Ohio has some amazing music festivals coming up. From hardcore rock to bluegrass and folk, when I say there are festivals for everyone, I mean it.

Some of them involve a little road trip and maybe some camping, and other festivals are right around the corner. So pick your poison and buy your tickets. It’s officially festival season.

Dark Star Jubilee

Country Fest

About the fest: Over the last decade, The Country Fest has grown, adding tons of national recording artists to their list of performers. The festival is held at Clay’s Park, a campground complete with an adventure waterpark, miniature golf, basketball and volleyball courts, and more. This year’s headliners include Brantley Gilbert, Morgan Wallen, and Jason Aldean. Tickets start at $129.99.
When: June 14-17
Where: North Lawrence, OH
Website: Country Fest

WonderStruck Festival

About the fest: If you’re too excited to wait for WonderBus in Columbus, you can head up to WonderStruck in Cleveland in July. The line-up this year is fantastic, with headliners The Lumineers and Vampire Weekend leading the way. Tickets start at $139.
When: July 8-9
Where: Cleveland, OH
Website: WonderStruck Festival

Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival

About the fest: What happens when you combine a bunch of rock bands, tattoo artists, and one of the creepiest buildings in Ohio? You get Inkcarceration Fest, of course! Musical acts at this year’s festival include Limp Bizkit, Pantera, Slipknot, and more. Dozens of tattoo artists will be on hand showing off their skills. Ticket prices vary by package and camping is available.
When: July 14-16
Where: Mansfield, OH
Website: Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival

Jazz & Rib Fest

About the fest: Although the lineup for this annual event has yet to be released, you can count on top jazz performers making an appearance. The festival has free admission and tickets aren’t required, so save all that $$ for the delicious ribs you’re going to eat.
When: July 21-23
Where: Columbus, OH
Website: Jazz & Rib Fest

Cincinnati Music Festival

Bash on the Bay

WonderBus Music & Arts Festival

About the fest: WonderBus is back for another amazing weekend of music in Columbus this summer and they’ve added a third day. The line-up includes Pitbull, Demi Lovato, CAAMP, Portugal the Man, and more.
When: August 25-27
Where: Columbus, OH
Website: WonderBus Music & Arts Festival

Featured image via Facebook.

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The new single from twenty one pilots, “Choker,” was filmed at Big Fun Columbus, a toy store in the Short North. The song is off the duo’s upcoming album, “Scaled and Icy,” which will be released on May 21.

Columbus has been the set of some Tyler Joseph and Josh Dunn’s videos before. “Stressed Out” was shot in the duo’s respective hometown neighborhoods and “The Hype” was filmed in Hilliard.

Fans looking to celebrate the release of the new album by joining Joseph and Dunn for a live album-release event, streamed on twenty one pilots’ website.

The post Twenty One Pilots Shot Their New Video At An Iconic Toy Shop In The Short North appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

Whether you know them as CD 101, CD 102.5, or now, CD 92.9, you know that they’re an iconic part of this city’s soundscape. When the station announced a few weeks ago that they’d be moving to a digital-only format, fans were heartbroken.

But the heartbreak didn’t last too long. Randy Malloy, the long-time owner of the independent radio station, announced over the weekend that the station is already back on the air-waves at 92.9 FM. In early 2021, the station will also begin broadcasting in Delaware.

“We continued to broadcast digitally online, so we never went away. However, we are ecstatic to get back to the business of independent radio where we belong on the FM – and now AM – dial,” said Malloy. “Big corporate radio is slashing staff by the thousands across the United States, and we are proud to continue to offer live, independently operated radio and continue our commitment to local businesses, local artists, and the entire Columbus community—and soon the Delaware, Ohio community. We are one of the last bastions of independent radio in the United States – and we relish that role.”

The 92.9 frequency has two antennas — one in downtown Columbus on the Huntington building and one in Delaware. The Columbus call letters will be changed to WWCD, and the call letters for Delaware will be announced once it begins brodcasting.

To view the full statement shared on social media, keep scrolling.

