So, now what?

For those of you just tuning in, after ten years as a B-level music blog and the greatest website to ever come out of Columbus, Ohio, we are retiring the blog and becoming a print publication. One issue a year, hopefully the first one done in the summer. We’ll keep you updated here, but you can also follow along on our new Tumblr or our brand new e-mail newsletter. Sign up here, people. And if you’d like to learn where to keep up with Donewaiting staff as they continue to produce content, go here.

Details about closing up Donewaiting’s website can be found here or an interview I did with Kevin Elliott.

Looking back at the past ten years of running a music website, the highlights that come to me are not about the mp3s we posted, the interviews, or any of the actual blog stuff, but it’s really about the people. People like Joel Oliphint, who took on a thankless job when I moved back home to New York, becoming our Columbus Music Editor and general pulse of the site, squeezing stories out of the staff and trying to keep the train on the tracks. Just the other day he wrote a great piece in Pitchfork about Musicol that you can read here. I think we were holding him back! :) If it wasn’t for Joel, I would have been lost these past three years and can’t thank him enough. (I also encourage you to read his side of the story over at the new Maura Magazine)

Wes Flexner wrote about his greatest hits over here. I love his point of view and am excited to see what he does with his new website.

Chip Midnight was with Donewaiting since the beginning. He’s launched a new Columbus-specific website too, and is molding the next generation of music writers.

The list goes on. Ben, Tankboy, Kirk, Rachael, Kim, Andrew (he was my wedding DJ, too), Han Q Duong, Leo, Steve, David, Danica, Adriana, Slaybaugh, Mike Kania and Brian Adams who built the first version of Donewaiting, Nicholas Nocera, Sunken Treasure Records, Ahmed, Benco, Reno, Dan Dougan, Jerry Dannemiller, many people I am not listing helped the site in one way or another.

Since we’re not completely closing down, I don’t want to make this too much of an obituary, but I do want to end with one final thing. Creating Donewaiting brought me to some of my closest relationships. Once I started to explore the local music scene, Miranda Sound was the first Columbus band I fell in love with. In the ten years since seeing them perform live, we’ve become close friends, business partners, and Dan Gerken even officiated my wedding. That’s because of Donewaiting. Kiesha Jenkins was also a fan of Miranda Sound, and it was because of Donewaiting.com that I met the love of my life. Everything good about the website is because of the things that happened in the real life.

Keep in touch. The print version will come soon. Covering all aspects of culture, not just music. Limited edition.

Below is a collection of links that kinda represent what I did on here from 2007-2013. If you want insight on how I feel about donewaiting’s digital death please click here.

Rap

Me,Yaves Ellis & Kweli Talk To Kids
OJ Da Juiceman
Waka Flocka Flame 
The Catalyst
RJD2
Stalley
Me In a Lone Catalyst Video
Blueprint
Envelope

Black Keys

Michael Carney Post-Grammy Interview
Patrick Carney Interview
Blakroc

Ohio Punk
Screaming Urge
Columbus Discount Records
Times New Viking
Gaunt
Deathly Fighter
Killed In Action
Vile Gash
Weedsteeler

Daymon Day

2007
Daymon Day 2011 Memorial Wall
Bitch You Don’t Know Shit
Photos and Video from 2009 Daymon Day

Random Political ish

Take Back The Night
Sean Bell
Obama

Diplo

Dear Diplo
I Ran Up on Diplo and He was Cool As Fuck

Making People Mad

Marcon
Juggalos
Hell House

Show Reviews:

DMX
Odd Future
Cam’ron
Gucci Mane Show Review

Graffiti

Graffiti isn’t Art
Columbus Graffiti Salutes Golden Girls
I was quoted in Rammellzee’s Obit
PBJ Paints a Flying Saucer

Friday, February 15 @ Ace of Cups | Facebook RSVP
DJ Detox, Fabrashay-A, Barely Eagle, Fumes, Bru Lei

Saturday, February 16 @ Ace of Cups | Facebook RSVP
EYE, Miranda Sound, Cheater Slicks, Sinkane DJ Set featuring Ahmed & Jaytram

Sunday, February 17 @ Double Happiness | Facebook RSVP
Presented with Benco
Sinkane, Connections, Time and Temperature

Mostly for personal reasons, I wanted to collect as many designs as I could find in one post. Putting it together was a real trip down memory lane, making me realize more than ever how vital Clint’s work was to us. He was the creator of the public interface of a website, when we took our act outside of a browser and into the real world.

