Photo by Kelly Bolter

I’ve toyed around with podcasting but haven’t been able to keep up with it on a consistent basis with so many other things going on in my life. I give credit to Brett Newski for continuing to release new weekly episodes of his Dirt from the Road podcast while being a working/touring musician with a steady stream of gigs. I’ve spent many hours in my car listening to Newski have conversations with guests ranging from We Are Scientists to Aaron Lee Tasjan to The Joy Formidable to Butch Vig with a focus on mental health and, of course, touring stories which gave the podcast it’s name.

Newski, a native of Wisconsin, has been playing shows, both the “normal” ones in bars and clubs as well as the unique one-offs at block parties, in garages, on town squares, in Chipotle (more of a pop-up performance, if you will) for more than a decade. In that time, he’s had the opportunity to grace larger stages opening for the likes of the Barenaked Ladies, the Violent Femmes, the Pixies and Better Than Ezra among others.

This Friday, Newski rolls into Columbus to play at The Rambling House (310 E. Hudson St.) in support of his aptly named new album, Friends Rock. For this release, Newski enlisted the talents of some of  his friends/podcast guests to contribute to his ‘90s-influenced, mid-tempo-based-in-folk quirky rock songs including Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Red Wanting Blue, Ryan Miller (Guster) and Brian Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe).

As you may suspect given the list of guests (both on his album and on his podcast), Newski’s music is rooted in a mid-tempo-folk-based ’90s alt-rock sound while his vocals sound vaguely familiar on songs like “Nevermind, Not Nirvana,” with a hint of Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), and “Only MaCaulay Caulkin Can Save Us Now,” which is (Bob/Jakob) Dylan-esque.

JD Eicher will open for Newski on Friday. The show starts at 9pm and tickets are available in advance or at the door.

BONUS: I had the chance to interview Brett in 2021 about his music, his podcast, and the book he wrote/illustrated called It’s Hard to Be a Person. Check it out here.