A couple of weeks ago I ventured out to my first concert at a bar in months. It takes a good excuse to get me out of the house for a late night show, especially during the work week. Fortunately I had a great excuse. The Lone Bellow had been on my radar since I got my hands on their self-titled debut album a couple of months ago, and they were playing a free show at Mayday in Northside.

The Lone Bellow

This was my first time at Mayday, but I really liked the venue for the most part. It is pretty small and was the perfect setting for the 100 or so people in the audience for this show. Nearly everyone in attendance was quiet and attentive for the majority of the show, which is always nice to see.

The Lone Bellow took the stage around 11:30 and opened with arguably their best hit, ”You Never Need Nobody,” which combines amazing vocal harmonies with soaring leads from Zach Williams. After just a couple of seconds of this song, I was hooked, and I bet the same could be true for many others. Take a listen to the track below.

With just one album of material, it would be hard for the band to play much more than the 45 minute set that I heard, but I definitely wanted to hear more. The Tiny Desk Concert below was very similar to what I experienced, but there were a few more touring members of the band on stage to fill the lower registers.

There were three other bands on the bill, two before The Lone Bellow and one after. I missed all the previous bands but did stick around to hear Ivan & Aloysha, a folk-pop, indie, rock band from Seattle, Washington. They were more rock than The Lone Bellow, but still had many similar elements including great vocal harmonies and even some sweet melodies.

As this was the last show of the tour, members of all bands joined in for the last song of the night. There were little sombreros for those on stage and at the end a piñata was brought out, which eventually spewed candy onto the venue floor for the enjoyment of everyone in attendance.

Tour Closer

Piñata Time

A week ago I took Trey to our first Tunes & Blooms of the year. We made it to a couple of the events last year and had a blast doing so. It is a great place to take children and loads of fun for adults too. There are still two more weeks left this year, so be sure to go and check it out. I’m hoping we can make it tonight, but I may be stuck working late. Admission is free after 5 P.M. and some of the animals remain on display for your enjoyment.

Shiny Old Soul

Last week’s entertainment was provided by Shiny and the Spoon along with Shiny Old Soul. I enjoyed both sets of music even though I wasn’t at all familiar with either band.

Blooms

Last year the tulips all bloomed before I had a chance to see them. But this year they were in full force, at least last week they were. I’m hoping that some of them are still hanging on. There are over 100,000 of them planted throughout the zoo and it is really a sight to see!

Heffalumps

We also took a detour over to see the elephants. Just as we approached their enclosure, one of the zookeepers appeared and spread peanuts for the big girls. The giraffes were also visible nearby and the baby born back in October is growing so quickly. Today is world penguin day, and they also happen to be Trey’s favorite animal, so we will have to go see them tonight, provided we are able to attend.

I’ve always thought that Cincinnati lacked a mid-size outdoor concert venue. In some ways the PNC Pavilion at Riverbend fills that niche, but it is terribly underutilized. Plus it has a roof over it, so you never feel like you are out under the stars. Enter the Horseshoe Casino’s new outdoor event plaza, “The Shoe.”

Event Calendar

This morning their summer concert lineup was announced. You can click the image above for a larger view of the calendar, or here is a full list:

• May 16 - The Killers – SOLD OUT
• May 21 - The Shins
• June 8 - Ke$ha
• June 9 - Huey Lewis & The News
• June 14 - Billy Idol
• July 6 – Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, & Guster
• July 7 - Alice Cooper
• July 19 – Willie Nelson & Family
• July 25 – Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Gin Blossoms, Vertical Horizon, & Fastball
• Aug. 23 - Chicago
• Sept. 5 - Jeff Dunham
• Sept. 22 - Earth, Wind & Fire

I see a few shows that I’m definitely considering attending. It looks like some of the shows will have reserved seating, while others are full general admission. I’m told the capacity is over 3,000. The Killers show was announced earlier this month and sold out almost immediately. Time will tell how the acoustics are and how the venue is configured, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Friday night I met up with some friends to see Al Scorch & The Country Soul Ensemble at Arnold’s. I had previously heard a few of Al Scorch’s songs but I was in no way prepared for the bluegrass ass-kicking that I received. I walked in just as the five piece band was getting ready to take a set break, but fortunately I had plenty of time to spare so I stuck around for their entire second set.

I squeezed in next to my group of friends that had arrived early to get a table in the back covered courtyard. There were very few empty seats to be had and quite a few people were stuck standing in the back. It seems that my friends weren’t the only ones who had already discovered this up and coming act.

