Facebook Group: Columbus Music Scene 1975 to 85

If you are interested in learning more about the Columbus music scene, a really interesting Facebook group to check out is the "Columbus Music Scene 1975 to 85" moderated by Mike "Rep" Hummell, Paul Nini and Renee Velkoff. Lots of pictures, flyers, and stories shared from this era.

Know Yer Band: Great Plains

Band: Great Plains

Members:
Vocals/Guitar - Ron House
Guitars/Vocals - Matt Wyatt
Keyboards/Vocals - Mark Wyatt
Bass - Hank O'Hare (Don Howland), Mike Hummel, Paul Nini, Bill Bruner
Drums - Robert David Green, James Castoe

Releases:
1983 - The Mark, Don & Mel E.P. 12" (New Age)
1984 - Born In A Barn album (Homestead Records)
1985 - Naked At The Buy, Sell, And Trade album (Homestead Records)
1985 - Slaves To Rock 'N' Roll Live! album (Not On Label)
1987 - Sum Things Up album (Homestead Records)
1987 - Dick Clark 7" single (Shadowline Records)
1987 - Before We Stop To Think 12" single (Shadowline Records)
1989 - Exercise 7" single (Homestead Records)
1989 - Colorized! compilation album (Diabolo Records)
2000 - Length Of Growth 1981-1989 double compilation album (Old 3C Records)
2008 - Live At WFMU album (Old 3C Records)
2012 - Directions To The Party DVD (Old 3C Records)

614 Interview With Paul Nini

Paul Nini of Log (and Househearts, among others) is not only a musician, but also a professor of design at OSU. In this 2018 interview with 614, he talks about creating The People's Flag of Columbus:

Nini was inspired by Roman Mars, Newark native and host of the prolific design-focused podcast 99% Invisible. Mars also happened to be the keynote speaker at an industry conference Nini attended in 2015 and the idea stuck. 

“I tried to follow the basic rules of what makes a great flag. The design should be simple and memorable and have meaning behind the forms,” he explained. “It has negative white spaces that come through the center representing Broad and High, with the star as a symbol that we’re the state capital. The fields of blue and green with a semicircle represent the Scioto River and the Franklinton peninsula, the heart of the city, the original area of downtown. Anything more complicated gets tricky.” 

For those who may not know, the current city flag is only the latest incarnation, with several since its inception. Over time, it’s come to incorporate images of the statehouse, Buckeye leaves, and the Santa Maria, along with the typical eagle, stars, and other stuff shared by nearly every flag of the era. But it’s all so cluttered and compressed, you have to squint to even make any of it out.

Know Yer Band: Log

Band: Log

Members
Guitar/Vocals - Paul Nini
Guitar - Kevin Dimoff
Bass/Vocals - Shirley Tobias
Drums - Kelly Knuth/Greg Bonnell
Keyboards - Mark Wyatt/Chris Nini

Releases
1993 - 4 Song EP (Anyway Records)
1994 - Light The Fuse And Get Away album (Anyway Records)
1996 - My Evil Friend EP (Anyway Records)
1999 - Auto Fire Life album (Old 3C Records)
2004 - Log Almighty album (Old 3C Records)
2005 - The Early Years compilation album (Old 3C Records)
2005 - Logjammin' album (Old 3C Records)

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.

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 Magazine: The Ultimate Columbus Mixtape

Back in 2014, Kevin Elliott of 614 Magazine spoke with a bunch of Columbus musicians such as Pat Dull, Paul Nini of Log and Elizabeth Murphy of Times New Viking to put together a mixtape that covers the last few decades of Columbus music. Here's a sample:

“Refried Dreams” – Cheater Slicks (1999) 

One of best things about living in this town is having the opportunity to go see one of the best punk bands on this or any other planet play in a bar about the size of your living room twice a month.  They’ve put out almost a dozen stellar records since defecting to Columbus from Boston in the mid-90’s, but if I had to pick a track to include on the next Voyager launch, it’d be the title track from 1999’s Refried Dreams.  I’ve broken my glasses twice whilst losing my shit during live performances of this song. 

— BJ Holesapple (member of Necropolis and Vile Gash as well as founder of Columbus Discount Records)