I ordered this one online without knowing anything about it, and was pleasantly surprised. It’s more high-brow than expected, a concise but in depth history book as opposed to little blurbs about bars or whatever. As an added bonus, it turns out the copy I ordered was autographed by the authors! Anyway, I would definitely recommend this if you’re interested in the subject matter.
A little shameless self-promotion, here, but if I do say so these are pretty solid pieces of journalism, covering a year and a half living on the OSU campus scene. I would recommend the paperbacks (links above) – and yeah, you can download e-books on Kindle, Smashwords, et cetera, too, but surely you will want a physical souvenir to have and to hold, right?
Actually, if you would like a cheap and easy to read version that’s highly portable, you can’t go wrong with a nifty PDF for all your viewing needs. You can download that right here for just 99 cents:
This was a fascinating and highly informative yet fast-moving read, blowing through tons of local restaurant history in relatively short order. I remember reading some of Christine’s stuff in Short North Gazette and elsewhere, though this is the best material I’ve seen from her. Doug Motz is an unfamiliar name to me, but it doesn’t really matter, of course – they bring the equivalent of an unpretentious yet amazing three course meal to your table with this project. The only unfortunate aspect is that, surely due to cost constraints, the pictures are in black and white. Maybe this will really catch fire and allow them to use full color ones in a future edition. So do your part by clicking the link above and ordering the thing! Or at least ask your nearest library to purchase a copy…
Joe Oestreich: If a fan of local legends Watershed, or for that matter just into the music scene in general, be sure to pick up bassist/singer Joe Oestreich’s fascinating book about his time spent with the band, Hitless Wonder. This is a terrific tome, and recommended even if you know nothing about the group. Part memoir, part a journalistic piece about life on the road, it also features some juicy details about the music industry’s inner workings and a few cameos by various well-known figures.
Music
I decided it made much more sense to list all local acts (and their releases) on a page called C-Bus Music. Therefore all I’m mentioning here are compilation albums. Or else other uncategorizeable manners of weirdness, recorded by those who weren’t technically local artists:
Alive! Swinging Sounds Of Columbus 2007
This was a giveaway, scored at Comfest that year. Anyone who landed a slot on here presumably knows what he/she is doing, but still, here are my takeaways.
#1 – Cabdrivers, Dirty Blankets: I like the warm piano sound, and it is a somewhat catchy track. Not really crazy about the Joe Walsh-esque vocals or those background noises, plus (a recurring theme) the song does seem to end too soon, without really going anywhere.
#2 – Modena Vox, Strange Nights: Now this is more like it. Man what a killer song. The guitars sound great, the drummer’s hauling ass, vocals are belted yet slick, the whole thing rocks and you’re humming it afterwards…yes sir, this is pretty much the total package.
#3 – The Lab Rats, Devil’s Train: I remember loving this back when acquiring the disc, and it’s aged extremely well. This rapper, whoever he is, has obviously listened to his Eminem, but so what. That matters none if you can actually pull it off – and in fact, you could make a reasonable case he has a more palatable voice than Mr. Mathers. There’s a little bit of everything going on with this song, and it’s all brilliant. Musically speaking it somehow manages to sound modern but also as though it could have been composed in the early 1900s. There are some vocal parts where the train whistle is meant to be singing, and this also works. Satan even makes a guest appearance in especially stylish fashion. Bonus points for mentioning Donnie Darko.
#4 – Sarah Asher, Love Letters: Speaking of something with a touch of an older sound, this also fits that bill. Her vocals have a distant radio quality to them, which serve the track well, a relatively simple recording where you can almost hear dust gathering atop it. Just a mandolin (I’m guessing) and her voice, double tracked to great effect like a chorus a little later on. I’m always a sucker for a sweet female voice, a category for which this certainly qualifies.
#5 – Y Lo Pan, The Ringing: Mmm, that’s some mighty chunky riffage, to get this party started. And things only pick up from there! No idea what this guy is singing about, but does it really matter? Nope. Great production, and I dig those little “oooh oooh” bits as well. Also a couple compelling tempo shifts, and some sweet shredding on the guitar later on.
#6 – The Black Canary, Mansions: Some interesting ideas, though I don’t feel it really gels overall. Or is it that there’s not enough going on with this track? I can’t decide, but lean toward it being a little on the busy side – the orchestral sounding keyboard part gets a trifle too cloying before long, and at least on my headphones, the ride cymbal is louder than the vocals. That’s like an Oasis-level mistake, whom, true, they might be attempting to channel here.
