Music Blog

Nelsonville Fest Show Times Announced

Bryan Gibson — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:22:38 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Bryan Gibson

Attendees of this year's Nelsonville Music Festival can start planning ahead: The full schedule, including show times, has been announced, although it is subject to change in the next week.

Here's the current rundown of performers, dates, times and stages (with links):

MAIN STAGE

Thursday, May 30

6 p.m. Old Light

7:30 p.m. Los Hacheros

9 p.m. Wild Belle

10:30 p.m. Gogol Bordello

Friday, May 31

12:45 p.m. J.D. Hutchison

2 p.m. Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer

3:15 p.m. Nick Tolford & Company

4:30 p.m. Los Hacheros

6 p.m. He's My Brother, She's My Sister

7:30 p.m. Lee Fields & The Expressions

9 p.m. Cat Power

11 p.m. The Coup

Saturday, June 1

12:15 p.m. The Honeycutters

1:30 p.m. Flying Clouds of South Carolina

2:45 p.m. Lucius

4 p.m. Jonathan Richman

5:30 p.m. Sharon Van Etten

7 p.m. Calexico

8:30 p.m. Mavis Staples

10 p.m. Wilco

Sunday, June 2

12 p.m. Catherine MacLellan

1:30 p.m. Flying Clouds of South Carolina

3 p.m. David Wax Museum

4:30 p.m. Tift Merritt

6 p.m. John Prine

PORCH STAGE

Thursday, May 30

6:45 p.m. Unmonumental

8:15 p.m. Hex Net

9:45 p.m. The D-Rays

11:15 p.m. The Makebelieves

Friday, May 31

9 a.m. yoga

10:45 a.m. Catherine MacLellan

12 p.m. Michael Hurley

1:15 p.m. The Hiders

2:30 p.m. Old Light

3:45 p.m. William Tyler

5:15 p.m. Wooden Indian Burial Ground

6:45 p.m. Endless Boogie

8:15 p.m. Screaming Females

10:30 p.m. Reigning Sound

Saturday, June 1

9 a.m. yoga

10:30 a.m. Olentangy John

11:30 a.m. Michael Hurley

12:45 p.m. You Black Kettle

2 p.m. Joe Pug

3:15 p.m. Wheels on Fire

4:45 p.m. Cotton Jones

6:15 p.m. The Sundresses

7:45 p.m. County Pharaohs

9:15 p.m. Wussy

11:30 p.m. Shilpa Ray

Sunday, June 2

9 a.m. yoga

11:15 a.m. Supernobody

12:45 p.m. Bright at Night

2:15 p.m. Jerry David DiCicca

3:45 p.m. Field Report

5:15 p.m. Brown Bird

NO-FI CABIN

Thursday, May 30

6:15 p.m. JJ Reed

7:45 p.m. Chris Biester

9:15 p.m. Weedghost

Friday, May 31

11:30 a.m. Leah Nairn

12:45 p.m. JJ Reed

2 p.m. Eve Searls

3:15 p.m. Todd Burge (kids' set)

4:45 p.m. Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer

6:15 p.m. Adam Remnant

7:45 p.m. Cotton Jones

Saturday, June 1

10:45 a.m. Emily Prince (kids' set)

12 p.m. Chris Biester (kids' set)

1:30 p.m. Todd Burge (kids' harmonica workshop)

2:45 p.m. Catherine MacLellan

4:15 p.m. The Honeycutters

5:45 p.m. Lucius

7:15 p.m. Jerry David DiCicca

8:30 p.m. Olentangy John

Sunday, June 2

10:45 a.m. Rattletrap Stringband

12:15 p.m. David Wax Museum

1:45 p.m. Brown Bird

3:15 p.m. Michael Hurley

WOUB Public Media will be at the Nelsonville Music Festival through the weekend. Follow us on woub.org/arts, Twitter and Facebook for photos, videos and more.

