Dayton & Beyond Show Flyers - 80's & 90's

Fugazi / Nation of Ulysses @ The Wherehouse, Green Bay, WI 8/11/1991

2008-05-14T20:05:00.005-04:00

This flyer comes all the way from Green Bay, Wisconsin, one of my most favorite states. I have so many great memories of Wisconsin that I had considered moving there several times in the past.

Anyway this was a great tour I'm sure, with the amazing Fugazi and one of my favorite Dischord Records bands Nation of Ulysses. I wasn't at this show and I missed this tour back in Dayton, but I did get to see them a few times and once had the thrill to open for them in Indy.

Fugazi was known for being sXe, trying to always play all age shows and keeping the door charge at $5. In addition they always put on a great show and Ian Mckaye is a total inspiration. Between the music he has written and the way he has run Dischord records I think he has been one of the most influential people in DIY / Indie / Hardcore. Most likely his influence has waned since the late 80's and 90's, but young punks of today would learn a lot from looking into the way he did things.

Haunting Souls / Scorched Earth @ Canal Street Tavern 5/8/1992

2008-05-09T23:39:00.005-04:00

Haunting Souls were a long running Dayton band fronted by the ever entertaining Jamy Holliday. There's no way I can recall the lineup at this show since HS had about 20 people pass through the band during their existence. However, they always put on a great show and the one constant was Jamy. Here's a link to an interview with Jamy back in 1994 from a back issue of Mutant Renegade Zine

The other band on the bill, Scorched Earth, was also known as Scorched Earth Policy and gained a decent following during their two years in existence. Their members wandered off into other bands such as Workhorse and Nostromo but not before sharing their heavy Soundgardenesque sound around town.

One of the oddest things about this flyer is the mention of it being a Spookycore Production. I've traded mail many times with Spooky and even got a great mix tape from him but can't recall ever meeting him. Of course that was all back in the 90's, I have no idea what has become of him now.

Bloodline / Planet Ed / Tribal Nation / Stronghold @ The Newspace 1/4/1992

2008-05-08T19:49:00.004-04:00

This just seems like an odd mix to me. If memory serves me Stonghold and Bloodline were both sXe bands and it seems safe to say that Tribal Nation was as well. That leaves Planet Ed who I knew well and were more in the punk-pop / indie rock realm. But an all-age underground show should be a bit diverse and I think Planet Ed threw enough beer drinking and smoking into the mix. I know I have a Stronghold 7" along with Planet ED's two 7"s somewhere in my stacks of vinyl.

This was another show at the NewSpace in wonderful East Dayton. I'm sure most of the Planet Ed fans stood out fairly well in the sea of sXe kids. But it was a hell of a show anyway. Hey, I finally posted a flyer from 1992!

Scrawl / Ugly Stick @ the Distillery 8/3/1991

2008-05-06T22:22:00.005-04:00

This was a Columbus show at the Distillery, also known as Bernie's Distillery. You can still see great shows there and it's now owned by Tony Painter of the great 90's band Pet UFO and Burnt Sienna Records fame.

Scrawl was a great indie rock band out of Columbus that I think was one of the best from our state. Along with them were Ugly Stick who were a great alt-country band before it became a worn out phrase.

Killust @ Canal Street Tavern 7/31/1989

2008-05-06T00:22:00.003-04:00

I had forgotten that Killust was ever in the battle of the bands. It just doesn't seem to fit in my mind. I always saw them as a warehouse band and had actually seem them at several practices in the warehouse. From what I recall they used to practice in the same area where Paul lived.

Back in the late 80's the Front Street Warehouse was a great place to go. Many bands practiced there and a few ever lived there. If you knew the bands you could catch a few practices almost every night. There was two places that threw shows (Zike's Eye 1989, plus later the Gutter Center 1990-91), a room full of a skate ramp structure, a few recording studios and tons of places that people lived in and built lofts. It was great for a while, but I think somehow cops got called since none of the units were designed for living and everybody got kicked out. Later a lot of artists moved in and kicked out the rest of the bands. It was nice while it lasted though. I heard there is a new group of people, The Dirt Collective, trying to set up band space downtown.

