• Nashville’s Escondido came together quickly but very naturally. The project of
Jessica Maros and Tyler James (a solo artist who has also toured as pianist for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) got its start in James’ home studio when he was recording an artist with whom both were friends. During a recording break, Maros, a Vancouver native and successful clothing/jewelry designer, was casually playing a song in the studio, James hit “record,” added some light ornamentation and, essentially, Escondido was born. That night, the two decided to make an album. Fittingly, the album — Esondido’s debut, titled
The Ghost of Escondido — was recorded live in just one day with a handful of talented Nashville friends/musicians, even though it sounds incredibly cohesive, full-bodied and organic.
The making of the full-length, released at the start of this year, was driven by the spirit of Ennio Morricone, the legendary spaghetti western soundtrack genius, and that desert-sunset atmosphere meshes beautifully with the band’s mix of Indie Rock, Pop and Country. The end result is mesmerizing, a hazy, dreamy collection of haunted, mysterious soundscapery and spine-tingling harmonies and vocals, making the band reminiscent of a slightly twangier, more dynamic and grounded Mazzy Star. Along with garnering a wide-range of supporters, from the tastemakers at KCRW to the writers at Vogue, The Ghost of Escondido also made a fan out of eccentric filmmaker/artist/writer/musician David Lynch, who wrote about his love for the band in Mojo magazine.
Here’s the music video for Escondido’s “Black Roses.”
The duo (fleshed out by a full touring band) performs a free show tonight at MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine. New York City’s Indie Pop/Garage Rock group Unicycle Loves You opens the show at 10 p.m.
• Tonight at Covington’s Madison Theater is a good chance to hear what a “Jam Band” sounds like in 2013, as several groups join forces for an all-ages, 8 p.m. show. Or, rather, you’ll hear how almost no two “Jam Bands” sound alike anymore, making the Grateful Dead-mimicking cliches about the scene completely outdated. Today, the “Jam” tag has less real meaning than ever, with the groups earning the descriptor exploring a huge range of styles. Jam Bands now often share little more than a tendency to improvise.
Headliners Dopapod epitomize the diversity of the modern Jam scene with their progressive blend of Electronic music, Jazz, Rock, Soul, Funk and various other styles. The Brooklyn, N.Y., group released its third studio album, Redivider, late last year, introducing fans to a Dopapod first — vocals (previously, the band was all instrumental). Read Brian Baker’s preview of the show for CityBeat here.
The support lineup for Dopapod is a varied collection of mostly local bands that reflect the same kind of sonic adventurousness as the headliners, though, of course, each bringing their own slant — Ethosine, Nevele, Us Today, Freeform Connection, Peridoni, Aliver Hall and Blue Moon Soup. Tickets are $15 at the door.
• Though they never reaped the full rewards and commercial success that some bands that came after them did, Michigan’s Mustard Plug was one of the early guiding forces behind the ’90s Punk Ska explosion. The band put out its first album,
Skapocalypse Now!, on cassette in 1992 and moved up to third-wave Ska’s version of 2 Tone Records, NYC’s Moon Records, for its second full-length, kicking off two decades of hardcore international touring.
Mustard Plug later joined the roster of Hopeless Records, which would go on to become one of the top independent Punk labels in the country. While the vast majority of Ska Punk bands from the ’90s either moved on to another style of music or imploded after the “craze” died down, Mustard Plug continues to write new songs, put out new music and tour on a regular basis, its loyal cult of fans proving that, while you won’t hear it on the radio anymore, there is still an audience hungry for Ska Punk done well. Mustard Plug has been operating D.I.Y. since parting ways with Hopeless; a new album (the band’s first since 2007’s In Black and White) is reportedly finished and due soon thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.
Mustard Plug plays a free show tonight at Northside Tavern. Opening is Cincinnati’s Elysian Souls.
•
October is coming to an end, which means Rocktober is also almost over and
Rocktober on the Square , a new every-Friday concert series at downtown’s Fountain Square, is winding down as well. Today at 5 p.m., the final Rocktober on the Square show starts with a set from great, rootsy singer/songwriter
Josh Eagle .
In the 6 p.m. slot is singer/songwriter Mike Oberst of popular Cincy Folk group The Tillers, who are heading overseas for their first ever U.K. tour, playing Nov. 1-16 throughout England, Scotland and Ireland as support for Pokey LaFarge.
The always fantastic 500 Miles to Memphis closes out Rocktober at 7 p.m. It’s the rowdy, rootsy rockers’ last local show of the year; the 500MTM fellas are taking a break from performing to go back into the studio to finish their next album.
Rocktober on the Square is a free event. Click here for more info.
• Don’t forget — the One More Girl on a Stage benefit concerts continue today after last night’s kickoff at various venues in Over-the-Rhine. The OMG fest takes over the Southgate House Revival in Newport for a “whole house” show tonight starting at 7 p.m. Go here for complete details.
Click here for even more live music options in Greater Cincinnati tonight.
This article appears in Oct 23-29, 2013.