We meet at the Waffle House. Behold the brown and orange seats, the slippery booths, the jukebox, the clock sporting the name of the place. Yeah, we’re on Waffle House time. Moriah Haven Lawson, founder of modern Bluegrass trio Sassy Molasses, chose the meeting place. “We country folk feel at home there,” she says.  

Studying E.T.s and paranormal oddities was all in a day’s work for Charles Fort, a writer/researcher who developed a cult following. In 1932, Fort coined the phrase “wild talents,” referring to eerie psychic and mental abilities. Named after the book by the same name, in this same supernatural vein, local band Wild Talents breathes out ghostly Pop/Punk with a Shoegaze feel.  

Emptying change jars, digging through couch cushions, turning pockets inside out, shining a flashlight under the fridge hoping to retrieve a lost quarter from yesteryear — some bands will do anything to get into the recording studio. Rounding up some money to lay down a few tracks is a rite of passage nowadays. For Northern Kentucky’s Great Young Hunters, this wasn’t just a rite of passage; it was pretty much a monthly occurrence.  

Farehaven doesn’t fit comfortably in any single genre, as they borrow liberally from various styles to create an energetic Rock hybrid that works within a wide range of musical contexts. That flexibility will make them an excellent opening/multi-bill act going forward.  

A mix between Led Zeppelin, Dead Confederate and The White Stripes, The Dukes’ work is supremely energetic, passionate Rock with a garagey sound, mixed with the catchy Blues groove of The Black Keys. Like Black Sabbath, there’s a touch of bad, sweaty, loud, sexy, thick, intense, drunken Classic Rock. And the band has a kickin’ live show that’s far from careful.  

Many artists feel as though the word “radio” carries with it the perception of commercial compromise and the taint of diminished artistic content in favor of increased sales. Cincinnati-based vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Eric Tepe understands that mindset but also feels there are ways to be commercially viable while maintaining artistic integrity.  

Until recently, Walk the Moon’s membership had more turnovers than the Bengals in the fourth quarter. The band’s lineup has fluctuated since vocalist/keyboardist Nicholas Petricca officially put WTM together three years ago, but that situation changed in 2010. Since recording their debut full length I Want! I Want! in late 2009, the band underwent yet another complete shift.  

People say Punk Rock is dead. Some say it died with Sid Vicious, others say Joey Ramone. But no matter which trailblazer took Punk Rock to his grave, the in-your-face, D.I.Y., fuck-the-world attitude is, indeed, dead. But it isn’t exactly resting in peace.  

"Grave blankets" are defined as decorative covers for gravesites. For nearly a decade, it seemed as though Chris Arduser — best known for his work with psychodots, The Bears, Adrian Belew and a variety of related bands and artists — had relegated his popular Americana side project of the same name to his own personal musical cemetery. The hiatus has ended, and the band has re-emerged with new energy and a new album.  

Rock & Roll is a cliche. The radio is filled with countless songs about love and loss, sin and redemption and sex and drugs, most written by one-hit wonders. But what if the songs were actually memorable? What if the music put vice clamps on your grey matter and didn't let go? What if the lyrics stuck with you well after last call? It's those kinds of songs that have made Switchblade Syndicate one of Cincinnati's brightest young acts.  

When Pomegranates drummer Jacob Merritt describes the band's mindset during the writing of 'One of Us' (the Cincinnati band's third and perhaps best album) as "patient," it seems like an odd state for the popular quartet. Patience has not been a particular concern for the Pomegranates since they assembled a mere four years ago.  

Outside of Alone at 3am's core fan base, it's natural to consider the Northern Kentucky quintet as one of the local scene's newest shining lights. The band’s acclaimed 2008 debut album, 'City Out of Luck,' and the about-to-be-released and even better sophomore disc, 'Cut Your Gills,' suggests a band with just over a couple of years of history. "We've been playing for 10 years and for nine years had no idea what the hell we were doing," Max Fender says.  

In Eastern spiritual terms, chakras are points of power within the body. Given their varied governing influences, Chakras is the perfect band name for these local music veterans. Filtering their love of disparate but connected bands like Tool, Bad Religion, Dream Theater, Tori Amos, Corrosion of Conformity, Kings X and Queensryche through their own unique chemistry results in a sound that slams with Hard Rock's bombast, lulls with Folk/Pop and Prog's subtlety and shreds with Metal's intensity.   

Ampline’s latest offering and debut for Phratry Records, You Will Be Buried Here, features the band’s signature instrumental elements: Mike Montgomery’s shreddingly supple guitar work, Kevin Schmidt’s thunderous bass runs and Rick McCarty’s hammer-of-the-gods drumming. But there’s something else on Buried that is significantly less common in the Cincinnati-based trio’s previous catalog, namely lyrics.  

Post Punk provocateurs Mad Anthony are in a celebratory mood with the imminent release of their excellent debut full-length on Phratry Records. But even as Mad Anthony for this Saturday’s release show at the Southgate House, there is a somber undercurrent. With final tracking done and the mixing process beginning this past March, Mad Anthony was devastated by the news that their acclaimed drummer and dear friend Tony Bryant had taken his own life.