3 shows. 9 performers. From all over the musical spectrum.
Friday was Wussy with Advance Base and Moontype. Indie rock.
Saturday was a singer/songwriter “listening room” showcase featuring shorter sets from Sami Riggs, Lydia Shae, and Ash Taylor. Country-leaning.
Sunday was a punk show with Snõõper, Shrudd, and Pal. Three short but very high energy sets.
Am I too old for rock and roll? (Jethro Tull said I was.) I don’t think so. But I was on the fence for last night’s show. My buddy Dave and I were supposed to go. Dave’s son Jack works at a recording studio in Nashville and has worked with Snõõper. But Dave’s other son — who also lives in Nashville and is an ace guitarist — was in a car accident over the weekend. Concussion and dislocated shoulder… and totaled car. So Dave went down to Nashville. And I was trying to talk myself out of going to the Sunday show. But our mutual friend Matt took Dave’s ticket. So off I went. And I’m so glad I did. Matt and I brought the audience’s average age up by 20 years, but we didn’t care. In fact, we fed off the energy of the kids in the band and the kids in the mosh pit (yes, there was one!).
I know my music obsession isn’t normal. But then again, neither am I.
There used to be a large pool/amusement park near our house called Coney Island.
They tore it down a couple of years ago (to make room for a new concert shed, btw). But I will always remember the George Bernard Shaw they had painted on a wall that faced the street:
Sub out “going to concerts” for “playing” and that’s me!
On Valentine’s Day, FeedSpot released their list of the “100 Best Indie Music Podcasts.”
You probably didn’t even know that there were 100 podcasts about indie music. (Neither did I!)
But if you scroll down the list… keep scrolling… just a bit more… there, that’s it! You’ll find this gem:
“97X – Rumblings from the Big Bush” is the weirdly-named, shoddily produced podcast that I co-host with my friend and former 97X colleague Dave. I’ve posted about it before:
My 97X buddy Dave and I started a podcast a few years ago, recording episodes in my basement. We had no idea what we were doing. Still don’t, honestly. “Shoestring budget” would be inaccurate. No budget. Actually it’s a “loss leader” given the hosting and website fees we pay. We’ve done very little promotion of it. But somehow, someway, the small-but-mighty group of people who loved 97X found it.
The podcast about 97X seems like a fool’s errand. Very few people listened to the station when it existed, and it’s been off the air for two decades (or a mere 15 years if you include the dot-com era). But the people who listened to the station absolutely loved it. And somehow, some way, despite the lack of promotion (and the weird name of “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush”), they found the podcast. As I tell Dave all the time “every time we publish a new episode, we make 150 people very happy.” Through the pod, we’ve been able to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, talk to musicians we admire (the latest episode features two members of Too Much Joy), and create a place for folks to relive some of their fondest memories. And hanging out with Dave — one of the most naturally funny people I’ve ever met — is always a treat.
Never heard of our podcast? You’re not alone. 99.99% of the world has never heard of it, much less heard it. But for the few, the proud, the folks who remember a tiny “modern rock” station in Oxford, Ohio, the podcast was pretty darn cool. It helped them reconnect with the station, the music, and the people that meant a lot to them.
“I am not sure you guys realize just what impact having this modern rock format has had on my life… your podcast has brought about all of these thoughts, feelings, and memories of the soundtrack of 21 years on my life. I thank you for playing your part in it back then and I thank you for creating this podcast to help me process just what those 21 years have meant to me.”
“Thanks for the pod. It is like finally being able to talk with someone about the treasure that was WOXY.”
We tried to end the podcast a couple of years ago, but we missed it.
Now we’re back with “Season Two”… which really just means more of the same hijinks.
#33 on the FeedSpot list is great. But the measures that matter most to Dave and me are having fun, and creating something that our (admittedly tiny) audience enjoys. We’re still making 150 people happy every time we release an episode. Like Seth Godin says, “that’s enough.”
You probably won’t come up with a better mousetrap. But you might find the empathy and focus to find a small group of people with a more specific problem and solve it for them in a way that earns you trust, traction and word of mouth.
That’s enough.
BTW, the latest episode features our interview with Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, the leaders of the band Wussy, and two of my all-time favorite songwriters.
