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Roadtrip

AlphaTrips! This time – URBANA!

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I have always liked close, fun road trips. This season, I am introducing AlphaTrips! I plan on visiting a city or town around Dayton from letters A to Z! Each locale will have some great stuff to see, eat and do. Just to take care of one of harder letters in the alphabet, I thought, I’m checking off the ‘U’ and hitting URBANA! Where, you ask? URBANA, that elusive town right up Route 68 North.

U is for Urbana, a fun place to discover!

The Man on the Monument Greets visitors!

The drive is a quick and easy, about 45 minutes, east on 70 and North on 68. As you make your way into town, you will immediately be taken by their fabulous center square, surrounded by tiny shoppes, markets and restaurants. You will see ‘The Man on the Monment’ which is a full-length figure of a dismounted Union cavalry officer with his head bowed in grief for his fallen comrades.

Grab a quick coffee at Depot Coffee. Coffee is great and the space is art-filled and funky.

Head to the Champaign Aviation Museum. I know many Daytonians love all things flight, and here, in this modest museum which houses some great WW2 examples. Some of the planes are in process of being restored and there are knowledgeable folks there who can tell you all you need to know.

Great examples from WW2 at the Aviation Museum.

From there, grab a quick mid-morning pastry at Teabaggers! They’re open Mon – Thurs 8am – 3pm and Sat 9:05am – 2pm .

Now, weather permitting, head to the bizarre ‘Cedar Bog!’

Mysterious, beautiful and whimsical..the Bog is one of a kind!

**Note, they are doing some work on walkways, check website to see what parts are up and running. Ohio’s first Nature Preserve, Cedar Bog packs a fun punch with it’s mile long boardwalk that winds through rare flowers and animal habitats. It is believed that Mastodons fed here….no really! And persistent rumors of a Big-Foot like creature make Bog Stories fun for kids.

 

Paridiso doesn’t disappoint!

Lunchtime! And back downtown you go to Cafe Paradiso. View the monument on the square as you enjoy some Tuscan inspired foods. Outdoor dining is an option in this ‘best kept secret’ featuring homemade sauces and artisan desserts. Impressive and exciting, it’s fun to find good Italian food in West Central Ohio.

 

Last minute shopping is good idea in Urbana. Kaleidoscope, Fruit Salad and Boston have the antiques, Yutzy’s has all the cheeses you can imagine and

Downtown Divas has the women’s clothes.

Lastly, after a day of doing Urbana, check out a little fun food from Fusion 40.83.

The name comes from the map coordinates of the restaurant. Known for their trout, Fusion 40.83 has a good bunch of beers as well.

Start the car. It’s the first of the alpha-trips…and U are on your way! U should get to Urbana. U will enjoy it!

Rockin’ on A Road Trip…But What to Listen to?

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Hit the Road!

Music is essential on a road trip….and road trips are hot again. Cheaper Gas, GPS and loads of fun within 3 hours of Dayton, make for a getaway for you and the gang.

The biggest question is: What do we listen to? In researching for this piece, a wrap-up of 10 online articles generated the following list, according to the ‘RoadTripping’ experts.

1. ‘Born to Run‘ by Bruce Springsteen. Featured on 9 of 10 lists, this song appears to be the biggest recommendation. Buoyed by Clarence Clemon’s sax and the push for sexual rebellion and escape, face it, the song has it all!

2. ‘Take it Easy‘ by the Eagles. This song, one that everyone seems to know word for word, has that moment we all wait to sing in unison….’a girl (my lord!) in a flatbed Ford’…..everything Eagles is safe for a road trip. They knew how to get us all involved in their music.

Love Shack BABY!

3. ‘Love Shack‘ by the B-52’s. Perhaps one of the iconic songs for any occasion these days, the B-52’s had no idea of the hit they were producing. The song gives us all the feeling of a getaway only known to us. Excitingly, the Shack can be in any woods, anywhere….even in Bellbrook!

 

 

4. ‘Layla‘ by Eric Clapton. From the guitar solo, to the ear-worming chorus, Layla is now considered one of the greatest rock songs in history. Point of trivia….Layla is based on a love story from the 7th Century in Arabia. WHAT THE????

Journey, Storytellers!

