MEGHAN RALSTON & THE HOT 17

Written by Josh Weiker

Some call it magic; others claim it comes from a possession of prophetic powers; whatever it is, Meghan Ralston has a gift for finding the most talented up-and-coming bands in Columbus.  Each year, Ms. Ralston and her crew publish an amazing book that contains sights and sounds of the city’s seventeen hottest bands.

 – The Hot 17 – not to be confused with the psychedelic phenethalamine, gets its name from the current statistic which puts Columbus as the 17^th most populated city in America.

            Statistics aside, Columbus is an amazing place to find great live music – Fact (its science); and this publication is just another testament to some of its greatness. The first edition of The Hot 17 debuted in 2010 (at ComFest, which is so awesome) and included some phenomenal local acts like Karate Coyote, Envelope, and the Phantods.

            This year’s list looks to be just as promising, but why take it from me when you can listen to the creator herself …

As mentioned in the interview, The Hot 17 Volume 2 release party took place at Kobo, and in true Hot 17 fashion, the night featured music from various genres:

                                                                                                   

Shane Sweeny (of Two Cow Garage – listed in The Hot 17 vol. one)

 … had a dirty, muddy kind of sound; much along the lines of Tom Waits, wish I could have caught more of his act, but we were doing most of our interviews during his set.

Trains Across the Sea

… with frontman Andy Gallagher at the helms, this group covers a tremendous spectrum of musical genres within a single set. Beginning with folksy Dylan-esque harmonica tunes and ending with dance-your-pants-off feel-good songs this group was one of my favorites of the evening.

L.E.S Crew

...wow, ridiculous funk! I don’t think anyone sat down this entire set. Two emcees, fantastically storytelling like poetic machine guns, and Miss Angelica Lee’s powerful vocals – oh my, if you haven’t heard the L.E.S. Crew, follow this shameless plug to BUSTOWN RADIO
 

… and enjoy

The Spruce Campbells           

 … a local indie band with a growingly noticeable reputation; their sound is reminiscent to that of the Pixies, with a slightly more modern twist.

The evening’s event was emceed by CD101’s own Rachael Gordon, who was nice enough to have a sit down chat with us …

The Hot 17 is without a doubt a tremendous contributor to the ever-developing Columbus music scene. By connecting local photographers, musicians, artists, and writers, this annual publication looks to serve as a pinnacle source for discovering the best local talent that the city of Columbus has to offer.

 Check out this year’s edition of The Hot 17 (http://www.thehot17.com)

Special Thanks:

Meghan Ralston – The Hot 17

Rachael Gordon – CD101 @ 102.5FM

Kobo

Shane Sweeny, Trains Across the Sea, The L.E.S. Crew, and The Spruce Campbells

BusTown Radio Co-Host and Lead Producer - Joey Gurwin

BusTown Music Manager DP Krukrubo