One of, if not the, coolest youth outreach programs in the region is the "Hip Hop Youth Arts Center" Elementz on Central Parkway, which gives local kids a consistent outlet to explore their creativity and learn about the arts. The center is now 7 years old and tonight at 6 p.m. the founders are hosting an anniversary party featuring performances by several artists affiliated with Elementz. Admission is just $3.

The people behind the non-profit center recently began sending out video press releases to keep everyone in the loop on their happenings. Below is a clip about this evening's birthday celebration, followed by Elementz's winter video newsletter, which includes footage from various performances and workshops from the past few months, as well as an interview about politics with local DJ Hi Tek.

There's also a special, surprise announcement about Elementz at the end of the winter newsletter clip. The center is preparing to move to the old Media Bridges headquarters on Race St. (across from SCPA) now that Media Bridges is relocating to the WCET building around the corner. (The new Media Bridges is slated to be reopened in its new space on May 3.)

For more on Elementz, visit its website here.

UPDATE: The DJ Funeral Fresh release party has been moved from Tonic to Mixx Ultra Lounge (1203 Main St., Over-the-Rhine).

Local DJ Funeral Fresh (formerly DJ Skinny Fresh) is hosting a release party in honor of his new "remix tape" tonight at Tonic on Fourth. Fresh has worked shows with everyone from Gucci Mane and Nicki Minaj to Soulja Boy and Jadakiss and he has been nominated for "Best Club DJ" at the Ohio Hip Hop Awards several years running. The new release project is called Da Party Life and Jay-Z features heavily throughout … and on the cover. (Lil Wayne, Beanie Sigel, Pharrell, 50 Cent and Foxy Brown also pop up in the mix.) Give it a listen at mixstack.com or download it for free here, then head to the event (billed as a new release/networking shindig) at 9 p.m. Admission is $5.

Here's the track "Bad Guy" from Fresh's new release:



• A pair of excellent, widely acclaimed and truly unique Indie/Avant/Anti-Folk artists (who are both quite prolific in their output) performs for free tonight in Northside at Mayday, starting at around 10 p.m. Wooden Wand is just one of the names songwriter James Jackson Toth performs under (it's also the project that's been most successful). Toth has collaborated with many artists and put music out on several different indie imprints, rarely falling in line with the rote expectations of a 21st century troubadour. Wooden Wand's vast discography includes cassette and CD-R releases, along with more standardly-issued albums and projects. Wooden Wand was lumped into the  "Freak Folk" category when that was a buzz word five or so years ago, but, like other artists put into that box, his musical curiosity has led him to a sound that's impossible to pinpoint with two words. Toth is currently touring behind the double-disc release of his Briarwood album, which features several raw, unreleased demos.

Here's the video for "Winter in Kentucky" from Briarwood:

Jeffrey Lewis is an illustrator who decided to write some songs while he was studying drawing and literature in college. Lewis — whose sound is a bit more eccentric and broader than Toth's, coming off like Beck had he stayed true to his avant grade roots — still successfully pursued his comic book artist dreams (writing and drawing the series Fuff, among other projects), but he keeps plenty busy as a touring musician these days. And he combines his passions whenever possible — during shows, he plays "illustrated songs" that are accompanied by one of his illustrations. Lewis and Toth came up in music around the same time, but their current tour is their first time reconnecting after several years.



• MOTR Pub is also hosting a solid, free Indie show tonight featuring Cleveland Indie Pop up-and-comers Cloud Nothings and Brooklyn Electro/Dance/Pop duo Class Actress, which has had its music connected to various fashion happenings and glowing reviews. Founded and led by L.A. native Elizabeth Harper, Class Actress has been building buzz the past couple of years, earning comparisons to Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem, early Madonna and Human League. Read more about Cloud Nothings here and then check out the clip for Class Actress' song "Weekend" below. (CA opens tonight at around 10 p.m.).



• River City Extension extends its tour into Bogart's tonight for an 8 p.m., all-ages show. Admission is $7. RCE is preparing to release its sophomore album, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger, in early June on XOXO Records. The Indie Folk crew produced a trailer for the new album. Why, yes, we do have it to embed — look below!

River City Extension- Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Anger from THE VAMP GROUP on Vimeo.

Click here for more live music suggestions for tonight.

Israeli Electronic music artist/DJ/producer Borgore (born Asaf Borger) brings his playful Dubstep/Hip Hop stylings to Bogart's tonight for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $22, while they last. As our own Brian Baker points out in this week's CityBeat, "Borgore" would be the perfect name for a Death Metal band (picture it written in the popular, bleeding Doom font). Turns out, Borger began his musical life as a drummer for a Death Metal band (you can still hear the Metal influence in his work occasionally), before deciding he was sick of relying on others to get shit done. That's when Borger turned into Borgore, became self-sufficient and started his own label, Buygore Records.

