Music | Kate's Queen City Notes

May 17, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: Wussy

Wussy is a great local band. I often miss our local acts at fests because I have many opportunities to see them outside fests, and when I must choose between something I love but have regular access to and something unknown that I don’t have regular access to, I pick novelty. Wussy kicks off the fest on Friday at 2, and has no competition for the first half of their set, so I am guaranteed to catch part of their performance. I can’t think of a better start to a great weekend.

If you are traveling for Bunbury, here’s what you need to know. Wussy has been praised by Rolling Stone and SPIN. Their albums have achieved critical success in spite of Wussy’s sparse touring. The band members all have day jobs, and getting out of town for tours is a challenge. But here in Cincinnati, we’re lucky. We have them all to ourselves. If you want a little taste of the Cincinnati indie music scene, don’t miss this band.

Check out their performance on KEXP:

All the feels that I have about discovering music lives in this song. A voice comes through the speakers and grabs hold of your soul whispering that you aren’t alone. This unexpected connection wrenches hope and joy out of what can otherwise feel a mundane existence. NOTE: this is a subset of the video above.

Wussy – Teenage Wasteland:

(Verse)
Do you remember the moment? You finally did something about it.
When the kick of the drum lined up with the beat of your heart
Stuck in the corn with only a transistor radio
Making paths with the soundwaves and echoing Oh Babyloh-oh-oh-on(Chorus)
Yeah, we heard your beat real loud and clear on the last one
And we were pulling for you a thousand times a day
And it don’t take much to sound like a sleeping prophet
When your misery sounds so much like oh, so far away
Too far away, too far away

(Verse)
Do you remember the night you finally heard something about it?
When the kick of the drum went off like artillary fire
And if you’re wondering, man, oh yeah, say that it got to us
The shackles nd the (???) would scream like ohr, yeah yeah yeah

(Chorus)
Yeah, we heard you clear, real loud and clear on the last one
I must have listened to you a thousand times a day
And for one short breath, it sounds like the world is ending
It’s floating in space, but then it (???) so far aways
So far away, so far away

(Chorus)
Heard you loud and clear on the last one
We were potting for you a thousand times in a day
And it don’t take much to sound like a sleeping prophet
When your misery sounds so much like oh, so far away
Too far away, too far away

Wussy plays at Bunbury 2015 at 2pm on Friday.

If you wanna see my past experiences at Wussy’s shows check my past blogs out:

Wussy on NYE

Wussy at MPMF

May 16, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: Old Crow Medicine Show

The context matters when I am introduced to music. Much like a first impression, it’s like nicotine in walls. They never quite leave. They only fade, but never quite disappear.

I worked at a bar for some years; it was sort of place that wait staff would gather to drink away their nightly tips from midnight to last call. At mealtimes it was a wholesome family environment. In the wee hours of the morning, people were drowning their loneliness and making small an steady steps to heart failure and lung cancer.

I was introduced to “Wagon Wheel” in those wee hours of the morning. Fatigue was nipping at my heels while I struggled to find humor in jokes only funny to those three shots in. Inevitably, “Wagon Wheel” was the center of a “Crazy Hand of Poker” and “Ants Marching” sonic shit sandwich. And so, Old Crow Medicine Show got shoved into the malice-filled corner of my brain reserved for people who wear patchouli and like jam bands.

Regardless of my past impressions, I researched Old Crow Medicine Show as I have all the other bands in the Bunbury line-up. I was surprised to find that they are legit. I am delighted to be wrong. Now, my only concern is all the people turning up to see them that only know “Wagon Wheel” and will most likely be wearing patchouli.

Old Crow Medicine Show plays on Saturday of Bunbury 2015.

May 15, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: Walk the Moon

Three cheers for local music going national! Cincinnati loves their hometown band as much as the band loves Cincinnati. Their last show at Bunbury was high energy and loads of fun to watch.

And congrats to Walk the Moon for having a radio hit right now. I’ve seen these guys numerous times before, they were signed to a major label. They always put up a fun show. While many might complain that their fans are rambunctious, I like to lean into their exuberance. FYI, this video was recorded here in Cincinnati; the building they are in is The Mockbee in OTR.

Walk the Moon play on Friday on Bunbury 2015.

May 14, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: The Decemberists

I love this band. I saw them some years back, and got the added bonus of seeing The Head and the Heart as openers. At the time, I believe that Jenny Conlee, pianist among other instruments in The Decemberists, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. The show was subdued, and Conlee was absent. There seemed to be a pall over the band. Regardless, their technical execution was flawless. They just seemed disengaged from the audience.

Since then, Conlee’s cancer has gone into remission. I am curious to see the band now; the change in context might affect the band’s performance. I am hoping for a little more engagement this time around.

I love these songs. I love them so hard.

