Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Brandon Berry

WYSO Presents snarls, Jess Lamb and the Factory with Siri Imani, and Dos.Grandiose

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WYSO 91.3 FM and The Brightside are teaming up to celebrate the southern hemisphere of Ohio music — Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati representing — with a benefit show to support WYSO on Friday, May 3, 2024.

 

Indie rock’s snarls (Columbus), soul’s Jess Lamb and the Factory with Siri Imani (Cincinnati), and hip-hop’s Dos.Grandiose are set to perform, blending an eclectic and electric night of live music.

The show coincides with the release of snarls’ second LP, With Love; a two-fer-one in an already three-fer-one show! See the music video for snarls’ single “Heavy Drinker” for the VHS-era fun video-pop vibes they’ll surely bring to Dayton. They were also deemed Five Guys’ Artist of the Month for April 2024. (Yes, the burger restaurant.)

snarls is Chlo White, Riley Hall, and Mick Martinez, who are all worthy of capital letters, even if their collective name is spelled otherwise. (Though the sources on that capitalization do vary.)

Jess Lamb can simultaneously harness a quivering, devastating voice like Tracy Chapman and command a room like Janis. (Yes, that one.) Lamb received worldwide recognition with an appearance on American Idol, though the Over-the-Rhine dream pop-soul tunes Jess Lamb and the Factory make would’ve caught our attention regardless of J-Lo’s input.

Alongside Lamb at the Brightside show is Siri Imani who can spit out the perfect amount of words within the ideal amount of syllables, stamping exclamation marks on everything she’s featured on.

Dayton’s performer/songwriter — and self-proclaimed cannabis connoisseur — Dos.Grandiose toys with trap and lo-fi beats while sprinkling in his brand of synth-based funk. To prep, check out the Bad Genes presents: Star Platinum EP with Dos.Grandiose and Zola182.

The three-act night is so mixed it’ll be like you’re listening to the radio — but in person. And what better way to do that than at The Brightside, for WYSO by WYSO?

 

**How to Go?**

Friday, May 3, 2024

The Brightside at 905 E 3rd St, Dayton

Doors 7 pm / Show 8 pm

All ages welcome!

Tickets $20 advance: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/99957/orders/new#/

There are limited VIP tickets available with reserved seating (includes 4 tickets)

Tickets available at the door: $25 day of show

Special thanks to our sponsors Yellow Springs Brewery and Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe

Sam King + The Suspects and Strange Ranger at The Brightside

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Strange Ranger is pairing up with Sam King + The Suspects for a night of jazz, funk, rock, soul, and folk for a double-header show at the Brightside.

With an expansive repertoire like that, there’s gonna be a little something for everyone and a little of everything for someone — it’s like a three-day music fest packed into one night for the price of a couple of PBRs.

Dayton’s Strange Ranger — not to be confused with the Portland indie rock band of the same name — is, to borrow a word from the Romans, a badass triumvirate: Rob Brockman holds down the fort (the thumping backbeat); Rob Thaxton licks up his basslines; and Chris Coat commands the fretboard like a stoic.

Again, three for the price of one.

Sam King has a powerhouse voice further cemented by The Suspects she plays alongside. King wailed on the vocal solo in “The Great Gig in the Sky” in Black Jacket Symphony’s tribute to Pink Floyd and carved out a folky act back home, à la Joni Mitchell. Plus, opening up for Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire last year ain’t too shabby to have on a resume either.

Sam King + The Suspects have an acoustic set prepared as their drummer heals from an injury; Strange Ranger is the same as it ever was.

We’ve got a supportive music community here in Dayton; no band seems to step on another band’s toes to get ahead, and they often go the extra mile to say nice things about each other.

So, with that said, here is Strange Ranger on Sam King, and Sam King on Strange Ranger:

Strange Ranger: “Sam is an incredible musician supported by a group of other incredible musicians! They have such a great blend of soul, rock, and folk. We think it’s going to be an awesome mix that will highlight the similarities in our sounds but also showcase the diverse influences.”

