Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1930, and we’re celebrating the occasion with a 1920’s themed party special edition of Jess Lamb’s Live Jukebox, and encouraging y’all to dress to the nines in some 20’s inspired attire. We’re handing out prizes for the best dressed, and Dayton BBQ Co will be here serving their hot, tummy filling amazingness all night. So whatever 20’s style clothes you wear, make sure it’s got an elastic waistband. We’ll have discounted Manhattan and Old Fashioned cocktails, and a couple special cocktail surprises up our sleeves for the night too.
Local Music
Dayton Bar Stars – Gretchen Kelly
The University of Dayton is an amazing asset for the city. It is one of the best Catholic universities in the country, educating roughly 10,000 students in a variety of disciplines. Their development has helped the city, from their incredible law and entrepreneurship programs to their basketball program with has drawn national attention. The school is continuing to grow, taking an active role in the rebirth of the Arcade downtown and providing a solid foundation for growing businesses around campus. The number of events that occur at the university, from small gatherings in the library to hosting the First Four, are staggering. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say if you go to an event at the University of Dayton, Gretchen Kelly has had some hand in the drinks being poured there.
Gretchen has been working at the University of Dayton for years, starting in the dining halls and working her way up to a supervisor for all of their catering. But when she has the opportunity, she is back with the staff pouring drinks for thirsty guests. To work some of the events there, she has one accolade that few other bartenders in the city can claim; Secret Service clearance. Serving some of the patrons at Flyer games requires clearance by some of the top officers in the country. You may have seen her more recently at The Main Event, the huge gala was thrown by the Dayton Metro Library to provide a sneak peek at their beautiful new library. You may have even noticed her at an Art Ball or two, bartending with Kohler Catering. Her skills are in high demand at some of the top events in the area. They are also in demand at the Oregon Express, where you can find her on the odd night mixing cocktails, pulling beers, and enjoying the live bands that toll through that venue.
If you have not been on the receiving end of her bartending abilities, it is possible you have enjoyed one of her other passions: working with musicians. She has been booking bands for years at notable venues like the Canal Street and her home bar, Oregon Express. Her bartending adventures have taken her as far as Loveland, OH, where she ran the stick for a bar owned by the head cheerleader for the Cincinnati Bengals. She is still booking talent at the Express, even as she is transitioning to a new format for her radio show. The station and the show will be launching in June. Her one-hour show will focus on up-and-coming unsigned bands from around the world.
Gretchen has been a staple at the University of Dayton for years, and it looks like she will be one for many more. From small breakfast meetings to an UD Arena filled to capacity, she will be there taking care of her guests with a smile. Yet another amazing asset at UD.
How did you get into bartending?
After three years as a server at the Oregon Express, they trained me as a bartender. I had four different people train me.
What is your favorite drink to make?
A Chocolate Martini with the chocolate syrup swirled in the glass.
Which drink makes you internally cringe?
When it’s busy, anything with a blender!
Do you have a favorite spirit you like to work with?
Vodka, because you can mix it with anything.
When you go out for a drink in Dayton, where is your favorite place to go?
Too many places to name!
Who is the most famous person you have served?
Band members from LIVE and Collective Soul.
What do you do when you are not bartending?
Work some of my other jobs. I have an internet radio show (Can I get more information on this new venture?)
What are your favorite trends from the last year?
It seems more people are drinking Tullamore D.E.W., an Irish whiskey.
What trends do you see coming to Dayton over the next six months?
I will love any trend that does not require a blender.
What advice do you want to give bartenders just getting into the business?
The best way to learn is from other experienced bartenders. Then you can develop your own style of drinks.
What do you love most about Dayton?
Most everything!
Most interesting thing you have seen from behind the bar?
Tending bar at an event at the Boonshoft Museum and watching my friends slide down the slides while wearing evening gowns and tuxedos.
How has bartending changed in the time you have been in the industry?
Too much technology at some places. It takes more time to ring up drinks on a system at times. Some of the pre-measuring takes away from the speed and unique techniques of a good bartender from making the perfect drink.
Any interesting stories about having to deal with a difficult customer?
I had a guy at a wedding once say to me ” If I get too drunk you are driving me home.” I replied, ” Here is your Coke.”
What do you wish customers knew that helped you do your job?
Do NOT to try and get our attention by saying “Hey baby.”
If you were not a bartender, what career would you be pursuing?
Bartending for me is like breathing. I have to bartend.
