Jan
13
2012

Two Headed Dog with Buenos Crotches and The Perfect Children

 

 

In case you didn’t think that the Perfect Children would be a naturally occurring ingredient in a night that combines Two Headed Dog with Buenos Crotches, February 10th is here to show you how wonderfully wrong things can be.

Here to cure you of those empty evenings full of empty glasses, spent longing for members of your favorite bands, the Northside Tavern proudly hosts the debut show of two new ones fronted by some bad ladies who aren’t afraid to rock.

For a spectacle featuring beloved grit rockers from the Sundresses, the Lions Rampant, the Jellyhearts, J. Dorsey Blues Revival, Thee Shams and the Virgins, you won’t want to miss this show, sure to keep the booties bumpin’!

About the Bands

The Perfect Children, a bluesy, dirty country trio featuring Mike Reeder of the Mudpies on bass and RX-2′s Adam Shelton on drums, is led by natural-born soul singer, Kristen “KK” Kreft (formerly of the J. Dorsey Blues Revival), whose sweet and sassy voice channels both Nina Simone and Etta James.

Buenos Crotches is a sleazy Western/garage rock band led by Reba Con Queso of the Jellyhearts, and features Makenzie from the Sundresses on bass and Frontier Folk Nebraska’s Nate Wagner on drums.

In keeping with the spirit of the night, Two Headed Dog, a gritty and grimey psychedelic blues band features an all-star cast of singer Victor Valentino, Ross Dolan (the Virgins, White Girls, Leopard Messiah), Chad Hardwick and Keith Fox (Thee Shams).

When: February 10, 2012
Where: Northside Tavern
Location: 4163 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio
Price: Free, Ages 21+
Time: 10 pm

Jan
09
2012

Double Dose of Coachella 2012

 

The outdoor music festival season doesn’t begin for a few more months, but fest-heads who have been locked up all winter (or lack there of here in Cincinnati) received a glimmer of sunshine today with the announcement of the Coachella lineup.

I’ve never made it out to California for this massive festival, because, well I’m in Cincinnati and my heart belongs to a festival much closer to me like Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Festival, but if this lineup is any indication, the three other festivals of “The Big Four” – Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits – will have some serious work cut out for them to compete with the heavy hitters Coachella 2012 is bringing in.

My only concern is that I don’t understand what exactly Coachella is doing this year. I was aware that they would be holding two festivals on back-to-back weekends this year, but from a marketing stand point, I don’t understand why they are having the very same bands play on both weekends.

Take a look at the lineup below.

Jan
09
2012

Winter Blues Fest Moves to Over-the-Rhine

 

On February 10th and 11th, 2012, the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati will be rocking with more than 25 local blues bands. The Cincy Blues Society’s Winter Blues Fest celebrates over two decades of supporting the Blues with the same great music, but a new location. The annual festival showcases the best local and regional Blues musicians for two nights, from 7 pm to 1 am.

New Location

The Southgate House in Newport, KY, was the home of the Winter Blues Fest for the past few years, but after they announced its closing in early December 2011, coordinators scouted the area for a new location. “Because we have bands playing on multiple stages simultaneously, we needed to find a venue that would provide the high-quality sound that our bands are used to, as well as keep the sound of the bands from overlapping each other,” said Mark Bubash, festival coordinator. “The ideal venue turned out to be four venues: The Drinkey, Below Zero, the former Rhythm & Blues Cafe, and the former Harry’s Pizza location in Over-the-Rhine. We visited a lot of places that had pros and cons, but in the end, this was the best fit for our needs.”

The former Harry’s Pizza location (1207 Main Street) will be a free, all-ages venue, with special performances by Cincy Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools (BITS) Band, as well as other blues artists. “This event is the primary fundraiser for the BITS program, and we’re happy to be able to provide a dedicated stage to highlight the talent and hard work of the students in the program,” says Bubash. “By keeping the blues alive through these young musicians, we’re helping to inspire future blues performers and fans.”

Great Local Lineup With Special Touring Acts

More than 25 local and regional blues bands will perform over two nights. A special feature this year is Friday night’s Ladies Night – The Drinkery stage will feature bands that are all fronted by women. Headlining Friday’s Ladies Night is internationally touring artist Kelly Richey. Nashville musician RB Stone headlines on Saturday, bringing a unique Americana blues sound to the stage, backed by local artists, the Cincy Blues All-Stars.

Buy Tickets Online

Advance tickets are now available for purchase online at Brown Paper Tickets for $15 (plus a $1.52 service fee per ticket). On each day of the show, tickets at the door will be $15 for Cincy Blues Society members, and $25 for the general public.

More information is available on Cincy Blues Fest’s website here.

Jan
05
2012

Bonnaroo Lineup Clues Are Back

 

Years ago a radio DJ down in Tennessee decided to make some fun out of announcing the Bonnaroo lineup. DJ JD, as he was known, would offer up riddles, rhymes and other mind bogglers through the online Radio Bonnaroo and also through his Twitter account.

That time of year has come again, with the first clue being revealed today. Currently, a fictional character named Gary Chardonnay is giving out the clues. Follow whoever he is on Twitter right here.

