Justin Alan Payne is originally from Newark, Ohio.  These days, he's based in East Nashville.  Justin is currently on tour, and is stopping by Dayton this weekend, so this is an excellent time to talk to him for Episode 128.  Yes, we are trying to promote the show, but the vast majority of our conversation here is evergreen.

We talk about Justin's songwriting process.  What tool does he reach for first?  How does he figure out which of his multiple projects the song belongs to?  How does he know a song is…

Dayton is privileged to have had a listening room for decades, a wonderful music venue called Canal Street Tavern.  Alas, both that venue and its visionary owner are no longer with us, and while it's surely impossible to replicate that experience, it is definitely possible to carry on a similar spirit.  That's what Windsor Knotts has been doing for years by hosting Showcase Thursdays at Yellow Cab Tavern.  He is my guest on this episode, a conversation that has not been edited.

What exactly is a listening…

I love to perform… I'm in my community and I'm talking to people and I'm connecting with people, and people are connected with my music… I love it, I never want to stop.

Eleanor Dakota is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Dayton, Ohio, though these days she can be found in Cleveland.  In addition to being a prolific songwriter, Eleanor is the lead vocalist for Columbus based band crabswithoutlegs. When you listen to this conversation, it'll become clear to you how important music is for Eleanor…

(photo by Fred Shank)

there's always gonna be a little darkness, there's always a little melancholy…

My conversation with Tod Weidner remains the highest listened-to episode of this podcast. This is clearly a testament to how much this gentleman means to many people here in Ohio.  He's back in the Buckeye State this week to play a couple of shows, so we're having a brief chat in advance of that to invite folks to come out and listen. He's playing with the wonderful Peter Mulvey on Thursday May 2nd at…

Meet the outrageously talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Cherimondis J.   She's a classically trained concert pianist among many other things.  We dig into her music background, her songwriting process, what it's like being a Black musician in the classical world, and the album she put out last year, Dove Archer.  You'll find that Cherimondis thinks very deeply about both music and life, and she has quite a lot of introspective things to say about how her art relates to her life. Why does she…

It's pretty cool to live in a place that has a venue where you can see 50 free concerts a year.  That place for us is Levitt Pavilion Dayton, and my guest of honor is their Executive Director, Lisa Wagner.  How do they make sure the concerts are diverse?  How much work does it take to put on a show at Levitt?  How in the world can they afford to deliver 50 concerts without charging for admission?  You'll learn the answers to these questions in this episode.

Levitt Pavilion Dayton

Kyleen Downes is a professional musician, and our music community here in the Dayton area is better off for having her here.  I truly enjoy seeing her play live, I like her songs, and I'm sure you'll agree after you hear this conversation that she has an infectious enthusiasm.  She has benefitted from the encouragement of others in her career, and is passing that on by teaching a new generation of folks here in Dayton how to play rock and roll.   Kyleen tells us about how she got started making music, who…

It's about the right people seeing your product, it's not about the masses...

Josh grew up in Middletown, Ohio. Liv grew up in Australia.  They both live in Los Angeles now, and are both musicians and filmmakers. They are currently on the road promoting a new independent punk rock feature film called Wrong Reasons.  Josh wrote and directed the film.  Liv produced and starred in the film.  Kevin Smith is executive producer.  Cameron Mosavian composed the film's score.

Josh and Liv are on the road…

Photo by Libby Danforth

these three hundred songs, they're all assets... they're all pieces of magic that started on a blank piece of paper

A few years ago, I arrived at Yellow Cab Tavern to play a show at my favorite curated open mic, Showcase Thursday. I had been told that we had an artist from Nashville in town to play with us that night. It's not every week that we get someone on tour to stop by, so I was very much looking forward to meeting this intrepid individual. The intrepid individual…

Exactly one year ago, on 30th December 2021, Juliet Fromholt joined me for a chat about our favorite albums of 2021.  I released that conversation the next day, 31st December, and it was Episode ½ of this podcast.  It was so much fun, I just HAD to have her back this year. Taylor Ruckle joins us for this conversation.  You might remember him from Episode 27 and Episode 43, where we talked about our favorite albums of the first and second quarters of 2022 respectively. 

All three of us are completely…

Yuppie is happy music about hard things.

Zack Sliver is the gentleman in the red shirt in the above picture, taken during Dayton Music Fest at Blind Bob's.  His project is called Yuppie.  Zack is altruistic, kind, and talented, and comes with a polished elevator pitch.  How did wearing a wig in Okinawa help make him a better performer and musician?  What's his songwriting process like?  Does he still like Peculiar, the album that he released this year? Why should you eat Lee's Famous Recipe chicken…

I like ear worms.  I like something that gets caught in your head.

Many people in Dayton know Zac Pitts as a television news anchor on WDTN.  I know him as an encouraging supporter of local music, a songwriter, and musician. Zac has finished his debut album Midwest Romance, and will officially present it to the public via a show at Yellow Cab Tavern on Saturday, 10th December.  In advance of the show, Zac agreed to talk to me about the album, his songwriting process, how he got started making music, and…

...I don't think lyrics have to be great or anything, they just have to be memorable enough and fit a bar...