#7 – The Spikedrivers, Please Don’t Come Back: It’s fine for what it is, and maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing this type of music, but I wouldn’t exactly be listening to this every day of my life. The violin/fiddle solo is probably the highlight – and right there you probably have some indication what to expect: proper old fashioned country hoedown music, straight from the nearest square dance. This particular female’s vocals don’t really do it for me, though adequate enough, but the guitar player does get in a few mildly entertaining licks.
#8 – Mors Ontologica, Lapse/Relapse: A strong start, but another mismatch when taken as a whole. I would keep the instrumental passages, throw back everything else. The guitars trade off in memorable fashion, it sounds like the drummer knows what he’s doing…yet this vocalist might be attempting to gargle mouthwash while singing, and I’m not a fan of these jokey call-and-response breakdown segments. Also, again, it’s way too short. Or at least I’d be saying that if I wasn’t happy it ended.
#9 – Melty Melty, Same Situation: After a few consecutive duds, we’re righting the ship again with this one. It has a touch of the Weezer-ish essence – from back when those guys were consistently good, anyway – and I’m surprised to see that they, like many others on this comp, essentially faded away immediately afterwards. The drums sound as though you’re in the same room with them. Otherwise, the vocals and guitar match one another in shimmery, lockstep perfection, the melodies instantly affix to your brain.
#10 – Paper Airplane, First Time I Thought About It: A pleasantly jaunty number. It starts out with some sweet acoustic strumming, soon joined by equally soothing vocals and little piano flourishes. I even like those mostly instrumental moments between the verse and chorus, with pounding drums and more tinkling keys, as the singer just holds a long ooohhhhhh, followed by a doo-doo-doot-doo, twice. The chorus itself fits just fine, but is honestly probably less memorable than the rest, somehow.
#11 – Hugs And Kisses, Too Much: Hoo boy. This has always been by far my least favorite cut on here, and time has not changed its clunker status any. It seriously sounds like an early Motley Crue demo that they never worked on again, except only if Vince Neil recorded this in his apartment, with just a drum machine and some random guitarist from down the hall. Maybe with the tape sped up slightly to imply he was hitting the high notes. I think they must have been good friends with whoever was putting this disc together.
#12 – Walter Rocktight (featuring Bru Lei), Kill Da Noize: A killer, highly professional production. Everything is top notch here and you wouldn’t know this wasn’t a chart topping hip-hop smash unless someone told you otherwise. Major kudus for namechecking “Columbus Ohio” and “O State campus.” Still, my fave couplet is probably smoking like an alcoholic/drinking like a smoker. The normal orchestral sounding keyboards and piano loop are cool enough on their own, that ancient sounding roller rink organ exponentially so.
#13 – Jason Quicksall, Better Habits: Mighty fine picking and buttery cool crooning help sell this jazzy little selection. The upright bass and drum brushes further contribute to this sunny vibe. Off the top of my head, this is the only act on this compilation I know for a fact I’ve seen perform live, and I enjoyed that gig, too. The other guys I was with were ripping on him, though, which I really didn’t get even then, and was one incident that helped formulate this insight I eventually arrived at: you shouldn’t trust the opinions of musicians, watching other musicians. Particularly when they’re all from the same town. Maybe that applies to anybody’s opinion (disclaimer: it’s true that I have dabbled with cranking out some oddball lo-fi tunes myself, but have never considered myself a musician; that has always been a hobby and I’ve never made any effort at playing out live, ever, which I believe are some important distinctions). But when you’re asking musicians about their opinions of other musicians, there’s too much politics, and pettiness, and other random bullshit in play. It becomes more about who knows who and whether so and so has “paid their dues” “coming up through the scene” and so on. This is how you end up with one glaringly weak cut on a CD with just 15 tracks, covering a huge city like Columbus (see a few entries above), but then, on the flipside, will have people attacking a skillful performance such as this Quicksall offering. Keep doing what you’re doing, though, man. It sounds great. And it would seem you must have had supporters at Alive! who agreed.
#14 – The Lindsays, Iranian Eyes: Just a solid, straightforward indie rock slice. Along with maybe the Modena Vox selection, I would say this most sounds like a representative C-bus exhibit, as far as the type of music you would often see being played around town during this era. In fact I believe this is its most significant quality, that this comes across as an especially frenetic live performance, as though taken from a local stage. But not the least bit muddy, and with the crowd noise taken out. If I would learn someday that this was in fact recorded live, I would be even more impressed – but either way, this too is fantastic, and will really get your blood pumping.
