Midpoint Picks (Thursday-Saturday)

So I figured I would post my picks so far for Midpoint this week, since I already did it on the WOXY message board. Lots of chances to see some PWAH favorites I've written about before:

Thursday:
11 p.m. @ The Ink Tank - The Receiver: Part Beatles, part experimental mind music. Two brothers: Programmed keyboards, drums, bass.

Friday:
12 a.m. @ Speakeasy - Southeast Engine: Great songwriters in the mode of Wilco or The Band, on Misra.
12:15 a.m. @ Cue - Earwig: Great frontman and catchy pop rock tunes.
1:15 a.m. @ Cue - Cari Clara: I'm looking forward to this show to hear their new tunes. Just really great and melodic indie rock, with superb vocals.
11:15 p.m. 11:15 p.m. @ Jardine - Coltrane Motion: Homeboys are back in town from Chicago and will get the crowd going.
12:15 a.m. @ Toxic Stage - The Lions Rampant: Deep down blues indie rock, with people in lion suits. Get up and move.

Saturday:
11:15 p.m. @ Cue - Turnbull ACs: Back for another year, the band offers it's well-written indie rock about death and life.
12 a.m. @ Speakeasy - The Seedy Seeds: The darlings of the Cincy music scene offer their folk indie pop.
10 p.m. @ Speakeasy - Paper Airplane: I've heard this band described as an entire Wes Anderson movie soundtrack condensed into one band. Interesting? Check them out.

Pollard gives us a ONE, TWO punch

Man, today has been pretty good for Midwesterners making sparks nationally.
Not that Bob Pollard needs any help, but he's got two new CDs out (or coming out soon).
Thanks to You Ain't No Picasso for showing some Pollard love and supplying a couple MP3s at this link HERE

Local Lixx reborn

Good news for all the unsigned/totally ignored/unloved great bands in the Midwest.
WOXY will kick off its Local Lixx radio program just for you tonight (9/27) at 8:30 p.m.
Check out the article that ran on The Futurist right HERE

Pitchfork (hearts) Black Swans

Pitchfork Media continues its love for Columbus, Ohio's The Black Swans.
I just saw this article on the band's new Cd out called "Change!"

Brutha, can you spare a Coyne?

Thanks to My Old Kentucky Blog for linking to a video of Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne having some fun with Indiana's Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos. Check it out HERE

Oh My God! (seriously)

Chicago band Oh My God, who've been through this neck of the woods in Ohio many times, were unfortunately forced to cancel their tour due to a van accident.
From the Oh My God Myspace blog

We are so sad to report that a terrible, head-on collision in Ohio (someone crossed way over the center line and hit us straight on) has left me typing this with my left hand only, and has forced us to cancel the rest of our fall tour. We have among us serious knee, wrist, back, finger and nose fractures. Everyone in the band is alive, and if you'd witnessed this crash you'd be surprised about that. So we are thankful for that.
Thanks so much to all of you who've already heard and have sent us such warm wishes. We have months of recovery and physical therapy ahead of us.
Hopefully we'll see you after that...lots of love,
ig w/ Billy, Bish & Matt

Kim Taylor's Unit

I heard from Cincinnati's Kim Taylor that she has a tune off her first album on CBS' The Unit tomorrow (9/26). Did you see that pun I made in the headline. I am hilarious!
Straight from Taylor herself:
Tomorrow night you must settle on your couch and be absolutely and totally entranced with the season premiere of the Unit (9pm eastern standard time, CBS, check your local listings). The song "Myself" from my FIRST record "So Black, So Bright" will be in there some where … making it's way through the crowd … I'm hoping it gets to play right over a Thrilling, Knock-em-Down, Good Guy kicking some Bad Guy butt scene but I highly doubt it. Maybe someone gets drunk to the tune? Or a good make-out scene perhaps? Oh … well you'll just have to watch it and see.
And FINALLY we have all of the records available for digital purchase directly from my site thanks to Nimbit. Visit the site here: www.kim-taylor.net.

I'm working on the next record and have been playing some of the newer songs out at concerts so be sure to come if I happen upon your neck of the woods.

Wilco and Mr. Bird

For those folks headed to the upcoming Midwest appearances of Wilco, you can expect a nice surprise. Mr. Andrew Bird will be opening.
Despite my less than stellar opinion of the last Andrew Bird show, held in Columbus, I do love his music. Lets just hope this time around he doesn't start every goddam song with seven minutes of looping.
Here's the dates he'll be with them:
Oct 9 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Oct 10 - Minneapolis, MN - Northrup Auditorium
Oct 11 - Omaha, NE - Orpheum
Oct 13 - Kansas City, MO - Crossroads
Oct 14 - Iowa City, IA - Main Lounge
Oct 16 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center - Mershon Auditorium

Southeast Engine line up changes revealed

I finally got the story behind recent Misra signee Southeast Engine (Athens, OH.) and recent line up changes. Band singer/songwriter Adam Remnant wrote:
As we were finishing A Wheel Within a Wheel, we got the opportunity to sign with Misra records, which also entailed everyone in the band to sort of rearrange our lives in order to devote more time to the band: touring, recording, practicing, and all the other work that goes into making a band run smoothly. With all this in the works, it became clear that only Leo DeLuca, Adam Torres, and myself could fully commit to the band. The other guys couldn’t keep up with the band’s schedule due to family, work, bills, etc. We considered a rotating cast to keep the original members, but it seemed too unpractical. We are all really disappointed that we couldn't maintain the line-up we had to record A Wheel Within a Wheel, but the band is also really excited to embark on the tour with our new line-up.
Jesse Remnant and Gaelan Mullins are the new additions, and both are permanent fixtures covering bass and keyboards. There is a strong possibility that we will work with Josh Antonuccio again in the future as an engineer/producer, and we plan to have Michael Lachman play organ with the band at our regional shows after the tour.

If one things for sure, the band will continue to gain attention after its CD is released next month. I'm looking forward to tracking their progress, nationally speaking.

Spotlight: Beard of Stars Hair today, gone tomorrow?

It is with mixed confusion and sadness that I include my latest "Spotlight" feature on the Columbus, OH. band Beard of Stars. The group has put out some of the freshest indie pop I have heard in a long time. It's energetic, slightly crazy sounding, lo-fi gang vocal, indie pop rock.
But sadly, I also just noticed that they may have broken up...
I will confirm this by the end of my article. But for now, you just need to know that the band has a cassette of music coming out soon and Miller may be collaborating with a former Terribly Empty Pocket.
So here is a recent email interview I did with Beard of Stars songwriter Bobby Miller the other day:
PWAH: I was hoping to get a description of who's in the band, and a brief bit on how it came together:
Miller: Well, Beard of Stars was born about a year-and-a-half ago. We’re made up of me (Bobby) and three other dudes (Matt Wagner, Matt Ogborn and Sam) who also happen to spend quality time in some other excellent Columbus bands – namely Earwig, Heavy Mole and The Proper Nouns. Originally, it was my intention to assemble a group of people who I knew had the ability and the desire to pull off the kind of eccentric pop music I was hoping to make. Once we all got in a room together, it was a pleasant surprise that all the songs actually came out a little more rough and tumble than I originally imagined.
PWAH: Your thoughts around the "style" of music you guys put out...
Miller: Our “style” of music? Hmmm. I guess we do have a certain lo-fi pop-rock aesthetic, in the vein of Pavement or Guided by Voices or whatever. But ultimately I prefer substance over style. I’d like to think our music is the kind that sticks with you. You know, those types of melodies that all of sudden you realize you are humming out loud when you’re standing in line at the bank or the grocery store.
PWAH: Does everyone sing live?
Miller: We all sing, but typically only a couple of us are privy to microphones.
PWAH: Or is this an effect you guys created on recordings?
Miller: Yeah, we do all kinds of wacky stuff when recording - you know, think outside the proverbial box and all that. We try to keep it interesting and like I said before, memorable.
PWAH: Do you have some main themes you touch upon in your music? In other words, what are you hoping to convey?
Miller: We try to write mostly upbeat material with lyrics that are literate and smart and fun. We want people to know when they come to one of our shows that it’s gonna be a fairly loose affair. They’re gonna need to be prepared to drink a decent amount of beer with us and generally have a good time. Those are the rules!
PWAH: What are some other bands you guys enjoy throughout the Midwest?
Miller: Well, I’m a big fan of The M’s from Chicago and I also love The High Strung from Detroit. Locally it doesn’t get much better than The Lindsay.
PWAH: Do you have a release on the way?
Miller: It’s funny you should ask. We plan on doing a hand-packaged cassette release on Oct. 11th at Bourbon Street in Columbus, OH. The bill is pretty top-notch. Also playing are Monotonix from Tel Aviv, White Denim from Austin and local icon/hero Jeff Fernengel. The tracks will be available after Oct. 11th from our website (www.beardofstars.net) for free digital download.
--------------------------------------------------------
Of course, then I read this post on Myspace from Monday, the 24th:
OK…so the cat is out of the bagz. Beard of Stars is breaking on up. Don’t cry for us, Sergeant Tina. It’s been a great run, but the kids are getting older and Ogborn drinks too much.
More importantly, please note that on Thursday, Oct. 11th at Bourbon's Streets we will be playing our last show everrrrr (AND!!) and we will have free cassettes available with all of our songs on them and we’ll be launching the hott new local ‘zine (from the creators of Justin Riley and The New Dark Ages) that same night. Other jokes and small ideas planned.
Also playing: Monotonix (fucking crazy from Argentina Land), White Denim (Austinites pissin’ their jeans) and fucking Tree of Fernengel (solo in the flezh).
Seriously, please come and have fun with us this last time out. It will mean the world to us to see you boppin’ your silly asses headsss to our silly asses songs.
--------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
Miller: Ha! Yeah, I didn't know if I should really go into it or not - I guess I just wanted the piece to focus on the positives. Still, we are indeed breaking up. But, it's one of those totally cool, mutual-type things. Basically, everyone else in the band had other prominent gigs that were slowly but surely sucking time and energy from Beard of Stars - you know how it goes - and we all had the same feeling that it had sort of run its course. Regrettably, we did have to cancel our Midpoint appearance, but we've been recording here and there over the last few weeks and plan to put out a cassette release of all of our material at our last show ever on Thursday, October 11th at Bourbon St. in Columbus. We plan to go out with guitars a blazin'! It's going to be a huge party!
Miller also said that out of every death there has to be some kind of rebirth.
I’m actually incredibly excited to say that I’m already working on a new project with Justin Riley (formerly of Terribly Empty Pockets) that we are calling it Super Desserts. It’s intended to be quite the ambitious pop project with acoustic and electric guitars, multiple keyboards, lots of people singing, some sitar and other non-traditional instrumentation, visuals, bells, whistles, etc. I think it’s going to be a blast! So, keep your eyes peeled for that as I imagine we’ll be looking to do our first show sometime around Christmas.