Sam King: “It’s an honor to share an evening and stage with Strange Ranger. Their resumes are beyond impressive but beyond that, they’re incredible people who always put the music first. You can tell that they just dig every second of playing together and that’s a gift to witness. The Brightside has always done a sensational job of showcasing bands like that. I think the sets will be complimentary as some of our similar influences come through.”

There you have it, with a Brightside compliment to boot: nothin’ but good vibes, and nothin’ but a good time. How can you resist?

Sam King + The Suspects and Strange Ranger are playing The Brightside (905 E 3rd St, Dayton, Ohio 45402) on Thursday, April 18. Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Show is at 8 p.m. All ages are welcome. Presale tickets are $10 at VenuePilot, $15 at the door.

An Interview with Arland’s Greg Bowers

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Photo by Bobby Te

Greg Bowers is the vocalist and composer for the Dayton project, Arland. I sat down to chat with him in his Belmont home about the band, ballads, Black Sabbath, and his upcoming single, “The Day My Dream Comes True” (out April 8, 2024).

_______________________

Arland is your middle name?

GREG BOWERS: Yep, exactly. Exactly.

So with this project being mostly you, why not call it “Greg Bowers?”

BOWERS: I don’t know if you’ve ever searched Greg Bowers online but there is a jazz pianist who will come up. That’s my uncle. He releases music under that moniker, so I had to do something else. But, [Arland is] a very interesting name. It’s the single-name thing.

With building a band in the studio — without exactly having one — what does playing music ideally look like for you?

BOWERS: At this current stage, it’s not so much about playing music as it is the composing and writing of it, and eventually releasing it. I do need that band so I can actually start to go out and play music more consistently.

I think the beauty of what is happening with music right now is that bands can just exist on record. The live music aspect, as a form of getting the music out there, expands reach, but bands can exist without performing.

BOWERS: Yeah.

I know from the way you just said yeah that you wouldn’t want it that way.

BOWERS: It’s not so much that I wouldn’t want it that way, but I haven’t experienced it [as a band yet]. 

If you were able to make it work solely in the studio, would you do that?

BOWERS: I think I might. I consider myself a writer — a musician. So from that perspective, being able to focus on writing songs, composing songs — that’s what really appeals to me. Playing music is cool. But for me, the focus is really on telling these stories and getting them out there.

What kind of music were you influenced by?

BOWERS: I grew up in this very religious environment. And so we had a lot of your more traditional [Contemporary Christian music]-type stuff. Eventually, I started to move toward the crossovers. There were a few metalcore bands. Have you heard of August Burns Red? They’re metalcore.

No, but you can throw “-core” after anything and I generally understand what you’re saying. 

BOWERS: So metalcore, from my understanding, tends to be very heavy: lots of uncleans, but also lots of cleans. High soaring vocals, and very melodic guitars, as well. I was, and still am, very focused on the vocal side of things. I used to listen to Josh Groban, as well. Very vocally-focused.

I know how [Reel Love Recording Company Producer] Pat [Himes] works in the studio; he likes to double a lot of things. And when I’m listening to your vocals, I believe that’s what’s going on. There are points when I think you sound a little like Ozzy [Osbourne].

BOWERS: Ozzy. Interesting.

Have you ever gotten that comparison?

BOWERS: I have never listened to Ozzy Osbourne or Black Sabbath.

Ever?

BOWERS: Ever. So that’s interesting.

That blows my mind.

BOWERS: I have a really weird musical background. 

We’ve gotta listen to some before I leave.

BOWERS: Sounds good.

So you released “Islands” in January 2022, which, for lack of a better word, is a ballad. There are movements, but…

BOWERS: One thing I have trouble with is music genres. What is a ballad? What is a ballad to you?

When I think of ballads, I think of hair metal that goes soft. Guns N’ Roses doing “Patience” or “November Rain.” Softer songs, but whoever’s pushing it has a heavier oeuvre. It doesn’t always have to be like that. There are just sweet people… are you confused by the ballad label?

BOWERS: I am, yeah. It’s not like I mind it at all. To my extremely limited and miniscule understanding, I’ve always kind of perceived a ballad as a “piano ballad,” or it’s a literal piano song. 

