Andrew Grimm November 14, 2015 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

I found out Friday afternoon that Andrew Grimm, leader of the mighty June Star, was doing a solo acoustic opening set the very next nigh at the Tree Bar. Naturally I shifted my plans around to attend. I've not seen him solo acoustic, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew it would be good. It was a nice surprise to hear "Gone" and "Local 48", two of his tunes that I hadn't heard live. Another nice surprise was a new, yet to be recorded song, "You're Still Here". Finally, "Pope of Mexico" blended smoothly into Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". Man I wanted to hear more, but that was it- there were three more bands to play and I had to get on with my original plans. Check out June Star, in whatever derivation, any chance you get.

1. Trouble
2. Thunder
3. Atrophy
4. Valentine
5. Gone
6. Local 48
7. You're Still Here
8. Pope of Mexico
9. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

The latest June Star release, "Pull Awake" is available at Bandcamp HERE. It's a good one! Give it a listen won't you?

Download this set HERE.

June Star's website is HERE.

And you can find them on Facebook HERE.

June Star July 13, 2015 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

Once again June Star rolled into the Tree Bar, this time the last stop of their 2015 Summer Tour. Even though it was a rainy Monday night, and I was looking at only four hours before the next work day began, the experience, like all the other times I've seen June Star, was exceptional. I'm really not complaining at all. I'm sure bands like June Star make much bigger sacrifices to entertain a handful of people in a dingy bar, 4oo miles or more from home, night after night. Driving home in a torrential downpour and being tired at work the next day is a small price to pay. I've written many positive comments about June Star over the years- all of which apply to this night as well. For now, suffice it to say these are great folks playing great music to an appreciative, albeit too small of a crowd. Thanks for coming back time and time again!      


1. Saint
2. Valentine
3. Count To Ten
4. House Call
5. Thunder
6. Coma
7. Apollo
8. Undertow
9. Telegraph
10. Tether
11. Feather
12. Atrophy
13. Hard Working Miner
14. Pope of Mexico

Download this show HERE.

Visit June Star on Facebook HERE.

Check out their Bandcamp page
HERE where you can download their brilliant 11th and latest release "Pull Awake" and a couple others. I have it on good authority that more of the back catalog will be made available on Bandcamp soon.

By all means, go see this band live if you ever get the chance.

Discography:

1998 June Star
2000 Songs From An Engineer's
Daughter
2001 Telegraph
2004 Sugarbird
2007 Cora Belle
2009 Shift, Engage and Initiate
2010 Lower Your Arms
2012 Slow Dance
2013 Kill the Lights
2014 Simple Truths
2015 Pull Awake

June Star April 15, 2014 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

1. Trouble
2. Leaned
3. Without You Now
4. Pope of Mexico
5. Sugarbird
6. unknown
7. Scar
8. banter
9. Telegraph
10 unknown

Download this show HERE.
Visit the June Star web site HERE.
Check out June Star on Facebook HERE.

Although a much too short 45 minute set of their own, June Star made their annual pilgrimage to the Tree Bar for a fun filled evening of damn good music. Andrew didn't feel well, which happens about half the time he comes to Columbus, and/or the short set was an attempt to conserve energy as he and Dave Hadley accompanied Birds and Arrows through their hour long set. I could listen to June Star play for hours! An especially chilling version of Pope of Mexico was the highlight for me this time around, and there were a couple songs thrown in that I wasn't familiar with. Presumably these are new tunes, as Andrew mentioned some demos that he had been working on. Huge thank you to June Star for bringing Birds and Arrows to Columbus, and the two bands playing together was brilliant. Matt Monta opened the evening with a wonderful set of singer-songwriter bliss. I appreciate him more every time I see him. 

Pick up one (or several) of June Star's official releases. There are eight flavors to choose from, including the latest, "Kill The Lights". Another of my personal favorites is, "Cora Belle". You really can't go wrong with any of them. Also, treat yourself to seeing them live if you ever have the opportunity!
   

