Archive for the ‘Best of 2009’ Category
2009: A Great Year for Music
December 31st, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
Another year has come and gone. Soon enough we will be underway with the second decade of the 21st century. I still find it hard to believe and often wonder where the past has gone. The last year of my twenty’s will be coming up this year, but that’s another story for other people in another place and time. As for the music scene in 2009, it was an amazing year for bands, albums and festivals. Let me take you on a quick ride through the past year and how the music scene appeared through my eyes.
There were shows and festivals, and then some more shows and festivals, and then even more shows and festivals. Oddly enough, the climax (or greatest musical experience) of the year fell right at the halfway point of the year. I made my third trip to Manchester, Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music Festival in the middle of June. I witnessed over forty mind-blowing sets covering all types of music, many of them being the first time I’d seen most of these bands. Bruce Springsteen, two Phish shows, David Byrne of the Talking Heads, Ben Harper and Relentless7, MGMT, Band of Horses, Wilco, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver and Passion Pit (who all rank in my top ten performances from the weekend). But I can’t say enough amazing things about Bonnaroo; I really believe that every music fan should have this festival on their bucket list.
There were other smaller festivals too; Louisville’s Forecastle Festival in July featuring Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey’s McGee and the Avett Brothers, among many, many others playing over three days in a small park alongside the Ohio River. There was also Spring Hookahville, held just outside of Columbus. Created by one of the best jambands in the midwest, Ekoostik Hookah (who played two sets), the festival also featured bands like the Wailers and Steve Kimock’s Crazy Engine, featuring the legendary George Porter Jr. on bass and Bernie Worrell on keys.
Then there were the Cincinnati festivals; MidPoint and CincyPunk. It was by far the best MidPoint ever, with the addition of the Lite Brite Test Film Festival at the Contemporary Arts Center, the big tent outside Grammar’s Bar and a lot more music on Fountain Square. Raving shows included sets from national touring acts like the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, Chairlift, Micachu and the Shapes and The Do, and local favorites like the Heartless Bastards (not so local anymore but we still love them), the Lions Rampant, Buffalo Killers, The Sundresses, mallory and The Minor Leagues, among (literally) hundreds of others who, while I cannot mention them all, they are not forgotten by any means. And then the return of CincyPunk at the Southgate House. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging because my brother created this festival, but it really has become a fun, important staple in the local music scene, bringing together the best from the area and some from beyond, for what really is without a doubt the best weekend locally of music aside from MidPoint. Mad props to him on that, and to the return this coming April for their ninth festival! Maybe one day you’ll see a festival put together by yours truly…
Then there were all the shows I caught around town, mostly at the Southgate House, but also at places like the Mad Hatter and Northside Tavern. I tried to make a list last week, but I still think I’m forgetting some shows. Some that really stick out in my head are Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with Deer Tick, Pomegranates CD Release Party, Peter, Bjorn and John with Chairlift, Sara Watkins, The Felice Brothers, Fran and Andy of Travis’ storyteller-like show, Backyard Tire Fire, mallory’s CD Release Party, and of course the late Vic Chesnutt.
But for more on the year in the local music scene, you’ll have to stay tuned. I’m putting something together featuring over 130 of the area’s bands and how the year was for them. Keep looking for that.
As for music on a national and even international level, there was just so much going on that I really don’t know where to start. Let’s start with albums released. So many great albums, so little time. Among the best of the year, you’ll have to check out the releases from bands like (and get ready for this), Fever Ray, White Lies, Antony and the Johnsons, Bon Iver, Umphrey’s McGee, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Bruce Springsteen, Muse, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Flaming Lips, M. Ward, Booker T. Jones, Morrissey, Neko Case, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Handsome Furs, Dan Deacon, The Decemberists, Girls, Peter, Bjorn and John, Doves, Bat for Lashes, Fruit Bats, Sara Watkins, Wilco, Camera Obscura, Asher Roth, Japandroids, Brendan Benson, Dan Auerbach, Conor Oberst, Akron/Family, White Rabbits, Portugal. the Man, Passion Pit, Dave Matthews Band, The Mars Volta, and Grizzly Bear, The Dirty Projectors and Phoenix, three who rank among the hottest bands of the year.
