Music

Bus Stile Activities celebrated the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s (CML) 150th anniversary. Our libraries were founded in March 1873 after the Civil War showed the importance of literacy. CML still astound me. Our society agrees acquiring knowledge can exist as a public collective agreement. I used the library as a kid.

Once I became good at shoplifting I didn’t need the library.

By 6-20-2016 I had stopped shoplifting. I had stopped shoplifting before 2016 but this was the day I decided I needed a library card.

My first library items 6-20-2016…as an adult:

Rules For Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals, By Saul Alinksy.

Eric Rohmer’s La Collectionneuse, Love in the Afternoon, Claire’s Knee, Suzanne’s Career and My Knight at Maud’s.

I celebrated CML’s 150th Anniversary by perusing these items last week:

A Decade Under The Influence: the 70s Films That Changed Everything

1) I don't remember them having that many good songs! When I think of the Mob's album output I think of Omerta and only Omerta, their classic debut and then there's everything else. That Friday night at the Athaneum (what a place!), there wasn't a dud on the set list.

2) If you hadn't told me I wouldn't suspected in the least our dear Carlton Smith was in a titanic struggle with brain cancer. He was as dependably "on the one" as he's ever been. I wish he'd had a song to sing. He's got more personality than a Cheshire cat.

3) Brian Emch on guitar more than ever showed what he always was and so shall always be: one of finest light touches on funk guitar from beginning to end this state has ever produced. A true Ohio Player.

4) David Ellison hasn't lost his rap execution, his humor or his timing. Such a lucky front man to have the greatest rhythm section this side of...James Brown and the Rolling Stones. 

I meet punk bands who talk with me about rap or vegan food.

Ocean: I think all of us in the band enjoy hip hop and rap. I'm the only one who is a vegan that eats veggie.

Erek: The best part about not being vegan is still eating vegan food. It's delicious and good for you!

Covid eliminated punk shows for a while.

Ocean: That time frame was traumatic! Some of the venues and people I know did not make it.

Erek: Everyone basically lost a year... But the scenes are back and better than ever.

I read about Body Farm at Maximum Rock N Roll because I have Verizon internet where I live.

Do you know someone at MRR or did you just send them stuff…

Erek: You submit everything. There are instructions on their site.

Once something is live on MRR do you receive emails, sell records and end up with shows?

Erek: Yes and no. It's a place that people get info for sure so it's possible but we really didn't see an increase in anything from the reviews specifically.

Can someone tour off of MRR reviews?

Erek: Not really, but it is a good reference to put in your tour package for people helping you out.

2023 allows all to decide the future. We defeated Covid, inflation, and attempts at inducing fascism from inflation.

I'm still amazed at the year Columbus, Ohio ended up with, while turbulence existed after our nation decided a higher existence should come from evolving past these things.

2022 Columbus reminded itself of importance as an incubator of things everyone loves…

For example:

2022 year ended with the biggest concert I’ve ever witnessed in Columbus, Ohio.

Joe Walsh’s 6th Annual Vets Aide Concert sold-out Nationwide Arena November 13, 2022. Vets Aide featured an All-Ohio Line-Up.

I saw Walsh reunite the James Gang with special guest Dave Grohl, Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys, The Breeders and the OSU Marching Band - “The Best Damn Band in the Land.”

I woke up one morning and looked at the internet.

Joe Walsh planned celebrating Veteran’s Day Weekend at Nationwide Arena with a VetsAid concert which reunited James Gang with the assistance of Dave Grohl in Columbus, Ohio.

Walsh is one of the biggest figures in music.

Joe Walsh, Robert Plant, and Ozzy Osbourne exist as men who defined Rock’n’Roll’s evolution from the blues, Elvis, and doo wop.

Robert Plant fronted Led Zeppelin. Ozzy Osbourne founded Rock’n’Roll gospel music with Black Sabbath anthems.

Walsh sang in James Gang who brought the template for Rock’n’Roll in the wake of the Kent State shootings and Vietnam. Walsh was in the Eagles which probably floated during the Reagan era.

James Gang playing Columbus in 2022 would’ve existed as one of the most important events in the history of Columbus.

If this wasn’t a unique occurrence, Joe enlisted a crop of Ohio’s most revered Rock’n’Roll artists:

Nine Inch Nails: Cleveland

Black Keys: Akron

The Breeders: Dayton

James Gang: Kent/Cleveland

Dave Grohl: Warren, Ohio

Turnstile’s sold-out Kemba Live show had me realizing that an all ages venue will start their show on time because teenagers can’t stay out late. I arrived at 7pm. Doors were at 6 pm. I placed my keys, iPhone, Beats Flex headphones, wallet in a tray and passed the metal detectors.

Despite Turnstile’s show being sold-out, the metal detector lady was ready before I had emptied my pockets.

