Category Archives: Live Shows

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Babble Blog: Spending My Friday Night w/ Grandma, NOFX, & Friends

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So as many of you know last weekend I took Friday off of work and headed down to Cincinnati/Covington, KY with my pals to take in a NOFX show.  My previous post obviously is the review of the show itself but sometimes I feel the need to review my weekend for everyone’s entertainment.  After having an interesting yet busy week I was stoked to just get away even if it was for just one night.

After dropping of my dogs at my folks I headed to Columbus with my pal Kolb to pick up Pete and Mary Alice aka The Electric Grandmother and from there the trip would be in full effect.  Weeks earlier we agreed that it would be awesome to take a road trip to see NOFX, Tony Sly, and Teenage Bottlerocket.  Hang out with old friends and see one of my favorite punk bands?  Yes please.  To make matters even better I had just found out a couple days prior to the show that a band I recently became an instant fan of, The Menzingers, were opening!  I was just thrilled and could not wait for Friday night at the Madison Theater.

Before continuing our drive we of course had to stop at one of my favorite bars in Columbus to grab a late breakfast.  Granted I had only been to The Blue Danube once before I deemed it my favorite place for breakfast in Columbus after trying their vegetarian breakfast burrito.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it but my stomach was too quick and I devoured the huge burrito full of eggs, potatoes, and all sorts of veggies and cheese.  I took a chance eating that monster of a meal and getting trapped into a food coma but I lucked out and was fine.  Once we were all nice and full we hopped in the car and proceeded to Covington, KY to our hotel.

It was about 4pm when we got to our hotel and with time to kill we all decided to chill out for a bit.  I took the opportunity to check my email and discovered I was supposed to interview the Menzingers.  Although I did not have my gear for an interview I decided to give the band a call anyways and see what we could work out.  Man am I glad I called them.

Greg, the guitarist, answered the phone and after a couple of confusing seconds he realized I was not just some random person and we started chatting.  He sounded stressed out and I soon found out why when he said he and the band were running late on account of their drumming having what they thought was food poisoning.  From what I learned the drummer might have eaten some bad shellfish and was not in good shape causing multiple stops along the highway.  Greg did not know if he should take him to the hospital or just let him rest but he did know that he was having a tough time getting in touch with the tour managers and that the band was going to have to sit Friday night out.

Not wanting to take up too much more of their time I wished them luck and told him we could do an interview another time.  With all the hell going on Greg was super cool through the phone conversation and even texted me later in the evening letting me know that they were in fact not going to make it and were able to get a hold of Teenage Bottlerocket to let them know.  As bummed out as I was to not be able to see the Menzingers that night I was not about to be selfish about it and knew that health is way more important that rocking out.

I am just glad I checked my email when I did.

At around 5:30 we regrouped and headed over to my favorite Irish pub in Covington, Molly Malone’s.  Grabbing some dinner and a couple pints we just relaxed for a bit and talked about what we thought we would expect during the night.  I can tell you this, if you are ever in Covington, KY go to Molly Malone’s and get a pint of Guinness.  They pour it perfectly and even embed a shamrock on the head of the beer.  The food is pretty damn delicious too.

Deciding to hoof it to the Madison Theater we made it there in no time.  The place was like the Agora but with less isles to access the standing areas.  I already wrote about the show so if you missed it click HERE and read away.  Sadly I did not take a lot of photos at this venue but the couple I did are enough to remind me of the awesome evening.

Towards the end of the show a girl who sat by us in the balcony invited us to the Mad Hatter for a Loudmouth after party.  They were the band that started off the concert that night in case you missed my review of the show.  She kept saying NOFX was going there too but honestly I was not sure if that was really going to happen.  She was cool as hell to talk to and very nice but after talking with my gang we decided to skip it after we saw people handing fliers out for it.  I doubted my self a couple of times throughout the rest of the night but honestly I was happy with our decision to head back to Molly Malone’s for $1 Killians.

As we walked back to Molly Malone’s we kept talking smack to one another and bragged how much Killians we were each going to drink. As we rounded the corner we ran into a sketchy looking fellow who started talking to us about the Mad Hatter.  He kept eying up my camera I had in my hand and looked to size up Kolb.  For a brief moment I thought that there might have been an incident brewing up but soon realized the kid was just hammered and so was his friend who was pissing in the alley.

