DJ Elaine Banks spins vintage soul, funk and R&B exclusively on 45s, blending classics with deeper cuts from Dayton, Cincinnati and beyond. She’ll perform multiple sets throughout the night, opening the evening and returning to the decks after Heather Redman & The Reputation.
Basura is a vibrant, multi-genre performance art collective and band based in Dayton. Their shows are as experiential as they are experimental, incorporating music, spoken word, dance and live painting. Though fronted by guitarist Frank Calzada — known for his work with The Fotons and Frank & Friends — the collective approach allows each member space to shine.
Heather Redman & The Reputation seamlessly combine the rawness of vintage rock and psych with a fresh, modern edge. Drawing from late-1960s garage and ’70s soul while honoring the region’s indie lineage, the energetic ensemble delivers explosive performances rooted in bare-bones rock ’n’ roll.
The Reputation is currently wrapping up production on its sophomore record, set to release in the spring. The currently-untitled LP is produced by Redman and engineered by Tim Pritchard at Great Horned Audio. Initially, she was hesitant to journey into production on her own.
“I felt like I needed someone to help me see my vision,” Redman said. “Now I’m realizing that if I have the right studio and the right people that I don’t really need help expressing my artistic vision.”
She defines this new direction as “more organic” than the self-titled debut, despite it being recorded digitally instead of analog this time around. The organic quality could be a testament to both Pritchard’s engineering and Redman’s newfound comfort with commanding a band. It may also be a byproduct of Second Record Syndrome, where she both knows the sound she wants and knows how to communicate and achieve it.
The band’s new songs — some which have been part of The Reputation’s repertoire for a few years — have also introduced a vulnerability that was mostly sequestered from the debut in 2022. “Heather Redman & The Reputation” was heavier on the groovin’ than moodin’, whereas the upcoming tracks — the ones this writer has heard so far anyway — equally balance the groovin’ and moodin’.
“When I first dream up a song,” she said, “I have no idea what it’s like or what genre it’ll fall into or what the album’s going to sound like. Whatever happens during the songwriting process, happens.”
When she writes, a melody comes to her. She records it into her phone. The melody could become a vocal or a rhythm or a guitar or a bass line. She then gives the recording to her husband David Payne, the band’s keyboardist, who transposes it into a chord structure. That then turns into a demo they send to the band.
A feeling is what Redman searches for as she writes.
“Sometimes I don’t even know what a song’s about. I’ll figure it out later,” she said. “That’s why music comes to me first. How does it make me feel? Usually I want it to make me feel good. And I want to make other people feel good, too.”
The Reputation will “Auld Lang Syne” the crowd into the new year. There may be a surprise, but there will be champagne, a countdown and dancing.
Brandon Berry covers the music and arts scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio. Reach him at branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Heather Redman & The Reputation/Basura/DJ Elaine Banks
When: 8 pm. Dec. 31
Where: Belmont Billiards, 820 Watervliet Ave., Dayton
Cost: $10
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