The album from The War On Drugs from last year was in our opinion, one of the best records released during 2011. It’s a record that is easy to put on the turntable and just let the whole thing play out. Well, the band has kicked the new year off in a big way as well, releasing the tune “Baby Missiles” from Slave Ambient as a single, and performing the song last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. With the help of ?uestlove on a second drum kit, and some fans in the background, the guys totally knock their performance out of the park.

And I should mention that this was their television debut? Watch it for yourself below.

The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles

We are big fans of the boys in Frontier Folk Nebraska, and you should be too. They continue to be one of the most consistent rock bands in the area. The guys have something for you for the holidays today too, a free download of a tune that is a part of the “Oh Joy, More Goodies” album. The album also features Cincy artists like Kelly Thomas and The Western, download the whole thing out here.

Here is the FFN track, titled “Jesus Christ.”

Frontier Folk Nebraska – Jesus Christ

It’s the holiday season and while we all think about what gifts might be waiting for us at the end of the month, there is a gift that showed up in our inboxes and Twitter feeds this morning that should excite all fans of The Afghan Whigs.

The legendary Cincinnati rock band are reuniting for their first live shows in 13 years in 2012 and the masses are acting like a kid on Christmas morning. On the weekend of the 25th-27th May 2012 at Alexandra Palace, London, All Tomorrow’s Parties present the second UK I’ll Be Your Mirror event. Frontman Greg Dulli will also co-curate ATP’s I’ll Be Your Mirror festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, taking place September 21-23. The Afghan Whigs will headline September 22.

Tickets are on sale now via ATPFestival.com.

In the strange world of Ohio rock though, we see that the band the Whigs are replacing just happens to be Guided By Voices. This sidenote raised the eyebrows of many, so many that the bands PR team jumped in to say that GBV are “not split up”, here is that release.

Guided by Voices have not split up and continue to work on new material together. In addition to the album release of Let’s Go Eat the Factory for January, the band are at work on another album, Class Clown Spots A UFO. Robert Pollard will also be releasing a solo record in March called Mouseman Cloud.

Unfortunately Guided By Voices are canceling their appearances at Primavera and ATP/I’ll Be Your Mirror, due to personal reasons. The band apologizes for any inconvenience and disappointment, and thanks Primavera, ATP and the fans for their longterm support.

So what seemed initially like some bittersweet news is actually just great news. And of course, it fulfills the wishes of our friends from Bicentennial Bear, who did a song for the Very Ohio Christmas album we released last year with the folks at Donewaiting.com. Here is that song, available now as a free download.

Bicentennial Bear – All I Want For Christmas (is an Afghan Whigs reunion)

So, will you be attending either of the shows next year?

It’s that time of the year again, time for Christmas music to start hitting the web. I always look for new, quality holiday tunes to recommend so I’m happy to see this new release from Cincinnati’s The Guitars hit the internet today. A Very Guitars Christmas is a really fun Christmas EP with 7 tracks, including a couple of comedy like voice tracks that are pretty funny.

Download the entire EP for free right here, and be sure to snag my favorite tune below.

The Guitars – Don’t Believe In Christmas

We have been fans of the indie poppers Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin since we first heard them back in 2005. The Springfield, Missouri based four-piece has had a really consistent string of records since the start, and I always find myself gravitating towards several songs on every one of their releases. The new album, available in stores today, is no exception.

Even though the boys still barely look old enough to drink, they have been playing music together for nearly a decade, and the new album, Tape Club, is kind of a reflective look back at their history. This past summer, the band went through their nearly 100 song archive to choose the songs that best represented their sound and evolution as a group. The result is Tape Club, and after a few rounds I’m happy to recommend it to you. Whether you prefer the early sounds from their debut Broom or some of the power pop tracks represented on Pershing and Let It Sway, there is something for every SSLYBY fan on Tape Club. One of my early favorites, that never made a proper album but the band played quite a bit live is “Lower The Gas Prices, Howard Johnson.” It’s a really fun jam that I’m happy is now properly represented on an album.

The other great news it the boys are coming back to Cincinnati for a show at MOTR on October 27th! SSLYBY have Cincinnati ties, and I know the guys are Reds fans, so come out and enjoy what should be a great night of music next week!

