House Party Concerts, Marah & Hogan Productions - by Ricki C.

“Johnny’s in the basement, mixin’ up the medicine” – Bob Dylan, 1965


Basement house party gigs are weird.  And great. 

The first time I ever played music in public – 50 years ago next autumn – that gig was in one of my high school classmates’ basement. From my vantage point of 65 years on the planet I have watched rock & roll shows progress from those basements to festivals in huge, barren fields and football stadiums in the 1970’s, and now back to people’s basements.

I spent the decade of the 2000’s as road manager for an act from New York called Hamell On Trial – aka Ed Hamell, a four-man punk band rolled into one bald, sweaty guy – and right at the end of my tenure on the road Hamell started playing house concerts.  Nine years earlier – July 1st, 2001 – Hamell had opened a sold-out Ani Difranco show at the 7,000 capacity Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.  By 2010 Ed was playing in people’s dining rooms.  Sometimes, looking back, I think that’s the entire history of what the music industry did to rock & roll music in the early 21st century, in a nutshell.

Which brings us to Marah at Hogan House Productions’ basement concert a coupla Friday's ago.   

Early in my service as a roadie for Watershed back in 2005 (to supplement my Hamell income), Colin & the guys opened a Marah show at the old High Five Club.  It was sold out, hundreds of people, the place was packed, and Watershed and Marah deployed one motherfucker of a rock & roll show.  Power, passion, volume to the point of pain; on that particular evening both bands mightily kicked out the jams.  

So last week I saw the Bielanko brothers – Dave & Serge – of Marah with Colin opening for them in a guy’s basement.  That’s a really different show than a packed High Five.  But then again, this is a really different basement.  P.J. Hogan’s home base for his shows seats maybe 50 people, the walls are lined with great classy DVD’s, there’s a decent little sound system and PROXIMITY to the performers that you’re not gonna get in a larger setting, even the intimacy of a small listening room club like Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza (my current favorite singer/songwriter venue in Columbus).

At Hogan House you’re almost TOO CLOSE to the performers.  After the first song Colin asked me and the audience – “Am I WAY too loud?  Do we need to turn this down?  Is this volume okay?” – because he was so close to the listeners it seemed overwhelming.  But it wasn’t.  Admittedly you could probably play PJ’s basement with no PA system at all, just sing and strum guitars and the sound would be fine, but the presence of that little bit of power & electricity just makes the show that much more exciting.  It's a rock & roll truism: Volume makes EVERYTHING better.

So Marah are, it almost goes without saying, genius-level great in the context of a basement house gig.  At one moment in the show – during a particularly dissonant Dave Bielanko guitar solo – his brother Serge (who normally is the lead guitarist of Marah, but at that point is grinding out a GREAT rhythm guitar bed for his brother’s solo) leans over and says, “Somethin’s tryin’ to get out,” as if Dave is attempting to conduct some sort of sonic exorcism with his beat-to-shit black acoustic guitar. 

It’s a rock & roll moment I won’t soon forget, and one I probably wouldn’t have gotten in even a small club, and most CERTAINLY would never have apprehended in Nationwide Arena or the Schott.  And it was a moment I got because I saw Marah in P.J. Hogan’s basement.  Thanks P.J.  Thanks Marah.  – Ricki C. / April 24th, 2018


The next Hogan House Production is Amy Rigby on Saturday, May 5th.  

Here is a link for details on that show: https://amyrigbycolumbusohio.brownpapertickets.com/.  I’ve seen Amy Rigby two or three times in the past – but again, never in somebody’s basement – and to my mind this show would be the absolute best use of twenty dollars of your entertainment budget for all of 2018 that I could possibly think of. 
 

For more info on Hogan House Productions in general, check out P.J. Hogan Talks About Marah and His Successful House Shows earlier in Pencilstorm. 

 

Downsizing From My Rock n Roll McMansion to a Condo With a Small Yard - by Colin Gawel

I’ve ended some bands and started a new one. Well, it’s sorta new: Colin and the Bowlers will be playing Sunday, April 29th at Little Rock Bar from 2-5 pm. Yes, you read that right, it’s a day drinking gig for all you Sunday Funday folks. It’s a kinda new idea for a kinda new band. No cover, either.


