I climbed a mountain today. On the way down the mountain I saw a woman carrying what appeared to be a swaddled baby in her arms. The climb was strenuous. My first thought was – what the hell is happening here?
That was also my thought when I listened to TImothy Showalter’s, the dude behind Strand of Oaks, top four songs on Spotify. “Goshen 97” gives “Summer of ’69” a run in terms of a nostalgic anthem for all things about making music and being young. “Shut In” is dripping with big Bruce Springsteen feels. “JM” is all Iron and Wine goes electric that morphs into dark, pulsing rock. “HEAL” is a synthed-out Orgy/Bauhaus baby. See for yourself.
You will have to go to Spotify for the others. But that should be enough for you to pick up what I’m throwing down. So, back to my thought, what the hell is going on here? I don’t have an answer to that question. But I do know that I want to see this guy. I’m curious to see how the show holds together with music that is running across the board. Plus, Showalter’s lyrics are punching me right in the feels.
I do know what the hell was going on with the woman headed up the mountain with a baby. She wasn’t holding a baby. She had her jacket wrapped up in her arms and was cradling it, which killed my curiosity immediately. Maybe I never what to know what the hell is going on with Strand of Oaks and just enjoy it.
This is always the sequence of emotions I experience with the MPMF line-up. Every. Year. EVERY. STINKING. YEAR. SINCE 2005.
I am disappointed because I am thinking of all the indie acts that are on tour that weren’t booked.
I am slightly disturbed by how few of the bands I recognize considering how much indie rock I listen to.
I wonder if the fest has gotten smaller. (This has been true some years. At some point the fest had close to 300 bands. Last year the fest had just under 150. This year it’s just over 100. Net, this is a year where the fest got smaller.)
I start listening.
I notice a few things I like.
I listen A LOT.
I realize that I like most of the acts.
I listen even more.
I start to get excited to see a lot of this live.
I literally listen to the MPMF playlist for weeks on end
I notice the variety of music represented in the line-up.
I start to love a bunch of the acts.
I can’t wait for the fest.
I am certain the fest will be spectacular. (This typically happens in early September.)
I am on step 14, and I haven’t written a single blog entry about what I am going to see. In my defense, I did just move across the country. So, it’s not like I was just playing video games and time got away from me.
I have a little less than three weeks until MPMF15 kicks off. My goal is to blog daily from now until then about what I’m pumped about seeing. And go!
Here’s the Spotify playlist that I made for MPMF15. Have a listen if you wish.
It’s a little late to start browsing Midpoint’s line-up. With around 150 bands to check out, time is critical. I put together a Spotify playlist, set it to shuffle, and heard the first sweet sounds of MPMF15. And sweet they are. While I appreciate Bunbury, The bookings that MPMF snags are on a whole more to my liking. And after months of Bunbury prep, it feels soooo good to be back home. Add the playlist if you are so inclined. More to come.
The ghost of Carew Tower, or something festive for The All-Star Game. You decide.
Saint Motel had a good audience in spite of the rain. Also, the fountain is red. Very red. Praise be to the gods of digital photography for post processing.
Still, praise be to the gods of digital photography for post processing.
Those are guys in old school uniforms repelling off a building. One might ask, what this has to do with baseball.
No comment needed.
Saint Motel put on a super fun show. There was much awkward dancing.
Saint Motel playing at Fountain Square.
At 6 AM, the paint was still wet. Guess what idiot rode her bike through one before she noticed they were wet? Yep.
I appreciate the on sidewalk directions complete with arrows that stretch blocks.
The red lights on the fountain were less tricky in daylight. That could be said of most things when photographing. Unless the object is ugly.
I always think this kid is strangling that duck. Pretty sure that’s not what the artist intended.
I saw Elk Creek play at MOTR on Friday night. Some late in the set sound issues aside, they sounded good. I think they were short a lead guitarist, so I am excited to check them out again with a full band.
Bobby Bare Jr. played afterward. Man. He was really spectacular. Three piece bands have it tough. There simply aren’t enough bodies on stage to create layers of sounds to keep the audience interested. Bobby Bare Jr. used all the tools as his disposal including some really dynamic pedals as well as his snapping fingers and rangy voice. He was really great to watch. Seriously, go seem him if you can. He makes me think Nashville still has a soul.