Molly Malone’s was packed when we got there.  I bought the first round and as we drank our tiny little plastic cupped Killians we realized we would rather just go back to the hotel.  Good thing we did because they closed the patio as we were finishing up and I really did not want to listen to the cover band that was playing in the pub.

Me and Pete with special guest Kolb in the back...

Did you know that in Kentucky they stop selling alcohol at 1am at most gas stations and stores?  We didn’t.  We found that our rather quickly and chose to try and find a bar within walking distance to have a couple more drinks.  While doing so we met up with these two guys who said they saw NOFX too.  We all thought we found a sports bar but it was closed.  The two guys pointed down the street to another bar they said they just came from and told us they would meet us there.  After a failed attempt at buying beer at a BP we decided to head over there.  The place was called Joy’s and it was DEAD.

For about an hour we sat and had drinks and started talking about 9/11 of all things.  Funny what alcohol does to bring back those memories you try and not think of often.  Still, it was good conversation with some of my favorite people in the world.  Joy finally asked us to leave around 2:30 in the morning so we thanked her for letting us hang out at her bar and were going to call it a night – or so we thought.

Late night hunger crept up on us all.  Kolb decided to go back to BP for snacks and the rest of us were going to try and fight the urge until we saw there was a White Castle right in front of our freaking hotel.  We must have waited 10 minutes before we came to our senses and got out of there.  During that 10 minutes we made fun of drunks who were passed out at various tables including one guy who was old enough to be my grandfather.  We were not that drunk and we sure did not need stomach aches so back to the hotel we went and we grabbed some overpriced snacks at the front desk.  Yum…Combos.

Saturday morning came way too soon but as much as I wanted to sleep in I knew I had to get up and start the day.  What better way to start the day than an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet???  Let’s just say there is nothing like a giant Belgian waffle, a made-to-order omelette, and a pot of coffee to get your day started.  I did not eat nearly as someone else who’s name I will not mention did but lets just say a dozen eggs may have been used up rather quickly…

Pete and Mary Alice wanted to check out some place called the Creation Museum that was about 20 minutes away.  I will be sure to put a link RIGHT HERE once they post something on their blog about this place.  From what they told me later on this place believed dinosaurs and humans coexisted and Earth was only 4000 years old.  Now I am not that religious but I studied my ass off in science and history classes and spite what my folks think paid attention in Sunday school…  I was not having it and did not want to go.  Plus I heard they take their beliefs very seriously and if you make a mockery out of them the place will ask you to leave.  I am not about to pay money only to be thrown out after three minutes from laughing my ass off.

So I dropped Pete and Mary Alice off at the Creation Museum and headed to Newport, KY with Kolb to catch a movie while they learned about dinosaurs and bibles.  Kolb and I caught The Losers (I thought it was great in case you were wondering) on the big screen and then returned to the Creation Museum to pick up the happy couple.  I kept my fingers crossed that they would not be in white robes waiting for me outside the establishment.  Luckily they were not brainwashed when I picked them up and even bought me a bumper sticker!

Time was speeding by so we canceled our trip to Ikea and Shake-It Records in favor of having dinner with a very close friend of mine and his soon to be new family.  We opted to have Thai at some mom and pop place down the street from his house.  The place was frigging amazing.  That might have been the best pad thai with tofu I had ever had in my life.  Their sushi was less than desirable but the main encore was perfect.

I really wish we had more time to kill as we were all enjoying ourselves at dinner but we all had to head home after dinner.  We said our goodbyes and headed back to Columbus.  We said goodbye to Pete and Mary Alice and continued home.

It was the quickest day in history if you ask me and before I knew it the sun was setting and I was just getting on to I-76 about to get back to reality.  It was a great hangout with friends that included a great punk show.  I needed that…

I am already thinking about my next road trip.  Gaslight Anthem in Detroit or Columbus this July anyone?

