CEA
AWARD WINNER 
|
| bluegrass |
 Comet
Bluegrass Allstars
This Bluegrass crew has been a staple of the local scene for
several years, and their Sunday evening appearances at their
namesake (The Comet bar in Northside) have only gotten more
popular over time.
WebSite |
Ma
Crow
One of the area’s most beloved Bluegrass voices belongs
to Ma Crow, a staple on the local Roots front. Her soulful vocal
presence has helped guide bands like Ma Crow & the Flock
and the Ma Crow Medicine Show over the years. |
Taylor
Farley
Regional festival fave and banjo king Taylor Farley weaves
Bluegrass together with Classic Rock, Blues and Country
influences with his unique backing group, Blue Rock.Website
|
Rumpke
Mountain Boys
Younger than many of their Bluegrass peers, the acoustic Rumpke
Mountain Boys have built a solid following in a short time
with their lively, jamming sound enabling them to play in
both Rock clubs and more traditional settings.Website |
| country |
Brothers
First
A
five-piece Country band with some Rock tendencies, area favorites
Brothers First released their third full-length CD of original
material, Coming Back For More, earlier this year.
Website |
The
Sidecars
Playing “ever-popular Western Swing,” the Sidecars
drive an authentic, acoustic Americana sound that’s
fueled by Bluegrass, classic Country and “Hot”
Jazz. Stay All Night is the seven-piece band’s
most recent CD release.
Website |
| Straw
Boss
“It ain’t retro, it’s real” is what
Straw Boss’ Web site says. The group plays powerful,
hicupping Honky Tonk music with a Rockabilly lube job. The
band’s latest CD release is Hi Speed Wobble.
Website |
Dallas
Moore
Hard livin’ and hard workin’ Dallas Moore and his
band The Snatch Wranglers offer a gritty, rockin’ Country
sound. Relentless touring and local appearances have made them
one of the key forces in the modern “Outlaw Country”
movement. Website |
| folk/americana |
Jake
Speed and the Freddies
Woody Guthrie-style troubadour Jake Speed and his band’s
most recent CD, The Cincinnati Legends of Jeremiah Schmidt,
features songs of Cincinnati lore delivered with the group’s
vintage mix of Folk classicism, humor and social awareness.
Website |
Maurice
Mattei
Playing intuitive “Acoustic Rock” with the mystique
and vibe of Americana, prolific singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei
released his latest and best release yet this year, Ring
of Smoke.
Website |
Messerly
and Ewing
With each release, this powerful twosome has gotten deeper into
the “Rock” side of the Roots Rock equation. This
year’s Darkness Drops Again is loaded with Americana
goodness and unforgettable melodies. Website |
Chris
Haubner & the Roanoke Ramblers
Playing Americana originals plus “Old Timey” classics
and Bluegrass, Haubner and his three-piece back-up group are
promising up-and-comers on the local Roots scene.
Website
|
| world
music |
Bodhi
Fannin & Anam Cara
Led by Bodhi Fannin, Anam Cara (Gaelic
for “soul friend”) is steeped not only in the tradition
of Celtic music but also in its deep spiritual base. This seven-member
band mixes bagpipes, fiddles, bodhran and guitars for a contemporary,
progressive spin on a classic sound.
Website |
Mohenjo
Daro
For years now, Mohenjo Daro has been Cincinnati’s
source for World Fusion, using Western methods to blend elements
of Hindunistic Raga, Arabic Dance and North African Trance,
among other things. The trio’s most recent release is
Rajdhani Express.
Website |
| Roger
Drawdy & the Firestarters
The Firestarters are the brainchild of local singer/songwriter
Roger Drawdy, whose interests run toward contemporary Irish
Folk Rock that’s both thoroughly modern and foundationally
traditional.Website |
Me
Or the Moon
Using kalimba (an African “thumb piano”), bass,
guitar and vocals, the duo of Matthew Shelton and Victor Strunk
create an exotic sound that mixes Pop, poetry and a meditative
resonance.Website |
| rock |
Viva
La Foxx
With a powerhouse live show, quartet Viva La Foxx has been building
its name on a fiery Post-Punk sound they describe as “new
phonetic sex punk rock.”Website |
Thee
Shams
Thee Shams’ deft Psychedelic Garage Blues caught the attention
of the esteemed Blues-rooted Fat Possum label. Since their debut
for the label, Please Yourself, the band has been on the road,
touring with artists like Spoon and The Black Keys.
Website |
Paperback
Drawing fans from both the local Indie and Hard Rock scenes,
this trio’s energized Rock sound takes cues from Alternative
Rock, Punk and Metal.
Website |
Moth
Now free of their Virgin Records’ contract (the label
released the stunning Provisions, Fiction and Gear in 2002),
this long-running local Pop/Rock band re-emerged with the vitriolic,
powerful Drop Deaf in early ’04.
