We hear the CEO of Astronomer is a big fan of stepping out to see Coldplay in concert.
Uh, make that the former CEO of Astronomer.
Let that be a lesson to you: if you’re gonna be on a kiss cam, make sure you’re in full KISS makeup!
Let’s turn our attention to the state of affairs in concerts, instead of affairs AT concerts.
Tonight, Beck plays PNC Pavilion with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Molly Lewis — a whistler! — is the opener.
Tuesday shows really run the gamut. You’ve got Mavis Staples (Memorial Hall), The Crane Wives (Bogart’s) and Pantera (Riverbend).
Thursday is action-packed:
- Silverada (formerly Mike & the Moonpies) at Southgate
- Ben Turner and TyeDye (featuring list member John Sandman) play the free “Roots Revival” show at Washington Park – I’ll be at that gig
- RiversEDGE in Hamilton has Jeremie Albino and CFG & the Family for free
- Silversun Pickups play the Burl in Lexington
- The Cincinnati Music Festival kicks off with a celebration of Hip Hop at the Carol Brady (Scarface, Goodie Mob, Sugarhill Gang with the Furious Five, and Young MC)
- The Village People hit Ludlow Garage
Breaking news, the Village People gig has been cancelled. Guess they’re too old to tour anymore.
Friday shows:
- Dinosaur Jr., Snail Mail and Easy Action play the Jan Brady (I’ll be there!)
- Rick Wakeman (keyboard wizard for Yes) plays Ludlow Garage
- The Offspring will be at Riverbend with Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory
- The Cincinnati Music Festival moves to Please Pay Trey Hendrickson Stadium, with Earth, Wind & Fire headlining
- Punkadelick and Us, Today play Northside Tavern
- Goldpine and The Burney Sisters are at Southgate in the Revival Room
- Coastal Club plays MadTree’s Pop-up Christmas Party in their Oakley taproom/dog kennel
More breaking news: the Rick Wakeman show has been postponed. He must’ve sprained his ankle playing pickleball with the Retirement Village People.
On Saturday:
- Sami Riggs has an EP release show at Southgate, with Coy Comer, The Laurelys, and Veronica Grim also on the bill
- LL Cool J tops the CMF lineup
- The Rose Music Center in Huber Heights features Bachman-Turner Overdrive with The Marshall Tucker Band and Jefferson Starship
- School of Rock Cincinnati plays a free show to wrap up the Glendale Summer Concert Series.
Peter Mayer plays Southgate on Sunday, July 27.
If you’re up for a road trip, Ducks Ltd. play the Rumba Café in Columbus next Monday.
On Tuesday, July 29, Cyndi Lauper plays Riverbend, and Todd Lipscomb hosts the open mic session at MOTR pub.
On Wednesday, July 30, you’re in for a surprise… a Rainbow Kitten Surprise. They play an outdoor show at the Ovation in Newport.
Next Thursday, July 31, there are a trio of free shows on the docket:
- Sonya Moomaw and Bedel & Hibbard play the freebie at Washington Park
- Ace Monroe plays the Levitt in Dayton
- Queen Legacy (a Queen tribute band) plays RiversEDGE in Hamilton, with The Wonderlands opening
And Sheila E. kicks off a two-night stand at Ludlow Garage (the Friday show is sold-out)
On Friday, August 1, the On Point Music Festival kicks off a two-day run at Sawyer Point, with a boatload of local bands. Here’s the full lineup:
Other 8/1 shows:
- of Montreal plays the Woodward
- Ovation has John Lodge of The Moody Blues (“John Lodge” would be a great name for the communal restrooms at a KOA campground)
- Sheila E. is back in the Garage
- The Harmed Brothers play Southgate’s Revival Room with Sug Daniels and The Pinkerton Raid (the leader of Pinkerton Raid is a friend of list member Chuck W.
- Blueprint plays a freebie at the Levitt in Dayton
- Jim Trace & the Makers play at Arnold’s
- One of the 5,827 country artists named “Luke” plays Riverbend
On Saturday, August 2, The Collies (a.k.a. the band my son Gabriel is in) play the patio at Anderson Township Pub.
