Local indie, pop-punk band and CEA nominees of the past, A Decade to Die For, is set to release their full-length debut album, Best Laid Plans, this weekend. They’ve been working hard on this long-awaited album for well over a year now, so come out and show your support; it’s only a $5 show! Also on the bill are Louisville’s Sugar Spell It Out, Dayton’s The Paramedic and locals Counterfeit Money Machine. Doors at 8 pm.
The hottest thing to come out of Philadelphia since the cheese steak is the psychedelic, indie-rock band, Dr. Dog. The band has consisted of some twenty or so members in its ten-year career, who blend together elements of folk, blues, soul and bluegrass. They also put heavy emphasis on vocal harmonies, taking influence from The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Neil Young and Tom Waits, as well as Pavement, The Palace Brothers and Roy Wood. Opening the show is New York singer/songwriter and comic book artist, Jeffrey Lewis. He has worked with artists like Kimya Dawson and The Bloodsugars (who recently played MidPoint). His lyrics are very complex and depressing-yet-hopeful. Thursday, October 15. Doors at 8 pm. Tickets are $15.
One of the hottest sets at MidPoint 2008 was from Chicago indie-rock band, Oh My God. They’ve performing for nearly ten years and have released six full-length albums and an EP. They’re out on tour in support of their most recent release, The Night Undoes the Work of the Day. They’ve asked local electronica duo, You, You’re Awesome, to open the show. They’ll be fresh off of their first appearance at CMJ in New York, which happens the night before this show. This show at the Mad Hatter is on Friday, October 23. Doors at 8 pm. $8.
Chicago instrumental trio, Russian Circles, come to town on Wednesday, October 28. Call ‘em post-metal, post-rock, experimental or even math rock, but what these three guys do is create epic, atmospheric soundscapes going from heavy metal to soft and delicate much like you find in bands like Pelican and Minus the Bear. Opening the show are two bands from Louisville: Coliseum (Hardcore/Punk) and Young Widows (Noise Rock/Post-hardcore/Experimental). Doors at 7 pm. $12.
Mat Kearney, a former youth pastor turned singer/songwriter combines pop, melody, guitar and piano with rap rhymes which often ends up sounding like mellow Brit pop or even early Beck or Everlast (minus the scratchy vocals). His breakthrough came in 2006, when he toured with John Mayer. Opening the show is Diane Birch, who also comes from a religious background. She spent much of her childhood living in South Africa and Australia, before her parents decided to settle in Portland, Oregon. She was classically trained on the piano, learning just from ear at a very early age. She has attracted the attention of some Hollywood’s famous, and has jammed with Prince and his band at his house. The show’s this Wednesday, October 7 at 8 pm. $20.
Shooter Jennings is the son of one of country music’s greatest outlaws, Waylon Jennings. The first few years of his life were spent living on his parents tour bus, and by age five he was playing drums. He also took piano lessons and started playing guitar at age fourteen, where he sometimes played in his father’s band. He left Nashville for L.A. and assembled a band called Stargunn, who he described as “Lynyrd Skynyrd mutating into Guns ‘n Roses.” And did you know that he played his father in Walk the Line? Opening the show is JJ Grey & Mofro (Southern Rock/Blues/Funk) and Earl Greyhound (Indie Rock/Hard Rock/Garage Rock). Thursday, October 8. 8 pm. $17.
It seems pretty weird to think that moe. has been playing for nearly twenty years. They’re one of the more successful touring jambands, alongside the kings (Grateful Dead) and the more recent ones (Phish, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident). It often seems like the jamband scene is slowly dying off, but moe. is certainly in contention to carry the torch for the jamband leaders of tomorrow. And it’s pretty cool that guitarist Chuck Garvey calls Cincinnati home. Come on out on Saturday, October 17 and show them that you feel the jamband scene and community is just as strong as ever. 8 pm. $22.50.
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