Midpoint has arrived!

I'm pretty excited about Midpoint, so here are some updates recently posted by Mike Breen at this link HERE

Some Happy Chichester news

Happy on NPR.
Be sure to catch Happy this Friday as Captain of Industry backs him up at the Rhumba Cafe in Columbus, Ohio's east side.

BJM entertains

You know, I went home last night and thought about what I wrote about the Brian Jonestown Massacre show in Columbus this past Saturday and decided that I hated it. I didn't quite get across the point I was trying to make. So here's another shot:
In America, life as we know it began with the Puritans.
Life began with guilt, shame, finger pointing and hypocricy. These are folks who drowned weird people in public displays.
I like to think that my family has been working our way as far from this past as possible. So it is amazing to me when I see people who still wallow in that depressive state.
America was supposed to be about total freedom and instead it became the place where the most people are locked up in jails than any other country in the world.
People in America love to judge. They love to make you feel embarrassed. You are always wrong in America.
So how in the hell can I relate what I just wrote to a Brian Jonestown Massacre show in Columbus, Ohio?
Easy.
Because Anton Newcombe, like it or not, just happens to symbolize to many people the entire purpose of Rock N' Roll these days. The fucker is 40 years old and he embodies Rock more than people half his age.
So when he walked into Carabar Saturday he did what he does best: Disrupt shit. He walked in and owned the place. He bossed around the bands. He bossed around the staff and he bossed around his band. He took off his shirt and played some music. Then, when he went to Cleveland, he did the same thing.
I would be surprised if he didn't. The man's moto is "Keep Rock Music Evil" for god sake.
But when some people see this behavior of bravado, they think it should be stopped. They label him nuts, so they can define him. Never mind the fact that Rock N' Roll is about rebellion. Let's forget that the golden age of this music came out of an unjust war, a country run by bat shit crazy Republicans and a total twist back toward our roots of Puritanism.
In other words, he walked into their house, as they giggled like lovestruck girls trying to create some emotional tie to him, an when they didn't get the nice chummy vibe from him back, they got mad and trashed him.
So when I hear about people bitching over a goddam rock musician acting like a rock musician should, it makes me sick.
When people talk about egotism, balls and anger as if they should be ashamed of it, I think: George Bush is winning. I also think that Carabar might be a cool place, but for national bands it sucks. There is nowhere for someone like Newcombe to go and hang out away people trying to get a piece of him. There's no backstage at all.
To everyone who thought Anton should keep his mouth shut and play his guitar: Go find your balls. I think Jesus hid them for your own protection.
And Columbus?
You're on notice.