Cincinnati, Folk, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Photography, Punk, Review, Road Trip, Ska, The Awesome

The Fermented & Flailing Tour Featuring NOFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, & Tony Sly – Madison Theater – Covington, KY – 04/30/2010 – Concert Review

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Punk rockers of all shapes, sizes, and age filled up the Madison Theater last Friday night to see the Fermented & Flailing Tour in Covington, KY.  The tour, featuring long time independent punkers NOFX with special guests Teenage Bottlerocket as well as Tony Sly of No Use For A Name (NUFAN), did not make it to Northern Ohio during this tour as much as I would have like it to have, but I did the next best thing and drove 4 hours to the tour and do not regret it one bit.

I was highly bummed out when I arrived to Covington in the afternoon as I found out first hand that another band that has been touring with them, The Menzingers, were cancelling their performance that night due to food poisoning.  I was actually on the phone with Greg, the guitarist of the band, trying to set up an interview with them before the show when he informed me that they were behind in schedule and considering going to a hospital as their drummer, and friend, was not in good shape.  As much as I wished I could have seen this amazing up and coming band I understood the situation and wish them luck.  There is always a next time.

The Madison Theater was packed by the time I got there and after scoping out the area and seeing how inconvenient the photo area was I decided to forfeit the idea of getting up close and snapping some shots of the bands.  As much as I wanted to it just was not a good idea.  The stage overlapped the sectioned off area and there was hardly enough room for the bouncers to stand there and do their thing.  Not to mention this venue did not have adequate isles or areas where people could move freely around the sides.  I made my choice and was ok with it.  I was still able to snap off a couple shots but more importantly I still was going to enjoy the show.

Locals Loudmouth opened the night with their impressive 90’s inspired pop punk / ska sounds.  There were a ton of fans in the house that were very aware of who this act was who hail from the Cincinnati / Covington areas.  Their lead singer admitted that he had “whiskey hawk” in between songs and pointed at the green mat of hair on his head promising that he tried to get it up over and over.  The band clearly was stoked to be sharing the stage with members of the Fat Wreck Chords family and put forth a great set.  I am kicking myself still as I missed their merch table after the show but I plan on looking into these guys some more very soon.

Tony Sly, seasoned punk rocker and front man of NUFAN, took the stage with his acoustic guitar in hand and informed the crowd he wanted to play some songs.  The response some of the crowd gave him was disrespectful as they booed him.  Sly did not let that bother him and played songs off this new album such as “Keira” and “Already Won”.  I know I was excited to hear “Toaster In The Bathtub” and “Soulmate”, a NUFAN cover that I could not help but sing along with.

I cannot say that everyone in house was rude to him but there were enough drunk fools around where I was that just went overboard making fun of him to make my blood boil.  Perhaps an acoustic set was not what those concert goers were looking for that night but I think what pissed me off the most was that all the folk who were mocking and booing him literally had no idea who he was.  This guy helped pave the punk rock road that these kids were standing on and they had no idea who he was – I guess I just wish those coming to early conclusions could have been a little more educated.

The brave Sly continued through his set and thanked everyone for listening to him.  An intimate performance down the street at Molly Malone’s may have been more appropriate for his set but honestly I was not complaining and was thrilled to have finally seen him live on his own.  Still I could not believe how many so-called punk rockers booed him…

Power pop punks Teenage Bottlerocket (TBR) delivered a killer set opening with “Skate Or Die” and pretty much did not  break until their last song.  Their punk rock thrash assault on the crowd had the tightly packed venue going insane with tracks like “Bigger Than Kiss”, “I Don’t Wanna Go” and of course brought more calamity when they announced they were going to play “30 Seconds Of Rad” and commanded all to a pogo throw-down.  Their set was fun, fast, and just what was needed to get the fans ready for the headliner.  Most folk there that night may have solely came to see NOFX but I am positive that they left glad they were there in time to see Teenage Bottlerocket do their thing.

The venue seemed much warmer once TBR left the stage and was filled with smoke from cigarettes and other substances.  I decided to head up to the balcony area and I did so just in time as NOFX emerged on stage.  The foursome clearly was pre-gaming it a bit before performing that night but did not hesitate to play for all who paid to see them.  Greeting the crowd Fat Mike noticed a fan in a wheelchair and asked her to be brought onto stage.  After words were exchanged between band and bouncer the girl finally emerged to the left of the stage and had the best seat in the house.  The band said they had a song they were going to play her later as she reminded them of someone they once wrote a song for.  Fans all over cheered in approval.