There were also all types of events, including the kind of stuff you don’t want to hear about; deaths of music legends and breakups of bands. Perhaps the biggest story you’ll hear when you look back on 2009 is the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But so many others in the music industry left this world this year, too many to name, but I’ll just throw a few more names out there: Ron Asheton of The Stooges, Billy Powell or Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Martyn, Estelle Bennett of The Ronettes, Kelly Groucutt of ELO, Ron Stallings of Huey Lewis and the News, Jay Bennett of Wilco, Koko Taylor, DJ AM, Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary, Steve Ferguson of NRBQ, Jerry Fuchs of !!!, Maserati and the Juan Maclean, Vic Chesnutt and James Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold.
Then there were the bands who either broke up or went on a hiatus: Conor Oberst’s Mystic Valley Band disbanded, although you don’t have to worry about Conor never playing music again. The former creator behind Bright Eyes, is currently working with friends Jim James of My Morning Jacket and M. Ward in the supergroup Monsters of Folk. Actress and singer, Juliette Lewis, disbanded her band The Licks, while Live, Oxford Collapse, The Verve and the Violent Femmes all broke up in 2009. Bands who are currently taking a break include Bloc Party, Nine Inch Nails, The Fratellis, The Knife and TV on the Radio, although I’m not too bothered by the Dixie Chicks, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters and P.O.D. taking a break. 2009 also saw a return for some bands: the Beastie Boys released their first album with vocals in five years, Alice in Chains released their first studio album in fourteen years, while the Black Eyed Peas, Blink 182, Depeche Mode, Green Day, Eminem, Rancid and U2 all released their followup albums since the mid-00’s. 2009 also saw the return to the road for jamband warriors like Phish, The Dead and the String Cheese Incident.
I really don’t know what else to put in this, so I’ll just end it. I hope you enjoyed reading about the year in music from my perspective, and I hope your 2009 was as awesome as mine. Here’s to an even better 2010! Cheers!
Top 20 Albums and EP’s of 2009
December 10th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
1. Andrew Bird, Noble Beast
Why It’s My Number One:
Plain and simply, you’ve got to look at how well crafted the songs are, as well as how well they flow together through the album from beginning to end. I’ve been listening to this album all year long (and have not listened to any other 2009 release more than this) and every time I put it on I’m always hearing new sounds I have not heard before. To say that Bird is a master of instrumentation, or his ability to whistle or loop (as well as mastering this in the live setting), to say that he is a master, doesn’t even do him justice. He’s just so much more than that. I don’t quite understand what he’s trying to communicate in these songs in the lyrics, but with so many sounds going on, you just seem to lose focus on what exactly he’s singing about. By far my favorite Andrew Bird release yet…should be very hard to top, but I’ve got faith in him to do just that.
Standout Favorite Track: “Masterswarm”
2. Passion Pit, Manners
Why It’s My Number Two and Not Number One:
I could honestly say nearly all of these albums on this list deserve to be number one, but I guess I based this list on how much I listened to these albums over the course of the year. Like Bird’s Noble Beast, here’s an album that I can simply lose myself in with all of the sounds I’m hearing. I just get lost, lose focus and get taken away to another place and time. This album (and band) are one of the best at the whole “feel-good” thing. One of the very first things any Passion Pit fan will tell you is how their music maybe makes you happy, excited, dance or pumps you up. It’s impossible for me to put on this album and not feel just really amazing and have the biggest smile on my face. I don’t know…I just love how this band and their songs make me feel and it makes me want to dance and jump around all night long (although because I’m much too shy I don’t dance or jump in the way that I’m feeling inside).
Standout Favorite Track: “Moth’s Wings”
3. The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love
Favorite Track: “The Hazards of Love 2″
4. Monsters of Folk, Monsters of Folk
Favorite Track: “Magic Marker”
5. Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid
Favorite Track: “Trouble Weighs a Ton”
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz!