#15 – Blake Miller, Tomorrow Sorrow: This makes for a perfect sendoff, just a mellow, breezy, meditative tune replete with vaguely tropical guitar strumming, percussion to match, along with either bells or xylophone tinkles, ghostly background vocals by what sounds to be Blake himself, and sweeter ones from some girl. Then again I dig the vaguely raspy, midrange-y voice as well, and could basically listen to stuff like this all day. It makes for perfect background music while working or driving, though at the same time wouldn’t feel out of place on a movie soundtrack.
The Buckeye Marching Band tapes
I’m not even going to bother breaking these out separately. I mean, would the people who played on the things be able to recognize these by ear? Probably not, unless it was an extremely unusual tune they selected. Additionally, much of the suspense with this post is perhaps eliminated right off the bat, when I reveal now that this is a huge chunk of that half which I’m not really into. So it seems kind of silly to rate these year by year, and I am definitely not the man for the job. Also, watching the band in action, preferably live, as they form their famous bodily arrangements, is a major part of the fun which you are missing here.
Having said that, I do get a kick out of certain song selections. And one crucial element marching bands have going for them, in favor of simple brass bands (for example, the dreadful Lead On! tape I’ll be reviewing down below), would be the drumline. For example, on the first cassette tape depected above, titled “Hang On Sloopy,” there’s a killer drum solo near the beginning of Disney classic Under The Sea. Another highlight is the hilarious yet informative Buckeye Demo, during which the band director explains this became the world’s largest marching brass band in 1934, then runs through every piece in the ensemble and has them demonstrate what they do. Right after that, however, is a dreadfully corny, all vocal version of the inevitable Hang On Sloopy. I would say the same about the very similar I Wanna Go Back To Ohio State, except this is so hokey it’s almost reverted back to cool again – and makes me long for the days when oldtimers actually referred to our city as “Columbus Town.”
Hmm, guess I said I wasn’t reviewing these puppies, yet here I am doing exactly that. Well, I’m giving them one pass apiece, and jotting down any impressions, so take that as you will. And I think I might be sort of getting the hang of this, maybe, despite my reservations! The second cassette, which is called Hey! Buckeyes! has a better track list, at first glance. However I feel confident in saying this was not the best edition of the OSU marching band. Or at least, this tape doesn’t capture that band as well. Maybe it’s me – and again, I’m just zipping through these with a single listen – but the songs all seem to fly by at the same overly peppy tempo. There’s not a ton of variation here, to my ears.
Brass Roots was too warped to even play properly, for the most part, although I can’t say I’m too terribly saddened by this development. The Script Ohio cassette does feature a couple of tunes I enjoyed – a slow, mournful take (though I’m not sure how this is supposed to rally the troops) of I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You, and then a much more exuberant rendition of Lionel Richie’s timeless All Night Long. It’s basically impossible not to love that one in pretty much any form.
I didn’t hear anything on Buckeye Battle Cry! to write an op-ed piece to The Lantern about, despite a few unique selections not found anywhere else. These occasional choral numbers, here and elsewhere, are mostly beyond dreadful. The Pride of the Buckeyes, which has Paul Droste as director, does feature more inspired drum work than I’ve heard on most of the other compilations. And their version of Neil Diamond’s Coming To America sounds suitably majestic, more regal in fact than all the other patriotic classics I’ve heard. Or maybe it’s just that I’m more partial to pop songs of a certain era: Beat It mostly works, too, Eye Of The Tiger most definitely. That last one is especially played with extra gusto. But as I’ve mentioned, even the drums on this NBC Chimes Festival help carry this tune to that same lofty plane.
Buckeye BLOCKBUSTERS! gets off to a strong start with some Star Wars pieces, but then again these were orchestral numbers to begin with, some of the more famous and best of the past fifty years. After that, however, despite the album title, what follows is fairly dreadful. Even the inclusion of some unique, modern pop cuts doesn’t elevate matters any. Sadly, about the most memorable moment from here on out is a hilariously corny vocal take on God Bless The U.S.A. – I would term it good, but at least it stands out from the rest of this quagmire.
Apart from the packaging, the highlight of Buckeye Bandstand is probably an epic rendition of this Barnum & Bailey circus theme. At least I think that’s where I was on this cassette. Funny, but this looks like the oldest of the marching band tapes, yet it might also be the least lame.
Hooked On Harmonica Vol. II
An unexpectedly delightful and borderline maniacal collection of a few different harmonica ensembles around town. One that is further enhanced in that they zip through a whole mess of numbers and don’t exactly overstay their welcome on any of them. Therefore after a so-so start to this batch of tapes, and an uneven middle, the back half has been packed full of hits – so in other words, paced just like many concerts are, however accidentally. Ghost Riders in the Sky is probably the show stopper here, but they surely already knew this themselves, which is why they placed it last.
