Northberg Tavern

One of the spots that I used to regularly see bands at and occasionally play was the Northerberg Tavern. Though not as storied as Bernie's or Stache's, it definitely had a history:

From a 2001 piece in The Lantern:

Walk down the narrow stairway next to Donatos, get a drink at the bar, enjoy the live band, sit back and take in the atmosphere at the Northberg Tavern. 

The intimate bar, which is now owned by Donatos, has been a part of the Ohio State off-campus culture since the 1950s. It was originally named the North Heidelberg, after the town Heidelberg in Germany, and was affiliated with the South Heidelberg further down High Street. 

Bar Manager Greg Gould said it closed in 1988 for four years because it was in poor condition, and then it burned down. After the fire, it opened as Donatos Downstairs and was used as a party room that also featured comedy acts, he said. 

“At that point in time, Donatos didn’t feel a bar fit in their structure, so to speak,” said Tony Federer, manager of both Donatos and Northberg. Federer re-opened the bar in January 1997 under the Northberg name.

Here's a blog post from Jason McGathey at Lover Letter To Columbus about the Northberg:

The Northberg is located beneath a Donatos Pizza at the corner of Frambes and High. After descending a flight of stairs and handing over the minimal admission to an absent minded doorman, I find most of the gang immediately, probably because they’re clustered at the most prominent table in the room. A long, banana shaped table with holes cut out to wrap around two pillars, it runs through the center of the tiny bar and affords the best possible view. 

A funky, electric blue light suffuses the space, lending it a sickly and garish 1980s worthy hue. That coupled with the poor sound in the early going don’t seem to promise much of a future, and you add a sterile basement vibe into the mix. But man, though we never would have dreamed such at the time, for about a solid year, I and my friends – in various configurations, and numerous reasons – will wind up spending an awful lot of time at the Northberg.

Here's video of The Cusacks playing at the Northberg in 1998:

The Lanter: Break-Up! to break out the talent

The Lantern

October 18th, 2001

Columbus based record company Break-Up! Records is holding a showcase tomorrow at Bernie’s. The show is a fall tradition for the label, and is a great opportunity for the public to get a look at some bands they may not have seen before. 

This year, Dirt Bike Annie, The Heartdrops and Benjamin Cartel from New York will be joined by local group the Media Whores. The showcase isn’t just a local phenomenon; all the featured groups are on a Midwest tour of sorts, playing various out-of-state venues, in addition to shows in Ohio. 

CEO of Break-Up! Records, Pat Dull, has been in the business for nearly six years. 

“The first thing I put out was a 7-inch single by my band at the time, Pop Rocks! It was a split single, with my friend Jerry DeCicca on the flip side. It was sort of a joint effort,” Dull said. 

DeCicca wasn’t into starting a label, so Dull continued on his own. Since then, Break-Up! has released 20 records, including full-length records from the Media Whores, Columbus’ the Marbles, and a compilation of singles and other things from Break-up artists, called “Break-Up! Records’ Guide to Entertaining.”

The Lantern: Dayton-based 84 Nash rocks back with new album

Although their origins lie in Dayton, the majority of the 84 Nash output from their relocation to Columbus. The Lantern covered the band in 1999 around the time their second album Band For Hire was released, here is some of that:

84 Nash, the energetic band originally from Dayton, Ohio is back with a new full-length album that’s sure to make music fans say, “yeah!”Given the surge of indie rock releases in the past few years, most albums of that genre are easily overlooked or underrated. “Band for Hire” is one album that holds its own ground. 

Even though 84 Nash creates and produces all its own music and is signed to Rock-a-Thon Records, an independent label, it prefers not to be called an indie band. As a matter of fact, the band has its own term to describe its sound.”We’re simply rock and roll. We’re not trying to make music that fits into a certain category. We just make our music,” said Kevin Elliott, lead singer for 84 Nash. “We call it ‘Yeah rock,’ because it’s authentic, arena rock. It’s the kind of stuff people can dance and sing along to.”

The Lantern: Th’ Flyin’ Saucers fans more than `rockabillies’

Lucky for me, The Lantern keeps it's archive open and available to access, otherwise I wouldn't be able to track interviews and articles on so many Columbus bands. In this case, it's Th' Flyin' Saucers, who were profiled back in 1997. Here's some of that:

After chasing UFOs all over the country, the X-Files’ Mulder and Sculley need to check out the Columbus music scene. Formed in 1989, Th’ Flyin’ Saucers have made a name for themselves by playing an energetic blend of ’90s rockabilly and punk rock and just happen to have a licensed voodoo priest in the band. “We probably lean a little more towards real rockabilly,” singer/guitarist Johnny Rebel said. “But we’re definitely a psychobilly band. You can take the boy out of the punk rock, but you can’t take the punk rock out of the boy.”The three-piece Saucers, made up of Rebel (voodoo priest), upright bass player Dan SaGraves and drummer Rex Xanders put on exciting shows that are characterized by loud and catchy music, each song punctuated by drum rolls, breakdowns and Rebel’s skillful guitar solos. The set list is comprised of mostly originals like “My Baby’s Love is Poison” and “She’s Evil”, as well as a few cover tunes. 

