Eclectic Cincinnati Reggae crew The Cliftones — one of the best Reggae outfits in the region — will be celebrating the release of their latest single, "Hold Steady," this Saturday with a show at Northside club Mayday. DJ Mowgli will also perform. Advanced tickets are available now for $7 here. The first 100 people through the door will receive a free download card giving access to the single.Like the band's previously released single — "Hard Ground," released in January — The Cliftones once again have some legendary ears/mixing fingers involved with "Hold Steady." "Hard Ground" was mixed in D.C. by Jim Fox, who has worked with icons like Black Uhuru, Gregory Isaacs, Barrington Levy and Culture. For "Hold Steady," DJ Prophecy (known for work with Bassnectar and Glitch Mob) handled the mixing, while Dub legend Scientist handled mastering duties.The Cliftones will be unleashing two more singles in the coming months, leading up to a vinyl EP release this summer. Find out more about The Cliftones here and here. Here's the exclusive stream of "Hold Steady":

Detroit producers/Electro musicians Ryan Spencer and Adam Pressley formed its new project Jamaican Queens last year, following the demise of their previous band, Prussia. The pair bonded over a mutual love for Hip Hop production, something that would find itself central to Jamaican Queens winding sound. Together less than a year, the twosome's single "Kids Get Away" introduced the newcomers with a sound that blends EDM, Hip Hop sounds and rhythms and a somewhat psychedelic brand of Indie Pop. The band calls its music "Trap Pop," a reference to the Trap style of Hip Hop that is something of a successor to the old Southern Crunk style. Still, you won't mistake Jamaican Queens' music for T.I.'s — JQ's unpredictable, fluttering style recalls MGMT's last two albums had the Electronic aspects of their music been more prominent. Jamaican Queens' first full-length, Wormfood, is due in February and was mixed by Christopher Lazlo Koltay, a former Cincinnati musician who has been enjoying a successful engineering/production career in Detroit the past several years, working with artists like The Dirtbombs and Akron/Family. Here's the song that has garnered the band the most attention so far, "Kids Get Away."Kids Get Away by Jamaican Queens

• Ironfest, the multi-act concert event started by friends of late local music booster “Iron” Mike Davidson to benefit his daughter, is set for its third annual event tonight and Saturday at the new Southgate House Revival in Newport. Each night features a staggering amount of solid local bands from a variety of genres. Tonight, catch Mad Anthony, State Song, Switchblade Syndicate, The Shanks, Goddamn Gravity, The New Void, Billy Wallace and the Virginia Blues, Vito Emmanuel, Jeremy Pinnell and the 55’s, Arlo McKinley and the Lonesome Sound, Chiva Knievel, Total Dudes, A Juliet Bender, Smoke Signals, Rising Shotgun, DC Project and Dead August. Performing for Night 2 tomorrow are The Dopamines, Moonbow, Honeyspiders, Red Soul Rising, Unsinkable Molly Brown, Another Tragedy, The Tammy Whynots, 500 Miles to Memphis, The Sound Museum, SHIVS, Kelly Steward and the Restless Kind, The Mudpies, Martin Luther and the Kings, The Perfect Children, Buenos Crotches, Sticky Honey, The Andyman Hopkins Band and Queen City Radio, a very promising new group featuring Dan Mecher, former frontman for Turnbull ACs and Denial, former 500 Miles to Memphis bassist Jeff Snyder, longtime 500 Miles frontman Ryan Malott and Kevin Finkelmeier of Pete Dressman and the Soul Unified Nation and Denial fame.Tickets are just $5 each night and music starts at 7 p.m. Click here and here for more info.• One of Cincinnati’s most popular bands, Rumpke Mountain Boys, celebrate the release of their new album with a series of release parties in the region, kicking off tonight at Inner Circle (the former Annie’s location). Following the Cincinnati date, the Boys will perform for their growing fan bases in Lexington, Ky., Bloomington, Ind., Columbus, Ohio, and Cleveland, Ohio. The group’s new official full-length is titled Trashgrass, the name the members have given their eclectic, jammy, sometime trippy brand of Bluegrass. The band has all the markings of a standard Bluegrass troupe — mandolin, banjo, upright bass, acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies — but the members’ varied influences (they cite Grateful Dead, Ralph Stanley, Tom Waits and Jimmy Cliff among their key inspirations) make the end result its own organic, spontaneous beast. The seven-time Cincinnati Entertainment Award winners for Best Bluegrass act have performed