Spring has arrived. Unlike most other northern cities, Cincinnatians hide away in the winter. The first whispers of spring brings everyone out of their hibernation. People turn up to the places they will be from once again.

This was the context for the show last night. The Almighty Get Down opened for Sidewalk Chalk. I knew what I was in for with Sidewalk Chalk. I saw them at Midpoint Music Festival last year. They got a bit of an unfortunate time slot, at 5pm before many of the festival goers were out and about. They sounded great, so when I saw them slated to return to the Queen City, I made note.

I wasn’t disappointed. They sounded stellar and just as tight as I remembered. I admit that I often don’t like hip hop. The lyrics are lacking, and some producer has just nicked hooks from other musicians and packaged them up in predictable ways. But this. This is something else. It’s melodic and thoughtful. There’s a reference to To Kill a Mocking Bird in this song. In the words of Capital Cities, it’s good shit.

The surprise was The Almighty Get Down. They tore down the house with funk that James Brown would approve of. Really fantastic show. Their stage presence coupled with their tight sound just rolled over the audience in shimmering waves. It’s as though they brought all their energy to bear on this one tiny stage in OTR for just an hour or so. Really, that show was just fantastic to watch.

It was a great night for live music. It was a great night for photography. It was a great night.