The Decemberists play on Saturday at Bunbury 2015.

May 13, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: The Front Bottoms

“When ever I am alone or feeling lonely I pretend I can play the drums inside my head… I am alone only half of the time and the other half I am only hiding.” – “Legit Tattoo Gun” – The Front Bottoms

Words fail when expressing why music resonates. My initial attraction to The Front Bottoms was due to the vocalist’s similarities to the lead vocalist in The Thermals. The Thermals sound is more traditionally punk than The Front Bottoms, but the sincerity in the lyrics crosses the differences in sound.

There’s a thread that runs between The Front Bottoms and the early 2000’s emo bands like The Get Up Kids and Saves the Day. It seems that the only appropriate way to enjoy this band is screaming the lyrics to the songs along with them. And that’s exactly how I intend on enjoying them.

The Front Bottoms play on Sunday at Bunbury 2015.

May 4, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: The Black Keys

I love The Black Keys. I love that they are died in the wool Akron boys. I love their raw blues sound.

I saw them at the Madison some years back. The venue is small and sweaty and remains nicotine stained despite years of being smoke free. It was my ideal setting to see them. I was doubtful I would enjoy seeing them two years following at US Bank Arena. I couldn’t conceive of their sound translating well to that cavernous venue. I was surprised.

I also saw The Black Keys at Lollapalooza years and years ago. They were unknown at the time, and played bright and early. The crowd was patiently staking out their spots for Nine Inch Nails, and barely engaged. The sound was awful.

I am ready to have that unfortunate fest experience erased from my mind. This context will be different simply because The Keys are successful enough to headline a fest. Here’s to my second experience with the Black Keys.

Black Keys “Lonely Boy”

May 4, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: Temples

There’s no plausible explanation for why at twenty years old in 1996 we were listening to The Mama’s and The Papa’s constantly. Mama Cass’s sweet harmonies would emanate from the boom box in the living room of our house in Clifton. AM Radio blared in our kitchen for all of my first 18 years of life. All of this primed me to fall in love with Temples.

Temples bring all of the things that I love about 60’s pop without the acid-soaked lyrics. I love them. Check out the visuals in this video; they say it all. The Mamas & Papas would dig it. Temples play on Friday at Bunbury.

May 1, 2015
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Bunbury 2015 Must See: Royal Blood

I find it difficult to write about anything when I am going through personal upheaval. It squelches my creativity. And although my random musings might appear off-hand and thoughtless, they require quite a bit of work on my part. Trust me when I say no one would want to read what comes off the top of my head.

This is the context for my delay in producing my posts describing my favorite Bunbury 2015 acts. I have been listening plenty. I just haven’t been able to formulate words about it. Yet, I am running out of time. I must accept that creativity probably won’t come back to me in a timely fashion and power through some posts. Power through it: my mantra for 2015.

Royal Blood. Holy two-piece-band-that-rips-my-face-off-with-gutwrenching-rock-and-roll Batman!! That was awkward, but let’s power through it. If the sexy, crunchy guitars of The Black Keys were layered under Muse’s bombast you would have Royal Blood. These guys have enormous buzz behind them, and I can’t wait to check them out.

April 30, 2015
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Andrew WK Rocks my Socks

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I have more blog topics and pictures than words right now. So, in the interests of working out the backlog here’s some pictures of the Andrew WK show at The Woodward Theater. It was great fun.

April 29, 2015
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Bands and Things

I am behind again. I saw several shows and went on several shoots and failed to upload and process my shots. When they pile up, I know my time at the computer grows exponentially.

This particular group of shots were 400 strong when I finally shifted them onto my hard drive. Just culling out the unnecessary duplicates can take a couple hours. Then I battle my inner critic and indecision in post processing.

Let’s not even get into how hard it is to find words to accompany my visuals. The Sonics deserve more words than what I have. These guys brought all the intensity of a freight train barreling through the country side. From my vantage point to the right of the stage, I could feel the wooden floor throbbing with hundreds of feet pounding out their rythm.

Bright Light Social hour is sexy southern rock with a hearty dash of blues. They bring a more subtle energy to the stage, but it feels earnest. They seem most at home jamming, and even while playing tunes off their recording it feels fresh live.

Aside from the music pictures, I explored a bit of Newport, KY. It’s impossible to spend any length of time in Cincinnati and not hear of The Brass Ass. It’s exterior visuals have escaped me until just now. It’s perfect. I also got a few random shots of spring on the Cincinnati side of the river.

Random plug: Trailhead Coffee in Reser Bike Shop is delicious. They have O Pie O pies on Saturdays, and this has become my Saturday morning routine. In the spirit of Agent Dale Cooper, you must experience this goodness. Also, many thanks to Reser for an excellent tune up. I didn’t realize how out of wack my rode was. Well done, friends. No more words. Just pictures.