Dayton Music Scene

Best of 2019: Brandon Berry of The Paint Spats’ Picks and Thoughts

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Best of 2019

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Misconstrued – Seth Gilliam & The Fake News

There hasn’t been one project that Seth has been a part of that hasn’t been astounding, and this album is no exception. I’d say the fella’s talented beyond his years, but I’m the same age and that would just make me depressed now, wouldn’t it?

 

Where Have I Been All Your Life? – John Dubuc’s Guilty Pleasures 61470138_554840258255776_5954152654669086720_o

John’s become one of my best friends over this past year. It all started because I told him that when I grow up, I want to be as good of a songwriter as him, and that’s the truth. I’ve never heard a record with such re-listen-ability-ness as this one. This record will live with you for a long time.

 

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What The Brokenhearted Do… – Tim Heidecker

This one blows my mind. Tim tricked us into thinking he got a divorce and wrote an entire record surrounding said divorce. He is the Andy Kaufman of music, a triple threat of awesome. Plus, he’s heavily influenced by Warren Zevon, which is no crime.

 

Bad Wiring – Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltagea0025309944_10

Because of my hankering for vinyl, a friend sent me the “LPs” music video from Jeffrey Lewis and I was enamored. This record has no shortage of great tunes, including “Except For The Fact That It Isn’t,” “Till Question Marks Are Told,” and “Exactly What Nobody Wanted.”

It’s easily become one of my favorite records of 2019.

 

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In League with Dragons  – The Mountain Goats

John Darnielle has been my biggest influence when it comes to my own songwriting. This album, in a way, feels like an experiment, or at least a divergence of style, which I love. There are a few country-esque tunes, and an 80s-inspired power ballad.

There’s adventure all across this one.

 

When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie EilishBillie_Eilish__When_We_All_Go_To_Sleep__Large

There is something dark and sinister that she’s bringing to the table that breaks up the monotony of the four-chord safety net that’s been implemented in pop music over the last few decades. Her live shows and music videos are out of this world. Billie gives me hope for music.

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Misery – Age Nowhere

Paul Monnin ripped me from my sad bachelor pad on Central in late 2018 to bring me to my first open mic in several years at Star City Brewing. I heard him play this before I knew anything about his band or his songwriting. I associate this tune with my entrance into the Dayton music scene, and it couldn’t have been a better one to remember it by.

 

 

a3408849665_10Transference – Overthought Musik

I am a firm believer of never moving the needle once it hits the grooves, but for some reason I break my own rule for this one. The whole record is a knockout, showcasing some of Dayton’s beloved heavyweights.

But this song, man. I can’t stop!

 

 

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Miami Memory – Alex Cameron

The fuzzed-out drums, the simple melodies and minimal musical distractions, Alex Cameron tells it like it is. The lyrics are dirty, comical, yet heartwarming, and the video just reinforces the point.

Every time I hear it, I feel like I’m falling in love all over again.

 

“What I Mean To You” – David Paynea1693069051_10 (1)

How can I make a best-of list and not include our good pal, David Payne? Like Nebraska before it, Orange Glow is an intimate record that gives you the sense that you’re being serenaded by a woeful traveler who shares the same heartbreak as you. After it’s over, all you can do is pour yourself – and your guest – a glass of whiskey and stare into the fireplace until the embers sizzle away with the sunrise’s orange glow. That’s what it means to me.

 

hqdefaultBrandon Berry is the sonic artist behind The Paint Splats. He loves long walks, sunsets and… just kidding he is a songwriter, videographer, photographer and visual artist who in his down time is watching VCR tapes and writing some of the catchiest indie and alt-country pop songs this side of the Mississippi. His latest record is Defacing the Moon, a split album with Mike Bankhead, available now. The Paint Splats are on twitter and instagram as @thepaintsplats.

Thank you!

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g5aI_GhAWhat a weekend celebration!

I write this note with tears in my eyes and a full heart. For 15 years it has been a rare privilege to bring great often overlooked music to a radio audience. This past weekend we were able to celebrate some of that terrific music together in our music family!

This weekend has been so very special and powerful. Thank you to The New Old-Fashioned, Neo American Pioneers, The Typical Johnsons, Amber Hargett, Rok (the only non-Dayton band), The 1984 Draft and Ghost Town Silence for an amazing night two! From start to finish each musician, each band, each song took our breath away.

And many thanks and appreciation to The Boxcar Suite, Cricketbows, Andy Smith, TEAM VOID and Age Nowhere for an amazing first night! You were all magic. Lightning flash magic – each and every band.

Love to Tracey Love Jipson who as Mrs Dr. J keeps me grounded and supported this endeavor beyond my wildest dreams. I love you.

Thanks are due to all the fine folks at Yellow Cab Tavern for everything. This event was only possible because of them and their hard work! If you want to experience a real rock and roll show, you can find few better places to go.

Without our sponsors — Salon Noir and South Park Pizza Tavern — we could not have had such an amazing event! Thank you for the encouragement and support. It means the world.

We must also send our heartfelt love and gratitude to Daniel Simmons for being not only one of the finest sound managers in the business but a sweet and pleasant fellow! Thanks Dan!

We must also thank Jennifer Taylor Photography for taking photos, support and just being all around awesome! Thank you so much Jenn!

Finally without the efforts of Ten High Productions this crazy idea of a music celebration for a 15 year old radio show would never have left the ground! Anyone who has organized a show knows how much goes into an event. With Ten High this was far easier. Thank you Brian and David!

Last but far from least, to everyone who came out over two busy weekend nights to see these fine musicians perform and who showered Mrs. Dr. J and Dr. J with so much kindness. Thank you so very much.

Wow! What a weekend! Now let’s go make radio for another 15 years.

Photo courtesy of Mickey Chappell.

YTAA 15 Year Anniversary Show

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This weekend is our 15th Anniversary of Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative. We have bands who represent a wide swath of great independent music joining us to celebrate this milestone. We are very excited for the 15 Year Anniversary Weekend at the Yellow Cab Tavern on Friday and Saturday!

Celebrating a decade and a half on the airways of the University of Dayton’s WUDR 99.5fm Flyer Radio has taken Dr. J and Mrs. Dr. J by surprise! What started as a show built around a popular music course has become an effort to share terrific Dayton, regional and independent music with listeners.

This weekend music experience features a baker’s dozen of artists from Dayton and beyond whose music we have played over the years. Many of these bands and artists have been frequent guests on the show as you can see through some of the videos here on this site! It is a real honor to have the opportunity to share this music with all of you this weekend! See you there!

Final Poster

Mike Bankhead & Brandon Berry ‘Deface The Moon’

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Mike Bankhead and Brandon Berry came into the studio to talk about their split record for Local Music Day ‘Defacing the Moon’! Brandon and Mike make quite different music, take divergent song creation paths, have very different sounds yet when it comes to songwriting, they both record at Reel Love Recording Company in Dayton, Ohio. Patrick Himes, the Wizard of Dayton Music production and the head honcho over at Reel Love, engineered the split album and played a few instruments on it as well. The Paint Splats – as Brandon’s project is called – and Mike Bankhead discussed the split ‘Defacing the Moon,’ songwriting and the Dayton Music scene with Dr. J on October 15, 2019.

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Josh Thrasher Returned to YTAA

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Musician, rapper, promoter and writer Josh Thrasher rejoined Dr. J on August 6, 2019 to talk about his new mixtape, upcoming shows, state of music, music promotion and more. You can listen to Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative every Tuesday on WUDR.udayton.edu from 3-6pm eastern time.

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Age Nowhere with a Great Cover Song!

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Age Nowhere surprised Dr. J with a cover of ‘New Madrid’ from Uncle Tupelo’s last record Anodyne when they visited on March 19th of this year. The Jeff Tweedy penned song references the New Madrid fault which is south of St. Louis where Uncle Tupelo members Jeff Tweedy, Jay Farrar and Mike Heidorn grew up. The band hailed from Belleville Illinois which is across the river from St. Louis. The New Madrid fault is the location of one of the most powerful earthquakes in the United States. The line about rivers running backwards is taken from a result of the massive earthquake in 1812. Another line in the song was based on a prediction made by Browning that predicted a massive earthquake would strike the fault and surrounding area in 1990.

Allow us to set a scene. Imagine stepping in for a drink at a bar where Sticky Fingers era Keith Richards is hanging out with his Nudie Cohen Suit wearing pal Graham Parsons and a world weary Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. They are all sitting in a booth commenting on the passing musical fancies of the day. That is the experience of Age Nowhere! Imagine a true double guitar attack from Identical-twin brothers Matt and Dan Spaugy paired with smoky evocative lyrics sung by Paul Monin propelled by driving drums from Seth Gilliam and pounding bass of Matt Terry. That is the experience of Age Nowhere.The band takes it’s nom de plume from one of the standout tracks on Dayton’s own Shrug‘s 2005 record ‘Whole Hog For The Macho Jesus.’

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Video of the Day: Smug Brothers

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Smug Brothers’ All Blur & Spark, out on CD on Gas Daddy Go Records on Monday, July 8

From the band:  Fifteen years since forming as a home recording outfit, Smug Brothers continue to find new ways to shake things up creatively. That’s certainly true of the new full-length, All Blur and Spark. Work on the Ohio band’s latest offering on Gas Daddy Go Records began before the February 2019 release of the crowd-funded vinyl album, Attic Harvest, and was curated by some of the group’s supporters.