The rest of the night was just a blur of NOFX tracks from their lengthy catalog, insults from the band to the crowd, and just overall madness.  At one brief moment Fat Mike hinted that the band was thinking about playing “The Decline” but a fan in the crowd told him that he played it last time they were in Covington so not wanting to repeat himself Fat Mike said never mind and then joked that the band was thinking of playing Heavy Petting Zoo in it’s entirety.  Sadly that did not happen either and I was rather  bummed out as I have always wanted to hear “The Decline” live.

Poking fun at the crowd, they yelled at fans for waving erratically at them and even pointed out a couple ICP Juggalos who apparently were not ashamed to show up in painted faces.  The fans took the insults just fine and some chose to throw their drinks on stage soaking Fat Mike more than once.

The band did play tons of tracks including “Bob”, “Linoleum”, “Murder The Government” and even “Cokie The Clown” with Eric Melvin lending his pipes.  At one moment El Hefe picked up his trumpet and started playing the opening notes to “Arming The Proletariant With Potato Guns” and I honestly felt privileged as this was the second time I had seen NOFX play the song in less than a year.  They may have had a hard time getting through the jokes this time around but it was still hilarious.

Other tracks the band played included “Kill All The White Man”, “Franco Un-American”, the tear jerking “My Orphan Year”, “Bottles To The Ground”, and even “The Brews” which was the perfect sing along for a Friday night punk rock show.  After a quick encore which included the highly anticipated “She’s Nubs” dedication to the girl who had been on stage all evening the band slowly left the stage while Eric Melvin serenaded the crowd with his accordion skills.  Dodging their stagehand/keyboardist Melvin kept playing songs to everyone for what felt like ten minutes before finally giving up his instrument and calling it a night.

The band may have screwed up on a lot of their songs, were off key more than once, and did not look entirely thrilled to be playing that night but I would never expect anything else.  It was NOFX, they can do whatever the hell they want to do during their show and I would leave satisfied.  Having seen them tons of times in span of 15+ years I know what to expect from the foursome who just do what they want and don’t care what you think.  I can admit that as long as they continue to tour I will be making my best effort to see them live because a NOFX show is just that damn entertaining.

Cincinnati, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Punk, Road Trip

Road Trip: Fermented & Flailing Tour Feat. NOFX – Covington, KY

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I will be embarking on my first road trip of the year with my good pals this weekend to see NOFX, Tony Sly, Teenage Bottlerocket, and The Menzingers play at the Madison Theater. 

Fat Mike is not looking so fat as of late...

I am beyond stoked to see such a line up and will be covering it so expect a full review of the shows and my personal shenanigans before, after, and during.

Until then, have a good one!

00's, 90's, Cleveland, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Review, Rock, Solo

Ben Folds & A Piano – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH – 04/15/2010 – Concert Review

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Every once in a while I like to go to a concert to enjoy it and not worry about trying to take a ton of pictures and take notes to try and make a vivid review of my experience.  Honestly I do not mind doing it but sometimes it is nice just to sit back and soak in a performance by a great musician.  Thanks to my pal Matt from that Addicted To Vinyl website, I got to do just that enjoy an amazing performance by one of my favorite pianists out there, Mr. Bed Folds – and yet I could not help but write a little something about it.

It’s been years since I actually waited in line for a show before the doors opened but only because I needed to try and score a good spot for Matt and special guest.  A lot has changed over those years too come to think.  Back in the day I used to park blocks away from a venue for free or cheap parking and then wait upwards to an hour just to get a close spot to the stage.  These days I am feeling rather pretentious as I hand my keys over to a valet just around the corner and mosey in a venue whenever I feel like it.

I don’t need to be close to the stage anymore.  I have been there and still have scars to prove it.  I am perfectly contempt hanging in the shadows soaking in a live show.  In other words – I am getting older.  I am not old yet but you can bet your ass when I am old I will still be going to shows.

