Cincinnati has always been an underrated town.
That’s nothing new. We’ve been slept on for centuries. Even Mark Twain was quoted as saying, “When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it’s always 20 years behind the times.”
Life behind the times isn’t so bad. In fact, it’s the perfect disguise.
While folks are busy hyping up cities with white-hot spotlights, we’re heads down hustling as only a blue-collar town can. If you’re reading this, let me be the first to introduce you to The Heart of The Queen City.
Over the next few months, I want to take you on a journey to discover the real soul of Cincy. Not a surface-level overview of where you can grab a decent cup of joe. The real deal. Stories that give you a peek under the hood at the engine that gives our town its horsepower.
If we’re talking soul in The Queen City, we have to start with the music. From Hank Sr. cutting Lovesick Blues and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry at Herzog to James Brown nearly burning down King Records with I Got You (I Feel Good), we have no shortage of all-time classics with Cincinnati ties. As timeless as our music history is, David Sanborn said it best. “You’re only as good as your last record.” With that in mind, let’s take a trip up to Loveland to check in on the best record shop and smoothest recording group rocking today.
If you’ve ever spent any time in Loveland, you know how special the community is. I often find myself taking day trips up there to bike the trail overlooking the Little Miami and grab a cold one from Narrow Path Brewing. Without fail, I find myself perusing the “new arrivals” section at Plaid Room Records. As an avid vinyl collector, this place speaks to my soul.
I remember popping in years ago and stumbling upon a jazz trio doing their thing smack in the middle of the shop. It was like the Cincinnati version of a Tiny Desk Concert, and I couldn’t get enough. When they wrapped their set, they shouted out Loveland and Colemine Records. Little did I know, that moment was the Genesis of a lifelong love for all things Colemine. I found the “Colemine Records Official” playlist on Spotify, dove in headfirst, and never looked back.
My first time intentionally seeing a live performance from one of the Colemine Records groups was Durand Jones & The Indications at The Woodward Theater in Over-The-Rhine. When Aaron Frazier belted out the first note on their hit song Is It Any Wonder, time stopped in its tracks. I’ve always been a big Motown music fan, so to hear that music not just replicated but created and evolved in the year 2019 gave me a new appreciation for the city I call home.
Even after my newfound following, I still had no idea where the Colemine Records headquarters was. I assumed it was somewhere in Cincy, but I never knew for sure. So naturally, I went to the source. When I asked the woman working the front desk at Plaid Room Records if they knew where Colemine Records was based, I got a belly laugh in response, followed by a finger pointing up. Assuming she wasn’t talking about heaven (which wouldn’t have surprised me based on their quality), I asked for more. She informed me that the studio was on the second floor of their building. My mind was blown.
In that moment, the building I was currently inhabiting became sacred ground. We sat talking shop for the next hour, and before I left, she sent me packing with several CD’s from Colemine artists on the house. Artists like Kelly Finnegan, Thee Sinseers, and Pale Jay became the soundtrack of my summer, and the fandom never faltered from there. This upcoming September, Durand Jones & The Indications will be opening for Charley Crockett in Youngstown, and you can bet I’ll be in attendance. Frankly, you should be, too.
Colemine Records is a prime example of how to write a new chapter of a timeless story. They trace their roots all the way to the King Records days in Cincinnati. Recording, pressing and selling albums out of one space in Loveland is enough of an achievement in itself, but to take that Ohio soul all across the world puts them in the rarest of air.
In addition to being the best record store in Cincinnati, Plaid Room also helps carry out the Colemine dream by championing and selling nearly all of the records in their shop. This is a business partnership that far surpasses the status quo and gives us Cincinnatians an offering unlike any other in the world.
What impresses me the most about Plaid Room Records is the community. Many of their employees have been there for over a decade, and every trip to the shop inevitably leads to a conversation about something incredible happening in the world of music. On my last visit, they told me all about the album release dance party they put on to celebrate Sturgill Simpson’s new record under his alter ego, Johnny Blueskies, Mutiny After Midnight. Events like those make music a transcendent experience, and the community they offer gives music nerds like me a space to call home.
All too often, Cincinnati is thought of as a “little brother” city. In my opinion, the biggest reason for that is the reality that not enough people have flipped over our rock to find out what is going on underneath.
The reason for creating this series for CityBeat in the first place is because of a harsh truth: I happened to luck into my discovery of Colemine Records. I just as easily could’ve missed out on the opportunity to make my musical life infinitely richer. What a shame that would have been. With that in mind, I want to give you, the Cincinnati faithful, the same sense of pride by telling the stories that likely won’t be found on national news.
The true grit that gives the heart of this town its pulse.
I hope you’ll join us.
This article appears in April 1-14, 2026.