Central Ohio’s favorite radio stations, CD101.1 and CD102.5, are now at 92.9 FM! Same team; same music; same things you loved about CD101 and 102.5, but on a new signal. CD 92.9 FM on-air in Columbus, and soon, Delaware as well!

***Find more information at our new home, cd929fm.com

The post CD 102.5 Relaunches As CD 92.9 FM appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

When it comes to live shows in Columbus, there’s a ton of concert halls and venues to choose from. We all know about the usual spots and arenas, but where do you go when you want something a little more acoustic with a little less skull-splitting bass? I mean sure, Express Live! and the Newport put on some banging shows, but sometimes you don’t want to deal with a gaggle of bros armed to the teeth with Redbull and unearned confidence.

Sometimes you want to trade the sea of Mountain Dew flatbill caps for a more mellow crowd of hippies, culturally appropriating Indian fashion and smelling just slightly like stale Nag Champa. We checked around town and asked some of the hippest beatniks we know to find out where to go for a night of live music at a more intimate, chill setting. Check out our list and tell us what we missed.

Dick’s Den

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Dick’s Den has a deep history with the Columbus Jazz scene. Always good for quality music featuring some of the city’s most talented musicians. Also good for a cheap drink and a great dive bar feel when you feel like slumming it up with the cool kids.
Where:  2417 N High St, Columbus, OH 43202

The Tree Bar

Once known as Andyman’s Tree Bar, this cultural hub of chic sound was originally founded by local legend and DJ Andy “Andyman” Davis himself. Tree Bar is the perfect place to check out emerging Indie acts and cop yourself some dang good whiskey while you’re at it.
Where: 887 Chambers Rd, Columbus, OH 43212

Two Truths

Two Truths is a relatively new player to the field. This laid back, Egyptian themed jazz bar has a slick, hip interior and a list of cocktails that’ll get you snapping your fingers and tapping your feet to whatever act is up. Scope this place out now so you can say you were into it before it got all popular and sold out, you shameless hipster you.
Where:  1205 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201

Rumba Cafe

Known for hosting both local and national touring acts, Rumba Cafe has had some of the most popular current bands play its stage. Every Sunday their house band, Hoodoo Soul Band, drops some of the funkiest danceable tunes in the city. If they can’t get you on your feet and moving, you might be dead.
Where:  2507 Summit St, Columbus, OH 43202

Spacebar

Spacebar lines up bands from out of this world. Chances are if you have some far-out tastes with a hankering for the weird and the local, you’re definitely walking into the right place with Spacebar. And if you want a bit of the spotlight yourself you could always sign up for punk rock karaoke, wailing out angsty tunes every Monday.
Where: 2590 N High St, Columbus, OH 43202

Ace of Cups

The venue itself is just super cool. With pretty good acoustics and a rocking back patio, every show is more like a rocking party than it is a concert. Be sure you don’t miss out on their awesome dance parties. And if you’re into the goth thing, check out Cathedral every second Saturday of the month for all your dark synth-pop needs. If you’re not into the whole goth thing I recommend you check it out anyway, just to say you did.
Where:  2619 N High St, Columbus, OH 43202

The Big Room

The Big Room is backed by local alternative station CD 102.5 which means you can see some rather big acts here depending on the day. When they aren’t playing live music on the weekends you can stop in for open mic Mondays, music trivia on Tuesdays and a swing dance party on Wednesdays. As the saying goes: this is a bar with a radio problem.
Where: 1036 S Front St, Columbus, OH 43206

The Rambling House

This unassuming looking venue focuses on the unlikely combination of music and craft soda. Rambling House mainly caters to a folk or traditional sound, putting just as much effort into choosing bands as they do in making soda. Enjoy live music from Tuesday through Sunday while sipping on sarsaparilla, although now’s a good time to admit that I have zero idea what that actually is.
Where: 310 E Hudson St, Columbus, OH 43202

Woodlands Tavern

Not only is this a great venue for live music and comedy, but they have one of the best happy hour deals in town. $3 craft beers and $2 domestics? Um, yes please and thank you? Woodlands is just the right size to get a decent party going without feeling like you have to surface for air every 15 minutes. Here you have one of the best show halls in Columbus to see a performance and still feel comfy in your own skin.
Where:  1200 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212

Originally published 8/8/17. Updated 1/30/20.