Matt Pond opened up the night for the sold out crowd at the House of Blues in Cleveland.  I am not sure really how I felt about his performance.  He was talented and had a singing style that kept reminding me of The Verve Pipe but it just lacked oomph.  With just Matt Pond and a guitarist on stage it didn’t have that energy needed to warm up the crowd enough.  Luckily with good conversation and a couple of PBRs the opener thanked the crowd and left the stage.

With just a piano on stage and also a black mat with a couple mics surrounding it, Folds casually walked onto the stage and the place erupted in cheer.  The more modern day Elton John, but much more vulgar, took a seat on his stool, greeted the crowd and began playing “Free Coffee” followed by “Annie Waits”, a song I should add was deemed “my jam” my our special guest of the evening.

I was thrilled to hear “All You Can Eat” which might be one of my favorite songs by Folds.  As I sang along I just was happy and enjoying myself with good friends and amazing music.  Of course that had to be interrupted.  Every single time Matt and I hang out something stupid happens.  I will explain in a moment.

Not only is Folds an amazing pianist but he is also a story teller and just hilarious to listen to.  Throughout the night in between songs I found myself cracking up at his remarks and comments be it him talking about the next song that he would play or just responding to the crowd.  It was not just the man on stage those being funny, there were some witty folk in the crowd as well.  I still laugh to myself at the fan who loudly and randomly said “Hi Ben” that just about caused Folds to even lose his concentration.

I might as well mention the other kinds of fans that were there…you know those fans.  The ones that pay money to see an artist and just talk through the whole set.  The ones that scream stupid things at the wrong moment thinking they are funny but results in a pissed off surrounding crowd.

Sadly I had a group of loud mouthed supposed fans behind where I was perched and they just had to lose all control of the volume of their voice and talk about how good their dinner was.  I finally could not take it and turned around and asked nicely for them to lower their voices so I could hear Folds play, you know, the guy who the tickets were purchased for.  I thought everything was fine and they seemed to agree until a hot head in the gang started yelling at me.  I did not take that kindly, exchanged some more words with “F”, “S”, and “A” being the first letters of those words and finally turned around.  They kept a respectful level of chit-chat after that.  I was so pissed off that I missed out on a couple of songs and apparently during my incident Folds was taking requests from the crowd on what songs to play next.

I was not the only one who had this issue either.  From all over the venue you could hear people screaming “shut up” to people who apparently like to spend money to sold out shows just so they could ignore the music and talk loudly.

So by the time I focused on the show Folds was holding a maraca in head and started playing the fake version of “Bitch Went Nutz” using the maraca and his fingers on the microphone to aid in a percussion of sorts.  It was awesome and it just got better from there as Folds played a brand new song from his up coming album he has been recording with Nick Hornby.  The song was called “Levi Johnston’s Blues” and is was all about Sarah Palin’s daughter’s former fiance.  I laughed my ass off during this song and well as nodded my head along with.

Another highlight to the evening for me was when Folds played “Steven’s Last Night In Town” a stagehand ran out with a tom drum so that Folds could play the ending beat.  While beating on the tom Folds and stagehand made way to the black mat I spoke of previously and as Folds played the tom the stagehand kept bringing out pieces and parts to the set until it was a full kit and Folds then played a crowd approving drum solo.

Instead of returning to the piano Folds took it upon himself to play “Hiro’s Song” while playing the drums.  He also added in a little freestyle song in so that no one would be able to sing along.  He then returned to the piano and played “The Luckiest” followed by the always amazing “Rock This Bitch”, which was requested by a fan.

The crowd helped with “Not The Same” adding a chilling harmony at Folds’ request.  Leave it to some drunk ass who sung out of key on purpose for a brief moment to piss off, one again, his surrounding neighbors.  “Shut the f— up” was screamed at the moron by another fan which apparently got some other drunks excited and they started shouting out stuff.  Way to go drunk-tards of Cleveland for adding your spice to an amazing song.  Seriously, thanks.

Playing “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces” Folds just beat the hell out of his piano as the crowd went nuts.  I am always in awe watching him play live, it is something that needs to be seen.  Striking the last note of the song Folds took his stool slammed it on the piano and left the stage.