Crossing Boundaries Extra: Hadden Sayers Band

Mark Hellenberg — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:14:19 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Mark Hellenberg

Ten years ago, Houston-based bluesman Hadden Sayers had built for himself a successful career in music. He recorded five albums and toured constantly.

Unfortunately, because of some disingenuous record deals and personal tragedies, Sayers became disillusioned with the business end of the music business, decided to hang up his Fender Stratrocaster and relocated to Columbus, Ohio, so his wife could pursue her career in cancer research.

Eventually, after a long hiatus, Sayers recharged, regrouped and returned to the music scene when the great singer/songwriter and fellow-Texan Ruthie Foster enlisted Sayers as the guitarist in her band.

In 2011, Sayers released Hard Dollar, which included a Sayers/Foster cowrite and a duet, "Back to the Blues," that garnered a nomination for Song of the Year at the 33rd Annual Blues Awards.

With Rolling Soul, his seventh album, Sayers continues along the blues path but with a generous infusion of R&B, roots-rock and Memphis soul, à la Al Green. He penned all the tracks on the disc, which again features Ruthie Foster on a guest duet.

Back on the road with his Ohio and West Virginia-based band, Sayers paid a visit to the WOUB studios for a short set of new tunes and a conversation with Crossing Boundaries host Mark Hellenberg.

For more information about Hadden Sayers, visit www.haddensayers.com

Eat To The Beat: Former Bagel Buggy Owner Talks About "Athens Hometown Album"

Bryan Gibson — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:30:03 +0000

San Diego, Calif.

Bryan Gibson

These days, anyone can make an album. With a laptop, a few good microphones and a bit of know-how, today's musician can record an album in his or her home, then upload it to online stores, such as iTunes, Amazon or Bandcamp.

In the late 1970s, it was a different story. Recording gear, which included reel-to-reel tape decks and analog mixing desks, was expensive. No online tutorials, no ProTools software, no "plug-ins" to speed things along--just your own wits and a large supply of splicing tape.

In 1979, Louie Stevens, aka "Louie the Bagel Man," (more on that later) decided to take the plunge and set up LRS Recording Studio, Athens, Ohio's first professional recording studio, located in his garage at 107 Elmwood Place.

After six months, Stevens recruited a number of local musicians to contribute songs to the Athens Hometown Album. Although the LP has been out of print for decades, Stevens--now located in San Diego--has recently made the songs available online.

WOUB's Bryan Gibson caught up with Stevens to discuss his former studio, life in Athens during the 1970s, and the late, great Bagel Buggy.

BG: Tell me a bit about your connection with Athens. How and when did you end up here?

LS: I grew up in Euclid, Ohio, a city about 15 miles east of Cleveland. I was working towards being a music major at OU, with a focus on applied piano and music theory and composition. Part of the application process is to audition, and my audition was scheduled for Friday, May 4, 1970--the very day of the Kent State shootings. I had never been to Athens, and boy, what a shock when I arrived for my audition to see National Guardsmen with loaded rifles stationed at every parking meter! But I auditioned, was accepted and moved to Athens in September of 1970. I stayed there year 'round until June of 1984.

BG: Thousands of OU alumni know you as "Louie the Bagel Man" from your time at The Bagel Buggy. Actually, there are still a lot of folks here in Athens who remember you and miss those bagels. How did you get involved with the buggy business?

LS: I was a pizza driver at Little Caesars in the winter of 1973. I met Ross London, who was the morning prep cook. He, being from New York, started telling me about vendors in New York City and how he thought Athens would be a great place to start a vending unit, perhaps selling bagels. Ross had worked at an Athens bakery before Little Caesars and thought they would be able to make bagels. I liked him and liked the idea, so we teamed up and created The Bagel Buggy.

^{Louie Stevens at The Bagel Buggy, Halloween 1976}

We designed the buggy together and I built it, having previous carpentry and construction experience. We rolled it out to the corner of Court and Union sometime in March 1973, and it was an instant hit...lines around the corner, 10 hours a day. Ross was only in Athens for one year. He moved there to be with his girlfriend for her last year of school, then went back to Rutgers to finish his law degree. I continued on with The Bagel Buggy for seven more years until I sold it in 1980 and started my first professional recording studio, LRS Recording Studio. Side note: Ross went on to be a very successful lawyer, and then a judge. He's retired now, and we recently reconnected after 35 years!