In the past three years I've recorded or performed with the following bands:

  1. Watershed

  2. The Lonely Bones

  3. Why Isn’t Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

  4. The League Bowlers

  5. The Willie Phoenix Tribute Machine

  6. Dead Schembechlers

And I was still playing solo gigs and trying to pump out shite for Pencilstorm.

Don’t get me wrong, I did this to myself and it was all tons of fun, but after the release of League Bowlers - Some Balls Deluxe in December 2017, and the passing of our great guitarist Mike Parks in January 2018, I knew it was the end of an era. And besides, I’m getting older and all these early morning coffee shop hours make me sleepy. It was time to downsize from my rock n roll McMansion to a condo with a small yard.

Bowlers vs Bones. That was the question.

The League Bowlers were my original side band: a way to blow off steam between Watershed shows. Once Watershed went on hiatus, it’s didn’t make much sense to have a side band for no band, so I formed The Lonely Bones. I felt like I needed to make a real attempt to establish myself as a valid solo artist (pardon that pretentious term). I wasn’t gunning for the top of the charts or anything, I just had to challenge myself to exist outside the world of Watershed. Thanks to the help of many, I feel like The Lonely Bones accomplished all we set out to achieve. With the release of Superior - The Best of Colin Gawel in 2016, I was ready to close the chapter on that band, if not the songs.

Meanwhile, getting back together in 2016 with the classic League Bowlers line-up of Jim Johnson, Dan Cochran, Mike and myself was truly a blessing. We had a great two-year run and Some Balls is a record that will live forever. But with Mike's passing, and Dan now busy with three young kids and the Four String Brewery to run, it was time to call it a day. I know this sucks for Jim but I’m hoping a version of the League Bowlers with him and Dan can still make special appearances. For instance, we applied to this year’s Comfest. And the nice thing about the Bowlers is whoever has a shirt on that day can be part of the band. Once this thing gets going we can rotate some folks in and out depending on the schedule. 

But if I am only going to have one band outside of Watershed, I can only have one drummer and Herb Schupp & myself started this journey together as lab partners in 7th grade and we are going to ride this thing to the finish line.

Rick Kinsinger does everything. He records the Bones, Bowlers and Watershed and plays in all three as well. None of this happens without Rick. He is playing guitar. No more keyboards. I threw them in the dumpster while moving out of the McMansion.

With Dan wanting to spend more time with his family and play with his original band Feversmile, we needed a new bass player. I’ve always preferred friendship over musicianship so it’s been a treat to spend time again with my old pal Andy Hindman. For those of you that don’t know, Andy grew up with me in Worthington, was the original Watershed roadie for hundreds of shows before getting a better gig with the Goo Goo Dolls. He still works with them to this day. He is also an accomplished musician and recording engineer himself.

I thought about changing the band name but since my merch table only has two CDs available: Colin Gawel - Superior,  and The League Bowlers - Some Balls Deluxe I just wanted to keep it simple. ANOTHER new band would take all kinds of explaining and who has the time or energy for that when we could be drinking a beer and talking about Cheap Trick?

With the new lineup in place, we have been having a blast getting together in my basement playing Bowlers and Bones tunes along with all kind of covers just for kicks.  Our goal is to be a bar band that we would like to see if we were in a bar. Wearing Bowling shirts of course.

So, Day Drinking with Colin and The Bowlers will be happening Sunday, April 29th 2-5 pm at Little Rock Bar. I can’t guarantee we will be great, but I can guarantee it will be fun. I hope you can join us for the ride. - Colin




 

Jim Johnson With Your Record Store Day Picks

Jim Johnson has worked in the record business since before there were records and is one of Columbus, Ohio's best known drummers. Click here to check him out on The League Bowlers Some Balls Deluxe. Or click here to read an interview. 

This Saturday, April 21, is Record Store Day: a great reason to visit all your local record stores. That is, if you’re hip to the vinyl resurgence, and really, if you’re reading Pencilstorm, you’re already sorta hip. Vinyl has basically saved the record industry from going down the tubes, an industry - I must admit - that has given me a job for most of my life. It was touchy there for a while, in the early 21st century, when Napster and Apple decided music should be cheap or free, and kids got a kick out of stealing music through the internet. Luckily, people still like to hold a piece of music in their hands, and what better to hold than a round groovy piece of plastic, often in a multitude of different colors?

