As many of us are gearing up for summertime trips, several local bands have plotted out “working vacations,” embarking on road trips to spread the word about their music. Here are just a few Cincinnati-area acts with summer tour plans on the horizon:
• Electric Citizen turned on a lot of ears last year with its debut album, Sateen, and tour dates with bands like Fu Manchu and Wolfmother. This year, the band will take a break from recording its second album and head out on an extensive road jaunt with Mondo Drag and Slow Season that will take them all around the Midwest, East Coast and South. You can wish them safe travels this Friday as the band rocks Northside Tavern (4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside, northsidetav.com/cincy) with a free, 10 p.m. show. (electriccitizenband.com)
• Self-described “Swoon Punk” and “Jawbreaker Pop” trio Leggy has been gaining a lot of attention via several out-of-town dates over the past year. This summer, after a few local dates (including the June 27 Northside Music Festival at Northside Tavern), the group will head out on an extensive tour that will take it throughout the Midwest, into Texas and all the way to the West Coast. Leggy, which is supporting its most recent EP release, Nice Try (listen or download it at leggy.bandcamp.com), will mark its return from the tour with a free hometown show Aug. 7 on Fountain Square, a MidPoint Indie Summer series show that also features locals Tweens and Smut. (facebook.com/leggy)
• Frontier Folk Nebraska is gearing up for its Buffalo Summer Tour, which kicks off next week in Tennessee and includes dates in South Carolina, North Carolina and West Virginia. The band is sharpening its chops for the recording of a forthcoming live album, scheduled over two nights (Aug. 7 and 8) at Newport’s Southgate House Revival. (facebook.com/frontierfolknebraska)
• Last week, Pop Punk foursome BoyMeetsWorld was featured in CityBeat and played a release party at Bogart’s in honor of its first full-length album, Become Someone. This week, despite some early van troubles, the band is headed west to join the long-running Warped Tour, which also features big-shots like Simple Plan and Motion City Soundtrack, among many others. BoyMeetsWorld is slated to appear on the entire cross-country tour, including a hometown stop July 16 at Riverbend. (facebook.com/Boymeetsworldband)
• R. Ring, the collaborative project featuring The Breeders’ Kelley Deal and veteran area musician Mike Montgomery (Ampline, thistle) that emerged at the start of this decade, has become increasingly active this year, touring to the West Coast and back this past spring. The duo has announced summertime dates for its “Rad, White and Blue” tour, which will take them to the East Coast for several shows. R. Ring has a pair of 7-inch split-singles coming soon — one featuring Detroit’s Protomartyr on the flipside, and another shared with Kentucky’s Qualibones. Both are available for pre-order now via on-the-rise local label, Sofaburn (sofaburn.com). Before they set sail, you can catch R. Ring on July 3 at Hoffner Park when the band plays as part of the three-day Northside Rock ’N Roll Carnival (visit northsiderocks.com for the full lineup). (rring.tumblr.com)
More Local Notes
• The East Price Hill Jazz Festival returns Saturday for its fifth-annual event. The fest is free and kicks off at 1:30 p.m. at Dempsey Park (959 Hawthorne Ave., Price Hill). The lineup features The Nasty Nati Brass Band (headed up by Mike Wade), Monk River Latin Jazz, DK’s Organ Cartel (led by local keys player Dan Karlsberg, whose new album, The ’Nati 6, comes out Monday) and Indy’s Rob Dixon Trio. Details are at facebook.com/eastpricehilljazzfest.
• As the names suggests, Saturday’s Porkopolis Pig & Whiskey Festival (presented by CityBeat’s events department) offers a variety of whiskey and barbecue samples. The free event, running 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at the The Shoe at Horseshoe Casino (1000 Broadway, Downtown, horseshoecincinnati.com), also has a great sampling of Cincinnati’s Roots/Americana scene. Joining Nashville, Tenn.’s Swear and Shake will be local favorites like Young Heirlooms, Jeremy Pinnell and the 55’s, Magnolia Mountain, Willow Tree Carolers, Ben Knight & the Well Diggers and Moriah Lawson. Find full info at citybeat.xorbia.com/pigandwhiskey.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: [email protected]
