Kate's Queen City Notes

Blundering through Cincinnati, laughing all the way

Category Archives: Music


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Jamestown Revival

Well this is just lovely. I want to be in that tent. I want to be on that shore.

True story, these guys play 630 to 715 on Saturday at Bunbury 2015. A time that completely overlaps with The Decemberists. As much as I enjoy this, in the battle between Jamestown Revival and The Decemberists, The Decemberists are clear front runners. If for some reason that show doesn’t grab me, Jamestown Revival it is.

And while I am thinking about it, the scheduling is one of the things that I don’t appreciate about Bunbury 2015. Matt & Kim have zero schedule competition, while Walk the Moon and Royal Blood overlap completely. Lucky for me, I’ve seen Walk the Moon numerous times, so I feel ok about putting that time to Royal Blood.

I also suspect that concentrating the entire Bunbury audience at one stage for in multiple time-slots is going to drive the feeling of the fest toward over-crowding. In previous years, only the headliners (the last show of each day) had no competition. For those final shows, the crowds were pretty unreasonable. I am curious to see how this works out.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas

Blues + sassy lady singer + horns = dancing magic at Bunbury. Check out their performance on KEXP.

This band reminds me of Amy Winehouse (backed up by the Dap Kings) sans the slick production work of Mark Ronson. And while I give credit to Ronson, that over-polished pop isn’t exactly my thing. I like a little quirk in my music, and Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas deliver. This show will be a great excuse to dance your pants off. They play at 415 on Sunday at Bunbury 2015.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Multimagic

Huzzah for local music! I checked out Multimagic at MOTR pub this past winter. In the dark, packed bar they hammered out their indie pop tunes. Here’s a link to my blog about this event. That night ran off the rails, but that was independent from how great Multimagic sounded. The Cincinnati local music scene has those of us who are out many evenings of the week checking out shows. It also attracts weekend warriors who are just looking for lots of drinks and a good time. This latter group was out in full force that night, and rowdy is an appropriate word to describe their behavior.

I’ve already covered Wussy and Walk the Moon. If you preferred the pop sounds of Walk the Moon over Wussy, Multimagic is the show for you. They have just as much pop goodness, and less of a young and rambunctious following. They don’t have anything up for sharing on Youtube, so this Spotify link to one of their songs will need to suffice. They play at 3 on Friday of Bunbury 2015.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Bleachers

This is fun. One of the band members is part of FUN.

It’s pop in “Walking on Sunshine” way. It’s big and dramatic. This might not be the sort of thing I will listen to obsessively, but I will dance my pants off at this show none the less. Bleachers play at 545 on Friday at Bunbury 2015.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Father John Misty

This is going to get weird. Watch this and listen to the lyrics.

I had to fall in love with Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” before I could wrap my brain around Leonard Cohen. Cohen’s style felt unapproachable to this punk kid. His songs were way too slow and employed way too many instruments for me to relate to them. Once my musical pallet was attuned to Cohen, I fell in love with him. But my warm-up to him took years. I will follow a similar process with Father John Misty. My age and experience has only gifted me the good sense to see him now anticipating my future love.

Yeah. Right? I’m not going to say this show will be fun, exactly. I think it will be something worth seeing. Any man that writes “save me white Jesus” in a song is worth watching. Father John Misty plays at 4 on Friday of Bunbury 2015.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Snoop Dogg

I’m not really into rap. But that sure as shit wouldn’t keep me from seeing Snoop Dogg on Sunday at Bunbury. I will gladly tick this off my bucket list for the price of admission. And really, who doesn’t enjoy this song? This show is going to a heaping helping of big fun. Snoop will wrap-up the fun perfectly. Snoop plays at 915 on Sunday of Bunbury 2015.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: The Avett Brothers

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about The Avett Brothers? Nothing really. But if you are unfamiliar with them Pitchfork has a really nice review of their 2012 album. That ought to tell you what you need to know.

Bunbury will be my first time seeing them, and I am really excited. If you haven’t checked out Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield’s cover of “Between the Bars” you really should. And oh look, I put it here for you. They did a whole album of Elliott Smith covers, and they are just gorgeous. Elliott Smith, I miss you so much. Not gonna lie, I have a secret hope they cover Elliott Smith at the show as unlikely as that is. And my love of Elliott Smith just hijacked this post. Sorry. Not Sorry.

Avett Brothers play at 945 at Bunbury 2015.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Catfish and the Bottlemen

This video has one of the nicest depictions of a mental hospital I have ever seen. By nice, I mean beautiful and completely unrealistic. I won’t hold that against them. This song has some good hooks, and the rest of their catalog sounds solid.

I failed to start my Bunbury research early enough. One of the consequences of that is that I can’t give as much time to each band that I take an immediate liking to. I suspect that with more time to sit with these guys, they would grow in me. I would have a deeper connection than my current flirtation. Hopefully, when I see them, their performance will help reign me in. They play at Bunbury 2015 at 5 on Friday.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Twenty One Pilots

This band isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. But when I saw them at Bunbury a couple of years back their performance was really entertaining. When they took the stage the pianist launched off the top of his upright piano. The piano thudded to the stage; stage hands scurried to the rescue. But Twenty One Pilots didn’t miss a beat. Later in the show the drummer passed a platform to the crowd and set-up his kit there and played. Regardless of how you feel about the music, you will be entertained.


by Leave a comment

Bunbury 2015 Must See: Shakey Graves

Americana seems to be a thing right now. Slickly produced well manicured bands with banjos and mandolins abound. Hey there Mumford and Sons and Lumineers. I’m sure the lack of banjo on Mumford’s most recent release will be the cause of much consternation.

American folk music has such a rich history. It’s been a tool for telling stories, sharing misery, and speaking out against systemic oppression. All these bearded pretty bands feel hollow when I consider the history of the product they are hustling.

But then there’s really gorgeous music happening just out of the spot light. Shakey Graves lives in this space. His voice is captivating.

I am curious to see his one-man performance. Typically, solo performances aren’t dynamic enough to hold my attention for long. But I love being proven wrong.

Shakey Graves performs at Bunbury 2015 Sunday at 530.