Mixtapes guitarist/vocalist Ryan Rockwell and his bandmates developed an interesting songwriting regimen after the release of their first recording. Whenever Rockwell and Maura Weaver, Mixtapes’ guitarist/vocalist and Rockwell’s songwriting partner, would hit on a particularly resonant tune, they would relegate it to a slush pile of material for an album they intended to serve as their full-length debut. Mixtapes’ song bank proved to be an effective strategy.   

Remember a few years ago when you couldn’t walk into a Starbucks without hearing the words, “Three words that became hard to say/I and love and you?” At the time, you probably rolled your eyes, but The Avett Brothers ended up becoming kind of a big deal. While “I and Love and You,” as a song, was mostly mellow and Folk-ish, it’s far from a decent indicator of the sort of noise the Brothers are capable of creating.  

 Although Natural Child coalesced back in 2009, they sound like they’ve been around forever. Almost stereotypically young, the Nashville trio’s influences date to their parents’ record collections and that sense of musical classicism is infused with an appropriate dose of hormonal rage and rebellion.   

 What would you call a rotating collection of Punk superstars who assemble for an annual acoustic front porch hootenanny that crisscrosses the country to the ecstatic response of thousands of their biggest fans? Chuck Ragan calls it The Revival Tour, while the Phoenix New Times dubbed it “Punk Rock’s answer to the Traveling Wilburys.”    

If there’s one thing to be absorbed from the music of Priestess, it’s that Heavy Metal still has the power to liberate. While histrionics-heavy Metalcore and cheaply crafted Radio Rock can be found clotting iTunes playlists, Priestess’ sweeping scapes are an excellent diversion.   

Maybe The Ramones said it best on the seventh track of their 1976 debut album: “Hey daddyo/I don’t wanna go down/To the basement/There’s somethin’ down there.” Imagine the place these primal punks were conjuring up: A damp, dimly lit underground room in an ancient house with a low-hung ceiling.  

Already formed and broken up once by 1982, The Queers began to grab headlines with the reemergence of perennial frontman Joe Queer in 1990. Queer would be the consistent nucleus of a band whose roster was a haphazard game of musical chairs; roughly 30 members since 1982 have been a Queer. Twenty five years later, the band still shows no signs of stopping, with an upcoming CD release slated for 2009 and a tour that included a stint at South By Southwest in Texas.  

Shit, has it really been six years since The Sundresses erupted all over the Cincinnati scene? In that time, the trio has amassed some impressive stats, including four consecutive SXSW appearances and a ton of wildly successful opening gigs and tours.  

Local Rockabilly greats Rumble Club will host their fourth annual Billy-themed Christmas party/concert, Greasemas, this Friday at the Southgate House. The Rumblers will be joined by Indys Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes, Pittsburghs Highway 13 and local Honky Tonk/Rockabilly heroes Straw Boss.  

My search, aided by Al Gore's trusty inter-web, lasted about two and a half minutes. That's longer than most Order 66 songs, but that's OK. My feeble attempts at research are shadowed only by my limited amount of knowledge. Drummer Alex Kuhling wastes no time in his efforts, quickly grabbing a freshly washed glass and mixing equal parts Blue PowerAde and Sierra Mist together.