Music Blog

NMF to Throw Free Party in Columbus

Bryan_Gibson — Wed, 06 May 2015 20:23:09 +0000

Columbus, Ohio

The Nelsonville Music Festival will be hosting a free party at Used Kids (1980 N. High St., Columbus) on Saturday from 4-8 p.m. with music from Ohio bands including The Sidekicks (Columbus), Good English (Dayton), The D-Rays (Athens) and Ryan Jewell/Brett Burleson (Columbus).

There will also be free pizza from Mikey’s Late Night Slice, giveaways and more. This event is free and no tickets are needed.

The Nelsonville Music Festival takes place May 28-31 in Nelsonville, Ohio with The Flaming Lips, Merle Haggard, St. Vincent, Brandi Carlile, Trampled By Turtles, Built to Spill, Mavis Staples and more than 40 other acts.

The Nelsonville Music Festival is a production of Stuart's Opera House. Tickets, artist lineup, camping information and other details are available at www.nelsonvillefest.org or by calling 740-753-1924.

Ohio

2015 Nelsonville Music Festival

Music

Color Dance Music Festival Returns for Third Year

Bryan_Gibson — Wed, 06 May 2015 20:16:33 +0000

Guysville, Ohio

The Color Dance Music Festival will return to Poston Lake Music Park for the third year on May 15-17.

Color Dance is inspired by the Hindu Festival of Colors, Holi, a celebration announcing the passing of winter and arrival of spring. Holi also celebrates themes of peace, spirituality and newness of life, while participants smear powdered color on themselves and others to celebrate unity and diversity.

Color Dance’s “color play” is a staple element of the festival and a physical representation of unity in diversity.

The artists at the festival come from a plethora of different musical backgrounds and include many local and regional favorites. Headlining Friday night’s main stage will be Chicago live-electronic trio Future Rock, while Saturday’s headliner is New York based fusion rock act TAUK.

Also playing the main stage will be Buffalo, New York’s Aqueous, Columbus/Athens funk heroes Sassafraz and Yellow Springs bluegrass staple Blue Moon Soup.

Color Dance has also teamed up with Athens arts collective Athenian Vision to create a second stage, hosting many local musicians. Those performing include Aludel, Hellnaw, The Dysfunktional Family and Mrs. Helen Highwater. A full list of the more than 40 acts performing can be found on the Color Dance website.

Also present at the festival will be an assortment of vendors and yoga sessions. Two-day presale tickets are available for $60 and can be purchased at www.colordancefest.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $80. All ages are welcome and children 12 and under get in free.

Athens Co

Music

Meet The Artist: Liz Pahl

Bryan_Gibson — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 21:11:25 +0000

Nicole Schneider

Athens, Ohio

On this episode of Meet the Artist, Athens musician Liz Pahl talks about her recent musical activities, her website (www.lifes-soundtrack.com) and how she balances artistic endeavors with family life.

The video was produced by WOUB student Nicole Schneider. Visit this link to view other shows in the Meet the Artist series.

^{Photo by William McFadden (www.mcfaddenphoto.com)}

Rock 'N' Bowl: Blackoutfest Organizer Taps Rollerbowl Lanes For NMF Fundraiser

Bryan_Gibson — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 19:25:24 +0000

Amy Schmitt

Athens, Ohio

For nearly 20 years, Athens musician Scott Winland has organized Blackoutfest, a three-night music festival at The Union Bar & Grill. However, last November's fire on West Union Street left the venue uninhabitable, putting the annual fest on hold for a while.

Now Winland has come up with a temporary solution until The Union is back up and running: The Blackout Bowl--an evening of live music and bowling at Rollerbowl Lanes. The event, scheduled for May 2, is also a fundraiser for this year's Nelsonville Music Festival.

"I believe I speak for many when I say The Union is sorely missed right about now," said Winland. "It didn't feel right not having anything this spring, so I decided to throw a different type of event at a non-traditional venue."

Winland explained that since The Union isn’t set to reopen until the fall, he decided to wait a year before the next Blackoutfest.

"I'd much rather keep it at The Union than host the big 20th anniversary in some other room," he said. "I've put together 19 of them at The Union, and think it would be pretty weird to have it anywhere else."