Otherwise, only a few of these tunes are even familiar to me. Sweet Georgia Brown’s not bad, and of course everyone knows Rocky Top. If this sounds like your thing, though, I feel confident saying you will enjoy the whole album. This cover image did inevitably make me wonder how many of these fine folks are still alive, though. Even though it came out in 1988, i.e. “only” 36 years ago, I was thinking that there are probably only three, maybe four participants from this ensemble that are still around. To potentially tell us something about this club and these projects, if we’re lucky.
The OSU Tailgate Cassette, Volume One
Calling these “tailgate” cassettes might seem a bit of a stretch, considering these aren’t really party jams or anything. However it’s not too difficult to imagine a pack of middle aged dudes cranking these bad boys at maximum volume from the cab of their pickup truck, in the parking lot before a game, whilst the grilled meats and the ice cold beers are freely dispensed behind it. Plus, well, the subject matter is often OSU and specifically Buckeye football related. So we’ll give the titling a pass.
These are seemingly hodgepodge collections assembled from all over the place, but offer a wide variety of styles from various local bands. And make for some mighty interesting listening as a result. Of the three tapes I own, Volume One has the more intriguing cover art, as I’m really digging this keypie-doll-esque carving out of letters from photos over a plain black background. Or whatever you would call this. Both collections were produced and arranged by John Tatgenhorst, but as I didn’t quite listen to these tapes in the order depicted at my photo up top, I’m getting to this edition only after listening to Volume Two. And writing these blurbs in that order as well. So forgive me if I don’t feel quite like explaining certain aspects all over again, and/or cutting and pasting and editing things I already wrote to go here instead. What can I tell you – at nearly two months invested with this post, this has been way more labor intensive than I ever imagined. In fact all other progress has ground down on this site while I furiously pushed through to wrap this baby up. But yeah, if seeking slightly more detail about some of these acts, by all means continue onward to the next cassette.
As previously noted, I suspect some of these versions were lifted from other similar compilations. But am not quite maniacal enough to compare them side by side. Sticking with some things I know for a fact I haven’t heard before, among the first of these (just playing the tape as-is, wherever it stopped and whatever the side), it’s impossible to ignore or forget Oh Gordon, You’re Our Man. This thing is truly awesome and should be at the top of anyone’s all-time OSU themed playlist. This tribute to one Mr. Gordon Gee sounds like what would happen if you were tasked with composing a tune for Schoolhouse Rocks, but were told to make it about the OSU president. Go Bucks I probably have heard elsewhere, but it’s only really registering now, and is awesome slab of “news broadcast theme song,” circa 1980s, or maybe that would be merely the intro to the sports segment of the news broadcast. Replete with fret burning guitar action in the background.
These High Street Stompers are good at what they do, on for example Down By The Ohio, but this is not for me. I’m finding this material far cheesier than the Hooked On Harmonica tape, for example. This instrumental jam on We Don’t Give a Damn For The Whole State of Michigan is where it’s AT, however! Courtesy once again of the Columbus Jazz Quintet, although on this selection I would single out pianist Phil DeGreg for special praise. And then they follow up with an equally excellent Across The Field, this time highlighting the smooth saxophone of Michael Cox. Round On The Ends And High In The Middle is certainly a title you can interpret any number of ways, though of course it’s supposed to specifically mean the name Ohio. Fortunately for us, with their slick late night grooves, OSU Jazz Ensemble skirts all controversy with their excellent instrumental take.
There is an absurd amount of blank space following the last song on side two, Carmen Ohio. It’s the most extreme example I can recall from any cassette I have ever owned. I’m actually curious to hear the backstory about how this might have happened and why – did he purchase a ton of blank cassettes in advance, and miscalculate the running order at hand? Did one or more licensing deals fall through at the last moment? If anyone knows anything about this gripping mystery for the ages, by all means let me know. Overall, this collection is not quite as good as Volume Two.
The OSU Tailgate Cassette, Volume Two
I always love the archaeological aspect of digging through these old treasures and seeing what kind of connections I might make. So it is that, popping the tape in to begin randomly playing wherever it happened to have been left by the last listener, the first full song I hear (following a snippet of A Buckeye Medley) is The Tailgate Jazz Quintet’s take on Le Regiment. I’m already digging this track and then examine the liner notes, am plesantly suprised to see Jim Rupp listed as the drummer. Jim I’ve actually spoken to on countless occasions as he used to shop at the Wild Oats where I worked and was also employed (might still be, for all I know) at Pro Percussion. He’s a super nice guy and at one point we talked to him about what it might take to restore Matt’s 1973 Ludwig kit to its former pristine glory. If I’m not mistaken I might still have a business card of his around here somewhere as well. As far as I know, though, this is the first time I’ve ever heard any of his actual work – not bad, Mr. Rupp! The whole band cooks, really, and this is already a favorite.
