Queen Bee Music

Broad Ripple Gazette vol. 8 no. 23

2011-11-11T13:22:00.000-06:00

The Broad Ripple neighborhood lost two great community-minded men last week.

Matt Elliott

The neighborhood has a Matt Elliott sized hole in it.

Matt loved Broad Ripple. He graduated from BRHS and has been an integral part of the community ever since. With his red hair and handlebar mustache he was a hard guy to miss. You might have met Matt at the Northside Newsstand and News Café, the business he opened with group of high school friends. You might know Matt from his work tending bar and other delicious beer duties at Brugge. Or from the Jazz Kitchen or Bazbeaux. If you didn’t meet him any of those places, chances are you’ve stood next to him at a concert or art exhibit or sat next to him at a restaurant or bar.

Matt shopped locally before it was a slogan. He was very neighborhood-centric and could tell you where to find the best of absolutely anything. If you had the pleasure of running in Matt you knew that you were in for excellent conversation, a good belly-laugh and a bunch of random Indiana facts. He is missed already.

Ross Faris

The success of the Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market has a lot to do with Ross Faris.

Ross was on the committee that started the BRFM and is a tireless supporter of Farmer’s Markets, locally grown produce, and the community. Ross and his family started Your Neighbor’s Garden thirty years ago.

Ross was committed to bringing a large variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables to our city. His home market featured the same fresh produce with an honor box to pay for your purchases – it was always a treat to be trusted with making your own purchase.

Ross was a long-time supporter of Second Helpings, bringing not only his excess produce, but gleaning from other farmer’s market folks at the end of the season. YNG is closed for the season, to give his family and friends space to grieve. In the spirit of Ross’s generosity, all of the produce from YNG was delivered to Second Helpings the day after he died. Clearly, his community spirit lives on.

Previews:

Broad Ripple Village Holiday Preview Party
Friday, November 11, 2011

Broad Ripple Village

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, free, all-ages

Several Broad Ripple Village Merchants will be open for the Broad Ripple Village Preview Party. Eighteen venues will show off their holiday wares and fancy goodies. Drop off at least three pounds of pasta or rice for Second Helpings at any of the participating venues from the Holiday Preview night until Saturday, December 10 to be included in drawing for Broad Ripple merchant prizes – rumor has it that The Union Jack Pub will be offering a $50 gift certificate. Hint: you can drop off pasta and rice at as many locations and enter as many drawings as you wish.

www.discoverbroadripplevillage.com

Douglas David Holiday Studio Show
Friday, November 11, 2011
7172 Keystone Ave, suite D
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Douglas David will open his studio for a behind-the-scenes peek at his beautiful oil paintings just in time for the holidays. He’ll be featuring new work – including wonderful snow scenes, Chicago streetscapes, and the sailboat race from Chicago to Mackinaw – and the famous classic oil paintings he’s known for.

He’ll also have work from his Farm to Fair series and a delightful group of smaller (3 x 5) paintings.

The studio will also be open by appointment.

www.douglasdavid.com

Tonic 10 – featuring the Tonic Ball, Tonic Gallery, and Tiny Tonic to benefit Second Helpings
Friday, November 18, 2011
Fountain Square

all venues non-smoking

There is something for everyone this year. Swear. And all of the events are with in yards of each other. How cool is that? Read on for details.

Tiny Tonic featuring Ruditoonz
Pure Eatery
1043 Virginia Ave

5:30pm - 7:00pm, free, all-ages (the younger the better!)

The Tonic Ball now has an event for the youngest of music fans. Tiny Tonic features Scott Rudicel, known to the kiddy set as Ruditoonz, will entertain the kiddos – he’s promised to follow the Tonic Ball theme this year and only play songs by Michael Jackson, REM, and David Bowie – I can wait to hear that!

Pure will offer a special child friendly menu and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to Second Helpings.

http://ruditoonz.com
www.tonicindy.com

Tonic Gallery

New Day Meadery
1102 E. Prospect
5:00 – 8:00
free, all-ages

The Tonic Gallery features over 35 visual artists who have generously donated their talents to the gallery show. The subjects of the artwork range from food to David Bowie. The original work will be available for sale though a silent auction, starting at $100, with a “buy it now” price of $400.

http://newdaymeadery.com

Tonic Ball
Radio Radio (songs of REM)
Fountain Square Theater (songs of Michael Jackson)
White Rabbit Cabaret (songs of David Bowie)

Prospect Street, Fountain Square
music from 7:00 pm – 1:00 am, $25 for all three venues, under 21 FST

This is the tenth year of the Tonic Ball! And to celebrate the always-on-the-Friday-before-Thanksgiving extravaganza is adding a third venue. Which means that 45 bands will cover the tunes of REM, Michael Jackson, and David Bowie.

For $25 you can move between all three venues and do your darndest to see all 45 bands. Last year’s Tonic Ball sold out, so get your ticket now! Insider tip: You’ll be able to pick out founder, Ken Honeywell by his awesome Jerry Lee Atwood handmade suit. It is truly spectacular.

www.tonicindy.com
www.secondhelpings.org

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, with the Dirt Daubers

Friday, November 25, 2011
The Vogue Theatre

6259 N College Ave

7:30pm - 11:30pm, 21+, non-smoking, $12 advance, $15 door

If you’ve never seen The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, prepare to have your damn mind blown. You won’t believe that three people can create so much energy and sound. Prepare to tap your toes and dance all of that pumpkin pie away.

www.bigdamnband.com

www.thedirtdaubers.net

www.asquaredindustries.com

www.thevogue.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 8 no 21

2011-10-13T08:29:00.002-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Broad Ripple Music Fest Kickoff Parties

Friday, October 14, 2011
Kate Lamont (EP Release) w/ Vess Ruhtenberg, TJ Reynolds & the Freehand Orchestra
Vogue
6259 N. College Ave
21+, $10, 8:00 p.m., non-smoking

A-Squared & Rad Summer Showcase Friday, October 14, 2011
Connor's Pub (Mega Tent)
6331 Ferguson Street
21+, $10 or entry w/ $15 event wristband, 8:00 p.m.

The Broad Ripple Music Fest has grown so much over the last five years that there are two kickoff parties on BRMF eve.

At the Vogue, you’ll have one last chance to catch Indianapolis’ musical darling, Kate Lamont, is moving far, far away and the kickoff party is a chance to say a proper good bye. She’s releasing a new EP – I hear that it’s full of soul and greatness. She’ll be joined by Vess Ruhtenberg Vess is bringing a full band and will play songs from throughout his illustrious career.

T.J. Reynolds & the Freehand Orchestra will open the show and I’m sure that he’ll be playing songs from this excellent new album. DJ Kyle Long will be spinning world-influenced tunes in between the live musical goodness.

In a big fancy tent at Connor’s Pub the lovely and talented duo of A-Squared Industries and the folks at Rad Summer, a record label and promotion company are hosting a showcase of the DJs. The lineup is:

8:00-8:45 Crookshanks 
8:45-9:15 Kaiton & Jordan 
9:15-10:00 DJ Metrognome 
10:00-10:45 Action Jackson 
10:45-11:30 A-Squared DJs 
11:30-12:30 Proper Villains 
12:30-1:00 Oreo Jones & DJ B-Qwyatt 
1:00-1:30 Turquoise Jeep

Broad Ripple Music Fest
Saturday, October 16, 2011
$15 event wristband or ticket prices vary by location, noon – ‘till the cows come home.

The day of music starts out in the record stores with two free shows. If you do it right, you can see dozens of bands before the festival is over. Have fun!

Indy CD & Vinyl
806 Broad Ripple Avenue
All Ages / Free / 12PM / Non-Smoking

Indy CD & Vinyl is right on the Avenue and will feature a diverse lineup of acoustic and plugged in music. You can’t go wrong with any of these groups. Irene & Reed has been on my radar, but I haven’t had a chance to see them live yet, but I love their ethereal, piano-driven sound.

Noon - Cities of Noise
1:30 - Mike Reeb
3:00 - Loyal Divide
4:30 - Emily Poe Project
6:00 – NMKjeldsen
7:30 - Irene & Reed

And down the street at LUNA…

XRA Records Showcase
LUNA music
5202 N. College Ave
Free, all ages

What a great lineup! It will be tempting to just camp out at Luna all day. Alas, I have to be at work at 5:00, but luckily, it’s just across the street. I know that I’ll be sneaking out of my Red Key shift (Look! A baby wolf!) for at least a few minutes to hear the delightful Everything, Now!

noon - Rodeo Ruby Love (acoustic) 
1:00 - Doug 
2:00 - Wet Blankets 
3:00 - State Park 
4:00 - Frank Schweikhardt (full band) 
5:00 - Everything, Now! 
6:00 - DMA

There are eleven other venues hosting BRFM shows, many with multiple stages. Wristbands are available for $15 that will allow you access to all of the shows.

The Ripple Inn
929 E. Westfield Blvd
21+, 5:00-1:00 a.m., free before 9:00 p.m., wristband or $5 after 9:00.

The Ripple Inn will feature three stages.

In the bar:
Kate Myers, Chad Mills, MMKAY, Jamie Nichole

On the patio:
Daniel J. Rauscher, Trombononymous, Harvey & the Bluetones, Bullet Proof Soul

Upstairs in Room 929:
The Crush Entertainment showcase starts at 9:00.
Rhinoceros Beetle, DJ Indiana Jones, DJ Gabby Love, Ryan McDaniel, DJ Lockstar

Next door…

The Monkey's Tale
925 E. Westfield Blvd.
21+, 5:00-1:00 a.m.,wristband or $10 at the door

The lineup at the Monkey’s Tale includes Bashiri Asad w/ Whitney Coleman, DJ Helicon and plenty more.

Around the corner…

Casba
6319 Guilford Ave.
21+ / 8:00PM / wristband or $5 at the door

Heavy Gun Blog is hosting the third installment of the Beat Battle. This is always exciting and fun. The rounds include:

First round: WhoisLouis, Brad Real, Mic Sol, Wiz Kids, Son of thought & Fire Arms

Second round: Merc Versus, The Martians, Scoot Dubs, Ace One

Third round: Mr. Kinetic, Pro Forms, Freddie Bunz, Oreo Jones

Fourth round: Hinks Jones, Grey Granite, Blake Alee

Down the street….

TRU Nightclub
6235 Guilford Ave
21+, 9:00, wristband or $10 at door

There are three stages at Tru, including one outdoor stage.

HOUSE MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG STAGE:

9:00 – Grenadine
10:00 - Ryan Stocklin
11:00 – Jackola
midnight - Compact Disco (Chicago)
1:00 a.m. - Zebo (Chicago)
2:00 a.m.- Deanne

BASS IN YOUR FACE STAGE

9:00- Mr. Orange
10:00 - Phenom (Chicago)
11:00- jFet
midnight- Mowgli (Cincinnati)
1:00 a.m.- The Grimey Kids (Lafayette)
2:00 a.m. - El Carnicero

INHOUSE DJs OUTDOOR STAGE

Fate vs. Brandon Patr!k
Chachi vs. Taylor Norris – I love this name!

Around the corner…

Rock Lobster
820 Broad Ripple Ave
21+, 5:30 – 10:00, wristband or $10 at door

What a fun lineup! It would be tempting to camp out here.

5:30 - Vacation Club
6:00 - The Kemps
6.45 - Hotfox (I love it that they are old enough to play in a bar!)
7.15 - Neon Love Life
8:00 - Howler
9:00 - Tapes n Tapes

A few blocks away….

Connor's Pub Mega Tent
6331 Ferguson Street
21+, 4:00 – 1:00, wristband or $10 at the door

In addition to this stellar lineup, you can look for a craft fair, a drum corp, and a musician.

4:00 - Whip Cream Wars
4:30 - Caleb McCoach
5:00 - Household Guns
5:30 – Thunderhawk
6:00 – Crys
6:30 - Learner Dancer
7:00 - Elsinore
7:30 - Sleeping Bag
8:00 – Slothpop
8:30 - Harley Poe
9:00 – Thunders
9:30 - America Owns the Moon
10:00 - Child Bite
10:30 – Pravada
11:00 - Murder By Death
midnight - DJ List Christee (Kevin Barnes from of Montreal)

An all ages show…

ES Jungle
6151 Central Ave
all ages, non-smoking, wristband or $8:00 at the door

5:30 - The Midnight Vacancy
6:00 - Indian City Weather
6:45 - Tax Brandywine
7:30 – Palace
8:15 - Diarrhea Planet
9:00 - Blane Fonda
10:00 - Rodeo Ruby Love

Travel down the road a bit…

Locals Only
2449 E. 56th St.
21+, 9:00 – 1:00, wristband or $10 at the door

10:00 - Borrow Tomorrow
11:00 - Mardelay
midnight - Jascha
1:00 - The Bonesetters

Next door:

The Mousetrap
5565 N. Keystone Ave.

21 +, 4:00, wristband or $5 at the door

Three stages!

Inside:

4:00 - Jessie & Amy
5:30 - Blue Moon Revue
7:30 - Loyal Divide
9:30 - Midwest Hype
11:30 - Ill-Esha
1:30 - Eumatik

Tent Stage:

Topspeed
Hollow Point
Shy Guy Says – Live
Magnetic DJ Set
Psynapse
Defi
Brian Summers
Ed Trauma
Big Kyle

Deck Stage:

Kodama
Camo HiddenDJ
DJ Sarge
Kid Kollision
ShearGen1us
Jeremy Daeger
and more...

Head north …

Birdy's

2131 E. 71st St.
21+, 7:30, wristband or $8 door

7:30 - Gypsy Harbor
8:15 - Stepson
9:15 - The Holland Account
10:15 - 5 Day Trip
11:15- Permacrush
12:15 – Skyhunter
1:00 - The Knollwood Boys

Travel south for Punk Rock Night…

The Melody Inn
3826 N. Illinois St.
21 +, 9:00, wristband or $15 at the door

10:00 PM - East Side Larry
11:00 PM - Evil Beaver
midnight - Chindi

www.broadripplemusicfest.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol. 8 no. 20

2011-09-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Benefit Concert for the Stagehands of the Indiana State Fair Tragedy
Sunday, October 2
8 Seconds Saloon
111 North Lynhurst Drive
2:00pm - 11:00pm, 21+, $10

Money raised from this mega-show will benefit the Local 30 Stagehands Memorial Fund. There will be two stages of bands and nine hours of live music– there is something for everyone! Laura Steele and Jimmy Cain will emcee the concert and they have promised a once-in-a-lifetime silent auction as well as several raffles and concert memorabilia for sale.

If you can’t make it to the show, but would like to donate it’s easy as pie! You can go to any Fifth Third bank. Specify the Local 30 Stagehands Memorial Fund.

Here is the epic lineup:

2:00pm Opening Ceremony
2:15pm The 3:1 Blues Revue (Tom Kiefaber, Ranch Wuertz, Joe O'Conell, Nick Neureiter, Jay Stein, Charlie Cheeseman, and Brent Bennett)
4:00pm The Remedies (Mike Oz)
5:00pm The Splendid Trend
5:45pm Minsky Kinks Burlesque Troupe
6:00pm Smoke Ring
7:00pm Why On Earth
8:00pm One-Eyed Dog (Erikk D. Lee)
9:15pm Healing Sixes
10:30pm Threat Level
11:30pm Radio FX
12:30pm Recoil

http://8secondssaloon.com
www.iatse30.org

Carrie Newcomer
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Second Presbyterian Church
7700 N. Meridian Street
7:30, all-ages, non-smoking, $18

I’ve always liked being a waitress. My previous jobs all involved working in a nursing home or hospital, so waitressing was a relative breeze. And no one was going to get hurt if I goofed up a drink order. My first waitressing gig was at the Ground Round in Lafayette. Not only was there a constant supply of popcorn, but also Carrie Newcomer played there every week with her pop-folk group, Stone Soup.

It was awesome having Carrie’s sweet voice as the background to my work, but there was one night that I made the whole band stop in their tracks. The Ground Round was one of those popcorn and peanut baskets on the tables places. It was the early 1980s, in a college town so pitchers of beer were a big seller. One evening I had two pitchers in one hand and six mugs in the other when I slipped. I went down hard on my knees and landed on sharp peanut shells. Just as I was waffling between being proud that I didn’t drop the glass pitchers and mugs and bursting into to tears, I realized that the beer had wooshed straight up out of the pitcher and was raining all over the dining room. The band stopped playing as they ducked for cover and tried to protect their instruments. I might have gotten the biggest round of applause that night.

This is Carrie’s debut of her new CD, Everything is Everywhere. Carrie is a wonderful songwriter, and one of the first musicians I ever heard that fit that title. Her voice is gentle, yet powerful enough to get the emotion of her songs to the audience. You will be totally charmed by her. Promise.

The show will benefit Global Gifts and The Interfaith Hunger Initiative, both worthy causes.

www.carrienewcomer.com
www.interfaithhungerinitiative.org
www.globalgiftsindy.com.

Broad Ripple Music Fest
Saturday, October 15, 2011

I will have the full schedule for Broad Ripple Music Fest in the next issue.

Reviews:

I had the good fortune to attend the Austin City Music Fest. Here is my recap of the first day.

Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne and his band looked like true Texans (or at least and HBO version) in their vests, and fedoras and heavy sprinkling of beards. They played a mellow set, with LaMontagne on acoustic guitar and raspy voice. While I enjoyed the bluesy-folksy set, and pedal steel makes me swoon, I’m not sure what all of the fuss is about – but the 20,000 people singing along clearly disagreed with me.

Kurt Vile and Violators

You can set your watch by the start times of the music at the Austin City Limits Festival. In the last five years I can only think of one time that the stage didn’t start exactly on time. With 130 bands and eight stages the production has to be a well-oiled machine. Kurt Vile and his crew started a few minutes late, giving the stage manager an incredulous look when told that all of the stages start on time. Vile bounded out, looked around for the rest of the band and went backstage to fetch them. Jet lag can be blamed – they were in Europe just two days ago.

After the faltering start the set was indie-stoner-rock at it’s best. Plenty of electric guitars – not a bass guitar in sight – distortion and hair, although I wouldn’t have minded a chorus or something.

Cold War Kids

I enjoyed the energy of the Cold War Kids after the heavy-liddedness of Kurt Vile. Their swagger juxtaposed with their sensitivity for some great fun and pop goodness. They seemed genuinely happy to be there and the crowd of thousands was thrilled to be singing and dancing along.

Foster The People

Mark Foster, the person was in the hospital earlier today with bronchitis. You never would have guessed by his energy and sound. You’ll recognize their song, “Pumped Up Kicks,” even if you’ve never heard of the band. The clean-scrubbed LA based band has only been together since 2009. I loved how the cabinets for their keyboards and such looked like they’d been fabricated in their grandparent’s basement. The set was big clean fun.

Charles Bradley

I had the good fortune to have a telephone interview with Charles Bradley last year. His humbleness and lack of pretention was totally charming, but his answer to almost every question I posed was, “if I can’t help you, I sure ain’t gonna hurt you.” It took a tremendous amount of cajoling on my part to get his story. And a good story it is.

Bradley has earned his made-for-soul raspy voice the hard way. His music is very personal. His first-ever album, No Time for Dreaming, released last year, “ is based on true stories that I lived.”

Bradley opened with the heart-wrenching song, “Heartache and Pain,” the song about his brother’s death. In the interview Bradley told me that he puts his whole essence into this music, “If you’re watching me on stage sometimes I turn away, I’ve got to catch myself and let the lyrics out, because I’d be so full of emotion.”

He wasn’t joking. I’ve never seen such an expressive performance. The audience was re-living the day his brother died with him.

Although Bradley, 63, has been singing for years, this is the first time he’s been able to perform full-time. He was inspired by seeing James Brown at the Apollo Theater in 1964, when he was 16 years old.

He eventually found a career in cooking, which took him Maine to Alaska, making California his home for decades. “Music and being a chef have been my whole life.” Bradley was able to squeeze in occasional music gigs and a little studio work along the and was ready to buy his first house. “Then life hit me real hard.” He was laid off of his restaurant job after 17 years.

He started performing his James Brown routines under his alter ego “Black Velvet” when Gabriel Roth of Daptone records happened to catch his show and recognized Bradley’s raw talent.

Bradley kept telling the ACLF crowd, “I love you, I love you” And I believe him with my whole heart.

Sara Bareilles

I didn’t expect to be so totally charmed by Sara Bareilles, but I’m not even sure what I expected. I realized that I’d looped her in with the Indiana State Fair stage collapse. Bareilles had finished playing not long before the accident.

Bareilles is delightful and is a strong singer-songwriter-piano player with an intimate stage presence.

Coldplay

I was torn – Coldplay or Kanye? They were both playing just minutes apart on opposite sides of the 350 acre Zilker Park. And photo rules state that you can only shoot the first three songs of the set – except in the case of Kanye, where you could only shoot the second and third songs. I let laziness make the decision. The Coldplay stage is easier to fight the crowds to the photo pit.

Coldplay are the ultimate arena rockers. There set was fun and happy and professional – and not nearly as boring as that sounds. They’re comfortable in their own rocker skins and know how to put on a rocking good show. Well done, guys.

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol. 8, no. 19

2011-09-15T11:59:00.009-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Sleeper Agent (with Indian City Weather, Alter Ego, Jeremy Johnson & the Bleeding Keys)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Birdy’s
2131 E. 71st Street
21+, 8:00, $5.

I’m a sucker for young pop bands. Sleeper Agent is right up my musical alley. This talented band can back up their cool kid good looks with well-crafted songs and infectious hooks. Rolling Stone named them a “band to watch,” and who am I to argue with them?

The Birdy’s show will be just the third stop on the Bowling Green, KY, based band’s twenty-five cities tour, so they’ll be fresh – in several ways.

A little bit about Birdy’s: In the last several years, it has become one of Indianapolis’ iconic music venues. They have a full bar, and I suggest getting there early enough to eat – the food is way above the typical venue fare.

www.birdyslive.com
sleeperagentmusic.com

Indy Jazz Fest
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Opti Park/Indianapolis Art Center Grounds
820 East 67th Street
all-ages, 1:00, $30 general admission, $75 VIP

The week long Indy Jazz Fest culminates with Saturday’s all-day, three stages, concert.

MAIN STAGE:
Yellowjackets - 2pm
Rufus Reid's "Out Front" Quintet - 3:45pm
Spyro Gyra - 5:30pm
George Benson - 7:30pm
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue - 9:30pm

LEGACY JAZZ STAGE:
Cathy Morris - 1pm
WOW featuring Tim Warfield & Bobby Floyd - 2:45pm
Melvin Rhyne Trio - 4:30pm
Indy Guitar Summit - 6:15pm

EMERGING JAZZ ARTIST STAGE
IUPUI Jazz Ensemble - 1pm
Bloomington North HS Jazz Ensemble - 1:55pm
Butler University Jazz Ensemble - 2:50pm
Fort Wayne Snider HS Jazz Ensemble - 3:45pm
University of Indianapolis Jazz Ensemble - 4:40pm
Indiana University Jazz Ensemble - 5:35pm
Ball State University Jazz Ensemble - 6:30pm

There is a free shuttle for the concert. Park at the overflow lot of Glendale Center (62^nd/Keystone). The shuttle runs from 11:45 am to midnight. You can bring a chair or blanket (VIP seats include seating), but no food or drinks. There will be wonderful food and beverages available for purchase. No pets allowed.

They Might Be Giants with Jonathan Coulton
Thursday, September 22
The Vogue Theater
6259 N. College Ave
21 +, non-smoking, $23, 7:00

I once got some feedback on this column that I shouldn’t focus on my age and long I’ve been hanging around the music scene, but in this case, I feel like I’ve musically grown up with They Might Be Giants. I first heard of the Brooklyn rockers from my friend, John Gernand, who toured as their soundman. I first saw them in 1993 when they played the Vogue for the first time and I’m looking forward to seeing them 28 years later on the same stage.

The alternative-rock pioneers are known for their use of quirky stage props – giant fezzes and cardboard heads – and general silliness. Over the years they channeled some of that into a Grammy winning children’s series of educational records.

TMBG is celebrating their 30^th year of uninterrupted rocking with a sparkly new record, Join Us, and a polished-up energetic live show. Jonathan Coulton will open the show.

www.theymightbegiants.com
http://thevogue.com

Art vs. Art Main Event
Friday, September 30
The Vogue Theater
6259 N. College Ave
21+, non-smoking, $12 advance/$15 at door, 8:00

Are you a fan of art, chain saws, boxing matches, witty repartee, audience participation, deciding fate by the spin of the wheel, big band music and general bedlam? I can’t be the only one… Art vs. Art is a raucous and entertaining art show with a twist. And the twist is a big one!

Earlier this month over 100 artists gathered at City Market, were given a canvas and paints and a few hours to create a masterpiece. The paintings are all online (http://artvsart.com) to be voted on – now is your big chance to be an art critic in the privacy of your own home. The top 32 vote getters will be on display at the Vogue the night of the Main Event. Balloting that night will determine the top 16. The other 16 will be offered for sale for $100. The rest will be for sale for $50. It’s not as confusing as I just made it out to be – the bottom line is that you walk out of the Vogue with a great piece of original art for $50 or $100 – the artists get 70%.

The top 16 paintings are randomly paired on stage and voted on by audience noise making – the decibel meter has the final say. The winner moves on to the next round. The loser is subjected to the Wheel of Death. A spin determines the fate of the canvas – past year’s methods have included chain sawing, pizza making and black paint. You can spare the art by buying the painting from the audience.

