WCPO Lounge Acts

“Silverton's a place, just like Brooklyn is a place.” That's the message at the heart of Sons of Silverton's music. Emcees KyleDavid and Citoak have been in Cincinnati's hip-hop scene separately for decades, working with acts like The Five Deez and The Watusi Tribe. But making music together didn't start until more recently, when KyleDavid rapped on a solo Citoak single. “In the process of doing that, Sons of Silverton just worked its way in,” Citoak said. “It felt right.” “We all have varied histories,” KyleDavid said. “It just made sense for us to come together.” Since then, Sons of Silverton released “Or Forever Hold Your Peace” in 2017, and their latest album, “GodGotUs”, which dropped in 2021. On the title track “GodGotUs,” Son of Silverton's chanting chorus creates a driving energy of confidence and motivation. For KyleDavid, it expresses positive momentum. “You continue moving forward and keep driving and eventually things will work out in your favor,” he said. The track serves as a history lesson in Cincinnati hip-hop, dropping long-gone venue names like Ripley's and Sudsy Malone's. The music video for the song was filmed at The Lodge KY, the same venue as their WCPO Lounge Acts. The video also features a giant cutout of Ohio. “Ohio is a hidden gem,” KyleDavid said. “We want to take the responsibility and onus of representing not only Silverton but Cincinnati and Ohio, and show the world there's some talented, dope, hip-hop artists from this area.” For their WCPO Lounge Acts session, Sons of Silverton were joined by DJ Rare Groove to perform “GodGotUs” and more songs from both albums. Set list: 0:00 - intro 0:22 - "Let's Fly Yall" 3:46 - "All Day" 6:26 - interview 12:19 - "GodGotUs" 15:33 - "You Know Them As" 18:03 - outro  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Unframed pop and not folksy folk," Cincinnati singer/songwriter Mol Sullivan tried to explain about her songwriting. Adding, “there are elements of a lot of things.” She's right that her music is hard to place in a genre, yet Sullivan has crafted a sound that is undenyably her own. Her songs are ethereal, sincere, and almost magical. For her session for WCPO Lounge Acts, Sullivan performed three songs from her upcoming full-length album that's still in the works, as well as a new single set to drop July, 2022.   Set list: 0:00 - intro 0:32 - Cowboy 5:28 - Cautiously 8:27 - interview 15:04 - Deep End Dive 18:51 - Lamb23:03 - outro   Mol Sullivan: https://www.molsullivan.com/ https://molsullivan.bandcamp.com/   WCPO Lounge Acts: https://www.wcpo.com/loungeacts Recorded June 16, 2022 Hosted by Brian Niesz Produced by Brian Niesz    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alternative indie-pop band Quotah is among the 27 local and regional acts performing at The Northside Rock & Roll Carnival over the holiday weekend. Quotah performs for WCPO Lounge Acts from The Lodge KY in Dayton, KY. Setlist: 0:00 - intro 0:30 - Cranberry 4:35 - Crash and Burn 8:37 - interview 12:58 - That'll Do, Pig 16:28 - Different Endings 20:30 - outro Quotah: https://www.quotahmusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/quotahmusic Northside Rock'n'Roll Carnival: https://northsiderocks.com/ WCPO Lounge Acts: https://www.wcpo.com/loungeacts Recorded June 22, 2022 Hosted by Brian Niesz Produced by Brian Niesz See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine the ugliest Honda Civic driving by your house and all you can hear over the engine is Arlen Gun Club playing on the speakers. That's the mental picture singer/guitarist Leo Martini hopes Arlen Gun Club's brand of 00-era emo-inspired pop-punk will paint. On their debut self-titled album, the band really nails that sound. “We started kinda writing 90's stuff,” Martini said. “Honestly, I listened to a lot of Nirvana growing up and that's my main inspiration for making music.” “I listen to a lot of the late-90's early-00's emo,” bassist Jacob Durham added. Although it could almost be mistaken for a long lost Drive-Thru Records release circa 2002, Alren Gun Club's album is able to channel their vintage influences without sounding trite. The songs are catchy, moody and fun. The album is out now on streaming, but the band has plans for physical media as well. “We were lucky enough to partner with a couple labels. Our main label is Rat Poison Recordings and she's doing all the preorders with shirts and cassettes,” Durhan said. “Another label called Thumbs Up specifically asked to do vinyl for us. They won't be coming until later in the fall but they're available for preorder