Word spread about Borgore's self-made tracks and remixes and he became a much buzzed about artist in Dubstep circles. But Borgore's music is way more eclectic than most artists given the Dubstep tag. Besides the Metal, he can go straight up Hip Hop or craftily mesh together a range of Electronica and EDM styles.

Borgore's live shows have been widely acclaimed. More than just a strobe-light show and a dude behind the decks, Borgore incorporates dancers, a stage set and an irrepressible energy that finds him crowd-surfing often. Sounds like it's a mix of aerial dancing, strip-club bump and grind and Girl Talk's "be the crowd" antics.

Below is a video of Borgore spinning live, followed (after the jump) by a very cheeky (and totally NSFW) clip for the title track of his recent EP, FLEX. Did I mention it's NSFW?

Read More

Several of Cincinnati's biggest artists scored some national attention for their appearances in Austin during the just-concluded South By Southwest festival.

• Among various other appearances in Austin during South By Southwest, RCA Records' Walk the Moon were also featured at the mtvU Woodie Awards Festival. The fest (streamed live online) was an offshoot of the Woodie Awards ceremony, which had Walk the Moon nominated for the new artist award (or, as they call it, the Breaking Woodie … which just sounds painful). Fellow Ohioan, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, ended up scoring that prize.

Here's a video clip from WTM's Woodie fest appearance.

The 2012 SXSW festival has come to an end and it's left us tired, sore and broke. In retrospect it seems like a meager price for a full week of live music, free booze and hanging out in one of the country's coolest cities. But for many bands, it's just another week on the job. 

Among the thousands of artists that apply for SXSW every year, only a small percentage are officially a part of the festival. However, that doesn't stop bands from all over the world, like Cincinnati's The Pinstripes, from taking the stage or at least creating their own. Even if it's on their own dime and they aren't part of an official showcase.

The six-member Reggae/Ska/Soul band traveled across the country to perform on the streets of downtown Austin. And, from what band members Matt Kursmark and Leo Murcia say, it seems like they'd happily do it all over again.

"When we play shows and busk, and hustle the best we can, it's, like, hey, we're from Cincinnati. This is what we have to offer and what our city has to offer, and remember it.  Remember that you had a good time and you moved your butt. We're trying to shake butts, really. Trying to shake as many as possible," Murcia said.

The Pinstripes, which played a variety of festivals over the years, note that SXSW is unique in that it definitely carries its own, more "industry-focussed"  tune, compared to others.

"I was surprised to see that it's an industry party. It's not for the fans, but I'm also surprised at how many fans there were," Kursmark said.

"It's definitely nuts, 'anything goes' to a certain extent. There are a lot of people here who are trying to experience as much as they can, ourselves included, and watching people try to do that is an experience in itself," Murcia added.

However, the exclusivity of the festival didn't deter this group from having a good time or making an impression on crowds, particularly the police.

"The first time we were practicing our acoustic set on the street outside of Dallas in a neighborhood and we were playing outside. It was a nice day … then someone called the cops for a noise complaint. But the cops said, 'Hey you guys sound really good, but I have to shut you down,' " Kursmark said.

Then police officers later asked when and where they were playing at SXSW so they could come check out the show.

"The cops really seem to like The Pinstripes, but the people who like the cops don't seem to like The Pinstripes. There must be some algorithm for it. If you find out let us know. We'll try to avoid it at all costs," Murcia said.

So, what's the best part of the festival for these guys?

"Free. Free food, free beer — that definitely has its negative side of the coin, too," Murcia said.

And the worst?

"It seems a bit exclusive, it caters to certain bands and genres. It's all about Indie Rock, there's a lot of Punk or whatever, but it seems like there's a lot of  the general showcases seems to be just popular music," Kursmark said.

However, the band remains mindful of the opportunity SXSW presents. And they just want to keep doing what they know best — keep playing music.

"It's tough to not go see (artists like) Jimmy Cliff (at SXSW), someone who we really admire and respect. This guy is such a direct influence on what we do, but we can 't see him. It sucks It's a bummer, but at the same time the really cool part about it is you go out on the street, play a house show, people are so open to it, People are open to us — people want it. if we can provide that for them, then that's sweet. That's the best part of SXSW and the music," Murcia said.

Kelley Deal of The Breeders and Mike Montgomery of Greater Cincy bands like thistle and Ampline debuted their newest project to eager SXSW crowds Thursday and successfully left them craving more.

