A new monthly, themed and curated Hip Hop night at Northside's The Comet, presented by local artist Abiyah, kicks off this week. Plus, The Tempers and Shiny and the Spoon celebrate new releases, the free Northside Music Fest returns this weekend and Kelly Thomas takes on an Everly Brothers classic with Switchblade Syndicate.  

Maurice Mattei has some impressive Renaissance Man credentials. He’s a gifted contemporary designer, a talented photographer and a smart singer/songwriter who sets his scuffed musical short stories to compelling Americana soundtracks.  

Wednesday night at Covington's Mad Hatter, local Rock foursome Rosemary Device celebrates the release of its self-titled debut. Radio-friendly songwriting makes the band so effective and destined for wider exposure. Though peripherally similar to some of the Pop/Emo music that gets a lot of attention these days, RD's songs come off less forced and calculated and, therefore, a bit more timeless.   

This posting is considerably later than I would have liked, and if blame is to be assigned then let it be on my hippie kidneys. I'm still waiting for a kidney stone to pass, which means cycles of writing quickly while I can sit upright and writhing on the floor and speaking in tongues. You read, I'll writhe.  

BRINK is back! Perhaps the only show you can attend Saturday and not be encouraged to wear a costume, the annual BRINK New Music Showcase returns to the Southgate House Halloween night with three floors' worth of local band freshness. An attempt to spotlight the next crop of local music wavemakers, the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards-sponsored event has hosted scores of eventual big shots in past years.  

This week's posting has been winnowed by a killer combination of my MidPoint Music Festival judging duties and a long holiday weekend, so try to contain your disappointment at the shortage of reviews. This week I tackle new releases from Michelle Shocked, Viva Voce, Maurice Mattei & the Tempers, Chris Gaffney, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women and Hatcham Social.  

A trip to the mall usually results in a new pair of shoes or maybe an Orange Julius and a pretzel. For singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei, a stroll through the Kenwood Towne Centre resulted in his new album, appropriately titled "Kenwood Towne Center."