BG: Small-town recording studios were pretty rare back then. Did you have a background in recording before you started LRS?

LS: I had been recording myself a lot since the late 1950s. Around 1978 or so, I purchased a TEAC four-track 1/2" recorder and a mixer, primarily for recording myself. Still owning and operating The Bagel Buggy at this time, I was casually talking about this new equipment with bagel customers, and this one fellow stood out during those conversations: Daryl Kunesh. He kept coming back to the Buggy and we talked a lot about my new recording equipment. Daryl was a music major and I found him to be a great guy to talk with about audio recording and related topics. Turned out he played drums in a local Athens band and needed to record a three-song demo to get more gigs. He asked me if I would record them and I agreed. He even paid me!

Daryl loved the way the tracks turned out, and I loved recording someone other than myself, so in 1979, I built Athens' first professional recording studio, called LRS Recording Studio. I purchased a lot of new equipment, including a new eight-track multitrack recorder, a mixer and some very expensive mics. Daryl became my studio drummer. In fact, all the drums and percussion on the Athens Hometown Album is him, and he played all the drums and percussion on all the 80-plus jingles I wrote and produced. Daryl and I became great friends and I was honored to be his best man at his wedding.

BG: How did the Athens Hometown Album come about?

LS: About six months after opening the studio, J.D. Jewell, along with his musician partner, Terry McCauley, began recording all his songs with me. Terry and I became good friends, and I then decided to produce the album. I chose a cross-section of Athens bands and solo talent to best-represent the music heard there at that time.

BG: I'm guessing this was a "DIY" affair from beginning to end. How did you manufacture the LPs and sell them?

LS: I pressed the album in Nashville, and if I remember correctly, both Terry and I drove there to get the LPs when they were ready. I think there were about 1200 pressed. A lot of the stores around Athens put up displays to sell the album and it sold out pretty quickly. There was a lot of press in all the papers and radio about its release. I really didn't profit much from the album, but it did accomplish my goal of getting my studio's name out there. Also, one of J.D. Jewell's three songs, "Athens County, My Home Close to Heaven," became the official Athens County theme song, and deservedly so. I loved recording all the groups and solo artists--they all were generous in allowing me to produce their music and play piano on some of their tracks.

BG: Let's skip ahead to the present day. You're making these songs available digitally--what went into that and where can people pick up the album?

LS: Around 1995 or so I transferred the two-track tape master to a DAT (digital) copy to preserve its quality. Then around 2002, I imported the tracks into the ProTools audio editing software, cleaned them up a bit and made them into a CD. A couple of years ago I put the songs on iTunes and Amazon.com for mp3 download. Some did sell, but not enough to warrant paying the yearly fee to keep them downloadable, so earlier this year I discontinued the downloads. The CD itself can now be ordered directly on my website.

BG: The album is a nice time capsule of the early '80s local music scene. Looking back, what are your fondest memories of Athens?

LS: I loved the small-town atmosphere, everyone knowing everyone. Being known as The Bagel Man for seven of my 14 years in Athens was an experience! I raced motorcross and enduro almost every Sunday for a few years staring in 1976...made great friends, cost a lot of money, had a lot of fun. Not too good at racing, but not too bad, either. I started long-distance running while there. I also met my first wife in Athens in 1978, an Athens gal! We were married for about three years.

I loved being part of the music department at OU. I became close friends with Richard Syracuse, an amazing pianist and instructor. Appreciated all I learned about music while there, and carried that onto all the compositions I created later: over 80 jingles and four youth-at-risk musicals, now seen by more than 10 million schoolchildren. I've written, produced, directed, edited and mixed sound for more than 100 videos in the past 10 years. All this started in Athens.

