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By Kris Neises
| Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 10:24 AM
The final four bands are set to battle this week in the 2008 Canal Street Tavern Dayton Band Playoffs. (Go to www.canalstreettavern.com)
This got me thinking about some of my favorite bands that I first discovered while covering past Dayton Band Playoffs.
One of those bands was heavy rockers and former playoff runner-ups Side Show.
As is often the story of good Dayton bands, Side Show is no longer playing.
However, I recently discovered that Side Show’s former front man and guitarist Parris Graves has a new project.
He is now fronting the dark, heavy, and extremely experimental 5-piece Tin Can Telephone.
“Tin Can Telephone is very patient and open ended,” said Graves. “Very few of the songs even have definite arrangements.”
Sounding like a heavier version of Pink Floyd or the Stooges, Tin Can Telephone incorporates ambient keyboards, a violin, and even a clarinet into a rock format.
“You could call us a jam-band except much darker and a lot heavier than any other jam-band I have seen around here,” said Graves.
Tin Can came together nine months ago when Graves joined up with ex-members from the Dayton rock band Freezerburn.
“When we began jamming we recorded all our practices,” said Graves. “We would go back and listen to the tapes and write songs out of our jam sessions.”
Tin Can Telephone will release a new live recording this Saturday, August 30th, when the band plays at Canal Street Tavern.
The album is titled Super Ultra Mega Live at the Chron-barn and is 45 minutes of edit-free music.
“The only editing that was done to our live cd was volume adjustments,” said Graves. “Everything else is the way it is.”
Also catch Tin Can Telephone at WO Wrights on September 5th and at Urban Nights on September 12.
Visit the band at www.myspace.com/tincantelephone321 for more show info and to hear tracks from the new album.
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By Kris Neises
| Saturday, August 23, 2008, 05:49 PM
Last week the news was dominated by the Barack Obama ‘VP watch.’
There was 24 hour news coverage of Obama’s every move and I eagerly checked my text messages every chance I got.
But, now that Obama has picked Biden we can all move on to who will be picked to play the Dayton Music Fest 2008.
The DMF committee is busy listening to entries and narrowing the field to the top Dayton bands to play this year’s Dayton Music Fest on October 4th.
Although no one will receive a text message when the final line-up is chosen, it is posted on www.daytonmusicfest.com that the schedule will be released by August 31st.
Thus, I am officially on DMF band watch.
The GCR music group, the production company who puts on the DMF and the Bellbrook Jamboree, had 121 entries from local bands who want to play DMF 2008.
GCR announced last month that the Fest’s headliner will be Bob Pollard’s new band Boston Spaceships.
No other bands or headliners have been announced.
The seven area clubs who will host the Music Fest have been announced. The list includes Canal Street Tavern, Oregon Express, Gilly’s, Blind Bob’s, Tumbleweed Connection, Trolley Stop, and Therapy Cafe.
The DMF features the best in local and regional indie and punk rock music. It has been an annual Music Fest since 2005.
As soon as the final band line-up and schedule is released I will post it on this blog. However, I will not e-mail and text all of you local music supporters the minute it is announced.
Just keep checking in.
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Dayton Local Music
By Kris Neises
| Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 09:03 PM
Let me say first that I really love the piano-pop kids in the Joose Box and I find Alec Delphenich Trio’s indie-acoustic songs very intriguing.
However, my pick to win the 2008 Dayton Band Playoffs is the sci-fi-robot-punk rock band Oxymoronatron.
Here are five reasons why I think Oxy will win.
Experience - The band has brought robot-tinged rock to Dayton for over five-years. They have played at about every venue in town including performances at the Dayton Music Fest and the Midpoint Music Fest. Oxy will not be phased by growing DBP pressure.
The Fun Factor - An Oxymoronatron show is anything but predictable. The band makes ever moment onstage entertaining. They use toys, gadgets, music playing robots, and multimedia imagery to aid their wild original sound.
Ready To Peak - I have covered the playoffs since 2005 and I have noticed that bands who draw huge crowds in rounds one and two have trouble drawing in rounds three and four. It is simply very difficult for bands to bring fans out to a bar every couple weeks. This trend favors Oxymoronatron who went into round two as the fifth seeded band. Their fans are just beginning to get energized.
Robot Power - The band’s weird tunes about robots and their make believe super-hero persona (saving the world from the evil “Mad Robots”) will surely get them noticed by all Canal Street concert-goers. This attention may give the band an edge with the undecided voters that attend the DBP. Oxymoronatron is hard to forget.
Oxy’s Confidence - If you doubt my opinion about Oxymoronatron winning the Dayton Band Playoffs than just ask the band if they think they can win. They will tell you. “Oxymoronatron will continue in the DBP because that is what we have been programmed to do. We must win the playoffs or the Mad Robots will rule the day and we can’t have that,” said vocalist MC Woodchuck.
Round three of the Dayton Band Playoffs begins this week. Get out and vote.
The Joose Box vs A Familiar Encounter - Wed, August 13th at Canal Street Tavern
Oxymoronatron vs Savant - Thursday, August 14th at Canal Street Tavern
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By Kris Neises
| Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 10:03 PM
I got official word from Blind Bob’s owner Lisa Mendenhall that the Tavern will be holding their grand opening on September 5th.
“Things seem to be proceeding mostly on schedule,” said Mendenhall. “Much depends on all final inspections and whether there are any issues to be addressed.”