Let’s get right to it.

Clue #1
“Good or evil? Canton-bound. Ascension linked to versions of the Sabbath.”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. No NFL. No Hall of Fame. No football at all.
2. The second part of the clue has something to do with Black Sabbath or any relation to a song.
3. The artist in question has gained some notoriety from a Black Sabbath cover.

Answer
Mogwai

************************************************************************************

Clue #2
“A name amongst the titans. What’s your favorite flavor?”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. Refers to a flavored food that can be chewy or crunchy and is often used on certain types of Mexican foods.

Answer
Battles

************************************************************************************

Clue #3
“The original simpleton, mispell the mini-liar.”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. “Man” is not the original simpleton.
2. “Mini-liar” is not a fibber, nor is it someone who lies about being mini. It also not an anagram suggesting a play on words.
3. The simpleton is avian.

************************************************************************************

Clue #4
“Trained: a cloth sack state of mind. Savor the queen’s delight.”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. Has nothing to do with the plant “Queen’s Delight.”
2. “Trained” refers to actual trains.
3. “Queen” is lower-case for a reason and refers to bees. Her “delight” is honey.
4. A cloth sack state of mind refers to someone who trained their mind/is Buddhist.

Answer
Fruit Bats

************************************************************************************

Clue #5
“Push in the IV. Follow the vowels to the coming of age.”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. IV stands for the number four.

************************************************************************************

Clue #6
“I am that I am, a performing cadaver. Look to the eye of the storm.”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. Does not have “dead” in the artist name/title or whatever you’re going to call him/her.

************************************************************************************

Clue #7
Offerings from the garden; “I think you’re God.”

Hints from Gary Chardonnay
1. The garden offerings are not apples.

************************************************************************************

Stay tuned right here for all the latest clues on the lineup for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music Festival, and be sure to make your way over to Inforoo right here where everyone is discussing the clues.

New to Bonnaroo clues? Have a look at my coverage of last year’s clues right here.

And for those of you who would like to relive Bonnaroo 2011, feel free to check out my final review right here.

Jan
01
2012

Southgate House Says Goodbye to the Past, Hello to the Future

The sign out front for the final two nights of operation


Another era for the Southgate House has come to a close. In a few words, a musical era led by the ideals of one man and his daughter. That man, Ross Raleigh, purchased this luxurious mansion in 1976, first opening it as a Country/Western bar called Mom’s Opry. Although it only lasted two years in that regard, Raleigh thought the building had potential and is convinced that it may not be here today had he shut down for good.

Since 1981, Raleigh has continually run the Southgate House as a home (not in the literal sense) to a wide array of Cincinnati-based bands but also as a host to more modern day stars like the White Stripes, the Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire and Guided By Voices, who all graced the stage before they became “the next big thing.” With the help of family like daughter Morella and son Kevin, as well as many others that have come and gone, Raleigh’s initiative was embraced by the thousands, or maybe even the tens of thousands that have walked through the doors in that time.

It is inside these walls where Senator Richard Southgate raised his family, though it existed only as a two-room log cabin in the late 1700′s. It is said that the original mansion structure of the building was constructed sometime between 1812 and 1821 by British prisoners from the War of 1812, who were held captive at the Newport Barracks down the road.

It is the birth place of “Tommy Gun” inventor General John Thompson (the great grandson of Southgate), and where presidents like Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant once visited. For much of the 20th century, the Southgate House served as a home to the Campbell County chapter of the Knights of Columbus, who built the ballroom in 1923. In the 1950′s the ballroom served as somewhat of a dancehall, but generally, just a social gathering place for local big wigs.

But for most of us it has served as a music venue where all of us have created a lifetime of memories over the last few decades. Whether you were just an occasional visitor, an artist performing in any of its three rooms, or an employee busting their ass behind the bar mixing drinks or checking ID’s for hours on end in front of the door on many a cold winter night. Together our memories could fill universes, and most us probably feel our lives wouldn’t be the same without a place like the Southgate House. I, for one, know mine wouldn’t be.

One of the very first things I can still visually remember about the Southgate House was the very first CincyPunk Festival held here, in January 2005. I was 23 going on 24 years old at the time, and probably older than most the first time they stepped foot inside the building. I’d love nothing more than to be able and go back in time so I could start attending shows at this place at a younger age, but it’s not like we can change the past.

For those of you that don’t know, CincyPunk Fest was born out of a online messageboard called CincyPunk.org that my brother Adam and his friend Zach Zimmerman created in 2002. The festival has continually been a part of the Southgate House since 2008.

I’ll never forget the the image or the feeling as I walked through the double doors of the ballroom that night. Fans were lined from wall to wall, and I couldn’t help but feel proud that my younger brother played such a vital role in what was happening. In fact, that messageboard and that festival are the reason why I even created this music blog in the first place. Going back to that night, I think I even felt a bit of shock because I didn’t really know that such a supportive group of passionate music fans had existed here in my town.