Songs featured in the Athens Hometown Album sampler (audio above):

1. J.D. Jewell - "Athens County, My Home Close to Heaven"
2. The Expanding Band - "Hobo Joe"
3. A Touch of Grass - "It's Just No Good Anymore"
4. J.D. Jewell - "Darling of the Hippies"

Athens Hometown Album sampler.mp3

Hitch-Hikers Reunion Show To Raise Funds For Food Pantry

Sara Brumfield - Athens Messenger staff reporter — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:11:39 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Sara Brumfield - Athens Messenger staff reporter

Photo Credit:

provided

The Hitch-Hikers will hold a reunion concert at Stuart’s Opera House on May 24 to raise money for the Nelsonville Food Cupboard. From left: Zach Daugherty, Mike Guess, Phil Fawcett, Dusty Johnson, Terry Daugherty and Johnny Flowers.

A group of Nelsonville natives will be banding together this month to raise money for the Nelsonville Food Cupboard.

The Hitch-Hikers, a classic rock band that was formed by a group of friends at Nelsonville High School in the 1960s, will perform at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville on May 24 at 8 p.m. in hopes of raising funds and gathering food donations for the emergency food pantry.

According to the band’s lead singer, Johnny Flowers, the band was formed while the members were still in high school.

After graduating in 1966, the bandmates went their separate ways, but still got together sporadically to practice. The Hitch-Hikers also reunited for the 45th reunion of their class.

Since 2011, The Hitch-Hikers have been playing annual benefit shows at Stuart’s. Flowers said the first reunion concert in 2011 was organized to raise money for original band member Chuck Mohney, who had multiple sclerosis.

However, two weeks before the show, Mohney died. The band ended up raising more than $7,000 for Mohney’s family to help cover his medical bills.

Last year, the band opted to support the Nelsonville Food Cupboard — raising more than $6,000 for the food pantry. The band is hoping to raise even more money for the cause this year, Flowers said.

According to Flowers, the band receives donations from the community in order to pay the rental cost of Stuart’s Opera House. The money received for concert tickets and T-shirt sales goes directly to the Nelsonville Food Cupboard. Flowers said the event is made possible by the generosity of the Nelsonville community.

Tickets are $10 each in advance or $13 at the door, and shirts are available for a donation of $12.95. Flowers said attendees are also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the food pantry.

Flowers said The Hitch-Hikers only perform once a year. As the members have gotten older, the band has taken on a few younger members. The current Hitch-Hikers lineup includes Flowers, Mike Guess, Phil Fawcett, Terry Daugherty, Zach Daugherty and Dusty Johnson. The band performs covers ranging from rock from the late 1950s to the Rolling Stones.

On Monday, Flowers said more than 100 tickets for the show had already been sold. He said the annual shows have packed Stuart’s Opera House over the past two years. The opera house seats about 350 people, Flowers said. He added that some people are flying in from other parts of the country to attend the show.

"It’s pretty phenomenal," he said.

To purchase advance tickets, visit www.stuartsoperahouse.org or call 740-753-1924.

Rock, Jazz, Bluegrass On Tap For "Celebrate New Concord"

WOUB — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:39:03 +0000

New Concord, Ohio

Photo Credit:

provided

Northwest Territory, one of the headliners featured in Celebrate New Concord's 2013 season, will appear on July 23

Celebrate New Concord (CNC), the summer entertainment series now in its 13th year, has announced its 2013 schedule of performances.

National service club Ruritan will provide food at the shows in Village Park, and proceeds will benefit the New Concord Food Pantry.

"Ruritan has been with us for five years now, and we're very happy to have them at the shows," said CNC Chairman Rod Lang. "It adds a nice touch to the evening, and they're helping the New Concord Food Pantry, which gives something back to the community."

The CNC committee is made up of Lang as chairman, New Concord Mayor Greg Adams, Janice Hutchison, Robert Owen Jones and Jeff Harman. This summer, the group decided to switch things up a bit.

