Tuesday night is 80s night at Club Vex on St. Clair, and this one is going to be extra special. Tonight, house DJs Matt Freeman and Infidel-icious will be mixing it up with special guest, DJ Jay of L’Eighties Night and Fab Gear. This cool collaboration begins at 9pm with drink specials at the bar and no cover charge for 18+.
Dayton Music
2 Months Til Dayton Music Fest (video)
Happy Monday! There are a lot of great shows to talk about this week. So while I’m getting organized and caffeinated, take a look at this great video by Shelly ‘GladGirl’ Hulce featuring music from the Turkish Delights. Only 2 months until Dayton Music Fest…..
Human Reunion release Arc De Square tonight at Blind Bob’s
It feels like just yesterday that we were telling you about Human Reunion’s Carbonics 7″. This weekend it’s time to celebrate the band’s debut full-length album, Arc De Square. The album was recorded with Enon’s John Schmersal and is being released on Minor Manor. Our good friend Kyle over at the Buddha Den has been offering up some great sample tracks from the album so check them out.
Or you can come to Blind Bob’s tonight (Friday) for the album release show featuring Human Reunion and their friends Astro Fang, The Dirty Socialites and Michigan’s Letter Camp. The show is 21+ and starts around 9pm.
Lions Rampant, Sohio and Thee Pistol Whips tonight
The last time the Lions Rampant were here, they were celebrating the release of their new album. The Cincinnati band is making a return visit to the Gem City tonight. They’ll be playing at Canal Street Tavern along with Sohio and Thee Pistol Whips. The show gets started around 9:30pm and is $5.
Here’s a video of the title track from the Lions Rampant’s latest album, It’s Fun to Do Bad Things.
Bob Log III at South Park Tavern
We’re very lucky to have a chance to experience Bob Log III right here in Dayton this week. I say experience because Log’s live shows are definitely an experience. Log performs his unique take on Delta blues as a one-man band in a cannonball suit. It’s a lively show and there’s usually some audience participation. Check out the video below of Log performing in San Francisco last fall.
Bob Log III will be at South Park Tavern tomorrow (Thursday) night along with Thee Pistol Whips and Pork Torta from Tucson. Unlike most shows at South Park Tavern, this one is 21+ and costs $7. The doors are at 9pm and the music starts at 10.
Last week for Dayton Music Fest submissions
As we prepare for another week of great music in Dayton, I wanted to put a quick reminder out there that this is the last week to submit your band for consideration to play in this year’s Dayton Music Fest. Submissions end on Saturday, July 31st so stop by the Dayton Music Fest website to get your submission off to the organizers before then.
To get you in the festival mood, here’s Swearing at Motorists playing at the first ever Dayton Music courtesy of our friends at the Music Seen.
Gilly’s features rock & roll from 3 local bands
Gilly’s doesn’t often host rock shows, and when they do, it’s cause for great excitement. This Saturday night is no exception when 3 great local rock bands will take the stage at the venue on the corner of Fifth and Jefferson. It’s the second show for Floods, the new band we told you about a few weeks ago featuring Tod Weidner (Shrug) and Tim Pritchard (Flyaway Minion). They’ll be sharing the stage with C. Wright’s Parlour Tricks who’ve been getting great reviews for their weekly pizza parlor gig. Also on the bill is Me & Mountains, who’s reported to already be working on a followup to their self-titled debut album that was released last month. The music gets started around 9:30pm, and admission is $5.
Here’s a sampling of music from Me & Mountains and C. Wright’s Parlour Tricks to get you in the mood.
Dayton Celtic Festival 2010 With Scythian
And Interview With Scythian
Once again, the sounds of fiddles, pipes and step dancing will echo out over Riverscape MetroPark (111 E. Monument Ave.) as the United Irish of Dayton present the 9th Annual Dayton Celtic Festival on July 30th, 31st and August 1st. The festival, as always, will offer an eclectic collection of music, crafts, demonstrations and displays celebrating everything Celtic.
One of the bands that will be performing is the epitome of eclectic. Known simply as Scythian, the bands has created a unique blend with their Ukrainian and Middle Eastern Heritage with their love of Celtic music to conjure up a sound that is as singularly seamlessly as it is effortlessly energetic. They have quickly become road veterans on the Celtic circuit (having played at the last three Dayton Celtic Festivals alone), but they are also enjoying a rather large crossover popularity at the various bluegrass, Americana and grassroots styled festivals.