You say you have an extremely limited understanding, but it sounds like you have a firm grasp of music in general.

BOWERS: I guess my term is “rock opera.” Movements, stories you’re telling somewhat through the lyrics, through the sections of music, sometimes through the music itself, to introduce a different feel — those types of things. Structurally, I’m definitely doing things but I don’t have great terms for them.

It’s interesting that you say it like this because I thought your second release “Day Breaks” also felt like a ballad. Your new song, “The Day My Dream Comes True,” isn’t necessarily a ballad but it has elements of one. But when I first heard your music a couple of years ago [via a Google Drive link], I heard screamo. And maybe that’s another term you don’t agree with, but there was something on the verge of screaming happening. So with these three releases being so much softer than the other stuff, what’s the choice to frontload those softer sounds?

BOWERS: At this point, there’s no guarantee there’s actual metal coming out, but there might be. The idea of frontloading, I guess, is hinged upon that. 

You don’t disagree with the metal label?

BOWERS: No. I guess I don’t understand the metal side of things for the piano ballad. I’ve talked about a lot of this artsy-fartsy stuff, but I view “Islands” in a sort of quantum superposition, of being chronologically placed after my first two albums. But if you listen to the story or the message, it works well as a debut song.

So you’re saying that what you’re doing right now is George Lucas making the first Star Wars movie.

BOWERS: I don’t know if this will be anywhere near as successful, but I guess. 

But that’s the idea behind it: “Islands” could be a stand on its own, but to give context there is also a prequel series in the form of those first two albums.

BOWERS: So when I was thinking about my debut single, something that really gets out there, I was thinking about these first two albums and the story they tell and where it all leads. And so it does all tie together in that sense, narratively.

If you had to boil down that narrative thread, what is that narrative thread? 

BOWERS: It’s just a general person’s philosophy changing as they go through things, eventually sort of culminating in “Islands.” So that’s the trick: The answer is out there, but it’s not going to be obvious what it actually means until you’ve heard those first two albums.

When are we getting the first two albums?

BOWERS: The plan is [to release] “The Day My Dream Comes True” on April 8. Hopefully then, within the next few months or so, I’ll get the album out. It’s all written, basically all the music is recorded. We’re trying to get some strings in. And then do the final mix, mastering, that sort of stuff. Second album, obviously the lyrics are all written. [I’m] in the midst of writing the music. So, two or three years. Something like that.

To have it all.

BOWERS: Or at least this stage of it all. 

This new song [“The Day My Dream Comes True”] feels like a breakup — with someone or something. And that’s not definitive, of course; that’s just my interpretation. But do you think you’ll ever come out with the true meaning, or will you always keep things vague? Not just for this song, but for everything. 

BOWERS: It’s hard to say whether that’d be a good idea or fits where I want things to be in five years when this story is done. There are other songs that are more explicit. Other singles, other album ideas. This one in particular is much more open-ended.

In a world where everything is quick and constant, does it concern you that this long-term plan will be lost on people?

BOWERS: I don’t really worry about it, but I recognize that it’s absolutely a possibility. People are going to consume things at their own rate, to their own interests, and that’s fine. I still think in this perspective of telling a grander story across songs, across an album. Ultimately, all I can do is put out what I feel like I need to put out. And if people like it, they like it. 

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After the interview, I gave Greg Bowers a tour of Black Sabbath’s catalog — from “Paranoid” to “Iron Man” to “War Pigs” but nothing seemed to catch on. I think he might’ve been confused by the whole comparison, and I suppose I was a little confused, as well.

Arland’s third single, “The Day My Dream Comes True,” along with its music video, will be released on the day of the Solar Eclipse, April 8, 2024. The significance of that is up for interpretation.

Dayton Debut: The Jared Stout Band

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The Jared Stout Band is making their Dayton debut on April 4 at the Brightside.

Based outta Roanoke, VA, these fellas are a healthy blend of forward and backward trucker hats, smoky bars, pool sharks, whiskeys, brewskies, and spontaneous makeout sessions on dancefloors with women fresh outta love (see: the music video for their song, “Cost”).

