This Just In: Murphy's Pub 50th Anniversary Weekend

Includes Sunday “Punk Rock Panel” at Herzog Music

As venerable Clifton institution Murphy’s Pub celebrates the 50th anniversary of opening their doors to quench the thirst of generations of U.C. students, working class heroes, and itinerant rockers, Herzog Music is proud to be part of the Murphy’s Pub “Dirty Thirty” weekend. It includes two nights of rock ’n’ roll in the storied and historic back room (October 18 and 19), celebrating 30 years since a couple of visionary Cincinnati music promoters and a nascent situationist bar manager crossed paths with this gritty Clifton Heights neighborhood bar.

And on Sunday (October 20), we’ll close that weekend at the historic Herzog space for a panel discussion and performance by David Lewis.

Cool music happened here. Loudly.

As the late 1980s gave way to the ‘90s, Murphy’s Pub became a vital venue for local and regional underground bands, and a regular tour stop for cutting edge national and international acts at the height of the D.I.Y. era. Among the legendary artists to perform in its tiny back room – before the grunge explosion brought adventurous music to the mainstream – were Nirvana, L7, The Afghan Whigs, The Jesus Lizard, Laughing Hyenas, The Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker, Half Japanese, The Cynics, Unsane, and many, many others.

Murphy’s Pub “Dirty Thirty” celebrates the legacy and ongoing cultural impact of this influential Ohio nightclub with two evenings of performances featuring Murphy’s veterans and fellow travelers alike: The Dummy Ups (members of The Customs, Auburnaires and The Erector Set), 11,000 Switches, IdleAires, Tweens, Harambe’s Heroes (an all-star band playing songs from the new anthology We Were Living in Cincinnati and including prominent early local punk scene figures), Smoothy (members of BPA), the Mudlarks, TigerSex, Stallone-n-Roses, the Tigerlilies, and a number of special guests.

Sunday Punk Panel at Herzog

Complementing Friday and Saturday nights at Murphy’s Pub, Herzog Music will host WE WERE LIVING IN CINCINNATI: A PUNK PANEL on Sunday, October 20, from 6:30-9pm. Moderated by musician, author, and former Murphy’s Pub booking agent Peter Aaron, the free event will focus on the era of local underground music chronicled on We Were Living in Cincinnati: Punk and Underground Sounds from Ohio’s Queen City (1975-1982), a new compilation album curated by Aaron and jointly released by the HoZac and Shake It! record labels.

Present on the panel to discuss the early Cincinnati punk scene and their roles in it will be local luminaries Mike Enright (the Ed Davis Band), Jim Cole (the Customs), David Lewis (11,000 Switches), Robert Beatty (Beef), Vivien Rusche (the Dents, Alterior Motives), Forest Bivens (the Customs, Beef, the Verbs), Doug Hallet (Dream 286, the Dents, Latex Theatre), and John Schmidt (the Erector Set, the Malcontent). A brief solo performance by David Lewis will follow the talk. The event is free and open to the public with limited seating. Coffee and beverages will be available, with all proceeds from their sales benefiting the non-profit Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation.

Aaron will also sign and sell copies of his latest book, Richie Ramone’s autobiography I Know Better Now.

Friday/Saturday Ticket Info

A limited number of advance tickets are available, and will go on sale Friday, September 13 at Murphy’s Pub (2329 Clifton Ave.), Shake It Records (4156 Hamilton Ave.) and Herzog Music (811 Race St.). Cost is $15; two-night passes (see below) are available for $25. All ticket buyers must be 21+ with suitable ID.

Sunday Admission Info

All ages are welcome and the punk panel is free; however, space is limited and so is seating.