Favorite Track: “Heads Will Roll”
7. Wilco, Wilco (the Album)
Favorite Track: “Bull Black Nova”
8. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Favorite Track: “Two Weeks”
9. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Favorite Track: “Lisztomania”
10. Sara Watkins, Sara Watkins
Favorite Track: “All This Time”
11. Heartless Bastards, The Mountain
Favorite Track: “Witchypoo”
12. Booker T, Potato Hole
Favorite Track: “Pound It Out”
13. The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You
Favorite Track: “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”
14. Ben Harper & the Relentless7, White Lies for Dark Times
Favorite Track: “Fly One Time”
15. Elvis Costello, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
Favorite Track: “I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came”
16. Bon Iver, Blood Bank EP
Favorite Track: “Blood Bank”
17. Umphrey’s McGee, Mantis
Favorite Track: “1348″
18. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Favorite Track: “My Girls”
19. The Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
Favorite Track: “Stillness Is the Move”
20. Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light
Favorite Track: “Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground”
The Rest of My List of the Year’s Best Albums
December 10th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
The Felice Brothers
Yonder Is the Clock
The Fiery Furnaces
I’m Going Away
Take Me Round Again
The Flaming Lips
Embryonic
Florence and the Machine
Lungs
Franz Ferdinand
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Fruit Bats
The Ruminant Band
Girls
Album
Gomez
A New Tide
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
Handsome Furs
Face Control
Harlem Shakes
Technicolor Health
Heartless Bastards
The Mountain
Hockey
Mind Chaos
The Horrors
Primary Colours
Hoots and Hellmoutha
The Holy Open Secret
Iggy Pop
Preliminaires
Imogen Heap
Ellipse
Ingrid Michaelson
Everybody
Iron and Wine
Around the Well
Islands
Vapours
Japandroids
Post-Nothing
Jarvis Cocker
Further Complications
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Jay Reatard
Watch Me Fall
Jet
Shaka Rock
The Juan MacLean
The Future Will Come
Kasabian
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
K’NAAN
Troubadour
Langhorne Slim
Be Set Free
Liam Finn
Champagne In Seashells
Loney, Dear
Dear John
M. Ward
Hold Time
Mastodon
Crack the Skye
The Mars Volta
Octahedron
Manchester Orchestra
Mean Everything to Nothing
Mat Kearney
City of Black & White
Matisyahu
Light
Matt and Kim
Grand
Metric
Fantasies
Micachu and the Shapes
Jewellery
Modest Mouse
No One’s First and You’re Next
Morrissey
Years of Refusal
The Mountain Goats
The Life Of The World To Come
Monsters of Folk
Monsters of Folk
MSTRKRFT
Fist of God
Muse
The Resistance
Mute Math
Armistice
Neil Young
Fork in the Road
Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
Noah and the Whale
The First Days of Spring
Noisettes
Wild Young Hearts
Os Mutantes
Haih Or Amortecedor
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Passion Pit
Manners
Pearl Jam
Backspacer
Pete Yorn
Back and Fourth
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson
Break Up
Peter, Bjorn and John
Living Thing
Phish
Joy
Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
PJ Harvey and John Parish
A Woman a Man Walked By
Portugal. the Man
The Satanic Satanist
Polvo
In Prism
The Prodigy
Invaders Must Die
The Raveonettes
In and Out of Control
Regina Spektor
Far
Riceboy Sleeps
Riceboy Sleeps
Robert Pollard
The Crawling Distance
Röyksopp
Junior
Ryan Bingham
Roadhouse Sun
Sara Watkins
Sara Watkins
Sonic Youth
The Eternal
The Sounds
Crossing the Rubicon
St. Vincent
Actor
Stars of Track and Field
A Time For Lions
Street Sweeper Social Club
Street Sweeper Social Club
Superdrag
Industry Giants
The Swell Season
Strict Joy
Tegan and Sara
Sainthood
Todd Snider
The Excitement Plan
The Tragically Hip
We Are the Same
Umphrey’s McGee
Mantis
Van Morrison
Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl
The Von Bondies
Love, Hate and Then There’s You
White Lies
To Lose My Life
White Rabbits
It’s Frightening
Why?
