New for fall: New clubs, new approaches, old friends

After the past few weeks of scorching temperatures, one can't be faulted for not realizing that it is actually autumn in Cincinnati. The temps go down this week, so now that you're in a better fall-like mindset, here are some "cool" musical happenings coming up.

· Progressive arts and music space the Skull Lab has shut down, but experimental music fans needn't worry. A new space has opened in Northside to pick up the slack. The Art Damage Lodge (4120 Hamilton Ave., on the third floor of the Hoffner Masonic Lodge) is dedicated solely to experimental shows and will feature sound artists from the Greater Cincinnati area as well as many touring acts. The show is an offshoot of the old WAIF (88.3 FM) radio show, Art Damage, which ran for 20 years (love the slogan: "Art Damage — Frightening Hipsters Since 1985") and became an oasis for fans of music that gets little-to-no exposure in the area. Show hosts have presented concerts of that sort in various venues around town, but with its own space expect even more performers and performances.

The new space's first show is Thursday, featuring Portland's Yellow Swans (self-described as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both physically arresting and psychically liberating"), Lexington's electronics-based Sick Hour (featuring members of Hair Police), New York's Mouthus (which has recorded for Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace imprint) and Cincinnati's internationally renowned C. Spencer Yeh. ( · Progressive arts and music space the Skull Lab has shut down, but experimental music fans needn't worry. A new space has opened in Northside to pick up the slack. The Art Damage Lodge (4120 Hamilton Ave., on the third floor of the Hoffner Masonic Lodge) is dedicated solely to experimental shows and will feature sound artists from the Greater Cincinnati area as well as many touring acts. The show is an offshoot of the old WAIF (88.3 FM) radio show, Art Damage, which ran for 20 years (love the slogan: "Art Damage — Frightening Hipsters Since 1985") and became an oasis for fans of music that gets little-to-no exposure in the area. Show hosts have presented concerts of that sort in various venues around town, but with its own space expect even more performers and performances.

The new space's first show is Thursday, featuring Portland's Yellow Swans (self-described as "a constantly evolving mass of psychedelic noise that is both physically arresting and psychically liberating"), Lexington's electronics-based Sick Hour (featuring members of Hair Police), New York's Mouthus (which has recorded for Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace imprint) and Cincinnati's internationally renowned C. Spencer Yeh. (myspace.com/artdamagelodge)

· Another new music space is hosting its opening night this week as well. Molly Malone's, the old Jack Quinn's in Covington, has resurrected the third-floor "Emerald Room" for concerts.

The bookings look promising so far, with a mix of Folk, Roots music and Indie Rock. The first scheduled show is Friday, as fantastic "Gypsy Jazz" ensemble the Faux Frenchmen celebrate the release of their new self-titled CD. Then, Sunday at 7 p.m., hard-working duo Ellery headlines a show that also includes Seabird and Micah Dawson. Looking down the line, the venue has shows booked by amazing rockers J. Roddy Walston and the Business (Dec. 2) and acclaimed singer/songwriter Ellis Paul (Nov. 30). (mollymalonesirishpub.com)

· Need even more new clubs to check out this week? This weekend is the perfect time to get a peak at Norwood's Speckled Bird Café (which opened earlier this year). The gorgeous listening room/coffeehouse presents the Speckled Bird Café Fall Music Fest on Friday and Saturday. Running Saturday from noon until 6 p.m., the family-friendly fest features some of the area's finest songwriters, including Todd Lipscomb, Chris Collier, Ryan Adcock, Jane Andre, Greg Mahan, Janet Pressley, Messerly & Ewing and Stephen Moore. Weather permitting, the musicians will perform outdoors on the café's piazza. If you're more of a night owl (or at least "evening owl"), stop by Friday at 7 p.m. for the equally impressive lineup of Adrienne Reynolds (from Atlanta), Mike Fair & The Adventure Seekers, Mike Helm, Daniel Ryan, David Wolfenberger, Matthew Shelton, Sharon Udoh and Jen Wheatley. (speckledbirdcafe.com)

· You know that scene in every "little band becomes huge" movie, where the band members are driving along, only to hear their song played on the radio for the first time. They pull over, slap each other on the back, hug, cry and laugh. It really is touching. And it does actually happen in real life (well, maybe not so melodramatically). Musicians in Greater Cincinnati used to have an outlet (outside of community station WAIF) for their music with Local Lixx, the first real commercial radio nod to local musicians since WEBN's early days. The show ran for years on Modern Rock station 97X, but when the station went online-only, they took a more global outlook and local music was less of a priority. Now back on the airwaves (via the HD radio signal of WVXU), WOXY has brought back the local love, reinstating Local Lixx a couple of weeks ago. Airing Thursdays at 8:30 p.m., the first shows have featured music by The Sheds, The Great Depression, The Read, All the Day Holiday, Staggering Statistics, Matthew Shelton, Bad Veins, Eat Sugar, Paper Airplane and The Lions Rampant. A cool new feature — if you miss an episode, just go to woxy.com to download an MP3 of the entire show.

· Speaking of WVXU (91.7 FM), the NPR affiliate is paying tribute to local music from an entirely different era. Throughout October, the station airs the series King Records: Cincinnati Legacy, featuring music and interviews with fans, historians and former King musicians. The series runs in four one-hour installments, starting each Sunday at 8 p.m. This Sunday's episodes focuses on the '50s, with music from Little Willie John, Otis Williams and the Charms, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters and Rusty York. Perhaps most enticing, though, is the promise of "sound actualities of Syd Nathan addressing his staff." If it features even a whiff of the trademark curmudgeonliness of Nathan, you may want to be prepared to cover the kids' ears for that segment (wvxu.org).