• The annual food/music fest Taste of Cincinnati — Cincy’s unofficial “start of the summer” — doesn’t begin until tomorrow, but tonight you can get an outdoor music fix that couldn’t be more “summery.” Reggae Culture Splash 2013 goes down 7-10:30 p.m. tonight at Washington Park (1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine).  The event features a stellar lineup of contemporary Jamaican Reggae stars, headed up by singer/songwriter Luciano, who is credited for helping keep socially/religiously inspired Roots Reggae music thriving in the face of an increasingly electro-dependent Dancehall craze. Speaking of Dancehall, fellow Culture Splash performer Sister Nancy is credited as being the first female DJ in the genre and is also a fantastic vocalist. Also scheduled to appear are producer/artist Milton Blake, local collective Black Youth Faith and more, including DJing from I Vibez, Queen City Imperial Sound System and Frankie D.  Unlike most Washington Park concerts, Culture Splash is not a free event. Tickets for Reggae Culture Splash are $25 at the gates. The tickets will be available starting at 5 p.m. An after-party will be held at Grammer’s (1440 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine) at 10 p.m.; admission is $10 before midnight and $20 after. • For some more local Reggae flavor tonight, you can check out Cincinnati Reggae greats The Cliftones celebrate the release of their latest single, the fourth to be issued this year, with a show at Southgate House Revival in Newport. The 9 p.m. event also features performances by Magic Jackson and The Almighty Get Down.  In January, just before winning the 2013 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for “Reggae/World Music,” the group released “Hard Ground,” which was mixed by noted producer Jim Fox (who has worked with Black Uhuru, Barrington Levy, Culture and other Reggae superstars and legends). In March, The Cliftones’ “Hold Steady” was released. That one was mixed by DJ Prophesy (Bassnectar, Glitch Mob) and mastered by one of the greatest Dub producers ever, Scientist.  The ’Tones latest, “Gone (Warn Mi),” is another Prophesy/Scientist collaboration, as is the "limited release" track the group dropped on Soundcloud recently, "Run Come Down." Check both out below: Be sure to show up early to tonight's release show; free download cards for the new single will be given to the first 100 people through the door. The group will unveil another single in late June and are planning on issuing a 12-inch vinyl EP in August. The Cliftones are gradually moving toward a full-length release; it’s tentatively scheduled to drop in October. For more on the group, visit thecliftones.com.

Cincinnati Noise Pop trio Vacation had the first sampling of its forthcoming sophomore LP debuted by Spin.com today. The messy but blissfully melodic track "Pyro Hippies" is set for the band's Candy Waves album, scheduled for release on June 18 through New Jersey-based label, Don Giovanni Records. Vacation features singer/drummer Jerome Westerkamp (former singer/guitarist for The Read), guitarist/singer Peyton Copes and bassist/singer Evan Wolff (both formerly of Till Plains). The road-tested trio will play a couple of shows in July and then do three weeks on the road starting in early September. "Vacation" is starting to sound downright ironic given the busy bees Westerkamp and Copes have been lately. Besides Vacation, the pair is also 2/3 of the much-buzzed about trio Tweens, self-described as a "Nasty Doo Woppy band." The group — which mines a vein similar to Vacation, but with a female vocalist — has been garnering big attention from both music fans and the industry. Tweens recently opened for The Breeders when the "Alt" legends played a tour warm-up show at Southgate House Revival in Newport in advance of their global jaunt celebrating the 20th anniversary of the seminal Last Splash record. It must've gone well — Tweens were chosen to open for The Breeders in Washington D.C., Philly and New York City in early May.Look for a profile of Tweens in the May 1 edition of CityBeat. In the meantime, check out "Rattle&Rollin," which the esteemed U.K. label Fat Cat showcased on its website a couple of weeks ago.