"We get so many requests to have these performers back, the CNC committee thought it would be a great idea to have a 'best of' season, and this lineup features some of the most popular groups we've ever hosted," said Lang. "It should be a great time for everyone."

The 2013 schedule is as follows. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 4: The University of Akron Steel Drum Band Alumni Quartet

The quartet is CNC's all-time most popular attraction, having entertained more than 1,000 audience members since their first appearance in 2007. The group plays a broad range of music, from pop songs to classical, on steel drums, bass and drums.

Tuesday, June 18: Dan Heidt

Dan Heidt will make a return appearance after his CNC premiere in 2011. Heidt is a vocalist and guitar player offering a wide range of pop music favorites and original music.

Friday, July 12: HB7

For more than two decades, HB7 has thrilled audiences with their tremendous talent and proven ability to entertain. Melding the essence of rock 'n roll and pop favorites in the styles of Chicago, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Eagles, Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Rolling Stones and other great bands, HB7 combines the best of rock and pop with keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and horns.

Tuesday, July 23: Northwest Territory

Northwest Territory returns to CNC with new music and new band members. The band has performed since 1989, covering bluegrass, country, folk, gospel and their own original material. Northwest Territory has performed at venues across the United States and in Canada, including bluegrass festivals, summer concert series, fairs and art centers. The band includes its founding member, Mike Gorrell, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Randall Boring, banjo and vocals; and Mary Kettering, an accomplished violin and fiddle player.

Tuesday, Aug. 6: Seven

Seven will present an evening of classic jazz instrumental and vocal selections. The group made its first CNC appearance as the Muskingum Jazz Group.

Tuesday, Aug. 20: The Jerry Weaver Good Time Jazz Band

The Jerry Weaver Good Time Jazz Band returns to CNC after a two-year absence. The Weaver group has been a part of CNC's lineup since 2003, offering Dixieland and Ragtime music that is ideal for the entire family.

All concerts are free and open to the public. Except for the Friday, July 12 show at the New Concord Fireman's Festival, performances will be held on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Village Park in downtown New Concord.

Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. Performances are held rain or shine. In the event of bad weather, performances will be moved into the firehouse at Village Park.

Celebrate New Concord is sponsored by the Village of New Concord and the New Concord Board of Trade and is made possible through the support of the individual and business members of the Celebrate New Concord Patronage program. For more information, call 740-826-6392 or visit the CNC's Facebook page.

Vox Populi: A Look Back At NMF 2012 (VIDEO)

Bryan Gibson — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:11:34 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Bryan Gibson

Photo Credit:

Joan Butcher

Alicia Cordell talks with Dave Baer

With the 2013 Nelsonville Music Festival just days away, we thought it would be fun to look back at last year's fest.

Last May, WOUB's Alicia Cordell talked with several attendees who gave their $0.02 on the music, Stuart's Opera House and what is rapidly becoming a nationally renowned festival.

For more information on the 2013 Nelsonville Music Festival, visit www.nelsonvillefest.org.

Video produced by Samuel Hemler and Joan Butcher

OU-Lancaster Gears Up For Joe Pug Concert

Cheri Russo — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:44:39 +0000

Lancaster, Ohio

Cheri Russo

Photo Credit:

Jake Jacobson

Joe Pug

The people of Lancaster have the opportunity to see folk musician Joe Pug before he hits it big.

"Joe is an amazing singer-songwriter," said Lancaster Festival Director Lou Ross. "People who are reviewing him liken him to Bob Dylan. His writing is so creative and it crosses over a number of genres."

Pug is playing at Ohio University Lancaster’s Wagner Theatre on Saturday, May 4 as part of a partnership between the Lancaster Campus and the Lancaster Festival.

Up-and-coming artists will be brought in to play on the theatre stage each fall and spring. The intimate 500-seat venue works well for songwriters like Pug, according to Ross.

