New Additions: Precious Metal by Rosie

Rosie only managed one studio album, and I recently tracked it down while visiting Spoonful Records - the 1981 release Precious Metal. Here's a good summation from the Boneyard Metal blog:

ROSIE were a Hard Rock band formed by ex THE GODZ guitarist Mark Chatfield in Columbus, Ohio in early 1980. The band debuted with a self titled four song 12" EP in early 1981 and contributed a further track, "Sorry (I Forgot Your Name)", to a radio station sampler album entitled "Q-FM 96 Hometown Album Project Volume 3". With bassist Jay Chesbro being replaced by Ed Means, a full length studio album entitled "Precious Metal", was recorded and issued by Doubletree Records in late 1981. In 1985 guitarist Robert West was succeeded by new member Tom Courteney. The band's second and final album, 1988's "Rosie Live!", was recorded at The Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio on November 25th and 26th 1988. Chatfield would later crop up in BOB SEGER's SILVER BULLET band, with reformed line ups of THE GODZ and with Ohio band LUVHEAD.

Know Yer Band: Rosie

Band: Rosie

Members
Vocals - Carl Shalor
Guitar - Mark Chatfield
Guitar - Ed Means
Bass - Robert West
Drums - Bobby Boos/Kevin Valentine

Releases
1981 - 12" Single (Not On Label)
1981 - Precious Metal album (Doubletree Records)
1989 - Live album (Hell And High Water Records, Inc)

Pat Radio Podcast 2015 - Paul Nini (Old3C) and Kyle Siegrist (Lost Weekend Records)

Back in 2015, Pat Radio hosted a pair of gentlemen relevant to this blog:

Special guests this week are Paul Nini of Old3C records and Kyle Siegrist of Lost Weekend Records. Both Paul and Kyle talk about the 50 @ 50 comp that is out now on Old3C, and Kyle hypes his anniversary show at Ace of Cups and upcoming Lost Weekend Records vinyl releases.

Video: Six/16 by Househearts

Aquabear Legion: The Western Reserve Podcast with Paul Nini

Aquabear Legion is an Ohio music blog going back to 2008, and they've hosted a number of podcasts since 2011. Most recently, The Western Reserve podcast featured Paul Nini of Househearts, Great Plains, Log, Old3C Records and more on their February and March episodes. Here's the description:

Episodes 14 and 15 of The Western Reserve are a two part interview and playlist from Columbus, Ohio’s Paul Nini. Paul is behind Old 3c Records and its current form the Old 3c Label Group and is known to Ohio music fans from his bands Great Plains, Log, and Closet Mix. Brian spends the next two episodes talking with Paul about playing in bands, putting out records, and what he’s working on now. All while playing a lot of good music.

New Additions: Counting Fifty Problems 12" EP by Househearts

1985 was a busy year for Paul Nini. Besides taking over bass duties from Mike "Rep" Hummel on their sophomore album Naked At The Buy, Sell, And Trade, he also put out the lone release as a member of Househearts, the 12" extended play Counting Fifty Problems. It's a nice collection of uptempo and occasionally dissonant post-punk that touches on early New Order, Gang of Four, Wire and others. I tracked down a copy via Discogs and was pleasantly surprised how melodic and cohesive the EP is overall, despite being one of the lesser known bands and releases in the heyday of up and coming Columbus independent rock and punk.

Know Yer Band: Househearts

Band: Househearts

Members
Bass/Vocals - Paul Nini
Guitar/Vocals/Drums - Bob Robinson
Drums - John Weber/Larry Alvater

Releases
1985 - 12" EP Counting Fifty Problems (Lower)

614: High Times on High Street

At 614 Magazine, back in 2015 Kevin Elliott penned a piece called "High Times on High Street," chatting with Ron House and Bob Petric about Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments and more. Here's a bit:

In retrospect, Bait and Switch was the coup de grace of TJSA. It contained House’s most infamous commentary against the (then under-construction) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his most requested anthem—“Down to High Street”—but Straight to Video seems both calculated and loose, as is the Columbus motif. There’s also an urgency that screamed “this is our ‘major label’ record.” “Rump Government” is House’s poppiest moment by far, “Petty Thief” solidifies their allegiance to simpler, punkier vibes, and “Where the Entertainment Ends” is his most pointed, epic diatribe.

