WNKU's long-running live radio program showcasing established and emerging musicians from around the world performing in front of a studio audience, returns to the airwaves for the fall season on Monday, September 16th and will air weekly at 7:00 pm until the season finale on December 9th. With support from Cincinnati’s “small big brand agency”, RED212, Studio 89 has become a flagship program for WNKU and one of the many reasons the non-commercial public radio station has been voted “Best Radio Station” in Cincinnati by readers of CityBeat Magazine six of the last nine years.
Studio 89 takes place in the George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium of NKU's Griffin Hall. The Digitorium is a state of the art facility complete with opera box seating, professional sound and lighting, and a 15' x 25' LED video wall.
Admission to Studio 89 is free, but there will be a suggested donation of $5.00 per person. Seating is limited and reservations will be accepted online the Tuesday before each show. Cut off will be the following Thursday at noon. Active WNKU Members receive first priority in the order received. If, by Thursday at noon seats are not filled by members, non-members will be taken in the order received. Listeners can become members by making a financial contribution to WNKU online at www.wnku.org or by calling 859-572-6500.
Sept. 16th – Over the Rhine (Cincinnati)
WNKU’s broad music format is well-represented this season. Local musical heroes, Over the Rhine, kick off the series a week after releasing their first studio album in eight years, embarking on a twenty-five-city tour, and launching a media blitz that includes write ups in the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Paste Magazine, and No Depression, as well as appearances on NPR’s Morning Edition and e-Town. The iron is hot for Over the Rhine’s return to the radio station that first played their music over two decades ago.
Sept. 23rd – Enter the Haggis (Toronto)
Much like the Scottish delicacy from which they derive their name, the music of Enter the Haggis consists of a variety of ingredients - Celtic, Indie, Folk, and world-fusion are just some of the styles of music they’re known for. Enter the Haggis hails from Toronto, Ontario and have developed a loyal following throughout North America thanks to their musicianship, energy and inspired performances.
Sept. 30th – Tim Easton (Nashville)
Tim Easton comes to Studio 89 from Akron, OH by way of Nashville. He’s long been a favorite of WNKU, and coincidentally, an old friend of Pam Temple. The two attended the Ohio State University together Tim describes his music better than anyone when he says, ““I like my rock and roll to have a little porch-party in it and I like my folk music to have some distortion.”
Oct. 7th – Stephen Kellogg (Boston)
Stephen Kellogg formed the Sixers in 2003 in Western Massachusetts. Over the years, the band shared the stage with a diversity of acts including George Thorogood, Sugarland, Hanson, O.A.R., Josh Ritter, Dar Williams, David Crosby, Martin Sexton and the late James Brown. The Sixers went on hiatus in November of last year, and Kellogg began work on his solo CD, Blunderstone Rookery. The CD was release this summer and was WNKU’s CD of the Month in August.
Oct. 14th – NO SHOW / FALL BREAK
Oct. 21st – The Coal Men (Nashville)
Dave Coleman and his band, The Coal Men, have released four albums and kept a rigorous touring schedule for more than a decade. Founded in 1999, the well-seasoned outfit is released their fourth album Escalator on August 27, 2013 — with an accompanying tour with Todd Snider in October, as well as a solo tour starting at the end of August.
Songs on Escalator – most penned by Coleman, but with contributions from drummer Dave Ray, who has been with Coleman from the start – offer glimpses of small-town life, economic struggle, and the complexities of romantic relationships like straight-ahead rockers “Role Model” and “Broken Heartland.” Paul Deakin of the Mavericks says, “Get this record and keep a copy in your car disc changer in case you get a wild hair and drive across the country. It is the perfect soundtrack for an American adventure.”
Oct. 28th – Danya Kurtz (New Orleans)
Dayna Kurtz is an American singer/songwriter from New Jersey now living in New Orleans. Her music has been described as a blend of jazz, folk, blues, and pop. Kurtz was named the Female Songwriter of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters in 1997. Bonnie Raitt and Norah Jones (with whom Kurtz recorded a duet in 2004) have both raved about her in interviews, and she's performed on such high-profile radio shows as World Café, Mountain Stage and NPR's Morning Edition.
