Music Editor's Letter: Issue of June 13, 2007

Recovered from the Fringe Fest? Have you picked your jaw up off the floor yet after watching the frustrating (or amazing, depending on your tastes) Sopranos series finale? (In my mind, what happens after the screen goes black is each family member has a heart-attack due to their high cholesterol — pass the onion rings!) Sick of reading about the "immigration debate," because deep down you know that no politician really cares about the people involved, only how they themselves look to the public? On top of the world because the Reds have finally won a couple of games? Secretly psyched that the Cleveland Cavs are going to get K.O.'ed from the NBA finals? Ready to throw your TV out the window after seeing around-the-clock "Paris Hilton in Jail" coverage on all the major so-called news networks every time you tune in to see actual news?

This week has no shortage of new distractions to keep you busy, and we've written about many of the music-related ones in the CityBeat music section this week. Here's what you'll find in the current issue of CityBeat, on the streets now.

• Brian Baker spoke to a couple members of The National, who are playing at the beautiful 20th Century Theater this Friday. If you follow this blog, you know the gist of their story — bred in Cincy, they all moved to New York independently and formed the band when they met up there. Brian gets a little deeper, talking to guitarist Bryce Dessner about his earlier band experience in Cincinnati. “I’ll be totally embarrassed if anybody digs it up, but our high school band was called Equinox — basically a party band — and the other band was called Project Nim," Bryce confesses. "And Scott and Matt had a band called Nancy when they were at (the University of Cincinnati) that some people in Cincinnati seem to know about. Bryan and Scott were also in a band called the Flaming Intestines, which was a Punk band in the late ’80s. So there’s a whole history of criticisms — if a new song sounds remotely like Project Nim, it’s a bad song.” Brian also spoke with singer Matt Berninger about the thought they poured into their new album, the already hyper-acclaimed Boxer. “Usually our goal is that we want to make a record that we can keep listening to and love it for a long time, especially knowing that we’re going to have to go out and perform these songs for a long time,” Matt says.

• Gregory Gaston spoke with Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen, who declares, "I make Country music for people who hate Country music." Greg goes deep with Robert about life on the road, something the veteran musician is an unintentional expert on. Keen says family and traveling are what inspire his music most: "The road is a funny thing — you know it might be a Maslow's hierarchy of needs thing or just general fatigue, but every time I go out I pile up all my books, projects, computer stuff and work on it for two days, and by day three all I’m looking for is a nap and a burger." Ah, the simple pleasures. Keen performs Friday at the Madison Theater, joined by local Bluegrass/Newgrass faves, Rumpke Mountain Boys.

•  C.A. MacConnell chats up local Indie duo, The Dandybeards, a real-life couple who make beautiful, creative music together on and off the stage. Mandy Stout and Dan Ashbridge overcame their inherent shyness and started dating — sort of. Their first "date" involved working on one of Dan's songs for one of Stout's class projects (she's an audio production major). When their close friend and roommate died a couple of years ago, they channeled their energy into their debut full-length album (The Dandybeards Meet Ghost Bear was released on the Brooklyn-based Agriculture Records label in September of 2006). The ElectroIndie twosome are doing the every-Wednesday "Artist in Residency" thing at the Southgate House Lounge through the end of June. Go see 'em tonight!

• In the print Spill It, I talk a little about the evolution of Ska and Cincinnati's best practitioner of the genre, The Pinstripes. The band is a part of the "new" sound of Ska, which eschews much of the "Punk" of the last wave and goes back to the music's basic, soulful Jamaican roots (with a little modern influence). Their new album, The Decay, is perfect for those who loved The Skatalites and the 2-Tone movement, but lost interest in Ska when the Bosstones ruled the scene. As if putting together a new album (and plotting a massive summer U.S. tour, which they'll kick off next week) wasn't enough, the band has also organized this year's annual Ska Stock, which kicks off today at 4 p.m. at the Poison Room and features Ska acts of all stripes. The fest continues Thursday and Friday (4 p.m. starts each day).

• Also in Spill It, I give a little overview of the new live DVD from local Funk champs Freekbass. Chris Sherman and his band embody the spirit of independent music — he has been making a living on the road for the past several years, playing by the ground-rules he has set up, not listening to some out-of-touch record label exec. Sherman has emerged as a bass guitar hero, hosting instructional DVDs and being featured in any musician's magazine that has the word "Bass" in its title. The DVD came out June 5
and the band is making a special, free promotional appearance this Saturday at Everybody's Records in its honor. The funkin' fun starts at 2 p.m. (I must say, plays on the words "Funk" and "Fuck" give me great, irrational joy — ah, the simple pleasures.)