The Blackout Bowl will feature sets from national and local bands, most of whom performed at The Union at one time or another. Yellow Springs' Speaking Suns, who performed at The Union the night before the fire, are set to to play, along with Cheap Time (Nashville), Shilpa Ray (New York City), Hex Net (Athens), The Greg Ashley Band (Oakland), Sportfishing U.S.A. (Seattle) and Blam Blams (Athens).

"As much as I love putting on shows in the great local bars, I'm pretty excited to get the opportunity to host an event in a different type of space. Many folks I know love live music, but can't stay out late, or have had their fill of the bar scene," Winland said. "I think it will be fun for everyone to experience some live music outside of all of that. Throw in free bowling and I think we've got something pretty great cooking here!"

Saturday's show kicks off at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $15, which includes bowling. For details, visit brownpapertickets.com.

City of Athens

Music

Athens City Schools' Bands Set To Perform Sunday

Bryan_Gibson — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 18:01:21 +0000

Sarah Guinn - Special for The Messenger

Athens, Ohio

Photo Credit:

visitfred.com

More than 270 Athens band students will take the stage to perform a variety of pieces, as well as some familiar tunes, at this year's Athens City Schools All Band Concert, which is set to set place 3 p.m. Sunday in the Athens High School Auditorium.

The combined fifth grade band and combined sixth grade band from East, West, Morrison-Gordon and The Plains Elementary schools will perform, said Aaron Backes Director of Bands. Following those performances are the Athens Middle School seventh and eighth grade bands. And finally, the performance will conclude with the Athens High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Band.

Among the pieces on the program are "Hard Rock Blues," from the fifth grade band, a Spanish piece by Victor Lopez called "Armada," from the sixth grade band, an arrangement from Antonin Dvorak's famous "New World Symphony," from the seventh grade band and "Pirates of the Barbary Coast," from the eighth grade band, Backes said.

The Athens High School Symphonic Band is set to play three contemporary works: "Dusk" by Steven Bryant, "3 O'Clock Mix" by Jonathan Newman and "Charm" by Kevin Puts.

"'Dusk' is a slower, expressive piece, which contrasts the fast energy of '3 O'Clock Mix' and 'Charm.' 'Charm' has especially challenging and fun rhythms for the students," Backes told The Messenger.

And, finally, the Athens High School Jazz Band will play the Duke Ellington "Satin Doll," as well as a fast swing chart called, "Jive at Five," he said.

"It takes a lot of work and help from students, parents and the band boosters, but I'm always impressed with how smoothly everything runs," Backes said. "It helps that many of the students have participated in the concert for several years and know what to expect. The older students especially remember the rewarding experience of performing at the same concert as younger students, and seeing their progress over the years."

The concert costs $5 for all non-performers. There will also be a dessert buffet and Chinese auction in the Athens High School Atrium and Cafeteria hosted by the band boosters. All proceeds will go toward music, instruments and activities for Athens band students.

City of Athens

Athens City Schools

Music

Stuart's To Host Top Bluegrass Act This Friday

Bryan_Gibson — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 17:24:21 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Photo Credit:

provided

Dailey & Vincent

Stuart’s Opera House is set to host an evening of award-winning bluegrass with Dailey & Vincent on Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m.

Young-but-seasoned veterans of bluegrass, traditional country and gospel groups, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent cut their teeth working with with legends such as Doyle Lawson, John Hartford and Ricky Skaggs before forging their own distinct career path.

Vincent began his career onstage at age two with his family band, The Sally Mountain Show and has been singing with his sister Rhonda for most of his life.

Dailey also comes from a musical family. His father, guitarist J.B. Dailey, was a founding member of The Four J's, a regional gospel quartet. Jamie started singing when he was just three years old. By the time he was nine, he was learning to play bass and guitar, and within a few years, added banjo to his repertoire.

From the very beginning of their partnership in late 2007, Dailey and Vincent quickly established themselves as fresh voices in their genre. Their four studio albums and heavy touring schedules have gained them well-deserved attention from bluegrass, country and gospel critics and fans alike.

The duo has been recognized as IBMA Entertainer of The Year (three times), IBMA Vocal Group of the Year (three times), Grammy nominees (twice) and Dove Award winners.

The pair's most recent albums, Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers (2010) and The Gospel Side of Dailey and Vincent (2012), both garnered Grammy nominations, but each had a very specific focus. With 2013's Brothers Of The Highway, Dailey & Vincent made a conscious attempt to take stock of their careers so far, heeding the admonition of their friend and mentor Ricky Skaggs, who advised them "you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been."

