Royal Holland, the exhilarating alter-ego project from Cincinnati singer/songwriter Matt Mooney, is concluding the “Unfolded” trilogy of EP releases this Friday with Vol. 3 Program. To celebrate, Royal Holland (which has expanded to a full band for live shows) is performing at Northside Yacht Club (4227 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com) Friday with special guest Krystal Peterson and the Queen City Band. The show starts at 9 p.m. and there is a $5 cover charge.
Vol. 3 Program is the completion of a story that began with 2014’s Vol. 1 The Maze and was continued on Vol. 2 Flamingo, which was released last year. The trilogy is said to be about dealing with love, death and loss; it has also introduced Mooney as a major songwriting talent who should continue to garner national attention with the new release. Following the local show, Royal Holland hits the road again, this time on an extensive tour to the West Coast.
This weekend you can purchase digital or hardcopy versions of Program at royalholland.bandcamp.com. You can also purchase a digital or CD version of the entire trilogy packaged together. More info on Royal Holland can be found at royalhollandsongs.com.
• Raggedly poppy, punky trio Leggy wraps up its current Midwest/East Coast tour Friday with a free homecoming show at MOTR Pub (1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com). Joining the group for the 10 p.m. event are Philly’s Free Cake for Every Creature and new local band Fun Machine.
The show will also serve as a hometown release party for Leggy’s great new EP, Dang. Following two self-released EPs, Dang was issued on cassette through Manic Static, the Illinois-based label that has put out recordings by Chicago buzz bands like Ne Hi and Twin Peaks. The EP was premiered on Jan. 8 on the popular Noisey site. Just four quick songs long, Dang is a blissful blur of trashy, slashing guitars, insistent, primal rhythms and a boatload of soaring, sassy hooks, tied together by an exuberant energy and charisma that is hard to resist.
Dang (and the rest of Leggy’s discography) is available now at leggy.bandcamp.com.
• Rock crew Evening Redness releases its debut full-length, Before the Dark, this Friday at The Drinkery (1150 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, drinkeryotr.com). The free 10 p.m. show also includes performances from The Whiskey Shambles and Lovecrush 88.
Evening Redness began to play locally in 2014, fronted by singer/songwriter/guitarist Brent Billock, a trained opera singer. Sturdily backed by experienced local rockers Aaron Williams (drums) and Larry Geiger (guitar), Billock’s fine-tuned vocals give the melodies a serious sense of drama and emotion across Before the Dark’s 10 tracks. For more on the album and the band, visit eveningrednessmusic.com.More Local Notes
• Friday night sees the debut of New Noise Cincy at Bogart’s (2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com), a revival and update of the venue’s High School Band Challenge”from the ’00s. The showcase is presented by Bogart’s in conjunction with the Music Resource Center Cincinnati, a program aimed at getting teens into playing, performing and recording music (visit mrccinci.org for more on the organization). The young bands performing at Friday’s 7:30 p.m. show are The Agoraphobes, Blank State, Wicked River and Written in Red. Admission is $5.25 in advance or $7 day of show.
• Veteran Cincinnati Funk artist Freekbass released his debut album for Ropeadope Records, titled Cincinnati, late last year and has kept up his busy touring schedule to support it. But that’s not stopping him from taking on a new gig — as a radio DJ. Beginning Jan. 22, Funky Fridays with Freekbass is slated to air every Friday on WNKU (89.7 FM or online at wnku.org) from 6-9 p.m. The singer/songwriter/bassist says the show will feature Funk music from all eras, as well as interviews, historical segments and more.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: mbreen@citybeat.com
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2016.