A little alt-country and a little alt-rock ‘n’ roll, the band could sonically fit on a good chunk of American radio stations. You’ll find most of it here: finger-picking, semi-hollows, acoustics, electrics, solos, harmonicas and shakers, but I think we can all agree that staying true to their Appalachian roots and leaving the ten-gallons to the cowpokes — and opting for the truckers mentioned above — was the appropriate aesthetic choice.

Opening the show is local singer-songwriter favorite (and New Old-Fashioned frontman), David Payne, who is also a big fan of hats.

I reached out to The Jared Stout Band via Instagram for some inane questions and they (ostensibly Stout) were gracious enough to play along:

What are your feelings going into playing Dayton, and how does it differ — if at all — from playing other cities for the first time?

Jared Stout: We’re excited! A new city always comes with some nerves, but more than anything we’re excited to play in Dayton and throw a little flair at some Dayton lore.

Did you know the pop tab was invented in Dayton? Probably not, why would you?

JS: Had no clue! (Called it.) That’s cool. Fun fact, there was about a year or two in my life I was afraid to open pop tabs. I opened one with too much enthusiasm as a kid and cut myself on the can. Lesson learned. Now I pop with caution. We heard there’s a pending Limp Bizkit show in town, too… eventually.

Same as question one, but reframed now that you know about the pop tab — and therefore beer can — factoid.

JS: [Canned laughter via text.] Well, now with that info, we’re gonna have to ask the crowd to pop one with us… safely, of course. [More canned laughter via text.]

For someone who’s never seen you perform, what feeling do you want them to leave with after the show?

JS: We want them to feel full — visibly, audibly, and emotionally. We aim to bring an entertaining show from start to finish [to] our listeners. From songs that make you think back, to ones you’ve never heard before. Our goal is to introduce you to our style, music and energy, and send you home happy and full of good life.

What do you think of David Payne’s music?

JS: [Insert democratic and complimentary response here.]

Well, there you have it: a band who comes off as no bull, nose-to-the-grindstone country music with enough of a sense of humor and humility to answer questions with the words “pop” and “tab” in them.

And I’d be remiss to end this riveting piece of music journalism without having asked opener David Payne a question, to which he replied: “Stoked to have those guys in town! Excited to be opening up the show.”

It seems all involved are excited, so let’s hope you and your hats are, too.

The Jared Stout Band makes their Dayton (pop tab invention capital of the world!) debut on April 4, 2024 at The Brightside Music & Event Venue (905 E 3rd St, Dayton, Ohio 45402).

Doors are at 7 p.m.  Local songbird David Payne opens the show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 pre-sale at VenuePilot. $15 at the door.

This Must Be the Party — A Tribute to the Talking Heads

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This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no fooling around — except it is a party, it is a disco, and there is a fair amount of fooling around.

This Must Be the Party — a Dayton, Ohio all-stars celebration of the music of Talking Heads — is on Saturday, March 30 at The Brightside Music & Event Venue. 

From its impetus at the now-defunct Oddbody’s in 2017 to the Brightside ballroom in recent years, this annual stage show recreates the frenetic mannerisms of David Byrne and the rest of the Heads from Jonathan Demme’s 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense.

Then again, This Must Be The Party might be closer to a Heads’ show than Demme’s documentary since the Dayton stage show also includes “Cities” and the mashup of “Big Business/I Zimbra”: songs that were part of the Heads’ 1983 performance but not the theatrical release.

From setlist to wardrobe to props to choreography, This Must Be The Party is as faithful to the show as Byrne was to (allegedly) snorting stimulants. But filling the many big suits of David Byrne takes a certain level of commitment.

“Nobody wanted to be David Byrne all night,” said Libby Ballengee, booker for The Brightside and owner-operator at Venus Child Productions. “That’s when we cooked up the idea of having multiple David Byrnes, literally just for stamina because there’s so much running on stage.”

Donning the loose-fitting gray Byrne suits this year are Nathan Peters (Turboslacker), Eric Cassidy (Human Cannonball), Matt Byanski (Nasty Bingo), and Asche Pooler (Abertooth Lincoln) as the newest member of the group, graciously taking the place of the late Brian Spirk who passed away unexpectedly in October.