Website |
| hard
rock/metal |
| Soul
Casket
Together just over a year, Soul Casket has already endured
more name and lineup changes than most bands deal with throughout
their entire history. The band's unique Goth-tinged Metal
edge is strengthened by vocalist J-9, who provides an image
that's both beautiful and powerful.
Website |
Croatan
With an enormous, aggressive yet dynamic sound that straddles
the Punk/Metal line to perfection, this veteran duo have toured
the country several times and released albums on a variety of
labels. The twosome’s newest release is The Drunken Masters,
released this September.
Website |
Jackass
Heavy, powerful and debauched, Jackass is a quartet consisting
of local music scene vets. Donkey Style, their ass-kicking debut,
was released in 2003.
Website |
Black
Tractor
This rumbling fivesome formed out of the ashes of beloved
shit-stirrers Bagg and are more funny on purpose than many
Metal bands are accidentally. Exhibit A: their debut release,
Skidmark of the Beast.
Website |
| singer/songwriter |
Chuck
Cleaver
The highly evocative and often hilariously funny and/or grim
tales that Chuck Cleaver spins have made The Ass Ponys local
favorites for nearly two decades.
Website |
Kim
Taylor
A Folk-based stew with Rock spice and a dash of Country is Kim
Taylor's recipe. Lyrically elegant and musically solid, her
band plays songs for discerning adults.
Website |
Ali
Edwards
Being both ethereal and organic can be a tough trick to pull
off. Ali Edwards’ songwriting is a key component to Indie
Pop quartet Ruby Vileos’ rising, spreading acclaim and
attention.
Website |
Tristen
Shields
Described as “Massive Attack meets Wilco meets Nick Drake,”
Tristen Shields’ Electro-Folk music began turning heads
with the release of his dreamy, gauzy Migrations album earlier
this year.
Website
|
| blues |
Big
Joe Duskin
Boogie Woogie Blues pianist Big Joe Duskin is a local legend
whose recent release, Big Joe Jumps Again (on the Memphis-based
Yellow Dog label), features guest appearances by Peter Frampton
and a host of local heroes.
Website |
Ricky
Nye
Nye’s rollicking Boogie Woogie sound brings N’awlins
to the ’Nati with style. Nye released Quick ’N Dirty
in 2003 and hosted his sixth annual Blues and Boogie Piano Summit
(featuring like-minded acts from around the world) earlier this
fall.Website |
Pearlene
After releasing two acclaimed, internationally distributed albums
in 2003, Pearlene spent much of 2004 on the road in both Europe
and the U.S., racking up press raves from all corners. Rhythmic
Blues Rock with soul to spare.
Website |
Natalie
Wells
While female roles in the Blues are often limited to vocalists,
Northern Kentucky native Natalie Wells struts her stuff on
guitar. The 21-year-old sings, too, and, with her self-titled
band, she could very well be the future of the local Blues
scene.
Website |
| alternative/indie |
Culture
Queer
Slanted, blissfully dynamic Indie Pop. The group’s 2004
release, Supersize It Under Pontius Pilate, is a Technicolor
exultation of radiant Pop melodies with a sly, sarcastic bent
and a musical adventurousness that most in the genre steer clear
of.
Website |
The
Sundresses
It's the last thing you'd expect from a punk, a Folk guitarist
and a trombone player, but the fanaticism with which The Sundresses
approach their art speaks for itself. Dixieland and Delta Blues
are desecrated and then somehow magically exalted and steeped
in raw political expression.
Website |
Wolverton
Brothers
The Wols are one of Cincinnati's most enduring groups —
about two decades and still going strong — and they're
certainly one of the more unique and innovative bands ever to
call the Queen City home. The group's latest release, A Better
Place (only their fourth long-player), is its best yet.Website |
Ruby
Vileos
Few bands stick in your cortex as firmly as Ruby Vileos. Employing
a versatile sonic palette (from atmospheric meditations to
riff-engorged rockers) and a spine-tingling live show, the
band has been burning its presence into area minds since its
1998 inception.
Website |
| punk |
The
Socials
The Socials make awesomely caustic Art Punk with a smartness
that belies the music's occasional reckless nature. In 2004,
the group released its sophomore effort, New Vibrations
of Light. |
Bottom Line
After spending the summer touring (including a stint on the
Vans Warped Tour for the fourth year in a row), this Pop/Punk
crew is gearing up for the release of its new full-length,
Eloquence, in early ’05.
Website |
Death
in Graceland
DiG is powder-keg Punk at its finest, confrontational and eruptive
but still musically finessed and creative. Fans are eagerly
awaiting the follow-up to their scintillating debut CD, Come
On Touch Me.Website |
Caterpillar
Tracks
A supergroup of sorts featuring accomplished local musicians
from a variety of backgrounds, Caterpillar Tracks’ passionate,
well-written Punk (which mixes the urgency of the classics without
the sheen of the currents) got its first reveal this year on
their self-titled debut album.