online,” Durham explained. Arlen Gun Club performed all four singles from the album for WCPO Lounge Acts. Set list: 0:00 - intro 0:34 - Clueless 3:36 - Get the Lead Out 5:57 - interview 11:11 - Threat Point Limited 14:20 - Come On 17:06 - outro Arlen Gun Club: https://arlengunclub.bandcamp.com/ WCPO Lounge Acts: https://www.wcpo.com/loungeacts Recorded May 31, 2022 Hosted by Brian Niesz Produced by Brian Niesz See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veronica Grim has been singing her lungs out for some time, but with her latest album “Chaos Magic” she's singing her heart out too. The album is set to release Saturday, May 28 on all streaming platforms and will be celebrated with a performance at Fountain Square for their Spring Concert Series. Grim has released music with rockabilly punk band Switchblade Syndicate as well as a country album under the name Veronica Grim and the Heavy Hearts. Although it's not her first album, “Chaos Magic” is her first album to be released simply as Veronica Grim. That nuance is one Grim finds liberating, calling the album “an evolution of not being trapped in any one creative space, any one genre, or any one box.” It's easy to see why Grim feels so restricted by genres. Her bold, sultry voice is as suited for outlaw country as it is blues rock, indie, or emo. When Grim formed her band and started recording, she had that freedom in mind. “Nobody came into it with the intent of making a record that had to be any one thing,” she explained. “There's Americana in there, and there's absolutely emo in there. We talk about Heart and Blondie and the Stones…“, Grim said. The songs on “Chaos Magic” are immersive and layered and Grim is quick to compliment her bandmates for sculpting that sound. “I'm the least talented person in the band,” Grim joked. For her WCPO Lounge Acts session however, Grim performed stripped-down acoustically with guitarist Michael Bustamante. “I think that's the test of a good song,” Grim suggested. “If you can do a version like that [on the album]… but also have it stand alone just the two of us.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cincinnati's “cinematic alternative” band Lung  is made up of opera-trained singer and cellist Kate Wakefield and rock drummer Daisy Caplan. Wakefield's cello is a defining element of Lung's sound. While cello is not a frequently featured instrument in rock, she says she finds it liberating. “It's really versatile, I don't know why more rock bands don't use them,” Wakefield said. Wakefield's talent at cello has also afforded her lots of collaborations with local artists like Jess Lamb, Wonky Tonk, and Wussy, saying “in the Cincinnati area, it's really fun when you play the cello because everyone wants you to play on their album.” “Come Clean Right Now” was written over the course of the pandemic as Caplan urged Wakefield to send ideas back and forth over the internet. “The pandemic was unexpected. Everything shut down and we canceled tours. I was pretty bummed out, but Daisy knows that it cheers me up when I write music,” Wakefield said. “It was the coping mechanism of the early pandemic for us.” On the album, Lung forms a layered cinematic sound that floats on top of heavy rhythms and harmonized vocals that are at times both dreamy and intense. “Come Clean Right Now” is available on CD and vinyl from local record label Sofa Burn, as well as streaming platforms. Before hitting the road, Lung stopped by The Lodge KY to perform five songs from their new album for WCPO Lounge Acts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aprina Johnson, better known as AprinasRevolutionaryLove, is a singer/songwriter/activist who uses music and love to enhance her community. Aprina's music is soulful, funky, and above all passionate. But you can't just hit her up on Spotify; you have to go see her perform live. “I just feel like it's over-saturated right now to be in the digital world looking for likes and streams,” Aprina said. Perhaps an exception to that rule, AprinasRevolutionaryLove recently performed live for WCPO Lounge Acts. When the pandemic started, Aprina replaced her canceled gigs with performances in front yards and porches all around her neighborhood. “I was very blessed to be able to bring songs and messages and feelings of love and adoration to my community through music at that time,” she said. Aprina believes music and love can be “weaponized” to better her community and explained “when you're able to really move and show people the mechanics of what love is, then it becomes this thing that combats real weapons like division.” Aprina says her songs "have the power to infiltrate places and people.” That's why she was excited at the opportunity to work with local think tank Action Tank to create music for Cincinnati City council candidates as part of their Vote Smarter project, saying “because I'm deep in the streets it was very exhilarating for me to talk to them.” You can find out more about Aprina on her website at aprinasrevolutionarylove.