On Friday. Feb. 27 at 7 pm, Tidalwave Road, a band based out of Williamsburg, KY, will visit the Newport Branch to play a genre of music we know you love: bluegrass! These Kentucky boys will make you stand up and move your feet with their upbeat bluegrass music.
Though Tidalwave Road started playing music in 2012, three out of four of the band members are actually family. This special bond allows them to play music that people cannot get enough of! After winning the 2023 SamJam Festival Band Competition, they signed on to Pinecastle Records. Since then, they have released a revered EP, “The Bonefire Sessions,” and most recently, their debut album, “Skin and Bone.”
Tidalwave Road has its own spin on bluegrass and plays music that makes people remember why they love the genre so much. With sounds from a banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar, you will not want to miss this performance!
Registration opens on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Make sure to sign up before all the spots fill up. Stay after the show for a signing and a meet and greet.
Event Details
When: 7 pm Friday, Feb. 27
Where: Newport Branch, 901 E. Sixth St.
Bestselling author and Cincinnati native Keith O’Brien made his debut at the Campbell County Public Library in 2024 to talk about his novel, Charlie Hustle. He once again joins our Fort Thomas Branch to discuss his new book, Heartland, which is set to release on March 3. Listen to O’Brien’s deep dive into the success story of Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores during their 1978-1979 basketball season on Friday, March 6 at 7 pm.
Prior to his talk, O’Brien answered some questions to let patrons in on the intriguing process he follows to write about regional icons.
Even after moving away, why do you find the history within this region so fascinating to write about?
O'Brien: I spent many years running from my Midwestern roots. That changed about five years ago when I started my research for Charlie Hustle, my book about the rise and fall of Pete Rose. That book, though nonfiction, was certainly the most personal thing I’ve ever done. I was writing about my city, the place where I grew up, and its most controversial hero. I was, in a sense, writing a lot about myself. I realized in the reporting for that book that, despite my efforts to run, I still knew this place: I knew the Midwest better than anything else. It’s still my home, it’s part of me, it’s the core of who I am. As an author, you want to write about things that you know, things you understand. And so, I find myself really drawn to Midwestern narratives that other writers just don’t see.
How do you begin to decide what and who to write about?
O'Brien: I’m looking for three things in a story: an interesting world, people you can root for or root against and some kind of arc. The story needs to go somewhere. If you can find a narrative with these three elements—and get access to people, sources and documents to help you tell it—then you are onto something.
When gathering evidence, how do you transform reports, records, interviews and other information into a well-written narrative?
O'Brien: Authors usually gather so much material for a book that it’s easy to be blinded by the information and just throw it all in there. You want to show people what you know or what you found. But you have to be selective in what you use, otherwise the information you gathered actually gets in the way of the narrative itself. I’m hoping to tell a story, not write a textbook. And so, on the first draft, I will often dump in a lot of details. Then I go back in the second, third and fourth drafts and whittle it down. Sometimes, you use a chainsaw. Other times, you use a carving knife or a scalpel, rounding off the edges. In the end, you only want to include the details that inform your characters or push the story forward. If a detail isn’t doing that, I cut it out.
What is important to keep in mind when telling someone else’s story?
O'Brien: I try to approach every person I am writing about with empathy. That, to me, is the most important thing. I want to see the story from their perspective, understand why they did or said something and gather details that portray them in three dimensions. Very few of us live in black and white: we all live in the gray. In that gray, there is humanity. I want that to come through on the page.
How do you find people to interview who may not have previously spoken on a matter before?
O'Brien: I am relentless in my pursuit of sources. Once I have a name of a person whom I believe to be important to a scene or moment, I will do everything I can to track them down, using databases, Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, old obituaries, Google searches, social media and cold calling. People are often surprised when I find them, but more often than not, they are willing to talk. I’ve found that we all like to be heard. We all like to tell our story.
What is your favorite sport to write about?
O'Brien: For me, it’s not about the sport, exactly: it’s about the story. But I think we can all agree that there’s a certain poetry to a baseball narrative.
When thinking about the books you have written, which research experience has been your favorite and why?
O'Brien: That’s a hard question. During my research, I’ve stumbled upon some amazing finds, witnessed incredible moments and recorded interviews where people have said things I never would have believed. For my book Fly Girls, I think about finding the autopsy report for Florence Klingensmith, a brave flier who died in an air race in 1933. For Charlie Hustle, I will never forget the moment when Pete Rose agreed to speak to me. And for my latest book, Heartland, I also had a significant breakthrough moment. For my research, I spent a lot of time in French Lick, but it can be hard to connect with people as an outsider in a small town. It was only after I started hanging out at night at the American Legion hall in downtown French Lick, sitting at the bar with old-timers and locals, that people in town really began to open up to me.
Since you have been a Larry Bird fan since you were a child, how did this shape the way you wrote about him and the Indiana State Sycamores?
O'Brien: I approach every story I write as a journalist and a historian, and I try to leave all of my biases, preconceptions and assumptions at the door. It’s the only way to do this sort of work. That’s what I did when reporting for Charlie Hustle, and that’s what I’ve done here, too.
Are there any common misconceptions that people may have about Larry Bird that you felt the need to clarify in your book?
O'Brien: In the late 1970s, as Bird exploded onto the scene, reporters at some East Coast newspapers liked to paint him as a “hayseed” or a “low-rent slob,” and they often mocked the way he dressed or spoke. The implication was that Larry wasn’t smart. This simply isn’t true.
Which do you prefer, the Magnificent 7 in cowboy hats or the Pete Rose/Ray Fosse Collision?
O'Brien: I love everything about my new book, Heartland—the team, the time, the place, those cowboy hats, that camaraderie, and this unlikely story. But Rose slamming into Fosse to end the 1970 All-Star game in Riverfront Stadium is, for me, one of the most iconic sports moments of the 20th century.
What are you reading right now?
O'Brien: I toggle back and forth between fiction and nonfiction. Right now, I’m in the mood for fiction, and like a lot of people, I am reading Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye.
Would you like Campbell County Public Library patrons to know anything before attending your talk this March?
O'Brien: Thanks for supporting your public library! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in March.
After his talk, stick around for a book signing and a chance to meet O’Brien. There will be an in-house Roebling Books with O’Brien’s books available for purchase.
Get ready for a wonderful evening with O’Brien. Make sure to register before spots fill up!
Thank you to the Friends of the Campbell County Public Library for making Signature Series possible.
Friends of the Campbell County Public Library help by volunteering for a number of tasks from hosting library events to assisting staff with special projects. They seek to create public support for the library by keeping the community informed about library services.