Deal (from Dayton, Ohio) and Montgomery (from Dayton, Ky.) formed R. Ring about a year and a half ago. Even though they have yet to release a record, the group attracted a substantial crowd to Frank's on Colorado Street, despite the fact that hundreds were waiting in line to see Tenacious D next door.

Earlier in the day R. Ring played at the DOWN showcase, which was a collaborative effort between Jason Snell, of the Cincinnati bands Chocolate Horse and Ohio Knife, and the local branch of design firm Landor.

R. Ring charmed the crowds not only with their performance, but also with their wit and gentle demeanor.

Before the show, I managed to snag an interview with the pair inside their van. Below is what Deal, a SXSW veteran, and Montgomery, a first time attendee, had to say about the festival.

CityBeat: What do you think of SXSW compared to other music festivals?

Kelley Deal: When I think "festival," I think like a main stage and over here's a secondary stage … I 'm used to it being in one kind of area, so It never feels like a festival here. It always just feels like a gig. I hear about all these fabulous things going on and I'm not from here so it seems like, yeah, I need to see this, but where is it? Mike even downloaded a SXSW app today. Mike, how to do you feel about that?

Mike Montgomery: I haven't used it yet. I just asked one person a simple question — where's this band playing — and this guy said, "I don't know, fuck off, get the app," so I got the app.

Neither one of us have looked at anything to do at SXSW yet. I just wanted to get here and figure it out as we went. I already feel overwhelmed, like there were a million bands and all this stuff happening. It feels like there's too much to think about, so I need to protect my brain as much as possible.

CB: What's the best way for bands to approach the festival?

KD: I prefer to get here and meander about instead of planning this rigid itinerary that you have to adhere to — that sounds like a job, not fun. The first thing we did was pull in and go to a knitting store, because I love to knit.

MM: It's overwhelming, I looked at the app briefly. There were so many words … that I put it back in my pocket.

CB: How does the scene in Cincinnati compare to a music town like Austin?

KD: It does have this trailer-park feel, but all the good parts, like the camaraderie … it's got this very informal quality/type of living, in a way. I haven't seen big beautiful houses with people just showing wealth for no reason other than they have it. All the places we look at they're very cute houses and it seems like they value art.

MM: (Cincinnati) is all I really know. I've been playing and working there for 20 years. You hear people bitch, "Oh, the local scene sucks," but get out there and go to another town, get out and travel. If you're only looking to play at your local club once a month, then it does get boring, it does get old and you play with all the same bands. But go to another city, meet some new bands and bring them home, get it going. I'm always impressed there's always new bands I've never heard of, there's always people doing stuff. It's inspiring that there's a lot of youthful energy and a constant supply of talent in the Cincinnati music scene — but everyone bitches about their hometown.

KD: That's what we're saying about Austin, that's what they're good at — supplying that lifestyle for themselves.

CB: What expectations do you have for SXSW? What do you hope to accomplish down here?

KD: I don't know, what are they offering? Is someone offering some shit?

It seems like any band you can ever think of is inside their box (at SXSW).

MM: We have no expectations. We're here to have fun and play some shows. When I talk about feeling overwhelmed by the conference and bands, I feel like there's something in the air with people thinking this is going to be an advantageous career move or something like that. So that's what neither of us are excited about — that we're going to get something — but it's nice to see people doing stuff in different cities. 

It's cool to see friends from home here, too. I was surprised to see so many guys from Cincinnati.

CB: Would you come back to SXSW?

MM: I'm not going to make it a life goal, but if someone invited us again, I'd definitely do it.

The good part about St. Paddy's Day being on a Saturday this year is pretty obvious — unless you're a preacher, there's a good chance you don't have to work Sunday, so you can drink your heart out (if you're into that kinda thing). The bad news — you have to wait until tomorrow morning to start drinking — or at least start drinking with an acceptable excuse for your excessiveness. Tonight at Covington's Madison Theater, local Punk band Loudmouth provides you with a doctor's note to get a jump on the Irish-inspired revelry as they headline a St. Patrick's Day party/concert at the Madison Theater. The all-ages show kicks off at 8 p.m. and also features performances from Milky Way Persuasion (formerly Ready to Fall), The Worthmores, Situation Red and ace Ska/Reggae crew The Newport Secret Six. I bet there will be Pogues and Dropkick Murphys covers performed. Tickets are just $7.

Loudmouth is currently working on a new release, but you can check out some tracks from the band's Cabin Fever EP below.