"Songwriters have that ability to reach out to you. You can listen to them and you can talk to them and they can talk to you. Joe has the ability to talk to the audience," he said. "Songwriters, for the most part, are baring their soul to you and in a more intimate setting like Wagner, can share that with you. A rock band plays at you, where a singer-songwriter sings to you."

Pug, who is based in Austin, Texas, was born in Maryland and did most of his early work in Chicago. After quitting his job as a carpenter to focus on his music career, he attracted the attention of the music scene by giving fans free copies of his songs. Pug still makes his music available for free on his website, www.joepugmusic.com.

Joshua P. James, often seen around Columbus with his band The Paper Planes, will open Saturday's show with a solo set.

"Joshua is an amazing songwriter. He’s getting well known already for his lyrics and his performance style...very high energy," said Ross. "I think it’s going to be a lot of fun having him open for Joe Pug."

Local favorites Dying Breed will also play during a pre-show event in the Lancaster Campus parking lot. A hospitality tent will be open from 6-8 p.m.

"The Pizza Cottage food truck will be here," said Ross. "I think it’s well worth the money for you to come out and discover an act you may not have heard of."

Visit www.lancasterfestival.org for tickets and information.

Underground Legend To Perform Intimate Show At Stuart's

WOUB — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:38:01 +0000

Nelsonville, Ohio

Photo Credit:

nyctaper.com

Bill Callahan

Stuart’s Opera House will welcome acclaimed singer-songwriter Bill Callahan for a special backstage show on Friday, May 3 at 8 p.m.

During a career spanning two decades, Bill Callahan has released over 20 records, both under his own name and as Smog.

After a couple albums recorded at home in the early 1990s, Callahan began recording in studios, teaming up with individuals such as musician/arranger Jim O'Rourke. His output has been constant for two decades and his tours have become larger and more impressive.

Callahan's songs have been featured in films such as High Fidelity, Dead Man's Shoes, and Youth in Revolt and artists as diverse as Gil Scott-Heron, The Flaming Lips and Cat Power have recorded his songs.

In 2007, Callahan dropped the pseudonym Smog and begin releasing his albums under his own name. Two years later, the critically acclaimed Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle, a fixture of many year-end Top 10 lists, was released.

In 2010, Callahan published his first work of fiction, Letters To Emma Bowlcut and performed readings from the book for audiences in New York, London and Chicago, among other cities.

Opening Friday's show will be Flat Foot. Better known as Cass Roberts, Flat Foot features unique and entertaining tap dancing, which landed her a place as a finalist in Austin's Solo Artist of the Year Competition for 2013.

General admission tickets are $20 in advance or $23 at the door. The audience will sit on the stage with the performer. For more information, call (740) 753-1924 or visit www.stuartsoperahouse.org.

The "Titan Of The Telecaster" Meets "The Sultan Of Sardonic"

Mark Hellenberg — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:53:16 +0000

Parkersburg, W.Va.

Mark Hellenberg

Photo Credit:

toddburge.blogspot.com

Bill Kirchen (left) and Todd Burge

Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen, best known for his "Hot Rod Lincoln" licks with Commander Cody’s band and his work with Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris, returns to the Ohio Valley in early May for a series of concerts with Parkersburg’s own Todd Burge.

Burge, who Larry Groce (host of NPR’s Mountain Stage) calls "the dean of West Virginia songwriters," talked with WOUB’s Mark Hellenberg about their upcoming dates (check out the audio above for a recent interview with Bill Kirchen).

MH: You have a string of gigs and workshops coming up in May with the great guitarist, Bill Kirchen. The performances are billed as "a handful of evenings full of twisted stories and distraction-packed folk-rock-a-country-twang-a-billy." I figured you wrote that.

TB: You figured right, I did write that blurb. We'll mostly be playing together as a duo. Some solo stuff too, I'm thinking, but not a whole lot. We've shared a bunch of songs online...about 30 to be exact. So we have a lot to choose from.