And finally, for the big SSLYBY fans like myself, you should buy the very limited (500 copies) 180gram version of Tape Club on maroon vinyl right here, get em before they are gone!

Tape Club Tracklisting
1. The Clod and the Pebble
2. Let’s Get Tired
3. What’ll We Do (demo)
4. Song W + Song L
5. Sweet Owl
6. Spinning Sea
7. Tin Floor 51
8. Lower the Gas Prices, Howard Johnson
9. Go Upstairs
10. Bigger Than Yr Yard
11. Half-Awake (Deb)
12. Not Worth Fighting
13. New Day
14. Coming Through
15. Dead Right (Wilmington demo)
16. We Can Win Missouri
17. Same Speed
18. Cardinal Rules
19. Chili Cook-Off
20. Song 1000
21. Phantomwise (demo)
22. Back in the Saddle (demo)
23. Yellow Missing Signs
24. Letter Divine
25. Bended
26. Bastard of Rome

Tour Dates
Oct 26, 2011 – The Firehouse, Normal, IL
Oct 27, 2011 – MOTR Pub, Cincinnati, OH
Oct 28, 2011 – The Current, Richmond, VA
Oct 29, 2011 – Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
Oct 30, 2011 – Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
Oct 31, 2011 – The End, Nashville, TN
Nov 4, 2011 – Firebird, St. Louis, MO
Nov 5, 2011 – Mojo’s, Columbia, MO
Nov 29, 2011 – Wonder Fair, Lawrence, KS
Nov 30, 2011 – Hi Dive, Denver, CO
Dec 1, 2011 – Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 2, 2011 – Neurolux, Boise, ID
Dec 3, 2011 – Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
Dec 5, 2011 – Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, Canada
Dec 6, 2011 – Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
Dec 8, 2011 – Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA
Dec 9, 2011 – Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles, CA
Dec 10, 2011 – Soda Bar, San Diego, CA
Dec 12, 2011 – Club Congress, Tucson, AZ

It’s that time of year again. Time for music to take over in Over The Rhine. MidPoint Music Festival is back and is planning to throw a real party this year to celebrate thier 10th anniversary. It’s been a really interesting ‘Decade of Audio Addiction’ (the festivals tagline this year) and even though it wasn’t always pretty, the festival is still standing ten years later and is arguably better than it has ever been.

For my festival preview this year, I want to again highlight some of the bands I feel are flying under the radar of the average festival goer. Let’s be honest, the great bands that headline the festival like Okkervil River, Cut Copy, and Toro Y Moi are the ones that sell the tickets, and I love to see them playing at our festival in our city, but it’s the meat of the lineup that gets me the most excited. So every year, I try to make a point to highlight those bands, and usually discover a few more I wasn’t very familiar with before, in the process.

Nerves Junior

Playing Saturday afternoon at ENS Day Party at Hanke Building and Below Zero Lounge on Saturday night at 11:30pm

Nerves Junior are an excellent group of youngsters from Louisville, Kentucky. Their first album was just released, and the praise and attention that has followed makes this set a must see. Some have gone as far as to say the album reminds them of OK Computer, and others have made it their highest reviewed album of 2011. What do we think? Well, we like them so much that we went out of our way to make sure they were apart of the ENS Day party. Listen up people, these guys are on a fast ascent.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Playing Friday evening at the SCPA Corbett Theatre P&G Stage at 8:30pm

I know, UMO are already on your list of bands to see, right? Well, they might be the least ‘under the radar’ act on our list but I felt like they deserved another mention here as well. The debut from the band is a lo-fi work of art, that threw me for a loop when I first listened to it. The intentionally dirty, underproduced sound grew on me though, and I think it truly is part of the bands charm. Don’t miss this set!

Ava Luna

Playing Friday evening at the SCPA Corbett Theatre P&G Stage at 7:30pm


From the crowded garden of bands in Brooklyn, NY rises Ava Luna, who despite their hipstery location, sound like one of the least pretentious bands around. Soulful vocals and carefully arranged instrumentation grab the listener right away on their EP starter “Clips.” Village Voice contributor Chris Weingarten said that Ava Luna are “the Post-TVOTR, Dirty Projectors-Inflected Bedroom Soul Project You’ve Been Waiting For.” And you know what, I agree. Check out the aforementioned song below and circle them on your MPMF schedule.