The Grand Prize is $4000, a title belt and a whole lot of bragging rights.

The Main Event promises to be twice as fun this year. Emcee Michael Wiltrout will keep on his ruffled tuxedo shirt to front the Leisure Kings Big Band for the after-party concert.

http://thevogue.com/
http://artvsart.com/

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 8 no 18

2011-09-01T07:37:00.003-05:00

Neon Love Life, Tuesday Night CD release party

Friday, September 2, 2011
Radio Radio
1119 E. Prospect Street
8:00, 21+, $10 (includes CD), non-smoking

I’m smitten with Neon Love Life for lots of reasons, but most of all because they are a kick-ass rock band. The fact that the band is made up of all women is secondary.

The band formed in September of 2009, and they spent every Monday and Tuesday evening rehearsing and writing in Broad Ripple. They recorded “Tuesday Night” at Queensize Studios early this year.

Their songs range from straight-forward rock to teen-age punk to moody nostalgia. Lindsay Manfredi and Sharon Rickson share the front woman duties, switching off on rhythm guitar and bass and vocals.

Ashley Plummer plays tasty guitar licks and adds to the energy of the band. Tasha Blackman is a forceful and fun drummer.

Also performing that night: 8 Inch Betsy and Hero Jr.

This promises to be an epic night at Radio Radio.

www.neonlovelife.com

The Odyssey Favor, Chinese Monster CD release show
Friday, September 9. 2011
Locals Only
2449 East 56th Street
8:00, 21+

The Odyssey Favor is so damn cool. Not only did they write a song for my birthday, but they managed to rhyme ‘Spitznogle’ in a verse. But don’t let the fact that they used hornswagle in a sentence turn you off. The Odyssey Favor is chockfull of pop goodness, a harming touch of quirkiness and moon boots.
Joining them at Locals Only are Hitchhike and Finest Grain. The evening promises to be full of great music and good vibes.

http://odysseyfavor.com
www.localsonlyindy.com

The French Market
Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church grounds
4217 Central Ave
all-ages, free, noon - 10:00, non-smoking

The French Market is a different sort of fun than the church festival of my childhood. My church had an annual turkey shoot. While we didn’t shoot actual turkeys, which would have added a level of excitement, the prizes involved frozen turkeys. And who lets kids run around with guns? Things were different in the early 1970s.

Saint Joan of Arc’s French Market promises fun for everyone. Food, music, raffle prizes, activities for the kiddos and an artisan craft area are all featured. Did I mention the food? I’m looking forward to the French pastries. Raffle prizes include an iPad, and Pat Crossland handmade quilt, Trek bike, cash and jewelry.

The festival starts at noon. If you do it right you can eat lunch and dinner and everything in between at the Market. Second Helpings culinary job-training students are making the French Onion Soup from scratch – all 40 gallons – let me tell you, that’s a lot of onions to peel.

The French Market turns 21 this year. Speaking of 21, beer and wine are available. And speaking of beer and wine there will be live music between 1:00 – 10:00, including the bands, Second Wind, The Stardusters, Mojo Gumbo and Living Proof. Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 in the church and historic tours will be available throughout the day.

I’ll see you there!
www.sjoa.org

Broad Ripple Gazette no 8, vol 14

2011-07-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette.

Comix Rock
Indy Web Comics Gallery Show
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Locals Only
2449 East 56th Street
7:00 pm, 21+, $6.00

Get your geek on! Celebrate comics, science fiction and nerd culture at the second annual Comix Rock show and the opening of the Indy Web Comics Gallery Show. The night kicks off with the Dr. Sketchy Anti-School at 7:00. The Creme de les Femme Burlesque Group will present a special Star Trek themed show, during which attendees can draw the models in various poses and win prizes donated by area comic book stores, although I suspect the main prize for the comic book guys will be getting to see the burlesque women pose in Star Trek costumes.

The music starts at 9:30 and the lineup includes Five Year Mission, a super-group of Indy musicians. Their music is infectious and pop driven and they’ve created a song list for the night based on the first season of Star Trek. Not kidding. Next up, God Make Robots, a trio of smart cool kids, who make smart cool music. Shammers & Lefthand create hip-hop songs based on Pokemon, role playing games and internet viral videos. They're based in Bloomington and have played shows all over the country at everything form Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments to Linux programmers conventions.

The Indy Web Comics Gallery show that will also kick off that night and hang through July. This show will feature ten Indiana cartoonists displaying their paintings, comic strips and drawings, many with a Science Fiction theme.

Now might not be the time for me to admit it, but I’ve never watched a whole episode of Star Trek or read a Science Fiction book. What a sheltered life I’ve lived.

Locals Only has it all. Seriously good food, full bar, great beer selection, plenty of tables and an ample parking lot.

http://indywebcomics.com/
http://fiveyearmission.net/
http://www.myspace.com/godmaderobots
http://scrubclubrecords.com/9/content/artist-information/information-on-shammers-and-lefthand/
http://www.drsketchy.com/branch/Indianapolis
http://localsonlyindy.com/

Christian Taylor Showcase
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Historic Melody Inn
3826 North Illinois Street
9:00 pm (doors 8:00), $5.00, 21+

I think that Christian Taylor is just delightful. He is a talented singer and songwriter and is part of the band America Own the Moon. He’s put together a showcase of music featuring Caleb McCoach, Davy Long, Peter King, Ryan Puett and Scene Elders and I think you should go see it. It’s an early show for a work night, although I can’t remember the last time I was in the Melody Inn when the sun was still out.

The Historic Melody Inn is well, historic. It is one of the oldest bars in Indianapolis, established in 1935 and the vinyl booths were rescued from the old Teepee Restaurant. The original oak bar is beautiful and the jukebox is award winning and the parking is always free.

www.melodyindy.com

The Larroquettes, The Involuntarys, Adventure
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Historic Melody Inn
3826 North Illinois Street
9:00 pm (doors 8:00), $5.00, 21+

You can hear the Free Zone radio program at midnight on Saturdays on WICR 88.7. Host, Thomas May plays a great mix of punk rock, band interviews and any other music that catches his ear. And he does a great job of putting shows together. The bands for this show include The Larroquettes from Chicago. The trio say they exist to perform loud rock’n’roll with insane energy, and their sole responsibility is to fire up the audience into having a great time, as a proper rock’n’roll band should. Not bad aspirations for a band.

The Involuntarys are based in Indianapolis (and from what I could find online, based mostly at the Sinking Ship) and play delightfully loud jump around the room music. The punk band, Adventure is based in Dayton and seem like a swell group of guys.

The Historic Melody Inn not only has an eclectic selection of beers – from Pabst Blue Ribbon and back, they have some classic video games, you know you want to re-live your Galaga high score game again.

www.thelarroquettes.com
www.melodyinn.com

WITTstock 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Knights of Columbus
2100 East 71^st Street
7 pm, $10, family friendly

WITT (91.9) celebrating their second year in existence with an evening of music and a fundraiser for the station. The community focused, nonprofit station relies on their listeners to help with operational costs of licensing fees, insurance, tower fees and the various and sundry costs of keeping programming on the air. WITT is staffed entirely with volunteers.

The musical lineup has something for everyone – jazzpop Tonos Triad, Celtic influenced Emily Thomposon, and blues-rockers, CW & The Working Class Trio (the band includes my college roommate, Rick Bossingham. You can ask him for stories, but I was pretty darn boring then). Hogeye Navvy and The Rhinstones round out the bill.

I’ll see you there!

www.919witt.org
www.northsidekofc.org

Ellis, Katie Todd Band
Friday, July 22, 2011
Irving Theater
5505 E. Washington Street
8:00, $10/$12, non-smoking, all-ages

I will totally admit that I usually have a little musical crush on whomever I’m listening to at the time and some of those crushes last longer than others (I’m looking at you, Jeff Tweedy). I promise that these two musicians will charm your socks off. Katie Todd hails from Chicago and has won many awards for her beautiful emotion-filled songs and you’ve probably heard some of her tunes that were featured on television shows and movie soundtracks. She will be joined by the ever-entertaining Ellis. She’s part folk artist and part comedienne and all lovable.

You’ll also be charmed by the Irving Theater. The theater has been part of the Irvington community since 1913 undergoing many incarnations throughout the years.

www.katietodd.com
http://attheirving.com

www.ellis-music.com

Review:

Stasia Demos, Cara Jean Wahlers, Danny Flanigan

Friday, June 24, 2011
Indy Hostel

It was the perfect evening for outdoor music. I’m lucky enough to live just a few blocks from Indy Hostel and could hear the lovely sound of Danny Flanigan’s voice as I walked up the street. Stasia Demos, Cara Jean Wahlers and Danny traded songs and stories and laughter. Picking a favorite from the three of them would be really hard. They are all amazing storytellers and great writers and singers.

The Hostel is a wonderful place to see music, check it out – soon.

www.indyhostel.us

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 8 no 13

2011-06-23T09:15:00.002-05:00

First published in the Broad Ripple Gazette:

Cara Jean Wahlers, Stasia Demos, Danny Flanigan
Friday, June 24, 2010
Indy Hostel
4903 Winthrop Ave
8:00, all-ages, non-smoking, $10

I think the outdoor stage at Indy Hostel is the best in the city. It’s tucked right off of the Monon Trail at 49^th Street in Meridian-Kessler. It’s the perfect spot for a summer’s evening songwriter-in-the-round show.

Cara Jean Wahlers, Stasia Demos and Danny Flanigan will trade songs and stories. If you’ve never been to an in-the-round event you’ll love the intimacy of the show. I’ve also heard these events called “guitar pulls,” from the spontaneous front porch concerts that would break out and one guitar would be pulled from one musician to another.

The three musicians will trade songs and stories and I’ll bet the farm on fact that there will be plenty of giggles. Danny has a brand-spankin’ new CD and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

There will be some chairs available, but feel free to bring a lawn chair or blanket. You can also bring your own snacks and drinks. If it is raining the show will move indoors. The Hostel is in a red four-square house at the corner of 49^th Street and Winthrop Ave, with plenty of parking on 49^th Street, just on the other side of the Hostel.

www.indyhostel.us
www.dannyflanigan.com
www.carajeanwahlers.com

Middletown Reunion Show
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Flat12Beirwerks tasting room
414 N. Dorman Street
7:00 pm, $5, 21+

I feel like all of my musical roads lead to Middletown – the band, not the Vigo County burg. I was lucky enough to hear their first rehearsals over a decade ago and am now fortunate enough play in a jug band with the lovely Stasia Demos. Tad Armstrong remains one of my favorite singer-songwriters and Aaron Stroup is one kick-ass guitar player. They reunite every year or so when Aaron takes a break from his rock-star life in Austin, TX to visit our town. What could make this any better? The addition of Dean Metcalf! Just writing this makes me giddy!

If you’ve never had the chance to see Middletown, don’t miss this one. The band features beautiful harmonies, great musicians, excellent songwriting, a smidge of twang and a dose of quirkiness.

Flat12Beirwerks is a brewery nestled in the Cottage Home neighborhood, a quick jaunt from Broad Ripple. There is plenty of parking at the brewery or if you’re planning on being home before the sun sets, it’s an easy bike ride from the Monon Trail. The show will be in the tasting room, food will be available, and of course, the tasty made-on-the-premises beer. I’m always torn between the Tangerine Porter and the Pogue’s Run Porter. I usually just ask Flat12 Sales Manager, Mark Kocher what I’m drinking and he hasn’t steered me wrong.

I’ll see you there – I’ll be the one giggling and requesting that the band play, “Welcome to the Family.”

www.flat12.me

Review:

Steve Poltz with Chris Wolf

June 5, 2011
Locals Only

One of the best things about a Steve Poltz concert is that they are wildly different each time, and always amazing. This show was no exception.

I was so inspired during the show that I took more detailed notes than usual so I could quote the song titles properly and recount some of the stories. Clearly you’re not reading a well-researched and finely crafted review, because the dog ate my homework, sort of.

This story is starting to be particularly Poltzesque – meandering and slightly silly, but will eventually get to a point. Anyway, I was in a car accident a few days after the show. I’m fine, but my HHR had to be hauled away. When the tow truck driver asked if I wanted to grab anything from the car I panicked. Between the bowling ball and typewriter and typing table and dry cleaning and galoshes I froze and said no. Off my notebook went to a tow yard.

I can tell you this from memory. Indianapolis’s Chris Wolf’s songs were fun and delivered with his usual charm. Steve Poltz songwriting is smart and touches your heart. His delivery is quirky and charming and you can’t help but walk away wanting a little more Poltz.

www.localsonlyindy.com

www.myspace.com/chriswolfmusic

http://poltz.com/

Dow Jones and the Industrials

2011-06-13T12:20:00.000-05:00

I had great fun writing this piece about the band I was lucky enough to hang out with in my younger days.
Click here for the NUVO feature on Dow Jones and the Industrials.

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 8 no 12

2011-06-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

The Independent Music and Art Festival is one of the things about our city that makes my little heart sing. This is the 10^th year for the just-the-right-size festival.

Independent Music + Art Festival
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Harrison Center
1505 N. Delaware Street
all ages, free, noon – 8:00

The Independent Music + Art Festival is a grand day-long outdoor festival featuring original live music and visual artists and their work. There are two stages of music in the Harrison Center courtyard and the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange – a contemporary craft fair featuring gorgeous handmade goods will be tucked throughout the Harrison Center – in the gymnasium and galleries.

Food vendors include the equally delicious Duos and Judge’s BBQ and Sun King Brewery will have beer available. I wonder if they’ll bring the popcorn beer – two of my favorite food groups in a glass.

And music, lots of music. As always, the lineup is eclectic and fun. I was looking over the list to pick a few bands to highlight, but it was hard to choose. I say take a blanket and some sunscreen and stake your spot for the day.

Here’s the lineup:

12:00-12:35 Hotfox
12:40 - 1:15 It’s All Happening
1:20 - 1:55 Liz Janes
2:00 - 2:35 Slothpop
2:40 - 3:15 T.J. Reynolds
3:20 - 3:55 Lord of the Yum Yum
4:00 - 4:35 Red Birds
4:40 - 5:15 Rob Dixon and Triology
5:20 - 5:55 Wolfy
6:00 - 6:35 Jascha
6:40 - 7:15 The New Empires
7:20 - 7:55 Company of Thieves

I’ll see you there!

www.indieanahandicraftexchange.com
http://www.harrisoncenter.org

danny flanigan
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Monon Food Company
6420 Cornell Ave
9:00 – 11:00, all-ages, non-smoking
Yay! danny flanigan is coming to town and he has a brand spanking new CD, hope is a word…, is first in years. I can’t wait to get my hands on copy. If it was possible to wear out a compact disc, I would have played the grooves off of his previous records.
danny’s is a great guitar player and even better songwriter. His music is poignant, smart, witty and you’ll find them floating through your head for days and years later. Just typing his name made me start humming, “beautiful day.”
Monon Food Company, across from the Monon Trail at the corner of Cornell and 64^th Street, just celebrated their first anniversary and I’m not quite sure where I ate before they opened. Excellent food, darn good service and a top-notch beer list.
www.dannyflanigan.com
www.mononfoodcompany.com

Hillbilly Happy Hour
Punkin Holler Boys with Matt Woods
The Historic Melody Inn
3826 N. Illinois Street
Friday, June 17, 2011
7:30 – 9:30, $5, 21 +

I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend than with the Punkin Holler Boys. Swing in to the Melody Inn for some boot stompin’ fun. I’ve been listening to the Punkin Holler Boys new record, Tin Ears, in my car. If you see me grinning and tapping my hands on the wheel, you know what I’m listening too.

http://www.punkinhollerboys.com
http://www.melodyindy.com

CABIN, God Made Robots, The StereoFidelics
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Historic Melody Inn
doors 9:00, show 10:00, $5, 21+

Full Blown Possession Productions always puts on a good show and this promises to be another one. The night includes CABIN from Louisville, The StereoFidelics from Ashville, North Carolina and Indianapolis’s darlings, God Made Robots. The evening promises to be big high-energy groovy fun.

http://godmaderobots.com
http://www.myspace.com/cabin
http://thestereofidelics.com

Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival
June 11 – 18, 2011
Bean Blossom, Indiana

all-ages, various ticket packages, children 12 and younger free

The Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival is the oldest continuous running bluegrass festival – 45 years now. The festival features eight days of music, over 50 performing musicians, youth activities and tons of workshops including lessons on banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass; mountain and bluegrass vocals, group harmony, songwriting, band promotion, Bean Blossom history and more – although I can’t imagine what more there could be.

I haven’t had a chance to attend the festival yet, but I understand it’s wonderful and chockfull of history.

www.beanblossom.us

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 8, no 11 - Norapalooza

2011-05-27T08:50:00.005-05:00

First published on the Broad Ripple Gazette

I debated about whether to write about this event or not, and come to the conclusion that the music was too amazing not to talk about. And why volunteer to write a column if you can’t talk about your own surprise birthday party, right?

Norapalooza
Jazz Kitchen
May 15, 2011

All I was told was to be available on Sunday night and that I might want to take the next day off from work. Good advice.

I was blown away! I had little hints of things that might be happening. I’ve come to the conclusion that people really can’t keep a secret. And you all should know that even if an invitation is on facebook that does not mean that everyone can see it. I spent a good deal of time in the last month throwing my hands up yelling, ‘STOP! I don’t want to know details!’

There was a committee that planned the event and they were amazing – I can’t imagine a better lineup or show. I was taken to the Jazz Kitchen and arrive to a lovely gathering in their banquet room. Cousins from Cass County, the Lieber twins and other dear friends and family. There were cupcakes and Nora PEZ head and many other delightful touches.

At some point we were called into the main room of the Jazz Kitchen – it was full of friends and there was music! Lots of both! Dean Metcalf organized a concert that was tailor made for me. He provided the backline, extra instruments, emcee duty and stuff that I’m sure I haven’t even realized yet.

Eleven of my very favorite bands played in a three and a half hour span. It was amazing. I’m still remembering details; I was overwhelmed and a little teary the whole time. I should have taken notes!

The music started with Scott Rudicel. The way-younger set knows Scott as Ruditoonz. Rudi’s clever lyrics, great guitar playing and animated performance kept everyone from my eight year-old nephew to the seventy-somethings in the room entertained.

Cari Ray & The Loners played next. Holy cow, they are great! I love Cari’s original tunes – smart songwriting with just the right touch of twang, but her cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” just about knocked my birthday hat off. You need to get to a Cari Ray show soon – she’s already opening for the likes of Gretchen Wilson and I predict that Cari will be the headliner soon.

Chad Mills (Ann Cothron photographer)

I’ve made no secret of my very-appropriate love of Chad Mills and his music. His songs speak to the trials and joy in everyday life, with a dash of social justice and great hope for the future. This was the first time I’d seen him play with cellist Grover Parido. They need to do that more often!

Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, a giant Taylor’s birthday cake appeared and the Happy Birthday song was accompanied by Stasia Demos Mills playing accordion.

If you know me at all, you know that I tend toward the prudish side, even though I love a good “that’s what she said” zinger. If you know Wendy Reed at all you, know that she tends towards the delightfully bawdy side. She was dressed as a PEZ girl passing out candy cigarettes, Norapalooza brand, of course. She came to the stage and sang a blushingly beautiful birthday song. I know what the song was, but it included the words ‘birthday suit,’ and anything Wendy sings in her va-va-voom style is sexy and amazing.

As much as I was ready to hid behind a potted plant so I could soak it all in, I was kept on stage and my band mates in Alice Chalmers and The Stick a Cork in Your Jug band appeared with a new vintage typewriter for me! We played a fun set and Cari Ray joined us on spoons for a song.

The lovely ReachArounds (they really are lovely, in spite of their name) played next. Great pop driven rock preformed by some of my favorite people.

The Rough Sleepers are a fairly new band, but they sound like they’ve been playing together for years. Pretty harmonies wrapped around gorgeous music. Keith Carey sang one of my all time favorite songs, Bruce Springsteen’s, “Atlantic City.” Dean Metcalf wearing a bison hat was just icing on the cake.

As if I was not overwhelmed enough, The Strugglers performed. I’m not sure I can articulate how amazing that is. The band officially broke up in the 1985 when Stanley Smith moved to Austin. They have played a handful of times since then. I was lucky enough that Stanley was in town and they had played the night before. I’m goose-bumpy as I type this – The Strugglers played at my birthday party! Wheeeee!

I was in such a happy fog that when I saw Joey Welch in the room it never even occurred to me that The Born Again Floozies were going to play. I’m not sure that I can adequately explain their genius, so I’m going to use someone else’s phrase: orchestral stomp, and add my own, tap-dancy delight. They have a couple of shows booked this summer. Make sure that you catch them.

Yoko Moment doesn’t play out much. They are a favorite at the Tonic Ball, which Yoko Moment singer, Ken Honeywell, founded and just played the Mutt Strut. Their set for Norapalooza included cover songs from previous Tonic Balls, including songs from the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. They had folks, including mine dancing.

Next up was Brian Deer, who just stayed on the stage after his set with Yoko Moment. I’ve been a fan of Brian’s since his days with Citizens Band. I loved hearing Brian’s song, “Broken Bottles,” a long time favorite of mine. They sounded great.

Rounding out the incredible night was The Odyssey Favor. They actually wrote a song for the occasion. If you have not seen their infectiously fun video check it out. And if you have not seen them live, make sure you do. They were the perfect send-off into the next decade.

www.ruditoonz.com
www.cariray.com
www.chadmillslive.com
www.bornagainfloozies.com
https://odysseyfavor.com
www.thejazzkitchen.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 8, no 9

2011-04-28T07:57:00.005-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

First of all, I’d like to thank the Broad Ripple Kiwanis for inviting me to speak at their lunch meeting. I’ve given hundreds of talks about Second Helpings, but this was the first time I’d ever been asked to talk about music and writing for the Gazette. It was a fun lunch – thank you.

Previews:

IndianapolisMusic.net 10 Year Reunion Show
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Birdy’s
2131 East 71^st Street
$5, 21+, doors 7:00, show 7:30

When I first started this column, IndianapolisMusic.net was my main source of information. Bands promoted shows and it was an easy way to contact musicians. I met many friends on the message boards. Everyone had clever screen names. I went with good old ‘nora,’ no hiding for me! I listened to my first-ever podcast through the site and I’m proud to be a panelist on the Top Ten Live list that is published on the site.

IMN is celebrating their ten-year anniversary on April 1, 2001 with a show at Birdy’s, of course. The club was the site of all of the IMN showcases and their first in five years. The ten bands were very active on the site and seven of them are coming out of hiatus or reuniting for the show.

Stan Muller, Loretta, 2008

The lineup and set times (the times are subject to change):

7:30 - Matt Mays/The Spin
8:00 - The Common
8:30 - Lines of Nazca
9:00 - Pop Lolita
9:30 - Paging Raymond
10:10 – Loretta
10:50 - Citizens Band
11:30 - Extra Blue Kind
12:10 – Lunar Event
12:40 - Nowhere Good Fast

I’m excited that the show coincides with my sweet nephew’s First Communion and I’m not working at the Red Key that night. I’ll see you there!

www.indianapolismusic.net

78 rpm
Saturday, April 30, 2011
American Legion Post 34, Broad Ripple
6440 Westfield Blvd
8:00 – 11:00, free

The band, 78 rpm is a good old fashioned, Chicago-style blues band. They are celebrating their first anniversary with a free show at the American Legion. A good time is sure to be had!

www.reverbnation.com/78rpm

Picture This
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Creation Café
337 West 11^th Street
5:00 – 7:00, all-ages, nonsmoking $10 ticket/$40 for five tickets

Picture This is a fundraiser for The Viewfinder Project. TVP started informally in Cape Town, South Africa in 2005, by MaryBeth Jackson. She sought to better understand how middle-school students see their corner of the world and how she might encourage them to think about how as children they might become change makers in their communities.

From this three-day experience with 18 sixth-graders from a farming community, The Viewfinder Project was born. MaryBeth has since developed a 16-lesson curriculum guide dedicated to teaching these students not only basic photography skills, but also life skills that encourage the students to think about how the lesson applies to their lives.

TVP aims to encourage people of all ages to think about beauty and what is good to the extent that it influences the choices they make. The Viewfinder Project believes that fostering creativity in people helps equip them to think more creatively in all of life’s circumstances, making changes as they have the opportunity to do so.

Picture This will feature student work and a chance talk to people who have run The Viewfinder Project in their own organizations around our city. The goal is to raise enough money for 75 new point-and-shoot cameras for projects here and around the world.

$10 includes wine tasting, appetizers and music by Tad Armstrong and Brian Deer, with the proceeds going to The Viewfinder Project. Bring a few extra bucks for raffle tickets – the items include a Kyle Ragsdale painting and a Blue Candy Photography photo session. Stay for dinner at Creation Café and mention The Viewfinder Project; 10% of your total check will be donated to The Viewfinder Project.

RSVP by May 2, to info@theviewfinderproject.org
theviewfinderproject.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol. 8 no. 8

2011-04-14T11:07:00.001-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette.

Record Store Day 2011
Indy CD and Vinyl
LUNA Music
Vibes
free, all-ages

I can’t believe that this is only the fourth year for Record Store Day; it has quickly become a tradition. And you can mark your calendars in perpetuity – Record Store Day is always the third Saturday in April.