Back in May Mendenhall and her husband purchased the historic building where the Nite Owl used to dwell in the Oregon District.
They have spent the last two months doing extensive renovations to the bar including a new kitchen and a more-easily viewed stage.
I for one cannot wait to see the changes hidden behind the plywood windows and sheets that are currently covering the space.
Judging by some limited pics on the bar’s website, www.blindbobs.com all my waiting and wondering will be worth it when I finally get inside.
Blind Bob’s is currently booking shows for September and October. Interested bands should visit the website and click on music for more info.
However, Blind Bob’s is booked on October 4th.
The new venue will be taking part in the annual Dayton Music Fest along with Canal Street Tavern, Gilly’s, Oregon Express, Trolley Stop, Tumbleweed Connection, and Therapy Cafe.
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By Kris Neises
| Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 06:57 PM
Round two - Dayton Band Playoffs - at Canal Street Tavern - Thursday, July 31st
A Familiar Encounter vs Electric Smoke
This match-up is a classic rock versus roll Dayton Band Playoff match-up. Both bands are grounded in the hard rock genre and fans from either band may cross-over and vote for the opposition. The final vote should be very close.
In round one Electric Smoke had a wild show complete with a near drag-out fight between band members (and brothers) onstage.
A Familiar Encounter, who finished eighth overall in first round voting, seems like the favorite going into Thursday’s competition.
But, anything can happen. The winner will take on the top ranked The Joose Box on August 13th in round three.
Here is how the band’s stack up.
A Familiar Encounter
Band members: Matt Penny (lead guitar), Garret Willis (rhythm guitar), Brad Wendling (bass guitar), and Justin McMurry (drums).
From: Dayton
Established: 2006
Style of music: hard rock influenced by Smashing Pumpkins and Metallica
“We believe that our ability to win rests on the fact that our music is so much different than anything out there right now. Everyone who’s heard us has said they haven’t heard anything like it. We respect Electric Smoke and know how hard they have worked to get here and we wish them good luck.” - A Familiar Encounter.
Electric Smoke
Band Members: Landon McKibben (vocals), Brock McKibben (guitar), Matt Szafranski (bass), Ben Shank (drums)
From: Medway
Established: 2007
Style: hard rock, southern rock, blues
“We are bringing loose, fast, rugged and raw hard rock n’ roll back to the forefront of the music scene, where it never should have disappeared from in the first place. We’re doing it with a liquor bottle of southern rock and a white line of blues.” - Electric Smoke.
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By Kris Neises
| Saturday, July 26, 2008, 04:02 PM
The Warped Tour is hitting Riverbend in Cincinnati next Wednesday, July 30th, and two local bands will be playing alongside headliners like Against Me, Motion City Soundtrack, Angels and Airwaves, Say Anything, and more.
Local pop-punk/rock band the Story Changes and local experimental-rock band My Latex Brain will perform on two stages at Warped Tour.
The Story Changes will play on the Ernie Ball stage performing between noon and two. My Latex Brain will be on the Kevin Says stage and will play early as well.
The Warped Tour is a punk and rock music festival that has been around since 1995. Thousands are expected to attend the Cincinnati leg of the Tour.
I heard from Story Changes front-man Mark Mcmillon this week while the band was on tour in Houghton, Michigan.
He told me that he spent the night in the emergency room nursing a common rock n’ roll injury.
“I’ve been battling a pretty bad inner ear infection on this tour, not fun,” said Mcmillon. “The pressure in my head was so bad on Saturday that I caved and went to the walk in ER in Houghton, MI. I got some medicine it’s slowly getting better, but taking it easy as much as possible.”
The Story Changes this week also released a brand new track on a new Future Destination records compilation cd entitled Good Times.
The song is called ‘I Remember’ and fans can check it out a www.FdrShop.com.
Fans can also leave Mark or the band a ‘get well’ message at www.myspace.com/thestorychanges.
My message to Mark is to get out of Michigan.
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By Kris Neises
| Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 08:47 PM
Johnny Callon is a 17-year-old singer/songwriter who writes songs with the maturity and intelligence of someone twice his age.
Callon, who plays shows and records under the name Wake Up Mordecai, recently sent me a copy of his forthcoming ep entitled North to the Nth Degree.
The Nth Degree is acoustic bliss and filed between catchy and smart in the indie-pop drawer.
Recorded with lo-fi warmth in Callon’s Vandalia house the songs are stripped down to guitar, voice, drums, and the occasional bell, organ, and kazoo.
But, Callon’s witty one-liners and catchy melodies are more than enough to keep the Nth Degree atop your I-pods most played.
“All the songs were inspired by my then girlfriend and now ex-girlfriend,” Callon said. “I also got a lot of help from the band Fine China and local band XL427.”
Wake Up Mordecai, which is an odd Royal Tenembaums reference, will officially release his new cd this Friday at the Vineyard Church in Springfield. The show is all-ages and begins at 7 pm.
“I am super excited about releasing the record and playing the show Friday,” said Callon. “One of my favorite local bands Towhee is also playing.”
Callon, who will be a senior at Vandalia-Butler High School, will be releasing his debut record on Dayton-based Poptek records. The cd will be for sale at the show.
Visit www.myspace.com/wakemordecai or www.poptek.com to hear samples of Wake Up Mordecai’s new cd North to the Nth Degree and get more info about the show.
Sorry Johnny, I will not mention that you are good-looking like you asked me too.
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