“Brian was an immensely talented and beautiful soul,” said Brian Hoeflich, drummer for This Must Be The Party. “We hope to honor him by continuing this show and spreading the joy that he spent so many years bringing to everyone.”

Here are a few David Byrnes on being David Byrnes:

Eric Cassidy: “I think that being David Byrne for the night is the most fun you can possibly have entertaining people. Just like actual David Byrne, the crowd will follow you to some weird places. And the more you give, the more you get back from the crowd. Walking out in front of one of the best bands that you have ever heard is so empowering. They got the crowd moving. They got ME moving. And I can ride that wave and use it to explore the stage with dance that is partly inspired by the original show, and also kind of my own thing. And the songs are just so good and well-known. It’s a blast!”

Matt Byanski: “It’s an honor and a challenge. The coat is great — the pants need to stay on! Suspenders are your friend!”

Asche Pooler: “I can’t tell you honestly in context just yet (because it is my first year) but I can tell you this: the rehearsals alone are so incredible to be a part of and watch, so I have an immense feeling that the actual show will be something to behold as well. I’m realizing that David and I have more in common as “weird” sort of musicians while doing it. So, in short, it feels good, man.”

Another addition to this year’s show is keyboardist Damien Dennis, alongside the return of backup singer Mykal who was an integral part of past performances.

Alongside the musicians mentioned above, the cast for This Must Be The Party includes Khrys Blank, Nathan Lewis, Patrick Himes, Chris Corn, and Erich Reith.

“We hope to eventually develop a theater stage version of the show,” Hoeflich said. “With projection screens and mobile instrument risers — just like Talking Heads did originally.”

Every year, the show grows nearly indistinguishable from Byrne’s original concept. So even if this is not your beautiful house and this is not your beautiful wife, This Must Be The Party. It’s once in a lifetime and it happens once a year.

This Must Be the Party — A Tribute to the Talking Heads, a Venus Child Production, is on Saturday, March 30 at the Brightside Music & Event Venue (905 E 3rd St, Dayton, Ohio 45402). Doors are at 8 p.m. Funky esoteric post-rock trio The Social Q opens the show at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and available at VenuePilot.

The Fourth Annual Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale

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The fourth annual Dayton Battle of the Bands finale takes place on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at The Brightside Music (905 E 3rd St, Dayton, OH 45402), and features six winning bands from each of the playoff rounds.

The finalists from all six weeks include The Bruins (pop/rock), Sheller (alt/punk/metal), Austin Wolfe (Americana/folk), The Shady Pine (country/bluegrass), Melinamarie (hip-hop/R&B), and Freakquency (funk/jam/progressive).

While the finalists were determined in their categories via a combination of audience and judges’ votes, the final round will be 100% determined by the audience. 

“We do ranked-choice voting so that alleviates the popularity contest issue,” said Libby Ballengee, music booker and promoter at The Brightside. “People can come and vote for their fave band, but sometimes everyone loves one band and they get everyone’s 2nd place vote, and that puts them over the top.”

By eliminating the element of bias, relying entirely on the audience feels like an objective method of choosing a winner.

“I don’t know that any panel of judges I could put together would be fair considering we all have genres we like more than others,” said Ballengee.

Previous weeks’ performances were on The Brightside’s smaller Vod-Vil Bar stage, while final competing bands will make their musical cases and perform once more on the Ballroom stage.

Vying for the Grand Prize, the winner gets a free EP recording session with Dayton Sound Studios and the opportunity to perform at Levitt Pavilion Dayton, among other rewards from Little Monster Printing and Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory.

Dayton Battle of the Bands 2023 winner, crabswithoutlegs, a jazzy nine-piece, has quickly become one of Dayton’s darlings, playing the Levitt and becoming a staple act at The Brightside. There’s a good case to be made for the potential of this year’s winner.

Tickets to Dayton Battle of the Bands are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show starts at 7 p.m. Each ticketholder will be granted one vote.

The Brightside Music & Event Venue is located at 905 E 3rd St, Dayton, OH 45402.

Ticket link: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/94654/orders/new