But I digress, back to Record Store Day. There’s always something for everyone, regardless of your taste. I thought I’d do you a favor, and cut through all the goofy bands you’ll have to sort through, to find the good stuff. After all, does anybody really need any more crappy Phish or Grateful Dead records? I think not.

Here’s my picks:

Chuck Berry’s Greatest Hits. A record everyone that loves Rock & Roll should own. It all starts here.

Blue Oyster Cult / Rarities. You gotta delve deep into their catalog to find the good stuff, so I’m hoping this has some cool early tunes. These guys were way ahead of their time.

Smithereens / Play Tommy. RIP Pat, you did good on this.

Good Rats / Tasty. If you’re not hip the the best band out of Long Island in the 80’s, you’re not really hip.

Kinks / Phobia Their last studio album. Kinks collectors, take note.

Nilsson / Pussycats. Classic Nilsson, produced by John Lennon.

Neil Young / Tonight’s The Night, Live At The Roxy. Classic Neil, in a club. As close to hearing him in a garage as you’re gonna get. That’s a compliment.

The Who / The Kids Are Alright. Soundtrack to the movie. These songs were meant to be heard on vinyl.

Coupla others that look interesting: Steve Earle & The Dukes / Live; Living Colour / Live At CBGB’s; Dream Syndicate / How We Found Ourselves. That’s my picks. See ya at the stores, get there early!

P.J. Hogan Talks About Marah and his Successful House Shows - by Colin Gawel

Marah is playing the Hogan House Friday April 20th. Click here to read Marah - Five Songs You Need to Know by Joe Oestreich.

Colin G. - Let's jump right in with the Marah show on April 20th. Why did you want to host this show?

P.J. - Marah is one of my favorite bands of all time.  As far as live rock bands, they and Mekons would probably be my top two current favorite bands.  I saw them many times before they split up and since the brothers have reformed I’ve seen them 3-4 times in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Virginia. And don't get me wrong, I've caught other versions of the band through the years and they have always been excellent. But it's hard to replicate the dynamic Bielenko brothers when they are on stage together. They are a band I’ve reached out to every year or so to see if they would be interested in a house show. As a huge Watershed fan as well, (and your solo stuff) having you open is going to make this an amazing night.  I remember being jealous of reading the article on Pencilstorm on seeing their holiday show in Philadelphia a few years ago. I went to the show this year in Philly and I may make that an annual tradition.

Colin G - Ah shucks, you are too kind. But yes, us Watershed guys have always been beating the Marah drum. It's a thrill for me to weasel onto the bill. Back to your situation,  when booking a show, do you reach out to the artist or booking agent?

P.J. - I’ve had the best luck booking bands by going directly to them through Facebook.  Dealing with booking agents, I’m not always sure they understand what it is I’m doing.  One agent sent me a rider asking for air transportation, hotel, merchandise salesman, etc.  I had to explain that I make 0 money doing this so I don’t have a budget to provide all of those kind of perks.  What I do provide is 100% of ticket price directly to artists and food and bedrooms.

Colin G. - At what point did the idea hosting shows in your basement switch from a dream to a reality?

P.J. - It was kind of a fluke to get into hosting shows.  I’ve always been a huge fan of live music and before having a child probably went to 60 or shows a year.  There is a company called Undertow that books house shows and they were looking for volunteers in Columbus area to host a band called Vandaveer.  My wife, Abbie and I are both big fans so we took the plunge and hosted the show in 2014. It was a wonderful experience. The crowd was respectful and were there for the music.  There was more interaction with the crowd than at a normal show. The last time I had seen Vandaveer at MOTR in Cincinnati the crowd spoke through the entire set. That was the first show we hosted and we’ve hosted Vandaveer every year since and have become friends with the band.  The lead singer recently played a surprise birthday concert for my wife. We had about 30 friends all realizing they were at a concert but my wife was shocked. It was a special evening. There is a video of it I can send.

The next year we hosted another Undertow show for Chris Mills.  An artist I loved since the late 90s when I lived near Chicago. Another great crowd and show and we met some great friends at the show.  We also hosted Vandaveer again. This time through their booking agent. Dolly Varden was the first show I booked directly with the artist.  They are one of my favorite bands. It was difficult selling tickets but still an amazing show.  First show I had where someone flew in to attend.