Eskimo Snow
Wilco
Wilco (the Album)
Will Hoge
The Wreckage
William Elliott Whitmore
Animals in the Dark
Wolfmother
Cosmic Egg
Wye Oak
The Knot
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It’s Blitz
Yim Yames
Tribute To
Yo La Tengo
Popular Songs
Yusuf
Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)
30 Greatest Bands I Saw This Decade
December 6th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
Before you check out my list, I’ll have you know that I still have not yet seen bands like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Morrissey, U2, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, The Flaming Lips, Daft Punk or Kraftwerk, just to name a few…well actually, several…but I’ll throw those into my New Year’s Resolution. Please feel free to share your list or other lists by emailing to nate@brokenmic.com
Top Five
1. Roger Waters
2. Phish
3. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
4. David Byrne
5. Dave Matthews Band
Twenty-Five Unranked Others
The Allman Brothers Band
Arcade Fire
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
The Black Crowes
Bob Weir and RatDog
Buddy Guy
Coldplay
David Gray
The Decemberists
Dr. John
Gov’t Mule
Kings of Leon
My Morning Jacket
Nickel Creek
Oasis
Phil Lesh and Friends
Ray LaMontagne
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
The Shins
String Cheese Incident
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Van Morrison
The White Stripes
Widespread Panic
Wilco
50 Best Bands I Saw in 2009
December 5th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
A.A. Bondy, Bonnaroo
Al Green, Bonnaroo
Andrew Bird, Bonnaroo
Animal Collective, Bonnaroo
Backyard Tire Fire, Sawyer Point/Southgate House/WNKU Studios
Band of Horses, Bonnaroo
Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabate, Bonnaroo
Ben Harper & Relentless7, Bonnaroo
The Black Angels, Southgate House
Bon Iver, Bonnaroo
Booker T & the Drive-By Truckers, Bonnaroo
Brett Dennen, Bonnaroo
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Bonnaroo
Chairlift, Southgate House/Bonnaroo/MidPoint Music Festival
The Daredevil Christopher Wright, MidPoint Music Festival
David Byrne, Bonnaroo
Deer Tick, Southgate House
Delta Spirit, Bonnaroo
Dr. Dog, Mad Hatter
The Do, MidPoint Music Festival
The Duke & the King, Southgate House
The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, MidPoint Music Festival
ekoostik hookah, Hookahville
Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Bonnaroo
The Felice Brothers, Southgate House
Fiction Family, Bonnaroo
Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop of Travis, Southgate House
Gomez, Bonnaroo
Gov’t Mule, Bonnaroo
Handsome Furs, Southgate House
Heartless Bastards, Bonnaroo
Hockey, Bonnaroo
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Southgate House
Jonah Smith, Southgate House
Kings of Leon, PNC Pavilion
MGMT, Bonnaroo
Micachu & the Shapes, MidPoint Music Festival
Mike Farris & the Roseland Rhythm Revue, Bonnaroo
Passion Pit, Bonnaroo
Peter, Bjorn & John, Southgate House
Phish, Bonnaroo/US Bank Arena
The Raveonettes, Southgate House
Sara Watkins, Southgate House
TV on the Radio, Bonnaroo
Umphrey’s McGee, Forecastle Festival
The Wailers, Hookahville
The Walkmen, PNC Pavilion
Wilco, Bonnaroo
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bonnaroo
The Young Republic, MidPoint Music Festival
More of the Year’s Best Albums from A to Z
November 26th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
I’m going to be working a buttload of hours this holiday season, so I thought I’d speed things up by combining a bunch of the year’s best albums into one list.
Brendan Benson
My Old, Familiar Friend
Most likely you’ll recognize Benson from his work with The Raconteurs, but he’s also an accomplished songwriter who plays guitar, bass, keys and drums. He’s worked with a number of other bands like The Mood Elevator, The Waxwings, Ashley Monroe and Cory Chisel. Benson’s latest release dates back to 2007, when he began writing and recording material between Raconteurs albums. A lot of these songs (when they were in their early stages) ended up on Benson’s MySpace page at various times. Tennessee indie-rock band, The Features, back Benson on some of this record. These songs have often been described as ’70s Power Pop, drawing comparisons to bands like Paul McCartney’s Wings, ELO and Cheap Trick.
Bruce Springsteen
Working On A Dream
With nineteen Grammy Awards and more than 120 million albums sold worldwide, the career of the Boss needs no explanation. Songs from his most recent/16th studio album came just in time for both Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration and this past season’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at #1, selling 224,000 copies in its first week. It was the Boss’s ninth number one studio album, tying him with the Rolling Stones; only The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Jay-Z have had more number one albums. Rolling Stone gave it a five star rating, comparing it to his 1975 album, Born to Run, in scale and ambition.