Floor and balcony seats for Friday's show are still available at www.stuartsoperahouse.org. Box seats are sold out.

Finding His Place: Athens' Matt Moore Releases Long-Awaited Debut

Bryan_Gibson — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 11:48:38 +0000

Marlena Scott

Athens, Ohio

“My first two years of college, I really didn’t enjoy the town, or the scene, or any of the students. But there was one night in particular that I’ll never forget when it all changed.”

It was Good Friday in 2009 when local musician Matt Moore found his place in Athens.

He was strolling down a wet, empty Court Street and found himself in front of the Blue Eagle music shop, full of people playing instruments and having a good time.

“I slipped inside and just listened. One by one they became aware of my presence but just kept jamming and drinking,” Moore said. “I spent the rest of the night drinking their beer, tapping my feet and being my awkward self among these people.”

Moore was amazed by Blue Eagle's casual atmosphere; how people were hanging out and making music just for the fun of it. From that point on, he has felt free to make the music he wants, without any constraints.

Moore, 26, grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, surrounded by the sounds of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and the like.

“My high school years were full of punk and hardcore influences, but Athens brought me into the style of music that I always heard around my family. During my solitary 'coming of age years' I really got to explore these folk/rural motifs with Athens life as the perfect context,” Moore explained.

Now Moore is releasing First Songs, a collection of 20 tunes about different places he has visited (including many Athens-centric tracks), made possible with a little help from his friends.

Recorded by Josh Antonuccio at 3 Elliott Studio, the album features a who's-who of Athens musicians, including Jake Householder, Bruce Dalzell and Ricky Chilcott.

Aside from the large Athens influence, Moore has spent time on the West Coast and Las Vegas, which also affected his writing.

“Those songs never would have happened if I hadn’t lived on Dollar Bill Court in Vegas, missing the Ohio rivers and trees, or if I hadn’t spent the Fourth of July on Santa Monica Beach, throwing a frisbee to some stranger’s dog,” Moore said.

Of all the songs on the album, “Upswing” is Moore's favorite track. The last to be written, the song continues to fascinate and intrigue him each time he visits it.

“Sometimes songs can unveil their meaning to me anew, even after I’ve written them,” Moore said. “Not that they’re prophetic at all, but like looking at painting a second time, or a tree a month later, sometimes songs have can offer different insights at different times as one changes as a person.”

A CD release show has been scheduled for April 30 at Central Venue in Athens, and Moore is excited to perform his songs for the town that played such a large role in their creation.

“Central Venue will be like nothing I’ve ever done before--playing to a large room and finally sharing my album with people. I’ve never had a baby, but I feel like this is as close as I’ve come to releasing something into the world like that.”

Thursday's show gets underway at 6 p.m. Visit www.saintmattmoore.com or Moore's Facebook page for more information.

^{Photos: facebook.com/mattmooreohio}

City of Athens

Matt Moore

Music

Mavis Staples, Budos Band Added To 2015 Nelsonville Fest Lineup

Bryan_Gibson — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:49:49 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Photo Credit:

Sarah Laubacher/WOUB Public Media

Mavis Staples at the 2013 Nelsonville Music Festival

Stuart's Opera House has announced the fifth round of lineup announcements for this year's Nelsonville Music Festival, including legendary soul singer Mavis Staples on Friday, May 29 and afrobeat/soul instrumental group The Budos Band on Saturday, May 30.

Other acts announced today include Howard, Samantha Crain, Todd Burge, Connections, The D-Rays, Ryan Jewell, Chris Biester, Scott Hedrick, Weedghost, Ethan Bartman and the Stuart's Opera House Afterschool Bands, plus a campground Square Dance with T. Claw and the Honey for the Heart puppets.

These performers will join headliners The Flaming Lips (Friday), Merle Haggard (Sunday), St. Vincent (Saturday) and Trampled By Turtles (Thursday). More acts are still to be announced, according to a Stuart's press release.

Attendees of the 2013 Nelsonville Music Festival will remember the strong thunderstorms and heavy winds which temporarily knocked out the on-site power. Because of that year's storm, Mavis Staples' set was cut to four songs.