The CincyPunk Festival is fortunate to have found a home in the Southgate House, as am I. For many of us, the Southgate House has become a home and the staff, a family. It really isn’t like any other place that I know of because it’s not just about going to see a show and then being asked to leave because there’s no reason for you to be there. You immediately feel welcome because the staff aren’t just employees working for tips and a paycheck. Given time, they become your friends and they are genuinely concerned with your well being. I like to think that most of us can probably see and feel that the minute we walk through the doors or sit down at the bar.

I owe so much to both my brother and the Southgate House for introducing me to the Cincinnati music scene. For many years, I knew the cover band scene existed here but I was just never into that sort of thing. I knew of hot spots like Caddy’s, Short Vine, the Barrelhouse, Kaldi’s and maybe a few others, but for whatever reasons, whether I was just too young, wasn’t into the styles of music or whatever the case was, I never got to experience such places and things. That is exactly why I’ve managed to see roughly an average of 200 bands or so per year over the past several years, many at the Southgate House. I’m trying to make up for lost time.

My first real taste of the original local music scene came about in the mid-to-late 90′s because of two bands at my school, Covington Catholic High School. There was Fizzgig, lead by Evan Brass who was a year ahead of me, and some punk band that included Pete Dressman, though I can’t remember the band’s name.

Unfortunately I didn’t really start venturing out on my own and exploring the local music scene until about 2001 or 2002, though I wasn’t really a regular at the Southgate House until about 2004-2005. My earliest memories during the early 00′s include watching Ashley Peacock perform at Reality Tuesday Cafe (which is located almost right next to my old high school) and the Ryan Adcock Band, who I discovered while browsing through the local section at the Phil’s Records located just off Alexandria Pike.

I believe the first time I saw Ryan and his band perform – which at least for the night included Kim Taylor on backing vocals – was at York St. Cafe for a Christmas show. I’ll never forget the vocal chemistry between Ryan and Kim that sent chills down my spine when they covered my favorite Christmas songs, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Little Drummer Boy.”

But it was really my brother and the Southgate House that opened me to the plethora of bands and to the diversity of music that we have here in Cincinnati. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would’ve become interested in all the types of bands the Southgate House has brought in over the years, such as bluegrass, swing and psychobilly to name a few, but it makes it all the more special that my musical growth really took place inside this building. And I think that’s what hurts me the most about the owners making the move.

I could spend all day reminiscing about the Southgate House, trying to piece together a list of all the shows I’ve seen there over the past seven years, but some of the fondest memories I’ll take with me are actually not the shows themselves.

Aside from the countless conversations with staff and patrons, some of the more “cool” moments I’ve had here include interviewing Bill Elder of the Dynamites and Nashville songwriter Jason White, hanging out with Jesse Malin in the lounge during karaoke after his show in the ballroom, and helping Simone Felice (formerly of the Felice Brothers) carry out his equipment and talking to him and his band, The Duke and the King, out in the alley for about fifteen minutes after their show.

But just as one door closes another one opens. It’s not so much a closing of the Southgate House as it is a relocation.

I know for most of you reading that it’s probably hard to imagine a future without whatever it was about this place that made it so special for you. Surely everyone has a story to tell about the Southgate House.

But it doesn’t end here at 24 East Third Street, the only thing changing is the building. That spirit and energy that each and every one of us brought to “our place” will surely carry over to the new location. For years I’ve felt that Cincinnati is one of the best, strongest and most passionate music communities in the world, but I’ve never quite seen the support that I’ve seen during a time like this.

I’m sure many of you know Margaret Darling of the Seedy Seeds. Earlier this month she contributed a wonderful piece to the Each Note Secure music blog, and I think there is no better written sentiment covering the subject of the Southgate House. It’s touching and it’s honest and it’s courageous, especially given her place in all of this. I just wanted to share a sample from it:

“The Southgate House is an amalgamation of a number of elements. It is the brand and the business model, the people who run it and those employed by them, the musicians who come through, the patrons who attend its events and the community that supports it. We should trust that these same people will now, with every bit of their energy and all of their resources, do whatever it takes to make the new location as amazing if not even more so than its present home. Change is something we are confronted with in life, sometimes when we really could use consistency instead. What if, especially because it is happening whether we like it or not, we right now conceive of this change as full of possibility? I think we are evolved enough that we can hold something to be forever sacred as it was even while we embrace a new chapter. Furthermore, isn’t it exciting that we get to be a part of the next phase from the very beginning? Not everything is permanent, and it is because of this that our past experiences at the Southgate House can be more valuable as memories than projected upon our yet unvisited futures.” – Margaret Darling