JPG Mafia had already taken the stage in receiving a response while performing, “Jesus Forgive, I am a Thot.” JPG Mafia is a LA rapper via Baltimore.

I suppose JPG Mafia is a rapper. His music sounds like if KID 606 went short attention span Glitch-Hop with tempos in which a Death Grips fan would say: “I haven’t heard of New Kingdom or Divine Styler but someone else probably did, and I’m nodding my head.”

They sound like you removed 95 percent of the guitars from industrial music and learned rap from Miami Bass and Anti-Pop Consortium. I walked around because the venue was packed, and I did this thing where I stood in every possible corner before deciding where I was standing.

I felt bad because walking around could be distracting for fans.

Denzel Curry’s album Melt My Eyes See Your Future spent a year with me impressed with an album which sounded meticulous and received responses which are certain. A Florida’s rapper’s album will have legs.

People can find music everywhere.

It isn’t often someone creates something which will last past a month in the public’s eye especially when seven years of news makes it where rappers can’t compete with our crazy political environment.

I suppose that’s that why rappers tour instead of sitting around and looking at the internet while smoking weed.

While I don’t smoke weed, I dropped my bus pass somewhere and was annoyed. I lost 62 bucks. Instead of paying 62 dollars for travel before 10pm, this month’s cost was $124.

I decided I would find COTA’s iPhone app, and place $62 dollars there.

I don’t know the economics of the iPhone scanning vs. an unlimited pass.

I will find out and let you know the results if Project Pat plays at COSI.

After scanning my bus pass, I rode the 2 until I jumped off at High Street downtown, and walked west towards Kemba Live.

I wondered about Denzel Curry’s popularity.

Empath from Philadelphia who releases music from Mississippi’s Fat Possum records played Cafe Bourbon Street Friday. I walked to Hudson and High. I planned on catching the 31. There was an abundance of litter around my stop. I decided I would walk.

I arrived while one of the opening acts was playing.

The band’s singer yelled “Whoop, Whoop” somewhere.

While I purchased a beer a friend told me Shaggy2Dope of the Insane Clown Posse was performing at the Summit next door.

I’ve watched Pains of Being Pure of Heart, and Blank Dogs at The Summit.

I thought either ICP isn’t as popular as they used to be or we were in for a real treat.

I speculated Shaggy2Dope was performing because the Insane Clown Posse’s Ohio festival was this week. While the Gathering was August 3-6, this didn’t stop me from pontificating about Juggalos. 

A band consisting of two blonde women and two men took the stage. The women singer sung over up-beat tempos which sounded like if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Unicorns, and Mates of State had heard Columbus’ All Dog’s “That Kind of Girl.”

I thought: this band and looks like Empath who I came to watch.

Jean-Luc Godard: “Beauty is composed of an eternal, invariable element whose quantity is extremely difficult to determine, and a relative element which might be, either by turns or all at once, period, fashion, moral, passion.

Pusha T: “Shorty in my ear say she got a thong on.”

Jean-Luc Godard died at the age of 91. Upon hearing of the French New Wave’s director’s death, I rode COTA to the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s website and requested as many movies as possible. I spent my weekend bumping Pusha T’s latest album while watching Breathless.

I thought: Godard lived until 91. He did something correct.

I aligned my Flex Beats headphones with my iPhone and jumped on the 31 from Lane and High. I transferred and boarded the number 8 via Neil Avenue from South Campus.

I jumped the COTA and walked two minutes until I was standing looking at Pusha T’s name from Kemba Live’s sign.

I set my Flex Beats headphones, writing utensil, wallet, Futura Lanyard, and iPhone on a tray. After the metal detectors, I was frisked, and I walked towards the stage.

Opener IDK was playing a set which sound like a mixture of southern rap, and Odd Future.

Kendrick Lamar’s Schottenstein Center show’s futuristic art-film introduction led into a Stevie Wonder warmness which explored the Diaspora of entertainment, human experience and culture during Kendrick’s complete captivating performance.

A series of dancers entered a catwalk which in flesh form and mimed Lamar’s Big Steppers album namesake.

After the first of a series of large square objects accompanied this waltz, next unveiled the Compton performers’ entrance of rapping from a piano the song “United in Grief” from Kendrick’s newest album which explores the layers of traumas our society inflicts on itself.

Whether it’s racism or basic human mistakes…

Kendrick performed “N95,” “Element,” then “Worldwide Stepper’s.”

I was impressed with the Terry Gilliam-meets-Dave Hammons opulence.

The second I had fallen into field trip to museum zone… Kendrick returned us to the Compton beaches by nailing “Backseat Freestyle” in which the stacked Schott erupted with glee after being seduced with the cerebral build-up.

“Backseat Freestyle” extols Hip Hop celebration of sexual prowess.