Cincinnati rockers Buffalo Killers return to action on Oct. 20 when their latest album, Alive and Well in Ohio, drops on the Alive Naturalsound label. Pre-orders for the digital version of the LP — recorded by the band at its Howler Hills Farm analog studio in Middletown, Ohio — are open now through iTunes, while a series of vinyl editions (including various limited-run color versions) can be pre-ordered through bompstore.com. Alive and Well’s great first single, “Parachute,” can be heard on most digital streaming platforms. For the latest updates on vinyl pre-orders and more, visit facebook.com/buffalokillers.
• Cincy duo Suck the Honey is getting set to release its debut full-length, All Hail Having Fail. The album — which has already received glowing write-ups from Classic Rock Magazine (which is hosting a stream of the LP on its site) and Huffington Post — will receive a vinyl release through Romanus Records on Sept. 30. Suck the Honey hosts a release party in honor of All Hail Having Fail on Sept. 23 at MOTR Pub (1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com). Album track “Bite Yr Tongue” is available now as a free download at suckthehoney.com.
• Before Jeremy Pinnell became a nationally acclaimed solo Country singer/songwriter, he fronted The Light Wires. The band (which also included members of local crews Thistle, Ampline and El Gigante) issued an amazing self-titled debut in the early 2000s and recorded an equally spectacular follow-up that saw a very limited release after the group split up. On Nov. 24, the band’s full output of mesmerizing Indie Rock/AltCountry will see the light of day again as Sofa Burn Records (home to Pinnell’s solo efforts) issues a double-vinyl retrospective that includes both The Light Wires debut and the sophomore album, The Invisible Hand. Visit sofaburn.com for updates.
• Indie/Post Punk group Smut has been getting some early attention for its upcoming album, End of Sam-soon, which is due for release on Broken Circles on Oct. 27. The band's first single from the LP, "Video Cell," recently premiered on AV Club. You can pre-order the album now here. The band has a string of tour dates lined up to support End of Sam-soon, included a run of shows with recent SubPop signees Bully — check here for details and updates.
• Other forthcoming releases by Cincinnati-area artists include New Sincerity Works’ third full-length, Wonder Lust (due Sept. 19; visit newsincerityworks.com for details); Country/Rock artist Taylor Shannon’s Another Sad Story EP (to release digitally on Oct. 17, with a physical release slated for Oct. 27); and veteran singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei’s Jealous Wreck (due Nov. 4). Check some clips related to those releases below.
King Records Month Continues
The huge, citywide celebration of pioneering Cincinnati-based record label King Records continues through the end of September. The next two weeks of King Records Month bring a variety of cool events spotlighting various aspects of the city’s historic musical contributions, including this Sunday’s Hayride!, local musician Cameron Cochran’s and members of the Future Science comedy troupe’s celebration of comedy/music variety show Midwestern Hayride at Woodward Theater (1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com). Check out CityBeat’s feature story about the event on page 38.
On Saturday at the new Herzog Music space (811 Race St., Downtown, facebook.com/herzogmusic), “Funky Drummer Fest” will explore the connection between King’s musical output and Hip Hop’s legacy via a live performance by legendary Cincy DJ crew The Animal Crackers. James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” (a 1970 King single) was recorded in Cincinnati in 1969; drummer Clyde Stubblefield’s beat on the track would go on to become a foundational sample of Hip Hop, used by artists like Run DMC, Public Enemy and Eric B & Rakim (among numerous others), as well as non-Hip Hop acts like George Michael and Sinéad O’Connor. The free event begins at 7 p.m.
Also at Herzog, at 2 p.m. on Sept. 23, the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation will present a “State of the King Records Building” symposium, with updates on the efforts to save the original King building in Evanston. The site was spared demolition after Cincinnati City Council declared it a historic landmark, with the city announcing intentions to purchase the building and a partnership of local organizations’ plans to refurbish it. The event also includes a screening of Danny Adler’s Last Session on Brewster, in which the musician films and records music (on the down-low) inside the dilapidated former King headquarters.
For the complete schedule of King Records Month events, visit kingstudios.org.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: [email protected].