Website |
| r&b/funk |
Freekbass
Bootsy Collins took bassist Chris Sherman under his wing and
gave him the name/persona definition he's been recording under
since 1998: Freekbass (also the name of his band). The group
has released three albums of butt-thumping magnificence, including
last year's The Air Is Fresher Underground.
Website |
P.
Ann Everson Price
Everson-Price doesn't just bear a resemblance to Soul music
legend Patti Labelle — she has the pipes to match her
note for note. Astoundingly proficient from a technical standpoint,
her voice resonates with a raw, rapturous soul, especially on
her latest release, Killer Love.
Website |
Derrick
Sanderson's Soul Expression
DSSE soothes while simultaneously encouraging you to get your
freak on with their smooth combination of old-school Soul and
backfield-in-motion R&B.
Website |
The
Ropers
This band of Funk and Rock veterans pay homage to the driving
Soul music of the ’60s and ’70s with rollicking
instrumental adventures. All top-shelf players, they can relax
in the pocket or kick in the afterburners with blissfully authentic
results. |
| jazz |
Shawn
Elsbernd
While also the timekeeper for Dayton Pop/Rock fave Emily Strand,
Elsbernd is perhaps becoming more well known in town for his
two Jazz projects — the Shawn Elsbernd Quartet and the
Fusion squad Protocol. |
Kathy
Wade
Sublime Jazz singer and community activist (with her nonprofit
Learning Through Art organization), Kathy Wade has shared
stages with the likes of George Benson, Whitney Houston and
Nancy Wilson, and she’s one of the most honored musicians
in the Cincinnati music scene.
Website |
Steve
Schmidt
Local session and club vet Steve Schmidt knows his way around
the keyboard. Playing on a variety of local music projects (everything
from Jazz to Pop), he also has a solid following for his self-titled
organ trio and other ensembles. Local Bluegrass great Katie
Laur once called him the “Shakespeare of the piano.” |
William
Menefield
With a résumé that any artist twice his age
would envy, pianist William Menefield made his already-accomplished-sounding
recorded debut, Big Will Leaps In, at the age of
18. Menefield’s most recent release is Will’s
Revenge. |
| jam |
Ray’s
Music Exchange
National “Jam Band” faves Ray’s Music Exchange
fittingly spend a lot of time in the van touring the clubs and
festivals of America. Their open-ended Rock/Jazz/Fusion tactics
were most recently on display in the form of 2004’s Blue
in the Face studio album.
Website |
Grand
Oversoul
Newcomers Grand Oversoul cut its teeth
playing covers of Dead and Widespread Panic songs before solidifying
as an original unit and hitting the local clubs in earnest.
A dreamy wave of dynamic, atmospheric Rock music that rolls
with a stream-of-conscious fluidity.
Website |
Michael
John Mollo
Using guitar synths and samplers, Mollo is able to create an
intriguing, full sound all by his lonesome, layering the vocals
and guitar as he plays live. The Jam band scene has embraced
his rhythmic, original style, and he's been touring the Midwest
and Northeast consistently.
Website |
Traveling
Barefoot
This popular foursome combines Rock, Funk, Country, Folk and
Jazz to form a sound that’s both grounded and expansively
psychedelic. Between their every-Sunday residency at the Mad
Frog and other gigs, the group has managed to record a forthcoming
EP, its first release.
Website |
| hip
hop |
Watusi
Tribe
With an inventive Hip Hop sound and the
refreshingly spin of positivity in their lyrics, Watusi Tribe
are the rare Hip Hop band with a great live show. F.I.S.T.:
First Installment of Soulful Tone is their first CD since 1998’s
Tha Cleansing and represents a shift to a more accessible sound
that helps gets the uplifting, smart lyrics across even better. |
Iswhat?!
Leaving the DAT machine at home, live trio Iswhat?! inventively
mixes human beatboxing, Jazz bass and horn and intellectual
poetics (with various guests helping out with live drums and
vibes occasionally). The group’s latest CD is You Figure
It Out, which was recently reissued nationally by Hyena Records.
Website |
Abiyah
Poetess Abiyah has been called the “Queen of the Cincinnati
Music Scene” with good reason — her genre-bending
collaborations, which blend Hip Hop, Dub, Rock, Electronica
and Industrial music into a widely appealing mélange.Website |
djdq
One of the wax wizards of the legendary local DJ collective
Animal Crackers, djdq spent much of 2004 with Glue, a collaboration
with outta-towners MC Adeem and producer Maker. Their acclaimed
Seconds Away was embraced by the Hip Hop underground and most
everyone else who heard it.