Built to Spill
There Is No Enemy
As one of indie rock’s most influential bands of the early ’90s, Built to Spill has inspired bands like The Ataris, Modest Mouse, The Strokes and Death Cab for Cutie. Their most recent release is their most critically-acclaimed yet, reaching #50 on the US charts.
Not only did Conor’s musical career begin at the age of thirteen, but he also founded the Saddle Creek Records label at that age with his brother Justin. Conor’s most known for his work with Bright Eyes, but has also played with many of Saddle Creek’s bands like Cursive, Commander Venus, The Faint, Desaparecidos, The Magnetas and Park Ave. His most recent album is his fifth, although it is the last album to be credited with his backing band, the Mystic Valley Band. Reviews and ratings of the album all over the place; Rolling Stone gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 while BLARE Magazine gave it four, but Pitchfork gave it a 4.9 out of 10 rating and Sputnikmusic gave it just two stars out of five.
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Why There Are Mountains
One of my ten favorites of the year, maybe even a top five, comes from an artist I previously knew about, but never really spent a lot of time listening to. Auerbach is highly respected in the music world, whether it be what he’s done with The Black Keys, or the number of band’s he has helped produce. I think I was expecting to hear something very similar to the Black Keys, but this album is actually all over the place. Whether it’s the quiet, folkier songs or the loud, bluesy-garage rock, Auerbach has introduced me to a side of him I wasn’t yet aware of.
Dave Matthews Band
Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King
DMB’s latest release is the last album to feature recorded material from their late sax player, LeRoi Moore, who is only featured on a few songs. It’s also the band’s first album in nearly ten years that features Tim Reynolds on lead electric guitar and Jeff Coffin of the Flecktones on sax and flute. Since the passing of Moore and the departure of keyboardist Butch Taylor, it seems as though the band is getting away from that jazz element that made them popular in the early ’90s, even with the help of Rashawn Ross on trumpet. There’s no telling where the band goes after this; does Coffin become a full-time member to help revive those beautiful sax solos ‘Roi was known for, or do they put the focus into Reynolds and his hard rock guitar solos? All I know is that after fifteen years, I’ll continue to stick by them to find out where they go from here.
David Bazan
Curse Your Branches
Death Cab for Cutie
The Open Door EP
The Decemberists
Hazards Of Love
When I first heard the Decemberists’ Crane Wife album (the album that introduced me to this band), I thought to myself that they would never be able to make an album that could top it. And it actually took awhile for me to consider this album up there on that same level. While the album is still growing on me, I think it deserves a best of the year mention, even though I don’t have quite the same feelings as I do for the Crane Wife.
Depeche Mode
Sounds Of The Universe
Devendra Banhart
What Will We Be
The Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca
The Duke and the King
Nothing Gold Can Stay
eels
Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
You’ve probably heard the eels but aren’t quite aware of it. You typically won’t hear them on commercial radio or falling into the mainstream, even though they have had songs featured in a number of films like American Beauty, Holes, The Anniversary Party, Knocked Up, Yes Man, The End of Violence, Hellboy II, Hot Fuzz and Shrek 1-3. Their latest is a concept album about desire, with the band taking on a more straight-forward rock sound rather than mellow, experimental, ambient alt rock they are known for.
Elvis Costello
Secret, Profane And Sugarcane
When you think of Elvis Costello, you probably don’t first think of Americana and country music, rather, you probably think of late ’70s New Wave and punk rock, or songs like “Alison”, “Pump It Up” or “What’s So Funny.” You actually have to do your research to discover that Costello is an avid country fan, which kind of shocked me at first. It’s a sound that he has taken on with his most recent album, and although I was skeptical at first, I have to tell you that these songs are simply brilliant. Costello’s got one of my favorite voices in music, and this album showed me that his voice is amazing with any style of music. While he was backed by Jenny Lewis and her band at this past summer’s Bonnaroo performance, the backing band for the album consists of quite an exceptional cast including T Bone Burnett, Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris and Jim Lauderdale.
