Moonbats Pay Trippy Tribute to '60s Era Kinks - by Anne Marie

Expectations were running high Friday night as Natalie's Coal-Fired Pizza and Live Music filled to SRO and bartenders Jeremey + Jeremey shimmied to the '60s tunes that blasted from the bar speakers. But more than a handful of folks sported Moonbats t-shirts and only one dude wore a Kinks shirt. Hmmm. Table seating for this show sold out the same day it posted on the Natalie’s calendar which I’d never seen happen before, but now that I was here, I could tell this was due in large part to Mitch (in Moonbats t-shirt) and his party of thirty (30!!!) there to celebrate his 70th birthday. Women in floral high heel boots stood shoulder to shoulder with a group of young-at-heart septuagenarians, one of whom a bit tipsily confided to me that they had met Mitch and first seen The Moonbats play when they were here from Florida a few months back and had now ventured north on a special adventure to see the band play again and celebrate with Mitch.

Ricki C's cousin Robbie C.

You could tell the crowd was primed for a good time when the brief sound check received a raucous reception. Sixties cover band The Moonbats’ first ever Kinks show opened with You Really Got Me and went straight into Tired of Waiting for You.  I know they played Dedicated Follower of Fashion and I think it was next followed by Waterloo Sunset.  I was distracted around that time noticing that one of the servers was a Ricki C. doppelgänger and attempting (fairly unsuccessfully) to snap of photo of him for proof. Colin showed up in time for All Day & All of the Night, followed by Sunny Afternoon, Victoria (best Kinks song of the night for me), then ?? (uh-oh, I was either still jumping around from Victoria or ordering another drink here), David Watts and Lola as the big finale to the first set. I stayed for about five songs into the second set - none of which were Kinks songs - and the best of which, by far, was The Moonbats covering The Doors.  I’d definitely go see The Moonbats again: and if they ever do another Kinks tribute, I’d encourage them to go a bit deeper and pull Kinks songs for the second set as well.  Some Mother’s Son (I love my protest songs), Destroyer, Superman, Father Christmas, Set Me Free… I'm sure you all have your favorites.

Anne Marie covers the Wexner Center and other stuff for Pencilstorm.

Kiss Rules The Month Of September - by Scott Carr

If you are a Kiss fan, you know that September is a very busy month in the band's history. Or if you will, Kisstory.  The band has released more records in the month of September than any other month, followed closely by October.

The trend of releasing albums in September goes all the way back to the September 10th, 1975 release of the bands seminal career-launching double live album Alive! No question, if this album had not taken off, we would not be having this discussion today.  The band's career was in serious jeopardy as their first three studio albums had been major duds in the sales department. Luckily for myself and Kiss fans around the world, Alive! became the bands first million seller and gave the band a second wind.

Next up in the September cycle of releases for Kiss came on September 18th, 1978 when the band released their individual solo albums. Each band member had their own full-length album but all were marketed under the Kiss name. Some would say it was one of the most brilliant concepts ever attempted in the music business while others say a complete fiasco. I wrote a detailed recap that you can read here.....

During the 1980's the September releases for Kiss really kicked into high gear beginning with 1983's Lick It Up, released on September 18, 1983. Lick It Up was the band's first studio record to feature lead guitarist Vinnie Vincent who had replaced original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley during the previous years Creatures of the Night Tour. Lick It Up also marked the first time the band had appeared on an album cover without their signature makeup. The official unmasking of Kiss happened on the same day of the album's release during a special appearance on MTV.  Lick It Up was a solid record and brought the band back to platinum-selling status after the declining sales of their previous records, Unmasked and (Music From) The Elder. 

A world tour followed the release of Lick It Up, but by the time September of 1984 rolled around Kiss had another new record hitting the shelves. Animalize was released on September 13, 1984. Animalize pretty much continued were Lick It Up left off and Kiss once again had a million seller on their hands. The band had also ushered in another new lead guitarist for this record. Mark St. John replaced Vinnie Vincent for the recording of Animalize. Shortly after the albums release Mark would be replaced by Bruce Kulick due to an illness that affected Marks ability to play guitar.