Artist Recollections of the Southgate House

“Earlier this week, the Historic Southgate House in Newport, KY announced it will be closing its doors and handing over the ownership at the end of the year. This was a shock to everyone in the music community as it played a huge roll for all music fans alike. Some of us got our start there, some of us have worked there but almost everyone has at least one fond memory that occurred there. Mine are to many to count, even the ridiculous load-ins up and down the stairs to the parlour had some funny moments. I think what makes this difficult is the abruptness of the closing. Some places just fade away, change owners, staff, even music styles. This place, though, for the past 30 years, is what I would consider the CBGB’s of our town. They accepted all kinds of music and gave everyone a chance. From the sound guys, the bartenders and the staff (past and present), they have endured countless hours of artists perfecting their craft, night after night. That is what seperates the Southgate House from any other venue. They didn’t cater to a particular crowd, scene or style of music which often is the death of so many venues. To me that is why it has stood the test of time. Of course, a building is just a building unless its occupants invite you in and make you feel at home. Which, to me, is what the Southgate House did so well. There are places that make you feel like you walked in on a private social gathering or just threw vibes that you just didn’t belong. The people over the past 30 years (past and present employees alike) have made what it had become. Even if it was made out of straw, had dirt floors and a single light bulb, it would still receive the recognition that it does. Not because its a 200 year old building but how the business model ran for so many years. To the Jockey Club, Shorty’s, Sudsy’s, Ripley’s, Top Cat’s, the MadHatter and the Southgate House (the latter two being the most recent) just to name a few…your time and effort bring people together and give musicians a chance to perfect their craft is always truly appreciated. The time it takes to run a business, manage a staff and maintain a building goes beyond just practicing one or two days a week to prepare for a 35 minute set. That is what I thank you for the most. Best of luck and we’ll see you soon!” – Knife the Symphony

“The Southgate House hosted the Grasshopper Juice Records label launch party, various album releases that we’ve put together (The Harlequins, Wonky Tonk, Chick Pimp, Fidel Catastrophe), and many of our fundraisers, including our annual Adjust Your Eyes Festival. The support they have shown our label, and the Cincinnati music scene as a whole, will echo through this city for many years to come. I wish every venue was more like the Southgate House.” - Nick Mitchell

Stay tuned for more artist, patron and staff recollections of the Southgate House, as well as all the latest info on the new location.

Dec
22
2011

We Want to Hear Your Southgate House Stories

 

Got a story you’d like to share about the Southgate House? Maybe you’re in a band and want to share what this one-of-a-kind venue has meant to you as an artist, or maybe you have a story about something crazy that happened backstage in the Green Room that no one else knows about. Maybe you’re just a fan and want to tell us about your favorite memories.

Send your story to nate@brokenmic.com.

At the beginning of 2012 I’ll be launching one big article that will act as an archive featuring stories from all kinds of bands, patrons and staff members.

Dec
21
2011

Best of 2011: Live Performances

 

The month of December for music bloggers means making lists of your favorite things that happened in said year. Now I can’t make every single show I’d like to see, but then again, who can?

I missed a lot of great things this year in Cincinnati, from Paul McCartney and the National to Guided By Voices and My Morning Jacket, but I’ve also seen some really incredible mind-blowing performances from some of music’s biggest legends and the hottest new bands today. In no way do I claim these to be the best concerts of the year, but they were the best of what I saw in 2011.

You’ll notice that a lot of these shows took place at festivals such as Bonnaroo and MidPoint, and I think that’s probably because the festival experience is just so much different than going to see one band and going home afterwards. Rather than get into detail about all of these shows, please check out the links below for my reviews of Bonnaroo and MidPoint.

Bonnaroo Review

MidPoint Day One, Day Two, Day Three

What were your favorite shows of 2011? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at nate@brokenmic.com

BrokenMic.com’s Top 10 Live Performances of 2011 (in alphabetical order)

The Album Leaf
MidPoint Music Festival
Cincinnati, OH

 

(photo credit: Jim Wilson, New York Times)

Buffalo Springfield
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Manchester, TN

 

 

(artwork by Tom Bolton)

CincyPunk Fest 10
Southgate House
Newport, KY

This one is a little out of the ordinary for a list focusing purely on performances from bands, but there was no way I wasn’t going include the CincyPunk Fest on this list. I’m a little partial to this festival because, well my brother started the festival, but this past year he handed over the duties to me.

For years I dreamt of putting together my own kind of music event, and now with the CincyPunk Fest in my hands, that dream has become fulfilled. The two-day festival was once again held at Newport, KY’s Historic Southgate House in April, with nearly 40 Cincinnati-based bands (from all genres) on the bill. Attendance was a little lighter than I had hoped, but with the music community’s continuing support we were able to raise the most amount of money for a single event yet. We split $8,000 between of couple of local charities and organizations (Save Our Shelter Dogs, Necco) and the Japan Tsunami Relief Fund. Since 2005, the CincyPunk Fest has now raised $40,000 for a number of charities and organizations.

With the Southgate House closing at the end of the month, I wanted to let everyone know that we will be continuing the CincyPunk Festival with the current owners and wherever they decide to open their new location. An exact date for the festival has yet to be determined, though we are looking at expanding the festival to three days.

 

(photo credit: Mark Byron)

The Decemberists with The Head & the Heart
PNC Pavilion
Cincinnati, OH

Check out my review of this show right here.

 

(photo credit: Tatyahna Cameron, The Owl Mag)

Explosions in the Sky
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Manchester, TN

 

Face to Face
Madison Theater
Covington, KY

 Check out my review of this show right here.

