UPDATE: At 4 p.m. today (Oct. 5), several artists were reporting that they had been informed that the Southgate House Revival will now NOT be opening this weekend. Performers stated they were told the building did not pass final inspection by the City of Newport. Stay tuned for updates.
UPDATE 2: Here's the latest on the postponement.
After hosting their last, bittersweet blowout concert at the Southgate House just across from Newport on the Levee on Dec. 31, the Raleigh family, which operated the venue for years and brought it to regional (and national) acclaim with a diverse booking philosophy, is ready to open their new venue, Southgate House Revival
, in Newport this weekend.
The Revival (which I predict will soon be simply known as “the Southgate House”) is at another historic Newport property, the former Grace Methodist Episcopal Church (111 E. Sixth St., just off Monmouth). Also of interest to fans of the old space — the new venue also has three separate stages/rooms. There’s a “Lounge” stage, a “Parlor” stage and the main stage, being dubbed “The Sanctuary.”
On Friday, the Southgate Revival opens for business. The “Opening Night” lineup wasn’t announced until Oct. 1, perhaps because the performers will take a backseat to the excitement surrounding the new venue. But it’s a doozy of a lineup, loaded with unique performances and local artists with strong ties to the old venue. “Satanic Bluegrass” trio Hogscraper
headlines the night with a rare live appearance (the group hosted many packed shows/spectacles at the old SGH), with frontman/tub-thumper Lariat B. Grim also performing with his new (probably also Satanic) Country group The Goat Ropers . Southgate House regulars Strawboss , The Mudpies and Scotty Karate (playing with The Webbs ) are also on the bill.
The frontpeople from The Seedy Seeds are performing, but with separate projects — Margaret Darling
will be unveiling a new project with Jason Wells from for algernon, descriptively called Jason and Margaret Sing the Hits of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow , while Mike Ingram is reconstituting his former Positive Punk/Hardcore band John Walsh for the festivities. The Evans Collective, the Electronic Indie Folk group that was a regular in the old venue’s Lounge, is playing with its new name, We Are Snapdragon , and eclectic Indie rockers The Minni-Thins return after a lengthy hiatus to play the opening. The show starts at 9 p.m.
Things stay local (and awesome) for Night 2 of opening weekend. Cincinnati’s finest Pop/Rock singer/songwriters The Newbees
headline Saturday night in celebration of their stunning new melodic masterpiece, Modern Vintage . If you like impossibly catchy Pop/Rock steeped in the tradition of The Beatles and post-Beatles Power Pop and you haven’t seen The Newbees yet, you owe it to yourself to pick up the new album and to attend their show. The band will also perform on WNKU’s Studio 89 concert series this Monday. Listen live at 89.7 FM or online at wnku.org .
Saturday will be jammed pack with other performances throughout the night. Playing the Sanctuary with The Newbees will be L.A. singer/songwriter Michelle Hemmer, local Americana powerhouse Magnolia Mountain
and the Funk/R&B band Worldwide , which is reforming just for the occasion. In the Parlor, catch House of Feeble Minds , Shiny Old Soul , Les Whorenettes and See You in the Funnies . Ricky Nye — fresh off his latest touring adventures in Europe — plays the Lounge with guest Chris Douglas for some Boogie Woogie magic. Showtime is 9 p.m. (www.thenewbees.com)
Previously announced concerts for Southgate House Revival include the 11th annual CincyPunk Fest
, running next weekend, Oct. 12-13, and featuring The Dopamines , a Team Stray reunion, The Pinstripes , The Lions Rampant , Alone at 3AM , Mad Anthony , Swear Jar , Ampline , State Song and tons of other local and touring artists. ( cincypunkfest.com )
On Nov. 2 and 3, the Southgate House plays host to Ironfest 3
, another massive fest, this one in honor of the late “Iron” Mike Davidson, with proceeds going to his daughter. Acts scheduled to play Ironfest include 500 Miles To Memphis , SHIVS , Buenos Crotches , Switchblade Syndicate , Queen City Radio , Total Dudes , The Tammy Whynots , Martin Luther and the Kings , A Juliet Bender , The Perfect Children , Jeremy Pinnell and the 55’s and numerous others. ( facebook.com/ironfest3 )
On Nov. 9, the great local music web ’zine CincyGroove.com will present a benefit for the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation. Artists scheduled to appear at the 8 p.m. event include The Cliftones
, Shoot Out The Lights , The Stories , Kelly Thomas , The Syd Natanists , Terminal Union , Sassy Molasses , Souse and more. Advanced tickets will be $10.
One of the first national, touring acts booked to play the Southgate House Revival was also recently announced. Roots Rock favorite James McMurtry and his band are scheduled to perform at the venue on Nov. 14. Tickets are $20 in advance and available through Ticketweb.com.
Tickets for this Friday and Saturday’s shows are $10 in advance and can be purchased via ticketfly.com. (Here's the link for The Newbees show; here's where you get tickets for Friday.)
Find the latest Southgate House Revival updates on Facebook at facebook.com/theSouthgateHouseRevival and on Twitter at twitter.com/SGHRevival (@SGHRevival).
CONTACT MIKE BREEN : [email protected] , @CityBeatMusic or "friend" him on Facebook .