The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.   This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists make special appearances and performances.

Broad Ripple is lucky enough to have three independent record stores within walking distance of each other. Below is a rundown of activities and live music. Check the store Web sites for what special releases they will carry.

Indy CD & Vinyl
806 Broad Ripple Avenue

noon - Junker

1:00 - Pop Lolita

2:00 - Beta Male

3:30 – Hotfox (formerly Sanuk, last year’s national RCD winners)

5:00 - Five Year Mission
6:00 – Southside Larry

LUNA Music
5202 N. College Avenue

LUNA music celebrates Record Store Day block-party style. Music indoors and out, sidewalk sales, grab bags, give-aways, beer, West Coast tacos, Pin The Skinny Jean On The Hipster game and Handmade Promenade.

noon - Divine Time

1:00 - The Kemps

2:00 - Brad Real

3:00 - Vacation Club

4:00 - Oreo Jones

5:00 - Beta Male

6:00- We Are Hex

Sidewalk DJs from: noon – 6:00 p.m. Rusty Redenbacher and Mr. Kinetik

Vibes Music
1051 E. 54th Street (54^th Street and the Monon Trail)

Vibes Music is celebrating RCD party-style, staring at 2:00 (store opens 11:00). Glory Hole Records is hosting a showcase featuring live music from Marmoset, Vacation Club, Homeschool, The Kemps, Adam Kuhn and DJ Jewey Ramone.

www.indycdandvinyl.com
www.lunamusic.net

www.recordstoreday.com

Brooks Williams with Amy Speace
Indy Acoustic Café Series
Wheeler Community Art Center
1035 Sanders Street (Fountain Square)
doors 6:30, show 7:30, $17, all ages

Indy Acoustic Café Series is celebrating the end of their fourteenth successful season with a wonderful concert. The series has been wonderfully successful in bringing high-caliber musicians to Indianapolis, but needs your help in filling the seats.

If you haven’t been to a show in this series, this concert would be a great time to start. Brooks Williams is one of the top 100 guitarists of all time, according to Guitar Magazine – and they should know! Amy Speace, one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all-time is opening the show. This is a not-to-be-missed show. Visit the series Web site for pre-sale ticket information.

www.brookswilliams.com

www.amyspeace.com

www.IndyAcousticCafeSeries.com

March of Rhymes to benefit the March of Dimes
Saturday, April 16, 2010
Locals Only

2449 East 56th Street

10:00 p.m, $5, 21+

March of Rhymes had me at the word play on March of Dimes. And word play is what it will be all about at this show. The lineup includes four of Indy’s best hip-hop acts.

Oreo Jones took the hip-hop and indie music scenes of Indianapolis by storm with the release of his Delicious EP on Heavy Gun Recordings and was recently voted one of the favorite hip-hop acts in NUVO Newsweekly. His latest release Oreo Jones and Friends is lauded as one the best hip-hop CDs out of Naptown in years.

Mic Sol & A.C.E. O.N.E. released their first record last year, The Light. It features tracks mined from the same streetwise vein as old blaxploitation flicks. The retro elements combine with fresh rhymes to create a sound that pushes the traditional hip-hop envelope to new places.

Indiana City Weather a full band that combines indie-rock with hip-hop. The MC’s rhyming style is reminiscent of Speech from the band Arrested Development. and maybe even a touch of Gym Class Heroes. I can’t recommend these guys highly enough.

Shammers and Lefthand are icons in the world of nerdcore hip-hop fans. They travel the country for computer convocations, hacker gatherings and science fiction conventions. Sadly, they are virtually unknown right in their town. They rap about everything from Pokemon to Keyboard Cat in a way that’s fun and accessible all the while wearing their nerd moniker proudly.

www.localsonlyindy.com
http://heavygun.blogspot.com/p/oreo-jones.html
http://www.myspace.com/indiancityweather

Monon Food Company One Year Celebration featuring Michael Kelsey
Friday, April 29, 2011
6420 Cornell Avenue
6:00 – 9:00, free, all-ages

The delicious and delightful Monon Food Company is celebrating one year of business with a concert by guitar guru Michael Kelsey. Wonderful food, kick-ass beer list and great music. What more do you need?

www.mononfood.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 8, no 6

2011-03-17T08:47:00.001-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Hairspray
March 19, 20, 23,24, 25, 26, 27
Beef and Boards
9301 N. Michigan Road
317-872-9684
$36-54, 3 years old +, non-smoking

Hairspray, the big, fabulous, award-winning, Broadway play is running at the Beef and Boards dinner theater.

The show is set in 1960s Baltimore, where Tracy Turnblad has her heart set on dancing on the Corny Collins Show. She has big hair and a big personality and quickly becomes a teen celebrity with her sights set on winning the affections of heartthrob, Link Larkin.

Hairspray is chockfull of danceable music and heartwarming messages. The house band features Broad Ripple’s own Scott Ballantine playing guitar.

Call the box office or visit the Web site for tickets and times.

www.beefandboards.com

Steve Poltz
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Locals Only
2449 E. 56th Street
8:00, 21+. $14

You can’t go wrong with a Steve Poltz show, seriously. I’ve never seen an off show.
He’s always entertaining and usually wearing pants. He’ll break your heart and have you giggling, sometimes all in the same song.

http://poltz.com
http://localsonlyindy.com

Junk Box Mike CD release show
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Birdy’s
2131 E. 71st Street
doors 7:30, 21+, $5.

This show promises non-stop entertainment. Junk Box Mike is celebrating the release of his album, From My Recliner. I suggest that you launch yourself off of your recliner this evening.

Three bands will play – Morgan n Tom, Jethro Easyfields and Junk Box Mike and His Friends will wrap it up. Comedian Aaron Buckner will emcee and perform between sets.
Junk Box Mike has some pretty talented friends – and the majority of them are named John/Jon.. His band includes, Gary Wasson, Jon Martin, John Gilmore, John Bowyer, Delmar Lincon, Gary Rakow and John Macksey.

Junk Box Mike describes his music as true-to-life, writing about love, heartbreak, people and fishing. This evening promises to be big junky fun. Rumor has it that is also Mike’s birthday.

www.birdyslive.com
www.junkboxmike.com

review:

Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses
March 10, 2011
Birdy’s

photograph: Hugh Vandiver

My love of Ryan Bingham is no secret. I was thrilled to get the chance to see him at Birdy’s, where it all started for me. In the time since he first played Birdy’s in 2008 he’s been busy. Ryan has released his third album; he has won an Academy Award and a Grammy for the song "The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)," toured Europe and played to thousands of people at festivals.

A few things have changed for Ryan. The first time I saw him he was carrying his own gear to the van. This time he was traveling in a big old tour bus and had a road crew. But the things that drew me to him in the first place are all still intact. His band, The Dead Horses, has not changed. Matthew Smith (drums), Corby Schaub (guitar, mandolin) and Elijah Ford (bass) are one of the best bands on the road. Ryan continues to put on a great show and I think he’s an even better songwriter, though I didn’t think that was possible.

One of my favorite moments of the show was when Ryan covered Woody Guthrie’s, “This Land is Your Land.” He played it acoustic and alone. It was very powerful to hear 250 people singing along. He dedicated it to all of the folks protesting outside of capital buildings across the country.

I was thrilled to see the sold out crowd singing along to Ryan’s songs and paying attention to music. My only disappointment – I didn’t get to see Ryan after the show to get my traditional photo of our shoes. I had on vintage Frye boots and Ryan was wearing Converse All Stars, if you were wondering.

www.binghammusic.com
www.birdyslive.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 8, no 4

2011-02-17T18:30:00.006-06:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Saturday, February 19, 2011

It’s not often that so many great events are happening on the same evening. Mark your calendar, get a babysitter, and pick show.

Lowercase m
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Noble Coffee & Tea Co.
933 Logan St.
Noblesville, IN
7:00, all-ages, non-smoking, $5.

The band, Lowercase m, features some of my favorite people – Broad Ripple’s coolest husband and wife team, Evan Finch and Grace Blanchard, join Brett Cantrell in dusting off Lowercase m. The band was the darling of coffeehouse and bars in the early ‘90s. The band features a fun mix of country, folk, gorgeous voices and humor.

Blue Stone Folk School is hosting the show in the delightful Noble Coffee & Tea located in charming downtown Noblesville. They serve beer, wine, and sweets in addition to coffee and tea.

www.bluestonefolkschool.org

Truth and Salvage Company with Chad Mills
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Radio Radio
1119 Prospect Street
Indianapolis IN
doors 8:00, 21+, non-smoking, $10

I love the story of Truth & Salvage Company formed, especially since it involves Indianapolis’ own Tim Jones. He was the talent booker at Hollywood’s famous Hotel Café and though casual late-night jam sessions they quickly discovered that they had heaps of band chemistry. It was there that Truth and Salvage was born.

The six-member band features four singer/songwriters, and they all have stories to tell. Their sound is a mix of rock, country and alternative with harmonies, badass guitar playing and good old fun evident in every song.

The last time I saw them play I was grinning and tapping my toes that whole time.

Broad Ripple’s own Chad Mills is opening the show, and I heartily approve. Presale tickets are moving fast – and they’re only $8 if by ahead of time.

www.truthandsalvageco.com
www.chadmillslive.com

Alice Chalmers ATSACIYJB with The Peach Pickers
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Otterbein Community Concert Series
2901 W 200 N,
Greenfield, IN, 46140-8466
7:00, all-ages, non-smoking,

The Otterbein Community Concert Series presents acoustic music in an intimate, historic atmosphere. The series features the finest in acoustic, folk, bluegrass, and Americana music. The concerts are held at the Otterbein United Methodist Church, a beautifully restored, turn of the century church.

Mark Capes photography

This year’s series is opening with Alice Chalmers and the Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band with The Peach Pickers. The Peach Pickers bluegrass group is from Muncie,
We like glitter!

http://greenfieldotterbeinumc.org

Manic Monday
Monday, February 21, 2010
The Rock Lobster
820 Broad Ripple Avenue
21+, 10:00

Monday always seems pretty darn manic to me. You can make it official on every third Monday of the month. In this case Manic Monday features ‘80s music – punk, new wave, surf and goth and the theme is: Pretty in Pink.

The show is hosted by DJs A-Squared Industries and DJ Action Jackson with special guests Kallioni nad Rachel Rubes. They will be celebrating the birthday of Naptown Roller Girl, Dora the Destroyer.

It sounds like a great way to jump into the week. There will be drink specials, prizes for the best dressed and lots of other fun.

www.asquaredindustries.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 8, no 1

2011-01-06T10:16:00.001-06:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Elvis Birthday Bash
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Locals Only
2449 East 56^th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46220
9:00 doors, show10:00 pm, 21+, $8.

Wayne Bertsch, cartoonist and promoter reminds us that, “ if the King were still alive, he’d be turning 76 this weekend. We wanted to bring together an event that showcases the diversity of his music. Elvis Presley was more than a rockabilly act. His music assembled elements of rock, gospel and R&B in ways that influenced almost every musician that came after him. I wanted to assemble a lineup that reflected the diverse sound that made Elvis a standout even amongst the other giants in the Sun records stable.”  

Elvis Presley would dig the diverse lineup. The acts include ragtime-punk band, The Innocent Boys, and heartland rockers, Hero, Jr. This will be one of your last chances to catch the very talented John Orr (The Last Domino) before he moves to Austin, TX. Check out his amazing cover of the Smashing Pumpkin’s Muzzle on YouTube. Mr. Pumpkin, Billy Corrigan has given it a cyber thumbs up! You’ll find it by typing ‘last domino muzzle’ in the YouTube search box or visiting John’s Web site.

The Danny Thompson Trio continues their well-deserved run of headlining the Elvis Bash. The show is always fun and a great way to kick-off the musical new year.

www.thelastdomino.com

www.localsonlyindy.com

Liz Janes
Saturday January 15, 2011
LUNA Music Midtown5202 N. College Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46220
4:00, free, all-ages

photo credit: Polina Osherov

Liz Janes is finishing a mini-tour of the northwest just a few blocks from her home base. Liz has a brand new record, Say Goodbye, her first since 2004. This record is her most personal, lush and warm. I am fascinated by Liz, her story and talent. She went from childhood piano recitals in suburban D.C. to the ‘noise scene’ in Olympia, WA. While in Olympia she secretly started writing folk songs and put them on cassette. The lo-fi recordings made it into the hands of future husband, Mike Kaufmann, who played it for his pal, Sufjan Stevens.

One thing led to another and Liz recorded with Sufjan, joined the Asthmatic Kitty Records label and toured with several bands. Liz ducked out of the touring life to “raise kids the way that they needed to be raised,” and all of the things that make life sweeter.

She’s found her home in Indiana, saying she was “too west coast for the east coast, too east coast for the west coast but that the great state of Indiana, with proper fairy tale resolution, is just right.”

Make sure to catch her show in the intimate space of LUNA Music and welcome her back home.

www.lunamusic.net

Hal Studholme photography opening

January, 2011
Monon Coffee Company, back gallery
920 East Westfield Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46220-1718

Hal Studholme

Hal Studholme creates his art with cameras (the quirkier the better), computers, ink, paint and abandoned materials. He makes his Hoosier debut in the ‘back room gallery’ at the Monon Coffee Company in January.

Studholme prefers, “cheap cameras, broken cameras, bad cell phone cameras, toy cameras and cameras that I can drop in the mud and not worry much.” He was a doctoral student in religion and education at Columbia University when he discovered his penchant for visual art. “Nobody had any interest in what I had to say, except the studio art teacher. I had for a sculpture course I was taking on the side, so I dropped out so I could say what I have to say visually. I went back to school to study art. At an advanced age I became a student in the Fine Arts Program at The College of New Jersey in Trenton. I left there (without a degree) to become a preschool teacher in Golden Valley Minnesota. I consider being a toddler teacher a natural extension of a more formal art education.”

This show is Studholme’s Indianapolis debut – just a small sampling of collection. We look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. And if you haven’t been to the Monon Coffee Company, it is a cozy spot with excellent coffee and goodies and friendly folks. See you there!

www.halstudholme.com
http://mononcoffee.compendiumblog.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol. 7, no 25

2010-12-17T13:45:00.003-06:00

Enjoy the holiday season – and remember that independent music makes a great gift. Buy a CD, take in a concert, download a tune. It’s good for the winter blahs!

Reviews:
I did venture outside of our great neighborhood a couple of times last year to see music. I’m veering off course for this edition to tell you about them.

Kid Rock and Bon Jovi
July 30, 2010
Soldier Field, Chicago

Thanks to the generosity of CATH customer and music fan, Carla Proffitt and her brother, I got to attend a big rock show in the big city! It was one of those last minute plans that worked out wonderfully.
I’d never been to Solider Field and it was packed. This is one of the biggest shows I’ve ever seen and the crowd was huge - attendance hovered at 55,000. While I was excited to go to a show and kick around Chicago, I didn’t know how much I’d enjoy it!

We didn’t realize that Kid Rock was opening until we were on the road. I must admit the only things I knew about him was that he and Pamela Anderson jumped off of a yacht to celebrate their (short-lived) wedding vows, he was on the Bob & Tom Show and he’d had a #1 hit with, “All Summer Long.”
What I didn’t realize is how much I’d love his show! It was big goofy, giggling, sing-along fun. Kid Rock said something that I’ve known my whole life, but it was great to be reminded of, “blowing someone else’s candle out will not make yours burn any brighter.” I’ve been extra-mindful of that ever since.

Bon Jovi was just as great and fun – who knew that I knew so many Bon Jovi songs? I guess living in South Jersey for five years rubbed off a bit. It was a great night – the weather was perfect, it was fun to let my hair down and dance along we were able to walk back to the hotel. That’s how a hot summer night should be spent!

Ryan Bingham
October 15, 2010
Austin City Limits Festival
Austin, Texas

Ever since I saw Ryan Bingham play at Birdy’s four years ago, I’ve been a big fan. Two years ago I got to stand on the stage of Ryan's ACLF set – which is almost as cool as standing in front of the stage at Birdy’s.. When he won a Grammy for "The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)," this year I actually jumped up and down on my bed in excitement.

My friend Aaron Stroup thinks that my (very appropriate, proud, aunt-like) love of Ryan is a little obsessive and I have no idea what he’s talking about...the fact that I managed to snap about six zillion during my ten minutes in the photo pit means nothing. Really.

Gogol Bordello
October 16, 2010
Austin City Limits Festival
Austin, Texas

Wow! I had no idea what to expect from Gogol Bordello, but kept hearing the buzz about them all over the festival. The crowd waiting to see them was fired up! The band is good old -fashioned dance-y world music gypsy punk fun. I was sorry to miss their show at the Vogue a few weeks later, but I hear they were just as fabulous!

Norah Jones
October 17, 2010
Austin City Limits Festival
Austin, Texas

I've been a fan of Norah Jones since her first record in 2001. There aren't many women named Nora/Norah between the ages of eight months and 88 years old. The beautiful and talented Norah Jones blew a lot of old lady dust off of the name.

I had a photo pass for the festival, which meant that I could stand in photo pit in front of the stage for the first three songs. I will admit that I closed my eyes while I was waiting for the show to start and pretending like the thousands of people chanting, "Norah, Norah, Norah" were calling for me. Pathetic, but true!

I saw Norah play right before Middletown at the Jazz Fest several years ago. She seems to have found her voice and style. Her set was amazing and her band was terrific. She does the name proud!

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7 no. 24

2010-12-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

Hip Hop Show featuring Rusty Redenbacher
Monday, December 6, 2010
Melody Inn

3826 N. Illinois Street
317-923-4707

doors 8:00, show 9:00, 21+, $3.

I miss Rusty! Now that News Café is closed I can’t pop in for a quick visit with Rusty. You can get a big Rusty Redenbacher fix at the Melody Inn at the Hip Hop Show. If you’re not familiar with hip hop – or even slightly wary, this will be a great show to see what it’s all about. Rusty is one of the best!

www.melodyindy.com

Holiday Extravaganza with the Leisure Kings

December 3, 4, 10, 12, 2010

The Cabaret at the Columbia Club

121 Monument Circle

317.275.1169

Sure, you could attended the symphony’s, Yuletide Celebration, at the Hilbert Circle Theatre or you could swing just a little farther around the circle and see the Leisure Kings for holiday music with a quirky twist.

The duo of Sean Baker and Mike Wiltrout are planning their biggest, most spectacular big band holiday extravaganza ever. The Cabaret at the Columbia, nestled atop the posh Columbia Club, plays host to this year's bacchanal. They promise, “The holidays will never know what hit it.” Expect a hilarious and irreverent turn on your favorite holiday songs.

Act quickly – tickets are selling fast. The dates are as follows:

December 3, 7:30 PM

December 4, 5:30 PM & 9:00 PM

December 10, 7:30 PM - SOLD OUT

December 12, 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

www.thecabaret.org

www.leisurekings.com

TOYS 2010
opening night Friday, December 3 ·

Gallery 924

924 N. Pennsylvania St.

Indianapolis, IN

6:00pm - 9:00pm, free, all ages

Primary Colours is hosting their eighth installment of its invitational holiday art exhibit. TOYS features art fashioned around the theme of toys, and invited artists are free to interpret the theme however they wish.

The exhibit will remain on display in the gallery for viewing and purchase through December 22 – perfect for holiday shopping for the art lovers on your list.

The following artists were invited to show: Mike Altman , Ryan Alvis, Justin Cooper, Bruce Dean, Nate Greuel, Blythe Hager, Kyle A. Herrington, Mamus, Carl B. Leck, Jeff Martin, Emma Overman, Jamie Pawlus, Aaron Scamihorn, Nathan Shinkle, Judie Sloan, Eric Smith, Holly Streekstra, Justin Trapp, Phil Velikan and Pam Wishbow.

The artists keep 75% of the proceeds from the sale, the rest going to fund the good works of Primary Colours.

The opening coincides First Friday Art Tour. Parking is free on the street after 6pm, in the lot just south of the building, or in the Lucille Raines lot across the street.

This year, Primary Colours is teaming up with VSA Arts of Indiana and asks attendees to bring new or very gently used basic art supplies, such as acrylic, watercolor or tempera paints; colored pencils; erasers; paper; canvases; and brushes that volunteers will collect at the door. VSA will use donated supplies to provide arts activities to young patients and their families at Riley Hospital for Children and Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in addition to community arts classes around the state.

www.vsai.org

www.primarycolours.org

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7, no 23

2010-11-11T21:13:00.000-06:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Midtown Holiday Home Tour Café and Market
The Rivera Club
5640 North Illinois Street
Indianapolis, IN
11:00 – 5:00, café -free, all-ages, nonsmoking
Home Tour tickets $15.

The Midtown Holiday Home Tour will feature three homes on Meridian Street, one on Illinois Street and the recently renovated Phi Delta Theta fraternity house at Butler University. They will be festively decorated for the holidays by local floral designers. Fancy!

The Riviera Club will also be part of the tour festivities. Rivi will host the tour café as well as a market featuring local businesses. Rivi would be a great place to meet and carpool to the tour homes or to just hang out.

There will also be music at the café:

Saturday
11:00 - Chad Mills
Noon - Alice Chalmers ATSACIYJB
1:00 – Freshly Brewed
2:00 – Patchwork
3:00 – Joe Peters
4:00 – Robert Bruce Scott

Sunday

1:00 – Il Troubadour

Tonic Ball 9, featuring songs of the Beatles
Friday, November 19, 2010
Fountain Square Theatre/ Radio Radio
Fountain Square
7:00, $20, non-smoking
Tonic Gallery
New Day Meadery
free

The Tonic Ball and Tonic Gallery is one of Indianapolis’ most popular nights of music and art – I certainly know that it’s mine! The Tonic Gallery features works by some of the city’s most renowned visual artists – Douglas David, Susan Brewer, Kyle Ragsdale and my dad (he made an awesome bench from rescued church pews). The art work is sold in a limited silent auction, starting at $100 with a buy-it-now price of $400.

The Tonic Ball features over 30 bands all playing at least one Beatles song. I’ve been working really hard to make sure that none of the songs are duplicated. The ticket allows you to visit both venues and see as much music as you can. Radio Radio is 21+, but Fountain Square Theatre is all-ages and the over 21 crowd can still buy a drink at the bar – how cool is that?

For a complete line up of bands and other information visit: www.tonicindy.com
Tickets will be available at both LUNA locations by November 10 or you can purchase online now.

I can’t wait!

Jann Klose with Macaela Kingslight
Friday, November 19, 2010
Indy Hostel
4903 Winthrop Ave
Indianapolis, IN
317-727-1696
8:00pm, $10, non-smoking, all-ages

Singer-songwriter Jann Klose is based in New York, but has lived all over the world. He came to the States as an exchange student in Cleveland, Ohio he lived in Germany, Kenya and South Africa. His music reflects his music reflects this lyrically, melodically, rhythmically and in his choice of eclectic instruments and musicians.

During the course of his career, Jann has worked live or in the studio with artists ranging from pioneers like Pete Seeger and Les Paul to classic rockers like Roger (The Byrds) McGuinn, and Annie (Renaissance) Haslam to major country stars like Rosanne Cash and Marty Stuart. WGN Radio's Steve & Johnnie, Rock Hall inductee Joey Reynolds and Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson have all personally lent a helping hand in his career.

Jann's music has been featured on MTV's Cribs, the soundtrack to the Paul Sorvino film Dead Broke. He's performed in touring companies of Broadway shows: The Who's Tommy, Jekyll & Hyde, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Jann's most recent recording, REVERIE, was finance and produced with fan support.

Micaela Kingslight is a powerful singer with an elegant guitar style. She recently was awarded the Emerging Artist Grant from the Gilmore Foundation.

The Indy Hostel is a wonderful and intimate venue to hear music and enjoy time with the musicians.

www.indyhostel.us

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Holiday Show
Alice Chalmers ATSACIYJB, Neon Love Life, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Friday, November 26, 2010
Vogue Theatre
6259 N. College Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
$12 – advance, $15 – day of show, non-smoking, 21+

When I was in Austin last month I was having dinner with a friend – and by dinner, I mean whiskey, when I got a text from “Washboard” Breezy Peyton asking if Alice Chalmers could open for their holiday show. I shakily told my friend that the band was asked to play at the Vogue. He said, “Great! What band?” Umm, “the band I’m in.” I will totally admit to squealing and jumping up and down!

So, Alice Chalmers and The Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band will be kicking off the day-after Thanksgiving show and we couldn’t be more excited about it.

The all-woman jug band will be followed by the all-woman rockers, Neon Love Life. NLL’s Lindsay Manfredi and I were both at the Toad The Wet Sprocket show at the Vogue this summer. We independently “ran into” (stalking seems like such a harsh word) the band’s Glen Phillips in the alley behind the Vogue. I told Glen that Lindsay was in a punk band and that I was in a jug band. Glen told us, “they're closer than you think.” Now you can be the judge.

The main event of the evening will be, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. This will be their homecoming show. They’ve been on the road for months and having a wonderful time in Europe and the East Coast. I don’t have the words to explain how damn fun the band is. And I’m sure they’ll have some great stories.

See you there - I’ll be the one playing typewriter and grinning wildly.

http://thevogue.com
www.bigdamnband.com
www.neonlovelife.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7, no 22

2010-11-08T18:05:00.000-06:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Happy Anniversary gentle readers! The first Buzzing Around Town column was published on October 28, 2005. I can’t believe that five years have passed and that I haven’t missed a column – although there were times that both publisher, Alan Hague and I doubted that I’d manage to slide one in at the absolute last minute. Sorry Alan!