(photo credit: Anika Mottershaw)

The Low Anthem
MidPoint Music Festival
Cincinnati, OH

 

Mumford & Sons
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Manchester, TN

 

(photo credit: Amy Hartman)

Ólafur Arnalds
Southgate House
Newport, KY

 Check out my review of this show right here.

(photo credit: Chuck Madden)

Robert Plant & the Band of Joy
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Manchester, TN

 

Honorable Mentions

*Arcade Fire – Bonnaroo Music Festival – Manchester, TN

*Booker T. Jones – MidPoint Music Festival – Cincinnati, OH

*The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker – Southgate House – Newport, KY
Check out a show review and my interview with Dynamites founder and lead guitarist Bill Elder right here

*Eminem – Bonnaroo Music Festival – Manchester, TN

*Guitar Masters Tour featuring Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour and Stephen Bennett – Southgate House – Newport, KY
Check out my interview with Andy McKee right here

*Jason White – Southgate House – Newport, KY
Check out my interview with Jason White right here

*Jesse Malin & the St. Marks Social with Alone at 3am – Southgate House – Newport, KY
Check out my review of this show right here

*The Joy Formidable – MidPoint Music Festival – Cincinnati, OH

*My Morning Jacket – Bonnaroo Music Festival – Manchester, TN

*Robert Earl Keen with Josh Eagle & the Harvest City – Madison Theater – Covington, KY
Check out my review of this show right here

*Walk the Moon – Bonnaroo Music Festival – Manchester, TN

*Wanda Jackson – Southgate House – Newport, KY
Check out my review of this show right here

Dec
07
2011

One from the Vault: Ryan Adcock’s From Silence and Joy

 

 

Most CD reviews you see nowadays have to do with the latest releases. You rarely see any music blogs talking about albums from the past. I haven’t done a whole lot of album reviewing here on BrokenMic, be it old or new releases, and that’s something I’m working to change.

Not that I wanted to steal the phrase “One from the Vault” from the Grateful Dead – I don’t believe there’s any copyrights with that – but this is a series where I go back into my vault, or collection rather, to share with you some of the albums that just mean a lot to me.

It’s only appropriate that I begin with Ryan Adcock’s From Silence and Joy.

This album was released back in 2002, and it was one of the first, if not the very first music from a Cincinnati-based artist that I owned. I had heard a little bit about the Ryan Adcock Band through write-ups in CityBeat and seeing them listed on concert calenders, but it was at the old Phil’s Records off of Alexandria Pike where I came across Ryan’s music while browsing through the local bin. You can still purchase the album here but I encourage you to first check local record shops like Shake It, Everybody’s Records or Mole’s.

If my memory serves me well, I actually started off by purchasing his three previous albums, titled “Making Friends for an Afterlife”, “I Hope…” and “Like Orville Stared at Air” before I got my hands on “From Silence and Joy.”

This album is the first not credited to the Ryan Adcock Band, though the album is anything but a solo record. Produced by Brian Lovely, it features an all-star cast of area musicians like Ricky Nye (piano, organ), Bob Nyswonger (bass), Paul Patterson (mandolin, violin) and Greg Mahan (guitar, banjo). Kim Taylor, Chris Collier and Ashley Peacock provide backing vocals, while Chris Arduser, Teddy Wilburn and Kenny Bowman split the duties of drums and percussion. Bowman was the former drummer in Adcock’s band.

With everything surrounding the Southgate House lately, I’ve been spending some late nights lying awake in bed thinking about how I was really introduced to the local music scene at that venue, and how my tastes have really evolved because of it. I didn’t discover Ryan through the Southgate House, in fact I’ve never even seen him perform there, but being one of the first local acts that I was really into, I have a strong, deep connection to his music, especially this particular album.

My grandfather had passed away from leukemia a few weeks before this album was released, maybe a month, and I sometimes like to think that the timing of it all was fate. I don’t want to say that Ryan makes Christian rock because everyone seems to be turned off by that phrasing, but his music definitely deals with certain aspects of spirituality and faith.

I was born and raised Catholic, went to Catholic schools my whole life, and while I don’t regularly attend mass or consider myself to be a fan of organized religion, I am still a spiritual person. I didn’t want to get too involved in this topic because it’s really not the place for it, but I felt that you should know at least a little bit about my religious background.

At the time when this record came out I was definitely into the kind of acoustic, folk-rock thing, as some of my favorite artists were Dave Matthews, Ben Harper and David Gray. Musically, Ryan has always had some very similar elements as the aforementioned, not just in song structures, the way he plays guitar or even how he sometimes improvises during a show, but something as simple as the way he uses his voice.

I know most artists claim to sing from the heart, and I won’t deny their claim, but Ryan has always been one to really make you feel that. The music on this album is exceptional, as you’d come to expect from its supporting cast. Upbeat acoustic rock songs that are never overbearing, and full of small intricate parts of slick guitars, humming organ, plucking banjo, simple drum beats, angelic backing vocals and even horns.

The strongest points of the record, which I so often overlook, are the lyrics and the messages behind them. Seeing that I was dealing with a death in the family, it was very reassuring to hear someone else take exactly what I was feeling and put into words in a way I could understand.

