10 Greater Cincinnati Music Stories from 2023 that Struck a Tune

CityBeat Reviews Taylor Swift at Paycor Stadium By Ashley Moor and Madeline Fening A non-Swiftie and a Swiftie walk into a sold-out Taylor Swift show and recount their appreciation for the spectacle. CityBeat’s editor-in-chief Ashley Moor was hesitant, mostly on account of the enormous crowd, but was delighted by the dedication and love she witnessed among the thousands of people. Moor realized an appreciation for the power of Swift’s music. CityBeat’s news reporter Madeline Fening reported an “ass-shaking, razzle-dazzle time,” recalled moments from each Swift era and her experience growing up listening to the pop star’s music, all while learning life lessons in the process. Photo: Kevin Lush

Black Music Walk of Fame Opens on The Banks By Katie Griffith Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece had been planning the debut of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame since 2021. After two rounds of inductees, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame opened with an impressive initial eight stars for musicians Bootsy Collins, the Isley Brothers and other Cincinnati legends, along with an interactive park and huge plans for the future. The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame isn’t just a lane of stars embedded on a path, it’s a way of honoring Black-made music with Cincinnati roots that has impacted the world. The Walk of Fame includes numerous interactive entertainment options and during the July grand opening event, Reece buried a time capsule on site that includes memorabilia and a letter to the future. Photo: facebook.com/The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame

Homecoming Fest When: Sept. 15 and 16 Where: The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park (The Andrew J Brady Music Center) What: Two-Day Music Festival Who: The National & Star-Studded Musical Acts Why: It’s a Cincinnati exclusive event. The National (from Cincinnati) will be performing their albums High Violet and Trouble Will Find Me from beginning to end. Also, Patti Smith, Pavement, Snail Mail, The Walkmen and more are scheduled to perform during this one-of-a-kind, two-day event. Stay tuned for CityBeat’s review of the show. Photo: Josh Goleman

Mole’s Record Exchange – Cincinnati’s Oldest Record Store – Closes By Katherine Barrier Just before its 49th birthday, Mole’s Record Exchange closed for good on June 3. Ric Hickey, a Mole’s employee at the time, said the closure was due to the University of Cincinnati’s expansion to Calhoun Street, where the store was located. Owner Dean Newman reportedly didn’t think the business would survive obstruction to the store’s main entrance because of nearby construction. “Regardless of your age or taste in music, if you wandered into Mole’s you would find something to your liking 99% of the time. … Mole’s was always a store with character and characters,” Hickey said in a blogpost about the store’s closing. Photo: facebook.com/Mole's Record Exchange

Cincinnati Music Festival July 20-22 Get ready to get down at this year’s Cincinnati Music Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop. On Thursday, Doug E. Fresh kicks everything off, followed by Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane and Rakim, at Andrew J Brady Music Center. On Friday, the lineup is Gerald Albright, Midnight Star, Jodeci, Jill Scott and Al Green at Paycor Stadium. And finally, on Saturday, Norman Brown takes the stage at Paycor, followed by Avery Sunshine, P-Funk Connection, Baby Face and last, but not least, Snoop Dogg. Tickets start at $60. Thursday-Saturday, July 20-22. Andrew J Brady Music Center, 25 Race St., The Banks; Paycor Stadium, 1 Paycor Stadium, The Banks. cincymusicfestival.com. Photo: CityBeat archives

Bootsy Collins Legendary funkateer Bootsy Collins was one of the Black Music Walk of Fame’s inaugural inductees in 2021. Born in Cincinnati, Bootsy is one of the best representatives of the Queen City’s music scene, especially in the heyday of King Records. He’s largely heralded as the greatest bassist in the funk and R&B genres and is recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as the fourth-greatest bassist of all time. Throughout his 50-year career, Bootsy has played bass with James Brown, George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic and a host of other musical icons. His signature funky bass-driven songwriting style is the foundation of G-funk, an early ’90s subgenre of gangster rap perfected by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Louis Langrée conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony in May 2022. Photo: Mark Lyons

Cincinnati’s May Festival and 150th Anniversary By Anne Arenstein The May Festival is the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. In May, it celebrated 150 years of community choral singing. The festival saw specialty programming that included world-class conductors and soloists and various world premiere performances. The May Festival concluded with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, the “Symphony of a Thousand.” Photo: Michal Novak

Jordan Smart Wins GemsOnVHS Songwriting Contest By Katherine Barrier Folk singer-songwriter from Ludlow, Kentucky, Jordan Smart won a contest from one of YouTube’s most popular music channels, GemsOnVHS. Smart won GemsOnVHS’s 2023 Gems in the Rough Contest after the competition saw more than 1,000 entries, a record number for Gems in the Rough submissions. Smart was awarded a Gold Tone guitar. The GemsOnVHS announcement video revealed that Smart won because of his musicianship, humanity in writing and beautiful performance. His winning submission was “Apple Don’t Fall,” a tuneful example of the folk revivalist movement. Photo: Anthony Simpkins

Walk the Moon Featured on Jeopardy! Question By Katherine Barrier What is: Shut Up and Dance? In March, Cincinnati’s Walk the Moon was the subject of a Double Jeopardy question. The indie band’s hit song, “Shut Up and Dance,” appeared under the category “Walk the Line” for $400. The question was: “Walk the Moon recounts a night at the disco: ‘I said, ‘You’re holding back’, she said’ this title.” The band posted on Instagram in celebration of the Jeopardy! appearance, saying “what is: omg we’re on @jeopardy!!” Photo: Grant Spanier