Riding 'Rails'

Three things occur annually without fail. The seasons change, your taxes are due in April, and Maurice Mattei puts out some kind of collection of his singular “Acoustic Rock” songs. Welcome the 2005 edition, Dead Rails, which Mattei released earlier this month. On Thursday, Mattei plays a “post-release” show at the Northside Tavern with Rob Fetters, no slouch in the prolific department himself, having already released a solo album this year (Musician), with upcoming releases from his bands psychodots and The Bears (who also have a road documentary premiering next month), plus a plethora of solo shows, ‘dots gigs and a Raisins reunion (Oct. 30 at the 20th Century) on the horizon.

Mattei’s individual efforts have rarely strayed from his solo, acoustic-guitar-and-vocals-only sonic motif, and Dead Rails is no different. His albums are all about the songs, which contain vivid, familiar settings and esoteric characters, delivered with sturdy melodies and backed by Mattei’s strident strumming, which sounds especially full-bodied on Rails. But it’s the engaging lyrical content that makes Mattei’s work desirable (I mean, who would listen to a solo acoustic album full of bad lyrics?). Mattei says he wrote these songs after several months of not writing anything; once he got started, they poured out with ease. That’s reflected in the cohesive fluidity of the disc. Listening to the album is similar to reading James Joyce’s The Dubliners; while each tale doesn’t necessarily interconnect, the textures are consistent and you often feel like the stories could have each taken place on the same block.

In his distinct nasal rasp, Mattei takes the listener through the where-are-they-now resignation of “Whatever Happened to George?,” the seedy house of freaks and degenerates of “Old Detroit,” the vintage Blues-like pining of “My Baby Left Here Walkin’ ” and the snapshots of lecherous old codgers in “Someday, That’ll Be Me” and “You’d Be Wrong.” While some of Mattei’s earlier albums are inhabited by characters so salacious you feel like taking a shower after a listen, the vibe of Dead Rails is a little more empathetic and mature; you feel for these people, perhaps because you feel like you might someday be one of them. (mmattei.com)

More Local Notes
· With Sudsy Malone’s, one of the main venue outlets for Cincy’s Punk and Metal scenes, recently closing its doors to music, booker Chris Lee has begun booking shows at Top Cat’s, just up the street from Sudsy’s in Corryville. The first local show to be shifted is Friday’s gig featuring C.D.P., Dark Soul, 16 Piece Bucket and Wicket Intent. Top Cat’s now has a page on MySpace; go to myspace.com/topcats topcats for a look at what shows are coming up.

· On Sept. 28, at the Southgate House, guitarist/singer Bill Alletzhauser (ex-Ass Pony/current Ruby Vileos) will be recording two sets by his band The Hiders. The group (which features local vets Todd Drake, Toby Ellis, Dave Giligan, Beth Harris and Victor Strunk) will play at 9 and 11 p.m., with lots of special guests sitting in throughout the night. Alletzhauser says the recordings will be put to disc and made available at The Hiders’ to-be-determined next show.

· Local Dream Pop purveyors Campfire Crush will be handing out free four-song sampler CDs at their gig on Saturday at the Northside Tavern. The tease is a preview of the band’s forthcoming full-length, Lunar Moss, which they have been sculpting for the past two years with engineer/producer John Curley. CC is joined by Cathedrals for the free 10 p.m. show.

· Cincinnati’s leading Celtic music band for well over a decade, Silver Arm, will have copies of their new CD, Links, available at this weekend’s Cincinnati Celtic World Festival (see To Do, page 20). The group plays the fest Sunday at 3:30 p.m. If you miss them then, fear not — Silver Arm hosts an official CD release party for the disc on Oct. 15 at Covington’s Jack Quinn’s. You can also order the album online at the band’s Web site. (silverarmmusic.com)