Video: Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments perform 'Down to High Street' at Little Brother's in 2000

Magnet: Lost Classics - Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments "Bait And Switch"

Magnet Magazine used to run a pretty regular column called Lost Classics, in which they'd follow-up on buzz bands that are no more. In this edition, they revisited the 1995 debut album Bait And Switch by Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments:

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments “singer” Ron House (formerly of Columbus, Ohio’s Great Plains) bellowed and wailed—even occasionally carrying a tune—on this razor-sharp-yet-unrefined debut LP from arguably Cowtown’s best band. Writing songs equally charged with humor and vitriol (“Blow it up before Steve Albini makes a speech,” he ranted on “RnR Hall Of Fame”), House, serving as a cantankerous Mick Jagger to guitarist Bob Petric’s surly Keith Richards, created an incendiary near-masterpiece.

New Additions: Straight To Video by Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments

While music formats have changed consistently, the 1990s were dominated by the compact disc. For some, this was a step backwards in sound quality. However, with the resurgence of vinyl in the past decade, many albums released exclusively on CD have been getting re-releases on vinyl. That includes Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartment's sophomore release Straight To Video, originally released by Anyway Records in 1997 after their brief stint on a major label. In 2015, the band reissued the album on vinyl via Straight To Video Records, which I picked up recently from Used Kids. To my ears, TJSA is band better heard on vinyl, their raw energy and sharp edges properly captured and reproduced by analog.

Know Yer Band: Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments

Band: Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments

Members
Vocals - Ron House
Guitar - Bob Petric
Bass - Keith Baker, Craig Dunson, Philip Park
Drums - Nora Malone, Bruce Saltmarsh, Elliot Dicks, Ted Hattemer

Releases
1990 - 7" split single w/Monster Truck Five (Datapanik Records)
1991 - 7" single Career Interruption Code (Datapanik Records)
1992 - 12" single You Can't Kill Stupid (Datapanik Records)
1994 - 7" single Negative Guest List (Siltbreeze Records)
1995 - 7" single Punk Rock Secret (Bag Of Hammers)
1995 - 7" split single w/Monster Truck Five, Moviola and Gunshy Ministers (Anyway Records)
1995 - Bait And Switch album (Onion Records)
1997 - Straight To Video album (Anyway Records)
1997 - 7" split single w/Fat Day (Ratfish Records)
1997 - You Lookin' For Treble? compilation album (Year Zero)
2000 - No Old Guy Lo-Fi Cry (Rockathon Records)
2011 - 7" single Burning Trash (Negative Guest List Records)

The Lantern: Stache’s to play its last tune

In 1997, legendary bar Stache's was shuttered and Dan Dougan would spend the next ten years operating Little Brother's in the Short North. Here's a piece the The Lantern did on the closing:

The current and final owner of Stache’s, Dan Dougan, paces behind the bar answering a slew of phone calls about an upcoming show. Behind him hang pictures, clippings, letters and notes. The memories fill the wall, camouflaging the row of liquor bottles. Considering the bar’s history, which dates back to around 1970, there are many memories that Dougan will be able to hold onto once the bar closes its door for good on March 31, 1997. The bar was first called Stache’s and Little Brother’s after the two owners. One of the owners, Stache, had a mustache, while the other, Little Brother, was shorter than his mustachioed partner, Dougan said. Dougan began frequenting the 200 capacity bar in the early 1980s. By this time Stache’s was owned by Shelly and Mike Young, Dougan said. In 1988 Dougan made the leap from patron to owner.

Video: The Tough And Lovely play "The Ooh La La" and "Ain't No Lie"

Turn It Down Blog: Tough & Lovely! Andrew Robertson! Interview!

Prior to the release of their second full-length album in 2007, Rich Tupica at the Turn It Down blog conducted an interview with Andrew Robertson of The Tough And Lovely. Here is some of that chat:

TID: How did the Tough & Lovely come together as a band? 

