"Hey, Fred!" 07/10-07/16/2024
Goings On in Columbus, OH: Austin's Leche | Melissa Zexter | American Homeboy Screening | Paisha Thomas | John Calvin Abney
Music
07/10/2024
Leche with Mascara Cowboys and Manic Splits
Cafe Bourbon Street, 2216 Summit St
July 10: 6 pm show
$10 at the door
It had been a long time since I heard the term “cowpunk” used approvingly before this show hit my radar. Both the locals—Manic Splits, a garage-punk-tinged relative of Mezclado, and Mascara Cowboys’ dispatches from a journey across the sandpaper desert—have been on my list to check out for a while.
Austin’s Leche resurrects a noisy, blown-out strain of roots music I’d almost forgotten existed in this era when it feels like Americana means a combination of singer-songwriter, slavish reenactment, or Vaseline-lens cosmic country (and don’t misunderstand - I love a lot of music in all three lanes). Brian Hillsman, writing for The Cosmic Clash, called their sets “heavy-hitting, jovial, and therapeutic,” and that strikes me as about right - conjures some of what I love about fellow Texans Bad Sports and Columbus’s Unholy 2, but not mirroring either. Checking out the instantly addictive Gas Powered Guillotine made me as excited for this show as any bill of three acts I haven’t seen before in recent memory.
07/14/2024
Paisha Thomas
Goodale Park Gazebo, closest to Buttles and Park
July 14: 12:30 pm show
Free
I’ve written about Paisha Thomas in this newsletter a few times. Long one of my favorite vocalists/interpreters; in the last few years, she’s also become one of my favorite songwriters in a crowded Columbus field. I was most recently reminded of that last month, seeing her open for one of the finest singers and songwriters out of Nashville, Kyshona. I have a special fondness for the Goodale Park music series - going back to when it was all jazz, many years ago, but in more recent years it’s where I was first turned onto Mery Steel and Dom Deshawn. On a sun-dappled Sunday, this should be a perfect chance for a few people to get their first exposure to one of our rising stars and refresh those of us who have been on the bandwagon for a while.
Secret Studio Presents: John Calvin Abney
Natalie’s Grandview, 945 King Ave
July 14: Show at 7:00 pm
$12 Tickets Available at https://nataliesgrandview.com/events/secret-studio-presents-john-calvin-abney/
I’ve been kicking myself for not catching John Calvin Abney at one of our hidden gems, Hogan House, since he last played there, especially after co-host/founder PJ Hogan told me how great he was at a different show the next week. I’ve been a big fan of Abney’s sideman work - on records I love by Samantha Crain and Beth Bombara, and especially the string of jaw-dropping John Moreland work (this year’s Visitor, which Abney is all over on guitar, is an early contender for record of the year) - but that conversation got me to dig into Abney’s own songs and records.
Abney’s finely observed songs build beguiling interior landscapes, and he has a taste for orchestration and for the colors of the studio that recall other favorites of mine like later Fred Eaglesmith and recent Waxahatchee. Reviewing his Familiar Ground, Jon Freeman wrote for Rolling Stone, “He sings it so sweetly and convincingly, it’s impossible not to believe him.” His 2023 Tourist is a high-water mark, but I’m also besotted with his periodic avant-roots instrumental records, and everything of his is worth hearing.
Visual Art/Music
07/12/2024
Melissa Zexter Opening with Sidd Finch and Todd May playing
Secret Studio, 503 W Walnut St
July 12: 6 to 9 pm
Free
Secret Studio opens its outdoor stage for the season with one of our greatest songwriters, Todd May (my admiration for Todd is well-known by this point, and it started well before I was lucky enough to call him and his wife Kathy two of my dearest friends), and Sidd Finch who is either a new band named after the infamous fictional baseball player or a wink-wink situation.
Befitting Franklinton Friday, the studio pairs this highly recommended clinic in song with a fascinating gallery show inside. Brooklyn-based Melissa Zexter uses drawing, painting, and embroidery to disturb the surface reality of her photographs, adding psychological and historical layers to the basic image. Lush landscapes and haunting portraits and pieces that float and sluice between genres and media.
Film
07/12/2024
Screening of American Homeboy
Ohio Historical Society, 800 E 17th Ave
July 12: Event Starts at 7 pm, Film starts at 9 pm
$15 tickets, $10 for members, available at https://www.ohiohistory.org/events/american-homeboy/
The Ohio History Center has made great strides in the last few years in opening up to wider swaths of its community. I saw a fascinating Paul Robeson tribute there in the last year; there was a great food truck festival a year or two ago, hosting the Clintonville Farmer’s Market during the height of lockdown. Updated to reflect new pricing as the film has moved indoors. Thanks to OHC Chief Marketing Officer Jerry Dannemiller for the heads up.
American Homeboy, directed by Brandon Loran Maxwell, delves into how Pachucho and cholo culture sprang up from societal pressures and bigotry, and informed, evolved into the contemporary Chicano culture. Rosa Parra, writing for In Their Own League, called it, “Inspirational, informative, thought-provoking, and timely. A movie made with love celebrating identity, culture, and a lifestyle.” The film looks stellar, and OHC has built a terrific evening around it:
7 pm: Local Latin-owned businesses for shopping and food. I’d draw particular attention to the cocktails from Xolo Mixtos; Anne and I had their housemade Michelada mixes at a combined event with Casa Karmelitas at Lookout Supply a year ago, and went to a different taco pop-up at The Lox Bagel shop a few months ago, and they’ve blown us away both times
9 pm: Screening of the film
10:30 pm: Q&A with the director
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