Luckily he returned for an encore as it was apparent the crown was not done just yet.  Playing “Rockin’ The Suburbs” the crowd once again erupted in approval and sang along.  Ending the near two hour set Folds merged into “Song For The Dumped” and upon finishing it thanked Cleveland and left the stage.

It was a great concert, the kind where you leave satisfied and talk about the show all the way to your car, or to the valet in my case.  I was thrilled to hear so many Ben Folds Five songs played as well as hearing some of the other tracks from albums like Rockin’ The Suburbs and Songs For Silverman.  I can admit I was not the biggest fan of Way To Normal but regardless I enjoyed the selections he performed from that release as well.  Folds was on top of his game as always and put forth a great solo show to all.  I can not wait till he comes back next time, hopefully with Nick Hornby…that would be amazing.

Here’s a review of a Ben Folds performance at an over sized venue and free for students resulting in even more annoyance for the true fans.

Set List:
Free Coffee
Annie Waits
Sentimental Guy
Effington
Time
Landed
All U Can Eat
Brainwascht
Gone
Bitch Went Nutz (Fake Version)
Levi Johnston’s Blues (new track featuring lyrics by Nick Hornsby)
Picture Window
You Don’t Know Me
Still Fighting It
Zak and Sara
Steven’s Last Night in Town (Ben Folds Five Cover)
Hiro’s Song
The Luckiest
Rock This Bitch
Emaline (Ben Folds Five cover)
(Unknown)
Army (Ben Folds Five cover)
Not the Same
One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces (Ben Folds Five cover)

Encore:
Rockin’ the Suburbs
Song for the Dumped (Ben Folds Five cover)

Cleveland, Empty Wallet, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, The Awesome

Record Store Day 2010

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In T-minus just under 4 days, vinyl lovers around the world will once again have their day…


Actually music lovers can have that day too as Record Store Day, which falls on the third Saturday of April, will turn a seemingly normal Saturday into a limited edition, independent music store, sales boosting, event with plenty of live music around the states (and even world).

With a ton of releases this year it is going to be an exciting day for many music lovers out there.  Check out the full list of limited presses on vinyl from some of your favorite artists.  I know there are a few in there I hope to acquire…

Focusing on Cleveland, since that is my city, I thought I would just post a few things going on this Saturday beginning around the noon o’clock hour.

I will mainly be in the Waterloo district in the good ol’ North Collinwood area with friends this year.  The day will revolve around indie record stores Music Saves and Blue Arrow Records, two stores I should add I have become very familiar with over the past year, as well as all the other amazing shops that line up Waterloo.  At one point I may have to escape with Matt over to E. 185th to grab some grub from Chili Peppers but I will return back to the fun once I am full of their delicious food.

The stores in the area will open at noon and I can only imagine the lines that will be forming before the stores even unlock their doors.  With quantities limited, and of course the always awesome eBay resellers who know they can make a profit off of some of the vinyls (thanks for that btw, jerks), it is best to get there early.

Music Saves was kind enough to make a list of the vinyl they hope to have in stock but they will not know until the day of.  No holds either in case you were wondering…  I am bummed to see a blue line through the Get Up Kids on that list.  Oh well.  Also if you get there in time there might be some grab bags give out along with other random things to all who partake in the purchasing of goods.

What is even cooler is that Music Saves (MS) and Blue Arrow Records (BA) will be featuring free indoor/outdoors DJ events / shows throughout the day for all to check out.

* 4:30PM – White Hinterland DJs – MS
* 5PM – DJ Will Rigby (drummer for the dB’s and Steve Earle) – BA
* 5:30PM – The Lighthouse and the Whaler – MS
* 6PM – Prisoners – BA
* 6:30PM – The Muttering Retreats – MS
* 7PM – Tasty Cakes – BA
* 7:30PM – Cloud Nothings – MS
* 8PM – Party Sweat – BA

To close the big day the Beachland Ballroom will host a 9PM show featuring Dosh, White Hinterland, and locals The Sleep.

It’s going to be a great day/night so if you have nothing going on head out to Waterloo and have some fun!