Their sound is very much bluegrass but a quick Google search also describes them as country-punk-folk-bluegrass, which seems like a fitting description. Al is quite a master of the five string banjo, and the band was equally as talented. I couldn’t find much information on the band members but they were playing upright bass, acoustic guitar, percussion (including an awesome washboard), and violin.

The band is based out of Chicago, but seems to be making an appearance in Cincinnati every few months. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Al and his band this spring. For now I’ll be enjoying this recording from the Daytrotter Studio.

This past Friday night I headed to the Taft Theatre to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals for the fifth time since 2006. I can still remember my first show of theirs at the Wakarusa Music Festival that was so full of energy especially for a hot evening in Kansas. The second time I saw Grace and her band perform was at another music festival, Mile High in 2008. It wasn’t until 2011 that I finally saw a headlining show. However it never seemed to matter if it was a headlining show or not, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were always ready to deliver a high energy rock and roll show.

Landhorne Slim & the Law

Opening the show this time around was Landhorne Slim and the Law. We arrived after they had already taken the stage for the 45 minute set, but I heard enough of their sound to say though I enjoyed it somewhat, I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again. That’s not to say that they aren’t entertaining and accomplished musicians, because it seems that they are, but the alternative country style of music is not really what I’m most interested in.

Grace Potter on Keys

Though Grace Potter now plays a lot more guitar than she used to, she started off the night on the keys before launching into the opening track of the night the title track of her latest album The Lion The Beast The Beat. I’m not very familiar with this latest release but it is pretty clear to me that it is much more rock and roll than the previous release that was a little more on the pop side of things. I particularly liked the track “Runaway” from the latest offering, as well as an easy highlight for me, the always rocking “Ah, Mary” a track off This Is Somewhere, released in 2007.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Other highlights in the main set included a short cover of Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands” as well as Neil Young’s “Down by the River.” I also enjoyed hearing a quieter old track in “Ragged Company,” which was re-released with Willie Nelson as a bonus track. The set closing “Stop the Bus” had the sold out crowd singing along and wanting more.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

The encore started with the power ballad and chilling “Apologies” with soaring vocals from Grace. Up next was a solo performance on the guitar of Nothing But the Water (I) which went right into one of my all time favorite songs by the group, “Nothing But the Water (II).” Sure it is an always predictable combination, but there is no way one could be played without the other. This was followed up with their biggest hit from their self titled album from 2010, “Paris (Ooh La La)” which had nearly everyone up on their feet and dancing along. After the final song of the five song encore, “Medicine”, the band had played another 40 minutes on stage after an already lengthy set. What a night!

My yearly collection of favorite songs and newly discovered artists, NOW That’s What Ed Calls Music, is available for download from the links below.

1. Alabama Shakes – Hold On
2. Allen Stone – Sleep
3. The Avett Brothers – Live And Die
4. The Lumineers – Ho Hey
5. Holy Ghost Tent Revival – Telephone Wire
6. Hoots And Hellmouth – I Don’t Mind Your Cussing
7. Michael Kiwanuka – I’m Getting Ready
8. Of Monsters And Men – Mountain Sound
9. Old Crow Medicine Show – Levi
10. Gary Clark Jr. – Bright Lights
11. Dave Matthews Band – Gaucho
12. SoundRabbit – Sister, Brother
13. Mumford & Sons – Lover Of The Light
14. Ben Howard – Only Love
15. Kassidy – Oh My God
16. Glen Hansard – Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting
17. Alexander – A Million Years

This compilation is available for download from Dropbox and from my site (much slower). Please support these artists by buying their full albums and attending their live shows. As always I hope you enjoy the compilation and happy holidays.

Last night I took a midweek roadtrip with one of my college roommates to see the Dave Matthews Band play in Louisville at the relatively new KFC Yum! Center. Overall the arena was pretty impressive with good sight lines from all levels, tons of luxury boxes, and a nice acoustics.

Inside KFC Yum! Center

Jimmy Cliff opened the show and we walked in after he and his band had already started. Though we didn’t get to hear “I Can See Clearly Now” we were treated to a set closing combination of “The Harder They Come” followed by a drum filled cover of “Rivers of Babylon.” It was a great start to our night. I’ve seen Jimmy once before at the 2010 Mile High Music Festival and recall having a good time there as well.

Great Lights

Between sets we made a stop at the Woodford Reserve Club for drinks and after returning toward our seats decided to hang at the top of our section and stand for the duration of the show. There was a nice drink rail for us to use and we could see just as well as we could from our seats. No one ever asked us for our tickets, so next time I would consider buying a cheaper upper level seat and just stand at the top of the lower level.

