Of course, I’m no beefcake like Derek Zoolander. But my name is right next to a Chicken Parm and a Tuna Melt… that’s practically the same thing.
I’ve written a few things for Cincinnati Magazine over the past few years. But this was the first time I pitched a story idea to editor John Fox. I ran into bassist extraordinaire Chris “Freekbass” Sherman at my local Kroger, and he mentioned that he was now doing a livestream six nights a week on TikTok. I’ve known Chris since my 97X radio days, and our kids went to grade school and high school together. But I had no idea he was a bona fide TikTok superstar. I thought it’d make for a pretty cool story. John agreed.
Chris is a very sweet dude and easy to interview. And of course, I’ve been known to chat a bit about music, so it was a fun story to write.
I couldn’t make it to the photo shoot, but the shots by Devyn Glista are amazing, and really capture Chris’ sense of style and his on-stage persona.
The layout, the typography… *chef’s kiss*.
I’m thrilled with the way it all turned out.
Getting a byline on the cover and being featured in the contributors section were just icing on the cake.
Freekbass was pumped about the piece too.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kbw98WAY7WY
It’s not “my smilin’ face on the cover of the Rolling Stone“… but I can guarantee you that my face will be smiling all month long!
The internet rabbit hole is a time warp. And a mind-bender. One minute you’re reading an email about earning more travel points, the next, you’re bawling your eyes out. Or maybe that was just me.
I subscribe to Chris Hutchins‘ weekly newsletter that provides advice on “hacks” to save money and score travel deals and other savings. TBH, I don’t always read it. (So many emails, so little time…) But over the holiday weekend, I read his latest edition, which had this blurb in it:
Off we went, chasing the rabbit… Ben Carlson’s article linked above had a link to another post from Ben Carlson. And that post was decidedly less uplifting. It was about Ben’s older brother Jon. I won’t completely spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that lines like “He was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia just before heading into the 7th grade.” and “stage 4 pancreatic cancer” rarely lead to happy endings.
It’s sad. But also uplifting, because Ben’s brother provided some sage advice for his three kids:
Be happy with what you have, you don’t need as much as you think. Never leave anyone behind. Life is way better than a screen, go live it.
That advice doesn’t just apply to kids. All of us should take it to heart.
Sure, it’s a Monday after a long weekend. Getting going may be a bit of a slog. But if we’re blessed enough to have enough, to have friends, and to be on the right side of the dirt, then we’re lucky. Let’s live!
I hope you’re sitting down for this shocking (general) admission: I like going to concerts. A lot. It’s second only to pickleball in the list of ways I spend my leisure time.
Last year I made it to 43 concerts. That will probably be my all-time high water mark. But it’s not for a lack of trying. This last stretch of a week-plus has been quite a run.
Last weekend, it was the Nelsonville Music Festival, on a farm near Nelsonville, Ohio. Which is near Athens (Ohio), home of Joe Burrow. It’s about 2.5 hours east of Cincy. Three glorious (albeit extremely hot) days of music on three stages.
The 3-day event Billboard magazine calls “one of the best-kept secrets of the U.S. music festival circuit” offers a diverse lineup of 40+ national, regional, and local acts from a variety of genres in an intimate setting, along with camping, kid’s activities, unique artisan and retail vendors, local food, and more!
NMF is a production of Stuart’s Opera House, a non-profit historic theater and performing arts center in Nelsonville. All proceeds raised at the festival directly support Stuart’s Opera House, including its tuition-free Arts Education programs.
That Friday evening run – MJ Lenderman, The Bug Club, Waxahatchee, and Dehd – was as good as it gets. Waxahatchee’s set was note-perfect, literally and figuratively.
Saturday’s lineup wasn’t as suited to my admittedly-weird musical tastes, but Low Cut Connie always brings the energy, and I also enjoyed the sets from Gardener, Styrofoam Winos, and Being Dead.
Mrs. Dubbatrubba was taking one for the team by joining me that day. (It was our wedding anniversary – she’s a saint!)
You could count on… let’s see… zero… zero fingers… the number of artists she’d ever heard of, much less heard, so we cut out a bit early to grab a dinner at Little Fish Brewing Co. in Athens. (Thanks to the great reco from our friends Matt and Pam, who were at Nelsonville with two of their kids. Food and atmosphere were top-notch!)
On Sunday morning, I managed to sneak in a hike before heading to Nelsonville.
It was heat-advisory hot once again, but one of Nelsonville’s three stages has trees nearby, and another (Creekside) is in the woods, with “hammock zones” even! Very chill.
Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country and Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band were the undercard highlights for me. I really wanted to stick around for Taj Mahal’s set, but discretion is the better part of valor. With a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me after a full weekend of music, I headed for home around 5:30.
There’s no rest for the weary: last Tuesday, I saw Devo at an indoor show in downtown Cincinnati. I’d never seen them before, and always wanted to. Their set was exactly what you’d want from those wacky kids from Akron (who are now in their 70s!). I loved every second of it!
On Thursday, it was The Rush Tribute Project at Memorial Hall, a gorgeous Samuel Hannaford & Sons-designed 556-seat music hall built in 1908 and loving restored in 2016.
My buddy Craig and I were pretty much in seats 555 and 556…. the very last row of the balcony. But there truly isn’t a bad seat in the house.
I hadn’t planned to go originally. I’m such a Rush fan that part of me wanted to keep my memories of the countless concerts of theirs that I saw “pure.”
But Craig texted me the day before and I signed on. After all, Neil Peart isn’t coming back, and those songs still mean a lot to me.
Yes, the Rush Tribute Project is a tribute band, but they really nailed the songs, which is no small feat when you’re dealing with Rush’s complex arrangements and time signatures. And they gave fans their money’s worth – 27 songs over two sets.
My tour of tours wrapped up on Saturday, at a barn in Martinsville, Ohio.
The husband and wife who comprise the band Over the Rhine (they got their name from the historic district just north of downtown Cincinnati) bought a farm about an hour northeast of Cincinnati several years ago, and lovingly restored the barn on site to turn it into a really cool performance space.
Mrs. Dubbatrubba, our friend Heather, and I drove up to see Patty Griffin, one of our favorite singer-songwriters.
Over the Rhine did a short opening set too. Such a unique and soul-nourishing experience!
Now, it’s time for a bit of rest from the concert scene.
Although Steve Earle is doing an acoustic tour that’s coming through town on Sunday…
We’re alive because nothing bad happened to us. And nothing bad happened because a lot of good things happened. Vaccines. Food safety laws. Automobile and road safety regulations. Not sexy. Not headline news. Just life-saving.
Preparation, prevention, regulations, and safeguards prevent catastrophes all the time, but we seldom think or hear about it because “world continues to function” is not interesting news. We have to rely on statistical analysis and the expert opinions of planners and officials in order to evaluate both crucial next steps and the effectiveness of preparatory measures after the fact, and that can be challenging for us to pay attention to. So we tend to forget that preparation & prevention is necessary and discount it the next time around.
The big tree in the field at the end of our street didn’t exactly fall – it was cut down.
We live on a dead-end street, with a walkway at the end leading to baseball fields, the Mt. Washington Pool, Rec Center and Elementary School. “Big tree” was a massive oak by the entrance to the pool.
I am world-famous for not seeing texts in a timely manner. It’s not the worst thing in the world to not be attached to my phone, so I’m good with it. But I really wish I’d see this text from my friend Phil earlier this month:
I had no idea the City of Cincinnati was cutting down Big Tree. If I’d known, I definitely would’ve walked down the street that evening to pay a final tribute to a fallen friend.
I’m glad Phil was able to give it a hug. It deserved millions, for the decades of shade and natural cooling it offered, for the tons of CO2 it removed from the air. For the natural beauty it showcased. For the inspiration it provided.
Big Tree lived a long and fulfilling life of service… to Mother Earth, and to all of us. As you can see from the void in the middle of the trunk in the photo below, it was time for Big Tree to say goodbye.
Now there’s a void. Not just in the field, but in our hearts.
(Dog’s butt added to show scale.)
Time to fill that void by planting another. We need more trees, not fewer.
Kevin Sullivan on Life advice from a man who lived it: “A good one Damian. Bring our lens into focus after the long weekend or our long life journey.” Jul 7, 09:38
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