Another tour followed and by September 1985 Kiss returned to the record stores with Asylum. Released on September 16, 1985, Asylum became the third million seller in a row for Kiss. The band was definitely on a roll and for Kiss fans it was like Christmas every September. It's pretty amazing to think how quickly the band were delivering a new record. In today's market you are lucky to get a new record from your favorite band every five years and Kiss fans were getting a new record every year!

After three consecutive September releases there was a two-year gap before Kiss delivered their next album. Crazy Nights was released on September 18, 1987 and although it seemed like a lifetime between records Crazy Nights proved to be another hit for the band and their fourth platinum record in a row. Crazy Nights was a much more polished affair than previous Kiss releases but the album spawned several MTV hits including the albums opening anthem "Crazy Crazy Nights."

Kiss' next studio album Hot In The Shade arrived in mid-October of 1989 marking the end of their 1980's September juggernaut and also the string of platinum albums as well. Hot In The Shade only achieved Gold status.

Kiss would not release another album during the month of September until 1998. Psycho Circus was released on September 22, 1998 and claimed to be a reunion of the four original members of Kiss. While the band had been on a highly successful reunion tour since June of 1996 when it came time to record a new studio record the band brought in several outside players to perform on the record and contributions from original drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley were very few. The album received lackluster responses from critics and fans but still managed to go gold.

So there you have my round up of Kiss albums that were released during the month of September.  A couple other items I will throw at you: Peter Criss released his first post-Kiss solo album Out Of Control in September of 1980 and Ace Frehley released his fourth post-Kiss solo album Anomaly on September 15, 2009.

.....and finally I will leave you with this: I saw Kiss on their Dynasty tour on September 10th, 1979 at the Huntington Civic Center in my hometown of Huntington, WV and then 37 years exactly to the day I saw them again in the very same venue. You can read all the details about those experiences here.....

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH  bands Radio Tramps andReturning April.  Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

KISS SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES 

ALIVE! (SEPTEMBER 10, 1975) 

KISS SOLO ALBUMS (SEPTEMBER 18, 1978)

OUT OF CONTROL (SEPTEMBER, 1980) PETER CRISS SOLO ALBUM

LICK IT UP (SEPTEMBER 18, 1983)

ANIMALIZE (SEPTEMBER 13, 1984)

ASYLUM (SEPTEMBER 16, 1985)

CRAZY NIGHTS (SEPTEMBER 18, 1987)

PSYCHO CIRCUS (SEPTEMBER 22, 1998)

ANOMALY (SEPTEMBER 15, 2009) ACE FREHLEY SOLO ALBUM

Big $ Checks in from Indianapolis before Browns v Colts

The Browns are road favorites for the first time since 2014. To mark the occasion, Big $ took the North Coast Posse Gremlin West on I-70 to watch the game at a bar close to Lucas Oil Field. The following report was filed on his cellphone from The Whistle Stop Inn two hours before kick off. 

The Browns enter a stretch of four games that look to be competitive. What has to go right to beat the Colts this weekend?

Big $ - "Competitive" is such a relative word in Browns land. If they play with the mental acumen of a codeine laced juggalo as they did this past week, they would not win the MAC east. It does not  take much to deflate the sheerest glimpses of optimism that we are afforded as Browns fans and the Ravens game left plenty of holes for air to escape, The only factor that I think would lead to a victory this Sunday is if the Colts commit more significant mistakes.

Corey Coleman is injured again and the ghost of T Pryor is looming larger by the minute. Has anybody figured out we paid Kenny Britt instead of TP?

Big $ - I have not combed through Kenny Quit's advanced stats, but I am assuming that  he must have some Joey Votto like sabre metrics going on to have pulled the wool over the money ball boys' eyes the way he did. When you have grand canyon sized space in your salary cap, you don't let the only playmaker on your offense walk, no matter how big of an S.O.B.  Drew Rosenhaus is.

