Spill It: A Music Blog

Reel Around the Fountain

Seems like every time someone tries to do an event (or anything, really) with a musical component, there are complaints. Like, "Why doesn't such-and-such have any such-and-such bands!" The folks programming events at Fountain Square have done a good job with diversity in the past, but this summer's musical lineup — dubbed the PNC Summer Music Series — is heavily stocked with local artists and covers almost all of the bases. Uh, unless you are a Death Metal or Gangsta Rap fan. Then … well, keep the complaints coming, I guess.

Below are the weekly events. Other special musical events will also pepper the schedule.

• Friday nights are the "Indie Summer" shows, starting at 7 p.m. each week. With acts culled from the rich local Indie Rock/Pop scene, the events will feature three performers. Tonight, you can catch the great bill of The Lions Rampant, The Sundresses (who've finished their long-awaited new album and are now having some success in the "shopping to labels" department) and Turnbull ACs. Future bills include Paper Airplane, The Harlequins and Paper Airplane (June 6); The Seedy Seeds, Lovely Crash and Cash Flagg (June 20); and White Girls, The Cut in the Hill Gang and The Chauncers (July 18).

• Also on Fridays — a "late night" Singer/Songwriter Night, running from 10 p.m. until midnight. According to the Fountain's Web site, anyone can get up and play up to two songs. A host will keep things rolling during "down time."

• Saturdays are dedicated to Gospel music. Gospel Saturday will feature local choirs and performers of all sorts starting at 3 p.m. Tomorrow afternoon, it's Rappin' Minister and the Anointed Sons of God. Next week (June 7), it's Hip Hop/R&B-flavored Contemporary Gospel from K Drama, Pamela Crumbly and Tiara Monique. 

Farewell, Mr. K

Shocking and sad news today: Ken Glidewell, a local musician, producer and radio personality, died this morning from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident over the holiday weekend. Glidewell was 48.

Glidewell had an expansive history in relation to Cincinnati and its music. Early in his radio career, Glidewell (who went by "Mr. K" on the radio) was a DJ at 97X (the station that has now morphed into woxy.com), exposing Tristaters to the new, weird sounds of "Alternative Music" (before it even had that name). I remember fondly listening to K and pal Danny Crash (aka Dan Reed) when I was a youngster, hanging on every word and note played.

Glidewell and Reed also performed together in the ’80s band Chem Dyne, one of the earlier, pioneering Punk bands in the city (though they actually hailed from Hamilton). The band recently reunited. Here's a clip from the show:

Over the Rhine Christens New National City Pavilion

Over the Rhine's 2003 double disc Ohio was supposed to launch them further onto the national stage. Due to some marital problems, the tour following the release was canceled — and all of us wondered what would be the fate of the band.

We all know how the story turned out. The band remained together and put out two more brilliant albums since Ohio. And I never understood why people inferred that because of the cancellation OTR wouldn't become as popular as they could have been. I have always looked at them as one of the most successful touring acts form Cincinnati in recent memory. I have met people all across the country and a few places in Europe that love this band.

The only unfortunate thing that came of this whole affair was that it took the band five years to perform some of these songs live. Saturday, they played the entire album(s). Even more exciting was the fact that they were the first act to perform on the new National City Pavilion stage.

My wife and I arrived to find that we somehow made the VIP list. Had I known about this perk, I would have made it a point to arrive earlier. It just seems wrong for a 30-year-old man to quickly chug three beers and then go to a concert, especially an Over the Rhine concert. Unfortunately I can’t say no to Bud Light, though, as my wife pointed out, I really need to have an “adult” drink to call my own. Something sophisticated … like a Manhattan!

The venue is wonderful and is the perfect compliment to Riverbend. With time, I hope that more acts will begin to recognize that you can play a nice outside venue in Cincinnati. I must say that I am happy with the lineup so far and have heard rumors of a few more great additions. My one complaint was that they had just finished the landscaping and there was a strong scent of manure. I'm sure they're working out the kinks. 

Review: Patrick Ewing's After This Cigarette

Veteran local singer/songwriter Patrick Ewing has released a new six-track EP titled After This Cigarette, which gets a release party Friday at the College Hill Coffee Company. Music starts at 7:30 p.m.

Known for his Blues work with the Voodoo Blues Band and his numerous solo acoustic gigs, Ewing’s new EP is a great representation of his full potential, fleshing out his soulful Americana with many guest artists. The album was produced by The Hiders’ Billy Alletzhauser in his Bat Cave studio, and Alletzhauser is all over the album, singing back up and playing guitar and other instruments. Ali Edwards (Ruby Vileos), Tony Franklin (The Hiders), Dave Gilligan (The Flock) and Andrea Lee (Frontier Folk Nebraska) also pitch in, giving Ewing’s songs the kind of stellar ornamentation they deserve. (Ewing plays lap steel and acoustic guitar on all tracks.)

