Blue Snakes & Banjos

03/11/2025

Yacht Rock night with Jack Greiner was delightful as more comments than any BS&B show has ever received arrived in real time. Turns out many listeners remember the peak period of the songs (1976-1982) fondly and loved sharing their stories. And in spite of the many critics whining about "soft," "bad" and "uuck" music, it was great fun. So if you choose, listen to the episode here, and if you don't, well, tough s**t. Sail on, brothers and sisters, enjoy a throwback to simpler days.
http://bluesnakesandbanjos.com/march-5-2025/ #

Jack Greiner joined Bill for “Yacht Rock” night, which was a rousing success. Where were you between the years 1976 and 1982?

03/05/2025

Join Jack Greiner and me today when we set sail on the Yacht Rock edition of BS&B. I was a skeptic when he pitched the idea, but after watching the "Yacht Rock Documentary" on MAX, I came on board. Although it's almost impossible to define the genre, it's like Justice Potter Stewart said about po*******hy: "I know it when I see it." You'll recognize it when you hear it. Thanks to friend of the show (and big YR fan) Roger White for the snazzy outfits. Tune in 6-8 p.m. at WAIF-FM (88.3 in Cincinnati, streaming at WAIFRadio.org and BlueSnakesandBanjos.com).

10/30/2024

One day before Halloween and less than a week until Election Day, Bob Hust and I have some thoughts about each today. Tune in 6-8 p.m. at WAIF-FM (88.3 in Cincinnati, streaming at WAIFRadio.org and BlueSnakesandBanjos.org). To get you into the holiday spirit, here's a new tune from Friend of the Show Angela Perley. And we have tips on how you can help save America next week, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u83G901yU4

Lyrics: 6 foot two, eyes of bluehoney i'm a ghoul for youmm hmm mm hmmtake me to your pumpkin patchi'll hitch a ride upon your backmm hmm mm hmmcherry wine a...

10/29/2024

If you missed Amy McFarland and her band on the show last week, it's a good time to catch up before she starts a string of dates around town in November (check her page). We understand that she and the group killed at Memorial Hall OTR Sunday before the Pink Martini show presented by the Longworth-Anderson Series. Hear what the chatter is all about, then head out to see her in person.

Bob returned to the show for the first time in a month, but barely had time to catch up with Bill before Amy McFarland and her band (Chris Kepes, John Matre and Jim Mason) turned the studio into a …

10/25/2024

Julie Fay and her team at Imperial Theatre Mohawk are making a multi-million dollar commitment to renovate the century-old venue and add a new arts and education center to the northern tip of Over-the-Rhine. The benefits will be felt beyond the complex at the intersection of West McMicken and Mohawk Place.

Fay might not have envisioned the scope of the project in 2014, but she didn’t buy an abandoned theater to slap some paint on the walls and show movies.

10/23/2024

Tune in today when local singer extraordinaire Amy McFarland joins us in the studio with her band. They will play Memorial Hall OTR Sunday before Pink Martini takes the stage for the Longworth-Anderson Series concert. We kick things off at 6 p.m. today, then Amy and her friends join us in the second half of the show on WAIF 88.3 FM CIncinnati (streaming on WAIFRadio.org and BlueSnakesandBanjos.com).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1_9je3ksYk&list=PLPYnY2c2EtQ1JayPTmIDC8blsDxXrokKv&index=1

Imelda May "Big Bad Handsome Man" cover by The Amy & Billy Band at the Harth Lounge in Cincinnati Ohio. Amy McFarland on vocals, Billy Larkin on piano/backin...

10/19/2024

It was melancholy in the studio Wednesday. A few days earlier, I found out that my longtime friend, Chip Mellor, had passed away. I tried to pay tribute the best way I knew, through music we had shared over the past 60 years. I'm old enough to know that life isn't fair, but this one hurts a little more. I miss him already.

Bill pays tribute to his longtime friend, Chip Mellor, a Piqua homeboy who lived a very different life. They went through school and to college together before their paths diverged, but their affec…

10/16/2024

Join me today when I pay tribute to Chip Mellor, my longtime friend and Piqua homeboy, who passed away last week. I'll save the stories for the show, but we spent our teen years together in the tumultuous 1960s before taking different paths after college. We stayed in touch through the years and much of our conversations included music. Tune in 6-8 p.m. on WAIF-FM (88.3 in Cincinnati, streaming at WAIFRadio.org or BlueSnakesandBanjos.com).

10/01/2024

If you're looking for an alternative to tonight's vice presidential debate between a guy who once referred to Donald Trump as "Hi**er" and Tim Walz, take a listen to last week's Blue Snakes & Banjos episode where I voiced some political opinions of my own. Better than that, though, was the music that drowned the pontificating. I'll be back in the studio Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. with an extended tribute to the late great Kris Kristofferson, who died Saturday at 88.

Bill mashed the buttons by himself in addition to delivering a political scree, introducing the unusual sounds of the Talk Low Festival and paying tribute to One-Hit Wonder Day.

