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April 2008
The rumor mill spins
A certain member of the local media (Dayton City Paper) called local music blogs “swanky” in a recent review of the noise-rock band Romance of Young Tigers.
It was also written that these “swanky” blogs overlook bands like Romance of Young Tigers and quote “swoon” over other Dayton bands.
Swanky? Maybe, but in a polyester suit, gold teeth, and leopard print sorta way.
However, I have written about Romance for over two years including a piece reviewing their performance at the Dayton Music Fest in 2006.
You can call me swanky, just don’t call me late for dinner.
Anderl’s taking a break:
I ran into Joe Anderl celebrating Record Store Day at Gem City Records. He told me that he was going to be taking time off from shows after June.
I pleaded for the Dayton singer/songwriter to change his mind, but he explained that he wanted to finish recording songs he wrote prior to his 2007 cd entitled I Love Joe Anderl.
Good luck with the record Joe, and I watched the movie Once upon your recommendation and I loved it.
Wild and Free change name:
Wild and Free is now to be known as the Judy Blooms.
I love the new name of this talented Dayton indie-rock band.
I am sure the real Judy Blume, teen writer and author of Superfudge and Frecklejuice, is smiling somewhere.
As for the band, they are currently in New York with scheduled shows this week in the Big Apple.
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The Jamboree and firsts happening in May
Just three more weekends until the first ever Bellbrook Jamboree.
The Jamboree will be May 16th, 17th, 18th at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia. It is a weekend of camping and music featuring national and regional Bluegrass and Americana artists.
The line-up includes such national performers as The Dan Tyminski Band, Josh Ritter, Dry Branch Fire Squad, King Wilkie, and The Farewell Drifters. Also local performers like the Wild Breed Boys and Wes Tirey will perform.
In preparation for the first event of it’s kind, I will begin a series posts introducing the bands who are playing. Stay Tuned.
Visit www.bellbrookjamboree.com for tickets and more info.
The other big May first will be the first ever ‘Rock for RAINN’ concert.
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The Jamboree and other firsts happening in May
Just three more weekends until the first ever Bellbrook Jamboree.
The Jamboree will be May 16th, 17th, 18th at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia. It is a weekend of camping and music featuring national and regional Bluegrass and Americana artists.
The line-up includes such national performers as The Dan Tyminski Band, Josh Ritter, Dry Branch Fire Squad, King Wilkie, and The Farewell Drifters. Also local performers like the Wild Breed Boys and Wes Tirey will perform.
In preparation for the first event of it’s kind, I will begin a series posts introducing the bands who are playing. Stay Tuned.
Visit www.bellbrookjamboree.com for tickets and more info.
The other big May first will be the first ever ‘Rock for RAINN’ concert.
This rock and roll benefit for RAINN (rape, abuse, and incest national network) is scheduled for Sunday, May 18th.
It will be an all day affair featuring ten bands at Club Masque beginning at 3pm.
Event organizer and bass player for local indie band the Gem City Saints Raymond Whistel, told me last week that “Rock for RAINN is a go” and that “the line up and sponsors are set in stone.”
The line-up is as follows: Switchblade Serenade, Accidently On Purpose, Luxury Pushers, Chow Pow Socialite, Grizzzzy Bear, Freak The Mighty, The Revulvas, Gem City Saints, Atomic Johnny, and The Sics.
For more info visit www.myspace.com/rock4rainn.
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Dayton Dirt Collective starting underground revolution
144 E. Third St. downtown will become Dayton’s newest underground music headquarters next month.
The Dayton Dirt Collective is a group of motivated like-minded bands, show-goers, and show-throwers who are coming together and opening an all-ages non-profit venue open for shows of any and all types.
“We want to make a safe, all ages space to play where bar sales do not matter and where the emphasis is on music,” said DDC public relations director Ambir. “We want to pull in touring bands and put dayton back on the map so bands do not skip our town anymore.”
The Collective began out of frustration of a music scene that provides limited opportunities for younger bands. They hope that new opportunities for bands will lead to a new and exciting Dayton underground.
“For years now the only places to play are a handful of bars, and our own homes,” said Ambir. “Instead of one big underground scene here, we have all these little groups all going through the same issues.”
The DDC took inspiration from the Mr. Roboto Project, a cooperatively-run show space near Pittsburgh, and the Charm City Art Space, a community run art and show space in Baltimore. Both of these spaces have become well-known and successful drawing national acts and large crowds.
“We are trying to bring a space like these to Dayton. We hope to keep a space like this around for a long time and keep it drug/alcohol free, no fights, no bad attitudes,” Ambir remarked. “We really want to put dayton back in the underground music loop.”
The Collective is well thought out and organized allowing members to throw shows on any open date. The space, however, is currently booked into August.
The opening of the space at 144 E. Third will be May 8th featuring rockers Marijuana Johnson. May 16th the DDC’s space will be apart of hosting Urban Nights.
For more info as well as membership inquiries visit www.myspace.com/daytondirtcollective.
I am very impressed by the DDC’s level of organization. They are going to succeed and at the same time strengthen and legitimize the music community.
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Record Store Day this Saturday
First ever Record Store Day is this Saturday and local indie stores are celebrating.
With I-tunes success and big name artists like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead releasing digital only cds, record stores are quickly losing their hold on the music market.