We'll start at Rt. 60 Music on Thursday, May 2 in Barboursville W.Va., then Friday, May 3 The Adelphia Music Hall in Marietta. The next day at noon, we'll conduct a free songwriter workshop at the Colony Theatre in Marietta. We'll discuss our songwriting methods and deconstruct a few tunes. I'll tell people how they can write one bad song every day and how that can lead to a good one every once in a while. Later that evening, we'll play the Theatre at the Mon Arts Center in Morgantown, W.Va., and on Sunday we'll play the Kathleen Howland Theatre in Canton, Ohio, with Don Dixon. Don has a music series there. He'll play along with Bill and me on a few songs.

Bill, of course, is known mostly from his days with Commander Cody and more recently his amazing trio, Too Much Fun. This acoustic duo deal he's doing with me gives him the chance to showcase songs that he might not perform with the trio. We're playing listening spaces next week as opposed to rock venues, so I think people are going to see a different side of Kirchen. That being said, a lot of the music we're doing as a duo rocks pretty good, too, and Kirchen and I will certainly do his staple songs. I have some new material that Bill will help me with as well as my usual suspects. I'm really excited when I think about what Kirchen will do on some of my stuff. It'll be a blast.

MH: You guys must have played together in the past and you must be thrilled to do this mini-tour. How did this come about?

TB: We have played here and there in the past. I was showcasing with Tim O'Brien at the Folk Alliance back in 2008. Tim had produced my most recent CD. At the time, Bill was on Proper Records. Proper had released a CD that O'Brien and I were on entitled Always Lift Him Up: A Tribute to Blind Alfred Reed, so long story short, we were showcasing a bit together. On a cool side-note, Hazel Dickens was there, performing and speaking. She would turn up at my showcases along with Bill and Alice Gerrard. What an audience. It was a real trip getting to know them and sharing music with them. Tim O'Brien has been a great friend to me and my music.

Last year, I showed up at a Bill Kirchen show in St. Mary's W.Va. There's a cool private venue there owned by Nelle and Jeff Howard. They have a barn with a great sound system. There's food and drink and great people who love live music. Bill was playing a show with his wife Louise and I think he had just done a stint at Fur Peace Ranch. He called me up and I played some wooden spoons and harmonica on a few songs. At the end of the night, he said that he'd like to work up some duo stuff and maybe tour. Of course, I was thrilled.

MH: I've interviewed Kirchen a few times in the past and always comes across as the nicest, most humble dude alive. Do you agree?

TB: He is indeed. He's one of those guys that you instantly feel like you know well. I love music trivia and he is a walking encyclopedia of much of the music history I'm drawn to. You feel better after you've been around him.

MH: Bill is known as the "Titan of the Telecaster." How did you get the title "Sultan of Sardonic?"

TB: Well, funny you asked. It's not like I have PR wing here at my world headquarters in Parkersburg. Through the years, my music has been described as "sardonic" from time to time. I can't remember who said it originally, but I encourage the use of it once in a while and it sounded good with "Titan of the Telecaster." Last year I used, "Of all the songwriters in Parkersburg, he's one of them." I love that quote. I made it up.

MH: When Bill performs, he always does his "greatest hit," "Hot Rod Lincoln," where he names a long list of guitarists and amazingly quotes their signature licks. Could you describe Kirchen's playing and songwriting for those unfortunate folks who have not heard his work?

TB: It's hard to describe, but you're right, he goes through about 20 to 30 famous guitarists and imitates their sound and groove. Few musicians have a song that is that recognizable..."Hot Rod Lincoln," I mean. That song alone, when heard live, is like a guitar lesson that combs through 80 years of music in seven minutes. There's a feeling I get when I watch him play guitar: Whether he's playing swing, swamp soul or country twang, I get the feeling that there isn't better music being made on the planet that at particular time. You simply must see it live.

MH: You have a fairly new album and you mentioned that Kirchen has a new release coming out as well.

