Schmidt's poetic and melodic gifts have earned him glowing comparisons to Dylan and Leonard Cohen, his keen sense of humor has been measured against Prine and Steve Goodman and his haunting songcraft, as well as his roots, have aligned him with Townes Van Zandt.   

If you were to use Cincinnati’s representation at this year’s South By Southwest festival as an indicator of the health of our local music scene at the moment, then Cincinnati music circa 2012 is in top physical condition. Never has Cincinnati had such a presence at America’s premier fan/industry showcase.  

With 2009’s The Mountain, Erika Wennerstrom and Heartless Bastards transformed themselves from a great garage-stained Indie Blues outfit to a world class Rock band. The contemplative nuances of The