Ewing’s tales of everyday madness are sung in his casual yet emotive vocals, which aren’t necessarily earth-shatteringly great, but they serve the songs perfectly. There’s a sadness in Ewing’s voice, which befits these songs of searching and worry, though a couple of tracks seem to be ardent celebrations of love. Perhaps it’s just the bluesman in him creeping in.

Review: Banderas' Beast Sounds and Parlour Tricks

Hard Rock juggernaut Banderas releases its anticipated new album, Beast Sounds and Parlour Tricks, this Friday in conjunction with a show at Covington's Mad Hatter. Arms Exploding, Angels of Meth and the Upset Victory join the band for the shindig.

I have heard Banderas described as Metal, Punk, Post Punk and Hard Rock. Are they any of these? After inhaling the new full-length several times, I can safely answer, “Yes, and then some.” The band in fact has concocted its own unique hybrid, powerful and sleazy in its Rock-ness, howling and reckless in its Punk-ness and, well, there are some “guitarmonies,” so there’s your Metal.

Fact is, Banderas don’t play by any established “rulebook,” instead taking elements from various shades of Rock to create an action-packed squall dripping not only with strut and swagger, but also a distinct craftiness that’s puts them above the screamy fray. While at times it may just sound like bash-it-out-and-bleed mayhem, the tracks are incredibly, inventively well-constructed, the crisp production work bringing to the fore some elements perhaps lost in the band’s powerhouse live presentation. They truly use the studio to its fullest potential. Things like electronic burbles and Rockabilly-reverbed riffs punch out from the speakers, adding unexpected dynamics to the band’s brute force. The band’s creativity in the studio is downright graceful.

Review: Peter Adams' I Woke With Planets In My Face

Three years ago, Cincinnati-based singer/songwriter/home recordist Peter Adams release The Spiral Eyes, a gorgeous collection of orchestral Indie Pop that gradually went on to grab international acclaim. Adams was featured prominently in Magnet magazine and he also scored a mention in Spin magazine more recently.

For Adams’ much-anticipated follow-up, I Woke With Planets In My Face, the songwriter keeps the home-recorded vibe alive and creates an even more sonic, textured bedroom masterpiece (though the production is anything but lo-fi, robust as anything recorded in an expensive studio). The new “CD” has been made available at peteradamsmusic.com as a “name-your-price” download (a la Radiohead’s In Rainbows), though hard copy versions of the disc will be available this Saturday at Adams’ show at Baba Budan’s in Clifton. (Hard copies can also be ordered through the Web site; in a few months, a deluxe “Lunaphonic Omnibox” version, with extra goodies, will be made available).

However one chooses to buy Planets, the music contained within is thrilling, insanely catchy and remarkably diverse. The most noticeable change from Adams’ last album is his effortless integration of World music sounds, something he incorporates without detracting from the strong songwriting core. “Annabel Lee” has a Gypsy feel (accordion and all), capturing what might happen if The Shins collaborated with Gogol Bordello, while the chimes and violin of “Ghost in the Fen” have an almost oriental flavor.

Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences creep in and out throughout the album, but this is no Graceland-esque excursion. Adams bread-and-butter is a mix of lushly orchestrated strings with lavish, engrossing melodies. Practically every track on the album is a thrill ride, as Adams breaks the “Pop” mold to allow the songs to breathe and wander. Calling Adams’ music orchestral isn’t just a reference to the layered strings — he writes in a very symphonic way, making his tunes more accurately described as “compositions” or “scores” than just songs.

Local Musicians Get Childish

"Will someone please think of the children" is one of the most repeated lines from The Simpsons, just behind, "I sleep in a drawer" (OK, that might just be a personal favorite). A ton of local musicians have, in fact, thought of the children, resulting in Isn'€™t It a Wonder, a 24-track CD of (mostly) original kids'€™ songs performed by artists from the local Folk/Acoustic scene.

The immaculately-produced collection was compiled by The Ceilidh Group and its new Little Bird Music offshoot. The proceeds from sales will be donated to kid-appropriate orgs like the Literary Network of Greater Cincinnati, The Ronald McDonald House, The Cincinnati Children's Choir and Little Bird (to help with future endeavors).

Two CD release events take place this weekend. On Saturday at 1 p.m., the Blue Manatee Bookstore in Oakley hosts a release party featuring Jake Speed, Joanie Whittaker, Dave Hawkins, Tim Kelly, Kerry Neff & Kids, Papa Joe Kretschmer and Prudence Hunt & The Homemade Jam Band. On Sunday, The Sweeneys (whose band members include Tim Kelly and Prudence Hunt from the project) perform at Findlay Market from 10 a.m. until noon.