Avant-garde remains in Cincy

Good news, I heard from Jon Lorenz of Cincinnati's Skull Lab that while his venue is closing in October, he is still going to be focusing on providing an outlet for avant garde bands with a new venture.
"I am starting a new space in Cincinnati since Skull Lab is closing. It is going to be a new space for the experimental music organization Art Damage. The space is going to be called the Art Damage Lodge," Lorenz explained.
The new venue can be found online at:
Art Damage Lodge
and also Art Damage
Some more info:
ART DAMAGE LODGE is a space dedicated to presenting experimental and underground music in Cincinnati, Ohio
It is located at 4120 Hamilton Ave. in Northside - 3rd floor of the Hoffner Masonic Lodge
Art Damage, Inc. is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and support of
the experimental and noise-arts.

Three Bears Design

Awhile back I was intent of doing some articles on regional artists who design CDs and come up with awesome flyers for bands in the Midwest. Unfortunately, out of the half dozen companies I tried to get a hold of, only Three Bears Design actually wrote me back!
I'm glad they did, because they are one of the best. In fact, I really like this one they did:

Never did have too much luck on that design company series. I also tried to do a whole thing on regional booking companies and NOT ONE RESPONDED BACK. Jeez.
So three cheers to Three Bears for coming through, and here's a bit of their history:
Three friends, "all operating individually as illustrators, graphic designers, and artists of varying kinds in the depths of the forests of Ohio, realized delightedly that if they were to join forces, so much more creative radness could be achieved than if they continued to operate on their own. The joint venture was embraced wholeheartedly, and a name was chosen. Quite fittingly, Three Bears Design takes its name from the ursine creatives who make it up," the company wrote.
Since then the design group has grown to more than three.
"In the process of drawing, painting, designing, sewing, photographing, sculpting, and making wonder for friends, these furry fingers have joined paws with all number of other talented animals everywhere, enabling Three Bears Design to undertake pretty much any visual adventure anyone could throw at us," they said.
Now Three Bears Design is hoping to help out those seeking artistic visions in any form.
"If you can think it up, dream about it after eating imported cheeses, or describe it using fancy or unfancy words, we can probably make it happen for you. We're more than a design company. We're an ever-growing collective of friends who like to create exciting, fun visual work for other friends. We have an ethic of aesthetic friendliness, an approach to making things that finds itself rooted in time spent hanging out with people as much as it is rooted in artistic ability and vision," they said.

Three Bears Design

http://www.threebearsdesign.com
http://www.myspace.com/threebearsdesign
http://www.virb.com/threebearsdesign
3bearsdesign@gmail.com

Southeast Engine line up changes

After signing to Misra, Athens, Ohio's Southeast Engine has a big tour gearing up. The first out east for CMJ's Arlene's Grocery showcase. In the wake of the tour, the band recently announced a couple of additions:

Via a recent Myspace bulletin:
Dear Tender Fountains,
A warm Southeast Engine welcome goes out to Jesse Remnant and Gaelan Mullins. These 2 fine young gentlemen recently joined the band.
Jesse (Adam's younger brother) will be playing keyboards/organ on the month-long tour and Gaelan (of The Silo Circuit/Casual Future) will be playing bass. Both are multi-instrumentalists, however, and it will be exciting to see where their talents take The Engine. Welcome gents!
"Psychoanalysis" is now up on the player! It's the 3rd song from the top!
Thanks,
Southeast Engine

Does this mean their other keyboardist and bass player couldn't make the tour? Are they still in the band? Or are they shifting everyone around to give their live show a sound more reflective of the CD?
I don't have the answers yet.