Kizer left the game with a headache. Is this troubling?

Big $  I know that playing the role of "Mr. Football Guy" in today's P.C. world is very unpopular, but I am quite wary of a Rookie with much to prove taking a few quarters off for a migraine. I'm no doctor, but if a headache is severe enough to excuse yourself, MID GAME, from your $800,000 a year job quarterbacking the Browns offense, you should probably spend the rest of the day in a dark room.  I think there is room for concern in this case.

OK, it's time, who should Lebron start for this week?

Big $ -  Literally, I do not know if there is one current starter at any position on the Browns who i am confident would be better than Lebron

What are you eating right now?

Big $ - These breakfast nachos are pretty awesome though the syrup mixed with salsa takes some getting used too. I slipped in a couple Hilltop Lagers just to save some cash for the ride homw.

The Winter Olympics Are Coming In Less Than 150 Days - by Wal Ozello

The 2018 Winter Olympics are less than 150 days away. Pencilstorm Contributor Wal Ozello will be providing on-going coverage leading up to the Olympics helping you prepare for what to watch for. 

The Winter Olympics is coming in 2018 and while it seems far on the horizon there are stories playing out today that will have a bigger impact than who are Jon Snow’s real parents. Here are the Top Three stories to pay attention to today.

Location, Location, Location…
The 2018 Winter Olympics are in Pyeongchang. When you search for that on Google Maps you’ll find it in South Korea with the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium about 55 miles from North Korea.  The Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be as closer to North Korea than Mansfield is to Columbus. For those of you living under a rock for the past year, the relationship between North and South Korea, let alone the rest of the world, has been less than ideal. Earlier this year, South Korea reached out to its northern neighbor for some Olympic partnership that only sports can create.  They proposed a joint North-South Korea women’s hockey team and offered to host some of the ski competition at a new North Korean ski resort.  North Korea declined both offers. Since then, North Korea has been testing several intercontinental ballistic missiles and the U.S. and South Korea just finished joint bombing drills… in Gangwon Providence - which Pyeongchang County resides in.  Then at the UN on Tuesday, President Trump declared that, “If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.” Whoa. Khrushchev must be have looked down on that and said, "I just banged my shoe on that table, you sir, just drove head first into the deep end of the crazy pool."  All-in-all, this is much deeper argument than new Metallica vs. old Metallica. Keep an eye out folks, this story isn’t over, yet.

Falling Down The Mountain
Lindsey Vonn and potentially Bode Miller will be returning to compete in the Olympics. Lindsey is the one of the most successful women American skiers with Olympic medals, World Championship medals and World Cup titles.  She’ll be 33 in South Korea and this Olympics could be her last.  While most thought Sochi would be Bode’s last Olympics, rumor is that he’s planning to compete in Pyeongchang at age 40.  He’s the most decorated Olympic Athlete in alpine history and chances are he’s looking to solidify that position.  But those aren’t the name to look for… watch for Mikaela Shiffrin. She’s reigning Overall World Cup champion and the reigning Olympic and World Champion in slalom. Back in 2011 she became the U.S. Champion in Slalom… at age 16. Mikaela won her first World Cup event at age 17. The following year she won Gold in Sochi, becoming the youngest slalom champion in Olympic History. Since then, she’s won two World Championship gold medals, three World Cup slalom titles, and 24 career wins. Mikaela will do for the Olympic Alpine Skiing what Wonder Woman did for the Summer Blockbuster Movies… kick everyone else’s ass.  Here’s an impressive run for the 2017 World Championship where she beats her closest competitor by 1.64 seconds.