I've become a bit of a children'€™s music expert in the past few years, thanks to raising a now 4-year-old. My daughter loves music —€” I swear she sounds like Patti Smith sometimes when she starts banging on the piano and making up stream-of-conscious lyrics. I might have the next Hannah Montana on my hands, but I’ve been doing my best to keep her listening to above-the-lowest common denominator music. She loves the old Smithsonian Folkways collections (with people like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger), They Might Be Giants and Joanie Whittaker. Blissfully, she has never had much use for Barney.

MidPoint Music Festival 2008 Submissions: Last Call

If you're a local musician in a band or playing solo and you want a chance to perform at the MidPoint Music Festival this September, you have about eight hours (as of this writing) to get your submissions in (assuming you haven't, of course). If you know any musicians, call them and let them know that the deadline is tonight at midnight. (If they say, "What's a MidPoint," just say, "Nevermind," and move on.) There have been a flurry of submissions in the last 24 hours. Musicians? Procrastinate? Who would have thunk? It's OK, we understand.

For full submission directives, head over to the official MidPoint Music Festival Web site here.

— Mike Breen

Local News and Notes: Celebration Fit For A King, Gilbert Gnarley in the Hall and Jazzing Up Council Chambers

Saturday at the downtown Public Library, a special program of panels and music will celebrate and dissect the legacy of groundbreaking, locally-based record label, King Records, which would be 65 years old this year were it still in existence. The panel discussions take place at 1 (about the early Country/Bluegrass years) and 3 p.m. (the R&B/Soul years). Find details about the panels and panelist here in the print version of Spill It.

It was also just announced that at 2:30 p.m. Vice Mayor David Crowley and Bootsy Collins will officially declare it "King Records Day" in Cincinnati and "keys to the city" (but with gas prices, how far can you really drive the Queen City?) will be presented to King vets (and panel participants) Phillip Paul, Otis Williams, Ed Conley, Bonnie Lou and the families of Cowboy Copas and King founder and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Syd Nathan. Immediately following the panels, rising old-school Soul/Funk crew Charles Walker and the Dynamites will play a set (which may include of few King hits, as well as their own material) at 5 p.m., before funkin' the shit out of the Southgate House later Saturday night at 10 p.m.

Local King booster and musician Elliott Ruther has also made the old label hip and cool again by maintaining a MySpace site for King. Give it a click here and be King's friend!

• Retired local radio legend Gary Burbank could be up for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, but he needs your votes. The hilarious host is on the ballot in the "Local Pioneer Category" — click here to sign up and vote, if you are so inclined. (And I'll throw my endorsement to Howard Stern as well. Having a radio Hall of Fame without Howard Stern is like having a baseball Hall of Fame without Pete Rose. Oh, wait …)

"What does this have to do with music, you freakin' moron?," you are likely asking yourself. Well, smart ass, Burbank was always a valiant local music supporter, having local musicians on the air constantly. And, of course, Gary's Burbank's restaurant in Sharonville has presented live local Blues and Rock acts for years.

Burbank is further putting his love of music and musicians to good use by founding the organization "Play It Forward," which, according to its mission statement, is looking to help professional musicians who may have fallen on hard times (the pro musician health insurance isn't too hot, if you know what I mean). The org will "create and manage an investment fund whose annual profits will be used to assist Greater Cincinnati musicians and their families in times of catastrophic need." Along with events to help the charity, Burbank is producing a CD of local music to benefit the cause. Local musicians like Marcos Sastre, Larry Goshorn, Roger Yeardley, Lance Boyd, Sonny Moorman, Keith Little, Noah Hunt and Nathan Whitt are among those volunteering for the organization.

• Finally, if you're reading this before Friday afternoon, head over to City Hall at 7 p.m. tonight to check out some tunes from Jazz violinist Zach Brock and his band Arrival/Departure. Brock is currently a touring sideman for Jazz great Stanley Clarke. The event is a part of the Mayor's 801 Plum Concerts, which feature local musicians performing in council chambers (so bring your whoopie cushions). The fun begins with a Happy Hour at 5:30 p.m. that includes soothing sounds from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's Nouveau Chamber Players.Tickets are a whopping $20, but, really, can you put a price on getting drunk in council chambers? Go here for more details.

— Mike Breen

Local News and Notes: Eat Sugar, The Griefs and Powerhouse Re-Born

Electro/New Wave foursome Eat Sugar have been receiving attention from England, so in a couple of weeks they'll be heading over to the U.K. for a string of dates. With only a mini-EP to their credit, the Cincinnati band has been written about on everything from Spin.com to Artrocker, a testament to the power the Web offers smaller bands. They're also featured on Converse's U.K. Web site, which allows you to download the song "Black Eye" for free (though you'll need to register first). Eat Sugar's first U.K. show is at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton on May 16. Elsewhere in Eat Sugar-land, the band announced it's parted ways with synth-ist Erin Proctor and welcomed aboard new guy Mike McBride. Let the hazing begin!