I was able to speak at length with one of the founding members of the band, Danylo Fedoryka, and what follows is our unedited conversation about the progression of their music, their influences and their current projects.
J.T.: Well, I guess the first thing is is how you all came up with the whole Ukrainian slant to your music?
Dan: Oh! My brother and I kind of started the band and our parents both immigrated from the Ukraine during World War II. It was just sort of a progression. We started playing mostly Celtic music, but then we had this music that we grew up with and we wanted to start playing some of our heritage and so we kind of came up with this mix.
J.T.: You know, the thing is, I listened to a lot of your stuff and there were some that had an almost total Ukrainian/Gypsy sound to it, then there were other things that you had that was Celtic music, but the back beat had that Gypsy flavor to it.
Dan: Yeah! Or, also, Middle Eastern because our drummer, his dad is from Jordan. I really think that the Celtic music lends itself really well to Middle Eastern drums. They have the same rhythms. So do African beats, like 6/8 time…the Irish jigs are in the same rhythm as the African tribal beats. They actually say that in Ireland, the Egyptian monks came over and things like the Celtic cross and those symbols are actually Coptic, which is Egyptian. The bagpipes also originated elsewhere as well, in the Middle East, so it seems somewhere, way, way back, those cultures immigrated from wherever they were from and influenced the Irish culture and tradition. It’s kind of cool to play the Ukrainian music with the Celtic music because there is almost a natural fit, going towards the East.
J.T.: I have to admit that I was really surprised by it too. When I read that it was Celtic music with a Ukrainian flavor, I was like, ‘Oh no…this is going to be horrific. I mean, there are a couple of Slavic influenced bands out there that have moshed their own traditional sound with something that God never intended and it comes out sounding like cats being strangled.
Dan: Yeah! (laughing) There have definitely been some failed attempts, or it can come across as cheesy or contrived.
J.T.: Well, like I said, this seemed to lend itself really well to create a great blending.
Dan: Well, I think that one of the reasons that we are attracted to Celtic music is that the stuff resonated with the things that we grew up with, because the Ukrainians are somewhat like the Irish in a lot of respects. They were the peasants of that part of the world. They were farmers whose main staple was the potato and they were oppressed throughout most of their history. I guess we just find a lot of commonalities between our cultural traditions and the Celtic traditions and culture. Because of the musical selections that we pick in the Celtic genre that we try and bring back into our Ukrainian influences, it meshes very well. It’s not like we say, ‘Well I want to make Whiskey In A Jar Slavic.’ It’s just not going to work.
J.T.: Well, certain elements could lend themselves to another treatment of sorts. It’s kind of like Béla Fleck: he’s pulled off some stuff within the bluegrass genre that is just amazing. I mean, when you hear it described, you’re like, ‘Okay, a banjo with African tribal rhythms? Um, no.’ But then you hear it and it’s absolutely seamless.
Dan: Yeah! It’s very interesting that, as a musician, I tend to be a little bit skeptical, and then once it goes down, it sounds awesome. We were in Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival and afterward, there was an after party and there was a guy who was from India. He played in an Irish band called Corned Beef and Curry and so we were playing and he was playing some stuff and so I was like, ‘Hey! Can we play something from India?’ and so he was like, ‘Okay, cool.’ He said, ‘Start playing one of your Irish songs.’ we started playing one of our songs called Drums of Belfast in the key of D Minor and he just laid down these ridiculous Indian melodies over this Celtic song. It just sounded off the chain. But before he started playing, I said, ‘I don’t know if this is going to work,’ but it ended up being dynamite and I just love those moments where you go, ‘Oh my Gosh! This really does work!’
J.T.: So how have you guys been accepted on the Celtic circuit?
