Tag Archives: Chip Midnight

Donewaiting.com reunion tour? See you in a few years.

You don’t give a funeral speech until there’s a dead body. And while Donewaiting’s going to be pulling the plug this weekend, I wasn’t born yesterday. I remember Kiss going on their 141-date Farewell Tour in 2000/2001. And how did that go for ya, Kiss? I wrote a story for MELT Magazine in 2010 about The Scorpions final tour (yes, the band was still touring in 2012). Donewaiting’s not done, don’t let Duffy fool you. Maybe it’s time for a re-tool. Maybe it’s time for some fresh blood. Maybe it’s time to take a breather. But while there are bands like The Smiths that turn down all sorts of offers, you never say never to a reunion and I’ll bet you’ll see Donewaiting rise from the ashes – maybe not in 2013 or 2014. But, if Duffy doesn’t renew the URL, I’ll swoop in and snag it and put together my own scab version of Donewaiting someday, just like Axl and the band he continues to call Guns N’ Roses.

I suppose I should say thanks to Duffy and the Donewaiting family for the 10 years of letting me write about ’80s hair metal and The Damnwells. And thanks to those of you (hi Lisa Ragland!) who have come up to me in clubs around town and said, “Hey, aren’t you the guy who writes for Donewaiting?” It’s been fun and, hell, throwing the Donewaiting name around has gotten me into shows, gotten me some interviews, etc., that I probably wouldn’t have gotten on my own.
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Saturday: Lydia Loveless, Brujas del Sol, Love Culture, Woosley Band, The Grateful Lovers, L.O.C.K. play birthday bash/fundraiser at KOBO

Life can change in an instant. Last July, I asked an old friend of mine, Brian Hake (Kopaz singer/guitarist), and his Van Halen cover band (Van Haken), to perform at my 40th birthday bash. The band blew the roof off KOBO putting on a show that some might argue was better than the real thing.

Then, in January, life got real – Brian was diagnosed with Leukemia. By enduring multiple chemotherapy treatments at the James Cancer Center at Ohio State Univerisity, Brian’s cancer is now in remission and he’s continuing to be proactive in his fight.

I invite you, Donewaiting readers, to join me for the second annual Chip Midnight 40th birthday bash, at KOBO (2590 N. High St.) which is not only an excuse to get together a bunch of bands I really dig to cover songs I really like, but, more importantly, is an opportunity to help raise money for the Hake-n-Roll Pelotonia team which will be riding 100 miles earlier that day to support the James Cancer Center at the Ohio State University. A portion of each $7 cover will be donated to the Hake-n-Roll team.
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Saturday: Bands reunite to play my birthday bash @ KOBO


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Friday in Columbus: The Dollyrots @ The Summit

The Dollyrots, who released my favorite CD of 2010 (“Sweet-and-sassy POP-punk-ROCK. “Rock Control!” was 2010’s “Volcano Girls” (Veruca Salt) minus the radio airplay and flashy MTV video.”) return to Columbus on Friday night. The L.A. trio will be playing at The Summit along with locals Ranger Danger and Charlie Hustle.

The band will also be stopping in at WNCI on Friday morning to chat with the morning crew.

Chip Midnight’s Favorite Albums of 2010

I have no interest in listening to anything by Kanye West. I’m probably missing the boat on The Black Keys. Surfer Blood, Sleigh Bells, Best Coast, The National, Arcade Fire all got cursory plays on the iPod but not enough to land them a spot on this list. I’d love to say that Superchunk made one of the most welcomed comebacks of 2010 but every time I hit the local indie record store, they were out of the CD and I never downloaded it from iTunes.

The following 10 albums (+15 honorable mentions + 10 local releases) were absorbed the most through my earbuds in 2010.

1. The Dollyrots, A Little Messed Up
Watch: “Rock Control!” (unofficial version featuring my 5-year-old)

Sweet-and-sassy POP-punk-ROCK. “Rock Control!” was 2010’s “Volcano Girls” (Veruca Salt) minus the radio airplay and flashy MTV video.