The Capstan Shafts

Playing Saturday afternoon at the ENS MPMF Day party at 12:15 & Friday night at 9pm at The Drinkery.


The Capstan Shafts are the best band playing MidPoint that you probably haven’t heard of. The criminally overlooked project of Dean Wells has been releasing material since 1999, mostly home recorded. Last year though, Wells got his band together in a studio for the first time and put together Revelation Skirts, a great power pop album in the same vein as vintage Guided By Voices. The album was a part of NPR’s “5 artists you should have known” in 2010 list. Pitchfork have also been consistent Capstan Shafts fans, and I think this review quote should intrigue you enough…

The first time I heard the Capstan Shafts, I found myself muttering a phrase that hasn’t passed my lips in a long, long time: “How can this be so good?”

The Capstan Shafts – Heart Your Eat Out
The Capstan Shafts – Quiet Wars
YAWN

Playing Thursday night at Below Zero Lounge at 10pm


Chicago’s YAWN caught the attention of the music loving web earlier this year with their debut EP, which was alot of fun, and now have lots of us in the palm of their hand again with the release of a long player. The album Open Season has a great electro-freak out element to it that calls to mind the tribal pop sounds of Yeasayer. Another young band on the rise that is flying under your radar but you should make a point to see this year during MPMF.

Tristen

Playing at the Know Theatre on the BIORÉ STRIP Thursday night at 10:30pm


You already know we are fans of Tristen, we covered her show at MPMF last year and what ENS contributor Mary Kate Moran said then still rings true. “Tristen’s got a voice that’s one part Janis Joplin and one part Chrissie Hynde, with an effortless melodic sensibility tying them together.” And while last year Tristen did a solo performance, I hear that this time around we can expect a full band effort. Once again, an act to make time for during your MPMF week.

Indigo Wild is a band that’s been on my radar for a while now, and I’m happy to announce the premiere of their music video for “Rowboats”, the first single off their debut EP due September 9th. The self-described “Columbus-born and Cincinnati-raised” folk group have steadily gained exposure playing shows in Cincinnati and in their home base of Columbus, but until now, had little more than links to their demos and a piece of candy stuffed inside plastic Easter eggs to pass out at shows (a genius marketing ploy, might I add).

Fortunately, now the band has more than Easter eggs to showcase their talent. In anticipation of their 5-track EP If By Sea, the band released a video for the ridiculously catchy anthem “Rowboats.” The concept-driven video was directed by Jerod Nawrocki of Fox Die Productions.

If you’re in the Columbus area, you can grab a copy of If By Sea at Indigo Wild’s record release show on September 9th. The band will be playing at Kobo (2590 North High Street, Columbus) along with Blastronauts, The Town Monster and Narrow and the Brights. For those in the Cincinnati area, you can pick up the album digitally via Indigo Wild’s Bandcamp page, as well as at Shake It and Everybody’s Records. They’ll also be playing a string of local shows, including this Saturday’s Sunflower Street Festival in Historic Milford and the Clifton Heights Music Festival on October 7th and 8th.

- Caitlin Behle @cutelin

Indigo Wild- Rowboats

Exciting news today, as we are proud to be teaming with the good people at the MidPoint Music Festival for an official day party. For veterans of festivals like SXSW, the day party is a fixture, but it is only just beginning here in Cincinnati. For its 10th anniversary, we hope this continues to build out the idea that MidPoint is more than just a late night concert event. Also, we hope to give people options to see bands early in the day that they might miss later, or just to see them again in a new environment.

So if you aren’t a night owl, or even if you want to just expose your kids to some rock music, come out on Saturday afternoon for what should be a great time. Now, the lineup for the MidPoint Day Party at the VitaminWater room presented by Each Note Secure.