Anyway, the flyer was for one of the many summer battle of the band shows at Canal Street. I can't recall how Killust did or if I actually went to this show. They were a great local metal band with punk leanings, but I don't even recall who was in the band now. If anybody can fill me in that would be great.

The Oxymorons / The Obvious @ Canal Street Tavern 1/12/1990

2008-05-04T15:47:00.002-04:00

Yes, I've missed a few days due to being sick and not being able to look at a computer screen. However, to make it up I've posted the infamous flyer with a big cock on it.

The show itself was fairly typical with both The Oxy's and The Obvious playing a long set at Canal Street Tavern. The big news was the flyer which caused quite a stir everywhere it was hung. Being bright green it attracted attention and the cock seemed to draw the eye. These were plastered all over Wight State, Sinclair, Canal Street and the Oregon District along with various music and record stores.

Pat and Gail had created the flyer one day at Wright State which you can read about on his blog I remember Dayton. What happened after the mass posting was that police were called due to them being obscene or something. So, luckily Canal covered for us and said they didn't know how to contact the band then they got a hold of us and mentioned the police were involved. So we went out and removed many of the remaining offensive flyers with one of two new censored versions. One had a large flap of paper over the penis saying "Censored for the protection of your delicate eyes", The other just had the whole image section blacked in saying "Censored by your friendly local police department who are scared of the human body". Juvenile yes, but hey we were all 20 and 21 and it all seemed like a good idea at the time.

I can say that I still haven't seen a local band put up a flyer that caused as big of a curfluffle as this one did.

Mean Melissa @ Canal Street Tavern 3/29/1991

2008-05-01T17:45:00.003-04:00

Mean Melissa was a short lived trio that was comprised of Gregg Spence and Ian Uppstrom from the U-Dogs and Pat Hennigan from the Oxymorons. All that I recall of their music was that it sounded a lot like the U-Dogs since Gregg did most of the singing and writing. I really wonder who they played with because there's no way Mick would have let them have a Friday night for their debut.

I think my favorite part of this flyer is the simple listing of 2 Parts Dog 1 Part Moron...

Sloppy Seconds / Dryrot / Darknes @ V.F.W. Hall Richmond, IN 10/27/1990

2008-04-30T19:15:00.005-04:00

A great show that I missed in the small but amazing scene that is Richmond, Indiana. This is a small town right near Ohio that is just over an hour from Indianapolis, Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. The scene was great for quite a while thanks to bands like Dryrot and Kid With a Stick who brought fans of every genre together to see all age shows.

This show featured the Indy legends Sloppy Seconds who played raunchy Ramonesish songs with lyrics that lived up to their name. Dryrot were local favorites who always put on a great show and promoted the hell out of their local scene. I really don't recall who Darknes were.

The V.F.W. Hall was one of at least three places they had all ages shows, plus they had a great college radio station WECI at Earlham College.

Kaptain Karl's Wizbangs / Minus One @ Canal Street Tavern 12/19/1990

2008-04-29T19:12:00.002-04:00

This was after the end of the Tooba Blooze and before they became known as simply The Wizbangs. Yep, it was all about Kaptain Karl. The Wizbangs featured Kaptain Karl and Deni Wilson (from Tooba Blooze) plus Tim Taylor and Juan Monasterio who went on to form Brainiac. I'm assuming it was one of their first shows, but I could be wrong on this point. The other band on the bill was Minus One one of Eric Purtle's many, many bands over the years. I can't recall who else was in the band, but I know they had a sound that was similar to Ministry, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and others of their ilk.