2. Blood Red Shoes, Fire Like This
Watch: “Don’t Ask”

Remember The Subways? No worries, Blood Red Shoes do post-Nirvana boy/girl bash-and-rock as well, if not better. Continue reading

Interview: Page Hamilton of Helmet

It’s always cool to be able to chat with guys in bands that you’ve been listening to for nearly 20 years. A few months ago Helmet rolled through Columbus on the Seeing Eye Dog tour and founding Helmet member Page Hamilton was kind enough to let us hop aboard the band’s tour bus to chat for a few minutes.

Though Helmet’s style of music and Hamilton’s barking-style vocals may lead you to believe that he’s an unapproachable guy, that couldn’t be further from the truth as you’ll see. We’ve boiled down the 25-minute conversation to a digestible 4-minute overview here.

Thanks to Jason Sidwell and Nathan Photos of Electraplay for filming, producing and editing this video.

Podcast: Scott Ian (Anthrax) interview

Scott Ian of Anthrax is one of metal’s most recognizable characters. In addition to his 25 year career in the band, Ian’s also a regular fixture on VH1 and MTV when they run shows like “100 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time”.

I remember the first time I heard Anthrax, Z-Rock had “Indians”, from the 1987 release Among the Living, in rotation and played it alongside other metal bands of that time period though most were of the lipstick-and-leather variety. From that point on, I was hooked on the NYC-style thrash metal. Inadvertently, Scott turned me onto a slew of other bands simply by wearing those bands t-shirts in photo shoots for magazines like RIP, Circus and Hit Parader. It was because of one of these photos that I became a huge Fishbone fan (something you’ll hear briefly mentioned in my interview).

When Scott Ian called me a few weeks ago to talk about the Jagermeister Tour (stopping in Columbus this Sunday) featuring Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, the 18-year-old in me was in awe.

DOWNLOAD: Scott Ian interview

Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer play at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion on Sunday, October 11. Tickets are $45, day of show. Gates open at 6, Anthrax hits the stage at 6:55.

Wednesday in Columbus: L.A. Guns @ Slapsy Maxie’s

LA Guns

With very little warning (the date still isn’t showing up on the band’s MySpace page), L.A. Guns – the version featuring founding guitarist Tracii Guns (guitars) and ex-Love/Hate vocalist Jizzy Pearl – will make a pit stop in Columbus on Wednesday.

At 6pm, the band will be doing a meet-and-greet at Best Buy (3840 Morse Rd.) and then will head to Slapsy Maxie’s for a headlining gig. Tickets for the Slapsy Maxie’s show – also featuring local bands Melodyne and Deep 6 – are $10 at the door.
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Donewaiting.com presents Live at Electraplay: Gamble House (+mp3)

MP3: Gamble House – Second to None (Live at Electraplay)

I’m kind of of the opinion that “Central Park” is one of the best indie-pop songs released in 2010. Gamble House was a lucky find, I happened to open an e-mail from a digital marketing publicist who was sharing some MP3s, links, and tour dates and when I noticed these guys were coming through Columbus with Rogue Wave, I figured I’d give them a quick listen. Glad I did as this seems to be the kind of band that I’ll proudly boast about “discovering early” before the rest of the world caught on.

The Grizzly Bear comparisons are fair and even the guys in the band will admit that they are fans, but the level of musicianship in Gamble House rivals that of any band currently charting on the CMJ 200.
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Saturday night: RATT @ The Alrosa

RATT did it right. Rather than trying to be modern sounding or advancing their sound, they went back to Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy, figured out what they did to sell millions of records in the late ’80s and used that as a template for a brand new record of songs that sound brand old.

I was hoping you’d be reading an interview with one of the guys (3 original members – Stephen Pearcy, Warran DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, 2 newer guys – Carlos Cavazo, Robbie Crane) in this spot but nothing ever worked out even though we tried a few times.

Maybe things aren’t real good in the RATT camp these days. Pearcy recently told a British-based website that he’s looking forward to a break. “I’m ready to go with new solo stuff with the Rat Bastards and my new band Battering Ramm. Will we do another Ratt record? I don’t know. Things didn’t fall into place and I’ve left my options open. We’ll see what happens.”

Saturday night RATT will run through a greatest hits set, with a few tracks from 2010’s Infestation thrown in, to celebrate the Alrosa Villa’s 30th anniversary. This might be the last time you’ll have a chance to check out RATT before they hang it up. Tickets are $25.