Website |
| experimental/electronic |
Burning
Star Core
Warped violin, dynamic electronics and rattling percussion are
just pieces of this long-running artcore collective, which features
C. Spencer Yeah and a host of other underground musical mavericks.
The group has put out numerous releases through a variety of
labels, toured and been featured in several indie publications.
Website |
Lesniak
Late last year, under his nom-de-soniques Lesniak, Jeremy Lesniak
(now also a member of fellow CEA nominees Culture Queer) released
1000 Dollar Headphones, which combined melodic, ethereal ElectroPop
with more glitchy electronic experimentalism. Website |
Roesing
Ape
Poet, author, performance artist, visual and video artist —
Chris Roesing wears many hats in the alternative arts community.
As Roesing Ape, he’s also been a key component of the
experimental music scene. Website |
Realicide
Robert Inhuman’s experimental Punk/Noise/Etc. collaborative
has crafted several releases, distributed by his own Realicide
Youth Records. Inhuman and Co. have toured the country several
times as well.
Website
|
| new
artist of the year/critical achievement category |
Chocolate
Horse
Filling the void Indie greats Readymaid left when they stopped
playing out, this RM sideproject-gone-legit continues Jason
Snell and Andrew Higley’s inventive, vastly creative work
with its own distinct, organic spin.Website |
The
Cathedrals
The talk of the town when they came out of the gate rock-solid
at the start of the year, The Cathedrals specialize in an angular,
impossibly tight Indie/Post Punk sound lifted by unique rhythms
and intriguing, non-cliché guitar work. |
Le
TechnoPUSS13s
This duo’s second full-length Goodtime-a-Tron is a colorful,
imaginative Neo-Electro tour-de-force, featuring perverted electronics,
primitive dance beats and a warped but jubilant sense of humor,
which reveals itself not only in the lyrics but also in the
rollercoaster song arrangements.Website |
patientZero
Buoyed by excellent musicianship, patientZero have been called
“Prog Rock” due to their interesting song arrangements,
but there’s a wealth of other influences in the band’s
repertoire that keeps things interesting and cohesive.Website |
The
Thirteens
The Thirteens’ outlaw sound recalls the finest moments
of Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones or Country music
before it became all polished and slick. |
Caterpillar
Tracks
|
| album
of the year/critical achievement category |
Culture
Queer: Supersize It Under Pontius Pilate
This album features perfectly skewed Pop nuggets as well as
less expected tracks that skewer their sound with the edge of
mind-swirling experimentalism. It stands as an invigorating,
eccentric experiment in a field of music that usually has no
room for blatant adventurousness. An amazing accomplishment,
an amazing album.Website |
Thee
Shams: Please Yourself
R&B-fueled Garage Rock oozes and throbs from the heart of
everything Thee Shams have recorded to date. Their major indie
label debut on Epitaph Records' Blues imprint Fat Possum Records,
Please Yourself, is their creative pinnacle thus far.Website |
Wolverton
Brothers: A Better Place
There's no “blueprint” for the Wolverton's Post-Punk
sound — structures blissfully defy expectation, and sonically
the band knows few boundaries. The Wolvertons are the kind of
band that should make you proud to be from Cincinnati.
Website |
Zak
Morgan: When Bullfrogs Croak
Children's music for the most part thrives on extreme simplicity
and repetition, a formula that eventually drives parents to
madness. Zak Morgan is the antidote. On his second studio album,
When Bullfrogs Croak (which was nominated for a Grammy this
year), the music is intelligent, stylish and sweet, satisfying
both short attention spans and mature tastes.Website |
The
Light Wires: The Light Wires
Released in late 2003, The Light Wires' debut (released on the
local Tiberius label) is based around the aching songs of Jeremy
Pinnell, fleshed out by some of the city's best Rock musicians.
If the band was more “heads-down-and-bash-it-out,”
you'd call their music Roots Rock. But the songwriting's quiet
intensity and nuanced yearning demands a more spacious approach
and makes genre classifications immaterial.Website |
Promenade:
Part One
The Pop Rock group's stunning followup to 1999's Save the Radio,
Part One (released in late 2003) moves from giddily ecstatic
to emotionally introspective, showing a kaleidoscopic emotional
gamut only hinted at previously. One is a slightly more textural
affair, exquisitely layered with expressive guitar work, effective
vocal harmonies and the odd organ track. In a just world, Part
One would be a chart-buster.Website |
| artist
of the year/critical achievement category |
Heartless
Bastards
Imagine early PJ Harvey with a strong AC/DC and Led Zeppelin
fetish and one of the best, most creative rhythm sections going.
The Bastards recently signed with Fat Possum Records, home to
The Black Keys and fellow CEA nominees Thee Shams.
Website |
Thee
Shams |
| Zak
Morgan |
The
Sundresses |
| Culture
Queer |
Ruby
Vileos |
