Northside's Mayday hosts a killer triple bill for fans of songwriters who shape their own boundaries of tradition to forge new, singular Roots music sounds. Headlining is soulful, raw and rootsy Rock quintet Alone at 3am, which is on the cusp of gaining a lot more attention outside of their hometown base here in Cincinnati. Tonight's free show (with solid support from local acts Wonky Tonk and Arlo McKinley and The Lonesome Sound)

is the group's last local one for a while as A@3AM hits to road for tour dates on their way to Denver. The band is gearing up for its first full-length nationwide release, Midwest Mess, which is due out in April, the group's first for Denver-based Suburban Home Records.

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In this week's CityBeat, I made an offhand comment about how it might not feel like winter, but the Cincy Blues Society's annual Winter Blues Fest is going down this weekend regardless of temperature. The gods must've heard me (or is a big Blues fan) because currently in Cincinnati, winter has finally decided to arrive. So the Winter Blues Fest will have an appropriate climate and setting.

After several years in Northern Kentucky, the event is following the MidPoint Music Festival’s lead and hosting its 2012 event in Over-the-Rhine. More than 25 performers will entertain in four centrally located clubs — The Drinkery and venues in the former homes of Rhythm & Blues Café (dubbed "Japp's Annex" during the fest) and Harry’s Pizza (see below), as well as Below Zero Lounge. The three venues are within easy walking distance of each other — all but Below Zero are on Main Street (and Below Zero is just off of the drag). So bundle up, but don't let a few snowflakes become your excuse for not attending.

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Music Tonight: Covington's Madison Theater has become one of the go-to venues in the region for some of the top names from the world of Dubstep, probably the most popular "new genre" (relative term, of course) in music today. You can thank Insomniac and Next Era promo groups for that, as they put on almost all of the bigger shows in the area. Tonight, it's another biggie as London Dubstep producer/artist Caspa headlines the venue. The 9 p.m., all-ages show also features guests Krowd Khemistry, Dr. Gram and Johnny Quest. Caspa started DJing at a young age, inspired by the Drum ’n Bass sounds of the time. In ’04 he launched the first of a handful of record labels, Storming Productions, ultimately got into producing and, in ’07, began exploring Dubstep with fellow DJ/producer Rusko, resulting in several successful collaborations. (Read more here from this week's CityBeat.)

Here's a couple of groovy videos that give a good a sense of what to expect tonight.

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Do you like to be able to say "Oh, I saw one of that band's first shows!" to impress friends with your insider knowledge of the local music scene once that band builds up a nice draw? Then head to Northside Tavern tonight for a free concert headlined by slinky, sludgy local Rock & Roll machine Two Headed Dog and two brand new outfits with some familiar names and faces and a lot of potential.

First up is The Perfect Children, featuring phenomenal singer Kirsten Kreft (who said she formed the band after being inspired to write "a ton of music" after she left the J. Dorsey Blues Revival band), Mike Reeder from Blues/Rock powerhouse The Mudpies and drummer Adam Shelton, who bangs the skins for Progressive Jazz unit RX-2. (Kreft also handles guitar and keyboard duties and the band announced actress and singer Beth Harris will be sitting in with them tonight).

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R. Ring, the acoustic duo project featuring veteran Greater Cincinnati musician/engineer Mike Montgomery (thistle, Ampline, The Light Wires) and Dayton, Ohio's Kelley Deal (The Breeders), is preparing a debut 7-inch single due for release in late spring, according to Tiberius Records (home to thistle, Ampline and many other solid acts from this area and beyond). The vinyl platter is set to be issued on the Misra Records imprint out of Dayton, which is notoriously artist-friendly (founded by artists in 1999) and has put out work by acts like Destroyer, Phosphorescent, Shearwater, Centro-matic, Jenny Toomey, Great Lake Swimmers and Southeast Engine.

