The Howard Brothers Band
is back with a new full-length, Go a Li’l Faster, the follow-up to its 2008 debut, Catch the Party Train. The band hosts an album release party Friday at MVP Sports Bar & Grille (6923 Plainfield Road, Silverton, mymvpsportsbarandgrille.com). Heavy Medicine and Taylor Shannon Band are also on the bill. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. and admission is $5.
Driven by the powerhouse riffs, stirring leads and hearty vocals of guitarist/singer Steven Howard and anchored by the chunky but finessed rhythms of bassist Aaron Howard and drummer Tim Blankenship, Go a Li’l Faster finds the band expanding on the Blues-inspired Classic Rock sound of its debut. On songs like “Everybody Jumping” and the title track, the group showcases thick, heavy grooves and a distinct swagger, with guitar work that recalls ex-Guns N’ Roses axman Slash in peak form. Elsewhere, the band switches things up with the soaring ballad “Lift Yourself,” while the ominous “Mama Leeds” and smoky “To the Bone” rumble on a plodding grind that recalls Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.”
The Howard Brothers Band make no effort to reinvent the wheel on Go a Li’l Faster, but they do manage to create an enjoyable Rock album that would fit nicely in a record collection heavy on artists like Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Mountain, Bad Company and another sibling-driven group, The Allman Brothers Band. (howardbrothersband.com)
MusicLi Hosts Happy Hour Event
Local musician Brad Schnittger (The Sundresses) has been working on (with help from the local People’s Liberty organization) a new project called MusicLi, which includes the development of an online library of original music created by area musicians and made available for licensing to local businesses for commercial/promotional purposes. Thursday at Woodward Theater (1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com), a special happy hour event called “MusicLi Goes Bottoms Up!” will help Schnittger introduce the project to musicians, businesses and the general public. The event is sponsored by The Garage OTR and Reveal Concepts, the first area businesses to license music through MusicLi.
Following an invite-only segment at 6 p.m. (as Schnittger gives a presentation to area businesses), the doors open to the general public at 7 p.m. for a performance by local rockers Buffalo Killers. Admission is $5. Buffalo Killers recently announced a string of dates opening for Black Crowes’ guitarist Rich Robinson in June. The band is also a part of a new split single with fellow local group Ampline. Northern Kentucky’s SofaBurn Records is the label home of the shared single, which features Ampline’s track “It Will Evaporate” and Buffalo Killers’ “Turkey Pete Montana Prison Man.” To purchase the single (digitally or on vinyl), visit sofaburn.com.
For more on MusicLi, visit musicli.org.
More Local Notes
• The “Tunes & Blooms” concert series at the Cincinnati Zoo (3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org) ran into some heavy April showers this year, causing the first three events to be canceled. The shows have been rescheduled, with the first new dates running back to back this week. On Wednesday, The Tillers and Hickory Robot perform; Thursday is the rescheduled date for the Jake Speed and the Freddies/Shiny and the Spoon concert. The final rescheduled date is May 13, with Honey & Houston and Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle. Shows start at 6 p.m.; there is no entry fee to the zoo after 5 p.m. (parking in the zoo’s lot is $9).
• The free Salsa on the Square series kicks off this Thursday, bringing several area Salsa bands (as well as dance instructors offering tips) to Fountain Square throughout the summer. Son Del Caribe plays Thursday’s opening event. The shows, which happen every Thursday through Sept. 17, run from 7 to 10 p.m. For the full Salsa on the Square lineup (as well as lineups for the other free music series), visit myfountainsquare.com.
• The 46th annual Appalachian Festival takes place this Friday through Sunday at Coney Island (6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com). Along with the usual array of Appalachian arts, crafts, dance and educational exhibits, the festival will feature a plethora of local and regional Bluegrass musicians. Area artists performing throughout the weekend include Comet Bluegrass All-Stars, Ma Crow & the Lady Slippers, Missy Werner, The Goodle Boys, Susan Pepper, Nightflyer, Rabbit Hash String Band, Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, Tony Hale and Blackwater, Steve Bonafel & One Iota, The Sternwheelers, The Retread Bluegrass Band and P’s in a Pod. Admission is $10 each day (there are discounts for children and seniors). For the full schedule and more info on the Appalachian Festival, visit appalachianfestival.org.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: mbreen@citybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @CityBeatMusic and here on Facebook.
This article appears in May 6-12, 2015.