Pleasures Pale / RedMath @ Gilly's 12/28/1986

2008-04-28T21:46:00.002-04:00

I never really went to this show, I probably couldn't get in the door due to my age. I had been to Gilly's but that was due to one of my friends having a "connection". Anyway, I remember seeing these flyers everywhere so I grabbed one and kept it.

I had heard Pleasures Pale on WWSU and on the four song 7" the station had put out. I know nothing about Redmath except that I had seen several of their flyers, they were from Cincy and I think I read an article about them in Limited Potential zine. The first zine I had ever seen.

Liquid Draino @ Canal Street Tavern 7/19/1990

2008-04-27T19:11:00.003-04:00

I really love this flyer for Liquid Draino. It was created for one of their battle of the bands shows. I don't recall who they played against, but I really didn't matter since I was there for Draino. I think caricature really captures Sheldon, Eric, Brian and Dave plus the neato red drums.

The show was of course at Canal Street Tavern, where they are still have their yearly battle of the bands to this day. I had forgotten that Draino was using the Cheep Beer Ltd. moniker just like the Oxy's.

Filth / Last Stand @ the Gutter Center 6/21/1991

2008-04-26T13:58:00.003-04:00

This was a typical show at the Gutter Center, All ages, $3, free vegan / vegitarian meal and a few bands. The Gutter Center was a space in the Front Street building off of Dutiot Street. The collective had built a stage and a few other things in the space and had a bunch of great bands (primarily Anarchists) play.

The thing I remember most about this show was that my girlfriend had worn a white cape and after one of the bands we noticed a bunch of small blood droplets all over it. It had to have happened in the small but active pit, however we couldn't find anybody hurt. Odd. I recall Filth from Oakland playing and they were a quite popular crust-core band. I can't remember anything about Last Stand, but when I looked them up I found that they still are around today. Finally there is that 8Ball on the flyer. Was it a band? Was it something more? I really can't recall, anybody else have a clue?

The Highwaymen, The Obvious, M.O.M. @ Canal Street Tavern 1/9/1987

2008-04-25T23:29:00.005-04:00

This show was one of the first I ever went to at Canal Street Tavern. I really don't recall much of it, but it has been 21 years now.

This was a pretty big show and only $3. The Highwaymen had an album out and were touring. Members later moved to Austin and became the highly acclaimed band Loose Diamonds. The Obvious were still in high school and playing out regularly. I don't recall much about M.O.M. other than the infamous frontman Dennis Schlichter, most likely I got to the show late and missed them all together.

If you want to know a bit more about M.O.M. click on the link above and it will take you to Patrick Jones' great blog about Dayton music circ 1987-1994.

The Killjoys / Life and Times / Nude Canoe @ Oregon Emporium 1/27/1990

2008-04-24T17:29:00.006-04:00

A very different show and a great line-up. First off this was sponsored by the local "commercial rock" station and was held in what has been a thrift store in the Oregon District. The proceeds went to help out the homeless as well as the donations collected. I liked all three bands and had a great time at this very packed and well received show.

Of the three bands involved I knew the least about Nude Canoe who I think were still in high school or had just graduated. I don't recall much about their music, but I know they were fairly popular with the indie college crowd and high schoolers. Life and Times featured David Ponitz (now David Poe) and Morgan Taylor along with other members who I don't recall. They had a lighter alternative feel and could draw hoards of good looking girls to their shows. David & Morgan went on to front Glee & Beak before splitting off into other bands such as OO OO WA.

The final band on the bill was The Killjoys who later changed their name to the Raging Mantras. They were always one of my favorite bands in Dayton and put on great shows everytime they played. They consisted of front man Vocalist / Bassist Rob Schaefer, Guitarist / Vocalist Nick Kizirnis (The Obvious, Cage, The Mulchmen, Ohio Silver, Eyesinweasel, The Jet Age, Nicky Kay & the Kay-Tones), Keyboardist Ed Lacy and Drummer Jim MacPherson (The Breeders, Guided by Voices, Real Lulu, The Amps). As you can tell by the list of bands the ended up with there was a lot of talent in the group.