That "Other Team" Up North
Forget men's ice hockey during the Olympics.  It's a glorified all star game that lasts two weeks too long.  The real competition is in Women's Ice Hockey. They leave it all on the ice because they are competing at the highest level in their game and it's full contact guts and glory. The competition between the U.S. team and the Canadian team is fiercer than OSU vs. Michigan. While the U.S. team has won the World Championships the past four times and eight out of the last ten meetings, they haven't won Gold in the Olympics since 1998.  Who's beat them each time?  Canada.  They won gold in 2014, 2010, 2006 and 2002.  The last time the Canada held silver was the year U.S. got the gold - 1998.  The two teams will face each other at least four times before Pyeongchang, starting on October 25.  Keep a close eye on these showdowns.  While the U.S. has a great winning streak, I'm sure Canada's montra is going to be "The North Remembers."

And for those of you that don't think these girls can play, I can personally attest they can play hard.  A few years ago, I had the privileged of producing a profile of a High School Senior Goalie up in Duluth, Minnesota.  I stood on the ice as these girls skated a whirlwind around me.  It was just mind-blowing.  They want to prove they kick ass stronger than the Runaways wanted to prove they could rock with the best. Want to see some tough hits and and killer goals?  Check out this video below.

That's enough of a download for this week.  It's going to be a long winter ahead and I'll have more updates in the weeks to come.

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. When he's not writing or singing with the Columbus hairband, Armada, he can be found at the regulars table at Colin's Coffee.

Baver Answers Questions and Picks Some Games to Kill Time Until Penn State.

Follow Brent @baverbuckeyebag and tune in CD1025 Morning Show with Brian Phillips to hear him talking for real and stuff. 

Colin: Did we learn anything from the Army game that will matter against Penn State?

Baver: Not a lot. You saw Ohio St get the ball to the WRs on the perimeter in space more so than in the Oklahoma game, and the plays were actually successful against Army. Similar plays against Oklahoma were not. We did get to see Dwayne Haskins, but not until the final drive of the game. Haskins, like in the spring game, and like the whispers you hear from practice, looked good. And the Bucks may have a big time middle linebacker in Tuf Borland who replaced an injured Chris Worley. Worley is going to have a tough time getting his middle linebacker job back as Borland had double-digit tackles in a little more than a half of football.

Colin: Does it look like Kevin Wilson is taking control of the offense? 

Baver: It looked like it against Army more so than against the Sooners, but it was Urban’s offense that I saw against Oklahoma. Your wider question really can’t be answered until after the Penn State game on Oct 28, as you surmised in your 1st question. I certainly still have a lot of confidence in Urban Meyer coaching this team, but I’d feel a heck of lot better if Wilson called the shots on offense against the Nits. Until then, it probably isn’t going to matter who is running the offensive show. The Bucks should put up 50+ against UNLV and handle Rutgers without working up too much of a sweat. Maryland could hang around and Nebraska could play OSU tight, but I still expect to see a one-loss Buckeye team playing Penn St Oct 28th. And that team will need Kevin Wilson’s help come 3:30 that afternoon.

Colin: I have no questions about UNLV though I know you’re hot picking Ohio St games against the spread….for I think a long time now. Do the numbers bear that out?

Baver: Yeah, I just ran the #’s and I’m 30-13-1 against the spread picking Buckeye games since the start of the 2014 season, my first year with Pencil Storm. A hell of a lot of luck involved, and there’s a 6-game losing streak built into those numbers. But, I’ve had the Buckeyes pulse as of late, going 22-7 since the start of the 2015 season, including 3-0 this year. Ohio State is laying 40 against UNLV Saturday. Urban will want to pile it up, and see the Bucks covering for the 3rd time in 4 games this yr. I like Ohio State 56-10.

Colin: What other games / lines will you be keeping an eye on this weekend and how have your picks on other games been going so far? 

Baver: 4-3 ATS on non-OSU games. Not really feeling it except on Buckeye games, but I did hit all 3 of the other games last week. Michigan isn’t playing well, and travels to West Lafayette to play a much improved Purdue team, but Vegas seems to have over-adjusted for this one, with UM only laying 10. Michigan I think is probably the best play of the week at that number. Last year, Saquon Barkley basically said Iowa quit in the 2nd half of Penn St’s 41-14 lambasting of the Hawkeyes in Happy Valley. I know 19-year-olds will be 19-year-olds, but Iowa is going to be fired up Saturday night. I like the Hawkeyes plus the 12 ½ at home, at night. And I like Georgia laying 5 against Miss St in a situational play, with the Bulldogs off the big win against LSU, while Georgia comes off a meaningless game they had against Stamford.