John Dubuc is a Dayton musician known for witty lyrics and catchy songs.  We wade deep into the songwriting process in this episode.  What's the first tool that John reaches for when it's time to write a song?  What are some of his influences?  What part of a song does he think is the most important? You'll hear the answers to those questions and more in our recent conversation.

LINKS

Band…

This is about to be you and I on an adventure that may sometimes appear to be a little bit more rough and unrefined than what you may be accustomed to, but it is genuine

You might remember talented Dayton-based rapper TINO from a previous appearance on my blog.  He's on the podcast today, because today is Bandcamp Friday when they waive their cut of artist payments, and he has a new album over there right now.  Midwest Sorrow covers different sonic and emotional ground than TINO's other work.

How did…

I loved parker ben parker right from the first song the first time I heard them way back in the 1990s.  My guest on this episode, Marc Aiello, played guitar in that band. Those of you around the Dayton music scene will especially appreciate this episode. If you're any sort of music fan, you'll probably like this as well, as it's simply two music enthusiasts talking about the thing they love.

LINKS

five seven five music - Marc's publishing company

parker ben parker

The Durable Fiction

 writing songs, playing music, and I realized that was my joy in life... and so to be able to continue to do that from that point to now, I feel lucky...

That's Joe Anderl pictured above on the left in the foreground.  He's been making music for two and a half decades or so, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who brings as much passion as he does to the stage at a show.  Joe is the lead singer and songwriter for The 1984 Draft.  You'll hear some stories in our conversation about a past ska…

Whenever I see a friend of mine doing something cool, thriving in some way in music, it makes me nothing but happy...

My guest today is Nathan Peters, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, performer, and long-time supporter of local music.  He's with us to talk about Dayton Music Fest, an annual celebration of music.  We sure would love it if you'd accompany us to this event.  Why do we think you'll enjoy it?  You can find out the answer in this episode. 

Here are some highlights:

1. The beginning of…

Gretchen Kelly is a well-known face in Dayton night life.  If you enjoy delicious OE pizza, heading out for occasional drinks, or local music, chances are you've run into Gretchen out there in our city.  She talks with me on this episode about her new business venture, Mercenary Bartenders.  What kind of niche are they filling in our community?  What's Gretchen's favorite Dayton band?  What was the first music she can remember hearing?  What in the world is liquor liability insurance?  You'll learn…

We have the rule of no rules

This past Friday, I shared my conversation with Icho Van in Spanish.  Icho also speaks English, so here is the second part of our chat. That's him in the above picture taken in Mexico City, the handsome gentleman second from the left.  What are some of Icho's favorite foods from being on tour? What was his experience playing Tiny Desk like?  What would Icho like to teach Americans about September 15th?  (Pronounced "quince de septiembre" in this conversation.)  What did his…

It's really all about me exposing myself honestly... exposing my heart, exposing real life experiences and challenges that I've gone through... exposing lessons from those challenges... 

This episode keeps us in the Gem City.  Mariah J is my guest.  She's a singer/songwriter, poet, dancer, artist disruptor, cultural strategist and overall creative being who has just released an album titled Unfolding.  How did Mariah learn how to sing? How long did it take her to make this album?  How does she know…

...I don't like to be labelled as one genre, because I love so many different genres of music...

The Kadence is a Dayton-based songwriter and artist. He is blessed with a gifted voice. In our conversation, you'll learn how he got started making music and get a look into his songwriting process. Have you ever wanted to drop everything and leave? If so, maybe you can live vicariously through The Kadence, as he is about to move into a Nissan Altima and drive to Los Angeles. Why is that happening? You'll…

It wouldn't make sense for me to call this 'For Dayton By Dayton' if it doesn't encompass everything Dayton has to offer... I want inclusion in all aspects... this is a city-wide house party...

I welcome my first rapper to the podcast with K. Carter.  Carter is based in Dayton, Ohio.  He is a poet, artist, and small business owner who clearly loves the Gem City and has a desire to bring people together. His most recent album, The Prototype, was released this year.  You'll learn what he is up to…

It's all about the Gem City's past, present, and future

I welcome a fellow Xenian on this episode, Arch Grieve.  Arch teaches political science, and is a podcaster.  His main podcast is called Discover Dayton. Why did he start this podcast?  What service is he trying to provide to the community?  These are some of the things you'll learn in this episode.  We also get into a few behind-the-scenes details of podcasting, and some tips for podcasters.  You'll also hear me analyze the "what did your childhood…

Whatever you're thinking about when you hear my songs, that's what I want you to do, because I think that's what music has done for me.

Jill Dodson is a talented musician with a big voice who releases music under the sobriquet Abigail Moone.  She recently released an excellent debut EP, In Ruins. Where does her stage name come from? What is her songwriting process like? What are some of her influences?  You'll learn these things and more by listening to our conversation.

LINKS

Bandcamp

Facebook

Insta…

There's nobody getting your back in standup, like if you're failing, you are failing, and I know what it feels like because I have bombed hard many times at open mics...

Adam Edwards is originally from the Dayton area, and spent many years playing bass in Dayton bands. These days, he lives in Colorado. Our conversation contains a great deal of nostalgia and fond recollections of musicians and bands from Dayton's past. Adam also tells us about jumping into the art of stand up comedy.

Here are some…