• The J. Dorsey Blues Band formed three years ago as a duo and morphed into the quartet it is now, featuring Josh Dorsey on guitar and vocals, drummer Andrew Karas, bassist Mike Gregory and Kristen Kreft on keys and vocals. The band’s evolution continues with a recently announced “slight” name change; you can soon call them The J. Dorsey Blues Revival. The band chose the name shift in honor of Dorsey’s late father (who used to play with Josh and his brother as Big Daddy’s Blues Revival in Pennsylvania) and their desire to “revive” the Blues and bring back some of the grit and soul of the music’s founders.
The band is currently gearing up for the release of its debut album, Get Right Church (recorded with Heartless Bastards/Sundresses boardsman Brian Niesz at Ultrasuede Studios), with a string of local shows. (The name change takes effect upon the CD’s release.) The band is February’s “Artist in Residency” at the Southgate House, playing the club’s Junie’s Lounge each Wednesday with a rotating cast of special guests. This week, the band is joined by Jason Snell and Paul Brumm of The Chocolate Horse; on Feb. 18, Matthew Shelton and The Wishbone (featuring members of The Turkeys) join the bill; and on Feb. 25, the group appears with Veronica Grim and Forest Horn of The Mudpies. All shows are free.
The J. Dorsey Blues Band also appears Saturday at Northside Tavern for the free “Valentine’s Day Massacre” show, which also features The Sundresses and The Prohibitionists. (myspace.com/jdorseybluesband)
• Following a break as frontman Jeff Scott Roberson (pictured) worked his great Summer’s Here solo disc, Len’s Lounge returns to the local stage for the first time in nearly a year. The Folk/Rock/Americana band now features Jason Gay (a.k.a. Newky Stapleton of Roots rockers The Stapletons) on pedal steel and electric guitars. The band plays the Southgate House’s Junie’s Lounge Friday and promises classic LL, some of Roberson’s solo material and a few surprises. (lenslounge.com)
• Long-running West Side club The Blue Note is shutting its doors after 18 years of rockin’ and rollin’ in Price Hill. It’ll reopen under new management soon, but the current incarnation will be celebrated with a couple of “farewell” shows this weekend. Dan Mecher of Turnbull ACs reteams with his former band Denial Friday night, while cover bands The Rusty Griswolds and Sullivan & Janszen (the first band to play the club) close things down Saturday. (bluenotecincinnati.com)
• On Thursday night, self-described “Post-Jazz” quartet RX-2 returns to Northside Tavern. The band — which features guitarist Lou Larson, saxophonist Dan Barger, drummer Adam Shelton and bassist Donn Vidmar — plays a unique brand of progressive, sometime freeform Jazz and has been known to drop left-field covers by Black Sabbath, Pixies and Tears for Fears into their set. The free show starts at 10 p.m. (myspace.com/rx2music)
• Beloved local Indie bands The Seedy Seeds (who are now officially a trio with the addition of drummer Brian Penick) and Bad Veins (still a duo) will be heading to Austin, Tex., next month to participate in the gigantic mother of all music fest/conferences, South By Southwest. Mark your calendars for March 6, when the groups team up for a “send-off” show at the Mad Hatter in Covington. (theseedyseeds.com; badveins.net)
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: [email protected]
