Winner of the 2026 Dayton Battle of the Bands: Paid Leave A sold-out crowd at Brightside voted the rising rock-leaning Americana band to the top of Dayton’s biggest local music showcase. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Every week or so, I pick up two or three VHS tapes from William Pace. I transfer them to mp4 and listen to his singing pop songs operatically. He's a public access and paid-programming star who "just stays the course." Thank you for being a friend. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Blind Rage Records to close, leaves lasting mark on Dayton music scene. “When I was moving and having the last show, that was bittersweet. But other people picked up the slack and saw that this is just a thing you can do.” www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

The annual Dayton Record Fair returns to Eudora on Sunday, Feb. 8, bringing thousands of new and used records, CDs, cassettes, and music memorabilia from some of the Midwest’s best vendors. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

After the opening act, the crowd swarmed the stage: a sea of young people in Mac DeMarco ball caps, clutching longneck bottles, bobbing in unison to tight, structured pop music. “Hi, I’m Irby Ray,” Kaleb Layton said into the microphone. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

This Friday!! www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

The accidental archivist of Dayton’s music scene. Chris Wettle never set out to preserve history — he just didn’t want to forget the nights he was there. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

A GameCube kiosk sits in a corner between a maximalist glass display of NES games and the front counter. A CRT TV plays a demo disc trailer on a loop, awaiting the next player. Read about Vacuums and Video Games here: www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

I'm not supposed to be here: inside Dayton's exclusive DIY music scene. One day you’re whispering a password to a doorman; the next, the doorman’s moved on to another door. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

A note to GBV fans in my inbox: Yes, I'm aware GBV is not on this list. Here's a not-so comprehensive look back at (some of) the Dayton music scene in 2025: www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

"Some people get stuck in what they normally listen to, and I think it’s a great opportunity to kind of find out new things that you might enjoy.” The next show in the Levitt UpClose series is in January at _____________. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

We're so excited for Saturday's show at The Brightside!! 🤩 Join us for Andy & The Dreams / The Motel Beds / Me Time on Dec 13th! Get your ticket at thebrightsidedayton.com - all ages welcome - music at 8pm. Thank you, @brandonberry.bsky.social for this! www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

David Payne preserves things that weren’t meant for rock ‘n’ roll, co-opted for rock ‘n’ roll purposes. Read more about his LoFio microphones here: www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

“I always wanted to know what else was happening on stage, beyond the close-ups,” Jeff Opt said. “So that’s what led me to do our own live version of it. I just wanted to get the full picture.” Dayton's tribute to The Last Waltz is Nov. 26 at the Victoria. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Thirty years ago, alt-country/punk legends the Supersuckers opened for the Ramones and White Zombie at Hara Arena. GeeGee Bradley was at that show. Three decades later, GeeGee’s band Viceroy Kings is opening for the Supersuckers on their 2025 tour. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

The first rule of dream interpretation is that you are everything in the dream. After learning that, I was understandably concerned about the 717-word journal entry I’d just emailed to Dayton-based dream interpreter April Angel. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Bluesmen have conversations, sometimes arguments, with their instruments. The back-and-forth commentary is the nature of the blues. Cincinnati blues icon Sonny Moorman will perform a duo show Nov. 8 with harpist Jeff Dion. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

The dynamics of Jason Scott & the High Heat’s 2025 album, “American Grin,” reflects a restless mindset. There’s cleaner production mixed with occasional lo-fi vocals, and a balance of raw emotions and humor. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

The ‘hippie hop jam rock’ band Boogie Matrix Mechanism brings new energy and a costume contest to Yellow Cab Tavern on Nov. 1. Dayton dynamic rock band WAHFU is also on the bill. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

When I called Steve Poltz and told him who I was, he said, in a sarcastic voice, "what are you doing calling me?" At that point I knew it'd be a fun talk. And it was! Weird guy! Love his stuff. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Next week at The Brightside - the one and only Ellis Paul! www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Hey, know what? Amazon sucks. Buy the book here: shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params...