12:15

The Capstan Shafts

The Capstan Shafts are the best band playing MidPoint that you probably haven’t heard of. The criminally overlooked project of Dean Wells has been releasing material since 1999, mostly home recorded. Last year though, Wells got his band together in a studio for the first time and put together Revelation Skirts, a great power pop album in the same vein as vintage Guided By Voices. The album was a part of NPR’s “5 artists you should have known” in 2010 list. Pitchfork have also been consistent Capstan Shafts fans, and I think this review quote should intrigue you enough…

The first time I heard the Capstan Shafts, I found myself muttering a phrase that hasn’t passed my lips in a long, long time: “How can this be so good?”

The Capstan Shafts – Heart Your Eat Out
The Capstan Shafts – Quiet Wars

1:15

Total Babes

If you dig on Cloud Nothings, chances are you dig on Total Babes, but you might not know it yet. An offshoot of the Cleveland lo-fi rockers Cloud Nothings, Total Babes was hatched spontaneously, but the results feel well planned out. The band released their first album this week Swimming Through Sunlight on Old Flame Records and it’s been in constant rotation for me ever since I got my hands on it. Check out Total Babes below.

Total Babes-Without Your Heart by Old Flame Records

2:15

Cheyenne Marie Mize

I adore female singer-songwriters with the types of voices that Ms. Mize posseses. The folk tinged sound and heartfelt lyrics make for a combo that is nothing short of intoxicating. Cheyenne Marie Mize was one of NPR’s All Songs Considered Best Discoveries at SXSW 2011 and has garnered the attention of lots of bloggers and even the New York Times since then. She has a brand new album on the way too, from our friends at Roaring Colonel Records (My Old Kentucky Blog Imprint) called We Don’t Need which is due on November 8th. Get a taste of the new album below with this stripped down tune.

Cheyenne Marie Mize – Wishing Well

3:15

Nerves Junior

Rounding out our afternoon of great music is Louisville electro-rockers Nerves Junior. The band have been playing live regionally for awhile, I caught their set at last years Forecastle Festival and walked away thoroughly impressed. The guys are getting ready to release their debut full length album As Bright As Your Night Light this weekend, and should have plenty of new goodness to deliver at our show later this month. In the meantime, check out this great track.

As Bright As Your Night Light by Nerves Junior

So make your plans now to be at the VitaminWater room on Saturday September 24th for our party, I promise you will have a blast!

RSVP on Facebook

As a big fan of Wilco and Woody Guthrie, the Mermaid Avenue session albums from 1998 and 2000 still stand pretty tall in my mind. Billy Bragg and Wilco collaborated after a dive into the Woody Guthrie back catalog and the results included songs that are still a fixture for fans of all the represented parties. So when I heard a few years ago that a new Guthrie project was in the works, I got really excited. When I heard who would be involved, I got even more excited.

The project is enlisting the likes of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Anders Parker, Will Johnson of Centro-Matic and Jay Farrar, most notably. Yeah, that’s something to get excited about. The only problem is this announcement was nearly than two years ago! Not long after this announcement, while I was at WOXY.com, Will Johnson visited our Austin studio for a Lounge Act session and talked with me about the project, even playing one of the songs in the studio.

So it’s great to see this project finally get an official release date of early in 2012. It made me want to go back and provide this song for you as a download, even though it’s been streaming only for some time now. So enjoy Chorine, My Sheba Queen, a song from Will Johnson that will almost certainly be on the upcoming album.

*MP3 Download : Will Johnson – Chorine, My Sheba Queen

We’ve have talked about Alone at 3AM before here on ENS, and I have always counted myself as a fan of this criminally underrated Cincinnati group. The guys play some great Americana, in the same vein at Drive-By Truckers or Lucero, and I just got my first taste of the new material, and it’s worth your time. Here is the good news, in official release format.

Alone At 3AM is excited to announce their next full-length album will be with released on Suburban Home Records. The band finalized details with owner Virgil Dickerson last month when they performed at this year’s UMS Festival in Denver, CO. The release date is currently set for January/February 2012, and is titled Midwest Mess.

And while you are looking forward to the new album, you can snag an MP3 from another release the band is planning in the form of a limited edition 7″ titled, From An Ohio Basement, a collection of B-sides from the band’s past decade of recordings. Check it out below and get ready for both releases from Alone At 3AM!

MP3: Alone At 3AM – Factory (from an Ohio Basement 7″)