Rebels and Underdogs: The Story of Ohio Rock and Roll

by Garin Pirnia

From Cleveland to Cincinnati and everywhere in between, Ohio rocks. Rebels and Underdogs: The Story of Ohio Rock and Roll takes readers behind the scenes to witness the birth and rise of musical legends like the Black Keys, Nine Inch Nails, Devo, the Breeders, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, and many others who got their start in garages and bars across Ohio. Through candid, first-hand interviews, Garin Pirnia captures new stories from national legends like the Black Keys and slow-burn local bands like Wussy from Cincinnati. Discover why Greenhornes' members Patrick Keeler and Brian Olive almost killed each other on stage one night, what happened to the pink guitar Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails gave to band member Richard Patrick, why Devo loved the dissonance when they were booed by 400,000 music lovers in England, and so much more! Entertaining, inspiring, and revolutionary, Rebels and Underdogs is the untold story of the bands, the state, and rock itself.

Genres: Music

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2018

About the author

Garin Pirnia was raised on a healthy diet of MTV and Top 40 radio in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio, but one day she realized she wanted to make movies, so she moved to Hollywood. After realizing they just didn’t give out three picture deals on Sunset Blvd., she decided to move back to the Midwest.

Formerly based in Chicago for 7 years and now based in Cincinnati/Northern Ky., she’s written about arts and culture –with an emphasis on music, film, food, and travel–for over 30 local and national publications, including Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Complex, AirTran’s in-flight magazine Go, TimeOut Chicago, The Onion AV Club, NewCity Chicago, AOL/Spinner.com, Chicago Innerview, WonkaVision, MyOpenBar.com, Mental Floss, The Atlantic, Paste, Vice/Noisey.com, CityBeat, Cincinnati Enquirer, WCPO.com, and Cincinnati Magazine.

She’s also a screenwriter/filmmaker who loves cats, as seen in her award-winning short horror script, The Finicky Cat, which is about a cat who has a hankering for human brains. It’s loosely based on a true story.

She’s also an author: the University Press of Kentucky will publish the culinary travelogue The Beer Cheese Book in 2017; in 2018 the Indiana University Press will publish her book on the Ohio rock and roll scene.

Reviews

[Maura Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son, a drummer, is moving to the Buckeye State and in a weird bit of synchronicity I happened upon this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Ohio music scene and especially about The Waitresses. Who knew they hailed from Ohio? Way back when, I was always in trouble at my college radio station when I brought in my own records, including The Waitresses, to play.
This is a fun and interesting read.

[ZeroTheHero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Boys....but no Dead Schembechlers?

I'll live.
Great job Garin! Thanks for pointing me towards some Ohio bands I wasn't aware of. I'm looking forward to reading any/all of your previous writings. (I'm also about to submit a question that's been bugging me for years)

[Timothy Minneci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice primer on Ohio rock and roll, my only complaint is I wish it was 2x as long.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this book to be something it isn't. I was looking for more of the funk bands than the rock and roll bands. There were a lot of bands I hadn't heard of before so I didn't relate to their stories. The author had some great photos included. I had some issues with editing in some chapters. Don't let my review stop you from reading this book. If you enjoy music, you will like something in it.

[Terry Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great detail about the music scene in the Buckeye state!