Music Tonight: If you're up for a night of slinky, sexy R&B this Valentine's Day, you lucked out, because New Edition's 30th anniversary tour hits the U.S. Bank Arena tonight with equally bumpy/grindy K-Ci & JoJo and El DeBarge. Many more locals than usual are aware of tonight's New Edition performance, unfortunately due to the coverage of the death of Pop superstar Whitney Houston, ex-wife of Bobby Brown, New Edition's biggest success story outside of the group. The New Edition tour was a rarity, primarily due to the participation of Brown, who left the band at the height of their success to launch an even more successful solo career.

Many of you have likely seen the teary, heart-breaking footage of Brown performing with NE the night he found out his ex-wife and the mother of his child had died. Once it was clear that his daughter was having a very tough time dealing with the tragedy (hospitalized twice since Saturday), he left the tour to be with her. Today, people reported that Brown and Houston's 18-year-old child was released from the hospital and the AP has reported that Houston's funeral is set for Saturday in Newark, NJ.

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Volbeat — performing at Bogart's tomorrow (Tuesday) — may not be a household name around venues in the United States, but they are an intense Danish Heavy Metal  band that has played in front of some of the largest crowds in the world overseas. The band — Michael Poulsen (vocals/guitar), Anders Kjolholm (bass), Jon Larsen (drums) and Thomas Bredahl (guitar) — is about to kick off the U.S. leg of their Grand Summer Tour, promoting Volbeat's latest album, Beyond Hell and Above Heaven. CityBeat caught up with lead vocalist Michael Poulson by phone from his home overseas to discuss the band's growing popularity in America, being naked with Metallica and the great successes of the band in Europe.

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The old saying goes that everyone complains about the weather but no one ever does anything about it. Well, MidPoint is doing something about the crummy weather: They're having the music festival anyway.

Come down to Fountain Square at 5-7 p.m. for two performances by MPMF.09 acts: Shanya Zaid & the Catch from New York City (5:00), followed by The Young Republic from Nashville (6:15). Grab a beer and food and plot your MPMF itinerary for the rest of the evening.

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Theory of a Deadman is a Hard Rock band that has made a dent in popular music with catchy hooks and sounds that appeal to the heartbroken everywhere. Together for over 10 years, they became hitmakers with their third album, Scars and Souvenirs, and the No. 1 hit “Bad Girlfriend,” along with other popular tracks like “Hate My Life” and “Not Meant to Be.” The band's fourth album, The Truth Is, was released last month and contains the hit single “Lowlife," currently lighting up airwaves on Rock and Pop stations across the country.

CityBeat recently spoke with guitarist Dave Brenner prior to Theory of a Deadman's set at the Kentucky State Fair, part of the Carnival of Madness tour. Brenner talked about the new record and hobbies on the road. Catch Theory of a Deadman and the Carnival of Madness at Dayton's X-Fest this Sunday. (Check the commercial below or visit here for details.)

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"The Bubblegum Masquerade," you say? Indeed. A local gentleman named Paul O'Moore has put together the Saturday show under the banner of his Vibrant Fringe Productions group, an essentially pro bono, one-man promotions organization founded to "exclusively support local and regional music" and to be "a partner in rebuilding Greater Cincinnati's music scene," according to the Vibrant Fringe Web site.

And looking at the generous lineup of local acts that O'Moore's ambitious two-stage, twelve-hour, multi-genre Masquerade plans to offer, he's clearly living up to his own mission statement.

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Did you miss out on getting tickets to Jimmy Buffett's annual summer concert at Riverbend Saturday morning? If you didn't get them within the first 10 minutes they were on sale, you were shit out of luck because they once again sold out almost immediately. Of course, you can still pay scalpers or online "resale" sites (a.k.a. "scalpers") a couple of hundred dollars to get into the show. Or you could do ten shots of tequilla and hit yourself in the head with a hammer. Same dif.

Or you could go see a good concert this summer.

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One of the strangest word combinations to ever create a band name, Death Cab for Cutie controls the alternative music scene across America. They have been a nationally touring band since 1997 with their first release. Now in their 14th year, Codes and Keys has been one of the band's most successful offerings to date. The first single, “You Are A Tourist,” received a lot of airplay on Rock radio across the country reaching number one on the Alternative charts in the U.S. The band recently released the video for its latest single, "Stay Young, Go Dancing" (view it at the bottom of this post below).

CityBeat recently spoke with bassist Nick Harmer to discuss the new album and it’s critically acclaimed reception (as well as a very scary moment on their festival run this past summer). Death Cab starts their latest tour on Friday night in Cincinnati at the PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center.

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Icon Rock & Roll band Guns N’ Roses has been selling out arenas since their debut album Appetite for Destruction went to No. 1  in 1987. Though Axl Rose and Co. have not released an album since Chinese Democracy in 2008, they've continued to rock out across the with large-production shows, entertaining audiences not only searching for a taste of nostalgia but also value great music and a sound you cannot find anywhere else. CityBeat caught up with rhythm guitar player Richard Fortus this week and discussed his personal music path and what fans can expect from the show. Guns N’ Roses comes to Cincinnati Friday (with guests D-Generation) for a concert at US Bank Arena and it sounds like fans can expect a really long night of music. (Read our interview with current GNR/former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson here.)

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Can you feel it? Is it cold enough for ya? Southgate House is turning up the hot hot heat this Saturday! The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker fire up the original flames of Funk and sound out the seductive sins of Soul. Intense horns, badass bass and master guitar-itry all keepin beat for a relic manning the mic, The Dynamites feat. Charles Walker will have you groovin’ your moves for the same reasons you get down to James Brown. Come down to the House: You gotta make it your duty to groove your booty!

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I love the first night of MidPoint; the anticipation, the excitement, the friends, the music, the potential for getting wetter than you’ve been since the birth experience. It’s magic, a sensation perhaps intensified on Thursday, being the first night of the festival’s tenth anniversary.

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