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10. Drinking too many $1 beers at the most fun press conference I’ve ever been to. Sean Rhiney and Bill Donabedian know how to throw a great party. Not only was the MidPoint Music Festival this year an absolute blast, but the press conference they held last May at RBC to announce it was, too.
9. Visiting The Woos’ (pictured) Web site at thewoos.us and wishing that Anime Annie, Brendan, Julie and Sarrah could kick-box each other. This site is the prime example of how much fun you can actually have checking a band out on the Web. No cliché “brick wall” photos, no overblown bio, just all the information you need, with some fun features, a great sample of the band’s sound, a snappy design and, best of all, a sense of humor.
8. Sneaking out to Northside Tavern on Monday nights and listening to the Shawn Elsbernd Quartet play really tight Jazz when I should be at home writing. Elsbernd has been playing drums since he was big enough to hold the sticks, and it shows. He’s an amazing talent who doesn’t have a big enough following (yet).
7. Secretly wishing I was Fairmount Girls’ bassist Erin Proctor. This girl is a stunner, in more ways than one. Playing upright bass in her first Rock band, she never fails to impress. She gets to play with one of the best bands in Cincinnati, and she’s cute as a button and nice as pie to boot. Who wouldn’t wanna be her?
6. Watching The Giant Judys’ CD release show at Jacobs last April teeter on the brink of disaster and then right itself into one of the best shows of the year. When management double-booked this bill (which also featured The Woos, The Autumn Blackouts and Culture Queer) with a drag show, it could have been a fiasco. Instead, the Judys moved the show out to the patio, and all four bands gave stellar performances. Add in a cookout, cupcakes, balloons and lots of beer, and it was the backyard barbecue of 2003.
5. Playing The Heartless Bastards demo over and over again in my bedroom and trying to sing like Erika Wennerstrom. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again — this band is amazing. I hope they put out some new tunes soon, because my cats are tired of hearing me slaughter these (but, too bad for them — I’m still not tired of them).
4. Harboring my secret crush on a new Rock band that is just too young for me: The Cathedrals. These fellas are cute with a capital Q and, more importantly, talented, with a capital SUPER. When I caught their second show at the Brink showcase this year, I (along with everyone else there) was blown away. I hope to see much more of these guys very soon (no pun intended).
3. Singing in the chorus on fotos’ version of “Rock Me Amadeus” at the Art Damage benefit in August. I can’t sing, and now not only my cats know it but about 300 of my closest friends do, too. Nevertheless, Dana Hamblen, the rest of the Art Damage crew and over 30 local acts put on a helluva show in this “Tribute to the One-Hit Wonder.”
2. Spending countless hours on cincymusic.com. With a thorough events calendar, local CD reviews, a shop, profiles of local artists and venues, feature stories on the acts and events that make our scene, not to mention the most entertaining message boards in town, this is the definitive Web address for all things Cincinnati music. It is also a good way to spend a large portion of one’s workday, but what the boss don’t know don’t hurt him.
1. Seeing entirely too many great live shows at Plush this year. Seeing Chalk, Jettison Red, The Reaction, Wally Pleasant, Giant Judys, Montclaire, Ulysses, the Gazelles, Readymaid, Viva La Foxx, The Tigerlilies and so many more great acts at one of the best live music venues in Cincinnati makes me feel bad for all those other cities who have no scene. But not too bad.
Ericka McIntyre is a freelancer for CityBeat.
This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2003.