CincyPunk Fest Night Two Highlights

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The second and final night of the CincyPunk Festival brought just as many smiles and ringing ears as the first night, with another near-sell out crowd and a ton of memorable performances. It was also the most successful event yet, with over $6,500 being raised, which will equally be split between both the Animal Adoption Foundation and Cincinnati’s Friends of the Children. Over the past five years, CincyPunk has now raised over $32,000 for a number of local charities. And it couldn’t of been done without your help. Thanks again to all of those who came out to support local causes and local music. Onto my highlights of night two!

The Javelin Dance, who went on around 8:30 pm in the ballroom, were the first band who really wowed me, with a Mars Volta-like progressive hard rock style.

I divided most of my time the rest of the night between shows in the lounge and the ballroom, not making it up to the parlour at all for bands like The Dopamines, John Walsh or the two reunion shows of Two Inch Winky and Dropkickmejesus.

There was quite a mix of styles in both the lounge and ballroom; the soft acoustic playing and soothing sound of Sam Banta and his harmonica; The Never Setting Suns, one of my newer favorite local music discoveries, were literally all over the place, sounding like everything from Explosions in the Sky with vocals to Neil Young. Uncle Neil happens to be one of their big influences too; oddly enough they’ve got a song called “Stupid Girl, Crazy Horse” and they even broke out one of the best versions I’ve ever heard of “Hey Hey My My”.

I was expecting very big things from Billy Wallace and the Virigina Blues because of all the things I’ve heard from various people, and while they certainly delivered and exceeded those expectations (the Boss’ cover of “Tougher Than the Rest” didn’t hurt either), they cut their set a little short to head upstairs to see The Dopamines. I wasn’t aware that Wallace’s band includes Matt Hemingway of State Song and Tim Colina, formerly of Alone at 3am.

All night in the ballroom diversity seemed to be the theme. There was the indie pop rock of Knoxville’s Slow Claw (they used to be Junior Revolution), and The Guitars, who do the 60′s pop and Soul thing pretty well (at one point I swear I was listening to Buddy Holly – also, you can see them every Wednesday this month in the Southgate House lounge for free!).

Alone at 3am, who I haven’t seen in a little while, pulled off what I thought was their best show ever, as well as one of the better local performances I’d seen in recent times. You also had The Pinstripes, one of two of the best local ska/reggae acts in town to play the festival (the other is duppy a jamba). I always enjoy when a band’s got a horn section, and judging by the dancing crowd they loved it too.

Last but certainly not least, you had three of the wildest local rock stars in Stuart, Nick and Nate of The Lions Rampant. It appears that everytime they play a show they just get that much better, and that bigger of a following. Long ago, they won the battle of performing live, and now they’re taking on the music video world and the merch world with all kinds of Lions’ memorabilia. Fellas get your Lions’ beer koozies, ladies get your Lion’s panties now!