Below is a post I made way back in 2015. (TBH, I didn’t even think I had a blog back then, but apparently so.) Reposting now in tribute to Bob Weir, who passed away this past weekend at the age of 78. (Also note that the “final show” referenced in my original post wasn’t really the final show… Bobby kept on truckin’ with Dead & Co. and The Wolf Bros. pretty much until the end.
“These songs are … living critters and they’re visitors from another world — another dimension or whatever you want to call it — that come through the artists to visit this world, have a look around, tell their stories. I don’t know exactly how that works, but I do know that it’s real.” – Bob Weir in a 2022 interview with NPR.
20 years ago, I couldn’t stand the Grateful Dead. I don’t like the smell of patchouli and I don’t care for $5 grilled cheese sandwiches made on the carburetor of a ’72 VW Microbus.
18 years ago, I married my wife, who is a big fan of the Dead. So I’ve listened to more than my fair share of their music since then. And it’s grown on me. Granted, I still could do without an 18-minute version of a 2-minute cover song (looking at you, “Good Lovin'”) or “Drums > Space.” But I really do enjoy many of their songs, and have a great appreciation for the fan base they’ve cultivated over the last 50 years. Whether you love them or hate them (and there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground), you have to admit that they are one of the most generous bands around, in the sense that they view music as a gift to be shared, and not commerce to be peddled. Tapers have always been welcome at their shows, and their bootlegs have helped them grow their fan base.
Two nights ago, The Grateful Dead played their final show at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Some would argue they played their final show 20 years ago when Jerry Garcia passed away.) We are on vacation and went to see a live stream of the show on a Jumbotron at an outdoor bar in Florida. It was my first time seeing them live (or semi-live on a Jumbotron). There were plenty of other fans there watching as well. How many bands could pull that off – having people spend a vacation night watching one of their concerts from a thousand miles away?
I know that there are a lot of preconceived notions about Deadheads, but as a passionate live music fan I tip my hat to them, because they obviously love live music. The Dead may not be the most technically precise band around, but they have a groove that runs a mile deep and have built a passionate community around that. More bands should be like them.
2 responses to “Eternally Grateful… still”
Chuck Wiggins
I’m ambivalent at best about the Grateful Dead’s music, but there’s no discounting the incredible community built around it. And there’s one song that transcends my ambivalence and reins among my all-time favorite songs from anyone – Unbroken Chain.
It turns out that Erika Wennerstrom (lead singer/main songwriter/leader of the band Heartless Bastards) is even cooler than I thought she was. (And I thought she was pretty cool before this past weekend.)
Her solo show at The Columbia (the one that came to be thanks to some random connections – as blogged about in these pages last week) was even more amazing than I thought it would be.
Erika’s otherworldly voice in an old church = pure magic!
My friend Laura owns the church that served as the venue. Her husband Eric (my friend and co-worker) recently had surgery, so Laura asked her friend Keith and me to be on-site early to help with getting set up for the show. We helped Erika unload her merchandise, install batteries in the fake candles, and generally served as grips and go-fers. When the doors opened, I was the ticket-taker (really just checking names off the list). Showbiz ain’t always glamorous. But the show was stellar.
Better yet, Erika was super-nice. So was Steve, the local musician who served as her sound guy. And Erica (with a “c”) who worked the merch booth. That starts with Erika – she picked Steve to run sound because she’s known him forever, and knows that he’ll get the sound right without causing any drama. And Erica was Steve’s friend. Surrounding yourself with good people and treating folks kindly makes a big difference in the experience. You can be a rock star without acting like one.
But the biggest karma award goes to Laura. The venue where Erika played her holiday shows in years past was asking for a pretty hefty percentage of the ticket sales this year. Whereas Laura donated her space for the show. Which meant more ticket sales overall, and more money going to the artist. No everyone would be in a position to donate use of an old church as a venue… but not everyone who owned an old church would let someone play there without worrying about their “cut” of the sales.
120 people were at the show – nearly all of them had never been there before, and many raved about the space. Laura’s “investment” in helping out an artist will pay dividends down the line, as the word spreads about The Columbia as a cool venue. Whatever she could’ve made in rental fees on Friday night, she’ll make tenfold over the next year.
Be helpful. Be kind. Don’t be heartless. Music to my ears!