Festival organizers are "extremely happy" to announce the return of the legendary soul and gospel singer, whose new EP, Your Good Fortune, was released on April 21. Best known for her work in the 1970s with The Staple Singers ("I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself"), Staples returned to the public eye with a Grammy win for 2013's You Are Not Alone, a collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.

Staten Island's The Budos Band, part of the Daptone Records stable of artists, will perform songs from their new album, Burnt Offering, on May 30. The band Howard, which plays a mix of folk and electronic music, also hails from the New York City area.

Oklahoma singer-songwriter Samantha Crain, an NMF favorite, returns to the No-Fi Cabin, while Parkersburg native Todd Burge will lead a songwriting workshop for kids in the Creative Kids Tent and perform an "adult" set, also in the No-Fi Cabin.

Columbus band Connections will make their first NMF appearance, joined by several other Ohio acts: Athens band The D-Rays (who will provide music for O'Betty's Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Porch Stage), Chris Biester (Athens), Ryan Jewell (Columbus), Skeletonwitch guitarist Scott Hedrick (Athens), Ethan Bartman (Athens) and Weedghost (Athens/Fairborn). Plus, four bands from the Stuart's Opera House Afterschool Music Program have spent the past eight months practicing and perfecting their sound for this year's festival.

The 2015 Nelsonville Music Festival is scheduled for May 28-31 at Robbins Crossing, located on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. More than 50 acts are slated to perform on four stages, plus attendees can enjoy camping, local food and art vendors, kids' activities and much more. Visit www.nelsonvillefest.org for details.

Athens Co

2015 Nelsonville Music Festival

Music

A Different Drum: OU Percussionists Create New Instruments For Student Expo

Bryan_Gibson — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 14:27:14 +0000

Jacob Zuckerman

Athens, Ohio

^{At the 2015 Ohio University Student Expo, music majors Jake Schlaerth, left, and Turner Matthews demonstrate the handmade musical instruments they created. Photo by Rob Hardin/Ohio University.}

“Think outside the box” always has been the cliché used to inspire creativity. Two Ohio University music students, however, decided to throw away both the expression and the box itself.

Tired of the limitations of conventional instruments, Turner Matthews and Jake Schlaerth began creating their own, composing pieces for them and performing. Following a warm reception at last year’s Ohio University Student Expo, the two returned to the 2015 event with three novel instruments: a motor controlled harp, propane-tank drums and an interactive ceramic tile instrument.

“The reason why I make all these instruments is to write for them. We’re composition majors and percussionists,” Matthews said. “Since they’re new instruments, they call for new music to be written for them.”

The motor controlled harp is inspired by an Indian instrument, the hurdy-gurdy. In Schlaerth and Matthews’ model, however, instead of one musician manually spinning a wheel to vibrate the strings, one robot (an Arduino computer) controls 23 motors that spin 23 wheels that all vibrate their own strings. The strings are a mix of guitar strings and bass guitar strings.

To complement the harp, Matthews created the drums by slicing off the bottoms of propane gas tanks. He then cut out tongue-like shapes from the metal top that, when struck, emit a noise similar to that of a steel drum.

“A lot of people make these in their garages just for fun and kind of just jam on them,” Matthews said. “But I haven’t seen anything really composed for them and seriously thought out.”

^{Photo: Rob Hardin/Ohio University}

Perhaps their furthest “outside the box” creation, the interactive ceramic tile instruments were actually made by students studying ceramics, per Matthews’ request. The ceramics form an echo chamber around microphones, which then relay the percussive and vocal sounds they pick up to speakers. The end result is a distinctive, natural reverberation.

Expo visitors have been attracted to the sights and sounds of the duo’s innovations.

“The Expo was a huge success for us last year,” Schlaerth said. “We were the only music makers, so we just filled the whole auditorium. When you struggle with something for so long, it’s nice to hear some applause.”

The students only play original compositions with the instruments. Their adviser, Distinguished Professor of Music Mark Phillips, noted that the concept of building new instruments and writing new music around them—impressive as it may be from undergrads—has a long tradition in American music.

“If you’re always faced with a keyboard, you write a certain kind of music because that’s what’s easy to do on this instrument,” Phillips said. “But if you build an instrument that has none of this sort of interface, then you write and play different kinds of music.”

Missed Matthews and Schlaerth at the Expo? They’ll perform at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at the Central Venue, 29 E. Carpenter St., Athens.