A funky offering called Yeah! by OSU Jazz Ensemble follows, features Pharez Whitted on trumpet, and is also quite the spirit lifter indeed. It Comes Down To Victory, meanwhile, which is evidently an original by The Electric Tailgate Band, amounts to nothing less than good solid fun of the highest order. Featuring some highly entertaining, pep rally worthy lyrics, with backing girls shouting “Go Bucks!” during the chorus, this sounds like something directly out of the 1980s. Specifically the sitcom/amusement park/sports team theme song genre, which is of course perfect, like something they would have played during a Cedar Point commercial or before Cincinnati Reds broadcasts. Totally awesome. Then their version of We Will Rock You immediately follows and is entertaining enough, but not quite transcendent. Much more engaging is when they put their spin on Neutron Dance, with the Buckeye Sisters in full command of the microphones. They also tackle, ahem, Hang On Sloopy, which features an inspired guitar solo and is at least more interesting than most other renditions I’ve heard. Saturday Afternoon Fever crops up twice, to open and then close out this album (as a shortened reprise), and is another of these insanely buoyant originals. If one is able to resist bouncing around in his lawnchair while either of these play, then he is no mere mortal.
A trio of OSU Marching Band selections crop up on side two, which I’m lukewarm on, and are possibly culled from other tapes listed above anyway. You’re A Buckeye is an inspirational epic duet in the grand Disney tradition, performed by The Tailgate Orchestra and Chorus, and simply must be listened to in order to be believed. The High Street Stompers bring out the Dixieland or ragtime or something (I’m not really an expert on these matters) for a couple of tracks, Mack The Knife and Brutus Buckeye Won’t You Please Come Home. That second one was originally a tribute to someone named Bill Bailey, and although this is the name Axl Rose used as a child, I’m going to take a wild stab and guess that wasn’t him. Then we’re back around to A Buckeye Medley, as performed by OSU Men’s Glee Club. As previously mentioned, I do get a kick out of I Wanna Go Back To Ohio State, one segment of it, though overall this is not something I would ordinarily listen to in my free time, to say the least.
Overall, this is a wickedly entertaining collection. And I ended up with two copies of this tape, too! One of which has never been opened! You can even see the faint print of a Buckeye Corner price sticker on the back. Therefore anyone interested in purchasing the unplayed cassette can obtain it from me here.
Go Bucks! The OSU Tailgate Cassette, Volume 3
Actually, the cover on this one might rival Volume 1. It almost resembles a zany baseball card design from the 1970s, one that’s aged better than you thought, albeit in this instance with a deranged Brutus Buckeye terrorizing some other mascot. And from a quality standpoint, it’s right up there with Volume 2.
As far as the song selections, Right to the Heart of the Buckeyes by The Electric Tailgate Band is an absolute can’t-miss moment. It’s like one of those top 40 stabs at rap music from 1986, with a smokin’ guitar solo thrown in for good measure. And of course, totally rad lyrics about cloberring the other teams come game day.
We’ve Got The Moves, another original by these same guys, is nearly as awesome. Some of these other tunes from various outfits I’m beyond sick of by now, but hey, you’ll have that with a project like this. Woody’s Song is like a barbershop quartet number from The Buckeye Blend, and you can probably guess how much you’ll dig it with this description alone. The ETB boys elsewhere deliver credible versions of Gary Glitter, The Heat Is On, Born To Be Wild (the keyboard solo is particularly engaging on this cut), and a YMCA parody they’ve reimagined as (what else) O-H-I-O. And on another song they wrote, Rah Rah Boogie, they compare this particular dance to the macarena – and if this number doesn’t get body shaking, then nothing will! You bet your sweet bippy!
The Tailgate Glee Club somehow delivers a tropical take on High In The Middle, albeit one you might have caught on a PBS show for children. Even while they openly court controversy by declaring that John Cooper’s coaching is “hot these days.” Talk about a riot starter. The under-represented Buckeye Sisters also deliver a spirited rendition of We Are Family that will surely keep the party going.