Dan: Well, at first, there was a lot of skepticism about us, but people liked our energy, but they didn’t know if this whole ‘eclectic’ thing would work. So, our first year, we only ended up with like three or festivals interested in us, but after that, I think it really resonated a lot, especially since we really try and incorporate the crowd into it. My grandmother, she’s still living and she’s one hundred years old and she used to tell us that every three or four months, a fiddler would come to her village and when that happened, everything stopped, everyone finished work and went into a bar and the fiddler would play for like five or six hours straight and everyone would just dance. It was their only opportunity to let off steam. My brother and I just loved that imagery of just a fiddler coming in and having a hoedown and enabling that and so I think our vibe, even though we had a vibe of a communal entity, there is something separate from that which I think the Irish festivals capture and that I think happened in Ireland where they would have sessions and people would get up and dance. About fifty to sixty percent of our music is still Celtic, or Celtic based, so it wasn’t like we weren’t Celtic at all, but I think, after the first year, word caught on, which is great. This year we were at the Milwaukee Irish Fest for the fourth straight year and we’re going to be in Dayton for the third straight year and I think we are going to be expanding a little bit. When you get asked back, it’s just a real good feeling to know that people really value what they were, at first, a little skeptical about. They value it somewhat like a flavor, a break from straight out Celtic music all weekend long, so people can feel some of the other influences out there. It’s been fun as the appreciation grows.
J.T.: Well, one of my things has been that there should be someone in there that crosses over different lines to cater to those who may have a preconceived notion of what, say, Celtic music is, so this different aspect draws them in and they are then able to explore the more ‘purer’ forms of the genre.
Dan: Yeah! The cross-pollination. See, to me, that’s forward thinking and that is how festivals will grow.
J.T.: Yeah, if you have the same groups year after year with the same sound, it can become tedious, and that would be counterproductive in growing a festival.
Dan: Well, Bill Russell over at the Dayton Celtic Festival has done a great job bringing in bands that are cutting edge. He had brought in Slide for a couple of years and, in my mind, they are the best traditional band on the circuit. If you like traditional Irish music, I would say that there is no one better than that band for that.
J.T.: Well, even when you’re talking about the Chieftains, who most would consider the ‘old guard’ of Celtic music, they have never really be what you would call ‘traditional.’ They have dipped into many different genres. Their last recording had a South American influence. Long story short, there were regiments of Irish soldiers fighting the Mexican-American War and a lot of them deserted into South America, so there are pockets of ‘traditional’ South American music that is heavily influenced by the Celtic music.
Dan: Ah, interesting.
J.T.: Well, the Irish immigrants were basically conscripted into the military. America said, ‘If you run down here and fight our war, we’ll let you into the country,’ but most Irishmen couldn’t bring themselves to fight fellow Catholics, so they deserted. But the music, it’s still part of the Celtic heritage, just like bluegrass is. I guess I just have a problem with that purist mentality. It has it’s place for preservation, but music is a living entity.
Dan: Yeah, we grew up with that. We’re classically trained. Our mom went to Julliard and she was very into only classical music, and so that is what we were trying to get away from. When we started and we came across some of those attitudes, it really rubbed us the wrong way. There’s a living tradition, I think, and the people like The Chieftains will step outside of their comfort zone. I think that is what all art is. You should never be finished.
J.T.: Yeah, you become complacent and stagnant. Where do you guys see yourselves going from this point in time?
Dan: Well, we’re kind of positioned pretty interestingly, like we’ve somehow manged to span across a lot of different circuits. There is a certain ‘what is it?’ quality to our identity. People can’t really pigeonhole us, so we find ourselves doing really, really well in the more grassroots circuits. We get incredible responses at those festivals. We’re biggest in the Celtic circuits I think, but we’re not too far behind that on those grassroots circuits. We have also found ourselves in the bluegrass circuits. We’ve been at MerleFest, which is in North Carolina.
J.T.: There’s a lot of stuff coming out of North Carolina.
Dan: You know, North Carolina is a really awesome state for us because there are a lot of Scottish people there and a lot of Celtic people who live in the mountains and who are really into bluegrass, so like when we play our Celtic stuff, they just go nuts. It’s really a powerful state for us. MerleFest has been really good for us, to open us up to a different realm in terms of Americana and bluegrass. Think that this summer is going to a really big one for us, because last year, even though we did a lot of festivals, this year I think we feel a little bit more comfortable and established. We spent like six weeks in the studio recording our next album and it’s all original and it will be nice coming out of that because, you know, you just become that much tighter when you do that. We have new product, like we have a new live CD and a new DVD. This is our first ever live DVD and we’ve been waiting years to get it done and we finally completed it. My brother and I just did a children’s album…
J.T.: Oh that would be cool.
