Concert Watch Fall/Winter 2017

[B-Ball-fan]

"This Year" was the first tune of theirs I ever heard. Will always love that one.

 

I go back and forth between that one and "No Children". Completely depends on the day.

 

Saw the Mountain Goats merely by accident in Covington in 2007 because my reason for attending was for the warmup band Bowerbirds from North Carolina who were touring their debut "Hymns for a Dark Horse".

 

I had briefly researched MG before attending, and saw that they were at the time touring their 10th release, and I was too overwhelmed by that to do much more than listen to a few tracks to familiarize myself with their sound.

 

At the time I sorta recall thinking that they might've sounded like a less cynical Violent Femmes, or similarly vocally to the guy in The Pansy Division without all the punk, but now I think I'm feeling like bands like Death Cab, and The Postal Service have probably been influenced by them, and if I wasn't late enough to the party on their 10th release, I'm even much more late now on their 16th.

 

If WNKU plays them I tend to recognize that its them from singer's distinct voice, yet I haven't a clue where to start to check out their essentials, and I have a hunch that with 16 releases, a fan of theirs would rack their brain trying to point me in the necessary direction, but something tells be through your discussion here that I should at least check out "This Year", and "No Children".

[B-Ball-fan]

"This Year" was the first tune of theirs I ever heard. Will always love that one.

 

I go back and forth between that one and "No Children". Completely depends on the day.

 

In a way I'm also hearing Wally Pleasant.

[FarBeyondDriven]

Had no clue that there was a Zakk Sabbath (but I'm intrigued, and am listing to them do War Pigs as I'm typing this), but have you heard of Mac Sabbath??? - (Parody Sabbath band where lead singer is Ronald McDonald, and his bandmates are characters such as the Hamburgler, where every song is stupidly changed to represent food, for example "Iron Man" becomes "Frying Pan"). I didn't go but they played the Woodward on Main in OTR back in mid-March, as well as a show in Lexington a day or so later.

 

As you probably know by now, Zakk Sabbath is Sabbath tribute by Zakk Wylde, who has been guitarist for Ozzy off and on for almost 30 years. Zakk also has his own gig for the last 20 years in Black Label Society.

[FarBeyondDriven]

Had no clue that there was a Zakk Sabbath (but I'm intrigued, and am listing to them do War Pigs as I'm typing this), but have you heard of Mac Sabbath??? - (Parody Sabbath band where lead singer is Ronald McDonald, and his bandmates are characters such as the Hamburgler, where every song is stupidly changed to represent food, for example "Iron Man" becomes "Frying Pan"). I didn't go but they played the Woodward on Main in OTR back in mid-March, as well as a show in Lexington a day or so later.

 

 

Have not heard Mac Sabbath.

[FarBeyondDriven]

The warmup band for Mac Sabbath was called Okilly Dokilly that played like a grindcore death metal where each member of the band dressed as Ned Flanders from the Simpsons. This tunes actually rocks even while the're obviously doing it tongue in cheek.

 

 

Good stuff, and funny.

[B-Ball-fan]

@Hangman , not sure if you were aware or not, but Jason Isbell is doing a two-night stint at the Louisville Palace in December. I can't remember if it's a Thursday/Friday or a Friday/Saturday combo, but I'm still considering whether or not I'm going to go. It's at the Palace, which means it's going to cost at least 60 bucks or so for the wife and I to both go, and it would make at least the 12th or 13th time I've seen him.

 

Still making my mind up about that.

 

Yeah, I did see that. Probably going to have to skip out on that this year. I saw him at EKU earlier this year and then at the Palace on NYE a couple of years ago. It's really the perfect venue for him (the perfect venue in generally, in my eyes.)

 

I'd love to go, but unless someone gifts me some tickets we're trying to save a little cash right now. Commuting from Pikeville to Louisville, Cincinnati, and Lexington for shows gets pricy.

 

If you happen to make the Fri. Dec. 15th performance, the warmup is a guy named Ruston Kelly who honed his skills in the Cincinnati band "Elmwood" about 7 years ago before splittin' off to Nashville to launch his solo career.

 

He certainly can live on his own talents, but it doesn't hurt any that he just became engaged to award winning country artist Kacey Musgraves.

 

First heard him at a free riverside festival in Bellevue a couple of years back, and became transfixed by what I was first equating to a Ryan Adams vocal quality as well as a knack for writing and delivering instantly likable alt/country styled songs.

 

He's very pumped to be opening for Jason Isbell as he recently tweeted that he saw Isbell open for Ryan Adams a few moons ago at the same venue, and that he's jazzed to play with the dude. (I caught this same show at the Taft in Cincy).

 

Anyone who might peruse what music acts I push might either be tired of hearing me rave about him, or maybe some have even hopefully caught the bug too, and have dug deeper.

 

Between his "Bootleg Sessions" posted on Youtube about 4 years ago, and his more full band produced "Halloween" EP release from last year, there's a good handful of tunes worth checking out where not one of them IMO is a skipper.