While the album as a whole really helped me get through this time in my life, I have to thank Ryan for penning lyrics like “I hope I bring you hope”, “I will be here with you” and “Shake the hands of my grandpa if you see him, my hands are just his with a little less age.”

Dec
05
2011

Merry Christmas From Shiny & the Spoon

 

Christmas has come early this year by way of Cincinnati’s own Shiny & the Spoon. Amber Nash and Jordan Neff (both formerly of Magnolia Mountain) initially formed as an acoustic folk duo a couple years back. In 2011 the band became a quartet with the additions of Pete Brown on upright bass and Matt Frazer on drums.

Music is the gift that keeps on giving, and the band is saying thanks to their friends and fans with a five-song EP, entitled Sing the Season. It is Shiny & the Spoon’s first recording as a quartet and features three traditional Christmas songs (“Silent Night”, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and “O Christmas Tree”) and two originals called “Buried” and “Candy Cane.” Grab a free download right now of “Candy Cane” right here.

On December 11th, Shiny & the Spoon will be performing at MOTR Pub with Channing & Quinn, and they will be giving away 30 physical copies of the EP with handmade cases. The following day, the EP will be available for download on the band’s Bandcamp site.

And don’t forget to check out Shiny & the Spoon one last time at 24 East Third Street (otherwise known as the Southgate House) on Saturday, December 17th as a part of For Algernon’s Christmas Party.

Dec
01
2011

Best Albums of 2011

2011 isn’t quite over just yet, but I’m already set on what I feel are the best albums of the year – at least as far as my top picks go. Rather than attempt to rank albums 1-50 or 1-100 or even 1-25 like you’ll find most everyone else doing, I thought I’d just share some thoughts on my top five.

Album of the Year

Artist: Bon Iver
Album: Bon Iver

In May 2011, a month before its scheduled release, a mishap over at iTunes caused Bon Iver’s second album to leak early. I happened to find the album in my possession soon thereafter, and even upon first listen, I was certain the album would finish the year at #1 on my list.

Having been a fan of Bon Iver pretty much since the beginning, I already knew that this was a band that truly had something special going on. The band’s front man, Justin Vernon (pictured above), is simply a genius in my eyes and does wonders for the ears with his signature falsetto voice. The sound alone will bring you to your knees as you suffer from heartache and rejoice with joy both at the same time, even though you can’t really make out exactly what he is saying or singing about.

Vernon enlisted a stellar cast for the band’s sophomore self-titled effort. In addition to full-time members Mike Noyce, Sean Carey and Matt McCaughan, other contributors to the album are probably unfamiliar to most. Colin Stetson is a world renouned saxphonist that has toured as a member of both Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre, while pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz has recorded with numerous musicians from Dave Alvin and Bill Frisell to Bad Religion and the Smashing Pumpkins. And then there’s Jim Schoenecker of Vernon’s side project Volcano Choir, synth player Tom Wincek, arranger Rob Moore, saxophonist Michael Lewis and trumpeteer Carmen Caerieri.

Unlike the band’s 2008 breakthrough debut album For Emma, Forever Ago, which was more or less a collection of melancholic, wintery campfire-inspired acoustic songs, the new album is so intricate and heavily textured that Bon Iver might be the last band you thought you were listening to had these songs been completely instrumental.

Not a single Bon Iver fan could have predicted what was to come after For Emma and even the Blood Bank EP, and now that Vernon and company have gone to extreme new heights, we can only bask in the glory that is this album. The bar has been set so high this time around, one can only wonder just how they will continue to top themselves.

Unlike Vernon who sings in “Holocene” that he is “not magnificent”, I have to say that this album certainly is.

Don’t be surprised at all when you see this album landing near or at the top of pretty much every list for 2011′s Best Albums. Afterall, it did peak in the Top 10 of 14 seperate charts from around the world, as well as having earned the band several Grammy nominations for “Record of the Year”, “Song of the Year”, “Best New Artist” and “Best Alternative Album”, in which they were placed alongside My Morning Jacket.

Check out this breathtaking live performance of the album’s closing track, “Beth/Rest”, which also happens to be one of my favorite songs of the year.

Number Two – Best Albums of 2011

Artist: Dawes
Album: Nothing Is Wrong

Two years ago Los Angeles roots rock band Dawes made their mark in the world with their stunning debut North Hills, an album with a sound somewhere between The Band and Jackson Browne. This year they have continued to impress even themselves with Nothing Is Wrong, which I believe is one of the strongest releases of the year both musically and lyrically.

Front man Taylor Goldsmith (who sounds an awfully lot like Browne) is just as much a poet as major Romantic Age players William Blake and Lord Byron. If there’s a general theme to be found on Nothing Is Wrong it would be Goldsmith’s bouts with love and spending much of his time on the road. I know, I know. Typical subject matter for yet another rock band. Hear me out.

Over the course of the album you can see Goldsmith battling the loneliness being on the road brings while coming to terms with and accepting or understanding what matters the most in love.