Dan: Yeah! It’s just been something that…we have a bunch of nephews and nieces…we actually have like twenty-five nephews and nieces…
J.T.: Jesus!
Dan: Yeah! I know! And we have to entertain them, so we thought, ‘Why don’t we just put this down on an album?’ so we kind of wrote it for them. It was just nice for us…if you’re just doing one thing all the time, and treating everything like it’s just a source of money, then it isn’t art anymore. It’s been really satisfying for us to just dabble in a lot of different things. I just see this summer is going to be a big summer for us, being like, ‘Okay, we’ve arrived’ and I think our show is always getting better and it’s a pretty powerful show now. We’re kind of looking to bring in some supplemental performers for certain shows to just have some fun. When you go into the studio, your songs take different shapes, so we’re like, ‘Well, let’s bring that onto the road with us.’ It’s not going to be every show, but like my sister played cello on the album and I want to get her out for some festivals. I think she’s going to be at the Dayton one. It’s just going to be fun for us to see how we mature into a band that is comfortable using guest performers and can incorporate other elements to make a bigger sound.
J.T.: Yeah, and it keeps everyone on their toes.
Dan: Yeah, and for those who have seen us over the years, it’s going to be like, ‘Oh! This is something new!’
J.T.: Well, the live stuff I’ve seen from you guys, it seems like interacting with the crowd seems to be a big, integral part of the performance.
Dan: Definitely! For us it’s just like…I can go watch a virtuosic performer, but I find myself getting bored. I want to have some kind of interaction with that person. Ultimately I feel like it’s the Emperor’s New Clothes, where people are saying, ‘It’s so amazing! It’s so Amazing!’ but if you really stop, you’re like, ‘No, it’s boring.’ People want to have that interaction, they want variety. I was talking to our engineer at the studio and we were trying to discuss the length of the album ad he said, ‘I highly recommend, so not go longer than forty-three minutes…’
J.T.: Well, that’s rather specific.
Dan: Yeah! He said that it is the longest that the human mind can really focus if you don;t have any visual cues. It was interesting listening to his philosophy on that. We feel really strongly about that. We customize every set list. We show up and get a feel for the venue and then we sit down and we really stress mixing up instrumentals, the vocals and what genres would appeal to this specific audience. I guess you can say it’s almost like ADD.
J.T.: Well, I guess that’s kind of the way everything is now.
Dan: Yeah, but I think there are times for everything, like it would be fun to do something completely out of the ordinary, like an acoustic set or with mellow music, because you don’t want to be pigeonholed, like this is all you can do, so it will be like you show up at a show and you’re like, ‘Man, I wasn’t expecting this!’ I think there needs to be a magnanimity of spirit. I think that’s the key for performers that they need to give of themselves on stage and it’s amazing, as far as classical logic goes, the crowd can sense in an instant if you’re being egotistical or insincere. It’s amazing how quickly you can lose a crowd in the span of a second. They could have been right there with you and then, all of a sudden, you just left them behind because they’re sensing that they’re not the focal point anymore.
J.T.: Yeah, that cuts across any type of entertainment.
Dan: Yeah, that’s been really interesting, learning the psychology of crowds. That’s one of the things that’s kind of nice about all these festivals…I’m not going to label the people that put these festivals on. They are just a bunch of independent people who are in the same boat as us and there’s kind of a hunger, but there’s also a kind of approachability that people have to these artists and I rarely run into people that have egos on these circuits, and that’s nice.
J.T.: Well, another good thing about the festival circuits are the influences that you can run into. You’re not in a vacuum.
Joe: Yeah, you especially see it on like the grassroots festivals. There’s tons of that going on because people really like to sit in with other people. We actually had a guy that sat in with us at one festival. He is a banjo player and a great banjo player at that. He was like, ‘Hey! I want to sit in with you guys.’ so we were like okay, we’ll pick a couple of songs and all of a sudden, we’re like, ‘Oh my Gosh! This is brilliant!’ and we got stretched because of that. At the Celtic festivals, there’s the after parties where everyone jams all night long. It really is a great oasis for musicians.
J.T.: Uh-oh…I just got an email from your publicist saying that she left a message for Mike to track you down so you will call me.