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Officially, Saintseneca got their start 11 years ago. Zac Little, the frontman and founding member grew up in Southeastern Ohio on the edge of Appalachia, playing in a rock band with his friends. When they first moved to Columbus for college, finding a space where they could practice was a challenge.

“We couldn’t really practice loud,” said Little. “So we began to experiment with bluegrass instruments.” That switching of genres, from rock to folk-inspired, set the band on a course that would change everything.

Saintseneca played shows around the city, but as time went on and they all got older, people moved away and the band began to change. Their first albums were meant to be an auditory snapshot of their time together.

“That is why we made our first record,” said little. “Because it was kind of like, let’s, you know, let’s really get this now, let’s document this thing. So we made Last.”

The title track from Saintseneca’s first album, Last.

After that album, the band sort of fell apart. Zac knew he wasn’t done yet, but he didn’t exactly know what would come next. But he started work on the next album anyway.

“That’s when we started making Dark Arc. And that was like a different kind of process,” he explained. “Because instead of being like, okay, let’s document this live thing. There was no live band to document.”

The album was admittedly a struggle for Zac, but it also challenged him as an artist. There were no rules anymore. He could write music and record it in an “anything goes” sort of fashion. The line up of musicians in the band, excluding Zac, has continued to change.

“It’s still changing, and even from tour to tour. It can be pretty fluid. It’s like, oh, somebody else plays in another band. They have a tour, so we’ll just restructure, figure it out,” he explained.

Saintseneca performing on NPR’s Tiny Desk series.

That constant evolution could break lesser bands. But it’s one of the things that pushes Saintseneca. Having a revolving door of sorts brings in new talents, fresh perspectives, and gives band members the freedom to create music how and when they can.

The band has put out four albums since 2011 and toured both the US and Internationally. I was lucky enough to see the band in one of it’s earliest iterations at Carabar, and I was instantly hooked. So you can imagine my surprise when Zac shared his story about the first time he heard one of their songs on the radio.

“We were in Baltimore. There’s a cool radio station there, and our drummer Matt told me like, ‘sometimes they’ll play our song.’ Sure enough, it came on and I was just like, that was pretty cool,” he said with a laugh. “Once you get to the point where you’ve worked on this thing forever, and you recorded it, and it’s done. I usually just kind of let it go. I don’t listen to it again. So then when you do hear it, it’s extra surreal. It’s really cool. You sort of think, ‘Oh! so that’s what that sounds like.”

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When it comes to being a musician in Columbus, Zac admires the music scene here. “It’s nurturing. I feel that people are genuinely enthusiastic about stuff that’s going on.”

It would be easy to assume that with success comes ego. But that couldn’t be further from the truth when talking about Zac. When I asked him what sort of impact he wanted to leave as an artist, he didn’t even hesitate.

“I honestly don’t think about it,” he said. “For me, the priority is more of just trying to find a way of being in the present sense. It’s more of a way of existing as a person, in a day-to-day way rather than focusing on what I want to accomplish.”

That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have aspirations for the future. But he is aware of the fact that life doesn’t always go according to plan. It’s easy to get caught up in reaching your goals and forget that the whole time, you were doing the thing that you loved.

“Once you get the thing you’re working towards, you just want something else. It doesn’t fill you up. It doesn’t make you complete,” he said. “I feel like what has a greater capacity to do that, is just being.”

If you want to catch Saintseneca live, they’ll be playing Newport Music Hall on April 10. Grab your tickets here.

The post Getting To Know Zac Little From Saintseneca appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

The final goodbye event will take place on Thursday, September 7th. You can RSVP and find all the details here.

But the weekly event will return September 14th as “Nuthin’ But 90’s”.

614Now notes that Ladies 80’s started in 2002, a 13 year gap between the end of the decade and the start of Ladies 80’s. Some might note this change is comparatively overdue since the 90’s were 18 years ago.

It’s the end of an era, but who doesn’t love the 90’s?

via GIPHY

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