Birds and Arrows April 15, 2014 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

1. Catastrophe
2. Safety
3. Firefly
4. Ghosts in the Water
5. Coyotes
6. Edge of Everything
7. Train Wreck
8. Life Like Life
9. Orion

The evenings when you're glad you came early, or stayed late enough to check out the bands on the bill that you didn't come to see, and they turn out to be wonderful, are too few and far between. For me, when those night happen, I add another band to my list of bands that I did come to see. So, this is one of those evenings. I went out this night to see June Star, a standard on my list of bands I did come to see. They, of course, we excellent, as they are every time I see them (but I digress). Birds and Arrows are this wonderful husband and wife team, Pete and Andrea Connolly, who both sing and play drums and various guitars respectively. Oh, and they make this beautifully melodic music together that is such a pleasure to witness. I hate to make generalizations, and there are plenty of unique characteristics to her voice, but there were bits of early Linda Ronstadt that pulled at my pant leg on a few occasions. I hope that is taken as the complement I meant it to be. Pete perfectly kept the beat, not only on the drum's heads, but also the frames and even his own legs, switching up between sticks and yarnish mallets. Rounding out the band this night were, guess who, Andrew on bass and Dave on pedal steel from June Star. It's only fitting, I suppose, that Birds and Arrows ended up on my list of bands that I did come to see the same way that June Star did several years ago. I saw June Star opening for Wussy back in 2010 at this same club (another digression). Enjoying a band enough to add them to that list is a special experience. Seeing two of the bands on that list play together was extra special. This night I did both!  I can't wait to dive into their recorded catalog!! 

Download this show HERE.
Visit their web site HERE.
Check them out on Facebook HERE.

Please support these guys by picking up their CDs, and certainly see them live if you have the chance.

Wussy (duo) August 21, 2013 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

1. Pretty As You Please
2. Donald Sutherland
3. Airborne
4. Motorcycle
5. Maglite
6. Don't Leave Just Now
7. Dried Up
8. Crooked
9. banter
10. Ring A Ding Ding I'm Rotten Inside
11. new song
12. new song
13. Humanbrained Horse
14. Kung Fu Reference
15. Stupid
16. Jonah
17. Happiness Bleeds
18. Pulverized

Download this show HERE.

We owe a great big "Thank You" to Richard Buckner for backing out of his scheduled appearance this night. Instead, the roughly 40 folks in attendance were treated to an hour and a half of duo format Wussy songs and stories. In the intimate space that is The Tree Bar, one could hear most of the audience sing along to their favorite Ass Ponys/Wussy tunes. We were even treated to a couple new songs "that's some shit that's gonna be on the new record, I think" targeted for an early 2014 release. Lots of lighthearted banter between songs kept us in stitches most of the night as both Chuck and Lisa seemed to be having a good time and were in great spirits. BIG FUN was had by all. Look for our friends at Shake It to release more of the back catalog on vinyl over the coming months.

Visit the Wussy website HERE.

Support these guys by buying the fabulous CDs, seeing them live and grabbing their merch.

Thanks to Eric Warford for a couple of the pics and a nice big thank you to Bobby Sweet (he knows for what).



June Star July 9, 2013 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

1. Carried By Birds
2. Telegraph
3. Breakdown
4. Without You Now
5. banter
6. Count To 10
7. Cora Belle
8. Wolves
9. Cycle
10. Saint
11. Kill The Lights
12. banter
13. Thunder
 

Download show HERE

June Star did it again. A Stripped down version consisting of Andrew Gimm and Dave Hadley, touring behind their just released 8th studio effort, Kill The Lights, returned to the Tree Bar for another wonderful set. The guys mixed four tunes from the new release into a set containing several of my personal favorite "songs about love", that translated well to the duo format of the band. It's always a pleasant evening when these guys are in town and truly big fun! You really owe it to yourself to see them if they come anywhere near your hometown. Enjoy this one!

Check out their website here, and facebook page here. Check out and/or buy Kill The Lights here. On a side note, there are four different physical versions of the release, but they all contain the same material. Collect them all.

June Star April 2, 2012 Tree Bar Columbus, Ohio

1. Telegraph

2. Last Lock

3. Still Believe

4. Time

5. Slow Dance

6. tuning

7. Highway

8. Saint

9. Second Time

10. Baby's Got The Blues

11. Without You Now

12. Pope of Mexico

13. Hard Working Minor

14. Breakdown

15. Drive All Night

16. Valentine

17. I'm Waiting For The Man

18. Wolves

19. banter

20. Thunder

Download show HERE

Visit junestar.com

Support these guys by bying their excellent CDs and merchandise and go see them live.

Don'y buy this recording from other sites. Get it here free!