A rock ‘n’ roll memorial in honor of Linke, who passed away in July, will be on Oct. 20 at the Brightside. Grammy-nominated Paul Peter Jova aka Frankie Camaro, the Guilty Pleasures, Blank Schatz and Sweaty Pat and the Johnnys are set to perform at the memorial. For Linke, a Kenton, Ohio, resident who revolved much of his storied life around music and going to shows, a stacked bill of loud rock seems to be the most appropriate way to honor him.
Friends, family and fans are all welcome to the event.
Linke was a significant figure in the Midwest punk rock scenes, mentoring many musicians and music lovers all across Ohio — like an older brother figure who had the cool, unmatched record collection. He always took the new generation of punk rockers under his wing, schooling many on the “real classic rock” (i.e. non-commercialized rock), like the Dead Boys, the Stooges, MC5, the Fuzztones and the Cramps.
He had deep roots in 1960s garage, proto-punk and everything that stemmed from those scenes. Linke would make frequent trips from Kenton to Dayton and Detroit, catching all the shows he could. Much of his life was dedicated to passing along the knowledge he’d attain when stereo needles hit vinyl grooves.
Linke himself was a guitarist, a bassist and a drummer in several Midwest bands, including Numb Skull, the Fast Ones and George Bjorling and the Poopy Butts.
Bodine was in a short-lived lineup of Numb Skull along with Linke, a configuration that never left the basement practice space.
“I just got lucky enough to play in that Dale Linke period,” Bodine said. “It was the greatest, and the only band I’ve ever played in that never played out. Every practice was an event. I have so many Dale stories. I can’t really tell a lot of them.”
Kelsey Grillot, a friend of Linke’s, organized this upcoming memorial. Fittingly, it was because of Linke that Grillot was first encouraged to start booking and promoting shows.
When asked what it meant that he could honor his late mentor in this way, Grillot said that it’s for the love of rock ‘n’ roll.
“I just wanted to get the biggest group of friends from the Midwest and have a reunion in honor of Dale,” Grillot said, “because he was a big influence on all of us.”
The bands on the bill, regardless of a direct connection, have been influenced by Linke’s ubiquity alone — like the six degrees of a Midwest music maven.
“Dale was very cutting edge on the music,” said Peter Jova, who recorded music with Linke; he’s also bringing his original surf-rock and instrumentals to the memorial show. “If I ever put a record out, I’d be like, Man, I hope Dale likes it. I always had to keep that in mind. I wonder if Dale would like this… otherwise it’s probably not something I want to do.”
Dale Linke had thousands of records, enviable instruments, the best jacket patches and a life of tales, straight out of the book of rock — far too much to chronicle in so many words.
“I just can’t imagine how many lives that dude lived,” Bodine said. “To have people come together, have some stories about Dale… what a great way to memorialize him. I’ve never met anybody like him. Not even close.”
Contact this contributing music writer at branberry100@gmail.com.
How to go
What: A rock ‘n’ roll memorial in honor of Dale Linke, with Paul Peter Jova, the Guilty Pleasures, Blank Schatz and Sweaty Pat and the Johnnys
When: 6:30 p.m., Oct. 20
Where: The Brightside, 905 E. 3rd St., Dayton
Cost: $12
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