at numerous festivals, shared the stage with artists like Ralph Stanley, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band and Del McCoury, and Vince Herman — a pioneer of the Rumpkes’ jammy take on Bluegrass with Leftover Salmon — called them “a party waiting to happen.” Rumpke Mountain Boys perform tonight with the excellent local Reggae crew The Cliftones. The show starts at  9 p.m. and admission is $10 (or $12 for those ages 18-20). Visit rumpke.ning.com for more on the band.The Rumpkes are probably one of the more documented bands in the area thanks to their allowance/encouragement of fans to record their live shows. Here's a video from this past March of the group performing the Folk/Jazz/Blues standard "Make Me A Pallet on Your Floor" at ekoostik hookah's springtime music fest in central Ohio.• Strong local Rock/Pop act Majestic Man celebrates the release of its debut full-length, Manatee, this Friday at Mayday in Northside. Local bands The FrontRunners and Plastic Inevitables open the free show at 10 p.m. Manatee is loaded with melodic, well-written songs, but the varied groove the band manipulates throughout the album is just as distinct and magnetic. Be it the Jazz slink of “Someday,” the dubby sway of “Bodysnatcher” or the angled Funk of “Age of No Reason,” the music is rhythmically fascinating. The dazzling guitar playing and superb vocals add cohesion to Manatee, an album that shows Majestic Man to be one of the more gifted newer groups in the Cincinnati area. To preview and/or purchase Manatee, visit majesticman.bandcamp.com. Here's the new album track "Spanish":Spanish by Majestic Man• This past spring, prolific artist Jon Langford came to Cincinnati to open an exhibit of his visual artwork and perform a free concert with his group Skull Orchard at Over-the-Rhine club MOTR Pub. At the time, Langford spoke to CityBeat contributor Steve Rosen about his range of artistic endeavors. “I have to do a lot of things,” he said. “I find it essential, honestly — spiritually and economically.” (Read the full interview with Langford here.)Just prior to the springtime Cincy visit, Langford had come off a Midwest tour with perhaps his best known band outside of his first one — British Punk legends, The Mekons — Waco Brothers, the AltCountry outfit he records with for Bloodshot Records. Langford must’ve enjoyed his time in Cincinnati because tonight he's bringing the Wacos to MOTR Pub for a 10 p.m. show, one of only a trio of appearances currently scheduled for the group. The Brothers are bringing with them Paul Burch, the Nashville singer/songwriter with whom the band collaborated on this year’s Great Chicago Fire LP. The Chicago band Cannonball is also on the bill. Here's a fan-shot video of Burch and the Wacos from earlier this year. Click here for even more live music events in Greater Cincinnati tonight.

There is a ventriloquist convention in town this week. Seriously! The Vent Haven ConVENTion takes over Cincinnati Airport Marriott daily through Saturday, and it’s got a full bill. Learn about the art of ventriloquism, browse puppets from dozens of vendors and enjoy entertainment from pros (the convention culminates with comedian Jeff Dunham speaking Saturday afternoon). The event is a product of Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, the only ventriloquist museum in the world. If you want to skip the creepy puppets and cut straight to the comedy, see Dunham tonight at The Bank of Kentucky Center. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $47.40. It’s Founders Brewing Co. Night at The Lackman, where three Founders’ beers will be tapped: Devil Dancer triple IPA, All Day IPA session ale and Dry Hopped Pale Ale. Swing by after work to give ‘em a taste. Over in Northside is Projectmill’s Slurring Bee at Mayday. Sign up at 9 p.m. and pay $5 to compete. It’s pretty simple: take a shot, spell a word. Every word you spell correctly grants you another shot. It’s like an alcoholic workout for your cranium! You don’t need to stay in the city to have a fun Thursday — the Warren County Fair keeps truckin’ tonight with harness racing at 6 p.m., "Warren County Has Talent" at 7 p.m. and karaoke at 9 p.m. Admission tonight is $15 per carload. Tonight and Friday, the CAC offers the rare chance to see a multimedia performance piece about LGBTQ oppression in Uganda. Artist Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine combines photographs, video and live performance in A Missionary Position  to portray the homophobia running rampant in Uganda, through a wide scope of perspectives. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, $14 for members.