• Also in Covington, local band The Dublin Defense present its "St. Patty's Kick Off" at the Leapin Lizard Lounge (726 Main St.) at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door. The Northern Kentucky six-piece plays a variety of Rock, Pop and Alt music (they've done ’80s themed shows in the past), but their St. Patty's Day show is certain to be loaded with Irish tunes, particularly songs by The Pogues (one of the group's main avowed influences). You'll also get to sample some homemade Irish soda bread, as two of the band's members compete in a soda bread taste-off (you can help pick the winner).

I guarantee they'll play this one (contact me if they don't and the $5 and soda bread's on me!):

• Two great area Surf Rock bands play MOTR Pub tonight in Over-the-Rhine. The free show kicks off around 10 p.m. The Maladroits have been kicking around the area for several years, something of a family act for many of them, with papa Ron White leading a band that included sons Eli and Sky, who has found great success playing keys with Foxy Shazam (the band's Facebook has this funny note in their "About" section: "Once the most powerful surf band in all of Cincinnati. Now not even a minor footnote in the history of Foxy Shazam"). Currently, the band features Ron White (guitar), long-timers Bryce Rhude (guitar) and David Freeman (sax), new drummer Brad Grawe and, keeping the family-band concept alive, White's wife, Tamina, is now the group's bassist. The AmpFibians (one of my favorite local band names ever!) have been helping to keep Surf music alive for the past three or four years in Cincinnati. The instrumental trio features local musicians Dave Davies, Tom Coates and Chris Damele.

Check out this killer AmpFibians track "Attaque De Los Conquistadores":

Click here to see all of tonight's live music events.

Austin prides itself on being weird and this week has proved to be no exception. For instance, on a bus ride from our hotel to Sixth Street, we witnessed a marriage proposal of an older couple who had met the day before on a park bench. The announcement was awkward, more so for us tourists, as the crowd uncomfortably received the news and clapped.

"(Austin) seems to have a lot of quirky personality that's celebrated. People are glad that people are weird," says Stuart MacKenzie, frontman for Cincy's Lions Rampant.

This music town is incredibly accepting and filled with a plethora of motley characters as a result. Whether they're artistic, tattooed, pierced, young or old, few truly stand out among the masses in a city whose motto is "Keep Austin Weird."

The same goes for musicians, which makes South By Southwest such an anticipated event. The likelihood that a struggling no-name band will be picked up by a label is about one in a million. For that reason, the festival is geared toward the industry — not just the fans — which makes for outrageous ticket prices and can make access difficult. But every musician here, regardless of genre, is longing for the same result — to be recognized by someone that matters.

"The downside is that it's super corporate and I've heard that the technology portion is actually bigger than the music conference. It use to be a place where you'd come to get signed and now it seems like a place signed bands go to get more buzz. If you don't have crazy promotion, no one is going to come and check your band out. It's all about the buzz bands," MacKenzie says.

This is the first time The Lions are participating in SXSW, but MacKenzie is no stranger to music festivals. Over the years, his band has performed at CMJ and Forecastle, among others. But the exclusivity of this event doesn't seem to deter the band's morale.

"This whole process has lit a fire, creatively. When I see bands in Cincinnati, most of the people making music I already know, so it's refreshing to see people from different cities doing the same thing you are, so that's exciting," MacKenzie says. "I feel like I need to step up my game now because everyone is doing what I'm doing and it makes you want to record and promote. It gives you a glimpse that's in reach."

The group played their first SXSW gig on Tuesday at the Midwest by Southwest showcase with other Cincinnati bands. They'll play two more showcases before making the trek back home.

The Lions' newest member, bassist Richard Sherman, who has played only a handful of live shows with the band, says he's grateful for the experience.

"I feel like my batteries are charged up and when I get back, Stu and I are going to record a ton … it's good old baptism by fire. You come out of it stronger," Sherman says.

Thousands of miles from Cincinnati, MacKenzie says the SXSW experience is also a reminder that there truly is no place like home.

"Cincinnati bands share guitar players, share drummers, share equipment and help each other out a lot. It's probably like that in every scene, but Cincinnati, especially," MacKenzie says. "However, being in Austin, I'm seeing a bunch of bands that are similar to every band — bands in the same shoes as us, doing the same thing, which is comforting because (we're) normally seen as a weird … It's nice to be around other weirdos."