Stop by, say hi, listen to some rock covers and a few originals. First beer’s on me!
Other 8/2 shows:
- The On Point Music Festival continues at Sawyer Point
- MOTR has Saving Escape, Mosant, and Satellite Dog
- April Wine, Molly Hatchet, and Sweet play the Rose
- If you prefer savory to Sweet, Dayton still has you covered: Fraze Pavilion hosts Bacon Fest!
- If you prefer blues to bacon, Dayton’s Levitt Pavilion has Chambers DesLauriers with Heather Redman & the Reputation
On Sunday, August 3, you don’t need a time machine…
… you just need a ticket to one of these throwback shows:
- Macy Gray is at the Ludlow Garage
- Air Supply celebrates 50 years of soft rockin’ your face off at the Rose
- Toto, Christopher Cross, and Men at Work play Riverbend
Seeing Toto and Christopher Cross on the Riverbend bill reminds me that I need to remind you to watch ALL of the Yacht Rock spoofs. But Toto and CC figure prominently in this one:
More time machine tunes are sailing into the Rose on Tuesday, August 5 – this time it’s the 90s, with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Semisonic, and Sixpence None the Richer.
We love it live!
Great show from Father John Misty, Lucinda Williams, and Hamilton Leithauser at the Bobby Brady last week (with list member “Rico”). Lu is one of my all-time faves, and while the stroke she had a few years ago has slowed her down, she’s still out there rockin’ in the free world, and her voice is still amazing.
Another road dog, Chuck Prophet, put on a fantastic (and totally free) show at the Levitt with his Cumbia Shoes band on Thursday. List members Kevin S. and Geoff S. were in the house (we should’ve carpooled!).
Keep that Ford Econoline going, Chuck!
We’re talking Honky Tonkin’!
List member Eric Weltner has a new movie premiering at the Southgate House on August 23. And because the movie is about Honky Tonkin’, there will be some lively live music too!
The official movie trailer is below, you can learn more about the project on Facebook here, and you can get tickets to the flick/gig here.
River Roots: it’s “Sweater” weather
The old “Tall Stacks” is sorta-kinda back – it’s now called “America’s River Roots Festival.” The musical headliners for Oct. 10, 11, and 12 are Mt. Joy, Weezer, and Maren Morris, respectively, and the full lineup is here. It’s not quite up to the level of some of the old Tall Stacks lineups, which were killer.
Shameless self-promotion (while also promoting reading)
In addition to my day job (trying to make corporate communications slightly less boring – wish me luck!) and my second job (playing pickleball) and my third job (whatever this music blog/newsletter thingy is…), I sometimes manage to carve out a bit of time to do something productive. In this case, it’s a story in the July issue of Cincinnati Magazine about Freekbass.
Check it out! Cincinnati Magazine‘s July issue is on sale now wherever fine periodicals are sold. But list member John Fox (editor of the aforementioned Cincinnati Magazine) and I both think you should subscribe. Come for the Chicken Parm, stay for the Freekbass.
I even got a byline on the cover. This is the sort of spontaneous publicity — your name in print — that makes people!
Tell a buddy, bring a friend
A tip o’ the cap to list members Dan Bockrath and Geoff “Swine Dawg” Schwein (who makes the world’s best spicy pretzels… I can hook you up if you want proof!) for sharing the music list love with some friends who have subscribed (against their better judgment, no doubt). If you know someone who enjoys haphazard lists of local concerts, delivered sporadically, in a difficult-to-follow “format”, then by all means send them my way! Maybe I can eventually monetize this mess and sell some ads, like this one:
“Talented musician”… we all know it’s former REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty.
Guess he had to settle for the first two items on his list, as he never found “music innovations.”
Album Cover(s) of the Week(s)
(Photo taken in Newport Beach, California by Neal Doughty talented musician)
I have no idea what’s going on in this album cover photo, but I know a talented musician who wants in on the action.