The Southgate House, a local music venue, closed for the last time on New Year’s Eve. The historic building housed a large two-level ballroom for regional/national acts, a mid-sized Parlor complete with a full bar, and a small barroom for duos and small bands. The venue offered free live music every night in the barroom, and provided a medium venue for artists who prefer not to sign their lives over to TicketMaster or Live Nation.
The ballroom has hosted NOFX, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Queers, They Might Be Giants, The Black Keys among others. The venue is closing due to a dispute. It’s encouraging that Cincinnati has nurtured this business, and the closing is due to reasons aside from lack of financial support.
Although no confirmed announcements have been made, the rumors abound that the venue will reopen in another location. There is talk that the new venue will remain in Newport and open in another historic building as early as February of 2012. I am hopeful that this gaping hole in the local music scene will be filled so quickly.
My fingers lack the fortitude to type all the shows I’ve seen at The Southgate House. I will focus on the highlights; DeVotchka, The Seedy Seeds, The Heartless Bastards, Mates of States, Jupiter One, the now defunct Young Republic, She Wants Revenge, and Bad Veins all put on amazing shows. The DeVotchka show is among my favorite shows of all time.
The Seedy Seeds put on a hell of a performance; it was fit for my last show at The Southgate House. The show was packed. They played a couple of originals about The Southgate House, one was an ode to their signature shot the Tommy Gun, Jameson with a pickle juice chaser. The Seedy Seeds perfectly curated a joyful celebration of everything The Southgate House was. They wrapped up the show with a cover of “I’m Sailing Away”. They invited the audience on stage to contribute to the song. The stage was overwhelmed with lusty singers, their faces bright and shining with joy. It was a beautiful last moment in a place that was the context for wonderful experiences.
Thanks to The Seedy Seeds. Thanks to the people who worked hard to make The Southgate House what it was. Thank you for your commitment to music. I look forward to your next work.
NOTE: I wrote this on January 1, 2012. Some things have changed since this was written. The Seedy Seeds are now defunct, but The Southgate House reopened. It’s now called The Southgate House Revival, and it’s still hosting really great music just as it did.
While editing this, I realized I have changed as a writer. I was hoping that my writing would change as I continued to engage with it. Turns out, that hope is proved true. Hell, maybe even one day, I will become a competent editor. A girl can dream.
After day one, I had over seven hundred pictures to sift through. Here’s a sampling of what I got. Admittedly, my editing was a bit slapdash. Here’s the highlights of what happened.
Father John Misty was shockingly great to watch. Bleachers and Matt & Kim couldn’t have been more fun. I missed the meet-up to go up front for Bleachers, so I had to make do with not so great crowd shots for their show. I had a little regret that I was running around taking pictures for their sets, because I really wanted to dance my pants off. I had my very expensive gear out when it started to rain in the second song of Tame Impala’s set. I was disappointed to leave them and find cover for my gear. The Black Keys sounded great, as they have every time I have seen them.
It’s time. It’s time to sort out what I am seeing at Bunbury Music Festival. This exercise always feels obnoxious, but I will refer to this an absurd number of times this weekend to ensure I see everything I want to. Here goes.
Friday
2pm Wussy
230pm Markham
3pm Multimagic
4pm Father John Misty
430pm Temples
5pm Catfish and the Bottlemen
530pm Mini Mansions
545pm Bleachers
645pm Matt and Kim
730pm Royal Blood (so bummed to miss WTM)
845pm Tame Impala
945pm Black Keys
Saturday
2pm Zack Longoria Project
230pm Playing to Vapors
3pm Austin Plaine
330pm Bummers
4pm Motherfolk
430pm Devil Makes Three
515pm Graceful Closure
615pm Decemberists
715pm Reverend Horton Heat
830pm Old Crow Medicine Show
945pm Avett Brothers
Sunday
230pm 500 Miles to Memphis
3pm Front Bottoms
345pm Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
415pm Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas
530pm Shakey Graves
6pm Atmosphere
630pm Brand New
815pm 21 Pilots
915pm Snoop
I hate the phrase, “get up in your guts.” My physical revulsion upon encountering that phrase makes the hair in the back of my neck stand on end. I struggle to keep my face from a grimace.
Get up in your guts where among the first lyrics I heard from Atmosphere. My first thought was, “This does not bode well.” There are benefits to starting out in the basement, and persistence can pay out.
After several more songs, I liked the hooks. I liked the words. Now, I am pretty thrilled to see these guys. Atmosphere plays at Bunbury on Sunday at 6pm.
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.
Kate's Queen City Notes 