For my blog post earlier this morning, I wrote a piece about Lightnin' Hopkins' 100th birthday and a huge lightning/thunder storm passed through downtown (it was sunny without a cloud in the sky when I started writing). Then I wrote about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies. When I was done, I checked my email and found I had been sent an invitation to attend this year's ceremony in Cleveland (yes, I'm totally going). So before I tell you what's going on tonight in town for live-music cravers, I'd just like to put it out there that it would be super cool to win the Powerball jackpot this week. Just saying …

Now back to your regularly scheduled rundown of music events in the area tonight …

• Lest you ever think stupid band names are a recent phenomenon, Rock legends Hot Tuna are just one example of proof to the contrary. The bluesy rockers were formed as a side project for Jefferson Airplane members who were sidelined when singer Grace Slick had throat surgery in early 1969. Members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen also played some mostly acoustic duo shows. Both projects featured reworked versions of American Blues and Country tunes. A live album was recorded and released in 1970 titled Hot Tuna. The band was so satisfying for the musicians that they began opening Airplane shows with a mix of electric and acoustic tunes. By the end of 1970, Hot Tuna became it's own "real band," led by Casady and Kaukonen, who continued to mix the acoustic/electric formats at live shows (save for a period in the mid-’70s when the band went in a heavier, louder Rock & Roll direction). The group split in 1977 and reunited in the ’80s for a successful touring run featuring various Airplane members. Casady and Kaukonen have kept Hot Tuna alive, off and on, ever since, with a revolving door membership (G.E. Smith and Charlie Musselwhite have been honorary Hot Tunaheads over the past decade or so).

The pair has also kept the acoustic/electric dichotomy alive. For tonight's show at the 20th Century Theater, according to the billing, they'll be doing their acoustic set. A year ago, Hot Tuna released its first album of new material in 20 years, Steady As She Goes, which was very well received. Read more here then get to Oakley tonight for the group's 8 p.m. concert. Tickets are $30 at the door.

Here's a clip from the twosome's earliest days as Hot Tuna:



• In other bands-with-fish-related-names news …

Badfish is named for a Sublime song for very good reason — they're a tribute band dedicated to the music of the SoCal Ska/Punk/Pop band whose career was cut short with the death of singer Bradley Nowell but whose legacy has only continued to grow since Nowell's passing. Badfish also has a non-tribute/all-original side — the members' band Scotty Don't serves as "opening act" to its Sublime revue. Read more about the group here.

Badfish/Scotty Don't performs tonight at Bogart's at 8 p.m. Tickets to the all ages-show are $15. Great local Reggae band The Cliftones open things up.

Now close your eyes. Can you pick out the real Sublime between the clips below?

We're now settled in our Super 8 hotel room, alongside the humidity and mosquitoes, and finally have a few shows under our belt. Last night marked the debut for Cincinnati bands at this year's South By Southwest, featured at the Midwest by Southwest showcase. The event was put together by The All Night Party folks at the Soho Lounge downtown.

Among the bands that played, The Sundresses is one of the most experienced when it comes to SXSW. This year marks their fifth time playing the festival and from what these veterans say, it seems doubtful it will be their last.

Check out what the band (Brad Schnittger: drums, guitar, vocals; Mackenzie Place: trombone, bass; Jeremy Springer: drums, guitar, vocals) had to say about the experience below.

CityBeat: What do you think of the festival overall?

Mackenzie: It's just awesome. It's on a regional, national and international level. It's a bunch of awesome musicians that come to an awesome town and enjoy it. It's great and I'm happy to be here.

CB: Has SXSW made an impact on your band's success?

Jeremy: It's hard to tell, you know, it's hard to say because you don't know what would happen if you didn't play. It's a nice feather in your cap, but still.

Mackenzie: As far as making friends, though, and connections, it's done that — it's definitely worked. You meet people you wouldn't meet in Cincinnati. You're in the middle of all these great musicians and if they love you, they'll say "Hey, come to my town."

Brad: One time we gave a CD to the guy from Everclear, in 2006, but, nothing every happened. We saw him on the corner down here and were like, 'Hey, we should give totally give him one of our CDs,' so we did.

Jeremy: Yeah, that's when we were young and dumb

Brad: Yeah, like the guy from Everclear was going to help us out. It didn't do anything.

Jeremy: If we saw him now, we'd probably throw an empty coffee cup or beer bottle at him.

CB: What kind of bands benefit from playing at SXSW?

Mackenzie: It's the big and little.

Jeremy: The flavor of the month definitely … It's funny because everyone here is famous in their own town so they get here and everyone thinks (they're the best), and rightfully so because to get here, period, is a difficult thing. You have to be of a certain amount of quality to play this festival. So all the musicians are walking around with their best clothes on and it's a big fashion show and party. But, you're not going to get signed at SXSW. It's just random and lucky, really.

CB: What's the worst/best part of the festival?

Mackenzie: The best part is the food, the worst is traffic — the food is so good here.

Brad: The best part is the food — I agree with Mackenzie, the traffic is the worst.

Jeremy: Traffic is the worst. Girls are the best.