Check it out, and be sure to spend some time on Clint’s site too. An amazing illustrator and great friend, Columbus Ohio is a better place because he lives there. (Now, if only I can snatch he and his family up and bring him to Brooklyn…….)

10 Year Anniversary
with EYE, Miranda Sound, Cheater Slicks, Sinkane, DJ Detox, Fabrashay-A, Barely Eagle, Fumes, Bru Lei

9 Year Anniversary
with Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, P.Blackk, Zero Star, Bill Fox, Sundown, Detox

8 Year Anniversary
with Phantods, Ghost Shirt, Town Monster, Time and Temperature, Funky D

7 Year Anniversary
with RJD2, Happy Chichester, Kenan Bell, Thought Collective, Detox

6 Year Anniversary
with Envelope, Two Cow Garage, Moon High, Adulture

5 Year Anniversary
with Blueprint & Brainbow collaboration, El Jesus de Magico, Miranda Sound, Mike Shiflet and friends

4 Year Anniversary
with Miranda Sound, Greenhouse Effect, Chris McCoy, Brainbow, Megan Palmer, Marcy Mays, Eric Metronome, Zero Star

3 Year Anniversary (3 posters)
with Sweetheart, Houseguest, The Six Part Seven, Beaten Awake, Little Darlings, Apocalypso, 333 Mixtape vs Atakbot, Envelope, The Evil Queens, Miranda Sound, Necropolis

2 Year Anniversary
with Miranda Sound, Tiara (vinyl release), Killionaires, DJ Riko

1 Year Anniversary
with Silo the Huskie, Tiara, The Six Parts Seven, Brian Straw, Ken Gould, The Party of Helicopters, Miranda Sound, Silencio

More shows:

We presented the first two Decemberists shows they ever did in Columbus….

Tote Bag/T-Shirt

T-shirt/sticker

Tiara/Miranda Sound Vinyl

Holiday Album

Check out the rest of the photos.

You don’t give a funeral speech until there’s a dead body. And while Donewaiting’s going to be pulling the plug this weekend, I wasn’t born yesterday. I remember Kiss going on their 141-date Farewell Tour in 2000/2001. And how did that go for ya, Kiss? I wrote a story for MELT Magazine in 2010 about The Scorpions final tour (yes, the band was still touring in 2012). Donewaiting’s not done, don’t let Duffy fool you. Maybe it’s time for a re-tool. Maybe it’s time for some fresh blood. Maybe it’s time to take a breather. But while there are bands like The Smiths that turn down all sorts of offers, you never say never to a reunion and I’ll bet you’ll see Donewaiting rise from the ashes – maybe not in 2013 or 2014. But, if Duffy doesn’t renew the URL, I’ll swoop in and snag it and put together my own scab version of Donewaiting someday, just like Axl and the band he continues to call Guns N’ Roses.

I suppose I should say thanks to Duffy and the Donewaiting family for the 10 years of letting me write about ’80s hair metal and The Damnwells. And thanks to those of you (hi Lisa Ragland!) who have come up to me in clubs around town and said, “Hey, aren’t you the guy who writes for Donewaiting?” It’s been fun and, hell, throwing the Donewaiting name around has gotten me into shows, gotten me some interviews, etc., that I probably wouldn’t have gotten on my own.

That all being said, like a band going on hiatus, it’s time to announce my solo project! Or, in this case, solo projectS. While my finger isn’t exactly on the pulse of the Columbus music scene (that’s what attracted me to Donewaiting in the first place and it was Duffy’s love and enthusiasm of bands like Miranda Sound that got me to realize there really are good local bands in Columbus), since Donewaiting won’t be there to expose me to Columbus bands I should check out, I’ll find ‘em on my own. I quietly launched Columbus Calling (a heavy nod to David Cobb’s Houston Calling, which originally was part of the Donewaiting empire) in December. I have some plans in the works, some things I always wanted to try here but never got around to doing. Stay tuned. My on-again/off-again site AtomicNed.com will focus on bands that AREN’T from Columbus. And then there is my current pride-and-joy (and time sucker), KidsInterviewBands.com where I’ve created a monster in my own likeness – my daughter Olivia and her friend have interviewed 62 bands to date and we continue to have a full schedule.

“Did you say over? Nothing’s over until we decide it is. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain’t over now …”

Ted, we outta here (for now) (with apologies to Bobby Brown).

Jukebox the Ghost

Matt Pond

Lighthouse and the Whaler

Matt Pond

Jukebox the Ghost

Check out the rest of the pictures.