Our View

The DMB set was a nice mix of new songs from their most recent release, Away from the World, and a sampling of nearly all of their previous albums. “Don’t Drink the Water” is always a great song to hear as the opener. I also especially enjoyed this early stretch of songs: “Seven” “#41″ “Mercy” and “Grey Street.” The encore was also spectacular with “Christmas Song” segueing into “Halloween” and then finally into “Tripping Billies.” It was a killer ending to a great night of music!

Saturday night Kim and I headed down to US Bank Arena for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. This was my first show of theirs so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The moment the lights dimmed I knew we weren’t in for atypical Christmas show. I was already aware that their music was more rock-based that most holiday music, but it seemed that the rock aspect of their music was even more dominant live in concert.

Pyrotechnics

Besides the metal style instrument solos, their show was complete with a very impressive light show with loads of video boards, lasers, and even pyrotechnics! I think at one point there were even women dancing on stage similar to what you would see at a Mötley Crüe concert. I honestly didn’t expect it to be this over the top.

Impressive Light Show

Mixed between all the rock music was a narrator who was trying to tell some sort of “Lost Christmas Eve” story. However, I felt the story was more depressing than anything and wished they would have just stuck to the music.

Choir

Throughout the night, the band was joined by various singers and even a choir. The string section orchestra was on stage for most, if not all, of the performance. We later found out that the members of the orchestra were all local musicians who were selected to perform with the band during this tour stop.

Moving Trusses

At one point in the show, two of the musicians started rising up over the crowd on these really long trusses. Once the trusses were fully extended, each of the moved in opposite directions away from the stage. The violinist on the truss nearest to us eventually was over our section and I was looking straight ahead to him just feet away from us!

Well Hello There

After a couple of hours on stage and at the end of the story, the band and other musicians were introduced and then we were told that it was time for the second act of night. In the second act, the band performs a mix of songs from their catalog that had not been featured in the story. It was getting late for us and we still had to pickup Trey from the other side of town, so we called it a night shortly into the second act. Even though we had to cut the night short, I felt that I had experienced enough of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show to leave a lasting memory.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Wizards In Winter” from Ed Paff on Vimeo.

Last week I mentioned going to the grand opening of the Microsoft Store at Kenwood Towne Centre. Well the real reason for attending was to get a bunch of wristbands for the O.A.R. concert this past Saturday for the opening weekend celebration. In the end I was able to get extra wristbands for some friends and family to get in, even though eventually they let anyone in to the concert without wristbands.

Parking Lot Stage

We arrived to find the opening act, Andy Grammer, already on stage. He is most famous for his song “Keep Your Head Up,” which closed his set of over an hour. He mixed in a few covers to keep the unfamiliar entertained, but I was surprised by how many in audience seemed to know so much of his material. Knowing just one of his songs definitely put me in the minority.

Since we brought Trey along for his second O.A.R. show, we spent the afternoon in the back of the crowd, where he was free to run around and have fun. Though I did catch him dancing along a few times, I think he was most entertained by the temporary tattoos that some workers were passing out. He even figured out who was giving them out and would go back to them (repeatedly) for more. I think by the end of the show he was pretty well covered from head to toe.

Tattooed Trey

Though I knew that O.A.R’s set wouldn’t be more than an hour and a half, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a few tracks in their set. “Light Switch Sky” and “On Top The Cage” are at the top of my list, since I hadn’t heard either of those in some time. The rest of the set was pretty predictable, but still the crowd really enjoyed it. For starters we couldn’t have asked for a better day, but to get to hear nearly three hours of live music for free was just the icing on the cake. Plus I was able to get a few meet and great passes for after the show so I could take Trey to meet the band.

My mom took a ton of photos from the event. Here are some of my favorites.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to travel up to Miami University’s Millett Hall to see O.A.R. play. Though I have seen the band many times over the years I hadn’t seen them perform since the summer of 2011. That stretch of well over a year is definitely the longest time between shows since I started following them in 2000. Various things prevented me from attending one of their concerts this past summer, but I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again.

O.A.R. on Stage

Truthfully I wasn’t sure if I was going to go up to this show until a few days before. Liam, one of my roommates from college, and I had talked about it briefly, but when he offered an extra spot in his car for a ride to the show I knew I had to make it happen. We all had a great time at the show despite it being in a dry venue. The band was all dressed in costumes as characters from Revenge of the Nerds and some of those in the audience were dressed up as well.

NERDS!

One of my favorite things from the night was dusting off my old concert taping gear and putting it to good use. I think the tape sounds great. You can take a listen below.