• Finally, the print Spill It features a preview of this Saturday's third "’80s Pop … Rocks" show at the Southgate House. The show features oodles of local bands (well, at least 34 — what's an oodle?) performing their favorite ’80s hit or rarity. The show is always a great, great time and proceeds benefit the local AVOC organization. Here's who is scheduled to appear:
Fairmount Girls
Culture Queer
Lovely Crash
Michael McDonald 5
Backseat Virtue
Beau Alquizola
Marvin and the Experience
The Green Room
Libertines U.S.
The TigerLillies
1000 Arms
Buckra
My Wife the Tiger
David Garza
The Moon Fails
Elliot Ruther Trio
500 Miles to Memphis
Alex Hall Band
Hippie Twin
Kelp
Le TechnoPUSS13s
Meadoe
7 Speed Vortex
Montana Wildhack
patientZero
Patrick Ewing
Moped Mafia
The Whitney Barricklow Band
Wojo
Waffle
The Myths
Moth
Cletus Romp
Jeff Liest Band
Dan Mecher from Turnbull AC’s

• In Sound Advice, Sara Beiting spoke with emerging singer/songwriter Xavier Rudd, who plays the Madison Theater in Covington Monday, following his appearance this weekend at Bonnaroo. The Australian is very passionate about the environment and social issues. Being from Down Under, he's especially concerned about the indigenous people of his country, who are pushed to the fringes. "I feel like these (Aboriginal) people have been denied a voice in the white settlements in Australia," Rudd says. "They’ve been on the planet for 60,000 years without leaving a stone unturned environmentally." Meanwhile, Brian Baker gives the lowdown on Indie buzz crew Voxtrot, who play the Southgate House Monday with the superb local New New Wave quartet Eat Sugar.

• Elsewhere in the paper, I preview the Wilco concert at the Aronoff Center Friday, but I give some ink to amazing openers Low instead of the headliners (’cause really, do they need more press?).

Busy, busy week! Get out there and get you some.

(photo: knx1070.com)

— Mike Breen

Comments

[Action News]

Am I the only person in the world who hates "The Sopranos?" What's so fascinating about the dramas of a TV Mafia family? What's next, a show about a KKK family?

[Breen]

If done right, a show about a KKK family actually could be interesting. I really like HBO's Big Love, about a polygamy family. Not that I want three wives (I mean, really, ONE can be too many at times, right?) or that I'm necessarily in favor of allowing that — but it's interesting to peak in. I like watching Hitler documentaries on the History Channel and I loved American History X, but I have no sympathy for that kind of ignorance. David Chase is just a good storyteller.

But I see your point, Action. I'm sure you're not the only one who doesn't enjoy it. As much as I do like the show, I do feel it's a bit overrated (there have certainly been "bad" episodes)

[Russ]

It made me sad to read Bryce Dessner slag his old band Project Nim. I did some audio work at one of their shows 10 or so years ago and they gave me a promo tape of some songs- I still listen to it all the time.
I could be remembering them a little too fondly, but I thought the singer looked a lot like Liv Tyler.

[Deedy]

GO CAVS!!!!

[Breen]

Deedy: As long as you don't say anything positive about the Steelers, you'll still be safe in Cincinnati when you come visit. I do wish the Cavs could win, but … looks grim.

Russ: I had a similar experience with one of the guys in Moviola (a critic's darling band from Columbus). One of the guys was in one of the big high school cover bands at my school (but they played good stuff, like the Clash and R.E.M.), but they put out a little tape of originals that I loved and could still sing to this day. We were exchanging emails for a while and when I mentioned that I adored his high school band … I never heard from him again. I think it's just like a high school senior photo — back then you thought you were bad-ass cool, but you look back and can't help feeling a little embarrassed about dying your bangs blond like John Taylor from Duran Duran (yup, that was me)

[Deedy]

Ummm Hello Mike.....I am from Cleveland, not Pittsburg. I would never say anything good about any of the Pittsburg teams (don't tell the Keim family that, I may not get invited to Rachel's wedding!!!) I agree though, it looks grim for us but the city is BUZZING and that is making it fun around here (and the local bars)!!!!!

[Breen]

Oh, I thought the Steelers were from Cleveland :)

No, I was just saying, you Northern Ohioans can't rile us proud Cincinnatians up anymore with Go Cavs, Browns or Indians. Our only foe is Pittsburgh (probably because our only "good" team is the Bengals)