Cincinnati’s foremost Folk label, Blue Jordan Records, presents its fifth “Spring Songs” concert on Saturday at Old St. George near the University of Cincinnati campus. Music starts at 2 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m.; tickets are $5 (admission is free for kids 10 and under). The concert will utilize two stages — one in the main cathedral area and one presented by local nonprofit Folk and Acoustic music organization, the Queen City Balladeers, in the venue’s library.
The main stage features Katie Reider, Mike Helm, Wild Carrot, Janet Pressley, Gwendolyn Speaks and The Mood Rings. Singer/songwriter David Wolfenberger also plays the main stage as part of a reunion with his former band, The Marshwiggles. Music on the library stage (which runs until 6 p.m.) includes performances by The Traveling Balladeers, Lenny Hall & Linda Callan, The Sweeneys, Kerry Neff, Papa Joe Kretschmer and another set from Wild Carrot.
Blue Jordan is releasing a compilation CD in conjunction with the fest. The disc features 18 tracks of mostly unreleased material, including cuts by Wolfenberger (both solo and with The Marshwiggles), Gwendolyn Speaks, The Mood Rings, Helm and Pressley. Previously released songs by Joshua Seurkamp, Reider and Wild Carrot are also featured. For set times, go to bluejordan.com.
Lovin’ “Spoonful”
Middletown native Tim Motzer returns to the area this weekend for a couple of shows with his current band, Spoonful. Now based in Philadelphia, the guitarist has made a name for himself in the Neo Soul world, working with King Britt, Les Nubians, Jill Scott and Ursula Rucker (Motzer’s mesmerizing guitar work backed the spoken word star last year at a show at Union Terminal). Rolling Stone has even called Motzer a “21st Century Hendrix” for his work on the King Britt remix of Curtis Mayfield’s “Little Child Runnin’ Wild,” which appeared in the Superfly film remake. Along with drummer Marc Scafidi, Spoonful features bassist/singer Barry Meehan, who also has Cincinnati-area ties; Meehan worked lights and road-teched for The Raisins and The Bears back in the day.
Motzer describes Spoonful as a nod to Blues legends like Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters, but with the Rock-inflicted sensibilities of the late ’60/early ’70s Blues explosion led by Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Robin Trower and Traffic. Spoonful plays Neon’s in Over-the-Rhine on Friday at 10 p.m. On Saturday, the trio performs at the Silverton Café.
Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
· The monthly benefit/local music showcase Rivertown Music Club — now firmly entrenched in its new York Street Café home after the closing of the Barrelhouse — spotlights Jackass, Junior Revolution, Patchwork, Turbull AC’s and host band Kelly Thomas & The Pick-Ups on Saturday. The proceeds from the show go to the Red MacCormack Memorial Recording Grant, which provides local musicians with funds to assist with recording projects. The grants are to be doled out in June.
· The “Harpin’ n’ Pickin” festival returns to Oxford’s Uptown Parks on Sunday. The fest was founded last year by Chris Koenig, who conceived the event for his senior project at Miami University. Celebrating Blues and Appalachian music and culture, Harpin’ n’ Pickin’ presents area acts like Appalachian Grass, the Rabbit Hash String Band, Retread, Higher Vision, Traveling Shoes and John Kogge and the Lonesome Strangers; this year’s big national headliner is Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers. For a full schedule, check out harpinnpickin.com.
· Members of former local faves Koan have formed a new band called Mara. The group will present its second public performance on Friday at the Southgate House. The show also features Moving East, Hilltop Distillery and The Strongest Proof (The Seeping Kind, Impo and Entheos play the club’s second-floor “parlour” room).
· The Contemporary Arts Center recently announced a partnership with the upcoming MidPoint Music Festival (Sept. 21-24). The union means the industry trade show and conference panels will be held in the CAC’s building (giving out-of-towners a much cooler setting than previous years’ hotel banquet halls). Deadline for musicians to register for MPMF to be considered for a showcase is May 15; the cheaper early registration drive ends April 30. (mpmf.com)
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2005.