TB: I do. My latest is Building Characters. I've written around a bunch of fictional characters, including a woman who buries her husband of 35 years in her own flower garden, then waters him daily, telling him to "Grow Up." There's a tune about how Joseph must have felt when Mary said she was with child, without his assistance. A man buys enough Jesus night lights to plug into every receptacle in his house and is blinded by that light. Springtime comes and a hungry squirrel goes crazy and loses his religion while looking for his nuts.

Bill's new CD comes out in two weeks, I think. It's a bunch of favorites from his career, re-recorded by his current band, Too Much Fun.

For more information about the upcoming Kirchen/Burge tour, visit www.toddburge.blogspot.com.

hellenbergkirchen.mp3

Cloud Nothings, Turbo Fruits Headlining 2013 Lobsterfest

Emily Votaw — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:29:40 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Emily Votaw

This weekend, Ohio University’s All Campus Radio Network (ACRN) is presenting Lobsterfest, a free three-day, three-venue concert series.

The annual event, which gets its name from the station's longtime mascot, Snat the Rock Lobster, has evolved over the years, hosting such notable artists as Andrew WK and Jay Reatard.

"This is the first year we don’t have an outdoor day," said ACRN General Manager Ben Haager, commenting on the change in schedule due to OU's switch to semesters. "It’s really risky to book an outdoor show in April, because you really have no idea what the weather is going to be like."

In the past, the event hosted two days of indoor shows, usually at The Union or Casa Cantina, as well as one outdoor show, which would be held on OU's South Beach. This year, in order to accommodate a third day of music, ACRN booked Central Venue at 29 East Carpenter Street.

"That’s our main day, with Cloud Nothings, our main headliner, which I am very excited about," Haager said.

Cloud Nothings are certainly a band to get excited about, as the group has been hailed by both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork for their most 2012 effort, entitled Attack On Memory, as well as their newly released single, "Fall In" from their forthcoming album Body Music.

With 18 bands scheduled to perform this weekend, booking and coordinating all of the acts was quite an undertaking, according to Haager.

"The local acts are usually pretty easy to get in order, because the only thing you need to worry about is getting their paperwork all set," he said. "For the other acts, Kory Kasler, who does all our booking, has to scour through places like Bandcamp, trying to get a hold of their agents."

The process of setting up Lobsterfest truly is a group effort, and for a music-centric organization like ACRN, the yearly event is a great experience for the students.

"We should have interviews with just about all the bands and will be posting a bunch of videos soon. Our brand new visual media department has worked really hard to get those together this year," said Haager.

Lobsterfest 2013 kicks off at The Smiling Skull on April 25 with Columbus powerpop group The Kyle Sowashes, followed by post-punk rockers Pile and garage-rockers Fat History Month, two groups from the Boston area. Athens' own Small Steps will finish up the night with a heavy dose of post-hardcore.

Friday’s show takes place at The Union, with Nashville group Turbo Fruits headlining. Tin Armor, Emily and The Complexes and The Saturday Giant, all from the Columbus area, will follow, with two local acts, Method Air and Vagrant Beat, closing the night.

Saturday’s show, held at Central Venue, will be divided into two halves, with a morning show starting at 11 a.m. and concluding at 3 p.m. Cloud Nothings will start sometime around noon, followed by Kent, Ohio's Cherry Cola Champions and Athens bands Frankie Teardrop and Shower Beers.

At 8 p.m., Central Venue will start rocking out hard, with appearances from weirdo rapper Evolve, power-punk rockers The Girls!, noise-rockers Sign Off and experimental electronic Athens act Sal Lake.

All performances are free and sponsored by local businesses, as well as a grant from Ohio University. Haager said the event should be a lot of fun, not only for the public and the performers, but those involved in organizing it.

"It’s just a huge cohesive effort...everything is done by students, and that's what I think makes Lobsterfest so valuable," he explained. "Not only because it’s free, but because for the people involved, it’s great experience. Kory is booking an entire festival, I’m managing it, our public relations department is running around everywhere, our visual media team is pumping out these videos and our writers are interviewing these up-and-coming bands for it. The event just really serves ACRN as a whole."