I’ve meet scores of amazing people in the last five years – and I think you’re all the bee’s knees! I appreciate everyone who has introduced themselves to me. I still blush and stammer, but I’m thrilled to meet you. I’ve written 125-ish columns in the last five years. All of that writing has been great practice for me. I’ve managed to find my writing voice and confidence. In early columns I spent a good deal of time apologizing for my age and lack of formal musical knowledge.

When the column first started I was writing on a wheezy desktop computer that took up most of my living room and was connected to the Internet via telephone line –when it worked. The first year the majority of my writing was done at a computer at Indy Hostel – thanks John. The next year I bought an iBook with a wireless connection. Too bad I didn’t have wireless at home. Many a column was sent late at night with my computer pressed up to the window at the News Café. I’m sure I surprised many last-call patrons leaving Moe and Johnny’s when they walked by and I was holding the computer at odd angles trying to catch the wireless connection.

I’ve graduated to a MacBook that hardly ever leaves my side – I don’t go as far as to sleep with it, that would be nuts! I keep it beside the bed. I also have a fancier camera, with a detachable lens, which allows me better access to photograph bands.

The five years of writing BAT has opened many doors for me. I now freelance for NUVO newsweekly and the national music magazine, Ghettoblaster. I vote each week on the Top Ten Live list that is published in Metromix. I still get a thrill when I see a stack of Broad Ripple Gazettes in the window of a business or catch a glimpse of someone reading one. I often hear that the Gazette is the best paper in town and I heartily agree.

At the Austin City Limits Festival in October

photo credit: Laura Steele

I look a little different now from the bee caricature above. In the last five years my hair has been longer and straighter and back. I now wear glasses – you can draw those in if you like.

I wish I had more time and could see every bit of music that is out there. For all of us at the Gazette, writing is a volunteer gig – one that I’m thrilled to have. I have the same jobs (yep, jobs, plural) that I had when the column started and I adore every one of them. I was promoted at Second Helpings three years ago; I’m now the director of operations for the food rescue, job-training and hunger relief agency. I love my once-a-month Sunday shift at Marigold, the wonderful clothing store next to Big Hat Books at the Broad Ripple Brew Pub. I’m still the waitress/cook at the iconic Red Key Tavern most Saturday nights and couldn’t be happier about it.

When people tell me there is nothing to do in Indianapolis I want to swat at them with a rolled up Gazette. My problem is choosing what to do. You can find art and music on almost every corner in Broad Ripple – isn’t it awesome! I’ll see you out and about. And thanks for reading. Seriously, thanks.

The New Christy Minstrels
Thursday, November 4
The Mansion at Oak Hill 
5801 East 116th Street 
Carmel, Indiana 46033
317-843-9850
7:30, dinner & concert, $45

Our own Greg O’Haver (Crossover, A Touch of Grass) is movin’ on up! He’s left the basement venue of the Corner Wine Bar and is now touring with the Grammy winning folk band, The New Christy Minstrels.
How Greg got there is a great story. He had auditioned for Randy Sparks (founder and leader of TNCM) in 1968 and came close to touring the Orient with Randy when Fats Johnson decided to join the tour and bumped Greg. Over 40 years later, a second audition in March of this year got Greg a spot in the band. Randy calls Greg,” …our newest, brightest star in the revived New Christy Minstrels.”

The New Christy Minstrels have an aggressive tour schedule. We re lucky enough that they are stopping in Carmel to play a show at The Mansion at Oak Hill in Carmel. It promises to be big folk fun. The ticket price includes dinner and the bragging rights that you know someone in the band.

www.thenewchristyminstrels.com
www.oakhillmansion.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7, no 21

2010-10-15T14:33:00.000-05:00

I’m soaking in the goodness of the Austin City Limits Festival as I type this. A slice of all-weekend music fun is coming to our village this weekend.

Dozens of venues, hundreds of musical acts all in one day. A good number of them are free and all ages. All-access wristbands are available at each showcase on Saturday, or you can purchase a separate ticket for the event you want to attend. Saturday will be a great day to be wandering the streets of Broad Ripple.

www.broadripplemusicfest.com

Pre-party Thursday – October 14, 2010

Locals Only
21+, free, 8:00

9:00 – Gift Horse
10:00 – Gentleman Caller
11:00 – Canasta

The Vogue
21+, $25, 9:00

ATB with Josh Gallahan and Brandon Johnson

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Vogue
Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s with Jookabox
Broad Ripple Music Fest kickoff
21+, $15, 8:00

Go, I’m telling, don’t miss this show. Margot and company are coming back to the neighborhood for a fun evening.

Broad Ripple Music Fest Main Event
Saturday, October 16, 201

Indianapolis Art Center Showcase 
All-ages, free

The morning kicks off with Handmade Promenade Art and Craft Fair
1:00 - Sarah Grain 
2:00 - Quick Said the Bird 
3:00 - Bashiri Asad

LUNA music
5202 N. College Ave
All-ages, free

Block party fun is guaranteed at LUNA – sidewalk sale, Handmade Promenade, Upland Beer and Jolly Tamale vegetarian goods. Karl from Joyful Noise is the master behind the lineup.

Noon - Kodiak
1:00 - Doug
2:00 – Household Guns
3:00 – Smedley Jergins & His Orchestra (David Woodruff from The Delicious)
4:00 – Rooms
5:00 – Kentucky Nightmare
6:00 – Marmoset
7:00 - Brando

Feel free to swing into the Red Key (if you are at least 21, of course) when the music is over and I’ll make you a delicious cheeseburger.

Indy CD & Vinyl 
All-ages, free

12:30 - Matt Mitchell Project 
2:00 - Crescent Ulmer 
3:00 - The Right Now 
4:30 - Chiaroscura 
6:00 - Why I Like Robins 
7:30 - Hotfox

Melody Inn 
21+ / $5 (Daytime)

Phyllis,  Leisure Kings,  Porn Again Christians,  Lady Magma

Punk Rock Night 
21+ / $7 (Evening)

Art Adams, Lady Magma, Them Damned Young Livers, Al and the Black Cats

Heavy Gun Showcase - Featuring Producer Beat Battle Round 2! 
Savvy Salon 
All -ages , $5

2:00 - 3:00 - First Round of Beat Battle 
3:00 - 3:20 - Oreo Jones 
3:20 - 3:40 - Jack & Crown 
3:40 - 4:00 - Brad Real 
4:00 - 4:35 - Second Round of Beat Battle 
4:40 - 4:50 - Mic Sol & Ace One 
4:50 - 5:10 - Pro Forms 
5:10 - 5:25 - G Scott Bailey 
5:25 - 5:40 - Hinks Jones 
5:40 - 6:00 - Wiz Kids 
6:00 - 6:30 - Third Round of Beat Battle 
6:30 - 7:00 - MudKids 
7:00 - 7:20 - Scoot Dubs 
7:20 - 7:40 - NightRiders 
7:40 - 8:00 - Grey Granite 
8:00 - 8:30 - Final Round of Beat Battle

Standard Recording / Indie Volumes Showcase 
Connor's Pub 

21+ , $7

12:00 - Caleb McCoach (inside) 
12:30 - Our Imaginary friends (outside) 
1:00 - Hot Foxx (outside) 
1:00 - Accordions (inside) 
1:30 - The Innate (outside) 
2:30 - Vollmar (inside) 
3:00 - Thunderhawk (outside) 
3:30 - CMNDR (inside) 
4:00 - Christian Taylor (outside)
4:30 - Norman oak (inside) 
5:00 - Hanz Bronze (outside) 
5:30 - Davy Long 
6:00 - Sleeping Bag (inside) 
6:30 - Slothpop (outside) 
7:15 - Adam Kuhn (inside) 
7:45 - Deadbeats (outside) 
8:30 - The Kemps (inside) 
9:15 - Neon Love Life (outside) 
10:00 - Jasha (outside) 
10:45 - Pravada (outside) 
11:30 - Amo Joy (outside) 
12:15 - Vacation Club (outside)

Piradical Productions Showcase 
ES Jungle 
All-ages / $7 / 7pm 

7:15 Late Nite Reading 
8:00 Indian City Weather 
8:45 KDe! 
9:30 Dr Manhattan

Audio Recon Showcase
Locals Only 
21+, $7 , 9:00pm

8:00 - DJ Deadrisk 
9:00 – 9:15 Merc Versus  
9:15- 9:30 Lorax  
9:30- 9:50 Whois Louis and Eratic  
10:00-10:20 Twilight Sentinels  
10:30-10:45 Dying Breed  
10:45-11:00 Id Obelus  
11:05-11:25 saint RECON  
11:35-12:15 SERENGETI  
12:30-1:15 TJ Reynolds and the Freehand Orchestra

Ontrack / Indy Mojo Showcase 
Tru
21+ , $7  Upstairs

9:30-11:00 Chocolate vs. Jackola 
11-12:15 Corduroy Mavericks (KY) vs. Jangatha 
12:15-1:30 Lady Foursquare (Cincinnati) 
1:30-3 Jon Huang (Chicago) vs. Shazan Z (Malaysia)

Downstairs 

9-10:30 Battle of the Disc Jockeys winner 
10:30 - 12 Kyu-Bik 
12-1:30 DO^2 (Dave Owen vs. Sea Monkey) 
1:30-3 Kodama vs. Brian Summers

Outside 

9-10:30 Neighbz vs. Wes Clay 
10:30-12 Chachi vs. DJ Fate

My Old Kentucky Blog / Roaring Colonel Showcase 
Casba
21+ , $7, 9:00pm 

9:00 - Andy D 
9:50 - Me and My Arrow 
10:40 - Red Light Driver 
11:30 - We Are Hex

IndyConcerts.com Showcase 
Birdy's
21+ , $6, 6:00pm 

7:00 - Chiaroscoura 
8:00 - The Glass Identity Crisis 
9:00 - Glass Halo

Old Soul / Zaptown Showcase 
Jazz Kitchen -
21+, $7

10:00pm 10:30 - Mystikos Quintet
12:00 - The Right Now 
1:00am - Kyle Long

La Jolla Showcase 
La Jolla's Wasted Space 
21+, free

2:00 - Kate Myers 
3:00 - Works Cited 
4:00 - Bonesetters 
5:00 - Rugged Russian Bear 
6:00 - Weakest Suit 
7:00 - Treigh 
8:00 - God Made Robots 
9:00 - Cara Wahlers 
10:00 - Kenny Pfau 
11:00 - Frankie Camaro

Indy Mojo Showcase 
Mousetrap 
21+, free

10:00 - One Side Later 
12:00 - Ladymoon

Mokeyseys Tale Showcase 
21+ , $5

2:00 - The Post Scripts 
4:00 - Dizzy Hollow 
5:30 - Luke Knight 
6:30 - Jason Brown 
8:00 – Gus Moon & the Penny Thieves
10:00 -The Kevin Mohl Band
12:00 -Records
1:30 - Burn it Red

www.broadripplemusicfest.com

Alice Chalmers and The Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band
Evan Slusher
Friday, October 29, 2010
Indy Hostel
4903 Winthrop Ave
All-ages, $5, 8:00

It’s a costume party at the Hostel. The Alice Chalmers members are still deciding what to wear, but you can bet it will be fun! Come and see what all of the fuss is about. They guarantee a giggly good time. And baked goods – always baked goods!

www.indyhostel.us

Austin City Limits Fest 2010 - Day 3

2010-10-10T17:48:00.002-05:00

Another great day in Austin!

Click here to read all about it!

Austin City Limits Fest 2010 - day two

2010-10-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

Another beautiful day at the Austin City Limits Festival.

Read all about it by clicking here.

Austin City Limits Fest 2010 - day one

2010-10-08T07:32:00.000-05:00

As usual I had a blast - the weather was perfect and it was fun to soak in the sunshine and excitement of the festival.

Click here for my recap and photos.

Austin City Limits Fest 2010 - eve

2010-10-07T19:51:00.001-05:00

Austin City Limits Fest 2010 - eve.

The weather is perfect, wish you were here!

Read all about by clicking here.

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7, no 20

2010-10-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

Austin City Limits Festival
October 8 – 10, 2010
Austin, TX

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since the last Austin City Limits Festival and it’s always a great weekend. This will be my third year I’ve attended the festival. I have a photo pass again, so I’ll be as close as can be to the bands. I’m especially looking forward to seeing Ryan Bingham and Dawes and discovering new-to-me bands.

Reviews:

Billy Bragg
September 15, 2010
The Vogue

I’ve been waiting all summer for this show and I was not disappointed, but I’m a huge Billy Bragg fan and I would have been happy to watch Billy eat dinner. As it turned out the show was heavy on Billy talking – about sixty percent Billy banter and 40 percent music. If you did not share his political views you might have been disappointed. I enjoyed hearing his take on American politics through his lens and British voice.

Billy played a mix of his music, songs from the Mermaid Avenue discs and old protest songs and I loved every second of it. I had a blast!

Toad the Wet Sprocket
September 19, 2010
The Vogue

Most people my age can remember their first 45, Wild Cherry’s Play that Funky Music, and their first album, Jim Croce’s I Got a Name, were mine. How many of you remember the first CD you bought? Mine was Toad The Wet Sprocket’s, Fear. I’d heard “Walk on the Ocean” on the radio and was smitten. I’m not sure I even had a CD player yet.

I bought the disc in 1991 – the band officially broke up in 1998 and I didn’t get the chance to see them. It was the era before I saw lots of music – can you imagine?

The band recorded their first record when they were all teenagers. TTWS randomly reunited for specific shows and short tours over the years. Singer Glen Phillips has a nice solo career and I’ve seen him several times. This summer the band played an 18-show tour that ended in Indianapolis.

And the show was awesome! I’ve found the last show of any tour is either really great or sucky and not much in between. Either the band is pulling out the stops for the last show or they’re already home in spirit. They played a nice mix from their albums with some stage banter thrown in.

I was happy to see such a nice crowd on a Sunday night. And it wasn’t just any Sunday, it was the brother Manning vs. brother Manning smack down. I ran into (stalked is such an ugly word…) Glen Phillips behind the Vogue after the show. In my concentrated effort not blurb out something goofy, I told him I was in an all-woman jug band and played typewriter. He nodded politely, told me that sounded nice and shook my hand. I fled down the alley to my car.

All and all, another fun night at the Vogue!

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7 no 19

2010-09-24T15:39:00.001-05:00

Art vs. Art
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Vogue
6259 N. College Avenue
8:00, $12 advance/$15 day of show, 21+

Are you a fan of art, chain saws, boxing matches, witty banter, audience participation, deciding fate by the spin of the wheel, punk rock and general mayhem? I can’t be the only one… Art vs. Art is a raucous and fun art show with a twist. And the twist is a big one!

Last weekend 134 artists gathered at City Market, were given a canvas and paints and just a few hours to create a masterpiece. The paintings are all online (http://artvsart.com) to be voted on – now is your chance to be an art critic in the privacy of your own cubicle. The top 32 vote getters will be on display at the Vogue. Balloting that night will determine the top 16. The other 16 will be offered for sale for $100. The rest will be for sale for $50. It’s not as confusing as I just made it out to be – the bottom line is that you walk out of the Vogue with a great piece of original art for $50 or $100 – the artists get 70%.

The top 16 paintings are randomly paired on stage and voted on by audience cheering – the decibel meter has the final say. The winner moves on to the next round. The loser is subjected to the Wheel of Death. A spin determines the fate of the canvas – past year’s methods have included chain sawing, pizza making and black paint. You can spare the art by buying the painting from the audience.

The Grand Prize is $4000, a title belt and a whole lot of bragging rights.

If this is not enough excitement for the evening the iconic Zero Boys will after the art competition. The Zero Boys started in 1979 in Bloomington and blew the minds of legions of us Midwestern kids with their hardcore, but surprisingly accessible songs. They were literally singing our song – the frustrations of being an outsider, not fitting in and being generally disgusted with the world we were living in.

This evening promises to be epic. I just wish I could still squeeze into to my old Viscous Circle tee shirt. I’ll be the only dancing wildly in the front.

http://thevogue.com/
http://artvsart.com/
www.zeroboys.net

Broad Ripple Gazette vol. 7, no 17

2010-08-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Sausage Fest
Friday, August 20, Saturday, August 21, 2010
Saint Thomas Aquinas
46th and Illinois
6:00 pm – midnight
free, all ages

SausageFest is just that – a festival of sausages from Claus Brothers. And with sausage you need beer, including four varieties from Sun King Brewery, and wine. There are games for kids and adults. And plenty of fine music.

Friday
6:00-6:45 Mark Proctor (singer songwriter with a dash of twang)
6:45-7:30 Jason Locke (acoustic fun)
7:30-8:30 Bill Rumley (singer songwriter goodness)
8:30-9:30 Cara Jean Wahlers and Gary Wasson (beautiful songs by beautiful people)
9:30- close Streaker (buckle up! big rock fun!)

Saturday
5:00 Mass will be celebrated outdoors
6:00-7:00 Doyle Brothers with Joe Doyle of The Last Good Year (sibling rock)
7:00-8:00 The ReachArounds (don’t let the name scare you - rocking rocky rock)
8:00-8:45 lowercase m (a rare not-to-be-missed appearance --don’t miss this!)
8:45-9:45 Dugan Brothers (twilight rock)
9:45-close Born Again Floozies (tap dancin’ rockers)

www.staindy.org

Joyful Noise Recording Anniversary Party!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Melody Inn
3826 N. Illinois Street
doors 9:00, show 10:00, $8, 21+

The most excellent record label, Joyful Noise is celebrating their seventh anniversary with a party featuring bands on their roster. Jookabox, Joan of Arc, The Abner Trio and Marmoset are scheduled to play what promises to be a wonderful show. There will be special release goodies available. Stop in and congratulate Karl and the gang.

www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com
www.melodyindy.com

The Late Show
Friday, August 20, 2010
Ale Emporium
8617 Allisonville Rd
9:30 – 1:30
free, 21+

Yes, that The Late Show! The dreamy guys you remember from playing at your favorite bar when you were in your 20s. They’ve reunited for a show at the Ale Emporium. The band sounds great and they are still as dreamy as ever. They play a fun mix of originals, classic pop and rock.

The Ale Emporium is a great place to hear music. They have an unmatched beer selection, great food and plenty of places to sit.

www.ale-emporium.com

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market
Saturdays 8:00 – noon
behind Broad Ripple High School

8/21/2010 Ted Kirkendall
8/28/2010 Paul Lauck
9/4/2010 Jared Rust

Dead Beats, The Instruction, The Sundresses, The Locals
Friday, August 27, 2010
Melody Inn
3826 N. Illinois Street
doors 9:00, show 10:00, $5, 21+

What a great lineup! I’ve had the chance to see Cincinnati’s, The Sundresses before and loved them. The Dead Beats and The Instruction hail from Louisville and The Locals are almost local – from Chicago.

The Locals have morphed from an acoustic trio to an electric guitar driven threesome in the last decade. Band member Yvonne Doll (isn’t that a wonderful name?) told me what they love about playing the Melody Inn, “is that it's got such an amazing history! Melody Inn is known in the midwest as a kick ass, historic, no-bs kind of place. We love to play there. The staff is super cool, the owner is a great guy. And the crowd that hangs there... very cool, music loving folks. It’s always a good time.”

I love what I’ve heard online of The Locals newest EP, Salt. Its high-energy is the poppy fun. And I bet they are even more charming in person.

Yvonne is right – it’s sure to be a great night!

www.localsrock.com
www.melodyindy.com

Alice Chamber and The Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band, Old Fair & Square Band, 19Clark25
Friday, August 27, 2010
Locals Only
2449 E. 56th Street
8:30 pm, $7, 21+

What exactly is does an all-woman jug band sound like? Gorgeous four-part harmonies, creative instrumentation and a good deal of happy giggling. Alice Chalmers and the Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band is made up of five very talented musicians – Cara Jean Wahlers, Stasia Demos, Jude Odell, Holly Smith, Joni Back-Bubenzer – one budding musician, Tammy Lieber and me, playing the typewriter. I’m just happy these women even let me sit in the same room with them, let alone on stage. I’ll be the one with my head down, concentrating on hitting the right key. I’ve got G down pretty good now. We promise big fun, a little kitsch and lots of talent. Maybe we’ll even have a jug by then, but a growler seems to work just fine.

Also on the bill are the Old Fair & Square Band and 19Clark25 to balance out all of the girlie goodness on stage.

www.localsonlyindy.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7, no 16

2010-08-06T12:40:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Year of Pigs
Indiana State Fair
August 6 – 22, 2010
State Fair Grounds
1202 E. 38th Street

It’s here! It’s here! The State Fair is finally here. Last year I managed to make to the Fair all 17 days, but I’m not sure I can pull that off this year, but I’m going to do my darndest. Oh, and I’m doing something beyond my wildest dreams and playing (I’m taking great artistic license with that term) at the Fair on Tuesday, August 10 – details below.

You can find free entertainment (with Fair admission) on just about every stop on the tractor tram. I’m particularly fond Pioneer Village, on the northeast side of the Fairgrounds. Pioneer Village is chockfull of demonstrations, music and vintage tractors.

There are two stages in Pioneer Village, one in on the north side of the exhibition barn and the other next door in the Opera House. You can’t go wrong with any of the shows – grab a lemon shake-up and take a rest on the old church pews in front of the stage at PV building or the great old wooden folding chairs at the Opera House.

The Pioneer Village exhibition hall stage starts at 10:00 each morning and goes on the road for tractor parade at 6:00 and the entertainment starts back at 6:30. The entertainment on this stage leans toward old-timey, bluegrass, jug, blues or folk bands and storytellers.

I wish I had enough room to write about all of the great acts, but here is an attempt to highlight as many as possible.

Friday, August 6 – Opening day kicks off with Family Reunion String Band, Sensible Shoes and Bill Bailey. Remember Bill’s name – you’ll want to be sure and meet him and he can give you a full entertainment schedule. Most likely he’ll be wearing overalls – and to narrow it down from the hundreds of men wearing overall at the Fair – a washboard with plenty of bells and whistles. Tell him I sent you!

Saturday, August 7 – I would camp-out at the stage all day if I could. The folk band, Blackberry Jam kicks off the day. Indiana Storyteller, Sue Grizzell takes the stage at 1:45, and front porch blues band, Yank Rachell Tribute Blues Band plays at 3:00. Western swing band, Witch Hazel Valley People, includes one of my favorite people ever – Robin Harrison, starts at 6:30.

Sunday, August 8 – I think you can count sitting on the pews in front of this stage as church on this day.– Family Reunion String Band will feature a gospel sing along starting at 10:00, Common Ground features traditional bluegrass and gospel, and Sacred Harp is old-time shape note gospel (I’ll admit to having absolutely no idea what that means, but I’m looking forward to finding out!).

Monday, August 9 – The line up appears to be all traditional American music. Jo and Patt Loo, Rebecca and Michel Lindsey with Cosmo the Washboard – I wonder if this will be like cosmo bowling, the lights are off of the washboard glows in the dark – and Myra Dworski and friends.

Tuesday, August 10 – The day I’ve had butterflies about ever since Cara Jean Wahlers floated the idea of an all-woman jug band. Alice Chalmers and the Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band is made up of five very talented musicians – Cara, Stasia Demos, Jude Odell, Holly Smith, Joni Back-Bubenzer – one budding musician, Tammy Lieber (former Gazette columnist, Tammy’s Take) and me, playing the typewriter. I’m just happy these women even let me sit in the same room with them, let alone on stage. The music is good-time jug band fun, except for the lonesome songs, of course. Our time slot is from 10:00 – noon and will be radio variety show-style, the band will play and some off-shoots of the group and solo shows. It promises to be fun and highly-entertaining. I’ll be the one behind the typewriter, trying not the faint, and concentrating on my favorite key, G. The rest of the day features Blue Stone Folk School musicians and dulcimer and ukulele musicians. Look for Geoff Davis, John Kay and friends and Third Satchel Novelty Jazz Orchestra to round out the day.

Wednesday, August 11 – Mac Bellner and friends – traditional American ballads and music and Governor Davis and Steve Robbins – traditional American blues will be featured.

Thursday, August 12 – Old-time music fun group, The Fret Set will be taking over the stage.

Friday, August 13 – Nothing scary about this Friday the 13th, at least on this stage. The day will be shared by The Johnson County Country Folk Music Society and the Sly Run Band. Both feature old-time music.

Saturday, August 14 – Family Reunion String Band has been the “house band,” or should we say, “barn band” for the last 35 years. The will have special guests, Half Way Home Band play at noon. There will be a James Whitcomb Riley tribute by Henry Ryder at 1:30. The National Barn Dance Tribute cast will also perform on this stage.

Sunday, August 15 – Gospel sing by the Family Reunion String Band in the morning, Dave Schroeder and friends will play yummy traditional bluegrass in the afternoon and Rhythm Wreckers will round out the day.

Monday, August 16 -- Mac Bellner and friends – traditional American music peppered with beautiful ballads in the morning and Lloyd Wood Band will play nostalgic country music in the afternoon.

Tuesday, August 17 -- The Lathen’s will play Celtic infused old-time music in the morning and the Last Drop Jug Band will play always-fun 30s and 40s music.

