If you are a betting man or woman and the bet is “What Cincinnati band will be the next to break into the national spotlight?,” putting your money on Indie Pop/Rock trio PUBLIC would be one of the safer wagers you could make. The three gifted young musicians craft some incredibly catchy music that would be right at home on any Pop or AltRock radio station’s playlist, as evidenced especially on a quartet of brand new songs the band has been gradually leaking over the past few weeks, including the danceable, hook-laden “Make You Mine.”
The weekly unveiling of new tracks from PUBLIC through its Bandcamp page was to promote the band’s first local appearance in awhile. Click below to check out some of the new tracks.
PUBLIC will be joined by The Yugos, Northbound and Harbour (the artists formerly known as The Monument) for an all-ages show this Friday at Rohs Street Cafe’s Sanctuary (245 McMillan St., Clifton Heights, rohsstreetcafe.com). Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets are available for $7 in advance through cincyticket.com.
Oddly, considering their touring experience and many local performances, Friday will mark the trio’s first official headlining gig ever. So if you attend and they blow up, as industry buzz suggests they just might soon, you can tell your grandkids you were there.
Musicians’ Desk Reference Switches Format
After launching last year locally at the MidPoint Music Festival and nationally at New York’s CMJ conference, the intuitive and comprehensive music industry e-book Musicians’ Desk Reference has relaunched with a new format. Created in Cincinnati by longtime local musician and promoter Brian Penick (also the founder of The Counter Rhythm Group, which has helped numerous local acts garner national attention and work), MDR is moving from its original, one-time-purchase approach to a monthly (or annual) subscription plan.
For those who may have been cautious about its upfront cost, Musicians’ Desk Reference — which is customizable to the user’s needs (no matter where they are in their career) and features information, templates and advice relating to everything from touring, promoting and recording to radio and press campaigns and well beyond — is now available to test-drive for free. The no-cost 30-day trial doesn’t even require a credit card.
Artists serious about pursuing a career in music will likely become more interested in MDR as they dive in and look at all it has to offer. After the 30-day trial, MDR can be accessed for $10 a month or $100 for the year.
Visit musiciansdeskreference.com for complete info.
More Local Notes
• Saturday sees the debut of a new music festival that focuses on progressive Hip Hop and Electronic music. Founded by multifaceted local Hip Hop artist Abiyah and Electronic musician/Grasshopper Juice label founder Nick Mitchell, Catapult Music Festival is taking over Northside clubs Northside Tavern (4163 Hamilton Ave., northside-tavern.com) and Chameleon (4114 Hamilton Ave., thechameleonclub.com) for its inaugural event.
Catapult features primarily Cincinnati-area boundary-pushers, with two national acts — Louis Logic and Tonedeff — headlining the Tavern. Artists slated to perform at Chameleon include Blackey Portland, MVL
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, Supa, Lysurgix, Rhythm∆∆Canyon, Aytiko, Elysium and Kafari. Rounding out the lineup at Northside Tavern (which will have music in the both the front and back rooms) are Abiyah, Counterfeit Money Machine, Sudan Moon, Juan Cosby, Eugenius, B-rad From The Breeze, Anonymous The Author, livmartez, Mr. Pointy and Talk Mouth.
Music begins at 9 p.m. at both venues. For updates, follow the fest on Twitter at @catapultmusic7 and click here for the event's Facebook page. Below is a compilation mix featuring many of this year's Catapult artists.
• Flesh and the Devils is an all-star Garage Rock squad featuring veteran local musicians Kevin Donahue (vocals), Stace Keeney (guitar), Kevin Hennessy (bass), Sean Morrissey (drums) and Kevin Apgar (guitar). The band is celebrating the release of its debut recording — a two-track 7-inch vinyl single — this Friday at MOTR Pub (1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com). The release is on the burgeoning, locally based DIY label Granado Records, which has issued recordings by local acts Subsets, Cha Cha Chachi and Buenos Crotches (visit facebook.com/granadorecords for more on the label). Friday’s free, 10 p.m. release party will also feature a performance by The Grotesque Brooms. (facebook.com/fleshandthedevils)
• If you missed the Cincinnati Zoo’s free Tunes & Blooms concerts, which annually features local musical acts on Thursdays in April, you have one more chance. This Thursday at 6 p.m., Bluegrass greats The Comet Bluegrass All-Stars and vintage-styled Country ensemble Bulletville will make up their scheduled April 3 show, which was cancelled due to bad weather. Visit cincinnatizoo.org for more info.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN : [email protected]