Make the most of Memorial Day Weekend!

Kicking off this grand Memorial Day weekend is an unique event at The Hive Studio & Gallery at 508 Wayne Ave. It's a super fun celebration of new bands, new creative work, and more, featuring:  BUSTER BAXTER from Anderson, Indiana at 7:30 p.m.;  Steven King from Columbus at 8 p.m.; Speaking Suns from Yellow Springs at 9 p.m.; and Simon and The Silvertones from Dayton at 10 p.m. The photographic and illustrated work of Colin Combs, Simon Kingston, and Zade Walters will also be on display. For sale will be zines, CDs, tapes, paintings, 35mm prints, and collaborative T-Shirts designed by all the artists who are involved. Coffee will be provided. ALL AGES, $5 door. Door at 7:30.

There is an awesome line up at

in Vandalia with

,

, and

. Now that's certainly worth a short drive up 75 for! Wow! 9pm. 18+

If you're into heavy guitar riffs, Oregon Express has a great rock'n'roll line up with Far From Eden, ViFolly, Risen From The Fall. 10pm. 21+ with ID. $7 at the door. $5 advance tickets here.

Not heavy enough for you? Grind out to some serious metal with Maharaja, ERTHBRNR, and Floodwalker at Blind Bob's. 9 p.m. $5 cover.

Rock'a'billy favorites Cherry Lee & The Hotrod Hounds are going to get things hoppin' at the Trolley Stop tonight! 9:30pm. $5 cover typically. 21+

Looking for something a bit more laid back? Check out Louisville based singer-songwriter and guitarist Sheri Streeter is heading to the East Coast for some dates, and is stopping by South Park Tavern to do a set while she travels. 9:30 p.m. No cover charge!

On the other side of the South Park neighborhood you'll find The French with special guests from Columbus Dustin Vincent and Mama, all performing at Jimmie's Ladder 11. 10 p.m. $5 cover typically. 21+

Up north, the

event is back, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Troy's Main Street. The historic downtown will be packed with musicians, dancers, artists, street sales, and more. This is a fun outdoor event, so if you're north of town, make sure you get out and enjoy!

In Tipp City, every Friday and Saturday night, they offer live Jazz music from 7-9:30pm at Coldwater Cafe. I hear they have fabulous food, so if you're looking for an extra special date night, this sounds like a great option!

Taffy's of Eaton has a great evening in store with Grayson David Schick and special guest Vacant Cages. Grayson has been compared to David Ramirez, Gregory Alan Isakov, and the Decemberists. The work from his first EP was described as "just nostalgic enough to make you smile, but not enough to make you cry; aged enough to feel rusty, but not old-fashioned." This is Vacant Cages first show, so make sure they feel welcome too! Show at 8 p.m.

For the Yellow Springs crowd, Jojo Stella is back at Peach's Grill with The Pupils of Groove! They are both fun and funky, and right up your alley if you're the typical groovy kind of music fan from the Springs. 10 p.m show.

Saturday May 28th

If you're up for some daytime fun, get out to Yellow Springs for the Spring in the Springs event, a skate show and music event to support phase 2 of the Yellow Springs Skatepark. Bands include: The D-Rays, Fox Collective, Lunar Lounge, Manray, The Shades of Cool, Village Fam, The Willy Clark Band, YIRF, and The Zygotes. Everything starts at noon and runs through 9pm. Free for spectators. Fees apply to skaters. For more information click

Afterwards, wheel on over to Aleta's Cafe to see Grover, a wonderfully entertaining local jam band. They perform from 7-11 p.m. $5 cover, with $2 drafts all evening. Late night stop by and see Bucko, Sport Fishing USA, and Speaking Suns at Peach's Grill starting at 10 p.m. Free show!