Once I started booking the shows myself I would occasionally book a local opener to try and spread the word of the show and to selfishly see lineups that get me excited. We’ve also had some nice moments where bands that might not have much awareness of each other become great friends by the end of the night.  Jon Langford was so taken with Happy Chichester that he booked him for a show in England with him. Craig Finn and Bottle Rockets were both Undertow shows.  Bands with built in audiences like that are very easy to put on.  Undertow puts the tickets up for sale and they both sold out quickly.

Robbie Fulks was booked by working with his booking agent.  I’m still not sure his agent understood it was a house show but it all worked out very well and he seemed open to doing it again someday.

Colin G. - Are you a musician yourself? What motivated you to start doing this.

P.J. - I’m not a musician myself.  I’ve just always been a big music fan.  I’m very shy in normal social situations.  I would never go speak to a musician at a show, but by having shows in my house I’ve become friends with some of my musical heroes.  The fact that Jon Langford will comment on my daughter being goofy on facebook is something I’ll never get over. Also that there is video of Jon Langford and I singing Charlie Rich’s “Most Beautiful Girl in the World” into breadstick ‘microphones’ makes this whole crazy thing worthwhile.

Colin G. - What is the hardest part of hosting these shows?

P.J. - The hardest part is trying to get the word out on shows.  The fact that all money goes to the bands means that any traditional advertising would come out of my pocket.  I’ve had a couple shows where I thought there would be great crowds and struggled to get 15 people.

Colin G. - What is your favorite part?

Favorite part is usually the show itself.  I can stop trying to sell tickets at that point and just enjoy the music.  It helps to have a full crowd of fans of the bands playing but we’ve had great shows where it’s just a handful of my friends.

Colin G. - You have had some amazing acts so far, who is on your wish list?

P.J. - I’ve been very lucky with booking my favorite acts. If I had to rank bands, Mekons/Jon Langford would be my favorite.  Hosting Jon Langford was a dream come true and having him be a good guy who loves playing at our house has been a great joy.  He said he’ll keep coming as long as we will have him. Other all-time favorites for me that I’ve been shocked to have play would include Marah, Bottle Rockets, Two Cow Garage.  

Of my all-time bands left, I would love to host Slobberbone/Brent Best but I’m not sure if they will make it out to Ohio.  I’m flying to Texas to see their 25th Anniversary show in May. Bands I would love to host (That some people have heard of): Hayden, Lisa Germano, Bonnie Prince Billy, Joe Firstman, Kimya Dawson, Matthew Ryan, Gary Louris, on and on.  I have a list of about 100.

Colin G. - Do you have any plans to expand? How long do you see yourself doing this? 

I don’t necessarily have any plans to expand.  I’ll keep doing this as long as it’s fun. There are times when we have shows coming up and not selling any tickets that it becomes more stressful than fun.  I’ve had day dreams of opening a traditional club but I fear I might lose some of the love of the music if it became 100% a business for me. I still love going to Rumba or Ace of Cups as just a fan and enjoy a show.

Colin G. - Any random thoughts you would like to share before wrapping this up?

P.J. - Sure....

Things I’ve grown to love with the basement shows:

Posted set times. I’m too old to go to a show where ticket says 9:00 but opening act doesn’t go on until 10:30.  Columbus clubs have gotten better about posting set times and that has been very helpful with getting to see more shows.  Our shows normally start at 8PM (or a little later based on putting our daughter to bed) and usually over by 9:30 with one act or 10:30 with two acts.

Fully seated.  We can sell up to 55 tickets and have a seat for everyone.  

Crowd has been respectful to artists at every show.  Have never had to ask anyone to quiet down.

Shows are BYOB and much more social than a normal club show.  Most people feel somewhat uncomfortable going to someone’s house for a show.  We try to make it feel as much like a party at our house. Usually people mingle before and after shows.

Show history

2014 (Vandaveer)

2015 (Vandaveer, Chris Mills)

2016 (Vandaveer, Clem Snide, Dolly Varden, Justin Wells/Shane Sweeney/Todd Farrell, Syd Straw/Happy Chichester)

2017 (Craig Finn, Flat Five, Jon Langford/Happy Chichester, Bottle Rockets, Vandaveer/Lizard McGee, Richard Buckner, Adam Carroll, Jon Langford’s Four Lost Souls/Micah Schnabel

2018:  Robbie Fulks, Tommy Womack/Micah Schnabel, Marah/Colin Gawel, Amy Rigby, Dean Schlabowske