Happy Captains of Industry

I heard recently that the long-awaited collaboration (at least for me) between Columbus, Ohio's rock prodigy Happy Chichester (Howlin' Maggie, Royal Crescent Mob) and Dayton's Captain of Industry is underway.
Back story: There was some talk of Happy using the band as his backing group for his next solo tour. Things were put on hold when Happy hooked up with RJD2 and went off on a tour with that bad ass mofo.
Happy told me in an interview that I did, that there just wasn't time yet for them to get together.
Now Happy's back and he's set to perform with his new Dayton friends in Columbus. I have no idea if the collaboration will last for an entire tour, but Happy could not have found a more powerful group of musicians than the ones in Industry.
Their drummer is phenomenal, their guitarist is a genius and on their own their song structures are unique and killer.
Apparently, Derek DiCenzo and drummer Sam Brown (of The Sun) will be helping Happy out at his next show Saturday night, Sept. 21, at Rumba Cafe. It's located sort of near Cafe Bourbon Street. Then on Sept. 28 Happy will be joined by the Captain of Industry folks. Mark your calendars!
In fact, I'm just reading right now that he will be doing a happy hour set every Friday in September. That's gonna be pretty rad. I'll have to head over and catch a show.

Vandervelde grounded

I'd like to believe it must have been that half-smoked joint he had in his pocket in 1991, when he was busted at a keg party, listening to Bel Biv Devo, that kept him on the ground. But sadly, it wasn't.
Recently Chicago's David Vendervelde had some issues with immigration as he embarked on his overseas tours.
David's manager recently wrote:
Just wanted to let you know that due to a paperwork issue with David and the Moonstation House Band's UK work permit, we are having to cancel all the UK dates for this tour.
Our sincerest apologies - please know that this problem was beyond our control, and that the band was geared up for a great string of shows!
We are in the midst of trying to figure out how to continue with the remaining EUR dates, so please stay tuned.
I was just joking about the pot reference, but I imagine booking a European tour must be akin to building a pyramid with munchkins.
Hopefully it gets worked out. I bet those puddle jumpers would love Vandervelde.

Proof that I exist

There is finally proof that someone other than myself reads People with Animal Heads. Including my wife and myself, I think that makes three readers!
As I try to document underground bands throughout the entire Midwest, I've banked off on a couple side projects.
One is studying regional avant garde, or noise rock. I'm a traditional indie pop fan by heart, so I wanted to truly understand the unknown.
Another project is doing articles trying to define the musical "sounds" coming out of different cities.
The third side-project is doing articles on things that disappoint me about regional music scenes.
Cincinnati, Ohio's Mike Breen (whose link is found to the right) did a commentary on one of my commentaries, which I thought was pretty cool.
Here's a link to the one I wrote back in mid-August: HERE.
And here's a link to Breen's article: HERE
When it comes to talking about unsigned and local bands in the Midwest, I'm glad that sites like "Spill it" exist.
Maybe one day all the big music industry magazines will start using their blogs to talk about bands that didn't make it into print because of space. For now, they just sort of use them to talk MORE about the same five national bands...

Times New Viking - release date for "Rip it Off"

I just saw on the awesome site I Rock Cleveland that Columbus' Times New Viking finally has a release date set through Matador for their first major label debut "Rip it Off."
From Times New Viking's Myspace blog:
hola
we have emerged from our west coast tour mostly unscathed and victorious. if only our van were more dependable, it would have been problem-free. nonetheless, we rocked bars, clubs, art spaces and living rooms. listened to rare pauly shore bootlegs with the amazing LITTLE CLAW, who only get better with age. learned drunken spanish with the best band in mexico and probably the world, LOS LLAMARADA('indio' is the best beer ever, by the way. look for it there if you ever visit).
thanks to ranger X, who guided us through the surreal land of mexico. without his thc-induced superpowers, we would probably be hidden in the back of a van trying to get back into the states.
also thanks to all who booked, cooked, bought shots and let us sleep on floors. oh, and also the UAMOM(united auto mechanics of montana)
the new one, 'rip it off' is done and mastered. 1/22/08 is the as-of-now set release date.
almost done with a single for the record which will be unleashed upon the world sometime in november - also on the matador imprint (we will probably make our own covers one last time(?) for its limited run).
also on a limited run, we will be playing a few shows out east in november. not yet confirmed, but we'll keep the internet region updated.
puedamos usar lo encendedor?
TNV