“The songs were the result of the Attic Harvest fundraiser,” leader Kyle Melton said. “We offered contributors the option to have a custom song recorded as part of their contribution and 11 people participated. Each person was offered to choose an acoustic or full-band track and was then given a list of five titles from which to choose.

“We then recorded the songs quickly in late 2018 in time to send a CD copy of each song out with each person’s vinyl copy of Attic Harvest. When we had completed that project, we realized the 11 tracks would make a cool fan-curated album worth sharing with more people. We got each person’s permission to use their track and put it all together. And here we are at All Blur And Spark.”

Before these two 2019 albums, there were the studio projects with Darryl Robbins at BHA in Dayton (Woodpecker Paradise, 2015) and Micah Carli at Popside Recording in Troy, Ohio (Disco Maroon, 2017). Following these experiments in higher fidelity and the departure of lead guitarist Brian Baker and bassist Larry Evans, Melton and drummer Don Thrasher returned to the home-recording approach they’ve favored since joining forces in 2008.

“We really enjoyed recording studio albums with Darryl and Micah,” Thrasher said. “We’re proud of how those full-lengths turned out but working like that takes a lot of time in pre-production and post-production, not to mention tracking and overdubs. That’s how most bands make records but it’s not a very Smug way to work. Kyle and I prefer to get in the basement, take a few runs through a song and then lay it to the four-track cassette recorder while the material is still fresh.”

Melton and Thrasher perfected that approach on early releases like the digital LP Fortune Rumors (2011) and the cassette EP Strictly Triggers (2014), recording overdubs and vocals with Robbins (Overthought Musik, Motel Beds) as engineer/co-producer. That changed with Attic Harvest and All Blur And Spark, a one-two-punch that shows there’s still a lot of life left in this scrappy band of rockers.

It also marks a period of firsts. These are the first projects recorded with Melton at the helm in his basement studio and the first with the band’s new guitarist/keyboardist Scott Tribble, who is opening up new sonic dimensions in the music.

Being fully self-contained has also allowed Smug Brothers to increase its pace in Melton’s basement, with the group deep into sessions for several forthcoming releases. With the looming 20th anniversary of the band’s debut CD LP Buzzmounter (2005), it’s evident this scrappy outfit from Ohio will continue to grow.

Listen to All Blur And Spark at: https://gasdaddygo.bandcamp.com/album/gdg-024-all-blur-and-spark-cd

The 1984 Draft Live!

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One of our favorite bands, The 1984 Draft played songs from their most recent record, Makes Good Choices, at the Cinco De Mayo Indie Rock and Roll Fest on May 4, 2019 at Oscars. The band also played some Jawbreaker and a new song!

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Age Nowhere with a Special Uncle Tupelo Cover!

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Age Nowhere surprised Dr. J with a cover of ‘New Madrid’ from Uncle Tupelo’s last record Anodyne. The Jeff Tweedy penned song references The New Madrid fault which is south of St. Louis where Uncle Tupelo members Jeff Tweedy, Jay Farrar and Mike Heidorn grew up. The band hailed from Belleville Illinois which is across the river from St. Louis. The New Madrid fault is the location of one of the most powerful earthquakes in the United States. The line about rivers running backwards is taken from a result of the massive earthquake in 1812. Another line in the song was based on a prediction made by Browning that predicted a massive earthquake would strike the fault and surrounding area in 1990.

Allow us to set a scene. Imagine stepping in for a drink at a bar where Sticky Fingers era Keith Richards is hanging out with his Nudie Cohen Suit wearing pal Graham Parsons and a world weary Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. They are all sitting in a booth commenting on the passing musical fancies of the day. That is the experience of Age Nowhere! Imagine a true double guitar attack from Identical-twin brothers Matt and Dan Spaugy paired with smoky evocative lyrics sung by Paul Monin propelled by driving drums from Seth Gilliam and pounding bass of Matt Terry. That is the experience of Age Nowhere.The band takes it’s nom de plume from one of the standout tracks on Dayton’s own Shrug‘s 2005 record ‘Whole Hog For The Macho Jesus.’

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Freight on YTAA

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39751125_2100024070315564_2545344842498572288_oThis Tuesday join us as we welcome Freight to Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative! 

This week one of the youngest bands in Dayton joins a slightly older — shut up with your judgement — Dr. J on Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative. In the spring of 2017, five friends got together with the goal of creating catchy, funky, rock and roll. From that musical inspiration, Freight was born. The band is known for high energy, genre crossing, odd time signatures, blended with driving rock and roll. In the spring of 2018, Freight released their debut album, “Start the Night Off Easy” under Gem City Records which you can listen to on spotify. Their sophomore album is in the works for everyone. 

BandYou should make some time to join us on Tuesday as Freight joins us in the studio to play some acoustic tunes and chat about their first and making second records on Tuesday, May 7th from 3-6pm on WUDR on 99.5 & 98.1fm and online at wudr.udayton.edu! See you there music lovers!

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