Demystifying the Harp
Let’s face it: harps are quite hip. Between the ethereal compositions of indie darling, Joanna Newsom, and the top-40 covers of folk harpist, Amy Farrah Fowler (Sheldon’s neurobiologist, not-a-girlfriend on the hit CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory), the harp has been plucked from obscurity into the limelight.
Leaving the pop culture references aside, there are so many intriguing questions about this complex instrument: Where did it originate? What compels one to play it? And, most pressing, how the heck do you carry it?
For starters, harps range in sizes, shapes, colors, and without question, prices. They have also been in existence since ancient times, in numerous cultures, and are generally regarded as the oldest known stringed instrument.
To answer some burning questions about the harp and more, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Harpist, Leslie Stratton Norris, recently took some time out of her busy schedule, which also includes directing her own ensemble, Harps of Grace, to candidly discuss her multi-decade career and share her passion for this varied topic.
Dayton Most Metro: Thanks for talking with us today. What inspired you to study the harp?
Leslie Stratton Norris: When I was a kid there was an orchestra show on CBS with Leonard Bernstein called Young People’s Concerts. When they showed the harp player, I was smitten. My mom took me to see a harpist in person shortly thereafter, and the harpist let me try it. Even though I was three years old, I was totally convinced that this would be my life. My mom thought that my interest was a fad, but I pestered her to learn the harp for six more years.
DMM: Did you finally convince her?
LSN: Yes, I was nine years old when I got my first harp, so I dove into playing it with gusto.
DMM: What were those early lessons like? Were you surprised by much?
LSN: I don’t recall being surprised by much. At that age, you just follow along and do what your teacher tells you to do, and all is well. However, I had some difficulty with memorizing. I’m a sight reader, and I resist memorizing. It’s far more fun to play new pieces all the time.
DMM: The size of a concert grand harp, being about six feet tall and weighing 80 pounds, is quite daunting. How do you transport it?
LSN: Thankfully, we now have two-wheeled dollies that are made especially for the harp. With the dolly, my harp rolls along easily, and when loading it into my car, we lean and push, rather than having to pick it up. When I was a kid, harp dollies did not exist unless someone invented their own model. My dad used to throw my harp up on his shoulder and carry it that way.
DMM: There was a hilarious skit on the IFC series, Portlandia, featuring Joanna Newsom trying to fit her concert grand harp into a Ford Focus. I’m assuming a harp doesn’t easily fit into a compact car! What type of car do most harpists buy?
LSN: Harpists tend to own large wagons or vans, but a full-sized (concert grand) harp does fit in my Subaru wagon.
DMM: Usually there are only one or two harpists on stage in an orchestra setting. That’s a lot of pressure, being in the spotlight. How you do handle performance anxiety?
LSN: Most of the time, there is just one harpist on stage, so if the harp sounds bad, everyone knows it is me! Performance anxiety can be disabling for some players. They can be good musicians and know their music, but they are unable to play it well in front of others. Those folks might try some therapies or even medications to help their anxiety. I am fortunate that most of the time, I can keep it together without such an aid.
DMM: Are there any myths you’d like to dispel about the harp?
LSN: The harp can play almost any kind of music. It is a versatile, full-range instrument and can function like a piano within a classical, pop or jazz group. The harp also has much more sound than many people imagine. It is thought to be a soft instrument, which it can be, but a good harpist can play it with a tremendous amount of sound.
DMM: It is easy to see why so many people hire harpists for major life events, such as weddings. Is there a gig in particular that you’d like to share or one that is particularly amusing?
LSN: I have enough funny stories to fill a book! In Los Angeles I was hired to play for an outdoor pool party. The host had decided he wanted some “beautiful music” wafting through the air along with the sound of his water fountain next to the pool. I arrived before the guests, moved my harp into position, and began to play as his guests arrived. After five or six people had gathered, someone said, “Into the pool!” and they all hopped into the pool…in their birthday suits! More folks arrived, and the same thing happened. Soon, I was the only person clothed, and thankfully I remained that way for the length of the party. I learned a valuable lesson: it is very hard to ask a host for your check when he is sans clothes, so I said “Thanks,” packed up at the end of the party, and billed him later.
DMM: Harpists have become quite hip in recent years. Are you surprised that it took this long?