Dan: (Laughing) Yeah! They’re on me!
J.T.: Yeah, when you said your producer told you that forty-three minutes is the longest a person can pay attention to something, I automatically flashed on Amadeus…do you remember that movie?
Dan: I love that movie!
J.T.: When they were telling Amadeus he would have to cut out parts from his masterpiece because, ‘there are too many notes for the royal ear.’
Dan: (Laughing) That’s great…’for the royal ear’…I have to remember that.
J.T.: Well, is there anything that you want out there that I haven’t already asked?
Dan: Well, there is one thing, if you can mention it, is that we’re excited about touring the Midwest for the next month and that we’re coming back to Dayton with brand new product, the live album Vol. II and the live DVD that we just released and the kid’s album and that we’re just coming out of six weeks in the studio, so we’re really taken what we’ve learned in the studio and we plan to hit the road running.
You can catch Scythian performing live at the Dayton Celtic Festival on the WDTN Stage on Friday, July 30th at 10 pm, Saturday July 31st at 2:20 pm and Sunday August 1st at 1:40 pm. They will also be seen on the Guinness Stage on Saturday at 8:00 pm. For more information about Scythian, go to their website, which has their whole history and their current projects, tour dates, pictures and a collection of their music. For more information about the upcoming Celtic Festival, go to the United Irish of Dayton’s website for a list of scheduled events and musicians slated to perform.
Auburndale prepping new album/show this Saturday
There’s been a lot of buzz since Auburndale came back from hiatus this winter and began work on a new album. That album, Alive in the Dying City, is slated for release this fall.
You can also see Auburndale live this Saturday night at Blind Bob’s with the Sound for Language, Columbus’ Ships in Masses and Segments who are making their live debut. This 21+ show is $5 and starts around 9pm.
Here’s some video of the band performing on Kaleidoscope earlier this week.
Griffin House to perform in Springfield, on WYSO
Springfield native Griffin House has been getting a lot of attention. He was featured on the Huffington Post and as one of CBS’ Emerging Artists. This weekend, he’ll be back in his hometown to perform at a special event at the Wescott House on Saturday night. Wright Now is a showcase of innovation in art and design and House will perform accompanied by the Now Device, a multimedia production company founded by fellow Springfield native Rod Hatfield whose work you may have experienced as part of the FilmDayton Festival this spring. Full information about the Wright Now event is available here.
House will also be stopping by the WYSO studios on Friday morning for a live performance and interview with Niki Dakota, host of Excursions. Tune in to 91.3FM at 11am or listen online at wyso.org
Here’s a music video of House’s newest song “Head for the Hills.”
Bonneville unveils Drawing Maps
This Friday will be your first chance to get a copy of Bonneville’s first full length album, Drawing Maps. It’s more polished album overall than the band’s previous EPs and shows that this foursome has grown up a lot since their days playing together in junior high.
Here’s the title track:
You can pick up your very own copy and check out Bonneville live at their CD release party Friday night at Canal Street Tavern. They’ll be joined onstage by Orange Willard with Michael Shoup opening. The show is 18+ and costs $5.
Dayton Blues Fest this Sunday
The Michelob Dayton Blues Festival is the second of three free summer festivals presented by the City of Dayton Department of Recreation & Youth Services and The Downtown Dayton Partnership. It’s a day of music from Ohio blues acts beginning at 1pm. San Antonio’s Jose’ Alvarez with Los Blancos will headline at 8pm. The festival takes place at Dave Hall Plaza (Fourth & Jefferson Streets) and is hosted by Earl “Southside” Hayes
Here’s the full lineup:
1pm Austin “Walkin’ Cane” (Cleveland)
2pm Swamp Rhinos (Dayton)
3pm The Soulcasters (Dayton)
4pm Average Joe’s (Dayton)
5pm Jimmy Baker & Blues Encounter (Dayton)
6pm Long Tall Deb & The Drifter Kings (Columbus)
7pm Mississippi Red & The Bumble-Bee-Licious Blues Band (Dayton)
8pm Jose’ Alvarez with Los Blancos (San Antonio)
There’s also an after-party/birthday celebration for the Dayton Blues Society hosted by the Soulcasters. That’s at Brixx Ice Company on First Street. The music starts at 9:30pm.