Citizen Fish / Cringer @ The New Space 4/11/1991

2008-04-23T19:25:00.001-04:00

This show was put on by the Gutter Center Collective, but held at The New Space since the collective could only hold about 100 people. Like all Gutter Center shows there was an included Vegan meal and the price was low...this one was $4 partially due to the higher costs associated with having the show at New Space.

Citizen Fish was a great ska/punk band that formed from the remnants of the Sub-Humans. Actually, it seems that they have reformed so, you have a change to see them 15-20 years on. Cringer was a great punk-pop band from San Francisco which broke up later and had members join or create bands such as J-Church, The Grumps, Naked Aggression and others. Unfortunately the great Lance Hahn (Cringer / J-Church) passed away last year and will be sorely missed.

I recall this show fairly well and even found a few photos I took at it. It was packed, loud and sweaty with plenty of great music and good people. Definitely one of the top five shows I ever saw at the New Space.

Your Form of Government, I.O.U., @ the Building Lounge 7/11/1987

2008-04-22T17:33:00.003-04:00

This show was from way back when I first started getting into the local music scene. I didn't go to this show, but I did get the flyer and had planned to show up. I know nothing about either of the bands, but I do recall the Building Lounge used to have some great shows back in the late 80's. It's on East Third St. and later started to have Jazz bands only. Still this brings back great memories when it was all so new and exciting for a sheltered kid from the burbs.

8-Bark / The Method / HUM / Second Step @ The New Space 11/9/1991

2008-04-21T19:19:00.006-04:00

This was a pretty typical show for The New Space, four bands, five dollars and all ages. The New Space was on Springfield street and used to be part of a slaughterhouse. Thinking about it now it was also a firetrap, but that never really came to mind at the time.

8-Bark was a great band from Chicago that I remember fairly well as well as HUM who were from the Champaign / Urbana area. HUM went on to release a major label album You'd Prefer an Astronaut in 1995 which spawned the hit "Stars". There were also two local bands on the bill, The Method who were one of the more popular bands in the area and I can't recall anything about the sXe band Second Step.

The New Space was one of the many places that Ken Gross threw shows over the years. I think this location was the one that I went to the most often. Always a great, loud, sweaty time.

Lizard 99 @ PJ's 11/2/1989

2008-04-20T18:20:00.007-04:00

This show took place during the short lived run of PJ's basement shows in the Oregon District. The site now houses the upscale restaurant Café Boulevard. From what I remember Lizard 99 was originally from the Youngstown area and had transplanted to Cinci in 1989. They put out an excellent release in 1990 called "Black Fantastic" then faded off into the mist.

Tammy used to run bar in the basement at PJ's and book shows from Thursday through Saturday. The cover was always $1 to get in and I'm pretty sure I ran door at this show. It was a great place while it lasted and featured many great local bands during its time.

The Oxymorons / J.I.M. @ Canal Street Tavern 5/16/1990

2008-04-19T23:25:00.005-04:00

I don't recall a thing about this show or anything about the band J.I.M. I have to assume that at least my band (The Oxymorons) played, since we made the flyer and our name is on it. After looking up the date I found out that it happened in 1990 and for some reason we used pink paper instead of our usual obnoxious green. Not one of our best flyers, but interesting nonetheless.

The show was at Canal Street Tavern, which is the longest running place for local bands to play. With a great diverse crowd and band to go with them, this is the place to go.

Flyers

2008-04-19T22:02:00.003-04:00

In the next few months we will be posting old flyers from the Dayton area and beyond along with any back stories we know about the show, the bands, the promoters or the venue. We might start taking in contributions, but that remains to be seen. Hopefully some of these will bring back memories for you. Feel free to leave comments and fill in missing info. We'll try to post one flyer a day.

The ChickenFish Speaks