While the list of drumming styles goes on ad infinitum (Jazz, R&B, Folk/Country, Soul, Blues, et cetera), Motel Beds’ Ian Kaplan is arguably one of the greatest Rock & Roll drummers in the country. Obviously, music is inherently subjective and there is really no standard by which to fully measure this claim. Nonetheless, after repeatedly touring the nation over and witnessing a myriad of drummers, I really do feel it’s a fair assessment to make.

To watch Ian Kaplan play drums is a true joy. The Dayton, Ohio native possesses the perfect combination of playing to the song and laying low, while exploding in the most appropriate and skilled and entertaining ways. In a lot of bands, the limelight is understandably placed on the frontman. Nonetheless, while chords and melody and lyrics are requisite, Kaplan is a testament to the fact that a phenomenal drummer is vital to a phenomenal band. This can be heard when he plays with Motel Beds, Goodbye/Crusher, Lab Partners, or any of the many bands he’s added to over the years. When you match up pure skill, Kaplan is the cream of the crop.

Natural talent is clearly at play, however, Kaplan’s prowess is namely the result of an intense dedication to his craft. To this day, it seems few work harder at honing their skills and continuing to grow as a musician. I had the opportunity to speak with Kaplan before Donewaiting goes print-only this weekend. Thanks for making Dayton and Ohio proud, Ian.

Donewaiting: When did you start playing drums?

Ian Kaplan: I have been playing drums since age 5.

DW: What was the name of your first band?

IK: ”Naked Henry,” in Augsburg, Germany.

DW: What drummers have had the biggest influence on your style?

IK: Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Steve Gadd, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Aynsley Dunbar, Buddy Rich, Tony Williams, Joe Morello, Jim Keltner, Ringo Starr, Levon Helm, Malcolm Catto.

DW: Who is your favorite drummer of all-time?

IK: My favorite? Man, that’s tough. I guess I’d have to say Max Roach. He’s the king. Listen to anything on “Saxophone Colossus” or the “Freedom Now Suite” and try to reconcile what he’s playing against the time signature – then realize he’s playing quarter notes on the hi-hat while he plays these incredibly, beautiful, intricate phrases. If there’s a God and God is a drummer, He lived inside of Max Roach for a time.

DW: Has living in the Midwest and growing up in Dayton impacted your drumming style at all? I remember speaking with you about Brainiac drummer Tyler Trent and his influence on you at an early age. Are there any other regional drummers that influenced your approach to the instrument?

IK: Definitely has. Before I moved here, I hadn’t been involved in any sort of music “scene,” as it were. I was young and, even though, in Germany the drinking-age and, therefore, entry age to shows was low (16), there was little to no opportunity for kids my age, be they Americans or Germans, to really throw shows or have bands. Here, it was a completely different story. Everything I’d read about a city with a  community of like-minded musicians actually happened here and continues to happen. The first time I got to see some of Dayton’s bands, I was completely blown away. Tyler Trent definitely had a huge impact on my playing. I couldn’t believe how controlled and precise he is, but simultaneously seems as if he is having an out-of-body experience when he plays. The power and the visceral emotion he put into every beat really had an effect on me and I think it’s still reflected in my playing today. Over the years I met many other drummers in town, namely Matt Espy, who I briefly took over for in MiNK when he moved to Chicago, Matt Schulz who I replaced in Lab Partners, Jim MacPherson… the list goes on. All have become good friends of mine and I still think they are the greatest drummers in the world, no matter what. Seeing someone play and seeing how they do things vs. just hearing them is a completely different experience. When I heard what Tyler played on Bonsai Superstar, for instance, and then went to see Brainiac and watch Tyler reproduce what he recorded live really was life-changing. Tyler, if you’re reading this, thank you, again and again and again.

DW: What are your plans for the future?

IK: I guess, limiting this answer only to my musical life, I’d like to see Motel Beds blow-up and play festivals and make a go at playing music full-time. I still haven’t given up on that dream. If that doesn’t pan out, I guess balloon in size and become the world’s largest mammal. Or maybe both.

A message from Jaytram:
“A new mix from the depths of winter, to help ease you into spring. More random jams I’ve been listening to recently. I hope you enjoy. j”

Big love to Jay for shouting out Donewaiting and Columbus, OH on this mix. See him DJ music in Columbus this Saturday at Ace of Cups for the Donewaiting 10 Year Anniversary.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Above is the trailer for Fab’s upcoming EP the Resurgence which drops 2/26/2013. “The Resurgence” will be presented by DJ Touch Money, and DJ Corey Grand. If you watch the trailer you can see why Fab is one of most buzzed about young rappers in Columbus.