Kurtz has toured with the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, B.B. King, Dr. John, Richie Havens, as well as Rufus Wainwright, Keren Ann, Chris Whitley, and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Nov. 4th - Ernie Hendrickson (Chicago)
Born and raised in the Midwest, Ernie Hendrickson grew up on a steady diet of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and Jerry Garcia. These early heroes opened the gates to the deep well of American roots music which he continues to draw inspiration from. In 2007 he self-produced and released a highly acclaimed solo record, Down the Road, of which the Illinois Entertainer deemed "Groundbreaking" and pushed him straight onto the Midwest's radar as an emerging singer-songwriter. His second album, Walking with Angels, spent over 25 weeks in the Top 20 on Roots Music Report's Folk charts.
Nov. 11th - Ivan & Aloysha (Seattle)
The Seattle combo—which borrows its name from a pair of characters from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov—delivers its songs of struggle, perseverance and spirituality with a resilient, upbeat attitude that’s reflected in their bubbly brew of stirringly strummed folk-rock guitars, surging instrumental interaction and a bright, buoyant blend of voices that reflects the band members’ family-style camaraderie, evoking a timeless pop ideal that’s as affecting emotionally as it is pleasing to the ear.
The intrepid ensemble—comprised of core members Tim Wilson (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Ryan Carbary (guitars, piano and vocals), Tim Kim (electric guitar and vocals) and Tim’s brother Pete Wilson (bass and vocals), plus a revolving assortment of friends and collaborators on keyboards, drums and other instruments—has spent much of the past two years on the road, traveling the highways and back roads of America, often with wives and children in tow, building a loyal fan base with their joyous, high-energy live performances. We first met Ivan & Aloysha when they dropped by the studios earlier this summer, and we’ve been fans ever since.
Nov. 18th - Tommy Malone of the Subdudes (New Orleans)
Tommy Malone has had a musical love affair with fans for over 30 years. As the 'heart and center' front man of the legendary Americana act The Subdudes, he has carved his way as a gifted singer, player and songwriter with a distinctive musical voice.
In Tommy’s solo band, as lead guitarist and singer, he punctuates soulful, heart-felt vocals with playing that is at turns joyful, incendiary and melancholic. A musician’s musician, he has recorded with Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin and Anders Osborne, and has impacted markets with hit other projects including Tiny Town and the Continental Drifters.
Tommy's songs have been recorded by Joe Cocker, The Radiators, Tab Benoit and many others, but it’s his ability to perform his own stories and turn them into vivid musical images that sets him apart from other performers.
Nov. 25th – Dallas Moore Band (Cincinnati)
Mixing dirty honky-tonk and southern rock with elements of down home bluegrass and raucous roadhouse blues, Cincinnati’s Dallas Moore has developed a nationwide grass-roots following as a force to be reckoned with in the Modern Day Outlaw Country Music Movement. The Dallas Moore Band is featured prominently in the new book OUTLAWS STILL AT LARGE by author Neil Alexander Hamilton.
Dec. 2nd – Michael McDermott (Chicago)
Author Stephen King, once wrote this of Chicago’s Michael McDermott, "Not since I first heard Bruce Springsteen singing 'Rosalita' had I heard someone who excited me so much as a listener, who turned my dials so high, who just made me feel so (expletive) happy to have ears. Michael’s music, like Springsteen's and Van Morrison's, helped me to find a part of myself that wasn't lost, as I had feared, but only misplaced. That's why we love the ones who are really good at it, I think: because they give us back ourselves, all dusted and shined up, and they do it with a smile…Michael McDermott is one of the best songwriters in the world and possibly the greatest undiscovered rock ‘n’ roll talent of the last 20 years.”
Michael and his band, The Westies, are a rootsy Americana combo complete with steel guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and stand-up bass.
Dec. 9th – SEASON FINALE / TBA