Like every Friday, a great place to start your evening is Fountain Square, as the free MidPoint Indie Summer concert series continues with headliner Lydia Loveless. Loveless is an Ohio native who performed fairly regularly in the Cincinnati area (and elsewhere around the region) before she caught the attention of AltCountry/Modern Roots music institution Bloodshot Records with her natural blend of classic Country influences and more contemporary Rock flavors. Her debut for the label, Indestructible Machine was released last year and Loveless was one of the more buzzed-about names at last year's MidPoint Music Festival (even making the cover of CityBeat the week of the event. Loveless is currently working on new material. Read more about Lydia from this week's CityBeat here, as well as from last year's MidPoint issue here.Northern Ohio Roots/Blues artist Patrick Sweany and Cincinnati rockers The Ready Stance (check out our recent interview here) warm things up for Loveless starting at 7 p.m.• Christopher Dexter Greenspan — better known as Bay Area Electronic artist oOoOO — brings his spectral beats and melodies to Northside's Mayday tonight for a 9 p.m. show with guests Fogger and Skeleton Hands. Admission is $12.Greenspan's hypnotic, slanted mix of Chillwave and ethereal Trip Hop — at times sounding a little like Icelandic electronic act múm or a ghostly, gauzy version of M83 — was most recently showcased on oOoOO's second EP, Our Loving Is Hurting Us, which includes spacey vocals from singer Butterclock (as well as Greenspan's own voice, which delivers melodies slathered in a glaze of effects). Here's the new EP track "Break Yr Heart."• Former local musician GD Mills once again brings his raucous Minneapolis Garage Punk group Fuck Knights back to his former stomping grounds, performing a free show tonight at MOTR Pub with Muddy Udders, Children of the Emerald Fire and Martin Luther and the Kings. Showtime is 10 p.m.How are Fuck Nights like Batman? Click here to find out. Here's a clip of the Knights playing live last year (that's Mills singing and playing drums).Click here for even more live music options in Greater Cincinnati tonight.

When Shirley Temple sang about the “Good Ship Lollipop,” she probably wasn’t envisioning a booze cruise of drag queens (though, you know what they say about the crazy lives of child stars). Tonight, CNKY Scene and BB Riverboats present Big Ship Lollipop, a sweet late-night cruise for the local LGBTQ community and friends, complete with drag shows, DJs, drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Boarding begins at 10:30 p.m. and the boat departs at 11:30, when Penny Tration of The Cabaret and her cast of lovely ladies will perform on the first deck, while Adonis’ DJ Patrick B spins dance music on the second floor. The top deck is a VIP area (sold out) with a bar and killer view. Guests can also enjoy shopping from Pure Romance, a Flashbox photo booth and raffles supporting CNKY Scene Film Festival and Cincinnati Pride 2012. Tickets will be available tonight at the dock for $15, which includes a cash bar and complimentary snacks. Find details here. Smale Riverfront Park, the new public space at The Banks, hosts its Phase I Grand Opening tonight. The park is located on Mehring Way between Walnut Street and Joe Nuxhall Way, and features an event lawn and stage, fountains, a bike trail, visitor’s center, labrynth and more to come. Smale is sure to be a downtown hub for locals and visitors alike. The opening event kicks off at 6:15, followed by a free concert, fireworks and kids activities.Go OTR is more than a 5K Run/Walk — it’s a full event devoted to the historic neighborhood and all the great people and businesses making it thrive. Saturday’s celebration kicks off with the race at 10 a.m. and continues with a street festival through 5 p.m. Vine Street will be closed to traffic, full of local vendors like Christian Moerlein, A Tavola, Senate, Taste of Belgium and more local eateries. There will also be live music from Wussy, Shiny & the Spoon, Cincy Brass and others, a craft market by The City Flea and a fine art show. Online registration for the 5K has closed, but runners and walkers can still sign up at 1401 Vine St. until 7:30 p.m. tonight or between 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday.Further proving the explosion of Cincinnati's core, the popular Asian Food Fest has relocated from the suburbs to The Banks this year. Check out our interview with Bao Nguyen, the festival's Marketing Director, for a preview of all there is to taste and see this year. Expect deliciousness from 13 vendors, performances, and more. The Asian Food Fest takes over The Banks Saturday and Sunday. Mayday Northside presents its third annual Brews, ‘Dos and Tattoos shindig Saturday. Don your hottest alt-Americana for an evening of beers, burlesque and bustin’ moves. The crew will tap a bunch of craft beers at 4 p.m., dance music commences at 8, followed by performances from Ohio Knife and Cin City Burlqesue. Get the sizzling details here. Joseph-Beth Booksellers brings DIY extraordinaire Kayte Terry to its Rookwood Pavilion location for a craft-stravaganza