Recorded Live @ The French Market – Sharon’s tape
I’m a little confused by this one, because the cover says “Susie’s” but the tape itself claims that Sharon is the auteur behind this project. At second glance though this cover makes me wonder though if “Susie” was the owner of the Recording Studios Of America operation at this point. Is that what this means? Also, as you’ll soon see, there’s a reason to doubt the date typed on both sides of this cassette.
Well, whatever. Let’s get down to brass takes here with the inevitable, hard hitting review. In case you’re wondering, Recording Studios Of America appears to have basically been a karaoke brick-and-mortar business which committed your masterpieces to tape. And this one would have been located in close proximity to The Continent. They were attempting to cash in on that whole “French Market” business at the time, but it actually looks like this was in a strip mall near the Continent, not in the market itself.
Well, we now must move on to more imporant considerations. Up first we have a very special rendition of Celine’s Dion timeless pop smash, Because You Loved Me.
Among the things I’m thankful for is that she actually recited the date, at the beginning of this recording: December 14, 1996. Wow. That alone makes it a priceless artifact. Although it does make even a moderately curious reporter wonder why it says November 15 instead, on side A and B both. In this instance, I can only assume an employee screwed up. Presumably Sharon knows the month and day of her anniversary. And thanks to that dedication, I think you can rule out – at the very least – this track having been done on any different day.
Otherwise, umm…let’s just say I’m thankful when the canned backup singers come in at the chorus? But let’s get real here. Good or bad, I am grateful this thing exists at all, because I truly enjoy listening to stuff like this – regardless of the quote unquote “quality.”
And you know what else? At least she went for it. Yes, warbling to a large degree and all over the map, but who cares. There is a single surprising moment late in the recording where she actually hits one of these high notes and I’m thinking, okay, the potential might have been there, it would have just taken some training to iron out the kinks, there, Sharon.
Most of all, though, I’m guessing she doesn’t care much either way. I don’t want to speculate about the outcome from that dedication at the beginning, regarding her and this James character, but either way, if this tape truly meant much to her, it probably doesn’t end up out on the open market.
Aha! So with her take of Lean On Me, we have our first opportunity to compare two different interpretations of the same cut. Well, let’s just say she is no Hot Pursuit. This recording is a little smoother than her previous offering, however, so kudos for that. Also, she starts into another dedication to her husband, but this is abruptly cut off – which is unfortunate, although it does make me wonder if RSOA was allowing customers to cut multiple takes until they were satisfied with a recording. Otherwise, I’m not sure how this technical glitch happens.
I suppose it’s possible this was recorded on 11/15/96, and the flipside on 12/14, but consider the date stamps suspect altogether. Gaining access to the RSOA documentation archives would be priceless, though I suspect these found their way to the nearest dumpster circa 1997 or so. Also these production copyright stamps of 1983 and 1990 are hilarious, because I’m kind of wondering what this can even possibly mean.
Recorded Live @ The French Market – Missy’s tape
These cuts are even more mysterious than Sharon’s project, and therefore twice as compelling. Up first we are treated to I Have Nothing, although if you listen carefully, you will observe there’s some other totally different song buried in the murk behind it. I can confirm that isn’t the other side of the tape bleeding through, which you would sometimes encounter on old cassettes. There are only two other possibilities, then – either they reused their tapes on occasion, and this one wasn’t fully erased first somehow, or else we are overhearing someone else in a nearby booth or whatever, recording their own karaoke jam. And I think it was most likely the latter. Which is totally fascinating, making me wonder who else was there on this day, and attempt playing detective to figure out the tune in question.
From a quality standpoint, this girl can really sing! I would totally be happy to jam with her, at any time. Having said that, Stay by Lisa Loeb is a far better song than the Whitney Houston selection up top, so it only makes sense that Missy’s rendition is superior as well:
And yet the mysteries only deepen if you look at the disparate dates on both sides of the tape. If this is to be believed, these two tracks were recorded a couple of years apart! So how did this work, exactly? Could you record one song and leave it in the can, so to speak, until maybe returning at a later date to knock out the other? Or did you bring the tape back yourself to tack on side 2? Could it be that whoever typed these was on some serious drugs or something and just pecked out these labels all willy-nilly? Based upon the Sharon project, I’m not entirely sure what to think about these dates – but I also can’t imagine that someone would screw up the years to this large a degree. Also, Stay didn’t even come out until 1994, which kind of narrows the window a bit. All in all, it certainly makes me wish to learn more about this Recording Studios Of America operation.