LSN: Often it takes specific performers with charisma and a twist to their performances to open up an instrument to a wider audience. With a performer such as Ravi Shankar on the sitar, that instrument was brought before audiences who never would have thought to listen to a sitar. Harps have been popular in different cultures as folk instruments and as an accompaniment to vocals for a long time, so it is good to see harp music in the limelight.
DMM: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
LSN: When I am lugging my harp around, one of the most frequent questions that comes my way is, “Don’t you wish you played the flute?’” Here is the answer: “No!” In my opinion, the harp is the most beautiful, versatile, calming, joyous, warm, lovely, charming, and challenging instrument out there. Yes, hauling it around is daunting. Paying for it is daunting. Changing strings and maintaining it is daunting. But nothing sounds like a harp, and nothing looks like a harp. When you are in love with the harp, all the difficulties of the instrument are naught compared to the joys of playing it and hearing it.
For more information about the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and its upcoming performances, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org. The next Harps of Grace concert will take place at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Centerville on May 6th at 7:00 p.m. This concert is free and will feature 12 harpists playing all styles of music.
Explosion in Local Music
It is often assumed that there is no local music scene in Dayton. Dear music fans, nothing could be further from the truth! We have a literal explosion of new music from bands of numerous musical genres, approaches, and styles happening right now. Once the Gem City was considered the post-punk haven for groups such as Guided by Voices, Branniac, and The Breeders. Dayton has a long and significant music history of which the post-punk wave was but one trend in local music.
Today, we have bands playing in almost too many genres and styles to count. We have new music from The Fair Shakes, Bonneville, We Were Animals (from the previously power-pop dream of Ed vs. Radio), Vanity Theft, The Rebel Set, The Story Changes, the horror-rock of Splattertude, Hawthorne Heights, Me & Mountains, Night Beast, Toads and Mice, Smug Brothers, and so much more.
We have many places to see bands and musicians are plying their trade in the Oregon District or throughout the city. If the assumption is that there is no growing and evolving music scene in Dayton, that is simply not correct. As someone who has conducted research on music scenes for several years (do not ask how many, I am just a little touchy about the age thing), I can honestly tell you that Dayton musicians have much to offer you. All you have to do is go listen.
You can go to several fine establishments to see bands play most nights of the week in the Gem City. And you should. Come on what do you have to lose except your preconceptions about the limitations of Dayton music.
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Check out our Local Music Calendar on the right of this page for shows in the upcoming week, or go to our full Online Event Calendar for more…
Looking for Local Music on Dayton Radio
As a young twenty-something living in Chicagoland in the early 90’s, I was connected vicariously to the Chicago music scene through my friends and roommates whose bands played shows in just about every bar in the city. Many of us supported our friends by trekking into the city on most weekends, especially when they played the bigger and/or more popular venues like the Aragon Ballroom, Double Door and Metro. And I can remember the two radio stations that supported local music – Q101 and WXRT. Q101 even put out a compilation cd that featured my friends’ band, and to this day I listen to WXRT online. A bit older now with a family and now living in Dayton, I’m not at all connected to the music scene here and don’t get out much (though I’m proud to say I know Drexel Dave). But I’m aware that there is a local music scene here and I would like more of an opportunity to hear it.
Living in Dayton since 2001, I have long since figured out that the radio scene here is as generic as they come. The ultimate in generic radio would be Fly92.9 – a Jack FM format that is completely automated with no DJ’s (though I am told they have one). And absolutely no commercial radio station plays or promotes local music – not a single one. Anybody that listens to local commercial radio in Dayton would probably have no clue as to just how many original bands call Dayton home.
I make the commercial distinction because we do in fact have one station that does promote local talent – that would be WYSO 91.3, the public radio station out of Yellow Springs. DMM’s own Juliet Fromholt hosts the weekly Kaleidoscope on Wednesday evenings, which showcases local bands and features live performances. Rev Cool’s Around The Fringe show on Friday nights is an eclectic mix that includes promotion of the local scene. And Niki Dakota’s Excursions offers listeners music across the music spectrum every weekday. In a different genre, WDPR 88.1 (another public radio station and DMM media partner) plays classical music and promotes the local scene when it comes to the Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Ballet, etc.
While WYSO is the one station I listen to on a regular basis, their music offerings are limited to certain days and/or hours of the day. What do you think about local radio? Is Dayton doomed to a future with no original commercial radio play or local music promotion? Do you think that a local Internet radio station that focused on the local scene could have legs? What say you?
(for a complete listing of Dayton radio stations, check out our Dayton Media page)