Saturday. Terry hosts this special paper crafting event in support of her new book Paper Made! 101 Exceptional Projects to Make Out of Everyday Paper. Handmade culture has made a major comeback in recent years, and with the popularity of DIY marketplace Etsy, crafting is cool again. Working with paper can be expensive and somewhat wasteful, but Terry’s book is full of projects that utilize old newspapers, magazines, maps, and other paper scraps that would otherwise end up in the trash — and they look polished and professional. Join Terry Saturday for tips and tricks on turning trash into Pinterest-approved treasure. Weston Gallery’s annual fundraiser is not your typical cheese-and-wine arts event. This year’s Exhibitionism II is a sexy underground dance party, complete with a lingerie fashion show by Knickers of Hyde Park, dinner by the bite from the area’s top chefs, tantalizing cocktails, body painting and more. It’s a don’t-miss event for all you Cincy socialites and a great opportunity to support one of the city’s finest art galleries. The party runs 8 p.m.-1 a.m. at the Weston, located inside the Aronoff Center. Women’s Way of Ohio and Women Writing for a Change join Grailville for a day of writing, music and spirituality Sunday. Singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer will lead a workshop from 1-4 p.m. in which women will share and reflect on personal stories and explore creative expression. At 5:30 p.m., Grailville will serve dinner and Newcomer will perform a concert at 7 p.m. All are welcome to join in part or all of the day’s activities, with prices ranging $20-$70. Go here to register and find a full schedule. Follow our music blog for all your concert needs and check out our To Do page for art exhibits, theater shows, festivals and more fun happening this weekend.

While we’re sure many of you crammed enough fun into Opening Day to last the rest of April, there’s still plenty going on this weekend to keep the party going. The Heights Music Festival (formerly Clifton Heights Music Festival, launched in 2009) kicks off tonight with more than 70 bands (and some comedy sets) at five venues within walking distance around Clifton Heights. Rohs Street Café, Baba Budan’s, Mac’s, Christy’s and Roxx Electrocafe all host performances beginning at 7 p.m. tonight and starting at 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon through the night. Tickets are $8 for just tonight, $5 for tomorrow’s daytime shows or $12 for the whole weekend. Go here for lineup details and more information. Though iconic Cincinnati-based artist Charley Harper passed away almost five years ago, his artwork is as recognizable now than ever. His modernist depictions of nature and wildlife still cover the walls of fans young and old. Mary Ran Gallery is currently holding an exhibit and sale of Harper’s vintage signed and numbered prints. Stop by the Hyde Park gallery, peep some of his colorful works and walk away with one of your own. Find details here. TEDxCincinnatiChange is the first of many TED events to hit the Tri-state this spring. Saturday’s theme is "Big Picture, Small Details," set to examine issues with global and local impact and zeroing in on small details to make big ideas work. This a satellite event of a national TEDxChange, which marks a partnership between TED (Technology, Entertainments and Design) and the Melinda Gates Foundation. The Cincinnati event will kick off with a live streaming of a TEDxChange talk from Berlin. Speakers and performers include filmmakers Andrea Sisson and Peter Ohs, True Body Project founder Stacy Sims, taste of Beligum's Jean-Francois Flechet and many more. The event is currently sold out, but go here to find other upcoming TED events. Rumspringa is a rite of passage when Amish adolescents can leave their community and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere prior to deciding to be baptized or to leave the Amish church. In popular culture, those participating in Rumspringa are often portrayed as hardcore partiers, swapping their values and traditional garb for booze and sex (but in actuality, it’s not so drastic – most choose to continue being Amish). Saturday, Mayday presents its annual Rumspringa Beer and Sausage Fest. Rock out like it’s your only chance to do so and enjoy Amish-inspired delights like beerwurst, bangers, homemade mustards and more beer than you can shake a buckled shoe at. Remember to call a designated carriage driver! The fun starts at 4 p.m. OTR A.D.O.P.T. is an organization that helps match prospective home/business owners renovate deteriorating historic buildings in Over-the-Rhine. Saturday, Neon’s Unplugged hosts a benefit for the organization, inviting you to Partly Like it’s 1869! Learn about the organization and how to get involved while celebrating the eclectic neighborhood. Costumes are encourage, so sport your favorite hoop skirt or suspenders and capture your look in a photo booth. A $5 donation gets you in; enjoy old timey drink specials from 8 p.m.-1 a.m.Check our full To Do page for more arts and events, follow our music blog for this weekend's shows and find theater recommendations here. And Happy Zombie Jesus Day!