David Tolley – Live From OSU
This is some mind-blowingly impressive solo piano work, let me state for the record. I can’t even fathom how a human could perfect his craft to this degree in a single lifetime. As far as specifics go, on this relatively short (six tracks) collection from 1989, Tolley tackles a handful of classic classical pieces, as well as one original, Sonata 1981, Movement 1. His composition is impressive enough in its own right – you basically wouldn’t know this wasn’t a standard, at least not to my ears – but his take on Bach’s Fantasie In C Minor is my personal favorite. Otherwise, he tackles three Chopin pieces, and the various movements of Beethoven’s Sonata Opus 22, B Flat Major.
Double Dose: Live From Studio A Volume 9
This is a wildly eclectic selection of live cuts, recorded here in town at WCBE 90.5 FM, for their radio broadcasts. All were captured between 2001 and 2002. It’s a really fun mix and the acoustics sound uniformly awesome, which makes me want to check out the other discs in the series. I probably don’t need to go into great detail rating all of these national acts passing through, even if this is a local document, but Columbus bands Moviola and One Riot One Ranger are featured on here – as far as I can tell, those are the only two – so it’s only right to devote a little virtual ink to these fellows. One Riot I’ve been a fan of for awhile, thanks to the Walker, Texas Ranger reference of their name, and most of all their song Alison Town which reminds me of this one chick from that era. I know less about Moviola but have at least listened to them a little bit.
Moving on to these performances captured here, The South Bound Train is a rollicking romp, a tasty slice of modern bluegrass or Appalachian music or whatever you’d call it with lightning quick picking, sweet harmonies, and even this nifty little fiddle solo. Oregonia, meanwhile, is more of an understated indie rock number, centered around this piano figure that’s somehow both jaunty and reminiscent of a light rain at once. Though no less catchy as a result. In either case, like most of what’s collected on these CDs, the performances are captured with genuine warmth, in particular the vocals and the drums, as though you were in the room watching these guys. But don’t take my word for it, you can give them a listen here:
Emo, OH (compilation)
As the charming packaging implies, I did indeed scoop this up for free. It was calling my name, near the door, as I left Used Kids one day in that distant autumn of 2016. And I’m mighty glad that it did so. The first two tracks on here are by Flashback Humor. Both are awesome, with riffs that leap from the speakers, smooth vocals, and some nice dynamic separation on all the instruments. My only complaint about song #1, Mental Adrenaline, is that it feels a smidgen short – I was just starting to get into the thing, and then it abruptly ended. Suspend Your Disbelief is able to stretch out a little more, and also features dreamy keyboards alongside energetic bashing from the drummer.
Unfortunately, not much else on this CD is from Columbus. Though much of it is good, this is beyond the scope of my little blog here. Or at least, half the time it’s impossible to determine where these bands are actually from. One exception is track #10, from an artist named Joey Selvaggio. It at least appears as though he hails from the capital city, or did, anyway. His Am I Dreaming? is a pleasant little acoustic based ditty that reminds me of something from a ’90s movie soundtrack. Although it too comes across as a bit on the slight side, clocking in at only 1:14.
C-bus residents/artists/enthusiasts: While we’re sort of on the subject, if you have any old Columbus area newspapers, magazines, photos, books, et cetera you would like to get rid of, by all means hit me up. Or even a hot tip, anecdote, for that matter anything else you might like to share at all. Feel free as always to drop me a line (jasonmcgatheywriter@gmail.com) for this or basically any other reason . It would be nice to restore some of these links in the chain, so to speak. Thanks!
couldnt find another way to contact you so leaving this here. stumbled in on Love letter to Columbus going down a rabbit hole looking for Club Dance/ Bourbon Street photos. I worked there in 94. Lived on OSU campus 90-93. Lived in C-bus until 2009. This is an Amazing comprehensive study here. thank you.
Dave: Thank you so much! Glad you like the site. It’s off to a decent start but by my estimates my work is only about 1/10,000th of the way finished here, ha ha. That’s cool you used to work at Club Dance! I would love to pick your brain about that experience. Did you have any luck finding photos? My search has not been real fruitful for that bar. Of course, if you have any stories and/or photos you would ever care to share, that would be killer. I’m also on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc if you’re ever on any of those sites. And can be reached via email at jasonmcgatheywriter@gmail.com. Anyway…thanks for checking out my project!
Hi, me again. I had subscribed, but just now noticed the last 3 postings (notification of them) didn’t show up in my email the way they have in the past. I tried re-subscribing in case something had gone wrong, but it simply said I already subscribed. No problem, because I keep checking back (sometimes for some re-reads!) but wanted to let you know in case something was on the fritz.
Doug: Thanks so much for checking out my blog! I actually get the emails myself just to make sure everything’s working correctly, so as far as I know nothing’s out of whack – all I can think of is I did recently “upgrade” the site , so maybe that messed something up. But hopefully you’re getting the emails okay again in the future.
