The Wheel's Still In Spin

Better Than The Chili: MusicNow Festival

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this music is "Better Than The Chili." This week, the spotlight will be pointed on Cincinnati’s premiere contemporary music event, MusicNow Festival.

Beginning in 2006, the MusicNow Festival was created as a showcase for “contemporary music and artists that take risks and do not fit neatly into categories.” Curated by Cincinnati native Bryce Dessner (of The National), the event is now in its third year. This year's festival will take place at Memorial Hall.

Wednesday, April 2nd will present a selection of experimental film accompanied by musical performances from Richard Reed Parry, Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Padma Newsome, and Rachel Elliott (with “more added daily”).

Thursday, April 3rd will highlight the American guitarists with Benjamin Verdery and Bill Frisell’s 858 Quartet.

Friday, April 4th will showcase experimental, genre-defying musicians with Dirty Projectors and Bang On A Can All-Stars featuring Glenn Kotche (Wilco) and Bryce Dessner (The National).

The MusicNow Festival will spotlight contemporary pop bands Grizzly Bear and Andrew Bird on its final night, Saturday, April 5th.

Tickets are $15 for individual concerts and $40 for April 3-5. They are available here. However, Saturday night tickets and the 3-night package have already sold out.

www.musicnowfestival.org

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The Motion Sick – The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait...

Release Date: 1 January 2008 (Naked Ear Records)

Trying to ride the line between heavy themes and clever witticism, The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait... seems to struggle, but never suffer, from a dichotomy of maturity and blitheness. The general feeling of the album is an expansive, lyrical effort that intellgently deals with modern motifs of gloom in pop form.

Download “Jean-Paul” (mp3)
Download “30 Lives” (mp3)

Stage Left

Howard drives his Ford Explorer. It is the time of the afternoon that he takes a break from rehearsal to pick up his daughter from school. Since he had such a major role, he typically wouldn’t be allowed to ditch out of rehearsal. Due to the recent circumstances, Howard arranged with the producers of the show to have this daily break.

Pulling out of the parking lot, he puts a new CD into the player. The windows up, the climate controlled, Howard is secluded from the precarious world outside. The Motion Sick’s The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait… is an album that his daughter recently discovered. Originally, he played it because she liked. But it was remarkable how resonant the lyrics were becoming for Howard.

New Releases - 25 March 2008

With The Raconteurs and Gnarls Barkley announcing that their albums were either pushed forward (in the case of Gnarls Barkley) or suddenly that they would be released (Raconteurs), this week became an more exciting week of new releases. here are a few of my favorite new albums from this week.

Elf Power – In A Cave | buy it at amazon
After being one of the original bands of the Elephant 6 collective, Elf Power is still making catchy, pop albums. In A Cave, their ninth releases, shows the band still having a bed of warm, fuzzy distortion and keyboards beneath the melodic lyrics on tracks like “Spiral Stairs,” “Paralyzed” and “Softly Through The Void.”

eMC – The Show | buy it at amazon
This album from the rap group of Masta Ace, Punchline, Wordsworth, and Strick has a chronological theme. It tells the story of a day with the band getting to and performing a show on the road. Full of solid beats, the album is enhanced by the thematic concept and allows the group to rap about subject matter not typically covered.

The Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely | buy it at amazon
Obviously, every one was flabbergasted when The Raconteurs announced that their new album was completed and going to be released. With only one week’s notice, the band gave no interviews; there was just a press release and an announcement on their website. It only took minutes for the word to travel around the internet.
Fronted by Jack White and Brendan Benson, The Raconteurs are backed by the rhythm section of Cincinnati’s The Greenhornes, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. On this album the band seems to show some growing room as they mature into a cohesive collective; their sound has become more of their own on this album. The sound is flushed out with more use of keyboards and fiddle, but is still rooted in their breed of blues-rock. The closing track, “Carolina Drama,” is a classic Jack White story-song of murder, family betrayal, and falls from grace.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons | buy it at amazon
The first 1:16 of this album is filled with a single, dissonant whistle broken into 12 tracks. Then there are 4 songs, each over 13 minutes in length. With instrumentation that includes 2 guitarists, two violins, cello, contrabass, and drums, the band creates a sound that is part art rock and part folk rock while having the elongated sound of a prog rock band.