 

With limited stage time warming up Isbell, my guess is that he'll concentrate heavily on tunes from his current EP, so if you do end up going and want to familiarize yourself with what he'll likely play, I recommend checking out...

 

-Black Magic

-Hurricane In My Head

-1000 Graves

-Hollywood

-Wildflower

-Poison (This tune kills me)

 

Here's "Black Magic"

 

[B-Ball-fan]

"Hurricane in my Head"

 

[B-Ball-fan]

"1000 Graves"

 

[B-Ball-fan]

"Hollywood"

 

[video=youtube;gDsXeVl9n-A]

[B-Ball-fan]

"Wildflower"

 

[B-Ball-fan]

"Poison" - This one tears my heart out...

 

[Hangman]

If you happen to make the Fri. Dec. 15th performance, the warmup is a guy named Ruston Kelly who honed his skills in the Cincinnati band "Elmwood" about 7 years ago before splittin' off to Nashville to launch his solo career.

 

He certainly can live on his own talents, but it doesn't hurt any that he just became engaged to award winning country artist Kacey Musgraves.

 

First heard him at a free riverside festival in Bellevue a couple of years back, and became transfixed by what I was first equating to a Ryan Adams vocal quality as well as a knack for writing and delivering instantly likable alt/country styled songs.

 

He's very pumped to be opening for Jason Isbell as he recently tweeted that he saw Isbell open for Ryan Adams a few moons ago at the same venue, and that he's jazzed to play with the dude. (I caught this same show at the Taft in Cincy).

 

Anyone who might peruse what music acts I push might either be tired of hearing me rave about him, or maybe some have even hopefully caught the bug too, and have dug deeper.

 

Between his "Bootleg Sessions" posted on Youtube about 4 years ago, and his more full band produced "Halloween" EP release from last year, there's a good handful of tunes worth checking out where not one of them IMO is a skipper.

 

With limited stage time warming up Isbell, my guess is that he'll concentrate heavily on tunes from his current EP, so if you do end up going and want to familiarize yourself with what he'll likely play, I recommend checking out...

 

-Black Magic

-Hurricane In My Head

-1000 Graves

-Hollywood

-Wildflower

-Poison (This tune kills me)

 

Here's "Black Magic"

 

 

I've done some listening this evening. Good stuff.

[B-Ball-fan]

I've done some listening this evening. Good stuff.

 

Thanks man...that's so cool that you checked him out, and I'm glad that you dug him.

 

That show in December is the last show listed on his 28 date national tour of shows mostly from July - September where he's supported Robert Earl Keen, Brandi Carlile, Pokey LaFarge, John Moreland, and oddly 3 upcoming dates in Sept. with Colin Hay from Men at Work in Texas.

 

I've no idea it he'll eventually do another leg on these batch of tunes, or if we'll have to wait for his first proper full length to see more touring from him.

 

Still I've no doubt that even if he does gain a bigger audience along the way enough to headline his own shows, initially it would still probably be reasonably priced gigs, so if you happen not to catch the Dec. more expensive Isbell show, there's always a chance of catching him before, if and when, he blows up, and as I suspect, while he continues to try to.

 

Can't say for sure, but I have a hunch that fans of alt/country will dig him enough to see his name begin to circulate a little more as time goes by. I hope so, because I was really hoping for a Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky date this time around, but it just wasn't to be.

 

On a side note: Though I realize that it's mostly all about exposure, it's always been peculiar to me that many fans of mainstream country haven't much seemed to take to, or even notice alt/country.

 

It would seem to me that there'd be so much about it that they would like.

 

Since it's not mixed into the format of most country radio stations, then it's a hard sell to drop names of bands or singer/songwriters on folks who've never heard of them before, but there are just so many elements about it that hit right to heart of what real deal country is about.

 

Not that Mellencamp is mainstream country, but I attended his show years ago where Son Volt was the warmup on their amazing debut, and was so sure that the crowd would really dig them only to watch people mostly yawn, or chat all the way through the set.

 

Sure, they weren't familiar with the material, but some of their tunes are just so instantly likable.

 

I was so glad that I had previously caught them during a club gig because honestly the uninterested chatty audience pretty much ruined the show for me that I was seriously anticipating.

 

In defense of Mellencamp's audience I do get that most were just more preoccupied with getting oiled up before he hit the stage, and as I recall there sure were a boat load of drunk people at that show. :lol2:

 

I suppose that modern day mainstream country has a polished pop sheen about it that alt/country doesn't have, but having said that, to me alt/country can sometimes be more like real deal traditional country than even today's mainstream country.

[Habib]

Finally saw Sturgill Simpson over the weekend, and, man, it did not disappoint.

 

I was expecting his full band, horn section and all, but it was just Sturgill, an organ, bass, and drums on a sparse stage setup. And they melted our collective faces off.

 

I knew he was a great guitar player, but mostly as a country picker with a fast right hand. But he was handling rhythm and lead by himself and killed it. It seemed just about every song had a monster guitar break too.

 

One of the best shows I've seen in a while.

[B-Ball-fan]

Ruston Kelly - Monday - 9/25

 

Musical guest on Seth Meyers