Bon Iver and the dilemma

I can't believe I'm going to do this, but I am. I'm going to talk about Bon Iver.
First of all because the person behind it lives in N/W Wisconsin. When it comes to the Midwest, some people have different definitions. They think anything between New York and LA consists of the Midwest.
People in Minnesota have accents. People in Wisconsin have accents. God love them, but they aren't Midwestern.
The second reason I can't believe I'm talking about Bon Iver is because I was reminded to write about him from checking out Brooklyn Vegan. If there is one thing I think is wrong with todays music industry (aside from the music industry) it's the fact that all the big blog sites always champion the same five bands.
First it was TV on the Radio and Arcade Fire. These days it's turned into Aesop Rock, Jay Reatard, Fiest, Dan Deacon, etc.
There's a stamping of the same faces, parading across every blog in the land. Not that these bands suck. It's just that you'd think there were no other bands in the entire world.
I guess I just find it hard to believe that these bands are the ONLY bands that need attention. At least to the point where every blogger in the entire universe has to write about them ad nauseum. I'm interested in bands that don't have it easy. I want to get to know bands that don't have the luxury of having Ipod commercials, or have buddies in the industry that get them onto Sub Pop.
I also thought Arcade Fire not only has some of the worst lyrics I've ever heard, but their songs are boring as fuck. See my predicament?
I just hate to see blogs, with total freedom in what they write about, just get lazy and join the hype parade.
THAT SAID, I heard Bon Iver on Sirius radio the other day and was pleasantly surprised. Check him out. I guess I just dig songs like "Skinny Love" because he sings folk music with a lot of white man soul and can actually hit a high note and scream a bit. Oddly enough, that's what's missing from a ton of music - especially folk. I also liked "For Emma," the single. Although it disappears into the horns - which I kinda think is an easy trick bands are doing too often these days. But it's still a cool song.

Columbus CRINGE

I was dutifully checking through my links, located on the right, when I read this on Cringe.com, left by site runner Joel. If you're not familiar, Cringe has been around for a looong time. It'll be cool to see it be re-vamped to something more streamlined:

State of the Site Address

Some of you may have noticed I took last week off. It was a holiday week and one of the last weeks before OSU gets back into full swing. Sure, I wanted a break. I also wanted to step back a bit as many major site changes may be on the way. It's somewhat timely that some critical comments related to the state of the site have come in during this downtime.
I realize, probably more than anyone, that Cringe is a large, old, ugly, confusing site. It's overgrown and exceeded its original organization, content, size, focus, and functionality many times over. Sometimes things have been neglected or orphaned to make room or time for other things. Sometimes things were quickly shoe-horned into place with little looking back. It's also lost pretty much all of the contributers over the years. It's become more a one man operation than it has ever been. In short, it's grown so much and so organically that any thought of reworking it is a hugely daunting task for one person to take on.
With that in mind, below are some major efforts with which I could use some help. Anything from suggestions and tips, to proofing and testing to designing, architecting and coding to editing, maintaining and moderating to writing, photographing and video taping could be in the mix. Just email me at joel@cringe.com if you're interested in helping with any of this notice

1. We're pretty close to maxing out the 80 GB dedicated server the site is currently using. I had a deal with the current host to lower the cost plus get more space. I'm not sure that's going to work out in the end, so a move might be in the works soon. It could be a move to really cheap, shared megahosting, but that might not be so dependable. Anyone with tips and connections to megahosting that might fit the bill, feel free to drop me an email - joel@cringe.com.
2. The software the main site runs on has been in a really slow development cycle, but could finally see a major update this year. I'll likely upgrade Cringe shortly after that is finally released.
3. With that software back-end update, I think I'd like to redesign and reorganize the site. Yeah, far easier said than done. The architecture, organizing and integration of the main site, store and archives need major rethinking. I never really liked the current design look and feel, but went with what some regular visitors seemed to like at the time.
4. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I'd like to open up the site more to you. It was never my intent to be the sole or even main contributer and in the beginning that wasn't the case. I'd like to move in the direction of facilitating and nurturing other people and sites that may need an outlet or to combine efforts and resources as they relate to local music here in Columbus.
Again, just email me at joel@cringe.com if you're interested in helping with any of this or if you think we might help each other. Heck, I could probably use help keeping track of and recruiting the help.

Midwestern Round up!

