Cincinnati Americana singer/songwriter Jody Stapleton is celebrating the release of his excellent new solo album, Roe Street Cathedral, with a trio of performances in the coming weeks. This Saturday at 2 p.m., he’ll preview the new album with a performance at Everybody’s Records (6106 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, everybodysrecords.com). Saturday night at 9 p.m., Stapleton will be joined by longtime bassist Sammy Wulfeck and vocalist Anne Winslow Orlet for an acoustic performance at Myrtle’s Punch House (2733 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills, wellmannsbrands.com/myrtles). On Dec. 10, Stapleton will be joined by a full band for a free 9:30 p.m. performance on the Lounge stage at Southgate House Revival (111 E. Sixth St., Newport, Ky., southgatehouse.com). Nashville’s Violet Delancey is also on the Dec. 10 bill
Stapleton made and got his name (he was born Shawn Bracken) from Roots Rock faves The Stapletons, the band he fronted and recorded and toured with for much of the ’00s. From there, he experimented with an Indie Rock approach with his band Cash Flagg, and in 2012 he released Turn On Your Lights, a collection of songs with a ’70s Pop vibe put out under the banner Jody Stapleton and the Generals. In 2014, Stapleton released his first solo effort, Wolf Angel, which showed that the laidback Folk/Roots/Country realm suited his emotive songwriting perfectly.
For the new Roe Street Cathedral, Stapleton reteams with Wolf Angel producer Jeff Roberson and continues in the vein that worked so well for him on his previous effort. Roe Street finds Stapleton in peak form as a songwriter, with an impressive collection of guest artists helping to bring the strength of the writing to the forefront. Among the musicians contributing to the new recording are former Stapletons bandmates Jason Gay, Landen Summay and Wulfeck, Josh Pilot and Brandon Losacker (currently of Bucko) and Winslow Orlet and Toby Ellis, who were members of Roberson’s long-running Americana band Len’s Lounge.
Highlights on Roe Street Cathedral are plentiful, ranging from the gentle, banjo-and-piano-driven Roots Pop gem “Don’t Hear My Name” and the pure, quietly stirring “Dear God” (which is just acoustic guitar, bass and Stapleton’s whispery vocals) to more up-tempo tunes like the Country Gospel rave-up “Never Get Over Hurting You” and the chugging album opener “C’mon, C’mon.” The moving closing track “Honey Bea” is the emotional nadir of the album, with its melancholy sway giving way to uplifting hope, gratitude and joy.
Stapleton has consistently released solid music in his 15-plus years of playing, but with Roe Street Cathedral, he tops it all with not only masterful songwriting, but also his ability to have the songs radiate the passion he pours into them back out to the listener.
Visit jodystapleton.com for more info.
Cincinnati Brewers Series Continues
Cincinnati vinyl record label Soul Step Records is continuing its Cincinnati Brewers Series this week. The label pairs a local band with a local brewery for the series. Soul Step releases a 7-inch single by the artist, while the brewery creates a special brew for the occasion and hosts a free show by the band.
The series kicked off in September with a beer from MadTree Brewing and the “I Ain’t Cryin’” single from local Funk/Soul outfit Krystal Peterson & the Queen City Band. This Saturday, the label is issuing a vinyl single from local Indie Rock newcomers Sylmar in conjunction with a free 7 p.m. show (and special beer unveiling) at Listermann Brewing Company (1621 Dana Ave., Evanston, listermannbrewing.com). The first limited-edition pressing of the single (on “ocean-blue vinyl”) will be available at Saturday’s show.
Visit soulsteprecords.com for more on Soul Step’s releases. You can also listen to the tracks on Sylmar’s single — “I Love Everything” and “Honey” — at the site.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: mbreen@citybeat.com
This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 7, 2016.