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Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist of long-running, internationally acclaimed group Over the Rhine know a thing or two about love. Not only do they churn out lovely love songs on a regular basis, but they've also been a married couple for much of the time they've been performing together. The couple celebrated its 15th wedding anniversary recently and they've been together in Over the Rhine since 1989.

This Sunday, you can hear what a beautiful relationship sounds like (not that they haven't hit bumps in the road) when WVXU (91.7 FM) and Oxford's WMUB (88.5 FM) broadcasts an exclusive concert special at 8 p.m.

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Music Tonight: Young quartet Bua (say: "boo-ahh") brings their acclaimed traditional Irish music to the Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati for a 7 p.m. performance. Members of the group — which uses traditional instrumentation that includes wooden flute, fiddle, Uilleann Pipes, Tin Whistle, concertina and bouzouki — performed at the Center last year (each musician has other projects outside of the group) and were so fond of the venue and the audience they asked to return with the full band. Based in Chicago, Bua is a nationwide festival favorite, widely praised for their expert musicianship, passionate delivery and adherence to the foundational roots of Irish music. The group won "Top Traditional Group" at the 2009 Irish Music Awards and Bua's latest release, last year's self-released Down the Green Fields, was recently praised by Driftwood magazine, which wrote, "Damn, they killed it. Seriously. If you have any interest in the traditional music of Ireland, an emerald sound born of fiddles, pipes, whistles, and a clarity of voice that sounds like the musical equivalent of a crystal clear mountain stream and refreshes just as much, buy this album." And/or go see them in concert tonight if you're in the Greater Cincinnati area.

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Music Tonight: Louisville Indie/Folk singer/songwriter Cheyenne Marie Mize has been on a fast track in the music biz over the past year. A member of a couple of rootsy acts in the rich Louisville music scene, once she broke out on her own, she began to draw increased attention for her lovely, ethereal sound. Last year when Mize performed in town, she was on the verge of releasing a new EP, but it was delayed … for good reason. Mize had inked a deal with Yep Rock Records (home to Nick Lowe, Liam Finn, Fountains of Wayne, John Doe and Paul Weller) and that EP, We Don't Need, became her first release for the label. Just released Jan. 24, We Don't Need fleshes out Mize's wispy sound (particularly with some creative rhythmic additives), but that dreamy, ghostly soul still hovers above each of the five songs. Click here to read more about Mize then head to MOTR Pub tonight to catch her free show (with special guest Margaret Darling of The Seedy Seeds). Below, enjoy a session Mize did recently for LaundroMatinee.com.

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Freekbot features Freekbass (a.k.a. bassist/singer Chris Sherman of Funk crew Freekbass) and Tobotius (a.k.a. Tobe Donohue, producer and founder of world-renowned turntable crew Animal Crackers) in an Electronica/Dance/Groove duo configuration.Freekbot makes its Cincy debut at The Mad Frog in Corryville this Saturday. Showtime is 9 p.m. and admission is $10. MC/DJ Firecat 451 opens the show and famed keyboardist Razor Sharp Johnson (P-Funk, Bootsy’s Rubberband) will sit in with the duo.

We recently chatted with Sherman via email about what fans can expect from Freekbot and what the duo has in store for the future.

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Music Tonight: This Friday and Saturday, the Cincy Blues Society is presenting its annual Winter Blues Fest in its new location — four venues (the old Harry's Pizza space, the old R&B Cafe spot, The Drinkery and Below Zero) in Over-the-Rhine (after several years in Northern Kentucky). If you want to get in the mood, tonight at Arnold's you can check out the Cincy Blues Society's new every-Tuesday "Bluesday Tuesdays" series, featuring various Blues artists from the area. Tonight's performer is eclectic veteran writer/guitarist John Redell (who has played with such groups as Voodoo Blues, The Flock and Shepherd's Pi). Showtime is 7 p.m. and there is no admission charge. (Click here for more on the Blues Fest.)

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