Wednesday, August 18 -- Barnstormin’ Bluegrass Band a family-style serving of traditional bluegrass and gospel. The Grimes Girls will be strolling in the village playing fun old-time music through out the day, be sure and wave! The afternoon will feature The Dulcimer Gathering playing, I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m guessing, dulcimers.

Thursday, August 19 – Don’t fret, The Fret Set is taking over the stage for the day. Fun old-time music will be ready and waiting for you.

Friday, August 20 – Guitars for Lunch sounds like my kind of Fair food. They play Indiana rural music. Promises to be fun! My favorites, the Witch Hazel Valley People will be dishing out their western swing for an afternoon snack. Last Drop Jug Band will serve up a heap of 30s and 40s fun for suppertime.

Saturday, August 21 – The stage is stuffed with great entertainment, Family Reunion String Band will kick-off the morning. D. Mark and Jules will be strolling through the village, Indiana Storyteller Gladis Allen takes the stage at 1:30, folk band, Blackberry Jam plays after that and the Rhythm Wreckers round out the evening with their jug and blues music.

Sunday, August 22 – Last day of the Fair. Sniff. The Family Reunion String Band will host the gospel sing-along in the morning and the Evening Light Gospel Singers play traditional bluegrass and gospel in the afternoon.

The Opera House venue will host the WLS National Barn Dance Tribute Show for two shows on Saturday, August 14 – 3:00 and 7:00 and one on Sunday, August 15 at 7:00 pm. Be in your seats fifteen minutes early for some pre-show fun. You can catch the dress rehearsal Thursday, August 12 – 7:00 pm.

The Opera House will also host Cary Allen Fields’ Bluegrass in the Opera House on Friday, August 13 from 7:00 – 10 pm. This promises to be an insightful and delightful peek in the best of Indiana bluegrass.

My dad tells stories about the year his brother Joe competed in the State Fair sheep shearing contest. Pop in on Sunday, August 15 between 9:00 – 4:00 for the Sheep to Shaw contest. My guess is that there will be some champion shearing and spinning going on.

Rich Lives, a play about early Hoosier homemakers is being staged on Monday, August 16 and Tuesday, August 17, (9:00 am, 3:00 pm and 7:00pm)

You will also find tractor and toy shows, cloggers, Celtic music, auctions and an ice cream cranking contest in this building at various times.

Rick Springfield
Thursday, August 12
Hoosier Lottery Grandstand
7:00, free show

I would like to thank the Hoosier Lottery for bring Rick Springfield to the Fair for a free show (with Fair admission). I imagine the crowd will be heavily populated with women. Rick is a pop musician with soap opera good looks – he played Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital and oozing with charm. I’m really looking forward to the concert. Now that I’ve seen him in the buff on the Showtime show, Californication, I’m not sure I’ll be able to look at him without blushing. Heck, I’m not sure I couldn’t have looking at him without blushing before that anyway.

www.rickspringfield.com

The Strugglers
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Barringer’s Tavern
2535 S. Meridian Street
317-783-3663
8:00 pm, 21 +

Do you need a little break from the State Fair? Even if you don’t, I suggest that you high-tail it to this show. The fabulously talented Stanley Smith will be in Indianapolis visiting from his adopted town of Austin, TX. I had a chance to see him perform with his group, The Jazz Pharaohs, when I was in Austin last fall and I was blown away by how amazing they were and effortless they made it seems.

The Strugglers are part of Indianapolis music history. They played from 1970 until Stanley moved away in 1985. They played the Vogue the first weekend it was a music venue, they were on the bill for weeks at a time at Crazy Al’s, the Hummingbird and the Patio. Band member, Scott Ballantine swears they invented ‘newgrass’ – progressive bluegrass and that Sam Bush stole it from them. Look for them to play a mixture of Chicago blues, Western swing, old country tunes and some jazz.

All of the original-ish band members will be there – Stanley (clarinet/vocals), Scott (guitar), Jack Clarke (harmonica), Kevin Hughey (drums), Dave Langfitt (pedal steel) and Joe Langfitt (bass).
A good time is guaranteed!

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7 no 15

2010-07-23T13:29:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, 8:00 – 12:30
behind Broad Ripple High School

July 24 - Cara Jean Wahlers
July 31 - Ted Kirkendall
August 7 - Chad Mills

www.broadripplefarmersmarket.org

Girls Rock! Indianapolis Campers’ Show
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Earth House Collective
237 N. East St.
2:00, all-ages, non-smoking

I love this! I heard about this idea from my friend Portland friend, Maura Ahearn, and it’s finally come here. Girls Rock! Indianapolis is a non-profit organization dedicated to building positive self-esteem in girls and encouraging creative expression through music. The music education programs will provide girls with an opportunity to participate in an environment that fosters leadership, encourages social change, and cultivates a supportive community of female peers and mentors. Rock on!

It is run entirely by a team of volunteers with support from independent contractors assisting in areas of bookkeeping, PR and legal matters (the non-rock stuff!). As funding allows, they hope to operate with a full-time staff and offer year-round programs and workshops, multiple summer camp sessions and a Ladies Rock Camp for women.

The first week-long day camp will culminate with a concert at Earth House Collective. The girls (between the ages of nine and sixteen) will receive instruction on guitar, bass, drums or vocals. Each camper will become part of a band, learn how to write songs, and perform in front of a live audience. Campers also take part in various workshops that relate to body image, self-esteem, and empowerment.

Go cheer the girls on – I’m looking forward to seeing the very talented Abby Jordan’s band.

http://girlsrockindy.org

DEVO
Monday, July 27, 2010
Vogue Theatre
6259 N College Ave, Indianapolis
$45, non-smoking, 21+

I love purchasing tickets to shows at the Vogue in their up-the-stairs box office (open noon – 5:30, M – F). It feels special – and a little naughty, to open the door in the daylight, watch the clean-up or set-up activity happening on the floor as I walk up stairs to buy tickets. There is an exciting feeling to handing over my cash and getting a real ticket from a real-live person. And when you buy the ticket at the venue you avoid the service fees.

I was buying a fist-full of tickets last month – Ingrid Michaelson, Cake, Bodeans, Blitzen Trapper, Billy Bragg and Toad the Wet Sproket – when talent booker, Matt Schwegman, popped out of his office and asked if I’d pay $45 to see DEVO. It was easy to say, YES!

DEVO has been playing sporadically since their break-up in 1991, but have continued to be an underground favorite. They are touring in support of their new record that was released last month. Everything I hear about the tour and record is wonderful.

There are still tickets left, either at the box office, on-line or at the door. The show promises to be a night of post-punk energy and pogo dancing with a dash of silliness thrown in.

I just hope they are selling energy domes at the merch table. I want a red one. I’ll see you there!

www.clubdevo.com
www.thevogue.com

Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover Parido CD release concert
(+ openers Evan Slusher and Tonos Triad)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Riverfront Ampitheatre - Indianapolis Art Center
(rain location inside the Art Center)
7:00pm door, 7:30pm show, $10, family friendly, non-smoking, children under 12 free

I’ve been like a little kid waiting for my birthday and been counting down the days in anticipation of the Good Night Charlotte CD release show. Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover Parido will celebrate the release of their first album with an outdoor show on at the Riverfront Ampitheatre at the Art Center. The river is the perfect back drop for these two songbirds.

Cara Jean Wahlers is a fourth generation musician. As a youngster she studied piano and double bass with an eye on classical music. In her early twenties she found her voice as in songwriter, drawing from lessons learned by listening to her parents’ record collection. Simon and Garfunkel gave her an understanding of storytelling, which combined with current day influences – Steve Poltz, Vic Chesnutt, Phil Collins, and Joni Mitchell helped her develop her unique style of songwriting. Wahlers songs reveal a the balance of personal experience and human truth.

Grover Parido is a classically trained cellist who is also well versed in rock and roll, hip-hop and folk music. He is a composer, performer, producer and educator – in his spare time he plays and records with The Maple Trio, Chad Mills and Bill Price – just to name a few.

Cara Jean and Grover connected when she saw him perform with Blueprint Music. She felt that his style would compliment her songs. She was beautifully right. Their collaboration has resulted in amazing music.

The duo recently finished composing the musical score for the feature-length independent film, Paradise Recovered, scheduled to release this fall.

Here are Cara’s words about the new record, “Goodnight Charlotte, is a collection of ten songs written between 2005 and 2009. I wrote most of this album in my head, probably while I was randomly walking or driving somewhere, so it makes sense to me that the cello travels and weaves through it a bit, exploring different terrains, while still remaining familiar and human and guiding you through. It was important to us to create different soundscapes for our listener, while staying true to the general sensibility of our live show. I like driving on the highway - little towns pop up every half and hour or so. Kind of like how memory works - something appears though the windshield, you follow it for a little while and then all of a sudden, you're looking at it getting smaller behind you. That's how things enter and leave my head, I think. The album was born out of rainy afternoons spent walking through antique shops, driving through the woods or simply walking across hardwood floors playing guitar around the house.

"I wrote these songs almost in a woodshedding kind of situation, where I sort of shut out all the noises that aren't coming from inside of me. It's very personal and I think that intimacy is reflected in the album. I feel like Grover's cello arrangements create the room where these songs exist and give them a lot of color and texture."

Dress casually and bring a lawn chairs. The show will be in the Art Center if it rains.
Broad Ripple Brewpub will provide craft beers for purchase. Don’t forget your ID – as of July 1, you can’t be served without it – no matter how old you are.

Check Cara Jean’s Web site for a sneak peek at the new record.

Evan Slusher http://www.myspace.com/evanslusher
Tonos Triad http://tonostriad.com/home.cfm
www.carajeanwahlers.com
www.indplsartcenter.org

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7 no 14

2010-07-09T14:24:00.000-05:00

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market
behind Broad Ripple High School
Saturdays, 8:00 – 12:30

July 10: Robert Bruce Scott, July 17: Sensible Shoes, July 24: Cara Jean Wahlers

The John Denver Songbook and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Friday July 9 and Saturday, July 10, 2010
Symphony on the Prairie
$20 adults, tables available

I have to admit that I’ve never been to Symphony on the Prairie. I’ll totally confess to falling asleep at plays, especially musicals, and sit-down concerts with beautiful music. I can’t help it. I try biting my lower lip, curling my toes and counting backwards to stay awake but nothing helps. Outdoors, pretty music and sitting on a blanket is the perfect recipe for a nap.

This is one concert I’m sure I could stay awake for this one; after all it’s the songs of John Denver! My best friend since we were six, Ann loved John Denver (Randy Mantooth and Donny Osmond rounded out the top three) so I first heard about John from her. John Denver was the sound track to our teenage years.

Musician Jim Curry will be playing and singing the John Denver tunes. I saw a video on YouTube and Jim sounds exactly like John and when I took my glasses off he looked like him too. I don’t think you can go wrong with this show.

www.indianapolissymphony.org

Detholtz!, God Made Robots
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Birdy’s
2131 E. 71^st Street
8:00, 21+

This is a Full Blown Productions concert, so know it will be good – Kim Oskins always puts on a great show. The lineup also includes The Daredevil Christopher Wright and Montauk Monster.

I first heard Chicago’s Detholtz! at the Melody Inn several years ago and was smitten. They play clever rock with a new-wave-ish twist. Indy’s God Made Robots are also good quirky fun.

www.birdyslive.com

Homespun - Modern Handmade
Saturday, July 10, 2010
5624 E. Washington Street

Homespun is the brainchild of Neal and Amanda Taflinger and the winner of a Pepsi Refresh Grant to help launch the project. I’ve had the pleasure of watching this project unfold and am thrilled for them.

The store’s mission is four-fold: to provide a brick-and-mortar retail outlet for contemporary artists, artisans and crafters, offer low-cost art and craft classes for people of all ages and skill levels, serve as a gathering place for the contemporary craft community, and inspire further development and renewal along the E. Washington St. corridor. They want to help people earn a living wage for meaningful work and spread the message that our lives are what we make of them.

The shop will open for business on Saturday, July 10. I can’t wait to see the handmade craftwork they will have for sale and to see the class roster.

The Pepsi Refresh Grant not only gave them a good dose of cash, but also featured them in a television spot that ran nationally on MTV.

www.homespunindy.com

Reviews:

Mumford & Sons
June 14, 2010
Bluebird, Bloomington, IN

Road trip! As you all might gather, I’m pretty neighborhood-centric. As a Purdue graduate my trips to Bloomington have been few and centered around Oaken Bucket football games and helping friends move to grad school.

I had no idea who Mumford & Sons were, but when Kristofer Bowman, keeper of all things cool, sent me a text asking if I wanted to go, I said yes, without question. I knew I’d love the band.

After years of driving a truck I now have a vehicle with fancy stuff like backseats, power locks and XM radio. The drive down was fun and fueled by sandwiches from Mass Ave Wine Shop and truffles from The Best Chocolate in Town.

The sky got darker and darker as we drove and heavy rain hit and the tornado sirens were blaring by the time we parked. We ducked into a restaurant and the first thing I asked the bartender was where the walk-in cooler was – generally the walk-in is the safest place in the restaurant if a tornado hit. I don’t know if my new friends were impressed or frightened by my safety concerns. If anything ever happens, follow me. I’ll do my darndest to get us out of harms way.

Luckily there was no tornado, although we did see a small tree fly by, but it was a soggy walk to the Bluebird. The show was sold out and the venue was packed with damp people. I swear you could see steam rising from the crowd.

I really enjoyed the opening musician, singer-songwriter, Adam Stockdale and the fact that he is the band’s guitar tech made me dig him even more.

After a half an hour wait a second opening band took the stage, the duo French & Indian War. Regular readers of this column know that I’m mostly sunshine and ponies in my recaps of bands and events. If something is not great, I usually don’t write about it or talk about the scenery or something else.

French & Indians Wars created the perfect storm of an awful opening band scenario. The audience was restless, the band took too long to set up and break down (I was ready to jump up and wrap cords and carry monitors off of the stage) and quite frankly, and they weren’t good. I’d wedged myself next to door where the bands were entering and leaving. At one point the lads from Mumford & Sons were standing next to me ready to take the stage and they finally gave up and walked back down the hallway.

But it was all worth it! Mumford & Sons were fabulous and worth the wait and the rain and tornado warnings. The London folk band is delightful and talented. The members switch instruments and trade vocals. They have some bluegrass sensibilities – banjo, dobro, mandolin and accordion play a big part in their music. The songs are great and the harmonies lovely. If you’re a fan of the Avett Brothers, you’ll like Mumford & Sons.

www.mumfordandsons.com

broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7, no 13

2010-06-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market

Saturdays, 8:00 – 12:30
behind Broad Ripple High School

Saturday, June 26 – Luke Austin Daugherty

Saturday, July 3 – The Last Drop Jug Band
Saturday, July 10 – Robert Bruce Scott

I’ve had the pleasure of booking the music for the Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market for the last several years. The hardest part is juggling all of the musicians who volunteer to play – yes, it’s a volunteer gig – in the sun or rain, or sun and rain on early on a Saturday.

I always ask the musicians why they like to play the BRFM and sometimes they answer me! Luke Austin Daugherty Luke wants to support the local community and independent businesses associated with the Farmers Markets. As an indie artist (singer/songwriter) he understands the struggles and challenges of getting people to "buy" locally and the small businesses associated with food production and products have the same issues to deal with. He wants to support the local businesses when he can. Plus it is a good place to meet some new people and perform some new tunes. Be sure to take time to listen to Luke – and all of the musicians.

www.lukeaustindaugherty.com

www.reverbnation.com/lastdropjugband

www.RobertBruceScott.com
www.broadripplefarmers.market

Gary Walters CD Release Show
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Jazz Kitchen
5377 College Avenue

317.253.4900
7:00 and 10:00 shows, $10, nonsmoking, 21+

I can’t believe this is Gary Walters’ first record. Of his own, anyway. He’s played piano on recordings of many jazz greats over the years and with one of my favorite folk musicians, Carrie Newcomer. Moments in Time will be released at the show, but I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy.

Gary sat at the piano at Airtime Studios in Bloomington and played as if it were a live show. The songs are a collection of music that is meaningful to him, a mix of ones he wrote and tunes written by others. My favorite song is LauraLauraLaura, written about his beautiful wife. He wrote in the liner notes that the song is a snapshot of his loving wife and he hoped to capture a bit of her personality. I think he did it! I’m really enjoying the record.

Gary will have several guest musicians joining him for the show, including Matt Pizec (saxophone), Rich Dole (trumbone), Dean Franke (violin), Peter Hansen (bass) and Jon Crabiel (percussion)

If you’ve never been to the Jazz Kitchen this is a great chance to start. The atmosphere is swanky, the food is amazing, the staff is wonderful and the drinks are strong. Call the marvelous LuAnn at 317.253.4900 to make a reservation.

www.thejazzkitchen.com

Mpozi Celebrations
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Pawn Shop Pub
2222 E 54th Street
9:00pm, $5

Sunday, July 4, 2010
next to the old Patio/Spin
6341 Guilford Avenue
9:00 pm, free, all-ages

I can’t believe it’s been four years since Mpozi Mshale Tolbert died. Mpozi was a guy that just needed one name. Even if you didn’t know him, you probably saw him around town. He was 6’6 and had waist long dreadlocks and a big, easy sincere smile. The only time you didn’t see him with a camera he was behind a turntable spinning tunes.

He moved here from Philadelphia to be a staff photographer for the Indianapolis Star where he covered everything from crime scenes to feature stories, but his real love was music. He was a huge part of the Philly music community, especially The Roots (now Jimmy Fallon’s house band).

There are two events to celebrate Mpozi’s life and memory. There will be two bands playing on the outdoor stage at the Pawn Show Pub on Saturday, July 3. El Floundero & Friends will take the stage at 9:00. Indiana Reggae Band will play around 11:00

On Sunday, July 4 you’re welcome to join the group by the Mpozi mural next to the old Patio/Spin 6341 Guilford Avenue to swap stories starting at 9:00. There will be live music and good vibes floating through the air.

You can see a nice tribute to Mpozi at www.okayplayer.com

78 rpm CD Release Show

Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Slippery Noodle Inn
372 S. Meridian Street

The city is going all out to celebrate 78 rpm’s eponymous record. There will be a big fireworks show to coincide with the band’s show at the Slippery Noodle! True story! 78 rpm is the trio of Indianapolis blues legends. Harmonica player extraordinaire Allen Stratyner, slide guitarist Vince Mullin and drummer (and former Houlihan’s expeditor) Tim Duffy.

The CD is a mix of original tunes and blues standards. I’ve had the chance to listen to the record and it sounds like blues at its best.

They’ve promised to play all of the songs on the album at the show plus some of their favorites.

To keep in tune with the theme of the holiday, this show promises to be red hot and blues.

Myspace.com/THE78rpm
www.slipperynoodle.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7, no 12

2010-06-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Summer’s here! It’s time for home tours and outdoor concerts. Here’s a little snippet of what is happening in the next two weeks.

Meridian-Kessler Home & Garden Tour
June 19 & 20, 2010, noon – 5:00, $12 advance, $15 day of.
Twilight Tour, Friday June 18, 2010, 6:30 pm, $50 advance, $60 after 6/11

The theme for the 37th Meridian-Kessler Home & Garden Tour is “Green by Design.” The tour celebrates how the neighborhood was designed with several features that are now considered environmentally friendly. Most of the historic homes were constructed with green materials; local and organic. The area is full of mature trees and several restaurants, shops and parks are within walking distance. There are eight homes and gardens on the tour and your ticket is good for both days. You can purchase advance tickets at all Paradise Café locations, G. Thrapp Jewelers, Taste Café, National Bank of Indianapolis, Aristocrat, Fresh Market and through the Web site. Home tour weekend you can buy tickets at each of the homes. It is suggested that you start at 5909 Washington Blvd.

The Twilight Tour and Silent Auction is always great fun. It’s a giant fancy neighborhood party. The music is always great; there is a fun silent auction and a home to tour. This event typically sells-out, so I suggest that you purchase your ticket as soon as possible. Check the Web site for details or call the MKNA office at 317.283.5991. I’ll see you there!
www.mkhometour.com

Rick K & The Allnighters
June 16, 2010
Courthouse Gazebo
Carmel, IN
7 pm, free, all-ages

My friend, Evan Finch sent me a link to a YouTube video of Rick K & The Allnighters.
The drummer for this cover band (playing the hits of the last fifty years) is crazy! Someone on YouTube thought that it looks like he’s fighting off a swarm of bees. Another friend suggested that the drummer is half way to genius and half way to “stupid, which makes him totally awesome.” Either way, I hope they wear the yellow suits.

www.carmelgazeboconcerts.org

Indy Haunt Fest
June 26 & 27, 2010
200 West 49th Street (next to Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler Campus)

This is the first year for the Indy Haunt Fest and they have a ton of fun programs and activities on the schedule. They have workshops on kicking your home haunting up a notch and tips for the professional haunted house folks. I’m very interested in the class on how to make an extra-creepy prop hand. There are also demonstrations on makeup and how to turn household and thrift store items in to haunt up your house.

Saturday night features a costume contest and music from the great band, Weeds of Eden, at the Rock & Ghoul show. The $25 (adult) ticket price includes most workshops and events for both days. You can save $5 by bringing at least five pounds of pasta for Second Helpings. The event is family friendly. Other activities include a hearse rally and zombie crawl.

www.indyhauntfest.com

Historic Meridian Park Tour of Homes
Front Porches, Reflecting and Connecting
June 26 & 27, 2010
Noon – 5:00, $13 advance, $15 tour weekend

Historic Meridian Park 2010 Tour of Homes offers a glimpse inside of several of the neighborhood’s beautifully maintained and restored homes, as well as gorgeous porches, gardens and antique cars.

The Meridian Park neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in located in Mapleton Fall Creek and is bounded by Pennsylvania St. and Washington Blvd. from 30th to 34th streets. The tour organizers are excited to shine the spotlight on the front porches in their neighborhood.

Tour attendees will be invited to stop and take a breather at “welcoming porches” between their visits to houses. Antique cars will be found in the 3200 block of Pennsylvania St.; food and drinks can be purchased on Washington Ct.

Six of the eight tour homes have been restored to their former glory after being gutted down to the studs and you can tour one home currently in the beginning stages of major renovations.

Among Indianapolis’ first suburbs, Historic Meridian Park is best known for its Arts & Crafts architecture, including Mission, American Foursquare, and Prairie-style homes; but it also features outstanding examples of Tudor, Dutch Colonial Revival, Italian Villa and French Eclectic styles. All of the buildings in the area reflect the use of natural materials such as brick, stucco, wood siding and tile, and they emphasize visible structural elements such as beams and large overhangs.

Advance tickets can be purchased at Metro Indianapolis Marsh Supermarkets,
Old National Bank locations: Downtown Indianapolis, Glendale and Broad Ripple and at the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation, 130 E. 30th St., Indianapolis

I wish I had enough room to tell you about each of the homes and gardens on the tour but I don’t have enough room. Visit the Web site for a complete list.

www.historicmeridianpark.org.

broad ripple gazette vol 7, no 11

2010-05-28T23:44:00.007-05:00

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market
Saturdays 8:00 – 12:30
behind Broad Ripple High School

Be sure and give a little love to the musicians donating their time to perform at the Market.

May 29 Jared Rust
June 5 Joe Peters
June 12 Cara Jean Whalers

Reviews:

I’ve been crazy busy even by my liberal standards and I’m way behind on writing about the music I’ve seen. So with the constraints of space and time here are mini-reviews of my musical consumption in the last month.

Record Store Day
April 17, 2010
Midtown

My first stop was Indy CD and Vinyl to see Sanuk. I spent too much time chatting with folks walking through Broad Ripple on the sunny day that I missed the big announcement and presentation – Sanuk won the national Record Store Day Battle of the Bands! They won a fabulous prize package including instruments and recording time. I think it is terrific that Rick Ziegler and the gang and Indy CD and Vinyl nominated them. Sanuk played a great in-store set and I scooped up the official Battle of the Bands record and some other Record Store specials.

I walked over to the Underground Record Store behind the Village Pantry just in time to catch some music and buy a compilation record of country stars singing Christmas music. The record store is set up on a garage – the perfect location for an underground store. I was bummed to miss Art Adam’s set but lucky enough to walk down the sidewalk and chat with the amazing musician leaving the record store.

My next stop was Vibes Records at 54th and the Monon Trail. DJ Marvin Goldstein was just finishing up his set, but I did purchase a great record of Johnny Cash covering Kris Kristofferson tunes.

I just had a quick second to run by LUNA music before my Red Key shift started. The staff looked a little dazed – not only was it a busy day with music inside and out, the Handmade Promenade was set up outside and a sidewalk sale – there was a horse in the store! Check out their Web site for photos.

I appreciate that all of the stores made it fun for the customers and I love that people turned out in droves. Well done everyone!

Otis Gibbs
May 1, 2010
Vogue

The Vogue did a special seated early show for Otis Gibbs’ CD release concert. Otis was in fine form playing many songs from his new release, Joe Hill’s Ashes. He played a few songs solo and brought out his band made up of Indianapolis and Nashville, TN base musicians. Good rock fun. We all loved it when Miss Amy Lashley joined him for a duet. You heard it here first – Amy headed to the studio that week to record her own songs. I can’t wait to hear her record!
otisgibbs.com

Truth and Salvage Co.
May 6, 2010
Birdy’s

Man was this show good. And loud! In an awesome, foot-stompin’ rock and roll way. Tim Jones (Chevy Downs) brought his Los Angles based band to his hometown and we were happy to see him. Truth and Salvage Co. boasts four singer-songwriters and a boatload of talent. Tim, come back anytime – I’ll have my dancin’ boots and earplugs ready.
www.truthandsalvageco.com

Prizzy Prizzy Please
May 7, 2010
Radio Radio

The formerly Bloomington-based indie band moved to Chicago six months ago. They were kicking off their longest tour to date – two months in the van, at Radio Radio. Their midnight show was energetic and awesome and the closest I’ve been to getting sucked into a mini mosh pit in years.

500 Festival Mini Marathon
May 8, 2010

In retrospect I should have gotten more than four hours sleep before I strapped on my camera and carried a notepad for 13.1 miles. Thanks to all of the bands and musicians and spirit squads (that’s what they call cheerleaders these days) that stood in the cold and played for us. It does make a huge difference!

Butch Walker and the Black Widows
May 11, 2010
Birdy’s

Talk about not knowing what I was getting in to! When Jeff Sample suggests that I need to see something, I listen. The fact that he dropped a ticket off at the Red Key was icing on the cake! Butch Walker played in several critically acclaimed bands and struck out on his own in 2002 releasing several albums. He’s now touring with his band, the Black Widows.

The show was loud and fun and had a tinge of glam-rock. Butch knows how to charm the audience, with or without his shirt on. I was standing next to a woman from Australia who comes to the States for the sole purpose of catching as many Butch Walker shows as she can – five for this tour. Hi Nikki!

butchwalker.com

Brian Deer, Tad Armstrong, Tim Wilsbach
Friday, May 14, 2010
Radio Radio

Three of my favorite singer-songwriters all in one spot! It was wonderful. Brian Deer was the hardest working musician of the night – playing in Tim and Tad’s bands and his own, of course. And Brian delivered hundreds of meal for Second Helpings that morning!
I hadn’t had the change to see Tad Armstrong perform for quite awhile and I was not disappointed. If anything he sounded better than ever – and I didn’t think that was possible. It was an awesome show all the way around!

myspace.com/briandeer
myspace.com/tadarmstrong

The ReachArounds
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Daddy Jack’s

I took advantage of a rare Saturday night off to catch a set of The ReachArounds. As always they were big fun. I jumped up and down and giggled when I saw that Bill Constable and his piano were on stage. It took everything I had to wait until they took a break to give Bill a big hug.

Fredericks Martinez
May 20, 2010
Birdy’s

The Lafayette based band caught my ear on the Mini Marathon route. They were stationed around mile 10, so they were really special for me to stop and listen for a minute. They just happened to be playing their song, “Kevin Bacon Blues,” which included lyrics about bacon and wine. What’s not to like? I’m happy to report that I thought they were great even without the endorphins Mini Marathon in my brain.

This was Fredericks Martinez (the band is the maiden names of two band mothers) first not-playing-outside-on-the-side-of-the-road gig in Indianapolis and I hope to see them here again soon. They were clever and talented and fun. The four-piece band, brothers Travis and Greg Depaw, James Morrow and Ryan King all contribute to the music. I wish I had room for a longer review, but my guess is you’ll be seeing more of those guys.

Nora reviews the Mini Marathon

2010-05-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

I walked all 13.1 miles of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon and reviewed all of the bands. You can read all about it here.

Broad Ripple Gazette vol. 7 no. 10

2010-05-07T14:38:00.001-05:00

Previews:

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market Music
Behind Broad Ripple High School
1115 Broad Ripple Avenue
Every Saturday, 8:00 – 12:30

Take a few minutes to stop and enjoy the music.

May 15 - Deep River Roots Band

May 22 - Paul Lauck

May 29 - Jared Rust

www.deepriverrootsband.com
www.paulmatthewlauck.com
http://RustStickFurniture.com

The Whiny ‘90s Bash
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Birdy’s
2131 E. 71st Street
317.254.8971
21+, doors 8:00, music 9:00

The Whiny '90s Bash will feature Pimlico, Peal, Jessica Benge and Matt Mays, Captain Hightop, No Alternative, Breakfast Club, Lines of Nazca and Maravich playing songs of that decade. If you ever wore flannel shirts in the summer, bought your little sister a Beanie Baby, saved up for an Atari game or worried about Y2K2 this is the show for you.

The ‘90s covered a lot of ground musically – from Baby Got Back to Better Man. It will be fun to see what music the bands choose to cover. Dig out your Nirvana tee shirt, dust off your Doc Martens and check out the show. It promises to be da bomb!

www.birdyslive.com

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Vogue
6259 College Avenue
21+, doors 7:00, music 8:00, nonsmoking, $22 day of show

I pay attention when my hairdresser talks about music; Michael has introduced me to some great stuff. And years of great haircuts to boot. The latest show he’s been excited about is Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings.

Sharon and the band are known for their live shows – a nine piece band of funk and fun. Sharon just released her fourth record, “I Learned the Hard Way,” last month. The album was recorded on an old Ampex eight-track tape machine for a warm sound that is reminiscent of the live shows.

This show is early and nonsmoking. Perfect for a school night.

www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com
www.thevogue.com

broad ripple gazette vol 7, no 9

2010-04-29T10:49:00.001-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Previews:

Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market Music
Behind Broad Ripple High School
1115 Broad Ripple Avenue
Starting May 1, 8:00 – 12:30

Yay! It’s Farmer’s Market season! Be sure and stop by and enjoy the music.

May 1 – Chad Mills (read more about Chad below)
May 8 – Dave Duvall
May 15 – Caleb Hawkins

www.chadmillslive.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/lastdropjugband
www.deepriverrootsband.com
www.broadripplefarmersmarket.com

Otis Gibbs
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Vogue Nightclub
6259 N. College Ave.
317.259.7029
21+, nonsmoking, seated show, doors 6:30, music 7:00, $10.

Otis Gibbs is coming home for the release of his newest album, Joe Hill’s Ashes, and I couldn’t be more excited. The record has already spent time on the Euro Americana Chart -- it is currently at number two, right behind fellow Broad Ripple guy, John Hiatt.

Otis is a folk singer-songwriter in the Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg and Pete Seeger sense. He writes heartbreakingly beautiful songs about tragic events and everyday observations. He is also a terrific storyteller – he is one of the few musicians that I’ve seen the whole room get quiet when he speaks.

The Vogue is opening early for this show and will kick us all out by 9:30 so they can get ready for their Saturday Dance Night. The show is early, nonsmoking and seated. I can’t imagine why anyone would not be there (unless they’re under 21).

I’ve helped work his merchandise table for the last two CD release shows and I wrote to him to ask if I could help with this one – it’s my not-so secret dream to be in charge of merch sales for a world touring musician. Come by and say hello and buy a CD or tee shirt while you’re there.

www.otisgibbs.com
http://thevogue.com

Soul Bus
Every Monday
Daddy Jack’s (Après Jack’s)
9419 N. Meridian St.
317.843.1609
21+, nonsmoking, free, 8:00

Soul Bus is awesome – the band is made up of some of the most talented musicians in Indianapolis. Even though the band could technically be called a cover band, they are not your dad’s VFW band. Often they’re covering the songs of one of band members and they always keep it fresh.

You can’t go wrong with Jes Richmond, Tad Robinson, David Murray, Jeff Chapin and Gordon playing for you.

The vibe in Après Jack’s is grown-up without being stuffy. The food is good – I had a delightful grilled chicken and fresh fruit salad the last time I was there. You’ll feel comfortable alone or with a group. Insider tip – Dave Murray almost always has a stash of chocolates on him. Just ask.
There is music almost every night – you can check out the calendar on their Web site. See you there!

www.konajacksindy.com

Shelly Miller and LVNMUZIQ
Friday, May 7, 2010
Urban Element
901 N. Pennsylvania
317.423.2983
8:30, $7.00
all-ages, nonsmoking, reservations recommended

Urban Element is a great place for dinner and drinks and it will be even better on Friday, May 7. Chicago’s Shelley Miller has not played in Indianapolis for five years. In that time she’s recorded two critically acclaimed records and made a name for herself teaching guitar and songwriting lessons at the acclaimed Old Town School of Folk Music.

Shelley is a CATH coffeehouse alumnus and played the Midwest Music Summit in 2004, where she met fellow crashers-on my floor NYC musicians Dave Golden and Jeremiah Birnbaum. They did an impromptu Sunday morning show at CATH that was amazing and let to collaboration and friendship between the three of them – and goes down in CATH history as one of my favorite things.

Shelley also did something awesome when she heard that CATH was closing. She drove out of her way on tour to personally deliver a sweet note and made-me-giggle pink furry purse. Don’t you just love her from that story?

She is opening for Hoosier by birth, Liz Snavely. Liz is an urban folk, acoustic singer-songwriter (LVNMUZIQ) She has been playing out since 2006 and has logged over 300 shows in 25 states. Some of her influences include Tracy Chapman, Damien Rice, and David Gray.  

It promises to be a fun evening!

www.shelleymiller.net
www.segmentofsociety.com

Chad Mills CD Release Show
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Birdy’s
2131 E. 71st Street
317.254.8971
21+, doors 8:00, music 9:00, $10 (includes CD!)

I’m not quite sure why I wandered into Chad Mills’ last CD release show at Birdy’s in 2006, but I sure was glad I did. He brilliantly included a CD with the price of admission (as he is this time). I’m sure I would have bought one anyway after hearing him that night. Two Places @ Once has found a permanent home in the player in my truck and at some point I bought a second copy for work. (I can’t seem to remember to move CDs back and forth and I might possibly be the last person in the city to have an iPod – even my mother has one!). The record is perfect for singing along driving with the windows down and for my nonprofit office – and trust me – that’s a fine line.

I have not heard the new record, Make the Door, yet but Chad is really proud of it so I’m sure it’s wonderful. Jenn Christy will open the show and Finest Grain will play after Chad. Do you think anyone would miss me if I snuck out of my Red Key shift for an hour or so?

As disappointed as I am that I have to miss the show I’ll get to hear a little snippet as I walk the Mini Marathon route that morning. Chad will be playing in his usual spot in front of the Hi Neighbor Tavern. It is always fun to see Chad play and see his beautiful family nestled on blankets and in strollers among the Harley’s parked in front of the bar.

This will be a great show – put it on your calendar. Seriously.
www.chadmillslive.com
www.birdyslive.com

I’ll review all four of my record store stops for Record Store Day in the next issue.

Woo Hoo! Sanuk wins Record Store Day Battle of the Bands!

2010-04-22T13:50:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited for this young band! You can listen to some of Sanuk's music here: http://www.myspace.com/sanukmusic

Here is the link for Scott Shoger's blog post for NUVO about the win.

A link to the review I wrote about their CD release show. A link to a Broad Ripple Gazette review and Broad Ripple Gazette preview.

I just realized that my first review that I wrote about them is not online. I'll work on that!

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7 no 8

2010-04-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Record Store Day updates
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Broad Ripple CD and Vinyl
LUNA music
Underground Record Shop
Vibes

I profiled Record Store Day in the last issue but wanted to pass along this update. Underground Record Shop has been forced even further underground but you can find them on Saturday celebrating in the alley behind the Village Pantry (63rd Street and College Avenue) in Broad Ripple with live music and vinyl record sale.
1:00 PM - Rockabilly Hall Of Fame member Art Adams and his band.
2:30 ~ Country folk music with Mr. Terry Lee Hickman
3:00 ~ Bluegrassy sounds from The Blue Moon Express
4:30 ~ Bluesy acoustic duo Rich Hynes & Allen Stratyner
All of the record stores will have music and specials. It will be a fun day in Broad Ripple. Promise!

Rousseau McClellan (School 91) Silent Auction and Chili Dinner
Saturday, April 17, 2010
4:00pm - 8:00pm
5111 Evanston Ave.
Indianapolis, IN

The Montessori based school is an IPS magnet and was a National Blue Ribbon winner in 2008 (that’s a big deal!). The proceeds from the event are used to purchase Montessori materials that have not been provided by district in the past. Bidding opens at 4:00 and tables start to close at 5:30. A chili supper will follow. Everyone is welcome and there are some great items in the auction including baskets put together from each class, adult and children’s jewelry hand-crafted by Principal Margaret Higgs, a PEZ starting kit for a budding collector and party at Marigold Clothing store for spring clothes shopping.

www.391.ips.k12.in.us

Perspektive.Material by Orkestra Projekt
Saturday, April 17
Where: The Earth House
237 N. East St, Indianapolis, IN
7:30pm (doors7:00), all ages, nonsmoking, $9 - $19 (students/adults)

Orkestra Projekt closes its seventh season with an evening of music in by bringing a little SoHo vibe to Earth House with a casual atmosphere, free hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
The cornerstone of this concert will be Smoke, Steel, Stone, Cinder by native Indianapolis composer, Thomas Osborne. They will also perform The Geometry of Sound, a piece by Rodion Shchedrin, a Russian composer, that will split the ensemble into two separate sections that will completely surround the audience. It sounds like you’ll be wrapped in a warm hug of delightful orchestra music.

www.orkestraprojekt.com

Tad Robinson CD release show
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Jazz Kitchen
5377 N. College Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46220
317. 253. 4900
8:00 & 10:00, nonsmoking, 21 +, call for reservations

Acclaimed soul-blues vocalist Tad Robinson is celebrating the release of his newest record, Back in Style, with two shows at the Jazz Kitchen. If you’ve never heard Tad sing you’re missing out in hearing one of the greatest vocalists in the genre. Tad travels all over the world performing at festivals and with other soul legends but calls central Indiana home. And we’re damn happy to have him here!
He’ll be performing with equally as talented musicians, Kevin Anker (keyboards), Paul Holdman (guitar), Dave Murray (bass), Jeff Chapin (drums) and a horn section: Michael Stricklin (saxophone) and Marlin McKay (trumpet).

The official release date is not until May 18 but you can beat the rest of the world by putting your hands on a copy of the new CD early -- it will be available at the show.
www.thejazzkitchen.com

http://tadrobinson.com

Russel Settle Memorial Party
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Just Judy’s
2210 East 54th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46220
317.254.8796
starting at 4:00 pm, all ages

The delightfully curmudgeonly Russ Settle died on Easter Sunday, April 4. Russ celebrated 59 years of owning the Red Key on April 2. He is already missed – there is a Russ sized hole in our neighborhood. His family is throwing a memorial party on Saturday, April 24 at Just Judy’s. I’m not sure of all of the details but I can promise laughter and tears and most likely music. The Red Key will be closed that day.
I loved every second of working with him. I was lucky enough to walk him to his car on Saturday night and snap this beautiful photograph of him. The Gazette will be doing a feature on the life and times of Russel in the future. I’ll see you there, I’ll be the one laughing through my tears.

Reviews:
Final Four Friday
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Lawn at White River and the Wholesale District
Downtown Indianapolis

Let me start off with how damn proud I am of our city. They pulled out all stops and the perfect weather didn’t hurt anything. I crashed my brother and his coworker’s party at the Rathskeller and from there we headed to the Lawn. The walk along the canal was beautiful – each time I made it – I had to trek back to the car with my camera. No fancy cameras were allowed in the park and mine with its detachable lens was deemed “professional.”

Stone Temple Pilots played to an estimated crowd of 20,000. I was impressed with STP leader Scott Weiland’s energy and vocals. He’s had well-documented battles with drugs and law enforcement but he seems to be back on his game. I can’t remember the last time I saw Stone Temple Pilots but I can remember the first. Lollapalooza 1992, Montage Mountain, Scranton Pennsylvania. It was the second year for the festival and it was an awesome, although long rainy day. The bill that year was heavy on rock and rage – the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, Cypress Hill and Ice Cube and I loved every second of it.

It was fun to be singing along with thousands of folks (mostly guys my age) to big rock songs. STP opened with hit, Vasoline and ripped though an hour and a half set of eighteen songs including, Sex Type Thing, Creep, Crackerman, Hollywood Bitch and Plush and songs from their new record, Stone Temple Pilots, that will be released next month. They had the whole crowd dancing to their encore song, Doors cover Roadhouse Blues. I loved every second of it although it was a little strange to be standing there in my work dress and sober vs. a beer-soaked music festival on a ski mountain.

After the show was over we ventured to the Wholesale District – when did South Meridian start getting called that anyway? There were thousands of people in the streets and clubs and cars and motorcycles cruising. We popped our heads into the Slippery Noodle tent and caught the end of Big James and the Chicago Playboys. They have a fun funk-y sound and where about as opposite as could be from the Stone Temple Pilots.
The city and venues did a great job entertaining our guests.

Bring it on Super Bowl 2012 – we’re ready!

Russel Settle 1918 - 2010

2010-04-07T09:01:00.002-05:00

I had the great honor of working with Russ at the Red Key Tavern. Here is the piece I wrote for NUVO.

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7 no 7

2010-04-02T07:37:00.002-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Record Store Day
April 17, 2010

This is the third annual Record Store Day and I’m so proud of how our local record stores have pulled out the stops. In fact I think it’s remarkable how many record stores we have in town. Thanks for supporting them!

Super-exciting news is that Sanuk is going to be included in a limited edition vinyl record that will be sold on Record Store Day. Which is huge! They were one of nine bands chosen from submissions from all over the country for the Record Store Day High School Battle of the Bands. Thanks to Indy CD and Vinyl for championing them. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

One of the great features of Record Store Day is, you guessed it – records! Several recording artists put out limited releases just for the event. And some are crazy-limited, only 500 copies. Each store handles it differently and not each store will bring in the same titles. Both LUNA music and Indy CD and Vinyl have lists on their Web sites and offers to hold records.

I’m writing this before the Broad Ripple area record stores have posted their set times and final plans. If something is different that what I’m telling you, blame me. I probably made it up.

www.recordstoreday.com

Indy CD and Vinyl
806 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
free, all-ages

Indy CD and Vinyl is tucked in the heart of Broad Ripple. Last year they threw an all-day party and I assume that it will be just as fabulous this year. The store is chock-full of records, CDs, music DVDs and assorted pop culture goodness.

The confirmed bands are: *Slothpop *Crescent Ulmer *Burnt Ones *Sanuk – winners of the national Record Store Day Battle of the Bands *Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes – I say if you don’t like Mandy Marie, you’re not going to like heaven. *Thunders – power pop goodness, *Bears of Blue River.

I’m sorry I don’t have more details, but I promise fabulousness. Check their Web site for up to date information.

http://indycdandvinyl.com

LUNA records
5202 North College Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
free, all-ages

LUNA founder and cool guy personified, Todd Robinson said he is “throwing a block party that coincides with Record Store Day.” The famous annual sidewalk sale will feature $1 CD and loads of cheap vinyl and other goodies. Upland Brewery will be pouring their hoppy-goodness in a glass and the Standard Recording guys will be grilling free hot dogs and veggie burgers while they last (the hot dogs and the Standard guys).
I’m really excited about the Handmade Promenade shop that will be taking place outside featuring handmade indie crafts.

LUNA will have live music inside – Amo Joy, Beta Male, Burnt Ones, Grey Granite, John Rambo and the Vietnam Wars, Oreo Jones, Thunderhawk and Jookabox – not necessary in that order and the times are to be determined. And DJs outside between sets – Action Jackson, DJ Jessica, Liz Foster, Mrlunatrontoyou, Rusty Redenbacher, Slater Hogan (aka Kid Delicious aka Ian Tate) will be keeping the music going.

Other activities planned: Indie Volumes photo booth, Big Car Gallery doing illustrations behind the bands as they play and My Old Kentucky Blog will be shooting video.

I work next door at the Red Key at 5:00 that day. How many times do you think I’ll sneak out the door to pop over to Luna?

www.lunamusic.net

Vibes Music
1051 East 54th Street,
Indianapolis, IN 46220

I’m writing this column three weeks before Record Store Day, so I was not able to get Vibes Music schedule. But anything John Zeps does is fabulous so I’m sure great things are on tap. Vibes is right where 54th Street meets the Monon Trail.

http://www.myspace.com/vibesrecords

Reviews:

Highland Bagpipers
March 17, 2010
Just Judy’s
2210 East 54th Street
Indianapolis, IN

I snuck out of work for forty-five minutes to see my sweet niece walk in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade and thought that was the end of my celebrating – I was helping a friend pack for a move. By a quirky set of circumstances I wound up at Just Judy’s while the bagpipers were there. They were goose-bumpy good. Owner Judy Guerra has hosted the bagpipers for years. She told me that it is one of her favorite days of the year.

Not only does Judy’s have great food but the atmosphere is like a family reunion. I don’t hang out there as often as I should, but I’m always glad I’m there when I walk though the door. You will be too.

And for the record, I drank a Guinness – it wouldn’t be Saint Patrick’s Day without one.

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7, no 6

2010-03-26T15:28:00.002-05:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Bill Constable Benefit Dinner, Auction/Raffle and Social
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Goodland Indiana Town Center

I first met Bill Constable when we both working at Houlihan’s in Glendale Mall in the late 1980s. I was a brand-new manager and Bill was a bartender. When Bill gave his two-week notice the general manager asked me to get Bill’s keys and to tell him that we didn’t need him anymore. At the time it was the restaurant’s policy that anyone who handled money was immediately let go in case they weren’t so careful in their last shifts. Bill was the first employee that I had to “terminate,” even though technically he was leaving under his own steam. I remember being terrified and having a shaky voice as we stood in the mall in front of the stained glass windows in front of the bar. Bill laughed and made me feel better and the incident helped form my management style. I swore that I’d never fire someone that didn’t have an inkling it was coming. It didn’t stop me from having to terminate people, but no more blindsiding.

I didn’t see Bill again until the mid 1990s when I was working at Some Guys Pizza and he came walking though the door with his accordion. I had no idea that Bill was a musician. As it turned out we have a ton of mutual friends (we didn’t even need facebook to tell us). I was thrilled to have the funny and talented Bill back in my orbit.

I loved going to college football games and screaming and waving until Bill and his co-worker Rupert (yes, that Rupert) would notice me and wave back. They both worked with the giant crane-like things that ran the camera down the field. This fall Bill thought he had the flu and was diagnosed with bile duct cancer.

As a testament to how much everyone loves Bill a big group of his friends and his whole hometown have come together for a benefit to help Bill with medical expenses. Goodland is about an hour and a half northwest, just off of I-65.

The day starts at 1:00 and is chock-full fun. Dart tournament, bake sale, auction and raffles (signed New Orleans Saints helmet, a Dell computer ,weekend trips and much more), hog roast and bands full of Bill’s friends are performing. The Broad Ripple based band, The ReachArounds are on the bill.

Even if you’ve never met Bill this would be a great time for a road trip. This day will be a great example of what life is like in small town Indiana. Folks pulling out all of the stops for one of their own. And who can resist a bake sale?

Check out the Web site for directions, auction items and events.

www.billconstable.com

Reviews:

Austin City Limits Festival day three
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Zilker Park, Austin, TX

Recap: The Austin City Limits Festival is three days long. I had a photo pass which allowed me to be in the “photo pit” right in front of the stages for the first three songs of the band’s sets. Friday featured beautiful weather. It rained all day Saturday.

And by Sunday morning the park smelled like Uncle Cletus’s pig barn. And sort of looked like it too – with 800 bales of straw strewn over the mud. Profits from previous ACLF shows had gone to refurbishing Zilker Park, including putting down sod to replace the grass that had been tramped on by thousands of festival goers and to help with the dust problems of years past.

Under the newly laid sod was Dillo Dirt, a fertilizer the city had laid down before the new grass was planted. Dillo Dirt is compost the city of Austin makes from treated sewage sludge and yard trimmings collected curbside. According to the city's Web site, the 130- to 170-degree temperatures generated during the composting process kill pathogens and poses no health risk even to people who accidentally ingest some. The risk might have been cooked out but the smell was still there. And the consistency of the mud was weird – foamy. The kind of foamy that sucked thousands of people out of their shoes.

My boots stayed on though sheer will and clever curling of my toes while walking. This was the day I finally gave up on how I looked. I was sporting muddy boots, rolled up jeans and tee-shirt and a pink bandana to catch the sweat around my neck. None of that mattered though – Indiana’s own Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band was playing.

They’d started by the time I got in the tent. The rain and mud changed the entrance locations a bit and my breeze-through-the-special-gate entryway was gone and I had to wait in line with the rest of the great unwashed. The Peyton’s played on the Wildflower Stage which didn’t have a photo area, but I was pleased to see several photographers in front of the state. I loved seeing the looks on the faces of the people that looked slightly bored during big-name shows laughing and loving and bopping along to the Big Damn Band. And I was a total dork telling them all, “They’re from Indiana and I know them!”

I can only think of one band that could have torn me from the front of the stage. A band that had a huge influence on my musical tastes – The B-52s. To make it to their photo pit I had to scoot between the thousands of arms cheering and clapping for the Peyton’s. I was grinning wildly as I wove my way through them.

The B-52s were as awesome as I thought they’d be. I was surprised to see all of the young kids singing along to the songs. Fred, Kate, Cindy and Keith were as groovy as ever and they all looked terrific. I know that I wouldn’t want someone looking at me through a high-powered lens in natural light! As much as I wanted to stay for the rest of the B-52s set I slogged my way back to the Peyton’s stage. The mud made walking a challenge. Boots getting sucked into the mud, curl toes, arch foot, extend heels, take a step, repeat.

The Peyton’s – brothers Jayme and Josh and the fabulous Breezy (married to Josh) were traveling with tour manger Dave Searle and NYC resident (and Indianapolis ex-pat) Matt Chandler. Indianapolis’ favorite librarian, Erin Brown completed our little Indianapolis party backstage. And in this case backstage was a big squishy lawn. I drank a band beer – my first beer of the festival -- and got to see how the “talent” is taken care of. hey had their own area to hang out away from us media folks. And they were driven around on golf carts. I didn't see any bowls of green M&Ms or massage tables, but might not have been looking in the right place.

I loved hearing how excited the band was about the show. They said it was easily the biggest audience they’d ever played for. Matt filmed the whole two-week tour for the Big Damn Band. You can find it on You Tube: Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - Two Weeks' Hard Labor: Day 5, Austin City Limits, Austin, TX. You can the performance and see me in all of my sweaty glory (bandana included).

You can find tons of photos of Reverand Peyton’s Big Damn Band and the B-52s at www.broadripplegazette.com

www.bigdamnband.com

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 7, no 5

2010-03-05T15:18:00.000-06:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Previews:

Girls Rock! Indianapolis benefit featuring Neon Love Life, Pravada, Ari No Drink
Friday March 5, 2010
Talbott Street
2145 N. Talbott Street
$5, 8:00pm – 2:00am, 21+

I’m really excited about this. Girls Rock! Indianapolis is a non-profit organization dedicated to building positive self-esteem in girls and encouraging creative expression through music. Their music education programs will provide girls with an opportunity to participate in an environment that fosters leadership, encourages social change, and cultivates a supportive community of female peers and mentors. Rock on!

This show will help raise funds for their first week-long camp this July 19-23 at Park Tudor for girls ages 9 – 16. Not surprisingly the Girls Rock! Indianapolis is lead by some kick-ass women rockers who play in the band Neon Love Life. You might remember Ashley Plummer from the Peggy Sues and as part of the early Broad Ripple Gazette staff. The rest of the band includes Tasha Blackman, Lindsay Manfredi and Sharon Rickson.

There are two other bands on the bill, Pravada (indie-pop) and Ari No Drink (funk/rock). Between the bands DJ sets by Annie and Andy of A-Squared Industries. As if that is not enough there will be go-go dancers, raffles and a drag show. What more can you ask for, really?

www.talbottstreet.com

http://girlsrockindy.com

March of Dimes benefit featuring Everything Now!, Jenn Cristy, The Cousin Brothers, Eisenhower Field Day
Friday, March 19, 2010
Locals Only
2449 East 56th Street
$6, 8:30. 21+

This is the third year that Ace Cash Express has hosted a benefit for March of Dimes. The March of Dimes works to prevent birth defects and reduce infant mortality. There are four awesome bands on the bill. Not only does Everything Now! have a most excellent name they are a terrific band. Based in Muncie but touring the country they have an ever-changing sound. Think Flaming Lips mixed with Bowie and T-Rex.

Jenn Cristy will knock your socks off with her high-energy, piano-fronted, original rock music. Although Jenn had a sweet gig as a John Mellencamp backing vocalist she’s now out front. Where she clearly belongs!

The Cousin Brothers have a unique blend of rocked-up bluegrass. They appeal to a wide audience, voted Indianapolis’ number one country band and number two folk band by the readers of NUVO newsweekly.

I was smitten with Eisenhower Field Day the first time I saw them. They’re an energetic power-pop trio of goodness. Their sound is a lot bigger than you would expect from a trio paired with pretty harmonies and smart lyrics.

www.localsonlyindy.com
www.myspace.com/eisenhowerfieldday
http://thecousinbrothers.com
www.everythingnowmusic.com
www.jenncristy.com

Chair-ity Affair to benefit Care for Kids Foundation
March 19, 2010
Mavris Center
121 S. East Street
7:00 – 11:00, $50.

What a cool idea! Chairs for a charity event. The evening will feature live music, a strolling dinner and an auction of unique works of chair art.

The Care For Kids Foundation’s mission is to support programs and services which provide positive life changing experiences that impact the outcomes of vulnerable children.

They work with nonprofit youth organizations and agencies that serve children who experienced abuse, neglect, abandonment, or children who may be orphans or live with foster parents.

www.careforkidsnow.com

Evan Dando
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Radio Radio

I almost didn’t go to this show. I was so tired that I’d taken a four-hour long sofa nap after work. In my dress. When I woke up I debated doing the sensible thing and stumbling down the hallway to put on my pajamas and go to bed for real. Luckily my not-so sensible side won. Evan Dando fronted the wildly popular band, The Lemonheads and was a favorite of mine in the late 80s.

The Lemonheads have deep Indiana connections; at least four past and present band members are Hoosiers. I’ve felt connected to Evan ever since I met him in the Red Key two years ago and my first-ever interview for the magazine Ghettoblaster (don’t let the name throw you, it’s a quirky mix of music features, CD reviews and movie blurbs. You can find it locally at Barnes and Noble) was with Evan in anticipation of his latest record, Varshons. The album is produced by Gibby Haynes (who I also got to interview) and is Evan’s “varshons” of cover songs.

I got to Radio Radio just in time to hear the end of Evan’s solo set. He sounded great, although it was a little surreal to see him in a golf shirt playing two feet from me. He brought Vess von Ruhtenberg and Devon Ashley (and for a confusing minute current drummer Mark Cutsinger) on stage for a short set. Good stuff.

Finest Grain and Odyssey Favor
Friday, February 19, 2010
Birdy’s

I had a blast at the show. Finest Grain was celebrating the release of their newest CD, In the Story – the adventures of kid B. Sean Jackson and Kent Vernon started the evening playing as a duo, really showing off their fine harmonies and great songwriting. I love it when I get to see singer/songwriters perform in that setting. For the second part of the concert they brought musicians who contributed to the record to the stage to join them. It was the first time I’d heard Finest Grain with a full band and they sounded great.

Odyssey Favor played next. They’re full of good power poppy fun. They played original songs and covered some other songwriters, including a Finest Grain tune. I always enjoy seeing them perform and I enjoy them off stage too. I’m a big fan of bass player, Jenny Elig. Not only is she a slammin’ player but she’s one stylish chick – and the fashion writer for the Indianapolis Star. Her footwear of choice for the gig? A very futuristic looking yet nostalgic pair of Moon Boots. Remember those? Popular in the 1970, no discernable right or left foot, came in only three sizes, S,M,L with “Moon Boot” written boldly around the top. Jenny can pull them off. Which is just as impressive as her bass playing.

www.finestgrain.com
http://odysseyfavor.com

www.birdyslive.com

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 7, no 4

2010-02-18T20:51:00.000-06:00

I must start with an apology. Have you ever wanted something so badly you changed the details in your head to make it fit? I did that with the Saint Valentine’s Day Eve show the Northside News Café. Cara and Tad and Stasia and Pholly played on Saturday, not on Friday as I reported in the last issue. I hear the show was great – I was flipping burgers and slinging beer at the Red Key that night.

Previews:

Kate Lamont and Devon Ashley (music)
Mike Graves and Justin Cooper (art)
Friday, February 27, 2010
Indy Hostel
4903 Winthrop Avenue
7:30 gallery opening, free, all-ages, non-smoking
8:30 music, $7, all-ages, non-smoking

The Hostel is combining a terrific art show with a great concert. The gallery opens at 7:30 and the music starts at 8:30.

Mike Graves has producing art (and music) in Indianapolis for the last 15 years. He uses a wide range of media and subject matter to create diverse pieces. His works portrays an intense image-maker, illustrator and painter showing the real to the surreal. He uses collage elements, painting and mixed media to produce his art.

The very talented Kate Lamont will release her first solo album, After the Traffic, next month. You might recognize her from her varied projects, Mad Lab, Blueprint Music and the Undefeatable Beats. Kate has a gorgeous voice whether she’s singing trip-hop or something bluegrassy. She refers to the new album as a minimalist collection of piano-based songs. I don’t know Kate very well, but she also strikes me as one of the kindest souls in the music community. I’m thrilled for her that she has a record all her own. I look forward to hearing it. She’ll be joined by the talented percussionist, Devon Ashley. Devon has drummed his way across the world – we’re happy to have him play in our little corner.

Mustard Plug, Lockstep, Like Bats, and One Punch Knockout
Saturday, February 27, 2010
ES Jungle
6151 Central Avenue
7:00-11:00 pm, $10, all-ages, non-smoking

Okay, I’ll say it up front – the band name Mustard Plug intrigues me, is a gross way. I’m not a big mustard user so when I annually grab the bottle from the fridge invariably the tip is jammed with crusty mustard and, well, you can picture the rest. I think that naming bands must be way harder than naming children. After all, it’s acceptable to have a bunch of kids named Silas running around but two bands with the same name is trouble. It was only a matter of time before a band was named Mustard Plug.

This is not Mustard Plug’s first at time in the ES Jungle, they were a big hit before. They will be joined by local bands Lockstep, Like Bats, and One Punch Knockout.

If you haven’t been to a show at ES Jungle you’re in for a treat. It’s exactly the kind of venue you picture for all ages shows in a basement. There is a low stage, plenty of room to either dance or stand with a smattering of sofas around the room and parents hanging in the back of the room. I’ve been to some great shows there – check it out.

Mustard Plug http://www.myspace.com/mustardplug
Lockstep http://www.myspace.com/lockstepgotsoul
Like Bats http://www.myspace.com/likebats
One Punch Knockout http://www.myspace.com/onepunchknockoutpunk

Reviews:

I didn’t get the chance to see any music in the last two weeks – unless you count the band playing in the hotel in the Bahamas (I just had to throw that in) and I goofed up on the date of the show I’d really been looking forward to (see apology above). So I’ll pick back up where we left off at the Austin City Limits Festival in October. We’re up to day two of the three day event.

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Austin City Limits Festival

Where we left off: I had a photo pass for the show which means that I got to be in the photo pit, right in front of the bands for the first three songs of their set. I quickly caught on to the etiquette and rules of the pit. Almost everyone was great and helpful, and I spent the first day mostly trying to stay out of the way of the “real” photographers and their thousands of dollars of equipment. I had my extra lens in a pouch clipped to my over-the-shoulder Marigold bag and an extra memory card. The other guys (I say guys because the photog ratio was about 90% men, not that I was complaining) had two or three cameras and bags full of lenses and little step stools and accessories.

I didn’t want the story of Saturday to be about the rain, but it was raining. Hard. For a long time. I soon discovered that it leveled the field in the photo pit. For one thing the pit was a pit. Mucky and muddy. Luckily I’d hauled boots with me and all of our camera equipment looked the same under trash bags with holes poked in them for the lens to stick out. We looked like a classy bunch. None of were as concerned with keeping ourselves dry as we were about the equipment.

The first show I hit was Deer Tick. I’d just seen the charming lads the month before at Locals Only. They did a great job and I was thrilled to be among thousands of folks watching them instead of standing with fifty other people.

With liberal stops to the media tent for drying off, well it was not so much drying off as sluicing the water from my poncho I saw The Felice Brothers, Mute Math and Grizzly Bear. It was really pouring by the time Flogging Molly started.

The American Celtic punk band joked that the weather reminded them of a nice day in Ireland. They played an intense set to a very soggy crowd. I’m a bit of a worrier and I was concerned about the rain/electric instrument mix but everyone was okay.

I hated to go back to the media area between bands but it was the only way to half-way get the water off and dry off the camera. The area had a few open tents in the middle so we’d all crowd under them for a few minutes until the water that was pooled at the top splattered on us.

With a quick stop at the…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead set I walked to the big stage where The Levon Helm Band was playing. Levon Helm is a rock icon (drummer for The Band) who has been a part of the rock scene since there’s been a scene. He’ll be 70 this year and has survived throat cancer. He now hosts The Midnight Rambler Sessions at his home studio in Woodstock featuring live performances by the likes of Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello.

I loved every second of Levon Helm’s set. He sounded great and looked genuinely happy. His drum kit was at the front of the stage and he kept looking out on the crowd and laughing. And the sun came out during is set. We were all able to peel of a few layers of plastic and sloshed out of the photo pit laughing.

I swung by The Decemberists set to check out the Portland, OR indie band. They are worthy of all of the buzz. Lush songs layered with accordion, organ and upright bass played by ethereal pretty youngsters. What’s not to like?

I was starting to get nervous about my next photo gig. Having a photo pass did not get you automatic entry to all of the stages, some bands required extra credentials. In a cocky moment back in Indianapolis I applied for all of them. All of the applications asked for concert photo samples so I sent photos from the Indiana State Fair tractor parade. I almost fell over when I saw my name on all of the photo lists but one (Pearl Jam). Either no one looks at that stuff or they had a sense of humor.

And that is how I came to have a photo pass for Dave Matthews. I’ll put it right out there. I’m not a rabid Dave Matthews fan. I don’t dislike him, I’ve just never been tempted to go to a concert or buy a CD or tee shirt. And now I was standing just five feet from the stage where the extra beefy security dudes went over the rules with us. Which were basically the same rules (no flash, only shoot during the first three songs) as everywhere else but delivered by someone that I was sure could pick me up with one hand.

All of the stages had a dedicated place for the photographers to enter. I soon learned that “stage left” was my right. Not that I’m real handy with the left/right thing. The big stage had an awkward entrance. First of all it was the opposite side of the other eight stages and it was tucked against a beer vendor, and rows of Porta Potties. Add that thousands of people had been waiting for hours in the rain to see Dave Matthews and getting to the entrance was no picnic. Luckily I’d given myself half an hour to make the five minute walk and I got there with just a few minutes to spare.

All twenty of us were herded into the pit just in time for the rain to start again. I talked to some fans that had been staking out their spot for twelve hours! I offered to take their photo with their camera and soon I was handed dozens of cameras. Just as I was wondering if I’d broken some sort of cool photographer code I noticed some of the other guys doing it too.
Once the music started I came to have a new appreciation of Dave Matthews. He’s good at what he does and plays like he’s enjoying himself. And watching the crowd was a treat. Tens of thousands of people twirly dancing and singing along was amazing.

Once the three songs were over the security dudes literally pushed us out. I was already packed up and near the entrance when the group toppled in to a sudden stop. There was no way out. The crowd was blocking the entrance. Behind us were beefy guys yelling, “out!” In front of us were drunken barefooted fans pushing us back.

My timid, just hang back and observe the photo pit days were over and my years of waitressing instinct kicked in. “Camera’s up!,” I yelled, holding mine over my head like a cocktail tray and I snaked us over the people through the beer tent (with a polite, “excuse us please”) and behind the potties. When we finally popped out behind the crowd we stood in the rain and laughed and high-fived. I felt like one of the gang.

Broad Ripple Gazette volume 7, number 3

2010-02-04T12:58:00.001-06:00

first published in the Broad Ripple Gazette

Tom Fontaine's "All You Need is LOVE" Beatles Exhibit
Friday, February 12, 2010 6:00 kick off party
Saturday, February 13, 2010 noon – 9:00 p.m.
Mother Nature’s Sun
6515 Ferguson Street
$5, all ages

Tom Fontaine, one of the largest Rock and Roll Memorabilia collectors in the world, will be exhibiting items from his rare Beatles collection to celebrating the Beatles 46th anniversary of their arrival in America.

Tom has been featured on everything from CNN to Across Indiana and has published a Beatles signature study.

Memorabilia will also be for sale, here’s your chance to own a piece of Beatles history. Items for sale include:

•Beatles autographs, including Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
•Paul McCartney handwritten yrics for “Goodbye”
•Original John Lennon artwork
•John Lennon’s running suit from Denmark 1970
•Guitars signed by Paul McCartney
•George Harrison handwritten first draft for “Bangladesh”
•Beatles stage clothing

I’m excited to see the Beatles at the Indiana State Fair tribute display.

www.mothernaturesun.com
www.rockandrollinvestments.com

Cara Jean Whalers and Grover Parido, Tad Armstrong and Stasia Demos and Pholly
Northside News Café
Saturday, February 14, 2010
5406 N. College Avenue
7:00 pm, all-ages, non-smoking, $TBA

You know the party game question, “if you could invite six people to dinner who would it be.” To paraphrase that, if I could invite six people to play at in my neighborhood these six would be at the top of the list. If you’ve been reading this column for anytime at all you know that Tad Armstrong is one of my very favorite musicians and that Stasia Demos is just amazing and cute as a button.

As much as I count Cara Jean Whalers as one of my best friends I have to admit that I’d hadn’t heard her do more than two songs in a row ever until last month. Now that I’ve heard her and cellist Grover Parido I’m smitten with her music.

I’ve been looking forward to seeing Pholly for quite some time. Pholly is Phoebe Davis and Molly Grooms. They met in sixth grade, which is not as long ago for them as it is for the rest of us. Phoebe has been playing ukulele practically all of her life and accompanies Molly’s vocals. I’m really looking forward to this show.

www.mothernaturesun.com

Indy Hostel Open House
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
4903 Winthrop Avenue
317.727.1696
11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Ever wondered what happens at Indy Hostel but were afraid to ask? Ever wanted to check out a concert but not quite sure where the hostel was or where to park? Now is your big chance to check out the hostel and poke around to your hearts content. Stop in the hostel on Tuesday, February 16th from 11:00-3:00 for tours, door prizes, snacks, music and information. Contact John Newton (john@indyhostel.us) for more information.

www.indyhostel.us

Finest Grain CD release show
Friday, February 19, 2010
Birdy’s
2131 East 71st Street
317.254.8971
21+, 8:30 pm,

I got a copy of their second and newest record, In the Story – the adventures of kid B, right before my deadline so I only had time to listen to it once, but I give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up! Great melodies, pretty harmonies and smart songwriting. They’ve captured the essence their live show very well. They’ll be celebrating the release of the CD at Birdy’s on Friday, February 19th. I can guarantee it will be a fun time and great show.

www.finestgrain.com
www.birdyslive.com

Reviews:

The Accordions
Earth House Collective
Sunday, January 17, 2009

First of all – shame on me for not checking out the wonderful Earth House before now. It’s tucked in the church at the corner of New York and East Streets downtown and houses two music spaces, a coffeehouse and Jenxie’s restaurant. I only got a poke around a small portion of the building. I did get an excellent freshly French pressed decaf coffee from the café – yummy.

The Accordions charmed the socks off of me. They are a delightful mix of instruments, musicians and collaboration. Although they played several songs where the accordion was used, this is no Polka band. They weave ukulele, autoharp, saw, violins, guitar and trumpet into poetic and memorable songs.

Mark February 27th on your calendar for their CD release show at Earth House.

www.earthhousecollective.org
www.myspace.com/accordionsband

Git Down
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Locals Only

I was thrilled at the thought of getting to see music after my Saturday night Red Key Tavern shift. The last band at the Git Down was scheduled for 2:00 a.m.. And a friend was in town from NYC and I was itching to show off our local music scene.

I was able to dart out the door at 1:45 and raced (and by raced, I mean drove at a safe and reasonable speed) to Locals Only. As I dashed to the front of the stage to hear Thunders and snap a few pictures I slid on the dance floor. Puddles of beer. Always the sign of a good party!

The last band of the fourteen-hour marathon, Thunders did a great job of keeping the crowd on their feet and engaged. Good stuff!

There were still lots of cool kids in the room. Annie and Andy Skinner were spinning records. I ran in to Rusty Redenbacher (Mudkids, DJ) who declared the day a great one and told me his Colts anthem was up and ready for download on the Mudkids Web site.
Locals Only co-owner, David Queisser shared with me that the Git Down was a huge success from their end. He applauded the collaboration between the sponsors, organizers, musicians, fans and the venue.

And I got to show John Gernand that Indianapolis has a thriving music scene. Even if it is smoke-filled and beer soaked.

Foreigner
Lucas Oil Stadium
January 24, 2010
Half-time of the AFC Championship game

I was impressed by the logistics of getting the stage with classic rockers Foreigner perched on top out to the middle of the football field to fire out two songs and back to the sidelines in the twelve minute half-time break with no one breaking a hip.

Foreigner played Feels Like the First Time and Hot Blooded to tens of thousands of air-guitar playing, face painted, Colts jersey-wearing guys. I know the running audio must be crazy to get the sound three stories up to the cheap seats but I think they did a decent job with the audio. It looked and sounded like drummer Brian Tichy (Billy Idol and Ozzy Osbourne) was playing live. It was hard to tell with the other guys. Between front man Kelly Hansons mic stand waving and dramatic gestures and bassists Jeff Pilson’s (Dokken) wavy locks I forgot to play attention to their vocals and instruments.

Foreigner was a good band to warm us up for the main show – Super Bowl XLIV half-time entertainment The Who.

A Night in the Free Zone

2010-01-28T09:42:00.002-06:00

This is the first in a series of radio deejay profiles. I got to hang out on The Free Zone and soak it all in.

I love my writer introduction: This piece is the first in an occasional series of local radio DJ profiles by Nora Spitznogle has been fascinated by radio ever since she was old enough to reach the FM dial on the farm truck. She begged to drive the John Deere B-series tractor, not because it was easier to drive, but because there was an AM radio mounted by a galvanized pipe to the tractor. She didn’t mind having to throw her whole body into the gearbox to coax the tractor to move. It was worth it for the chance to sing “Run Joey Run” at the top of her lungs with no one within twenty acres. She still listens to the radio in her pickup truck and sings “Run Joey Run” in the shower.

Click here for the full article.

Broad Ripple Gazette volume 7, number 2

2010-01-22T09:16:00.002-06:00

previews:

Local Music Git Down
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Locals Only
2459 East 56th Street
noon-2 a.m,. $10 for the entire day, 21+,

What a great idea! Music all day at Locals Only – and there is no excuse for not checking it out. This is for all of you that don’t want to go out at night or have to work Saturday evenings (me!) or have been leery of going someplace you’ve never been.

The kids at My Old Kentucky Blog.com and Laundromatinee.com teamed up with their favorite bands and DJs to host an entire day of music and fun. MyOldKentuckyBlog.com will also be celebrating the launch of a new website and Laundromatinee.com will be recording and filming sessions with all the bands all day long next door and you can watch!

Locals Only has great food and WiFi. You really could spend the whole day there. If I do it right I can have lunch there, run to work at the Red Key and make it back in time for the last band.

The bands are: Pravada, Marmoset, Andy D, We Are Hex, THUNDERS, Jascha, Heavy Hometown, Beta Male, Early Day Miners, The Broderick, Burnt Ones, Slothpop, Yuki andAmerica Owns The Moon.

The between sets DJs are Action Jackson, Slater Hogan, DJ Jessika, A Squared, DJ Phenom and Jackola.

I hear that they also have some surprises in store. I’ll see you there!

www.localsonlyindy.com
www.myoldkentuckyblog.com
www.laundromatinee.com

Harrison Thee photography opening, Jenny is a Boy music
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Indy Hostel
4903 Winthrop Ave
7:30 gallery opening, 8:30 concert $5-7 suggested donation, all-ages, non-smoking

Harrison Thee captures the sense of adventure life brings. Diverse cultures provide much of the subject matter for Thee's art. Each piece provides a glimpse into the lives of people, objects, and places preserved in his work. As an artist, Harrison works out of his studio in Indianapolis. He is actively involved in the local arts community and exhibits work on a regular basis.

Jenny is a Boy is well, a boy. Singer/songwriter Adam. Coppess. At the age of 16 started playing guitar and writing songs under the name "Jenny," after the song on the Mountain Goats album "All Hail West Texas.” Over the next couple of years, Jenny is a Boy continued to develop its style - a pairing of earnest, personal, and occasionally funny lyrics with simple antifolk/punk acoustic guitar compositions His new album, "Is it a Shame?" is due out in February 2010.

patternhungryrecords.com
www.indyhostel.us

Elsinore
Luna Music in-store
Thursday, January 28,2010
5202 College Ave
6:00 pm, free, all-ages
and later that evening…
Locals Only
2449 E. 56th Street
free (thanks to Butler Scion), 8:00, 21+

Elsinore (Champaign-Urbana, IL) is releasing their latest recording, The Chemicals EP. The wonder-pop quintet songwriting has evolved over the last few years. Described as “playful yet poetic lyricism” compliments new to-the-band arrangements – this is the first Elsinore release to feature scores of strings and horns. The band is generating a ton of great buzz among the in-the-know music fans in Indianapolis. There is no reason not to check them out with two free shows on one day!

www.butlerscionevents.com
www.elsinoremusic.net
www.localsonlyindy.com

Reviews:

Elvis Bash
Locals Only
January 8, 2010

Once again Wayne Bertsch did a great job of putting together a great lineup for the Elvis Bash. Indianapolis’ rock and roll power couple Mandy Marie Luke and Danny Thompson both brought their respective bands and their best playin’ for the tribute to the King. I really am blown away by these two. You’ll never go wrong with seeing Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes or the Danny Thompson Trio.

I really enjoyed Eddy Price, who played between sets. I think you’ve got to be pretty damn good – and brave to play on the dance floor while drum kits and amps are being lifted over your head as the next band sets up. Eddy did a wonderful job performing – I heard some great rockabilly guitar licks I look forward to hearing him play again.

www.eddyprice.com

broad ripple gazette volume 7 number 1

2010-01-07T10:56:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year folks! I look forward to seeing you all at shows and in the record stores, restaurants and shops. Remember every dollar you spend counts – so lets support the local venues that are working so hard to keep us entertained and the publications that entertain us (or provided something to wrap up the fish heads).