Elvis Perkins
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
The son of the late actor Anthony Perkins (Psycho) and late photographer, Berry Berenson. His debut album, Ash Wednesday, was more of a solo effort, dealing with more somber themes and moods (he lost his mother in the 9/11 attacks), while his latest, self-titled disc seems to be more hopeful, as well as a songwriting collaboration with his bandmates, In Dearland.
Seedy Seeds Come Away Big at 2009 CEA’s
November 23rd, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009, Local Music
The 2009 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Show ended not even two hours ago at the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky. Over eighty bands were nominated in twenty different categories, which would ultimately represent the best in local music, as decided by critics, venue owners, radio personnel, fans and many countless others in between.
This year’s show featured standout performances from the Lions Rampant, Mark Utley & Magnolia Mountain, You, You’re Awesome, II Juicy, Small Time Crooks and Brian Olive. The event was hosted by Jen Dalton of Channel 12, and featured other keynote speakers like Dan McCabe of CityBeat Magazine, Jim Tarbell, Aaron Sharpe of WNKU, Marvin Hawkins, Elliot Ruther, and Kelly Thomas of the Rivertown Music Club, who gave a heartfelt speech about the Red McCormack Recording Grant Fund. This year’s recipient of the recording grant was Mark Utley and Magnolia Mountain.
Once again, congratulations to all of those who won, those who were nominated, and even those not nominated. Cincinnati has an exceptional music scene not just because of the talent and diversity, but also because of the continuing support of its devoted fans. You hear about places with strong music communities like New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans and Austin, but I like to think that those places don’t have quite the heart that we have here. There’s no reason Cincinnati can’t be on the same level as those cities. Let’s keep it growing!
2009 CEA Winners
Artist of the Year
Bad Veins
Album of the Year
The Seedy Seeds, Count the Days
New Artist of the Year
You, You’re Awesome
Alternative/Indie
The Seedy Seeds
Bluegrass
Rumpke Mountain Boys
Blues
J. Dorsey Blues Revival
Country
Dallas Moore
Experimental/Electronic
Chick Pimp, Coke Dealer at a Bar
Folk/Americana
The Tillers
Hip Hop
Eclipse
Jazz
Northside Jazz Ensemble
Metal/Hardcore
Beneath the Sky
Punk
The Frankl Project
R&B/Funk
Freekbass
Rock/Hard Rock
Buffalo Killers
Singer/Songwriter
Kim Taylor
World Music
The Pinstripes
Best Musical Ambassador for the City
Heartless Bastards
Best Live Act
The Seedy Seeds
CEA Performers Announced
November 17th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009, Concerts, Local Music
The 13th Annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards takes place this Sunday, November 22, at the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky. The winners will be announced in nineteen categories for awards in the year’s best in local music. Over eighty bands have been nominated for awards. Performing at the show will be Brian Olive, The Lions Rampant, Mark Utley & Magnolia Mountain, You, You’re Awesome, II Juicy and Small Time Crooks. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, and will get you into the afterparty at the Mad Hatter.
Listing the Best Albums of 2009 by Artist from A to Z: Booker T
November 17th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
Released April 21st on ANTI- Records
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Hammond B-3 mastermind, Booker T. Jones, returned this year with his first album in twenty years. The man whose career took off as a teenager after writing “Green Onions”, released Potato Hole, featuring Southern Rock band, the Drive-By Truckers, as his backing band, as well as Neil Young on most of the tracks. Booker T’s organ work, matched up with the Truckers raw, dirty rock makes for some wonderful instrumental jams. Most of the songs on the album are brand new tracks, but there are some covers like OutKast’s “Hey Ya”, Tom Waits “Get Behind the Mule” and the Truckers “Space City.”
Listing the Best Albums of 2009 by Artist from A to Z: Bon Iver
November 16th, 2009
Posted in Best of 2009
Released January 20th on Jagjaguwar Records
![bon_iver[1]](http://www.brokenmic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/bon_iver1.jpg "bon_iver[1]")
I can’t press Justin Vernon and Bon Iver enough. They’re one of my favorite musical discoveries over the past couple years, and they’re simply brilliant on record, and even better live. While most of the songs on their debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, seem to have a somber, wintery feel, the four songs on the Blood Bank EP seem to have a much warmer, positive vibe. The EP entered the Billboard 200 at #16, and peaked on the UK Indie charts at #1.
