Theater.

On Monday, May 1st, Memorial Hall hosts Majesty – A Tribute to Queen. Rumor has it Harry and Megan are miffed that they aren’t on the guest list.

On Tuesday, May 2nd, Snail Mail plays the Woodward. List member Mighty Joe Sampson and I will be there, bringing the average age up by 15 years.

Father John Misty plays Bogart’s on Wednesday, May 3rd. Speaking of misty, Bogart’s now has a misting tent… wait, my bad, that’s actually just spray from a broken toilet.

Other 5/3 gigs:

  • Robert Plant and Alison Krauss play the Rose Music Center in scenic Huber Heights
  • Gary Clark Jr. is at the Cindy Brady

Kamasi Washington is at Ludlow Garage on Thursday, 5/4 and Memorial Hall is really living up to the “memorial” in their name, with yet another tribute: The Electric Light Orchestra Experience… “the American ELO!”

Next Friday is Cinco de Mayo… a day when many Americans like to pay tribute to a historic victory by the Mexican Army by… getting hammered on Corona and margaritas?

That’s kinda f*cked up… speaking of which, F*cked Up is playing the Woodward that night. Jess Lamb & the Factory are at City Nights (like a local version of Austin City Limits). And Ludlow Garage hosts Live at the Filmore (Allman Bros. tribute).

Next Saturday, May 6th:

  • Houndmouth plays the Ovation (yes, the Ovation, not using that ridiculous corporate name)
  • Billy Idol sneers his way through a show at PNC Pavilion
  • The Amy Ray Band (she of Indigo Girls fame) plays Ludlow Garage with Kevn Kinney as the opener – that’s a heapin’ helpin’ of ATL goodness!
  • Sylmar, Massing and Moonbeau (that’s 3 local bands, not a law firm) are at Southgate.
  • Some horses run around a track in Louisville.

On Sunday, May 7th, Australian songwriter John Butler plays Memorial Hall.

Distant Early Warning

The Beths are playing the Woodward on August 21st… if you don’t go to that show, we can no longer be friends.

“Future” Reminder

Dave Tellmann and I will be co-hosting a 97X book event at the Mercantile Library on Thursday, May 11th. Here’s how Dave sold the Merc on us:

Album Cover of the Fortnight

Wow, I’m shocked that this album has a Parental Advisory!

Time marches on. So do tunes.

Concert Listings, Music

Great news: our Presidents’ Day sale on subscriptions has been extended to the end of the month! It’s sorta like a BOGO (buy one, get one) sale. In the case of This Week in Live Music (an ill-fitting name due to my laziness), we’re having a GOGO sale – get one email and get obnoxiousness free!

Let’s get to the gigs while the getting is good…

Tonight, Silversun Pickups play Bogart’s, Faux Frenchmen play the Mansion Hill Sanctuary, and Rob Fetters teams up with his ol’ pal “Bad Bob” Nyswonger for a live stream available here.

Let’s talk Mohawks!

Uh, actually, it’s the old Cincinnati hockey team. List member and hockey-head Eric Weltner has created a movie about how the Cincinnati Mohawks dominated the IHL in the 1950s.

You can catch a screening of The Mohawk Monopoly tomorrow and Sunday at the Woodward Theater. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the movie starts at 1:30 p.m. both days. On Saturday, DJ Mr Keith McLenon from Detroit will be spinning tunes before and after the screening, and former players will in attendance.

Let’s talk Ludlow

Y’all need to check out the cool “Cabin Fever” music and arts festival going on in scenic Ludlow, KY tomorrow. Proceeds benefit Music Fund Cincinnati, which was started by list member and porch picker John Sandman – get tickets at the Music Fund website and learn more about what they do.

Tomorrow night:

  • Brainiac is at the Woodward
  • 500 Miles to Memphis, Kentucky Struts, The Nightbeast and Backalley Brujas play Southgate
  • a Black Sabbath tribute band plays Ludlow Garage and Bogart’s hosts an ABBA-inspired disco dance party. I hope the Sabbath fans and the ABBA fans show up at the Clifton Skyline after the gigs. It could go down like this:

Elle King plays the Marsha Brady on Tuesday. [Fun fact: Elle King is the daughter of former Saturday Night Live cast member Rob Schneider, who was barely funny when he was on the show (basically the male Victoria Jackson) and is almost totally humorless now.]

On Wednesday, Wishbone Ash plays Ludlow Garage. (Fun fact: Wishbone Ash is also the least popular salad dressing ever.)

Thursday gigs:

  • Beth Harris (of Hiders/Heartless Bastards) kicks off her March residency (every Thursday 8-11 p.m. – free!) at the Listing Loon in Northside, with special guest Ali Edwards (Ruby Vileos). The full list of March events at the Loon is here.
  • Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country sets up camp at Ludlow Garage
  • Country superstar Carrie Underwood plays the Coliseum

Next Friday (3/3) :

  • Red Wanting Blue plays Southgate, with Angela Perley as the opener
  • Crash Test Dummies are at Ludlow Garage
  • Colony House plays Bogart’s
  • Taft Theatre hosts “The Fab Four – the Ultimate Beatles tribute”… don’t settle for “The So-So Four: the Mediocre Beatles tribute”… or these guys:

Gigs next Saturday (3/4):

  • Matt Nathanson and Stephen Kellogg play Memorial Hall
  • Ernie Johnson from Detroit plays Woodward, with Electric Citizen and the Harlequins
  • Katie Toupin (formerly of Houndmouth) plays Southgate
  • Highly Suspect headlines the 96Rock anniversary show at Ovation (anyone remember Bender & Fingers in the morning on 96Rock?)
  • Speaking of radio stations, The Sklar Brothers bring their comedy to the Lawrenceburg Event Center. Check out this bit about a rock station in St. Louis:

On Sunday, March 5th, Skillet and Theory of a Deadman play the Alice Brady.

That’s not a skillet!

On Wednesday, March 8th:

  • Taft has “An Evening with Dawes”
  • Dylan LeBlanc and David Ramirez are at Southgate

Friday, March 10th shows:

  • Bonnie “Prince” Billy is at the Woodward, with Planchette
  • The Lemon Twigs play Southgate
  • Michael Martin Murphey is at Ludlow Garage

On Saturday, 3/11, Southgate has a local band benefit show:

That same evening, the Ark Band (reggae) plays a Bob Marley tribute at Ludlow . That event is BYOS – bring your own spliff.

After the smoke clears from the Ark Band show, Nektar will play Ludlow on Sunday, 3/12. It’s a 50th anniversary show of their album Remember the Future… the title seems more fitting now.

Hot Tickets Alert!

Tickets on sale today for:

  • Richard Thompson plays a solo acoustic show at the 20th Century Theater on Wednesday, May 10th. I already got my tix!
  • Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit play a two-night stand at the Bobby Brady on April 28-29. Pro tip: buy at the Brady box office to save a boatload on fees – it’s open 11a-3p today.
  • Tedeschi Trucks Band with Ziggy Marley at PNC on July 18
  • Dwight Yoakam with the Mavericks at PNC on Aug. 4
  • And for list member Dan “Reds single game tickets on sale now!” Lewis, who is a huge Debbie Gibson fan: she’s playing the Taft on 6/24.
Dan Lewis has this magazine cover framed

New Order Order

The National’s new tune “New Order T-shirt” is strong:

And you can place a new order for a New Order t-shirt from The National:

Old (but good) News

At long last, John Fogerty got back the rights to his CCR songs. Here’s the article in Billboard from back in January.

“I’m the dad [of these songs]. I created them. They never should have been taken away in the first place. And that hijacking left such a massive hole in me.”

John Fogerty

Oh Canada

Alan Thicke writing and performing the theme song to Alex Trebek’s first American TV game show… a Canadian tag team nearly as good as Geddy Lee joining forces with Bob & Doug McKenzie.

Album Cover of the Week

Your humble scribe is often mistaken for this artist. List member Dan Lewis’ wife is always asking him “What’s the website that has the live music posts that Dick Feller wrote?”

Jingle (Is)bells

Concert Listings, Music

Before we get into this week’s gigs, I’m providing a holiday shopping public service announcement for those with teenage daughters (and for list members who are “still 16” like Amanda Woodly – more on her later): Tickets for Olivia Rodrigo’s April 22nd show and the Haim show on May 19th go on sale today at 10 a.m. (Both shows are indoor gigs at Icon, which is punching well above its weight… time for Ovation to up its game.) If you’d like to “try before you buy” on Olivia Rodrigo, check out her Austin City Limits appearance (her band is all-female, which is pretty cool)… and of course stick around for the Phoebe Bridgers portion of the show.