From coast to coast this Saturday, April 19th, record stores and music fans across the country will celebrate the record buying experience.
C’mon, you remember buying records with real art work and plastic cases, right?
Record Store day, or what some are calling “screw I-tunes day,” is being supported and celebrated nationwide by over 300 music retailers.
Local independent record stores Dingleberry’s and Gem City Records are planning events and special deals for Saturday.
Dingleberry’s will be featuring local DJ Jay Madewell live in-store. They are also planning many special deals on used cds and vinyl. They are also advertising “bags of free stuff.”
Gem City Records is having bands from open to close performing live. The line-up includes Shrug, Nick Kizirnis, XL427, and more. Gem City is also having an enormous amount of deals and free-bes for patrons.
Visit www.gemcityrecords.com for complete list of bands and show times.
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Mouth of the Architect finishes new record
The Dayton-born experimental metal band Mouth of the Architect announced Friday the release date for the band’s third record.
Translation Loss Records, the band’s record label, announced through myspace.com blog that the band’s next record will hit the stores on July 22nd and will be called Quietly.
The band spent February and March in Seattle recording Quietly with producer Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes).
MOTA, whose current line-up includes ex-Rune and Twelve Tribes members, is also planning a tour following the release of the record. They will be on the road from August through September.
The band did assure me through email that they are planning to have a local cd release show.
Mouth of the Architect has posted a track from the new record at www.myspace.com/translationlossrecords. The new song, entitled Hate and Heartache, is lengthy and scream-tastic building on the band’s 2006 cd The Ties that Bind.
Fans can pre-order a copy of Quietly at www.translationloss.com.
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The Buddha Den to host rock showcase
Kyle Melton, local music blogger and justified Dayton rock historian, will host a series of all-ages music showcases beginning this weekend.
Melton’s widely read blog, entitled the Buddha Den, will be sponsoring the monthly music events at the South Park Tavern.
“I decided to do these shows in response to the current trend at venues that excludes younger audiences,” said Melton.
The first of many showcases is this Saturday, April 12th, at the South Park Tavern and will feature Andrew and the Pretty Punchers.
Also on the horizon is a Towhee showcase in May and Sleepybird in June.
In true Buddha Den style these series of shows will be completely unconventional.
“Rather than just 3 bands starting late and playing until last call like most shows. The bands will start at 9 and do a half-hour set,” explained Melton.
“Then the Buddha Den (Melton) will play local tracks from other local bands, and the featured band will come back on and do another short set to close things out. It’s a very different format,” Melton added.
Melton, who also doubles as a performer in his solo acoustic project he calls Mascot, hopes these shows not only open a younger audience up to local rock but also help change the traditional thinking in the music community.
“I think we all need a change from the “standard” in Dayton,” said Melton.
Visit the Buddha Den at http://buddhaden.blogspot.com/ and read about the Den’s upcoming local music compilation cd and Melton’s review of the new Breeders cd.
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Unwed Sailor coming back to Nite Owl
Unwed Sailor, my personal favorite instrumental band of all time, is coming back to the Nite Owl this Wednesday, April 9th.
Unwed Sailor is the Seattle-born brainchild of songwriter and former Roadside Monument frontman Johnathon Ford. Ford has been a pioneer for progressive-instrumental rock since 1998.
The band is coming through Dayton promoting their brand new LP entitled Little Wars.
Released in March, Little Wars took five years and seven musicians to make. It is being called the band’s best effort since their classic The Faithful Anchor released in 2001.
The band has a brand new line-up for this tour which includes members of the Starlight Mints and Ester Drang.
I asked Ford what to expect on his return to Dayton.
He wrote, “fans can expect lots of songs from the new record and a few oldies as well. Also expect to get a taste of Little Wars in a live setting.”
Visit www.unwedsailor.net to some samples from the record and read the band’s blog.
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Midpoint Music Festival taken over by CityBeat
Cincinnati based independent newspaper CityBeat has acquired the Midpoint Music Festival from co-founders Bill Donabedian and Sean Rhiney.
The MPMF is the Midwest region’s largest independent music festival hosted in Cincinnati.
The 2008 Midpoint Music Festival will be the 7th year of showcasing some of the best unsigned talent from the Midwest and around the world.
Citybeat referenced the acquisition in a recent online blog saying that “after six years’ everything changes.”
The paper also declares that “CityBeat brings the full weight of its music coverage and production experience to the MidPoint Music Festival’s strong legacy. CityBeat is committed in 2008 and beyond to delivering a music festival deserving of Cincinnati’s rich music history and national reputation as a music town.”
Midpoint’s website, www.mpmf.com, boasts that the festival’s new management will announce many of the planned changes at a sponsored kick-off party scheduled for Wednesday, April 9th, at the Zero Lounge in Downtown Cincinnati. Saddle Creek records artist Cursive will perform at the bash.
The 2008 MPMF is scheduled for September 25-27. The festival is currently excepting band registrations for participation in this year’s event. Registrations can be made at mpmf.com until April 30th.
Every year the MPMF line-up includes many Dayton-based bands. 2007 featured Dayton artists Orange Willard, Jayne Saches, Ruetschele, Drexel, Dress Code, Southeast Engine, Murmur, and more.
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