AR: In late 2001 my old band began to wind down and I was looking to start a new project. I had in mind some musicians here and there from around town, and I was playing with various people every now and then just to get things going. I still didn’t have a clue as to who I could get for a singer, but I was frequenting some karaoke nights and continually asking around and mentioning to friends and acquaintances what I was looking for. I was almost to the point of trying out various girls who were interested in singing, Lara being one of them, when I was fortunate enough to catch her a couple times at some karaoke nights. Lara and I had known each other for some time and I always thought she had a decent voice, but then I saw her karaoke one night at a local rock club and I almost fell off my barstool. I remember she did Sweet’s 'Ballroom Blitz' and she laid it down! It didn’t hurt that song starts with ‘ready…Andy?’ I was sold. After that the musicians for the band started falling into place.

New Additions: Born Of The Stars by The Tough And Lovely

I'll admit that, although I was walking up and down High Street at the same time they were on the scene, I have almost no recollection of The Tough And Lovely. Recently I picked up their 2004 debut Born Of The Stars out on Spoonful Records, and am now kicking myself for that oversight. Maybe because I was burnt out on the "garage rock revival" that was sweeping the early '00s, or maybe I'm just not that observant, but I biffed it big time - this is good stuff.

Know Yer Band: The Tough And Lovely

Band: The Tough And Lovely

Members
Vocals – Lara Yazvac
Guitar/Keys/Vocals – Andrew Robertson
Bass – Carol Schumacher, Matthew Million
Guitar – Mark Sims
Drums – Christian Pierce

Releases
2003 - 7" single (Spoonful Records)
2004 - Born Of The Stars (Spoonful Records)
2007 - Teardrops (Spoonful Records)

Mixonline 2005: Workbook Studios - Columbus Spot Specializes In "High Speed Recording"

In 2005, Workbook Studio and Reverbose Records (note, I was part of this) recorded twenty five band in twenty five hours. Mixonline reported on the project, here's some of that:

Aided by chilled Red Bull, hot coffee and the buzz of a revolving door of musicians, Schmitt, Chinn and Wilburn fired up the automated Tascam 3700 24/48-channel console in the control room of their 3,000-square-foot loft space at 4 p.m. one Friday afternoon. Several mic swaps and level-checks later, they sent the last band home at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The lineup of mostly local and regional acts were recorded using Digidesign's 002 LE system (the studio also owns a few Alesis ADATs and a Tascam MS16 1-inch 16-track) with assistance from AKG, Neumann, Shure, Sennheiser and BLUE Baby Bottle mics, and the studio's large selection of guitar amps, drums and keyboards. “We had two drum kits and tons of guitar amps set up everywhere for bands to pick from,” Schmitt explains. “While one band was doing vocals and finishing their mix, the next one was setting up. We worked in two-hour blocks; the second engineer became the main engineer. We thought the hardest part would be filling the late-night slots, but some bands wanted the worst slots!”

Video: I Don't Want To by The Jetboys

Collector Scum: Discography of Ohio Punk 1976-1983

Back in 1997, and last updated in 2014, Henry Weld of Collector Scum put together a very useful post detailing the Discography of Ohio Punk 1976-1983. Important to note, of course, is bands like The Jetboys, Mike Rep and the Quotas, True Believers and others from Columbus.

New Additions: Q-FM-96 Hometown Album Project Volume 3

So this is a bit of a cheat. Recently I was down at The Hippie Hut on High Street digging through their vinyl and found a copy of the Q-FM-96 Hometown Album Project Volume 3. At first, I didn't think much of it, most of these are fairly safe radio friendly music, not what I'm researching for the book. But then I scanned the track list a little closer and saw Rosie listed. Interesting choice to lead off the compilation. Then I glanced at the last track - The Jetboys! The odds of me scoring one of their lone 1981 seven inches is pretty slim, considering the only one available on Discogs at the moment is for almost seven hundred bucks. This, however, is a much cheaper way to get my hands on a recording of (the A side at least) their music.

Know Yer Band: The Jetboys

Band Name: The Jetboys

Members
Vocals - Mikey Toth
Guitars - Doug Kayson, Mark Morrison
Bass - Herb Schrader
Drums - Rich Reese

Releases
1981 - I Don't Want To 7" (New Age)