The Fair Shakes live at Canal Street Tavern

The Fair Shakes, Dayton, Ohio’s electrifying garage punk pop combo, will appear with The Lab Partners and Dan Raridan & the Calientes at South Park Tavern in Dayton, Ohio Saturday, June 12th.

The Fair Shakes – featuring former Obvious members John Dubuc and Nick Kizirnis as well as Deni Wilson (Tooba Blooze) and Steve Phelps (Lost Marble Collection) – have been working on their debut album. No release date is set, but the band will soon release a set of videos online from a live performance at Canal Street Tavern earlier this year.

Girish’s has gone from aspiring jazz drummer to Hindu monk to first call tabla guru for the likes of Krishna Das to solo mantra troubadour. His latest CD, Shiva Machine is all radical departure and simultaneous next step evolution. The mesmerizing trance-funk grooves and trip-hop devotional dirges boldly go where Sanskrit has never gone before.

Admission for the class and Kirtan set is $15. Space is limited, so register in advance for the class and Kirtan set at Practice Yoga on 5^th or by calling 937-321-7676.

All this Clash talk has sent me back to my vinyl copies of London Calling and Sandinista!, and remembering what a cool REGGAE band the Clash were. Their take on reggae was very inspiring, turning me on to a lot of older Jamaican rockers that I hadn’t heard of.I can’t decide if my favorite tune is White Man in Hammersmith Palais (great blend of punk and reggae), Guns of Brixton (dark, ominous reggae) or even the brilliant horns and percussion (and vocals) of Revolution Rock.

So what is YOUR favorite Clash song? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Hope to see you at the show!

Wilco: photo by by Joel.Oliphint

If you are a huge fan of Wilco, you have probably already seen them live, so this review won’t be news to you. But as a long-time fan who finally saw them in Columbus, Ohio (on Columbus Day) on a brisk Monday, Oct. 12^th, I can now say that despite the fact that Wilco make fantastic albums (2007’s “Sky Blue Sky” still gets regular rotation in the car), they take that material to a whole new level during their live shows.

Performing over two dozen songs that spanned most of their discography with some emphasis on their new release, “Wilco (The Album)“, Jeff Tweedy and his band played inspired and intense versions of fan favorites like “Handshake Drugs” and “Impossible Germany” with a relaxed air that made it seem like nothing could come more naturally to them.

Tweedy chatted with the crowd, encouraging them to sing in his place on “Jesus, etc.”, and giving them a pat on the back even though he said that the crowd in Austin sang it better, and knew more of the words, even if they were drunker. Tweedy poked fun at a woman with using flash to take pictures, and later mildly scolded someone shooting video. When the perpetrator yelled back “It’s not illegal”, Tweedy simply replied “but we asked you not to”.

Wilco has come a long long way since its alt-country days of well-done albums like “Being There”. Their pop and rock sensibilities kept evolving, finally taking a very experimental turn on “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”. For the next three albums (and two live releases) the band absorbed equal parts Neil Young and Sonic Youth into it eclectic pop mix, finally emerging in the last couple of years with a six piece lineup that can play incredibly moving, memorable songs amidst the arty rock’n’noise chaos. It’s powerful on record, and absolutely stunning live.

Two things to add – Wilco’s Nels Cline continues to be my guitar hero, whether he’s spraying jagged-edge lead guitar all over a tune or just adding texture with his lap steel. He is amazing. Cline has several solo albums, “Draw Breath” is my current favorite.

The other thing – opener Liam Finn and his collaborator Eliza Jane were incredible. Finn, son of the famous Crowded House songwriter Neil Finn, performed intense singer-songwriter tunes with guitar loops, samples and a ferocity on the drums that may make him my new drum hero! His new EP with Eliza Jane, entitled “Champagne in Seashells” is fantastic and well-worth the price of admission.

So I finally saw Wilco, and will definitely do so when the opportunity arises again. How about you? If you’ve seen Wilco, what’s your favorite aspect of their performance?

I’ve got two free tracks from the Into the Loud CD for anyone who would like them. I only ask you leave a comment and let me know what you think of the tracks! If you make it to the show you’ll hear them, if you don’t you can still hear them!

Preferred Company

Fall

That’s right, the 2009 Dayton Music Festival kicks off on Saturday October 3rd across Downtown Dayton, featuring over two dozen bands at seven venues for $10!

The Nick Kizirnis Band will be appearing at Gilly’s at 11:30pm, followed by headliners The Buffalo Killers from Cinci, Ohio!

To get you ready for the show, I’ve got two free tracks from the Into the Loud CD for anyone who would like them. I only ask you leave a comment and let me know what you think of the tracks! If you make it to the show you’ll hear them, if you don’t you can still hear them!

Preferred Company

Fall

The line-up for Gilly’s:

1. Human Reunion 9:30
2. Lucky Pineapple  10:30
3. Nick Kizirnis band  11:30
4. Buffalo Killers  12:30

The Nick Kizirnis’ Band set will include songs from The Mulchmen’s Greetings! from Planet Stupider and Louder Than Dirt, Thicker Than Mud, Cage’s Magnificent Propaganda Opportunity, Kizirnis’ Into the Loud, Eyesinweasel’s Wrinkled Thoughts, and several new songs!

Over the weeks leading up to the festival, we’ll post more details, including special offers including some free music downloads!

Hope to see everyone at the festival!