Republished with permission from the Office of Research Communications at Ohio University.

City of Athens

Student Expo

Music

Ohio University Choral Group To Perform With The Rolling Stones

Regina_Donizetti — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 23:02:55 +0000

WOUB Contributing Writer

Athens, Ohio

Fri, Apr 24, 2015 5:00 pm

You can’t always get what you want, but one Ohio University choir has scored the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Ohio University Singers, an elite choral group within the School of Music, will be performing on stage with The Rolling Stones at Ohio Stadium this summer.

So how did a group of 30 students get the chance to be rock stars?

Dr. Daniel J. Hall, director of Choral Activities at Ohio University and conductor of the Ohio University Singers, said it’s all in the connections. An old instructor of his pointed The Rolling Stones in his direction for their upcoming concert in Columbus.

"I was on tour with the Singing Men of Ohio, actually, and I got an email from Suzi Digby, who was in charge of putting this thing together, this whole choral thing. They do this in different cities...Mick Jagger likes to have this kind of traditional choral song, which is called "You Can't Always Get What you Want," in which the choir starts and they sing pretty much the whole thing, then he comes walking out."

Hall had to discuss details and logistics with Digby before he was able to inform his students about this exciting opportunity.

"I played it up big time. I took three-and-a-half minutes to explain that we had this big possibility in May,” he said. "And then I just unloaded and they said, 'What, what, what?' I said, 'We've been asked to sing with Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones in Ohio Stadium.' Somebody went 'Shut up!' and I said, 'No, it's true.'"

Thirty members of the Ohio University Singers will performing the song with the Stones. The ensemble is an audition-based choir of around 40 students that performs both classical and contemporary musical selections.

For the Ohio University Singers, a big opportunity like this has united the choir to become a stronger group, and is giving them bigger recognition on campus.

"It's like an athletic team," Hall explained. "You play the same game but you play in different arenas, different places, different conditions, whether you're sick or happy or sad. You put all of that together, and by the end of the year you have a really solid product. It just helps the students to bond, so I think it's really important."

People of all ages have been excited by the news of the upcoming concert.

“You say to anybody of any age, name one of the top five biggest bands ever, they're gonna say The Rolling Stones," said Hall. "People's parents...that was the fun thing. Students' parents were tripping out, like 'Oh my gosh, are you serious?'

^{Photo: facebook.com/OUSingers}

Although there are currently 36 members in the Ohio University Singers, only 30 will get to perform with the Stones. Originally the number was 24, but Dr. Hall argued to increase it.

"I got back to Suzi and said, 'I'm gonna have a mutiny on my hands no matter what, but could we please increase it?' And they increased it to 30," he said.

Factors such as grades, seniority, attendance and work ethic will be taken into consideration when selecting which students are chosen to perform.

Elicia Gibson, a junior studying strategic communications from Pittsburgh, is in her first year with the choir. She was shocked that of all the Ohio choirs, the Ohio University Singers were selected, but she is confident in their ability to perform well with The Rolling Stones.

"I think we have the right sound that they were looking for, so after a while it all started to set in, and it was really interesting. I was excited," she said.

Even though Gibson does not know if she's been selected to sing in the concert, she made sure she would be in Ohio that night.

"My plans are to come back down for it. I’ve already talked to my employer and called off work and everything so I’ll be here."

Gibson's excitement about the possibility of performing with The Rolling Stones echoes throughout the entire group.

Kirby Flowers, a Sophomore Music Therapy Major, has a taste for more recent music, but is still thrilled about the opportunity.

"I'm not really a huge fan of The Rolling Stones,” admits Flowers. "But I recognize that it's a big deal, so that was kind of unreal. They were like 'Oh yeah, you're gonna be singing with this giant group that everybody knows about," so I was pretty freaking pumped."

Regardless of the opportunity for current members of the Ohio University Singers, Gibson believes it can serve as a marketing tool for future involvement in any OU choir.

"I think this will bring in, not people who are in the university but people who are going to come here, they'll hear about this. I think this is a great promotional tool before we even perform with The Rolling Stones," she explained. "Afterwards it'll become an even bigger one in helping recruit people. I think it will show how great of a choir we are."

The concert is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. For tickets and information, visit the Rolling Stones Tour Page.

^{Photo: facebook.com/OUSingers}