Pencilstorm Rockers Have Rocking Gigs Coming Up - by Jeff Hassler

Want to rock the night away with some of the guys from Pencilstorm?  In September and beyond, Scott, Colin and Wal will all be appearing locally (but separately).  Check out the details below. - Jeff Hassler

Colin Gawel

Every Thursday

Pencilstorm Editor-In-Chief and infamous Columbus rocker, Colin Gawel, takes his solo talents to the stage every Thursday night at the Four String Taproom on West Sixth in Grandview Hts. A more intimate version of his solo bands and Watershed, Colin sounds like part Springsteen jamming out his acoustic on the Jersey Shore with a little bit of Black Crowes and The Rolling Stones mixed in. But like the good Black Crowes that played "She Talks to Angels." Not that hippy stuff.  Make sure to catch his set starting at 9pm. Every week will be a different set of Watershed, League Bowlers and solo tunes. Though he has still NEVER played "Wanted Dead or Alive" even though I request it all the time. One time I covered his rent and he promised to play it for me one day. Could that day be one of these days?? It's only fair. Just sayin'. A quick word of warning about Four String Brew, everybody knows I'm a Coors Light guy but I do really like their new Hilltop Lager. But last time I was at the taproom for our Thursday night pinball league, Greg May bought me a couple of Switchblade IPA and I threw up all over the KISS game and ended up asleep in the Five Guys dumpster covered in mustard and some kind of sauce resembling mayonnaise.  That Switchblade packs a punch so take er sleezy when you are sucking down those sudz! Hassler warned ya!!

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Radio Tramps

Sept. 23

Resident discographer and historian, Scott Carr, will be rocking out with his band Radio Tramps this Saturday, September 23 at Cardo's Pizza & Tavern in Pickerington. Performing hits that span nearly four decades of rock, dance and pop,  the Radio Tramps will give you a total live, raw and in-your-face four-hour music experience. With soaring vocals, high energy, and a relentless pursuit of fun, they are sure to please all night long. The show starts at 8:30 pm. Get your grub on, get your drink on and get Tramped! I should know. I got Tramped at their Red, White and Boom show, tried to hug Tiffany and then fell off the stage in front of thousands of people. Even worse, my boss, Mr. Johansen saw the video on youtube and suspended me from all church activities for three weeks. Very embarrassing. Great band though! 

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Armada

Sept. 30

Wal Ozello will be fronting his band, Armada, next Saturday, September 30 at King Avenue 5. Once credited as "Rush meets Bon Jovi," Armada will play a staple of originals made popular during their days at the Alrosa Villa along with a mix of covers from '80s hair bands. Not your average bunch of musicians, you'll have to catch them as they pull off Rush, Journey, Tesla and Guns N Roses in a way few other bands can. Rumor has it this may be one of their last shows, so make sure to catch them while you can. I know I will be there. Not only do they always put on a great show but I met my future ex-wife Kim at one of their sold-out shows at the Alrosa Villa back in the day. Actually it was my first and last time working as the Armada drum tech but if I hadn't gotten fired before showtime Kim and I never would have hooked up. She liked that I knew drummers and was hoping I could get her back stage. She used to be so much fun back then and she looked so sexy in her Triumph Sport of Kings T-shirt. If I had known how she had gotten the shirt from Gil Moore in the first place I probably wouldn't have proposed so soon but I was young, dumb and full of.....ANYWAY... Doors open at 7pm and special guest No Direction starts at 8 pm. Make sure to get there early as Armada promptly takes the stage at 9 pm.

Look for more Pencilstorm appearances in the upcoming weeks! See ya at the gigs and buy me beer why don't you? - Hassler is out.