The Lantern: Salt Horse on mission to save rock

Thank goodness The Lantern keeps all their old articles online and available. If a band put out a record over the last few decades, there is a good chance they've covered it, like the 2001 release of Salt Horse's The Best Of Times? Here is a snippet of that:

The best of times are definitely ahead for local Columbus band Salt Horse. The band combines hard-driving rock with an intense amount of energy in their sophomore CD, “The Best of Times?,” which they will release tomorrow evening at Little Brother’s, 1100 N. High St. 

Also appearing will be Grafton, Pretty Mighty Mighty and The Marcy Mays Experience who will join them in their mission of breaking new ground to help save rock. 

“We are the forging sounds of the future – more flavorful than just rock that’s unique in itself,” said Costa Hondroulis, singer and bass guitarist in Salt Horse. 

With a fed-up punk mentality and a raucously hard sound, “The Best of Times?” combines experience, enthusiasm and true rock ‘n’ roll flavor. In “Campus Riot Fight Song,” the band wanted to create a harsh sound like Hondroulis’ former band, Our Flesh Party. 

“We wanted to create a shocking sound like Our Flesh Party because they rocked harder than anybody,” said Milan Karcic, lead vocals and guitar.

The Lantern: Finding community in local Columbus music scene

There has probably been a version of this article written every few years, but it's never a bad thing to remind people of the community of artists and musicians in Columbus, as The Lantern did earlier this year:

Looking into the Donatos Pizza on campus at 10 p.m. on a Friday night, one might think the place is nearly dead. 

There are two 30-somethings at the bar and a bearded man asleep in a booth. But if you were to enter the campus pizza joint you would immediately hear — even feel — something very alive. There is a muffled hum of guitars, a faint voice shout-singing unintelligible lyrics and a distinct, rhythmic rumbling coming from the floorboards. 

Head downstairs and you will quickly discover the source of this electric buzz. Amid a dense, denim-clad crowd, local band Fullsend blares out its trademark psychedelic sound. Singer Austin Harsh, outfitted in a pastel pink romper, belts out the words to their final song, Monkey Funks. Before the final chords have rung out, the audience is already in an uproar. Soon after, the bandmates scramble to clear their equipment from the stage before the next act. 

Performances like this are part of a long-standing tradition of do-it-yourself artists in the Columbus area. DIY musicians, as the name suggests, are responsible for every aspect of their band’s success. This could mean social media promotion, recording songs or even providing their own sound equipment for concerts. Their highest priority, however, is always to provide an entertaining live performance. 

There are many ways to spend your weekends in Columbus, but the music scene near campus — in all its forms — presents an unbeatable diverse, yet tight-knit option. Between the DIY community and student organizations, there is a place for everyone in this bustling culture.

The Lantern: History of Newport Music Hall

Back in 2008, The Lantern ran a piece detailing some of the history of the Newport Music Hall. Here is some of that:

The Newport hosts more than 100 shows a year, with at least 2,400 shows since it first opened. 

The first Neil Young show was one of the most memorable, Stienecker said. Among others were Skid Row, a 20-minute sell out and Pearl Jam, who were booked for only $1,000 in 1992 before they made it big. 

Pearl Jam wasn’t the only act the Newport booked that went on to fame. 

“We booked Hootie and the Blowfish in March of 1994 at the Newport and sold around 700 tickets,” Stienecker said. “Then in September of the same year we booked them at the Polaris Amphitheater where they sold out. That’s over 18,000 people.” 

That’s not to say that the Newport didn’t host a slew of large, already well-known acts as well. 

When Queen came to play, they had so much equipment on stage that the opening band couldn’t fit and Freddie Mercury had a five-foot space to stand in. 

And when AC/DC played one Sunday night, they announced in the middle of their show they would play another concert the following night, with tickets available after their set. The Monday night show sold out that evening.

The Lantern (2002): Local music scene heats up in Columbus

Back in 2002 Ohio State's newspaper The Lantern ran an article on the local music scene, talking with people like Jack DeVoss of then CD101 and Joel Treadway of Cringe.com. Here is a bit of that:

Cringe was founded in 1994 as a poll to make fun of the polls local alternative papers took. Readers of the Live Shows calendar, which focuses on the Ohio State, Short North, Arena District and downtown areas, were asked to create a category and winner of their choice. The first issue was an e-mail, and a few months later the quarterly ‘zine’ moved to the Web. 

“The name Cringe is derived from the idea that if ‘grunge’ is the Seattle sound, the Columbus sound must be ‘cringe,’ ” Treadway said. “Yeah, ‘cringe’ is kind of a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek name.” 

Exposure to local music is key to a thriving local music scene. After people are introduced to local music, they are more likely to seek it out on their own through the papers and Web sites like Cringe, Treadway said. 

“We get 1,000 to 1,400 visitors who view a total of 12,000 to 17,000 pages every day,” he said. 

Columbus’ music fans are as vast and diverse as the music they listen to. However, two distinct crowds exist – the cover band crowd and original band crowd.

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.