By the way, I did check out Bela’s blog as you recommended…as it turned out I was already subscribed to it! But you’re right, it’s a great project he’s been working on over there.
Just one other note. There’s a couple of different ways to “enter” the postings on his blog – the one you want is where you see a vertical listing of all the postings; there are over 50 going from now back to Jan.2009. Other ways of getting in only show you the most recent, and some of the involved stories go back much further. Some of the postings are only a page or less but some cover larger periods of time and are several pages.
This is not related to “Artfacts” but on the Love Letter to Columbus site, this is the only place I found to communicate with the writer of the site. If that person is the person currently reading my email, I strongly recommend you read Bela Koe-Krompecher’s Blog. It spans several years and is probably best read in chunks over several days. It is a deeply personal journey of a person who was active as a record-store clerk / buyer (Used Kids) and person booking several indie / “alternative” bands to Columbus clubs in the 90’s. He founded Anyway Records and is I believe a therapist or social worker of some sorts in Columbus now.It follows his journey with addiction, the lives and deaths of several dear friends, a detailed history of Columbus from the 80’s through to the present. He does not blog every month, but some years he does most months and some only 4 or 5 months. It is very moving in places and a fantastic read.
Doug: Thanks for reaching out! I will try searching for his blog. I’m familiar with who Bela is as a figure around Columbus. He was working at Used Kids back when we used to shop there constantly and of course has had numerous pieces written about him too. I’m glad you mentioned this blog because it sounds like exactly the kind of in-depth history I need. Thanks again!
couldnt find another way to contact you so leaving this here. stumbled in on Love letter to Columbus going down a rabbit hole looking for Club Dance/ Bourbon Street photos. I worked there in 94. Lived on OSU campus 90-93. Lived in C-bus until 2009. This is an Amazing comprehensive study here. thank you.
Dave: Thank you so much! Glad you like the site. It’s off to a decent start but by my estimates my work is only about 1/10,000th of the way finished here, ha ha. That’s cool you used to work at Club Dance! I would love to pick your brain about that experience. Did you have any luck finding photos? My search has not been real fruitful for that bar. Of course, if you have any stories and/or photos you would ever care to share, that would be killer. I’m also on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc if you’re ever on any of those sites. And can be reached via email at jasonmcgatheywriter@gmail.com. Anyway…thanks for checking out my project!
Hi, me again. I had subscribed, but just now noticed the last 3 postings (notification of them) didn’t show up in my email the way they have in the past. I tried re-subscribing in case something had gone wrong, but it simply said I already subscribed. No problem, because I keep checking back (sometimes for some re-reads!) but wanted to let you know in case something was on the fritz.
Doug: Thanks so much for checking out my blog! I actually get the emails myself just to make sure everything’s working correctly, so as far as I know nothing’s out of whack – all I can think of is I did recently “upgrade” the site , so maybe that messed something up. But hopefully you’re getting the emails okay again in the future.
By the way, I did check out Bela’s blog as you recommended…as it turned out I was already subscribed to it! But you’re right, it’s a great project he’s been working on over there.
Anyway…good to hear from you!
Just one other note. There’s a couple of different ways to “enter” the postings on his blog – the one you want is where you see a vertical listing of all the postings; there are over 50 going from now back to Jan.2009. Other ways of getting in only show you the most recent, and some of the involved stories go back much further. Some of the postings are only a page or less but some cover larger periods of time and are several pages.
Cool, thanks!
This is not related to “Artfacts” but on the Love Letter to Columbus site, this is the only place I found to communicate with the writer of the site. If that person is the person currently reading my email, I strongly recommend you read Bela Koe-Krompecher’s Blog. It spans several years and is probably best read in chunks over several days. It is a deeply personal journey of a person who was active as a record-store clerk / buyer (Used Kids) and person booking several indie / “alternative” bands to Columbus clubs in the 90’s. He founded Anyway Records and is I believe a therapist or social worker of some sorts in Columbus now.It follows his journey with addiction, the lives and deaths of several dear friends, a detailed history of Columbus from the 80’s through to the present. He does not blog every month, but some years he does most months and some only 4 or 5 months. It is very moving in places and a fantastic read.
Doug: Thanks for reaching out! I will try searching for his blog. I’m familiar with who Bela is as a figure around Columbus. He was working at Used Kids back when we used to shop there constantly and of course has had numerous pieces written about him too. I’m glad you mentioned this blog because it sounds like exactly the kind of in-depth history I need. Thanks again!
Jason