In the opening song “Time Spent in Los Angeles”, Goldsmith sings “These days my friends don’t seem to know me without my suitcase in my hand, I used to think someone would love me for the places I have been”, while younger brother Griffin sings about how far the band has come in a different song, ironically called “How Far We’ve Come.”

Though the subject matter may be overplayed, the guitar licks and multi-part harmonies (which include Browne on “Fire Away”) make the lyrics all the more better, such as “The only time I am lonely is when others are around” and  ”I learned that love is not as simple as I thought.”

While Nothing Is Wrong is basically an extension of the sound on North Hills, the difference here is time and experience. Goldsmith and his counterparts – his brother and drummer Griffin, bassist Wylie Gelber and keyboardist Tay Straithairn – have been seasoned to perfection as a unit.

Like the title “Nothing is Wrong”, there is nothing wrong with Dawes. Everything is oh so right on this album

Number Three – Best Albums of 2011

Artist: My Morning Jacket
Album: Circuital

Despite the fact that this is probably My Morning Jacket’s most inconsistent album to date, it is actually their most commercially successful, as is every single album that has landed on my Top 5 list. But’s that not to say that I’m basing my choices off of only what is selling well.

The Jacket, as they’re known, have never really stayed the same band for too long, which can be a pretty good thing if you can pull it off, can continue to be successful and if you’re fans are willing to stick by your side. Luckily for this Louisville fearsome fivesome they have become one of America’s biggest rock and roll bands of the 21st century.

On Circuital they dive further into the weird and unknown while staying connected to their roots, which is reflected in front man Jim James’ lyrics. A song like “Outta My System” is said to be about a man’s reflection on his reckless youth, while “Holdin On To Black Metal” is about holding onto something that you loved as a child to cope with aging.

Some of the songs will remind you of a lost era between the makings of 2003′s It Still Moves and 2005′s Z, while others are just the next step for this ever-changing band. Then there’s a song like “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)”, a somber-yet-hopeful acoustic ballad that sends chills down your spine when your hear James’ voice accompanied with orchestral strings and pedal steel guitar peppered throughout.

While “circuital” may come from its root word “circuit”, a movement taking you back to the same place from which you started, My Morning Jacket doesn’t seem to be running around in circles because they’re not doing the same thing over and over again. Perhaps the true meaning in all this imagery deals more with the band members as human beings as opposed to artists.

Number Four – Best Albums of 2011

Artist: The Low Anthem
Album: Smart Flesh

I have yet to see or hear another band on the planet quite like the Low Anthem.

For Smart Flesh, they recorded about 30 songs during the colder season while living in an abandoned pasta factory in Rhode Island for three months. Front man Ben Knox Miller will tell you that their main instrument is whichever room they are recording or playing in at the time, and that the band is more concerned with the craft of music making rather than the perception of it.

Whereas a multitude of over 30 instruments were experimented with on their last effort Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, the band cut back a bit this time around, mastering fewer instruments and learning how noises faded between the metal and wooden walls in the factory, which by the way, never got above 50 degrees even when the heating was on.

The album opens with the slow-burning, Tom Waits-like “Ghost Woman Blues”, before going into the crooning of “Apothecary Love.” All around the album continues with this mellow spookiness but songs like “Hey, All You Hippies!” and the 9/11 retrospective “Boeing 737″ will jump start your heart with blasting horns and pounding drums.

Smart Flesh is a powerful delicacy full of haunting tales about redemption and death, and if you listen close enough, you can almost feel yourself freezing alone at night in this factory while spirits play these songs through an old time radio when you least expect it. Kinda like that scene in the John Cusack movie 1408.

The Low Anthem are a band that requires attentive listening and they are an absolute must-see in concert because after hearing a band or album like this, you have to witness the beauty and magic unfolding in front of your eyes.

I was fortunate to see them two times in 2011 – the Bonnaroo Music Festival and Cincinnati’s MidPoint Music Festival – and it is because of those two shows that the Low Anthem have surprised me with a spot so high on this list.

Number Five – Best Albums of 2011

Artist: The Decemberists
Album: The King Is Dead

For most of their career, the Decemberists have been making concept albums centered around the poetic tales written by front man Colin Meloy. 2009′s The Hazards of Love was a love story with an experimental, progressive rock edge, while 2006′s The Crane Wife, which was centered around Japanese folklore, was at times folkie and other times dancey.

On their latest, The King Is Dead, Meloy chose modern American country and folk music as his inspiration. A lot of these songs recall Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, though Meloy has stated that R.E.M. remains the major influence. Ironically, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck appears on the album, as does David Rawlings and Gillian Welch.

You’ll find some of the songs just don’t feel to go along with the others, however, they find a way to make them work. The most noticeably of these are the final two closing tracks. “This Is Why We Fight” is an upbeat rocker, while “Dear Avery” could have found a place on their previous recording. Even “Rox in the Box” could have found a home in the band’s back catalogue with the accordion playing of Jenny Conlee, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May. In October, Conlee went into remission.

Nevertheless, the Decemberists decision to explore unchartered waters was a wise one at that. Just twelve days after its release, the album landed at #1 on the Billboard 200. More recently the band was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Rock Song” for “Down By The Water”, the Neil Young-esque single from the album.

