Once a month, crowds gather at Northside Tavern for a hot session of trio sonatas and brass quintets. Or wind ensembles and string quartets. Or operatic arias. On a recent Sunday evening, an audience decked out in jeans, multiple tattoos and piercings ambled past the Cincinnati Wind Quintet warming up to perform a Viktor Ewald piece. It's another evening of Classical Revolution, Cincinnati's branch of a growing national network that bypasses the concert hall for bars and nightclubs.  

Cincinnati Indie/Post Rock trio Mallory returned to the local club scene several months ago after an extended hiatus, and this weekend the band celebrates the birthing of its long-awaited second release, '… Before It Grows.'  

Local rockers The Chocolate Horse corral the wagons around Northside Tavern on Friday to celebrate the release of their limited-edition vinyl album 'We Don't Stand on Ceremony.' This new collection exhibits the same honesty we've come to expect from The Horse. Raspy croons and cries meet with beautiful harmonies throughout the record, but the true expression might exist in the interplay between the vocal and musical arrangement.  

It's been five years since bassist Paul Siler and guitarist Cheetie Kumar broke ranks from Garage Rock titans Cherry Valence, got married after nearly a decade of dating and assembled their new band project, Birds of Avalon. Steered by a love of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and John Coltrane and galvanized by a contemporary vibe, the band puts all of its energy into touring as much as possible.   

There aren't many guarantees in life, but whatever the time or circumstance one thing is dead solid certain: If Greg Miller and the Whiskey Daredevils are in town, a good time will be had by them. And if you've got any sense at all, you'll join them — it's always best to be behind the Daredevils' headlights rather than in front of them where the roadkill stands.  

State Song's success is based on the idea of three members who feed off one another's chemistry, energy and intensity. What makes the band sound bigger than life, however, is the members' willingness to burn slowly, to embrace dynamics, to use a sampler and a keyboard. To maximize the sonic potential is the main goal.  

For the better part of the last decade, Brian Olive has been someone's guitarist — sometimes as Oliver Henry or Henry Oliver — from post-high school outfits to his stints with The Greenhornes and Soledad Brothers. When the time finally came for Olive to blaze a solo trail, he had plenty of experience to draw on when considering what he wanted to accomplish as a solo artist.  

In the background, an '80s remix album plays, everything from Genesis to Spandau Ballet. We play name that tune, and lead vocalist/keyboardist Jack Curley wins. With a scruffy red beard and the lightest shade of blue eyes, he's also into musical theater and acting.  

People like to dance. This is a simple coda that permeates all facets of music, from Hip Hop to Pop to Rock. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that Indie Rock would soon follow suit. Enter Passion Pit, the next in the line of Indie Rock party starters with synth-heavy grooves, crazy live shows and Michael Angelakos’ vocals that are so over-the-top falsetto Alvin and the Chipmunks would be jealous.  

If you've got any ill-conceived drummer jokes, you can rest assured that they don't apply to Cale Parks. As a current member of both Aloha and White Williams, there wouldn't seem to be a whole lot of wiggle room in Parks' schedule.