• A great new Cincinnati band called The Harlequins has posted a few new tunes up on their Myspace site. More great stuff from the trio.
• I plan to do some updates to my articles on different cities. Things have changed in a few towns since I wrote those up.
• Be sure to keep checking in with Indiana's Everything, Now! for new songs being posted every day from their upcoming releases.
• Word from Columbus experimental, TV sitcom obsessed, band Electric Grandmother is that they have a verbal deal to sign with new Columbus label All Hail Records.
• Word from Cinncinnati.com web peeps is that there is a great discussion going on the boards about booking agents and managers. I'm about to go read that: HERE. OK, I checked out the discussion and it's all great stuff. I guess the problem with it is that it's mostly focused on getting local gigs. Anyone can get local gigs on their own. I'd like to see a deeper discussion on booking agents, because honestly, after years of booking shows most bands would agree that it's a PAIN IN THE EFFING ASS to do it on your own. If your band has been together for years, sometimes booking another month ahead is a total chore. People don't call back. People don't email back. Sometimes a bar you've played at for years has new management and now they want a "promo kit." It's tiresome to get gigs lined up around the region. I'm starting to think booking agents are essential for any serious band.
• Chicago's Secretly Canadian roster man David Vandervelde is set to go on his European tour with the Moonstation House Band. At first I posted all the dates for you, then I realized you might as well just click the link I provided and see it yourself.
• Detroit's The Satin Peaches have a new web-site up: HERE
• Athens, Ohio's Southeast Engine has a tune on the forthcoming Audio Eagle OHIO compilation CD. Audio Eagle is an imprint of Fat Possum Records and is headed by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. Also featured on the comp. will be Circus Devils (Robert Pollard side-project), Doug Gillard (ex - Guided By Voices), Cleveland's Machine Go Boom and more. This will be a national release and will hit stores in late 2007.

Cincinnati's Skull Lab closes

It is with heavy heart I inform you that Cincinnati's Skull Lab, operated by PWAH friend Jon Lorenz, will be closed by Oct. 5.

A recent message from the venue stated:
Skull Lab is closing! That's all you really need to know about it. Our last show will be on October 5th. Sorry everyone who liked coming to our place.

Personally it's sad to see this. There are scant few places in Ohio people can go to enjoy true underground and interesting avant garde music. I also know that Lorenz loved doing what he was doing and truly enjoyed the bands that came through. You won't find any venue person more supportive of new concepts in rock n' roll.

Columbus' annual SLUM B Q

This Saturday, Sept. 8, marks the fourth annual Slum B Q festival of music in Columbus, OH. It will be held inside and outside of Carabar.
You can always count on a diverse groups of bands performing representing more of what I call the "east side" Columbus community of musicians, and at least one cool national indie band. I think Swearing at Motorists played one year. White Rabbits is set for this year.





SLUM-B-Q 4 SCHEDULE
OUTSIDE
3 PM: The Cabdrivers
4 PM: Heavy Mole
5 PM: Earwig
6 PM: You’re So Bossy
7 PM: Moviola
8 PM: The Cusacks
9 PM: The Lindsay
10 PM: Bob City
INSIDE
8:30 PM: Via Audio
9:30 PM: The Kyle Sowashes
10:30 PM: Machine Go Boom
11:30 PM: The Unholy Two
12:30 AM: White Rabbits
SOLO STAGE
4:40 PM: Spanish Prisoners
5:40 PM: Bird and Flower
6:40 PM: Wil Cope
7:40 PM: Jordan O’ Jordan
8:40 PM: Chris McCoy
9:40 PM: Tree of Fern

WOXY: Local Lixx update

Remember how I said that WOXY is bringing back it's Local Lixx program? Well, Joe over at Each Note Secure is going to be the host. That's pretty cool, and he plans to expand it to include bands from across the region. Even better.

Here's what Joe posted on his site:

I have totally forgotten to mention this here, although it has gotten some regular mentions over at WOXY.com, but Local Lixx is returning to the airwaves. One of the longest running local music shows will be back on the air very soon and I will be hosting it! I’m getting excited about the first show and plan to not only shine the spotlight on some great Cincinnati music, but also reaching out to Louisville, Dayton, Columbus and even Indianapolis for this show.
We will also be podcasting the show so you can listen to it on demand. I am putting the first episode together now and it should be ready soon, so stay tuned. If you want to submit music to me for consideration on Local Lixx, hit me up with a physical CD only please, and send it to this address….

WOXY.com
c/o Local Lixx
700 W. Pete Rose Way
Cincinnati OH 45203

New Southeast Engine track up New CD forthcoming

Check out Athens, Ohio's Southeast Engine Myspace page to hear a new track from their upcoming LP "Wheel Within a Wheel," out 10/16 on their new label Misra.
The new track is called "We have you surrounded" and is one of the highlights of their recent live shows. Excellent tune with a ton of changes.
Oh yeah, here's the cover: