Wednesdays at South Park Tavern are usually reserved for the Rock-n-Roll Play Date, the open mic night we told you about in an earlier post here on Dayton Most Metro. Tonight, however, is an exception. Do-Tell Records is bringing Minneapolis band Off With Their Heads to town along with Dear Landlord (also from Minneapolis). They’ll be joined onstage by local punk band, Raging Nathans. This all-ages show is $7 and gets started around 9pm.
south park tavern
The Weekend After Urban Nights – more music!
Great live music doesn’t stop just because another Urban Nights has come and gone. There are lots of great shows happening both Friday and Saturday nights this weekend. Here are some of the highlights:
Friday:
*The ever-funky Romeo Champagne will headline Canal Street Tavern. The show gets started around 9:30pm with Cleveland’s Deja Voodoo and is $5.
*If reggae is your thing, you won’t want to miss Seefari at the Trolley Stop. This show also starts around 9:30pm.
*For local blues, check out WG Blues Unit at J’Alan’s on Ludlow.
*The Black Who’s will be playing at The Brewery in Troy with Fuzz Hound and Valley of Visions. The Black Who’s performed live on Kaleidoscope this week, and you can stream that set from WYSO’s website.
Saturday:
*New Vega and Ed vs. Radio will play host to Louisville’s The Fervor. This South Park Tavern show gets started around 9pm.
*If you’re in the mood to dance, local DJ Jay Madewell will be hosting Fab Gear at Blind Bob’s. This dance party combines some of most danceable tunes from the soul, funk, Motown and disco genres.
*Over on Brown Street, C. Wright’s Parlour Tricks and Nine False Suns will be rocking the stage at Jimmie’s Cornerstone Bar.
*Regional favorites the Psychodots will perform at Canal Street Tavern with WYSO Excursions host and musician in her own right, Niki Dakota opening.
So Dayton – which shows are you excited about/playing in/can’t miss this weekend?
Thursday Night: Smug Brothers and Turkish Delights
Another great weekend of music in Dayton kicks off Thursday at South Park Tavern. Local favorites the Smug Brothers will will join the Turkish Delights in welcoming Columbus’ Kyle Sowashes to town. This all-ages show gets started around 9pm – perfect for grabbing a later dinner at South Park Tavern.
Rock-n-Roll Play Date – a different kind of open mic
A couple of months ago, South Park Tavern began hosting an open mic night on Wednesday nights, but instead of sticking with a traditional acoustic-style evening, they decided to do something a little different. Thus the Rock-n-Roll Play Date was born. The event is open to a wide variety of performers including comedians, rappers, acoustic and electric acts and the idea is to foster collaboration. Interested performers can sign up for a 25 minute time slot in advance on South Park Tavern’s website and even put in a request for other musicians they’d like to play with (say a drummer or bass player). It’s a good environment to try out new material or for solo musicians to meet other people to play with. The first act gets started around, and the last act goes on between 12 and 12:30am
Mountain Screamer begins May Residency
As a new month begins, it’s time for The Buddha Den to present a new artist in residence for its NTRO/XPO showcase at South Park Tavern. This FREE weekly event is a great way to get to know some of the of the area’s new and established bands. Hot off the release of their self-titled debut album, Mountain Screamer will be rocking every Tuesday in May with a host of special guests:
5/4 Army of Infants
5/11 Outright Liar
5/18 Charge Scenic
5/25 Too Buku
Mountain Screamer recently did a set live on WYSO’s Kaleidoscope. Click here for a stream of that performance.
Local Bands pay tribute to the Talking Heads
On Saturday, May 1st, DJ Masterkid will present the latest installment in his series of local tribute shows. Life During Wartime will feature local bands playing songs by the Talking Heads as well as their own original material. Sleepfleet, The Sics, Red Blast Radio, Atomic Euphoria, David A Berry, and Nine False Suns are all on the bill, and DJ Masterkid will spin additional Talking Heads tunes that the bands aren’t performing. This all-ages show is at South Park Tavern, and admission is $5.
Sleepybird and the Rebel Set headline South Park Tavern on Saturday
Last fall the Rebel Set and Sleepybird each unveiled a highly anticipated album on the same day. These two albums, Across the Relentless Sea and The Sadness Will Last Forever, went on to tie for Best Local Album in WYSO Best of 2009 Listener Poll.
This Saturday you’ll have a chance to see both bands in one place: the stage at South Park Tavern. They’ll be joined by Andy Smith (Andrew and the Pretty Punchers) who will open the show with an acoustic set. As with other shows at South Park Tavern, this one is all-ages and starts (and ends) a little earlier so it’s a good idea to arrive close to 9pm.
Start your weekend with rock and roll on Thursday night
There’s nothing wrong with starting to dream of the weekend this early, and likewise, there’s nothing wrong with getting your weekend started on a Thursday night. So here are a few shows happening this Thursday to get you rolling…and rocking:
Canal Street Tavern will present the very catchy Dan Raridan and the Calientes. They’ll be joined onstage by Yellow Springs band Mercury Mouth and the Fair Shakes. The show starts at 9pm.
Over at South Park Tavern, locals Ed vs. Radio and Bernoulli will play host to Brooklyn’s Breaking Laces. This all-ages show gets underway at 9pm and is $5.
If an open mic night is more of your thing, Blind Bob’s has it covered with its weekly open mic night.
Do you know of another great show happening this Thursday? Share it in the comments!
The Weekend in Music (It’s a big one)
Before a certain rabbit brings baskets of chocolates and marshmallow birds, there’s going to be a lot happening in Dayton. You’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to live music this weekend, so here’s a rundown of just some of the shows worth hearing and seeing:
FRIDAY – 
-Singer/songwriter, BJSR will perform at Practice Yoga on Fifth Street as part of First Friday celebrations. Practice Yoga’s spring party runs from 7 to 10pm and will feature a photography display from Matthew J. Cline, free yoga class passes for first time visitors and more.
-Also part of First Friday, Puzzle of Light will perform at Jay’s Seafood Restaurant in the Oregon District. Call ahead for dinner reservations, but if you’re planning on coming for dessert or a drink and the music, it’ll get started around 9pm.
–Bonneville and Shrug will be hitting the stage at Canal Street Tavern around 9:30pm. This show is $5 and promises to be a great way to usher in the weekend.
SATURDAY-
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Me & Mountains will perform at South Park Tavern with recently reformed Ed vs. Radio and Covington’s Frontier Folk Nebraska. This all-ages show begins at 9pm and the cost is $5.
-Touring band Lollipop Factory will stop by Canal Street Tavern to celebrate the release of their new EP. They’re sharing the bill with the Luxury Pushers and The Dirty Socialites who are making their local debut. This show should be getting underway around 9pm.
–Mountain Screamer will celebrate the release of their debut album at Jimmie’s Cornerstone on Brown Street. They’ll share the stage with Northwest Ordinance and last year’s Dayton Band Playoff winners, the Turkish Delights. This show is $5 and the music starts at 9pm.
These are just some of the great shows you can catch this weekend right here in Dayton. Who are you excited about seeing this weekend? What other weekend plans do you have?
Thursday: Wake Up Mordecai at South Park Tavern
Poptek Records artist Wake Up Mordecai will be playing at South Park Tavern on Thursday, April 1st. Also on the bill are Cincinnati’s The Minor Leagues and local act Sleep Fleet (formerly All Alliteration Aside). This all-ages show gets underway at 9pm – so perfect timing to enjoy one of South Park Tavern’s great pizzas and hear some great music. Puns about being a fool for missing this show are entirely optional.
For a preview, check out Wake Up Mordecai’s live performance on Kaleidoscope from last summer.
The Lions Rampant and The Professors at South Park Tavern
Cincinnati-based act The Lions Rampant will be celebrating the release of their new full-length album, It’s Fun to Do Bad Things this Saturday, March 27 at South Park Tavern. They’ll be hitting the stage with local act The Professors whose latest album, Will Not Lie Down, is available for free download here. This is an all-ages and the cost is $5. Don’t forget that shows at South Park Tavern generally start and end a little earlier than some of the other venues in town so get there at 9:30pm to catch all the music.