As of this sentence, Scott Yoder’s found new wheels — a decommissioned morgue minivan, in fact. But instead of corpses, it now carries four 1970s-attired bandmates, sputtering toward the next gig, and the next, and the next. Lover, let them in. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

“All of us are working class guys,” Coxey's Army singer Nate Rising said. “We punch the clock every day. We work hard to provide for our families. Punk rock is just our art, and our lives. And we bring that to our listeners.” www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Growing up in the ‘90s, the two members of Black Violin were immersed in the hip hop world. They also happened to play viola and violin. But it’s that blend of strings and hip hop that’s evolved the idea of what classical music can be. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

My book is available on Amazon. That said, while it may be cheaper there, with free shipping, if you want to better support this writer, reach out to me directly. Here's to the continuing life of print media. 🥂 a.co/d/jdznVmY

Roaming the haunted halls of Poasttown Elementary School in Middletown, experiencing movement in the darkness, you realize that the motto is accurate: when you leave, you believe. I tagged along on a paranormal investigation. Here's my account: www.daytondailynews.com/community/bu...

Hiroya Tsukamoto's music suggests profundity in life’s simple pleasures: reading, walking, exercising, cooking — “the regular stuff,” as he calls it. These everyday inspirations often become songs. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Sadbox guitarist and singer Paul Levy is precise, no matter what he’s doing in the universe. “Anywhere I can shove enormity into something that’s mundane, I like to." www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

“Art will… you can’t squash it. The question is can people below a certain means have any hope of having their kids be exposed and encouraged to be artistic, and have that be part of their education." I spoke with Ben Folds ahead of his show at the Schuster. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Springfield country rock quintet Matt Clarkson Band is nominated in four categories at the 2025 Josie Music Awards in Nashville. The band is also releasing a new single “Used To” on Oct. 8. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Here's my conversation with Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension." Great talk. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

“With music, it’s an art where there’s always been a really strong appreciation for the people that have paved the way and come before." King Kyote will make Ohio debut at the Brightside in Dayton on Sept. 19. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

I interviewed Exene Cervenka ahead of the X & Los Lobos show at the Rose. She only frightened me a little bit. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

@hiphoptino.bsky.social gets cold emails semi-regularly about collaborating on tracks. Generally, they never materialize into anything more than a few exchanges, and hardly ever make it to the music-making phase. Even fewer of those emails come from the EU. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

“We didn’t have bathrooms at first. We had to throw shows for people who didn’t care about it being a very nice, clean place. So that’s metal and punk shows and EDM raves.” www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

For 21 years, Dayton Music Fest has been the city’s biggest showcase of local sound. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Before the release of 'Breach,' Twenty One Pilots is giving fans a chance to step inside the new album. The Columbus-born duo is celebrating with listening parties worldwide, including stops in Dayton, Troy, and Yellow Springs. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

Like Kittinger the man, Kittinger the band, hailing from the darkened alcoves of Dayton, Ohio, fearlessly traverses the limitless skies, but with analog instruments and electronic gadgetry, throwing its influences openly into an eclectic sound. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

The Brightside, an independent female-led Dayton venue, kicks off its programming in September with a mix of local legends and national acts. @brightsidedayton.bsky.social www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

After months of thinking about it, I finally put it in motion to (re)publish a collection of stories I've written over the past few years. Mostly about music, but also about a few other things. Here's the cover:

Kicking off the Foundry's 2025-2026 season Sept. 2 is vocalist Moira Smiley & The Rhizome Quartet, with special guests The World House Choir. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

For Bill Manspeaker and Green Jellÿ (Green Jellö), what matters is that you're in front of the stage, a pool noodle in your hand, wearing a “Three Little Pigs” mask, singing “not by the hair of my chinny chin chin” like it’s the greatest day of your life. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

“The funnest comment we get when we play,” Bill said, “is how in the world do you get that huge sound out of that little box?” www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

My friend's dad is a big smooth jazz fan, so it was a huge thrill for him when I got to talk with Dave Koz ahead of last week's show. www.daytondailynews.com/what-to-know...

I talked with bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and Oak Ridge Boy William Lee Golden (the one with the beard) ahead of their dual Aug. 16 show at the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights. www.daytondailynews.com/entertainmen...

If this porch is a-rockin’, please come a-knockin’.

Gem City Action is a volunteer-run group that promotes community as the backbone of society. Its work aims to strengthen bonds, pool resources and encourage people in showing up for one another.

Very proud to say that Air Supply frontman Russell Hitchcock texted me directly after our interview. www.daytondailynews.com/community/da...

Daniel Hood's (aka Super Diesel's) Pod-Shirt Network gives viewers a chance to discover — or rediscover, in many cases — music videos, in a way that feels both revolutionary and familiar. Like MTV, but for the YouTube generation. www.daytondailynews.com/what-to-know...