Elvis Birthday Bash hosted by Wayne Bertsch
Friday, January 8, 2010
Locals Only
2449 E. 56th Street
317-255-4013
21+, 9:00 pm, $8

A sure sign of the new year is Wayne Bertsch’s Elvis Bash. Once again, Wayne has assembled another all-star lineup to celebrate the King’s birthday.

"If the King were still alive, he'd be turning 74 that weekend. We wanted to bring together an event that showcases the diversity of his music. Elvis was more than a rockabilly act. His music assembled elements of rock, gospel and R&B in ways that influenced almost every musician that came after him," writes Barfly cartoonist and promoter Wayne Bertsch. "I wanted to assemble a line-up that reflected the diverse sound that made Elvis a standout even amongst the other giants in the Sun records stable."

The features The Danny Thompson Trio (formerly known as the Messarounds), Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes and indie rock band, Harley Poe.

No one does a theme like Locals Only – I can’t wait to see what they will feature for their annual Elvis-centric menu. Elvis clothing, hip shaking and sneers encouraged.

www.localsonlyindy.com

Edie Carey and Bobbi Lancaster
Friday, January 15, 2010
Urban Element
901 North Pennsylvania Street
317-423-2938
8:00 pm, all-ages, non-smoking, $12

Just hearing Edie Carey’s name makes me smile! She was a CATH coffeehouse favorite and it brings back memories of great music and laughter. Promoter Robin Coleman’s Segment of Society has picked up several CATH alumni for her concert series. I have a hard time describing Edie’s music without using a ton of dashes: singer-songwriter-folk-pop-roots-rock. Her shows are intimate, whether there are nine or fifty people in the audience thanks to Edie’s talent for engaging the audience. I’ll see you there!

www.urbanelementindy.com
www.edicarey.com

With Love, Dessau by Emily Kennerk
January, 2010
christopher west presents
646 Massachusetts Ave (the Dean-Johnson space)
Gallery hours: Wednesday-Saturday, various hours

I haven’t had a chance to check out the new gallery, christopher west presents, and this month will be the perfect time. Emily Kennerk will be exhibiting her new work, With Love, Dessau. The exhibition is comprised of drawings, photographs, sculpture and an installation.

Emily spent the summer in Berlin and she explored the relationships between American suburbia and the Bauhaus structures in Dessau. She uses appropriated images and drawings from pre-Nazi era Germany to explore the nature and boundaries of expectations

Emily now lives and works in Las Vegas, where she is the Head of Sculpture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She received her MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2001 and had a solo exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 2007. Which is all very exciting for me – I first met her has a pig-tailed girl from Zionsville who loved to explore our farm and was a blast to hang out with. We had a few Instant Message conversations this summer while she was in Germany. I can’t wait to see what the talented Emily Kennerk has produced.

http://christopherwestpresents.com

Reviews:

The Meatballs, BoyToy
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Zonnies Closet

This review is filed under, “you never know what the evening will bring.” Friends have been encouraging me to check out the band, The Perennials, and I was thrilled to learn they were playing downtown, not far from Fountain Square where I was already planning to be.

In Nora fashion I arrived just as The Perennials finished. The trip was not in vain - I was delighted by the next two bands. The Meatballs were art-punk as it should be. Quirky and funny and incognito. Rumor has it they're Purdue professors. The Boy Toys are also Lafayette based. Power pop as it should be – pogo-dancing fun.

www.myspace.com/theboytoysmusic

New Year’s Meltdown
Otis Gibbs, Vess Ruhtenberg, The Academy, America Owns the Moon
December 31, 2009
Locals Only

I’m no stranger to meltdowns on New Year’s Eve, mostly of my own doing. The stress over what to wear, where to go and the pressure of the midnight kiss (or lack of). The Meltdown show was the perfect antidote to all of that. Cara Jean Wahlers made beautiful personalized party hats – mine featured the great Josh Johnson drawing of me at the top of this column, all I had to add was a black dress, fishnets and heels.

The show was perfect and the crowd was great. Locals Only had just the right amount of people there – crowded, but not packed with the cool kids and the rest of us, lots of love and community in the room and nary a meltdown in sight. Otis opened the show with a beautiful acoustic solo set. He walked through the crowd for his last song giving a nod to the music community and fans along the way.
Vess Ruhtenberg formed a band for the evening that included Tina Barbieri playing bass, Dana Cooper on piano, and Joshua Strodtman on the drums. They were lovely.

A Squared Industries spun dance music between sets, champagne and noisemakers were distributed and we cheered in the New Year. I stayed for the first couple of songs of the great indie band, The Academy before driving my charges home. Yep, I was the designated driver – I appreciate the great non-alcoholic beer Locals Only carries – they made it easy not to be tempted by a real beer.

Happy New Year!

Broad Ripple Gazette vol 6, no 24

2009-12-04T11:17:00.002-06:00

Austin City Limits Festival, continued
Friday, October 2, 2009

The first day of the Austin City Limits Festival (ACLF) was beautiful. And I had a photo pass, which meant that I could be in the “pit” in front of the stage. This was the first time I’d ever had a photo pass -- or a fancy enough camera to qualify for one. I quickly learned the system – you could only shoot the first three songs, no flash and stay out of the way of the stage crew and security. I added my own rules. Let the big guys (CNN, Rolling Stone and Paste) snap first, stay the hell out of the way and look like I belonged. I soon learned my way around the pit. Everyone was nice and takes a turn in front of the stage, I learned how to walk crouched down and backwards and shoot, to change lenses between songs and that stage right means to my left. Having a photo pass also keeps you on a schedule. Generally you have to be in the pit by the time the first song starts or you’re out of luck. Some stages wanted you to sign a release promising to just publish the photos in one publication and others needed special permission. I just about fell over when I saw my name on the list of approved photographers for Dave Matthews.

I stared day one of the festival with the Avett Brothers (reviewed in the last issue vol. 6, no. 23). I also caught part of the Texas swing band, Asleep at the Wheel’s set and a chunk of the indie darlings, Blitzen Trapper. The last time I saw Blitzen Trapper I was leaning against a speaker cabinet at Locals Only, I waved but I don’t think they recognized me. It was a blast to see them playing to thousands of enthusiastic people.

I ran to see the barefoot and always charming Todd Snider from there. Todd played an acoustic solo set, which is my favorite way to hear a singer-songwriter, especially a smart/clever/funny writer like Todd. Todd swings through Indianapolis at least once a year and I try not to miss him.

The next act I caught was sentimental favorite, Daniel Johnston. I admit that I knew nothing about him, but he’s an Austin staple and cult favorite. The documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnston,” followed him in his musical and mental heath journey, winning an award at the Sundance Film Festival. I enjoyed Daniel’s set and wish I would have done some research about him ahead of time.

I’ve been a fan of Robyn Hitchcock since his days in the New Wave band, The Soft Boys. When your name is Nora it is hard to find things with your name on it. I’d always look longingly at the racks of bicycle license plates, pencils and shot glasses hoping I’d find one with my name. In literature Nora tends to be the upstairs maid or spinster aunt (we’re hitting a little too close to home here). I was thrilled to hear The Soft Boys, “Ugly Nora,” and took at as a compliment. Robyn was playing with another rock icon, Peter Buck from REM. I did my best to look like I belonged, not swoon or yell out, “Ugly Nora!”

From there I raced to see Them Crooked Vultures, the super-power trio of Dave Grohl (Nirvana)), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). Talk about rock royalty! I was nervous even standing in from of them! What did they sound like? The guy from Queens of the Stone Age singing and playing guitar with the bass player from Led Zeppelin and the drummer from Nirvana. I’m not good a comparisons, but that one was easy! And I must say, Dave Grohl looked happy has hell to be back behind the drums where he belongs (he plays guitar in his other project, The Foo Fighters).

I had a hard time choosing between the last acts of the night, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs or Kings of Leon. I decided to check out the Nashville family band (three brothers and a cousin), Kings of Leon. They’ve got some good genes going on! I can see why they are favorites of a wide range of folks. They’re talented and have swooningly good looks and harmonize beautifully. In the last year they’ve morphed from wooly bearded garage rockers to shiny pretty art-rockers. And I’m okay with that!

Tonic Ball 2009 line up and schedule

2009-11-19T19:32:00.000-06:00

Radio Radio - (Led Zeppelin stage)

7:00 PM - Bat Tattoo
7:20 – The Radiators
7:40 – The Misprintz
8:00 – The Old Fair and Square Band
8:20 – Ebenezer and the Hymnasters
8:40 – The Last Domino
9:00 – Frankie Camaro’s Atomic Bombay
9:20 – ESW
9:40 – The Cocaine Wolves
10:00 – The Common
10:20 – We're Not Squibnocket
10:40 - Jennie DeVoe
11:00 - Healing Sixes
11:20 –Yoko Moment
11:40 –.
12:00 AM – Bigger Than Elvis
12:20 – Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes

Fountain Square Theater (Bob Dylan stage)

7:00 PM – Cliff Snyder
7:15 – Ladymoon
7:30 – Sanuk
7:45 – Coolidge
8:00 – Jeff Byrd and the Wingmen
8:15 – Jon Strahl Band
8:30 – CW and the Working Class Trio
8:45 – The Odyssey Favor
9:00 – Luke Austin Daugherty Jam Band
9:15 – Joel Henderson
9:30 - Shelby Kelley
9:45 - Susan and the Desperate Seekers
10:00 – Jon Martin and…
10:15 – Everest
10:30 – Brian Deer and the Achievers
10:45 – Tad Armstrong
11:00 – Mardelay
11:15 – Everthus the Deadbeats
11:30 – Everything Now!
11:45 – Otis Gibbs
12:00 AM – The Vulgar Boatmen

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 6. no 23

2009-11-12T09:23:00.000-06:00

Preview:
Tonic Gallery
Friday, November 20, 2009 5:00-9:00
AV Framing Gallery
1139 Shelby Street, Fountain Square
free, all-ages

The Tonic Gallery features the work of thirty amazing artists with the sales to benefit Second Helpings. Bidding starts at $100 with the buy it now price of $400. The collection is fabulous and includes art from Kyle Ragsdale, Larry Endicott, Kipp Normand, James Sholly and Jeremy Efroymson. There are several things I have my eyes on. I just need more wall space!

http://avframinggallery.com
www.secondhelpings.org

Tonic Ball 8
Celebrating the songs of Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin
Friday, November 20, 2008, 7:00 pm
Radio Radio (21+) and Fountain Square Theatre (all-ages)
$20 to benefit Second Helpings, non-smoking

As many of you know, I love my awesome job as director of operations for Second Helpings- a food rescue, job training and hunger relief agency serving greater Indianapolis. As you may not know, I learned about Second Helpings from my work as a committee member for the Tonic Ball.

The Tonic Ball features more than thirty musical artists – folk, jazz, funk, country, rock and pop playing the songs of Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. If you are motivated you can try to see all of the bands, but it would be a challenge. You could easily see fifteen with no fuss. In Radio Radio each band will play a Led Zeppelin song and one of their own, with only ten minutes between bands. Right next door in the Fountain Square Theatre bands will be playing Bob Dylan songs with only five minutes between bands. It’s fast and fun and full of good music and cheer. It really is my favorite night of the year.
The lineup in phenomenal –

Radio Radio (Led Zeppelin stage)
Bat Tattoo, The Misprintz, The Old Fair and Square Band, Ebenezer and the Hymnasters, The Last Domino, Frankie Camaro’s Atomic Bombay, Big Betty, Yoko Moment, We’re Not Squibnocket, Jennie DeVoe, The Cocaine Wolves, Brian Deer and the Achievers, The Common, Healing Sixes, Bigger Than Elvis and Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes.

Fountain Square Theater (Bob Dylan stage)
Cliff Snyder, Ladymoon, Sanuk, Coolidge, Jeff Byrd and the Wingmen, Jon Strahl Band, CW and the Working Class Trio, The Odyssey Favor, Luke Austin Daugherty Jam Band, Joel Henderson, Everest, Susan and the Desperate Seekers, Jon Martin and…, Shelby Kelley, Brian Deer and the Achievers, Tad Armstrong, Mardelay, Everthus the Deadbeats, Everything Now!, Otis Gibbs and The Vulgar Boatmen.

I’ll see you there – I’ll be the one running around like a nut grinning from ear to ear.

www.secondhelpings.org

Long overdue review:
Austin City Limits Festival (part one)
Zilker Park, Austin, TX
October 2 – 4, 2009

I can’t believe it has been over a month since the Austin City Limits Festival! I had a wonderful time and got to see a ton of music and shoot photos with the big kids. I swooped in to Austin a few days early to visit friends and soak in some sunshine. The first night I got to hang out with three Indianapolis-to-Austin music folks. Guitar player extraordinaire Aaron Stroup (Middletown) gave me a quick tour of Austin that included seeing Jazz great Stanley Smith and his band the Jazz Pharaohs at the Elephant Room. From there we headed to Stubbs BBQ - I was bummed that there was not a BBQ rib in site, but I did hear some great music and got to catch up with Cameron Smith, former talent booker for Verizon Music Center and the Murat. Cameron now teaches venue management the University of Texas – Austin.

The first day of the Austin City Limits Festival was amazing. The weather was perfect and I had a photo pass. One of the first things I heard when I got to the media tent was the Avett Brothers playing an acoustic set for one of the local television stations. Not only do you stumble across musical acts at in the media tent, but also they have food, drinks, Wi-Fi and most importantly Porta potties – with sinks!

The photo pass meant that I got to stand in front of the stage of the first three songs of each band. It was my first experience in the photo pit, so I did a good amount of standing back and watching to see with the pros were doing. Everyone was super-polite and helpful. One of the first bands I photographed was the Avett Brothers. I first saw them at the Midwest Music Summit in 2005 on the porch of the Monkey’s Tale. We’ve all come a long way since then! The talented – and dare I say, dreamy brothers Seth and Scott Avett with bassist Scott Crawford rocked the bluegrassy set and had the crowd entranced – and me hooked being that close to the band.

I’ll continue with the ACLF review in future columns.

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 6. no 22

2009-10-30T15:37:00.000-05:00

Gary Wasson’s open stage
Sundays 6:00 pm
The Wine Cellar (the Corner Wine Bar)
6331 Guilford Avenue

I’m excited that Gary Wasson’s open stage moved closer to my house! Gary has run the well-respected open stage for years, first in Noblesville and most recently in Fishers. Open stage shows are a great way to see several musicians play in one evening. And you never know what you’ll hear --everything from new to playing in public folks to established musicians trying new songs. Bonus: Gary plays an opening and closing set, often joined by other stellar folks.

The food at the Corner Wine bar is available in the Wine Cellar also – I’m a big fan of the Sunday – Thursday filet special. I’ll see you there soon.

www.cornerwinebar.com

Hero House - Comics, Anime and Pop Culture, grand opening
Shawn Crystal, artist of Deadpool (Marvel Comics)  
Friday, November 6, Saturday, November 7, 2009  
1112 E. Prospect Street (Fountain Square)
317-636-7990

There is a new store full of comic books and coolness in Fountain Square. The owners are two talented guys – artist, Wayne Bertsch and musician Mike Shimmercore (Red Light Driver). You might recognize Wayne’s work from the Barfly comix in NUVO – I like his cartoon version of Nora – he draws me a little curvier than I am in real life.

The store carries comic books, Anime and other pop culture goodness. What is Anime you ask? I thought I knew, and that it had something vaguely to do with the Hello Kitty style of comic drawing. Anime is the abbreviated pronunciation of the Japanese word for animation. It does not just apply to Japanese work, but it is a blanket term for all types of animation.
The Hero House is celebrating its grand opening with the super-star artist Shawn Crystal, of the Marvel Comics’ Deadpool series. He’ll be making a rare Midwest appearance to meet fans and sign autographs.

http://inkpulp-shawn.blogspot.com
www.theherohouse.net

D tour documentary
November 10, 2009, 10 pm
Network premier
WFYI TV(20.1)

The tag line for the film is: A rock ‘n roll film about life, death and bodily functions. The film movie follows Indiana musician Pat Spurgeon in his quest to find a living kidney donor as his band, Rogue Wave, starts to find success. The film examines Pat’s choice to keep touring while focusing on this health and finding a potential organ donor. The movie is racking up awards at film festivals all over the country. I can’t wait to see it.

http://dtourmovie.com
www.wfyi.com

Reviews:

Johnny Socko
October 16, 2009
Vogue

I can’t tell you how excited I get by seeing a line out the door of the Vogue for live music –it’s a beautiful thing! The kickoff show for the Broad Ripple Music Fest had feeling of a college Homecoming weekend – lots of nostalgia and catching up with old friends.

I arrived just in time to catch the Johnny Socko reunion show. The band was just as remembered: danceable ska silliness. There were plenty of not-so-subtle reminders that we’d all aged in the fourteen years since the original lineup of the band had been together. Lead singer Mike Wiltrout made his entrance on a Rascal wearing a banana suit and sang “The Girl from Ipanema” in a wobbly voice. The crowd was enthusiastic and sang and danced along. I squished down in front of the stage for a few songs and got pulled in to several groups of dancers.

It also loved connecting with out of town folks. Monumental Marathon founder Carlton Ray was visiting from D.C., where he’s in charge of cleaning the Potomac River. Jeff Zuckerman and Carrie Sloo Zuckerman were visiting from the other coast. Jeff is embracing his California-ness with zest. He’s sporting longer hair, a bit of a beard and sandals. My little sister, Ann, was in town from Phoenix and tagged along to say hello to lead singer, Mike Wiltrout’s parents. One of Ann’s first jobs was with the Wiltrouts (in the wire biz, if you’re wondering).

I’d like to give hearty congratulations to the organizers of the Broad Ripple Music Fest. It has turned in to an amazing event in only three years.

Broad Ripple Gazette, vol 6. no 21 - Broad Ripple Music Fest 2009

2009-10-15T22:55:00.001-05:00

Broad Ripple Music Fest
Saturday, October 17, 2009
(preview shows Thursday and Friday)
Broad Ripple Venues
$10 for festival wristband (good for all but Friday Vogue show)
wristbands can be purchased at the venues or at www.broadripplemusicfest.com

This is the third year for the Broad Ripple Music Fest and it just keeps getting better and better. Here is the schedule and lowdown on this great weekend of music. Several of the shows are free and all-ages. Proceeds benefit Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Thurs. October 15, 2009
Local's Only - 2449 E. 56th St.
Butler Scion / Twin Peaks Showcase 8:00 / 21+ / FREE

The Right Now
Xenobia Green
Twin Peaks DJ's

Fri. October 16, 2009
Vogue Theatre - 6259 N. College
Nuvo / WTTS Presents BRMF Kickoff!
8:00 / 21+ / $10 adv / $12 door

JOHNNY SOCKO (original lineup)
Mab Lab
Nightjar (Virtual Battle of Band Winner)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Luna Music Showcase
5202 North College Avenue
All Ages / Free

The show is all-ages, but Luna has a one-day beer permit. Shows at Luna are always great! And there is a good chance you’ll see me there before my Red Key (and possibly during) shift.

Noon - Caleb McCoach
12:45 - Bolivant
1:30 - A Caesar Holiday
2:15 - Holy Ghost Canyon
3:00 - Norman Oak
4:00 - Abner Trio
4:30 - pons
5:00 - Imaginary Friends
5:45 - America Owns the Moon

Indy CD and Vinyl Showcase
806 Broad Ripple Ave.
Noon / All Ages / FREE

There is always fun stuff going on at Indy CD and Vinyl. Look for fun surprises there all day. And you can’t go wrong with Wolfy, Sanuk and Elsinore.

12:00 - Spirit Spine
1:00 - Matt Mitchell Project
2:00 - Wolfy
3:30 - Sanuk
4:30 - Elsinore
5:30 - Mary Claire
7:00 - Eric Radoux
8:00 - The Post Script

Birdy’s, 2131 E. 71st Street
Midwest Emerging Artists Showcase
6:30 / 21+ / $7 (without wristband)

This is a great lineup. You wouldn’t be disappointed if you parked yourself at Birdy’s.

Hey Hey Melodica
Eisenhower Field Day
Beta Male
Elsinore
Stranger Lazy
Harley Poe
Dorsey
Endiana

Tru Nightclub (formerly Seven) - 6235 N. Guilford Ave.
Sidetrack presents the INhouse Showcase
9:00 / 21+ / $6 (without wristband)

I’m a big fan of Jackola – anything he’s involved in is always a blast!

9:00 - Rudy Kizer
10:00 - DJ Starsteady
11:00 – Jackola
midnight- Bryan Jones
1:30 am - DJ Deanne - 1:30am

Locals Only - 2449 E. 56th St.
Transpanther / Joyful Noise / Standard Recording Showcase
Noon / 21+ / $8 (without wristband)

Between the great music and the wonderful food at Locals Only, you could easily spend the whole day there. In fact there is a good chance that I’ll wind up there after my Red Key shift.

12:00noon - Japatucky
1:00 - Stationary Odyssey
2:00 - Light Pollution
3:00 - Lucky Pineapple
4:00 - I Need Sleep
5:00 - Hermit Thrushes
6:00 - Prayer Breakfast
7:00 - Everything, Now!
8:00 - Thunderhawk
9:00 - Marmoset
10:00 - Early Day Miners
11:00 - Prizzy Prizzy Please
12:00 - Dead Beats
1:00am - Jookabox

La Jolla's Wasted Space - 921 Broad Ripple Ave
Indianapolis Songwriter's Cafe
5:00 / All Ages / Free

Join the Indianapolis Songwriter’s Café folks at Broad Ripple’s newest listening room. Can’t go wrong with Cara Jean and Deep Cricket Night.

5:00 - The Weakest Suit
6:00 - Tony Marshall
7:00 - Cara Jean Wahlers
8:00 - Bears of Blue River
9:00 - Deep Cricket Night

and later that night:
La Jolla's Wasted Space - 921 Broad Ripple Ave
La Jolla Showcase
10:00pm / All Ages / Free

Catch Tim Wilsbach in one of his increasing rare projects. His record with Paging Raymond has a permanent spot in my CD player.

10:00 -Sara Myers - 10:00
11:00 - Whoa Tiger - 11:00
midnight - Tim Wilsbach and the Wuss Rock Renegades

Alley Cat - 6267 Carrollton Ave
Dude Fest Showcase
8:00 / 21+ / $6 (without wristband)

I think Dude Fest says it all. And say hello to my favorite Dude, Tom Esterline while you’re there.

9:00 - Drogas
10:00 - Slam Dunk
11:00 - Phoenix Bodies
12:00 - Demiricous

Casba - 6319 Guilford Ave
A Squared Industries / MOKB Showcase
8:00 / 21+ / $5 (without wristband)

Any collaboration between A Squared and My Old Kentucky Blog has got to bring good things! This will be a great mix of DJs and bands.

8:00 - A Squared DJ's
10: 00 - Heavy Hometown
11:00 - Johnny 23
midnight - Ryan Reidy -
12:45 - Andy D
1:30 - Black Heat

Connor's Pub Showcase
6331 Ferguson St
7:00 / 21+ / $6 (without wristband)

A chance to hit Connor’s before last call. Check out Odyssey Favor (and the ever fashionable Jenny Elig).

8:00 - Soft Speaker
9:00 - Alull
10:00 - We Landed on the Moon
11:00 - The Odyssey Favor
midnight - Coolidge

ES Jungle - 6151 N. Central Ave.
Piradical Productions Showcase
5:00 / All Ages / Suggested Donation

You can’t go wrong with this lineup. I’m a big fan of Sanuk and I adored Rodeo Ruby Love when I saw them at the BRMF last year. And The Last Domino is good stuff!

6:00 -The Working Hour
7:00 - Highway Magic
8:00 - Sanuk
9:00 - Rodeo Ruby Love
10:00 - The Last Domino

Northside News Café
Heavy Gun Blog Showcase
3:00pm / All Ages / FREE

Northside News Café is turning in to a hip-hop joint for the day. And there is a Beat Battle too. Pull up a Cuban sandwich and make a day of it!

3:30 - Cyclopean Superhero
3:50 - Deeg of Blank Space
4:10 - Dirty Thirty
4:30 - Beat Battle 1
5:25 - Oreo Jones
5:45 - Com Dot
6:05 - Beat Battle 2
6:35 - The Proforms
7:10 - Beat Battle
7:25 - Grey Granite
7:45 - Yeti One
8:05 - Beat Battle Finals
8:15 - Mudkids

BAR (BR Steakhouse) Showcase
929 E. Westfield Blvd (Next to Boogie Burger)
6:00 / 21+ / FREE

The music will be in the BAR bar in Broad Ripple Steakhouse building. Another stellar lineup!

6:00 - Christian Taylor
6:45 - Jesse Lee
7:30 - Jascha

Monon Coffee Company Showcase
920 E. Westfield Blvd
5:00 / All Ages / FREE

The Monon Coffeehouse is warm and cozy and a great place to enjoy music.

5:00 - Blue Cut
6:00 - J Cameron Hall
7:00 - The Bonesetters
8:00 - The Working Hour - 8:00

Broad Ripple Steak House Acoustic Stage
929 E Westfield Blvd
6:00 / 21+ / FREE

Enjoy a delicious beer and some poppy music goodness.

6:00 - Christian Taylor
6:45 - Sloth Pop
7:30 - Jesse Lee
8:15 - Jascha