Ruckus Roboticus releases The Chicks EP
Local turntable master, Ruckus Roboticus has spent the last few month working on remixes of other artists’ materials. This Saturday night (July 17th) is a celebration of Ruckus’ latest original effort, The Chicks EP. It’s being released on his on own imprint, Dance Or Die Records, and features remixes from Frankie J (The Sound Republic), Hot Mess (Dirty Circuit / Drumz), and DJ Wood (Good Groove).
The release party is at Peach’s Grill in Yellow Springs and will feature sets from Ruckus himself and local DJs Ill Poetic and Skratchmatik. Admission to the 21+ show is $5.
Here’s one of the tracks from The Chicks EP
Chicks (Original Mix) by Ruckus Roboticus
THIS JUST IN: You can hear the radio debut of tracks from The Chicks EP this Friday night on WYSO during Around the Fringe. Rev Cool and Andy will be spinning the tracks and offering you a chance to win a free download of Ruckus’ new EP. You can hear it on WYSO 91.3FM, Friday night 8pm-midnight. Thanks to Andy Valeri for the tip!
Local bands pay tribute to Nirvana
It’s been over 15 years since Kurt Cobain’s death, and many of today’s musicians claim him as an influence. On Saturday, July 17th, 10 local bands will pay tribute to Nirvana with “No Recess,” a show at Canal Street Tavern. This is another show put on by Dayton’s DJ Misterkid, and will feature both Nirvana covers and original material from each band. DJ Joseph Nicholson will be spinning 90’s Alternative tunes between the bands.
Performers include:
idiedtrying.
Thee Pistol Whips
Atomic Euphoria
Gem City Saints
Splattertude
Sleepfleet
The Show
Red Blast Radio, with guests David A. Berry & Louie Wood jr.
Paige Beller with Jay Madewell and A Sides, B Sides
Shattered Reality
Sam at Eleven plays debut show with The Rebel Set
This Saturday night is your first chance to check out a new local band made up of some familiar faces. Jeff Rudolf, Brad Gilbert and Adam Bryant were three of the members of HQAX. Back in March the trio formed a new group called Sam at Eleven. They’ll be playing their debut show on Saturday, July 17th at the Oregon Express. Sam at Eleven will get the evening started around 10pm, and the Rebel Set will round out the 21+ show. Admission is $5.
Dayton Music Fest News: New Organizers/Band Submissions Now Open
Mark your calendars for October 2nd. That’s when 22 local bands will rock 6 downtown venues for Dayton Music Fest 2010.
The festival is in its sixth year and is now being spearheaded by Don Thrasher and Kyle Melton, who took over management of the event from festival founders Dayton Clayton and Shawn Johnson in June.
“As a fan of local music, I’ve always been attracted to events that draw attention to the
rich talent Dayton has to offer,” Thrasher said. “Since its inception in 2005, Dayton
Music Fest has been a tremendous showcase for homegrown indie acts and I’ve made it a
point to attend each year. DMF is hands-down one of my favorite nights of the fall season
so I’m looking forward to getting a chance to help shepherd this festival into the future.”
Thrasher, a contributing writer for The Dayton Daily News and Active Dayton, is a
former member of such notable Dayton bands as Guided By Voices and Swearing at
Motorists. He currently plays drums in Smug Brothers, a local band fronted by his DMF-
partner Melton, a music writer for Dayton City Paper and the man behind The Buddha
Den music blog.
“I think Don and I are both in unique positions to help take the Dayton Music Fest
to a higher level,” Melton said. “We have attended the festival as fans, covered it for
our respective media outlets and been involved as performers. This gives us a broad
understanding of this event and what it can be.”
“It’s a tough time financially speaking for music and the arts in Dayton,” Thrasher added. “Even the always amazing Cityfolk Festival is struggling. When we found out the founders of DMF were bowing out, we knew we had to step up and keep the festival alive. We’re only taking over less than four months before the event, but we have some fresh ideas that will hopefully make the festival even better.”
Band submissions are being accepted now through July 31 at http://2010.daytonmusicfest.com.
We’ll be bringing more coverage of Dayton Music Fest 2010 here in the Dayton Music section of DaytonMostMetro.com as we get closer to the event.