My co-worker Eric knows I love music. In fact, ALL of my co-workers know it. I work in internal communications and pepper the weekly all-company newsletter with all manner of music references, most leaning toward obscure indie rock (and Rush). So it’s pretty easy to pick up on my passion for tunes.
Two and a half years ago, Eric said “hey, I know you’re into music — my wife bought an old church in the East End and wants to do some music stuff there. Would you be willing to meet with her so she can pick your brain?”
If I were a heartless bastard, I’d tell Eric to buzz off. But I’m not a heartless bastard; I like to be a helper. And music, as previously noted, is my passion. So of course the answer was yes.
I’m no Don Kirshner or Artie Fufkin. (Paul Shaffer tie-in for the win!)
The only things I could provide to Laura were connections and suggestions.
I introduced her to Dan McCabe, a legendary concert booker/promoter who had recently refurbished an old movie theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and turned it into a music venue. (I wrote about that for Cincinnati Magazine!) And Ric Hordinski, an extremely talented musician and music producer who had turned a decommissioned church into a recording studio. And John Madden, who has been booking and promoting concerts in this area for more than 30 years. (I wrote about John for Cincinnati Magazine too!) And I suggested that she connect with Scott Skeabeck, who runs a “listening room” concert series at various unique venues in the area. All four gents were extremely generous with their time and helpful in sharing their expertise.
I connected Laura with Taylor Fox from Inhailer Radio, an online station that plays indie music. She wound up running some ads on Inhailer for the “Ween Wednesday” music events at her venue, now known as The Columbia. The ads brought a few more people out to those events.
I also put Undertow Music on Laura’s radar. Undertow manages several artists, and helps dozens of acts book “house concert” tours. I’ve hosted several Undertow shows at my house.
Spoiler alert: I wound up hosting that Wussy Duo concert at my house. It was amazing! But Laura submitted an application to host an Emma Swift show via Undertow this past summer. And booked it!
The Emma Swift concert at The Columbia was stellar!
It turns out that Emma Swift is friends with singer/songwriter/bandleader Erika Wennerstrom, who is originally from Dayton, Ohio, and started a band in Cincinnati before relocating to Austin, Texas. Erika has done solo “holiday homecoming” shows in both Dayton and Cincy the past few Decembers. (I’ve been to three of the Cincy ones – shocking, I know!). Erika was looking for a new venue for her Cincinnati show this year, and Emma Swift mentioned her wonderful experience at The Columbia.
Erika’s show at The Columbia is next Friday, December 19th. All 100+ tickets sold out quickly.
What’s the moral of this long-and-winding musical story: Don’t be a heartless bastard. Instead, help your friend book a Heartless Bastard.
Before I break my arm patting myself on the back, let the record show that before Laura and I connected, she had arranged for a local band called The Hiders to film a music video at The Columbia. And Beth Harris, who is in The Hiders, is also a touring member of Heartless Bastards.
So the holiday show might’ve happened without any involvement from me. But it was Emma Swift’s Undertow show that got the ball rolling this time around. And I’ve never been happier to be a helper!
Here’s the “Godmother of Punk” Patti Smith in an interview with Ezra Klein of the NYT:
Despite everything that’s happening in the world and everything around us and any frustration or helplessness we feel or betrayal we feel, we have to remember it’s also all right to feel the joy of being alive and feel the joy of your own possibilities. Even in the face of the suffering of so many people around us. I have to hold on to the fact that I have my own life, and I have duties that I have to perform. I have a family to take care of. But I also have the same calling I did when I was young: to nourish and to do the work that I believe I was given the possibility to do.
I’m not going to let anything shake that faith, no matter what kind of rubble or debris of our time I have to walk through. I believe in my rebel hump. So I’m not going to let anyone destroy it. I’m just going to keep doing my work.
Beautiful. Just beautiful!
Yes, the United States can seem like it’s turned into the Upside Down, or a Bizarro World. And there are daily if not hourly opportunities to get frustrated, or feel helpless or betrayed, or be depressed by the suffering around us. But we still have to keep on doing the work that we’re called to do.
We have to remember it’s also all right to feel the joy of being alive and feel the joy of your own possibilities
Patti Smith
You’ll have to read the full transcript or listen to the entire podcast episode (posted below) to learn about Patti’s “rebel hump.”
Here’s to joy! Here’s to possibilities! Here’s to being a punk!
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