After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, John Vanderslice, and The Pasties - The Southgate House, Newport, KY - March 23rd, 2008

“Happy Easter. Happy Easter. Fucking pagans.”

With this opening greeting, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks broke in to the opening track from Real Emotional Trash, “Dragonfly Pie.” Focusing primarily on material from the band’s most recent release, the four-piece performed one of the best sets the Southgate House has seen in a while *. Between the raucous but concordant songs, Malkmus often bantered with the audience, making such comments as, “Newport has really grown up. It used to be a sup-port to Cincinnati. Now it’s its own place.”

During “Baby C’Mon,” from the previous Malkmus album, Face The Truth, it became apparent that Pavement should not get back together. With all of the talk recently about Pavement reuniting, I cannot imagine why Malkmus would want to get his former band together. Pavement has some great songs, which Malkmus rarely plays these days, and is seen as the ultimate band from the ‘90s. But the band Malkmus is currently touring and recording with is better than a reunited Pavement could be.

Songbook by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby’s Songbook is a collection of essays on 31 songs and 15 albums. It is not typical music criticism. This novelist does not get into the historical relevance or excessive emphasis on the musical miracles that coincided to create great pop music. He “wanted to write about what it was in these songs that made [him] love them, not what [he] brought to the songs.”

This form of musical appreciation makes the book much more personal that some that Greil Marcus or even Lester Bangs would write. These essays show how “Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen has continued to makes its way onto Hornby’s mix tapes for 30 years; how owning 20 albums by and knowing more historical facts about Bob Dylan than William Shakespeare does not make him a “Dylan fanatic”; and how Patti Smith leaves him “wanting to read, or write, or paint, or go to a gallery, or run fast…” As Hornby declares, “That kind of inspiration is rare, in any area of the arts.”

Better Than The Chili: Alone At 3AM

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this band is "Better Than The Chili."

Download “Mexico” (mp3)
Download “Sleep When I’m Dead” (mp3)

Alone At 3AM is a straight-forward rock band. Two guitars, bass, and drums. The band has a punk approach but with a pop aesthetic.

Alone At 3AM is releasing their debut full length CD, City Out Of Luck, on Tiberius Records. Technically, it was released digitally on Mar 11 and it hits stores on this coming Tuesday. Tiberius Records was started by the members of thistle as an avenue to release the band’s own albums. Since the label’s inception in 1996, Tiberius has also released albums by Death In Graceland, The Light Wires, Ampline, Cari Clara, and other Cincinnati bands.

Tonight, Friday, March 21, 2008, they will be playing their CD Release show at The Southgate House. $5 will get you into the show, which features 10 additional local bands playing throughout the historic venue. Accompanying Alone At 3AM will be Backround Music, Mark Cado, Dirty Bird, The Dopamines, Lost Hands Found Fingers, Swearengen, Sweet Impala, The Turnbull AC’s, and thistle.

www.aloneat3am.net
www.myspace.com/aloneat3am

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New Releases - 18 March 2008

There are a lot of releases this week. Of the albums to choose from, here are some of my favorites:

Destroyer – Trouble In Dreams | buy it at amazon
Download “Foam Hands” (mp3)
Dan Bejar (of The New Pornographers, Swan Lake, and now also Hello, Blue Roses) is the man behind the name Destroyer. On his latest release, Destroyer begins the album with some short catchy songs before moving on to some experimental tracks.

DeVotchKa – A Mad And Faithful Telling | buy it at amazon
Download “Transliterator” (mp3)
DeVotchKa is a Denver, Colorado, band that merges gypsy punk and traditional folk. They gained notoriety providing the majority of the songs to the soundtrack for the successful film Little Miss Sunshine. This is the band’s first release since that soundtrack. The album is full of impassioned songs with unique instrumentation and symphonious arrangements.

Adam Green – Sixes & Sevens | buy it at amazon
Download “Morning After Midnight” (mp3)
Along with Kimya Dawson, Adam Green started The Moldy Peaches. Sixes & Sevens is Green’s fifth solo album. 20 tracks in about 46 minutes. There are a lot of different influences on this album but it always seems to be catchy and soulful. This is a collection of songs that are short and sweet, simple and accessible.

Connie Price & The Keystones – Tell Me Something | buy it at amazon
A soul revue with funk influences, Connie Price & The Keystones, followed up their instrumental debut album, Wildflowers, with a hip hop masterpiece. By adding MCs like Big Daddy Kane, Blood Of Abraham, Mykah 9, Ohmega Watts, Percee P, Soup, Wildchild and vocalist Aloe Blacc to the band’s realistic revivalist sound, Tell Me Something pairs some of the best instrumental tracks with intelligent lyrics. The album is available as a 2 CD set - one disc with the featured guest and another of the instrumental versions.

She & Him – Volume One | buy it at amazon
Download “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (mp3)
Zooey Deschanel is the actress from films Almost Famous, Elf, Mumford, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. She’s also supposed to portray Janis Joplin in a future biopic. M.Ward is the singer-songwriter that created The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s #7 album of 2006. As She & Him, the two have created an album that sounds both retro and refreshing. Deschanel sounds like a 70’s songstress who croons with equal parts soul and country while Ward’s production perfectly accents her voice. I don’t think this album would have sounded as good with any other partnership.

After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week.

Better Than The Chili: Midpoint Music Festival

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this music is "Better Than The Chili." This week, the spotlight will be pointed on Cincinnati’s annual three-day music event, Midpoint Music Festival.

September 25-27, 2008

Registration: open until April 30, 2008 with late registration ending May 15, 2008. Click here to register. Or use Sonicbids.

Since 2002, Midpoint Music Festival has provided downtown Cincinnati three days of non-stop music. Focusing on unsigned bands, the festival has grown to include over 300 bands on about 20 stages. But this there will be a big change.

This past month, CityBeat announced it will be taking over operation and management of the Midpoint Music Festival. Read more about this here and here.

For the past five years, founders Bill Donabedian and Sean Rhiney have nurtured Midpoint into the little festival that could. They have stayed true to a focus on unsigned bands and given new bands from around the country a showcase to perform. Each year, they reported steady or strong growth in attendance. Now, with CityBeat’s leadership, the festival is ready to evolve even more.

CityBeat, Cincinnati’s weekly independent newspaper covering music, art, movies, dining, and entertainment, has been involved with MPMF since its inception in 2002 and has been involved in sponsoring local music festivals like MusicNow and Cincinnati Blues Festival.

The first change CityBeat announced is that there will be no industry panels this year. Just music. Also, there have been hints that they may have label showcases or highlight national headlining acts. There is speculation the festival will utilize different venues than it has in the past. The changes that CityBeat’s management will provided are guaranteed to life the festival to an even higher standard.

CityBeat will be sponsoring a MPMF Launch party at Below Zero on Wed, April 9th at 7PM. Saddle Creek Records’ Cursive will be performing with Capgun Coup.

www.mpmf.com
www.myspace.com/mpmf

Download music with eMusic’s 25 FREE MP3 Trial Offer. No Restrictions - Own Your Music!

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New Releases - 11 March 2008

Here are some of the new releases that The Wheel's Still In Spin recommends this week:

Kevin Ayers – Unfairground | buy it at amazon
Download “Cold Shoulder” (mp3)
Alluring orchestral arrangements, a captivating mixture of indie and classic rock production, and a career of melodic sensibilities make this album aurally engrossing. The guests on Unfairground include members of 30 years of melodious underground bands including Architecture in Helsinki, Ladybug Transistor, Neutral Milk Hotel, Psychedelic Furs, Roxy Music, and Teenage Fanclub.

The Mighty Underdogs – The Prelude | buy it at amazon
Download “Gunfight” (mp3)
Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lateef the Truth Speaker (Latryx), and Headnodic combined to produce this album. Originally self-released last October, this infectious EP sees wider distribution today. All 6 tracks on this album are tight and range from dance to jazz influenced to “Gunfight.” Like the title says, this is a prelude to their full-length album, “Dropping Science Fiction.”

Transmissionary Six – Cosmonautical | buy it at amazon
Download “Zero Gravity” (mp3)
This album is full of atmospheric pop with jangling tones and drifting keyboards and synths. The music traverses the middle ground between Mazy Star and Cowboy Junkies. It’s mellow and catchy without sounding overly poppy or pretentious.

There is a list of more new releases after the jump.

SXSW Preview: Sat Mar 15

Sadly, The Wheel’s Still In Spin will not be going to SXSW this year. But we can still dream. Here is a list of the bands that we would most like to see at SXSW for Sat, March 15, 2008. There are links to each artist's band page at SXSW.com with a short quote, when available, from the band's bio that appears on that page.

1:30PM
- Liam Finn at SESAC Day Stage Café Austin Convention Center | “Finn plays nearly every instrument on the album, a responsibility he doesn’t relinquish during his now mythic live gigs. During his raucous yet intimate performances Liam utilizes effects pedals to create, sample and loop bass, guitar, drums and vocals to layer with his live vocals and guitar.”

8PM
- Ice Cube at Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake)
- David Bazan at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop

9PM
- Okkervil River at Stubb’s
- M. Ward (solo) at St. David’s Church
- Jim Noir at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop

10PM
- Nada Surf at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop
- Oh No! Oh My! at Buffalo Billiards | Download “Walk In The Park” (mp3) | “sleigh-bell sounds and fingers, softly sliding fret-to-fret, as the spring-y disc valleys… rounds out the band’s bubbly-folk-meets-indie-pop sound.”
- Ra Ra Riot at Emo’s Annex | “this group of overachievers has somehow melded six musical brains together to form one collective force hell-bent on making fans move in-time with every pluck, pound, strum and bow… sunny-side-up style”
- The Raveonettes at Emo’s Main Room
- The Deadly Syndrome at Cedar Street Courtyard
- Jim James at St. David’s Church

11PM
- Jason Collett at The Parish | “a throwback to a time when booze-soaked guitar-rock and poignant acoustic numbers decorated the dials of FM radio”
- Attack In Black at Momo’s | Download “Young Leaves” (mp3) | “stunning folk-infused songs that merge the soul of old school rock ‘n’ roll with the body of modern day punk rock.”

11:15PM
- The Donnas at Emo’s Main Room | “The Donnas have grown to become one of the best female rock groups of all time… entered into a new chapter of maturity and comfort in their career.”

11:20PM
- The Lemurs at Habana Calle 6 Patio

11:30PM
- The Matches at Bourbon Rocks | Download “Wake The Sun” (mp3)

12AM
- Los Campesinos! at The Parish
- Two Gallants at Dirty Dog Bar | “They craft emotional, visceral, intelligent songs that remind us of America’s folk, country, and blues traditions but are fueled with the energy of punk.”
- The Lonely H at Habana Calle 6 | “The Lonely H's infectious harmonies paired with their classic rock sound come alive on stage at their energetic shows.”
- The Weird Weeds at Central Presbyterian Church | “pop music that is experimental yet surprisingly palatable and well-conceived… go from the most raucous distorted guitar romps to the most delicate acoustic ballads, still continually indulging their penchant for complex harmonies, unconventional song structures, and strange noises.”

12:30AM
- X at Emo’s Main Room

1AM
- Tokyo Police Club at Dirty Dog Bar
- British Sea Power at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop | “is rock music as it should be, both ridiculous and profound - providing for the aching needs of both the higher and lower self.”
- Sea Wolf at Buffalo Billiards | “brims with longing for distant places visited, lived and loved… finger-picked acoustic guitar underpins layers of cello, keys, and shuffling drums”
- Dr. Dog at Emo’s Annex

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SXSW Preview: Fri Mar 14

Sadly, The Wheel’s Still In Spin will not be going to SXSW this year. But we can still dream. Here is a list of the bands that we would most like to see at SXSW for Fri, March 14, 2008. There are links to each artist's band page at SXSW.com with a short quote, when available, from the band's bio that appears on that page.

6PM
- The Sadies at Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake) | “The Sadies’ inspired amalgam of psychedelic country rock, surf, bluegrass and Ennio Morricone-esque inspired instrumentals has made them the preeminent torchbearers of cosmic American music.”

8PM
- Daniel Lanois at SXSW Live (The Bat Bar) Austin Convention Center | “the recipient of ten Grammy awards and five Juno awards”
- Foxy Shazam at Scoot Inn | “Better Than The Chili” | “piano propelled songs that layer spastic hardcore noise atop fractured Soul inspired pop”

9PM
- Paul Thorn at The Tap Room At Six | “Critically acclaimed Tupelo Mississippi singer/songwriter, poet, folk artist and character in general… The live sound and experience of the five piece band is best described as, going to church with a six pack and listening to the Rolling Stones.”

10PM
- Liam Finn at The Ale House | “Finn plays nearly every instrument on the album, a responsibility he doesn’t relinquish during his now mythic live gigs. During his raucous yet intimate performances Liam utilizes effects pedals to create, sample and loop bass, guitar, drums and vocals to layer with his live vocals and guitar.”
- X at SXSW Live (The Bat Bar) Austin Convention Center
- Takka Takka at Friends | “unique pop tunes that acknowledged Gotham inspirations like Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Philip Glass while also recalling Guided By Voices and, yes, Pavement”
- MGMT at Stubb’s | “enigmatic and prophetic collection of hallucinatory sounds and hook-riddled pop tones for the new millennium”
- Mittens On Strings at The Hideout | “Sure, they play rock music, but with strings, mandolin, keyboards, and enough voices to get the party going. It's kinda folky and kinda weird while keeping its wits about it.”

11PM
- Vampire Weekend at Antone’s
- Born Ruffians at Ninety Proof Lounge
- The Bo-Keys at Opal Divine’s Freehouse | “a hard-hitting and authentic modern take on Memphis’ original soul-stew sound”
- Earlimart at Buffalo Billiards
- Dr. Dog at Cedar Door
- Be Your Own Pet at Mohawk Patio
- Say Hi at Red Eyed Fly | “Keyboards chime and swoosh, drums bump, basslines wiggle and vocal melodies shoot and fall, converging at the expected intersections some places and surprising with new tangents others.”

11:30PM
- Nik Freitas at Habana Calle 6 | Download “Sun Down” (mp3) | “parts wry, warm and sonorous… no reaching, no going for the gold, just perfect, four minute thesis statements… a sort of indie grandeur that is both unexpected and totally natural”
- The Helio Sequence at Bourbon Rocks Patio | “layered keyboards and impossibly big guitars with crisp songwriting and a newfound appreciation for minimalism”

12AM
- J Mascis at Mohawk Patio
- DeVotchKa at Antone’s | “The stage is an instrumental junkyard cluttered by sousaphone, accordion, piano, violin, a bouzouki, an upright bass, percussion, trumpet, drums, and a theremin… somewhere out of time, certainly out of place, somehow it makes perfect sense.”
- Cloud Cult at Red Eyed Fly | “Cloud Cult’s live shows include elaborate theatrics that include live painters on stage, live video projection of audience and band, and back screen video. The live band includes cello, violin, trumpet, flute and percussion, along with the more standard guitar, bass, keys and drums line-up.”
- Headlights at Habana Calle 6 Patio | “the band's version of pop music recognizes both tradition and progress… alive with a pulse that beats with shoegaze spirit… an indie-pop band not afraid to incorporate a synth wall of sound and a mod organ in consecutive songs, not afraid of anything at all”
- Tapes ‘n Tapes at Cedar Door
- She & Him at The Parish | “This is the musical debut from Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward”
- Citay at Spiro's Amphitheater | “a full-fledged eight-piece band whose potency moved beyond the studio and into the live arena… an otherworldly place, full of psychedelic swirl, soaring harmonies and grandiose jams”

12:30AM
- Limbeck at The Rio | Download "Let's Get Crazy" (mp3) | “equally well-received touring alongside pop-punks like New Found Glory and the All-American Rejects or Americana acts like Lucero and Rhett Miller”

12:45AM
- Thurston Moore w/ Band at Mohawk Patio

1AM
- Nada Surf at Cedar Door
- Blitzen Trapper at Bourbon Rocks | “Brought forth in a spasm of creative mania… rough-hewn but lush, crackling (sometimes audibly) with a weird and lucid energy.”
- Destroyer at The Parish | “an artist as quirky and enigmatic as Sparks, as symphonic and grandiose as Scott Walker and as quixotically literary as Bob Dylan”
- Atlas Sound at Prague
- Joseph Arthur at Buffalo Billiards | “raw, atmospheric pop”
- Lucero at Red Eyed Fly | “To call Lucero Memphis' answer to Bruce Springsteen is not a stretch.”

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SXSW Preview: Thu Mar 13

Sadly, The Wheel’s Still In Spin will not be going to SXSW this year. But we can still dream. Here is a list of the bands that we would most like to see at SXSW for Thu, March 13, 2008. There are links to each artist's band page at SXSW.com with a short quote, when available, from the band's bio that appears on that page.

3PM
- Billy Bragg at SESAC Day Stage Café Austin Convention Center | “still referred to as the Bard of Barking by the press… singing his mind… and speaking his mind”

8PM
- Spoon atAuditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake)
- Islands at Cedar Street Courtyard | “sprawling symphonic work of art”
- Jens Lekman at Emo’s Main Room | “a musician writing that rare kind of song that maintains a fine balance between bliss and sorrow”

9PM
- Wussy at Bourbon Rocks | “Better Than The Chili” | Download "Rigot Mortis" (mp3) | “CityBeat: ‘a collection of misfit players and sounds that, when brought together, create something gorgeous and magnetic’”
- Born In The Flood at Club 115 | “Filled with emotion and boiling with passion, Denver’s Born in the Flood wows audiences and wins fans with their energetic and heartbreaking rock-n-roll songs”
- Colour Revolt at Spiro's | “there's a lot of guitars in Colour Revolt… It's pretty sometimes, sure, but it doesn't do to leave gorgeous alone, and sometimes you have to punch the blushing bride in the face, you the low-hearted puggish bridesmaid with nary a suitor.”

9:30PM
- Throw Me The Statue at Mohawk | “a dazzling concoction of confident indie pop that packs a wallop with its huge hooks, heart-felt lyrics, and quirky production.”
- Yo La Tengo at Austin Music Hall

9:45PM
- Mason Jennings at Stubb’s

10:45PM
- MGMT at The Rio | “enigmatic and prophetic collection of hallucinatory sounds and hook-riddled pop tones for the new millennium”

11PM
- My Morning Jacket at Austin Music Hall
- The Weakerthans at Cedar Street Courtyard | “energetic, infectious, unforgettable… known for their lyrical ingenuity, but they are, after all, a rock band… guitar, pedal steel, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, banjo, vibes and glockenspiel”
- Liam Finn at The Ale House | “Finn plays nearly every instrument on the album, a responsibility he doesn’t relinquish during his now mythic live gigs. During his raucous yet intimate performances Liam utilizes effects pedals to create, sample and loop bass, guitar, drums and vocals to layer with his live vocals and guitar.”
- Bon Iver at Mohawk Patio | “thick layers draped in lush choral walls, with rarely more than an ancient acoustic guitar or the occasional bass drum providing structure.”
- YACHT at Wave Rooftop

11:30PM
- Citay at Mohawk | “a full-fledged eight-piece band whose potency moved beyond the studio and into the live arena… an otherworldly place, full of psychedelic swirl, soaring harmonies and grandiose jams”

12AM
- DeVotchKa at Cedar Street Courtyard | “The stage is an instrumental junkyard cluttered by sousaphone, accordion, piano, violin, a bouzouki, an upright bass, percussion, trumpet, drums, and a theremin… somewhere out of time, certainly out of place, somehow it makes perfect sense.”
- Islands at Emo’s Main Room | “sprawling symphonic work of art”
- The Sadies at Continental Club | “The Sadies’ inspired amalgam of psychedelic country rock, surf, bluegrass and Ennio Morricone-esque inspired instrumentals has made them the preeminent torchbearers of cosmic American music.”
- Jens Lekman at Mohawk Patio | “a musician writing that rare kind of song that maintains a fine balance between bliss and sorrow”
- Le Concorde at Wave | “ambitious, indie-pop arrangements fueled by astute lyrics, dream-like harmonies, and complex melodic counterpoint.”
- Steel Train at Spiro’s Amphitheater | Download “I Feel Weird” (mp3) | “Filled with huge hooks and quirky instrumentation… consistently joyous, the lyrics are hyper-realistic addressing the events that can shatter our world and break our hearts as well as focusing on the forces that lift us up and offer a second chance.”

12:30AM
- The Raveonettes at Vibe

12:45AM
- Old 97’s at Stubb’s

1AM
- Billy Bragg at Cedar Street Courtyard | “still referred to as the Bard of Barking by the press… singing his mind… and speaking his mind”
- Peelander-Z at Molotov Lounge | “Yes, their performance is not just playing music. Have you heard of human bowling, wrestling and kung-fu action, or funny dance at the punk rock shows? Peelander-Z knows how to entertain the audience by dragging them into the show. One experience would capture you!!”
- Black Mountain at Mohawk Patio | “music sprinkled with an inoculating dose of madness may well be the Pied Piper that takes us all back into the primordial mountain, where our hearts can be made steady and our minds can be set free”
- The Octopus Project at Emo’s Main Room

1:20AM
- Times New Viking at Soho Lounge

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SXSW Preview: Wed Mar 12

Sadly, The Wheel’s Still In Spin will not be going to SXSW this year. But we can still dream. Here is a list of the bands that we would most like to see at SXSW for Wed, March 12, 2008. There are links to each artist's band page at SXSW.com with a short quote, when available, from the band's bio that appears on that page.

5PM
- Ra Ra Riot at SESAC Day Stage Café Austin Convention Center | “this group of overachievers has somehow melded six musical brains together to form one collective force hell-bent on making fans move in-time with every pluck, pound, strum and bow… sunny-side-up style”

7PM
- Van Morrison at La Zona Rosa
- Earlimart at SXSW Live (The Bat Bar) Austin Convention Center

8PM
- The Chocolate Horse at Spiro’s | “Better Than The Chili” | Download “The Caribbean” (mp3) | “slo-core, folk-tronic tunes… French horn…experimental saw and bow… upright bass”
- A.A. Bondy at Club de Ville

8:30PM
- Voxhaul Broadcast at Dirty Dog Bar | “full of raw enthusiasm, echoing the sort of musical honesty that turns even the most pretentious listeners into fans.”

9PM
- The Weather Underground at Blind Pig Rooftop | Download “Neal Casssady” (mp3) | “the exciting and original sound of four musicians influenced by punk, soul, blues, and human inspiration.”
- These New Puritans at Antone’s | “a band of extremes… an immediacy that belies their complex themes”
- Call Me Lightning at Mohawk Patio | “frenetic post-punk informed by The Talking Heads' quirky pop and The Jesus Lizard's rambunctious absurdism.”
- Zookeeper at Central Presbyterian Church | “loose, impromptu songs replete with shaking tambourines, exuberant horns, honky-tonk keys, and, at alternating turns, lyrical depth and whimsy”

9:15PM
- Shellshag at Elysium | “Shellshag has a simple minimal sound with song styles ranging from heavy rock to pop to punk ballads.”

10PM
- Bad Veins at Dirty Dog Bar | “Better Than The Chili” | Download “Gold And Warm” (mp3) | “USA Today’s Pop Candy praised them for creating ‘a powerful sound that deserves to be heard by more people.’”
- Jeffrey Lewis & The Jitters at Club de Ville | “mixes 60s acoustic psychedelia like Pearls Before Swine with the experimental art-punk of the Fall and the urban lyricism of Lou Reed, sounding a bit like if Woody Guthrie fronted Sonic Youth.”
- Lightspeed Champion at Antone’s | “an effortless blend of delicate country-rock and folk-pop… gently humorous, open-hearted songs with an unaffected warmth”
- Peter Moren at The Parish | “there are certainly melodic pop songs, the album feeds more from a folk and singer-songwriter tradition than the eclecticism prevalent on Peter Bjorn And John's recordings.”
- Kim Taylor at Esther’s Follies | “Better Than The Chili” | “David Dye calls her ‘smoky and exuberant… mellow and evocative’”

10:30PM
- Japanther at Emo’s Jr
- Times New Viking at La Zona Rosa

10:50PM
- Be Your Own Pet at Emo’s Main Room

11PM
- Okkervil River feat. Rory Erickson at Austin Music Hall
- Daniel Lanois at Pangaea | “the recipient of ten Grammy awards and five Juno awards”
- Capsula at BD Riley’s | “a rock trio hailing from the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina… Their sound is a furious mixed hologram that explodes in rock, proto-punk and electronica.”
- Bowerbirds at Central Presbyterian Church | “acoustic music that feels good and aware and powerful and hopeful”
- The Nightwatchman at Esther’s Follies | Tom Morello solo acoustic project
- Hallelujah The Hills at Friends

12AM
- R.E.M. at Stubb’s
- Southeast Engine at Friends | “Southeast Engine has that slow-fired, laid-back feel you'd expect from traditional alt-country types, but spruces it up with a dose of indie-kid charm.”
- The Acorn at Habana Calle 6 Patio | “Inspired by traditions old and new, The Acorn is heart drums and gut strings. Song-stories and childhood riddles. Revelry and spirit voices.”
- Bo Pepper at BD Riley’s | “a four-piece, female fronted indie/punk band from London… Sonically they fit somewhere between The Strokes, PJ Harvey and Iggy Pop.”
- The Willowz at Beauty Bar Backyard | “energy and rawness… infused with a thicker rock sound… expressed with true storyteller fervor.”
- Grand Ole Party at Emo’s Annex | “freshly infusing raw funk and stripped-down soul into primal, infectious rock and roll”
- Kimya Dawson at Emo’s IV Lounge
- Witch at Bourbon Rocks | “a mighty sonic tumult that harkens back to classic heavy metal sound of early 70’s outfits while still sounding modern in it’s assault.” With J Mascis on drums.
- Til We’re Blue Or Destroy at Fado Patio | “The group takes advantage of the versatility of their large lineup by at times melding vocal harmonies similar to Stars’ Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan; dipping through melodic, shoegaze Brit-pop; and splashing bursts of electronics and horns into their continually danceable beats.”

1AM
- The Black Keys at Emo’s Main Room
- Corto Maltese at BD Riley’s | “uber-catchy indie-pop and relentless hooks (Austinist)… With the frenetic ruckus of the Arcade Fire and a touch of David Bowie (Austin Sound)”
- The Deadly Syndrome at Beauty Bar Backyard
- Centro-matic at Friends | “Centro-matic's music comes on like a sound from a distant dream, something new, yet unmistakably familiar.”
- Bon Iver at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop | “thick layers draped in lush choral walls, with rarely more than an ancient acoustic guitar or the occasional bass drum providing structure.”
- Die! Die! Die! at Wave | “They aren’t a rehearsed set of messages or stage antics, no glitter, no make-up, no phony sass… Cathartic, direct, indispensable”
- Parkas at Wave Rooftop | “With less bounce-in-their-step and more knife-in -their-pocket, the Parkas new release borrows the ragged gospel of John Fogerty, the punk soul of the Clash, the wry grin of Elvis Costello, and finally bottles the piss and vinegar of the band’s live show.”

1:10AM
- Child Bite at Soho Lounge | Download “Ape Along” (mp3) | “You can't help but use words like "quirky," "frantic," and "weird" describing this post punk-influenced, at-times rowdy, forward-thinking pop band.”

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.

Better Than The Chili: Kim Taylor

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this band is "Better Than The Chili." For the next few weeks, the Cincinnati bands that will be performing at SXSW will be highlighted.

Download “Roses” (mp3)

Performing at SXSW: Wed 12 Mar 2008 10 pm at Esther’s Follies

Kim Taylor is a Cincinnati singer-songwriter with a smoky and sultry voice. She has consistently been nominated from Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, taking home the honors in the Singer-Songwriter category in 2007 and 2004 and the Best New Artist category in 2002.

She has toured as a supporting act of Ron Sexton and Cincinnati’s own Over The Rhine. She has also opened shows for Josh Ritter, Grant Lee Phillips, Ben Lee, Aqualung, Amy Rigby, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.