Honorable Mentions

Ben Sollee – Inclusions
Booker T. Jones – The Road From Memphis
Brian Olive – Two of Everything
Chamberlin – Bitter Blood
Daniel Martin Moore – In the Cool of the Day
Deer Tick – Divine Providence
Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
The Guitars – High Action
The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
Jessica Lea Mayfield – Tell Me
Josh Eagle & the Harvest City – A Good One Is Hard To Find
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
Kelly Thomas & the Fabulous Pickups – Fly
Middle Brother – Middle Brother
Robert Ellis – Photographs
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
The Seedy Seeds – Verb Noun
Shiny and the Spoon – Ferris Wheel
Shoot Out the Lights – Shoot Out the Lights
The Tammy WhyNots – Meet the Tammy WhyNots
Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose
Tom Waits – Bad As Me
U.S. Royalty – Mirrors
Walk the Moon – I Want! I Want!
Warren Haynes – Man In Motion
Washed Out – Within and Without
Wilco – The Whole Love
Will Hoge – Number Seven

Recommendations

The Airborne Toxic Event – All At Once
Alexander – Alexander
Alexi Murdoch – Towards the Sun
Amos Lee – Mission Bell
An Horse – Walls
The Antlers – Burst Apart
Asobi Seksu – Fluorescence
Aunt Martha – Bloodshot EP
Beirut – The Rip Tide
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones – Rocket Science
Belle Histoire – Spirits EP
Ben Harper – Give Till It’s Gone
Ben Lee – Deeper Into Dream
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Scandalous
Bootsy Collins – The Funk Capitol of the World
Braids – Native Speaker
Brett Dennen – Loverboy
Bright Eyes – The People’s Key
Bruce Hornsby – Bride of the Noisemakers
Buffalo Killers – 3
Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now
Caspian – The Four Trees
Cass McCombs – Humor Risk
The Chain Gang of 1974 – Wayward Fire
The Chocolate Horse – Beasts
City and Colour – Little Hell
Cloud Nothings – Cloud Nothings
Cold Cave – Cherish the Light Years
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Cults – Cults
Cut Copy – Zonoscope
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s A Corporate World
Daniel Knox – Evryman For Himself
Deas Vail – Birds & Cages
The Del McCoury Band with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band – American Legacies
DeVotchKa – 100 Lovers
The Dodos – No Color
Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots
The Drums – Portamento
The Dukes Are Dead – The Shot Heard Round the World
Ezra Furman & the Harpoons – Mysterious Power
Face to Face – Laugh Now, Laugh Later
Feist – Metals
Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials
For Algernon – Starling EP
Fort Frances – The Atlas
Foster the People – Torches
Futurebirds – EP
Gardens & Villa – Gardens & Villa
Gillian Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Graveyard – Hisingen Blues
Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
The Harlequins – Midwest Coast EP
Here We Go Magic – The January EP
James Blake – James Blake
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Here We Rest
Jason White – The Longing
The Jayhawks – Hollywood Town Hall
Jeff Bridges – Jeff Bridges
Joseph Arthur – The Graduation Ceremony
Kaki King – …Until We Felt Red
Kevin Devine – Between the Concrete and Clouds
The Kickaways – America! America!
Lia Ices – Grown Unknown
Lisa Hannigan – Passenger
Low – C’mon
Mala In Se – Mala In Se
Man Man – Life Fantastic
Maren Parusel – Artificial Gardens
Mates of State – Mountaintops
Mike Doughty – Yes and Also Yes
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Neon Indian – Era Extraria
The Newport Secret Six – Licking River Rock Steady
Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore
The Nightwatchman – World Wide Rebel Songs
Noah & the Whale – Last Night On Earth
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Okkervil River – I Am Very Far
Old 97′s – The Grand Theatre Volume 2
The Parson Red Heads – Yearling
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three – Middle of Everywhere
Pomegranates – In Your Face Thieves/Chestnut Attic
Pop Empire – The Devil’s Party
Portugal. the Man – Church Mouth
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – Peyton on Patton
Rich Robinson – Through A Crooked Sun
The Ridges – The Ridges
The Rosebuds – Loud Planes Fly Low
Sacred Spirits – Some Stay
Shadowraptr – It’s Always Winter on the Moon
She & Him – A Very She & Him Christmass
Sister Crayon – Bellow
Skeetones – Retrospektive
Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers – Rare Bird Alert
Sweet Ray Laurel – Sweet Ray Laurel
They Might Be Giants – Join Us
Toro y Moi – Underneath the Pine
Tristen – Charlatans at the Garden Gate
Trombone Shorty – For True
Tune-Yards – Whokill
TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
Tyler Ramsey – The Valley Wind
Umphrey’s McGee – Death By Stereo
Vacation – Vacation
Vetiver – The Errant Charm
Wanda Jackson – The Party Ain’t Over
The Wood Brothers – Smoke Ring Halo
Yo La Tengo – They Shoot, We Score
Yuck – Yuck
Zee Avi – Ghostbird

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