09/30/2024

"Discovering Ansel Adams" at the Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the tentpole exhibits of FotoFocus' Biennial "backstories" event that kicked off last week. The exhibit focuses on how Adams became America's most famous photographer and is a perfect complement for aspiring photographers to see the growth over a lifetime. But don't settle for this one alone: Spend time visiting some of the more than 100 other shows at more than 80 venues to see how lens-based art documents life.

"He becomes a person again in a valuable way.”

09/25/2024

After a two-week hiatus, I will be in the studio today. Much has happened since our last live show, but some things are so ridiculous that they're still in the news. I have lots of great new music, plus a spotlight set about the Talk Low Music Festival and a tribute to One-Hot Wonder Day, the brainchild of Cincinnati's Steven Rosen. Join me 6-8 p.m. on WAIF-FM (88.3 in Cincinnati, streaming at WAIFRadio.org and BlueSnakesandBanjos.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrCvZmSnKA

Stream / Buy "Eating the Cats" here: https://onerpm.link/EatingTheCatsAll proceeds from this song will be donated to Clark County SPCA in Springfield, Ohio. ...

09/20/2024

I try to keep up with what the kids are doing these days, so it was fun talking with the folks behind the Talk Low Music Festival Sept. 24-29. Ryan Hall of Whited Sepulchre Records and my WAIF-FM colleague Nina Payiatis spoke slowly and explained why I should about their work. I hope people who aren't familiar with electronic experimental music will visit one of the shows that continue to make the city a fascinating mix of unusual events.

“The idea is to ‘shut your mouth and open your ears,’ but that couldn’t fit on a poster.”

09/18/2024

We hate to take two weeks off, but that's what happens when bosses think it's necessary to have two board meetings in one month. There's good news, however. Two shows make their debut today, thanks to webmaster John Tarvardian, rested and relaxed after a trip to the tropics. You'll notice that the Sept. 4 edition is shorter than usual (that could be an incentive to listen) because I forgot to turn on the microphone when I launched into my hilarious story about visiting the w**d doctor and the dispensary. Luckily, 13 minutes later, I realized my mistake and told the shorter version of the tale. Mark your calendar for next week when Bob Hust and I return for the first time since the GOP presidential ticket's lies about eating pets incited more than 30 bomb threats against schools and offices in Springfield.

This episode is about 13 minutes shorter than usual because Bill forgot to turn on the microphone midway through the show while telling a hilarious story about buying w**d. Luckily, the story was s…

08/28/2024

After seeing The Jayhawks and Rosanne Cash in the span of 10 days at Memorial Hall OTR, I really don't need to leave the house for the rest of the year. Each was wonderful in different ways, but instead of explaining it here, tune into Blue Snakes & Banjos today (6-8 p.m., WAIF-FM, 88.3 in Cincinnati, streaming at WAIFRadio.org and BlueSnakesandBanjos.com) to hear me rattle on about those shows and plenty more. In the meantime, take a peek at Rosanne on her 30th birthday in 1985 when she made her debut with David Letterman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaxxobCbfDc

Rosanne Cash makes her first appearance on Late Night the day before her 30th birthday, performs "Pink Bedroom," and in the next segment chats with Dave, lat...

08/23/2024

When FotoFocus celebrates its 15th anniversary next year, the lens-based art nonprofit will do it in a new home at Liberty and Sycamore streets in Mount Auburn. The Jose Garcia Design + Construction building is a piece of functional art that will allow the organization to engage with the community year-round with exhibits and programs. Take a peek behind the walls before "backstories," this year's Biennial extravaganza, opens Sept. 26.

"Many people think of FotoFocus as a biennial that has a construction project. What this will do is make FotoFocus an organization with a home that has a biennial."

08/21/2024

Join Bob Hust and me tonight for a visit with special guest Cori Wolff, director of the Longworth-Anderson Series, which is bringing Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal to Memorial Hall OTR Tuesday. We'll also have Ryan Arnold, who is playing the pre-show reception in the studio. If that's not enough entertainment for one show, you'll also hear Bob and I rhapsodize about Saturday's show by The Jayhawks, one of our favorite bands. Tune in 6-8 p.m. on WAIF-FM (88.3 in Cincinnati, streaming at WAIFRadio.org and BlueSnakesandBanjos.com).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ewHxNoqkA

"Sea Of Heartbreak (Live From Zone C)” by Rosanne CashListen to The Rosanne Cash: https://RosanneCash.lnk.to/listenYD Watch more of Rosanne Cash’s videos: ht...

08/17/2024

Last-minute box seat (K6) for The Jayhawks tonight at The Jayhawks presented by JBM Promotions and Memorial Hall. Face value ($60). Send Direct Message.

08/10/2024

It's a beautiful day for a walk and an even better day to listen to this week's edition of Blue Snakes & Banjos with Friend of the Show Annamarie Borich. She shares her memories of Katie Laur in the early days of the Over-the-Rhine music scene and recounts interactions on the street in the neighborhood. Enjoy this show and visit BlueSnakesandBanjos.com for more than 250 additional episodes for your listening pleasure.

http://bluesnakesandbanjos.com/august-7-2024/

Friend of the show Annamarie Borich visits to talk about the great Katie Laur, one of the great local musicians, who passed away recently.