The Quiet One

Columbus music and culture

Strongbow

Every so often you hear an album for the first time that, no matter when it was released, immediately connects. Here’s an album which,...

Drew Layman

Mar 26, 20225 min read

Harry Edison And His Orchestra ‎– Sweets

When it comes to Columbus musicians, with the possible exception of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, there is no more towering figure than Harry “Sweets” Edison. And yet his name is not very well known in his hometown and he’s often not mentioned among the all-time great trumpeters. Some might debate what his legacy should be. Maybe we should put more weight on iconoclasts and flashy players. Although Sweets led bands and recorded albums under his name, he’s primarily known for his tone

Drew Layman

Mar 2, 20226 min read

Spittin' Image

Spawned from the same thriving music scene at Zachariah’s Red Eye Saloon, Spittin’ Image’s rise to a major label deal would follow many parallels with that of McGuffey Lane. A well distributed and good selling self-released debut. Good regional airplay and the backing of local radio and TV. Each had a track on QFM’s first Hometown Album Project . In the late ’70s and early ‘80s, they were The Beatles and Rolling Stones of the Columbus rock scene. Spittin' Image Spittin' Image

Drew Layman

Feb 17, 20225 min read

Scrawl - Nature Film

Although I’ve slowed down quite a bit, I still make and give away “mixtapes.” It’s always been a part of my love of music. A few years...

Drew Layman

Jan 22, 20226 min read

The Gift… To The Homeless, From Local Artists

When it comes to Christmas music, I can handle it in relatively small doses. And only right around the holiday. That said, I tend to be a...

Drew Layman

Dec 23, 20215 min read

J.D. Blackfoot - The Ultimate Prophecy

Who is J.D. Blackfoot ? There isn’t a simple answer. Cleveland-born Benjamin Franklin Van Dervort changed his name to J.D. Blackfoot, but...

Drew Layman

Dec 15, 20214 min read

The Uneasy Coexistence of Ohio State Football and Columbus’ Music Scene

Ohio State football plays such a prominent role in Columbus culture that it is inescapable and disruptive of everything from weddings to...

Drew Layman

Nov 18, 20215 min read

Rjd2 - Deadringer

Rjd2 is another Columbus artist I got into in a roundabout way. I’d been familiar with him for quite a while. My brother gave me one of...

Drew Layman

Nov 12, 20214 min read

Rusty Bryant Plays Jazz

The artistic leap from Rusty Bryant’s first album, 1956’s America’s Greatest Jazz , to his second, 1958’s Rusty Bryant Plays Jazz , is...

Drew Layman

Oct 30, 20214 min read

Aaron Lee Tasjan - Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!

I began paying attention to Aaron Lee Tasjan in a somewhat backward way. I’d heard of him and I knew he grew up in the Columbus area, but...

Drew Layman

Oct 13, 20214 min read

The Singles Era

These days when everyone has GarageBand in their pocket and easy access to world-class audio editing software, it’s easy to forget that...

Drew Layman

Oct 3, 20215 min read

The Godz Must Have Been Crazy

Long before the Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage wearing only socks, The Godz were known to perform in nothing but underwear and...

Drew Layman

Sep 17, 20214 min read

The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson

Another monster Hammond B3 player from Columbus that went unmentioned in my Hank Marr post is Don Patterson. Like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, he...

Drew Layman

Aug 8, 20213 min read

Artimus Pyle Band - A.P.B

Here’s an album that some might not expect to see pop up on a Columbus music blog. A Lynyrd Skynyrd spin-off project? Yep, and there are...

Drew Layman

Jul 28, 20215 min read

Watershed - Twister

Long before there was a Watershed Distillery in Columbus, a band called Watershed was rocking at The Distillery (sorry, believe me I...

Drew Layman

Jul 17, 20214 min read

Willie Phoenix

If you’ve been in Columbus long at all, and you're a live music fan of any sort, you’ve at least heard of Willie Phoenix. Often described...

Drew Layman

Jul 9, 20214 min read

Foley - 7 Years Ago...Directions In Smart-Alec Music

I think Foley’s CD was one of the first Columbus albums I ever got - probably a gift from my brother. There’s no doubt that my brother...

Drew Layman

Jun 30, 20215 min read

Lydia Loveless - Real

After leaving Big Back Forty, Steve McGann became an attorney and got into artist management. One of the artists he managed early in her...

Drew Layman

Jun 20, 20214 min read

Big Back Forty - Bested

Although I never saw them live, Big Back Forty was one of the first Columbus bands I truly became a fan of. My brother was already a fan...

Drew Layman

Jun 14, 20213 min read

Mixed Water - Capital City Rockets

Before there was a Columbus band called The Godz, there was Mixed Water. Based on the strength of a demo they sent to Elektra Records,...

Drew Layman

Jun 6, 20213 min read

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