OK, on with the shows…

It’s Friday, and Jason is in town!

Wait, my bad, I meant Jason Isbell.

Jason Isbell’s superb band, the 400 Unit, is named after a hospital psych ward. So maybe Jason Vorhees will be here in spirit? I know I’ll be at tonight’s show at the Icon (in the flesh… but wearing pants for a change), along with about half the folks on the “This Week in Live Music” mailing list. (The other half will be at Saturday’s show.) Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives open up both shows. A good time will be had by all.

The jaunty ascot… who wore it best?

  • Tony the Tiger
  • Marty Stuart
  • Thurston Howell III

Other shows this evening include Multimagic at the Woodward, and An Olde English Christmas With Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone at Ludlow Garage. I hope they do the theme song from the 80’s Olde English TV commercial – that song rocks!

On Saturday, it’s a Jason sequel…

Meaning it’s Night II for Jason Isbell/Marty Stuart at Icon. (Don’t forget to get a Marty Stuart ascot at the merch booth!)

Meanwhile, Them Dirty Roses are at the old Annie’s, with The Josephines as the opener. Our ol’ pal Rob Fetters wraps up another round of his “Fetters is Cheap” free livestreams – accessible via his website. And Emaline will sing the Christmas classics at Ludlow Garage.

Ludlow can keep the (Christmas) lights on, because on Sunday you can enjoy Christmas with the Celts at that venue. If you prefer goth garb to kilts, you can check out Evanescence and Halestorm at the Coliseum. If you’d rather boogie-woogie in the morning, Ben Levin’s playing the Hard Rock brunch, with special guest Lil’ Jimmy Reed. Now that’s a winning combination!

Ben’s got a solo gig at Arnold’s on Thursday, but other than that, the rest of the week is kinda light on gigs. I blame the supply chain. Everyone else is doing it!

But then next Friday the scene really heats up… all the way up to 98 Degrees! They’re playing the Hard Rock Casino – sounds like a classic lose/lose proposition to me.

If you’d rather see a better band with local connections — and much less boy band baggage — Over the Rhine kicks off a three night stand of their annual holiday show next Friday at Memorial Hall.

If you’d rather see and hear a facsimile of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham instead of real-life Karin and Linford, head to Ludlow Garage for Rumours: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute.

Sorry Linford, but Lindsey’s hair is better. Actually, it WAS better.

Or you can shop local and hit the Motherfolk Christmas show at Bogart’s, with Sylmar as the opener.

Favorite albums of 2021

Today’s the last day to vote for your Top Ten of this year on KEXP’s website.

But there’s plenty of time to add your faves to the TWILM list here. Grammy-nominated artist Dale Doyle (the original D2) chose these slabs o’ wax:

  • Black Keys – Delta Kream
  • Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  • Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
  • Slowthai- Tyron
  • Weezer – OK Human
  • Leon Bridges – Gold-Diggers Sound
  • Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  • Fleet Foxes – Shore
  • Taylor Swift – Evermore
  • Low – Hey What
  • Lucy Dacus – Home Video
  • Kanye West – Donda (Just kidding)

While list member Amanda Woodly decided to chide me for my document choice (“this should be an Excel file”) before listing her top tunes o’ the year:

  • Snailmail- Valentine
  • Japanese Breakfast- Jubilee 
  • Lucy Dacus- Home Video 
  • Olivia Rodrigo- Sour (I’m still 16)
  • Doja Cat- Planet Her
  • Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  • Tyler, The Creator- Call Me If You Get Lost
  • Kacey Musgraves- Star Crossed (Cincinnati’s newest #goodwife)
  • I wish I could put the new St Vincent album here, but…

Sorry to let you down, Amanda. I like to think outside the box, and Excel is nothing but boxes.

Friday Funnies

We mocked the GMC holiday commercial last week, so this week it’s time for some Lexus holiday commercial fun:

Tico the Parrot is a dead ringer singer for Axl Rose:

He does a pretty good Bon Scott too:

Tweet of the Week

Cover of the Week

Courtesy of list member Michael “Rico” Carrico who said “Covering Mr Waits. Phoebe at her best.” (We agree wholeheartedly!)

Album Cover of the Week

It’s the Holiday Houseguest from Hell. Crazy Otto is back in town. Looks like he flew Allegiant. And he brought sheet music.

Have a great week!