Oddbody's is one of the main local stops for metal tours, and this Saturday night the Metal Alliance Tour brings Dying Fetus, The Acacia Strain, Jungle Rot, and Black Crown Initiate into town. Doors 5pm. Show 6pm. Tickets $25 advance, $30 day of show. 18+ w/ Valid ID.

is performing at Blind Bob's tonight, and is considered one of Dayton's premier Hip Hop events, with

on the 1's and 2's with

on the mic. $3 donation at the door. All proceeds will be used in conjunction with

to benefit homeless veterans locally. 9 p.m. 21+

Down the street, there is a great lineup once again at Oregon Express, this time with McGuff & the Dumpster Fires, Ghost Town Silence, and Todd the Fox. There is a fun mix of musical styles represented here, and is a great pick for groups heading out for the evening. Something for everyone! 21+ $5 cover.

Jimmie's Ladder 11 has a fun summer night of music with

(indie folk rock),

(pop rock),

(singer-songwriter), and

(guitar shredder!). If you're in the mood to be more experimental and check out new music, this is a great pick for the evening! 10pm. $5 cover.

The 7th Annual 80s Tribute Party is happening at Gilly's Jazz, with tons of area musicians participating. 7pm show time. $7 admission. Free parking. 18+ w/ chaperone.

East of town, over by WSU, the freaky and funky band Freakquency is performing at One Eyed Jack's at 10pm. Also in Fairborn / WSU area you can find country artist Mack McKenzie and piano-centric rock/pop band The Pullouts at WO Wrights at 9pm.

Sunday May 29th

Celebrate Memorial Day and Dayton's founding at Dayton History's Heritage Day with the Dayton Philharmonic. From 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. thousands of Daytonians flock to Carillon Park to see special exhibits, watch historical games, ride on small-scale trains, and enjoy yummy food and beer! Live music will play all day, culminating with the 7pm Dayton Philharmonic performance. The patriotic program and salute to the armed forces is a perfect way to celebrate not only the heritage of the Dayton region, but the true patriotic spirit of America at this Memorial Day weekend! Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Admission is free to Dayton History Members. Adults- $8, Seniors- $7, Military - $5, Children 3 to 17- $5, Children under 3- Free.

Hey most of us have tomorrow off, so why not get into some late night debauchery? Check out

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Wednesday June 1st

Fraze Pavillon kicks off their 2016 Summer Season with a Kettering Block Party from 6-8 p.m. A lot of young families out there are celebrating kids getting released from school, and this is a free family-friendly event, featuring live music from the The Kettering Civic Band at 7:00 PM. Fun extras include free hot dogs and chips, and bicycle helmet fitting, while supplies last. For more information visit ketteringoh.org or call (937) 296-2454.

Downtown, Family Jam Productions is serving up their Wednesday Family Dinner. It is a plug and play jam and all are welcome. There are easels available for anyone who wants to come and create visual art too. They will, as name implies, serving free dinner until all of the food is gone!  This week's food theme is Korean. Interesting! Doors are at 8 p.m, dinner starts at 8:30 p.m, and music begins at 9 p.m. All ages! This is a completely free event!

On-Going Daytime Summer Music

One the best things about summertime downtown, is the plethora of free music that's offered, particularly during lunchtime. Do yourself a favor, get out of the office, and soak in some sunshine and delight your heart with music. Very refreshing! Here are some spots to check out:

The Downtown Dayton Partnership and Montgomery County present The Square Is Where, featuring free live entertainment, games, and food trucks, weekdays on downtown's Courthouse Square. The variety of music they book is really diverse! Check out the full summer schedule here.

Riverscape Metro Park offers free music Mon. – Fri., 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and Sat., 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., from May 9 through September 30. I love having a reason to hang out by the river and this beautiful park, so now I've got a reason every day! I hope you enjoy this generous benefit too!

For folks who are looking for early evening entertainment, there are free shows in the town square area of The Greene shopping center from 6-10 p.m. each Thursday, Friday and Saturday through the summer. The schedule of entertainment can be found here. Enjoy!

As always, thank you for supporting live music!