5. ‘Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey. I can feel the groans now, but this song has a magic in it. Its audience become story-tellers. Each time you sing it, you feel like you know that south Detroit boy, and that small town girl. It’s a classic in song and in story.

 

6. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen. I have to admit that Queen will forever be my favorite band. Freddie Mercury’s turn with this crazy ballad-meets-rock is exciting, silly, strange and whimsical. Mercury had hoped that the operatic part would be taken more seriously, but for those of singing it in our car, it’s really about fun!

Freddie Fantastic!

7. ‘Carry On my Wayward Son’ by Kansas. This song appears on 7 of 10 lists. Actually, I may have forgotten how much I do like hearing this song, had it not been for putting this article together. The opening really grabs you in for the duration. Many people take the lyrics to be a spiritual guide to life.

8. ‘You Shook Me All Night Long‘ by AC/DC. In an interview, AC/DC members stated they never exclude this song from their setlist because it is the quintessential moment in every concert where people go ‘haywire.’ Yep, it’s like a musical amphetamine!

9. ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody‘ by Whitney Houston, is on 7 lists. No doubt, this song will have some critics as it seems to take the list in a different direction. But let’s play fair, I bet you know every single word! Houston’s hit sold ‘gazillions!’

10. ‘Ice Ice baby‘ by Vanilla Ice. With it’s ‘Under Pressure’ bass-line, and hard hitting lyric, people are not even aware of what the song is about. Robert van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) wrote the classic rap when he was 16. Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at the mocked classic, but keep in mind it was the first hip-hop song to hit #1 on Billboard!

Hip-Hop’s #1!

So, the flood gates are open….let’s hear it! What do you agree with? What’s missing? What should we all be listening to? Can’t wait to add your ideas to my playlist this summer! Travel safe….and SOUND!!!

Moon Shines Near Hometown to Promote Spring Album

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They get your toes tapping, your fingers snapping and soon they’ve got you hooked on a brave, fun sound heard pulsating throughout the tri-state area. Cincinnati-based band Walk the Moon has impressed indie-rock aficionados with songs like “Anna Sun” and “Lisa Baby” since their first full-length 2010 album “i want! i want!” Now they’re quenching fans’ thirsts for more Moon. In three weeks, they plan to drop a landing near their hometown to promote a new album, set to release sometime in spring.

Walk the Moon

The four-piece band features Eli Maiman’s groovy guitar sounds, Nicholas Petricca’s sweet and heady vocals, Kevin Ray’s seizing bass lines, while Sean Waugaman’s drums punctuate the poppy sound beat by beat. Pounding on keyboards and keytars, the Ohioans have got it down. Walk the Moon has received recognition in mags such as SPIN, Esquire and Nylon, and they’ve filled venues with bands such as Local Natives, GROUPLOVE and Kaiser Chiefs.

Walk the Moon paid a humble but electric visit to The Madison Theater in Covington, Ky., this past Thanksgiving with bands Young Heirlooms and Shadowraptr. At the show — themed “Homecoming Dance” — “Anna Sun Punch” was offered to ticket holders, and colorful cheeks were seen smudged with war paint in reference to the tribal markings in their “Anna Sun” music video.

The trendy, energetic video was filmed in 2010 at The Mockbee, a historic building and stomping ground for Cincinnati natives to see local artists perform in Over the Rhine. The first half of the video is a single shot that follows Petricca as he weaves between dancers throughout the building, until he encounters a free-spirited gang in warrior face paint charging through a field.

In an interview with Carson Daly on his late night talk show “Last Call” last spring, Petricca indicated that the song was “about college, about maintaining that little bit of being a kid.” Well, Walk the Moon followers certainly embrace that philosophy as they’re full of adrenaline, pumping fists, jumping around and proudly calling out lyrics at shows.

The Madison Theater’s doors will open in just a few weeks to welcome eager fans to preview selected songs from Walk the Moon’s currently untitled album.

But if you can’t make the show and need more, don’t worry about the wait — spring is right around the corner. Until then, pick up Walk the Moon’s “Anna Sun EP,” available Feb. 7, on the band’s official website at http://www.walkthemoonband.com or purchase through iTunes.

Walk the Moon and Young the Giant make their stop at The Madison Theater in Covington on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. It’s an all-ages show, and tickets are $15, available online or when doors open at 7 p.m.

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