A Rebellious Return To Rumba Cafe For Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman of Call Me Rita

Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman of Call Me Rita made their homecoming stop on the Great Degradation Tour at The Rumba Cafe, on May 28th in Columbus, Ohio in of support their new album of the same which was released in March.  The pair who were long time residents of central Ohio until making a move to California last winter, reunited with fellow Call Me Rita band mates for the first time since embarking as a duo on their 2026 tour.  

“It’s good to be back” Vanessa told the crowd who packed Rumba cafe to see them on Thursday night.  Promising to have everyone home in time to watch the Golden Girls at 11pm, Micah and the gang delivered a fervid performance of rebellion and hope. 

Their modern day approach to folk message mixed with a hint of a punk rock attitude is a refreshing breeze in a world that seems too scared to speak the truth in today’s climate. Covering topics like the health care system, AI, Jackson Pollock being funded by the C.I.A., body autonomy, and being an enemy of the state, the show was the simplest form of expression for the fed up. They closed out the set with “No Christmas Cards for Fascists” which notably got the biggest reaction of the night. 

Micah And Vanessa continue their tour into June with stops in Chicago, Appleton, Green Bay, and Madison, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

You can also catch them as a part of Lost Evenings IX presented by Frank Turner on Thursday September 24th, in Dallas Texas and the Off Beat Music Festival in Reno, Nevada on October 2nd.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

Hands Up

Are You OK?

Bongo’s

Enemy Of The State

Patient Boy

C-I-Hey!

I Don’t Believe You

Get Ready With Me

Bushwick Bill

Diamond Dave

Measure Twice, Cut Once

No Christmas Cards For Fascists

All images from the show below by Jess Laicy: