The Wheel's Still In Spin

Better Than The Chili: The Hiders

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 “Plastic Flowers” (mp3)

The Hiders are a local band with roots from the best bands of Cincinnati’s recent musical history. The band is the led by Bill Alletzhauser, from The Ass Ponys and Ruby Vileos. Michael Horrigan, from The Afghan Whigs and Brendan Benson’s band, plays bass. Local jazz and blues drummer Tony Franklin keeps the beat. Rounding out the band is Beth Harris, who provides the sultry harmonies.

The band’s first self released album, Valentine, was well received with strong praise from World Café. This Friday, May 9th, the band will hold a CD Release Party at the Historic Southgate House for their newest release. Most of Penny Harvest Field was recorded with producer Brad Jones (Matthew Sweet, Josh Rouse, Richard Julian, Hayes Carll, locals Over The Rhine, and many more). Two additional tracks were recorded at Cincinnati’s Ultrasuede Studio with John Curley (also from The Afghan Whigs).

Penny Harvest Field sounds like a perfect amalgam of Americana influences, from Neil Young to Son Volt, from Emmylou Harris to Oakley Hall. The title track is full of lyrics of unlucky symbols and resolves with the lines, “I’m lying like a penny/ Facedown on the ground/ I wish someone would pick me up/ But they all think I’m bad luck.” All of the songs that I’ve heard from this album are addictive and more captivating with each listen.

The Kim Taylor band will be joining The Hiders at their CD Release Party this Friday, May 9th, at the Historic Southgate House.

www.thehiders.com
www.myspace.com/thehiders

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Better Than The Chili: Junior Revolution

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 “City That Never Wakes” (mp3)

After self-releasing their latest album near the end of 2007, Junior Revolution has embarked on a two month tour of the Eastern United States. Winding their way down the East Coast and then back up through the South, the band returns to the area with a few shows.

This Friday, May 2nd, at The Southgate House, Junior Revolution will play the Ballroom with 5 other bands. The Hanks, from Los Angeles, will be playing this and a handful of other Midwestern shows with Junior Revolution. Farmington, MI’s Empire Empire (that Will from Sound As Language recently interviewed) will also be sharing the stage along with the additional local bands All The Day Holiday, The Upset Victory and Oh, Here It Is.

After a few more Midwestern dates, the band will play in the area again on Saturday, May 17th, at the Madison Theater for The Host’s CD Release Party.

Junior Revolution has been through a number of lineup changes in the past five years, but seems to have settled on a solid musical team. Their most recent album, It’s A Process..., shows the current lineup meld multiple genres. With seven songs in about a half hour of music, the band mixed indie, emo, and progressive sounds into elongated pop songs. Throughout their songs, there is a layer of vocals with guitarist Jayson Hazelbaker, guitarist/keyboardist Daniel Erb, and bassist Brian Miller stacking their voiced atop Chris Denholm’s densely creative drumming.

www.juniorrevolution.com
www.myspace.com/juniorrevolution

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Better Than The Chili: Jeff Scott Roberson

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."

20 years ago or so Jeff Scott Roberson released his first solo album. Then he formed the local country-rock band Len’s Lounge with John Curley (Afghan Whigs, Staggering Statistics, Ultrasuede Studios). Curley’s not in the band anymore, but Len’s Lounge still plays out. Roberson stays active in the Cincinnati music scene with his band or as a solo performer.

Roberson has now completed his second solo album. Summer’s Here was produced by Ed Pettersen and mixed and mastered by Motown legend Bob Ohlsson. The title track is a mellow ode to the season of relaxation and easy. Above the acoustic guitar, and piano, a vivid lead guitar line is interspersed.

The best track is “Sam Nation.” A dedication to one of the lead singers of the local band The Thirteens, Sam was killed when a drunk driver collided with the passenger side of the car Sam was in. A sculptor and musician, Sam was a true artist. This song is “one more goodbye.” Not only does it capture the aura of Sam, it’s a great song.

Summer's Here is available at the local record stores like Shake It and Everybody’s. It's also at www.villagerecords.com and www.emusic.com. This coming Tuesday, April 29th, it's supposed to be available from iTunes, Amazon Download, and CDBaby.

www.myspace.com/jeffscottroberson

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Better Than The Chili: Culture Queer

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."

Culture Queer is a local band whose goal is described by the passage, “What we hope for is a cathartic mess.” This Friday, April 18, they will be releasing their third album, entitled Kid Friendly Dinner Party.

The songs on Kid Friendly Dinner Party are short and sweet. The album consists of keyboard and guitar heavy pop songs, somewhat in the vein of the Elephant Six artists. Most of the songs on this 9-track and 22-minute album are originals. There is also a cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen,” which has been covered by Elliott Smith and Jeff Tweedy.

The band’s first release was 2004’s Supersize It Under Pontius Pilate, which was honored with a Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Album of The Year. That was followed with CQ EP in 2006.

Now the band celebrates their third album with a release party at The Gypsy Hut, in Northside, with Wussy, another band dubbed “Better Than The Chili.” Like most shows at The Gypsy Hut, admission for Culture Queer's CD release party on Friday, April 18th is free.

Culture Queer’s myspace page has 4 of the 9 songs from Kid Friendly Dinner Party available to hear.

www.myspace.com/culturequeer

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Better Than The Chili: Cincypunk Fest VII

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 one of Cincinnati’s premiere annual independent music events, Cincypunk Fest.

It all started with the website cincypunk.org, which has been an indispensable independent music site for the Cincinnati community since January 2002. They cover a large portion of the local music scene – from punk to indie to metal to rock and roll and more.

In April 2003, Cincypunk Fest was born with 10 bands and a one-night event. August 2003 saw Cincypunk Fest II take up three stages with 40 bands. After that, Cincypunk was handed from its founder, Zack Zimmerman, to Adam Rosing. Under Rosing’s leadership the website and event have grown. Now an annual event, Rosing has donated the proceeds to local charities including YMCA’s Camp Ernst Core Character Values Program, the Women’s Crisis Center of NKY, the Mental Health Association of Northern Kentucky, and Lighthouse Youth Services of Cincinnati. Over $11,500 has been raised for these local organizations.

This weekend, Cincypunk Fest returns with Cincypunk Fest VII as nearly 40 of the area’s best bands perform on the multiple stages of The Historic Southgate House.

The cover is $8 for 21 and over and $10 for 18-20 for each night. The doors are at 7PM with the show starting at 7:15 on Friday and 8:00 on Saturday.

Here’s the lineup:

Friday, April 11th, 2008
Southgate House Ballroom
7:45-8:15 A Decade To Die For
8:30-9:00 Covington
9:15-9:45 Invitational
10:00-10:30 Tubring (Chicago, IL)
10:45-11:15 Mallory
11:30-12:00 thistle
12:15-12:45 Lost Hands Found Fingers
1:00-1:45 The Turnbull ACs
Southgate House Parlour
7:15-7:45 Dead Serius
8:00-8:30 Used Kids (Brooklyn, NY)
8:45-9:15 Sweet Ray Laurel
9:30-10:00 Team Stray
10:15-10:45 The Seedy Seeds
11:00-11:30 Sadaharu (Lancaster, PA)
11:45-12:15 The Read
12:30-1:00 J. Roddy Walston And The Business (Baltimore, MD)
Southgate House Lounge
9:45-10:15 Best Revenge
10:30-11:00 Tuck Me In
11:15-12:00 Motorcycle Tapedeck
12:15-1:00 The Tillers

Saturday, April 12th, 2008
Southgate House Ballroom
8:30-9:00 Knife The Symphony
9:15-9:45 Junior Revolution
10:00-10:30 Alone At 3AM
10:45-11:15 Ampline
11:30-12:00 The Lion’s Rampart
12:15-12:45 500 Miles To Memphis
1:00-1:45 Shotgun On Blonde
Southgate House Parlour
8:00-8:30 Eatafetus Trio
8:45-9:15 Dopamines
9:30-10:00 Caterpillar Tracks
10:15-10:45 Rumble Club
11:00-11:30 The Frankl Project
11:45-12:15 Arms Exploding
12:30-1:00 John Walsh
Southgate House Lounge
9:00-9:30 Carrie Sample
9:45-10:15 Riverside Revival
10:30-11:00 Cold And Sinus
11:15-12:00 Dusty Bryant
12:15-1:00 Straw Boss

www.cincypunk.org
www.myspace.com/cincypunkfest

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Better Than The Chili: The Sundresses

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."

The Sundresses began playing music in March of 2002. The two songwriters of the band, Brad Schnittger and Jeremy Springer, trade off between guitar and drums during their live shows. Mackenzie Place switches between bass and trombone as her accompanying instrument. They mix many American music ideas – like swing, roots rock, and classic rock – with a punk mentality.

They received local recognition with Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for Best Alternative/Indie band in 2004 & 2007, as well as being nominated in the same category in 2006.

The Sundresses have also been garnered with positive reviews for their heavy touring, including performances at SXSW in 2004, 2005 & 2006.

In 2003, the band self-released their first album, The Only Tourist In Town. They have been working on their follow for a little while. The album is now done and titled Barkinghaus. They are currently shopping the album for a label release. However, they’re not afraid to self-release this album.

The band posts videos of Sundresses TV on You Tube. Embedded is episode 1.

www.thesundresses.com
www.myspace.com/thesundresses

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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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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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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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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.

Her last album, 2006’s I Feel Like A Fading Light was chosen as one of World Café’s (NPR) album of the week during November 2006. Performing Songwriter also named I Feel Like A Fading Light as one of its Top Records of 2007.

In 2004, Taylor played SXSW. This year she has been invited back for another performance.

Most recently, Kim Taylor has been working on her follow-up to be released near the end of 2008.

www.kim-taylor.net
www.myspace.com/kimtaylor

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Better Than The Chili: The Chocolate Horse

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 “Whiskey Won, Fall Down” (mp3)
Download “Bedlight” (mp3)

Performing at SXSW: Wed 12 Mar 2008 at Spiro’s

The Chocolate Horse started as a three-piece side project from the Cincinnati band Readymaid with Jason Snell on guitar and lead vocals, Paul Brumm on upright bass, and Andrew Higley on french horn and bowed saw. Shortly after recording their debut album this past year, two more members were added to the band, Johnny Rusza on flute and Joe Klug on drums and percussion.

Snell’s vocals are neither strained nor offhanded. They are emotional and full of realistic intricacies. The unique and diverse instrumentation allows the band to sound deceptively complex, even in a live setting. There is a steady foundation of guitar, upright bass, and percussion. On top of that french horn and flute are subtly added to the occasional theremin-esque sound of the quivering and bowed saw. The combination creates a sound that is haunting and lucid, experimental and accessible.

The Chocolate Horse released their first full-length album, Patience Works!, in 2007 on vinyl, but usually included a free CD version with the purchase. That album gave the band Cincinnati Entertainment Award nominations for Album Of The Year and Best Alternative/Indie Band.

With The Chocolate Horse performing at SXSW this year, the band is looking ahead to an even better 2008.

After the jump, watch a video of The Chocolate Horse from the Gypsy Hut.

Better Than The Chili: Wussy

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 "Rigor Mortis" (mp3)

Performing at SXSW: Thu 13 Mar 2008 8:00 PM at Bourbon Rocks

Wussy has become one of the most reliable and highly praised bands from Cincinnati. From their first release, 2005’s Funeral Dress, to 2007’s Left For Dead, the band has received strong reviews from Rolling Stone, Spin, Blender, and plenty of others. The local scene has also bestowed the band the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Alternative/Indie Band in 2006 and the 2007 Album Of The Year for Left For Dead.

Chuck Cleaver (of the Ass Ponys) and Lisa Walker share guitar and vocal duties and are supplemented by Mark Messerly and Dawn Burman. They write 3-minute songs that showcase a scattering of influences – from indie to shoegaze to alt country – but the band has the power to magically make everything come together with a strikingly tight undulation.

This year Wussy will be returning to perform at SXSW.

Also this spring, they will release the Rigor Mortis Redux EP on Shake It Records. It’ll have the studio and live versions of the title track, previously unreleased cuts - “Sweetie” and “Skip” - and a live version of Funeral Dress’s “Airborne.”

Tonight, Friday, February 22, Wussy will be performing at the Northside Tavern with Nathan Holscher.

Buy Left for Dead or Funeral Dress at amazon or directly from Shake It Records.

www.wussymusic.com
www.myspace.com/therealwussy

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Better Than The Chili: Bad Veins

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.

Performing at SXSW: Wed 12 Mar 2008 10:00 PM (ASCAP Showcase) at The Dirty Dog

Bad Veins began as the recording project for Ben Davis. Eventually, Davis added another person in to his musical microcosm. Sebastien Schultz had previously been the drummer of Cathedrals, a local band which received high praise and earned a spot at 2005’s Lollapalooza before breaking up.

With Schultz on drums, Davis plays guitar and synth and handles the vocals. For their live shows, they are accompanied by a 1973 Pioneer reel-to-reel tape machine, whom they lovingly call Irene.

At their early shows, the band gave away a 4 song EP of self-recorded demos. All 4 tracks eventually charted on WOXY.com’s top 20. For those who weren’t fortunate enough to pick up the EP, you can now purchase the digital download of the album here. And additional songs can be downloaded from RCRDLBL.

Bad Veins is taking a short break from performing to record their full-length debut. They’ll begin playing live again in March before heading to Austin, TX, for SXSW.

After the jump, watch the video for "Gold And Warm."

Better Than The Chili: Eric Matthew Tepe

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."

After performing as a solo acoustic musician, Eric Matthew Tepe decided to record a six song EP at the hometown Ice Cream Factory Studio. Studio owner and musician Matt Parmenter suggested fleshing out the songs by adding a full band. As the sound grew so did the project. More songs were recorded and the album expanded to a full-length release entitled Right Shirt Wrong Shoes.

Tonight, Friday, February 8th, 2008, Tepe and his band, which includes Parmenter on bass and backing vocals, Ben Smith on guitar and backing vocals, Brian Kelley on drums, and Al Hidalgo on keyboards, will be playing the Southgate House Ballroom for the release of Right Shirt Wrong Shoes. Accompanying Tepe’s band will be The Kentucky Struts and The Vinyltones. Admission for the show is only $5 (or $8 for age 18-20).

To get a feel for the euphonious and savory sound of the singer-songwriter’s new album, visit Eric's myspace site where you can listen to two songs, “Her Shift” and “Polar.”

Also, a video of a live performance of “Her Shift” with the full band is infixed after the jump.

Better Than The Chili: The Spectacular Fantastic

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 “Limitless And Free” (mp3) from Consume
Download "Feelings" (mp3) from the free Reward

The Greater Cincinnati area consists of sections of Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana. The Spectacular Fantastic is one of the bands from the area that resides in Indiana. Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to be specific.

The band started as the recording project for Mike Detmer. Playing all or most of the instruments himself on his early releases, he decided to put a live band together. Through their five full length albums the band progressed. So did the cohesiveness to the sound they created. On their website, you can listen to split singles, free EPs, and last year’s full length Outer Space Is Nothing But A Lie.

Today, January 30th, sees the band release 2 EPs, one you purchase, Consume, and one you download, Reward. Both are full of the infective pop music for which Detmer and associates are known. Limited-edition hand-made copies of Consume can be purchased at 75orlessrecords. And Ionik Recordings will handle online distribution for the album, so I’m sure all the online stores will be carrying the album soon.

The free Reward can be downloaded here.

www.spectacularfantastic.net
www.myspace.com/thespectacularfantastic

The Wheel's Still In Spin's Best Cincinnati Albums of 2007

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Better Than The Chili: The Seedy Seeds

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 "The Little Patton" (mp3)

This electronic folk duo was the winner of the 2007 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for Best New Artist Of The Year and Best Experimental/Electronic. They were also nominated for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Album Of The Year for their debut full-length album, Change States.

Mixing banjo, accordion, drum beats, and catchy melodies, Mike Ingram and Margaret Weiner create unique, upbeat songs. The band sounds like a mellow, electronic combination of Mates Of State and The Carpenters.

Last month, a new kitten was added to my family. He loves to play with the cable to my headphones and walk across my computer's keyboard. The track "The Little Patton" is posted on the site as a dedication to my new kitten with it's opening lines beckoning that "You're my little kitten/ You're my little song."

See the band live tonight, Friday, January 25, 2008, at The Gypsy Hut with The Lions Rampart and Chicago's Coltrane Motion.

www.theseedyseeds.com
www.myspace.com/theseedyseeds

The Wheel's Still In Spin's Best Cincinnati Albums of 2007

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Better Than The Chili: Foxy Shazam

Every Friday -- and this week on Thursday -- 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."

Live, Foxy Shazam is unpredictable and engaging. There's no telling what to expect at one of their shows. Singer Eric Nally may deface or mangle his body, but he will give the performance ever ounce of energy capable. Musically, the keyboard playing of Sky White and guitar work of Loren Turner cover a multitude of styles. The band sounds like Modest Mouse shoved into a blender and set to mince, grind, or shred. As the band describes themselves, they are the "Evel Knievel of Rock N Roll."

Officially, the band will release their sophomore album entitled Introducing Foxy Shazam on January 22nd.

Locally, they will be playing a CD Release Party tonight (Thursday, Jan 22nd) at The Mad Hatter in Covington, KY with Karate High School, Peachcake, Julius Engine, and Black Tie Affair.

After the jump, watch a teaser trailer for the new album, Introducing Foxy Shazam:

Better Than The Chili: 500 Miles To Memphis

Every Friday, I will be highlighting 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."

Download "All My Friends Are Crazy" (mp3)

Continually nominated for Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, 500 Miles To Memphis was named best Roots/Folk/Americana band in 2005 and both Best Rock Act and Best Live Act in 2007 (as well as being nominated for Album of the Year and Artist of the Year).

In July of 2007, the band released Shotgun In A Shotglass on Deep Elm Records. It's not exactly a country album or a punk record, but it contains the best elements of both styles. They mix fiddle and steel guitar with distorted, crunching guitars.

"All My Friends Are Crazy" seems like the best track to use as the first "Better Than The Chili" track of 2008 with the lyrics "I'll wait for the new year/ They'll be breaking some hearts, my dear/ I can say that I'm not the same/ Another year and another heartache/ I hope it gets better than this, yeah."

www.500milesmusic.com
www.myspace.com/500milestomemphis

The Wheel's Still In Spin's Best Cincinnati Albums of 2007

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Better Than The Chili: The Best Cincinnati Albums of 2007

Every Friday this year, I will be highlighting 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."

For this first post, I'd like to showcase some of the best albums of 2007 from Cincinnati musicians. Mike Breen and the City Beat staff compiled reviews of some of the best local albums of the y