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For local music fans, Jess Lamb and the Factory are a staple of Cincinnati music. Others may remember Lamb from Season 14 of American Idol. This Thanksgiving, the band will help celebrate with music. The group teamed up with Arnold's Bar and Grill, Neltner Small Batch, Otto Printing and Mus-i-col Records to offer hand-crafted limited edition 7-inch vinyl records. The records feature two songs from Jess Lamb and the Factory and the sleeves were hand dipped at Maker's Mark. They'll be giving away 150 on opaque red vinyl. A limited number of copies pressed on clear, pink and black splatter vinyl will be available at local record stores Shake It Records, Everybody's Records, Plaid Room Records, Torn Light Records and Herzog Records on Black Friday. The 7-inch record features music from the band's 2020 album, You Are. Recorded during the lockdown, You Are contains a collection of what Lamb calls “misplaced songs.” Making music during a pandemic can be a challenge. “I felt like I needed to be more calm and centered and still,” Lamb said. Keyboardist and producer Warren Harrison found a silver lining. “Honestly, it's been a great opportunity to not be distracted by gigs,” he said. The album's first single, “Beautiful” has been called a “celebration of personal empowerment.” The track features a collaboration with rapper and activist Siri Imani. Lamb describes the track as “a bunch of sisters telling each other ‘you are beautiful, you are powerful, you can make it.” Adding, “it's a mantra for us all.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I love to sing pretty, but I also like to turn up the guitar." That's how Cincinnati singer/songwriter Sarah Asher described her sound during her performance for WCPO Lounge Acts. Asher's music blends her folk roots with 90s-influenced alternative rock, but is unique enough to avoid being lumped into either genre. "I've never really gotten along with genres really well," she said. "I'm a songwriter and I love melodies." Asher used the downtime from quarantine not only as an opportunity to write music, but also as an opportunity to collaborate. Asher traveled to Echo Mountain Recording in Ashville, NC to record her new album with studio musicians who would've normally been unavailable. "Since there were a lot of musicians that were grounded, we were able to get some people that would normally be touring," Asher explained. Asher would return to Ashville to shoot a music video for her song "Summer Never Came." Written in spring 2020, Asher described the song as "looking ahead to the summer and the uncertainty and thinking about summer never happening in a way." Asher performed "Summer Never Came" along with other songs from her new album, 'Echo Mountain Sessions,' for WCPO Lounge Acts. Sarah Asher's album 'Echo Mountain Sessions' will be available Thursday, Oct. 14 with a release show at MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not many indie rock bands can fit blistering guitar solos into their moody songs, but Nashville's Safari Room sure can. The band formed when the quartet met while attending music school at Belmont College in Nashville. "We all did music school and were definitely playing in different groups," singer/guitarist Alec Koukol explained. "Safari Room came out of my writings and I brought these guys along on it. We've been going heavy since 2018." Shortly before the pandemic brought the world to a halt, Safari Room were just finishing up their debut full-length, 'Look Me Up When You Get There.' The band decided to stay the course, and the album dropped in July of 2020. "We might as well just open up the door and let folks in rather than holding on to it and waiting," Koukol said. "We'll get to go tour when get to go tour; which is happening now." On their album, Safari Room blends dreamy melodic indie rock with power-pop sensibilities. Guitarist Chris Collier is notable for his ability bust out impressive licks without overpowering the dream-live vibe. Safari Room performed four songs from the album for their WCPO Lounge Acts session at The Lodge KY in Dayton, Kentucky. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wonky Tonk and The Highlife are an alternative/Americana band from Covington, Kentucky.  Fronted by singer/songwriter Jasmine "Wonky Tonk" Poole, the group joined WCPO Lounge Acts on the patio at Northside Yacht Club to perform songs from their 2020 album Lessons & Lovers. Find out more at https://www.wonkytonkmusic.com/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While live music was shut down during the pandemic, Cincinnati band Heavy Hinges didn't miss a beat when it came to writing songs. Over the past year, Heavy Hinges crafted enough new material to record a live album at Urban Artifact in Northside and still perform all new songs during their WCPO Lounge Acts recording at Northside Yacht Club. “We write songs very easily together. It's just a very organic process,” singer MayaLou Banatwala said while holding her purple Brazilian wood electric ukulele. “We all wore masks the whole time. Now we're all completely vaccinated.” Guitarist and singer Dylan Speeg said he enjoyed the extra time spent on songwriting. “It was interesting to write songs without any shows,” he said. “We really took a lot of time with our songwriting because we didn't have to get them done for anything.” Heavy Hinges consists of Banatwala and Speeg, along with Brian Williamson on drums, Kirk Hunter on guitar, and Andrew Laudeman on bass. At its heart, Heavy Hinges is a melting pot of influences. The band began by covering its members' favorite gospel standards like “Go Down Moses” and “Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down” with an updated alt-rock vibe. Since then, Heavy Hinges has found its own unique sound by exploring more genres. When pressed, names like Elvis Costello, Amy Winehouse, and 30s Italian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt get dropped. “I like to try to get as many influences in as I can,” Speeg told me. “Because they say as long as you're ripping off three people at the same time, it's original.” Still, it's the band's collective love for Motown-era hits and Banatwala's self-described “obsession” with The Supremes keeps the band's sound consistent among so many influences. “We definitely have our feet in the history of music, in the past,” Speeg said. “We're not trying to be super-progressive or anything. But I think what we come up with is very unique, because we all come from different backgrounds.” Banatwala agreed. “It's from the heart,” she said. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Country music is alive and well in Wilder still today.” Sitting with his acoustic guitar in his lap, those are the first lyrics Bobby Mackey sang for his recent WCPO Lounge Acts session recorded at his music venue, Bobby Mackey's Music World, in Wilder, Kentucky. They couldn't be more true. Mackey is a local country music legend and his music venue is just as iconic. That's not hyperbole: Mackey was inducted into the Northern Kentucky Music Legends Hall of Fame in 2012, and signs for the city of Wilder proudly read “Home of Bobby Mackey's Music World." Mackey himself is classic, having been making country music for 50 years. Although the times and styles have changed, Mackey sees himself as a champion of classic country music — although he'd insist on calling it just “country.” “What they're calling country today, I resent the fact they call it country,” he explained during his Lounge Acts performance. “I'm not putting it down. Time goes on, but… it sure ain't country.” It's a feeling Mackey explores in his tune “What They Call Country.” Mackey's rebellion against so-called “new country” motivates him to take a grassroots approach to keeping a place for classic country alive. “The mainstream country radio stations don't play country, so country music had to find a place to go, and little by little it has,” Mackey said. “There are more than 500 radio stations that play traditional country music and play independent artists like myself.” Mackey kept things classic for his WCPO Lounge Acts performance, playing four news songs with just his acoustic guitar. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cincinnati punk band Tweens preview four new songs on WCPO  Lounge Act See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Cincinnati rap duo Patterns of Chaos were anime, their weapons would be microphones. During their Lounge Acts taping, Patterns of Chaos performed two new songs from their next album, "Chaotic Good." The songs, "Fruenlaven" and "Spazzin,'" show off Jay Hill's dynamic to drop jokes and serious topics side-by-side. Find out more about Patterns of Chaos: Bandcamp Spotify Instagram Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perhaps the greatest challenge in writing about Cincinnati's up-and-coming singer Bla'szé is attempting to describe her style. Last year, Bla'szé performed at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards and was nominated in the “R&B/funk/soul” category. Yet, even combining three genres isn't quite enough to describe Bla'szé. “I love to do all types of music,” she said during her WCPO Lounge Acts appearance at Northside Yacht Club. “Whatever I'm feeling in the moment, that's what it's going to be,” Bla'szé said casually, seemingly unimpressed by her own versatility. “If I want to rap, I'm probably going to rap. If I want to sing a little more, I'm going to sing a little more.” As talented as she is at singing, Bla'szé first pursued a dance career at the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music where she graduated in 2013 with her bachelor in fine arts in ballet. When injury sidelined her dance prospects, she turned her focus to singing. “Being in ballet is really what I need to get the confidence to perform in front of people,” she said. Bla'szé continued building her confidence on her recent debut album, “Energy.” It's an album that Bla'szé said helped in “realizing the confidence I have to tell my story.” The story “Energy” tells is not a linear one. It begins with the super-chill good-time R&B-style “Good Vibes,” bounces right into the rather explicit rap track “Everybody Like Me,” and then into the dance-pop single “Love Me Tonight.” Somehow, Bla'szé blends these genres fluidly around herself to shape a style of her very own. As an audience, we're left with only one word to describe Bla'szé's style of music: everything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cincinnati-based singer Emmaline might be a young musician, but she's got a vintage voice. "I grew up listening to jazz," Emmaline said during her WCPO Lounge Acts session. "My dad's a jazz pianist, so I was really heavily influence by jazz, R&B, and classic soul." Some music fans may recognize Emmaline from her Billie-Holiday-style performance of Jessie J's "Domino" with Postmodern Jukebox, a group that puts old spins on new songs. On her latest single, "Peppermint Kisses," Emmaline said she wanted to "give an interesting spin on a classic love song." "Peppermint Kisses" is the first single from Emmaline's upcoming EP "Necessity," out Oct. 2. Because many recording studios are closed due to the pandemic, the entire EP was recorded in Emmaline's basement studio. "We wanted to do something that was safe but also effective," Emmaline explained. "So we thought recording at home would be the best option." For her WCPO Lounge Acts session, Emmaline performed "Peppermint Kisses" as well as "All My Sweetest Dreams" from her 2019 EP of the same name. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cincinnati shoegaze band Slow Glows planned to kick off a three-week tour to the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, in March. COVID-19 changed the band's plans. The trio, made up of singer/guitarist Kelli Redding, bassist Ian Gorby and drummer Rachel Thode, had a release show for its latest single, “Sigh,” at MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine on March 6, but the following tour wouldn't last. “We got two dates into that and had to turn around, which was kind of a bummer,” Redding said during the band's WCPO Lounge Acts session. Music video for "Sigh" by Slow Glows.   “Shoegaze,” for the uninitiated, is best defined by guitar effects, dreamy vocals and intense volumes to create ethereal-sounding alternative rock. “To me it's like rock music that has kind of a dreamy, spacy element to it,” Redding explained. “It's lots of use of effects pedals to get that ambiance, other-worldly element.” The influence of 90s shoegaze icons like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive is apparent on the band's 2019 debut LP, “Stargaze Rock n Roll.” “Those were the songs we'd been playing live in Cincinnati for the past two years,” Redding said of the LP. “It's got a warm vintage sound to it.” Despite not hitting the road to play music and sell records, the band seems optimistic. “We're getting creative with how to stay relevant during this,” Thode said. The band plans to return to Mt. Saturn Studio in Northside next month. “We're in the midst of almost being done with writing for our second record,” Redding explained. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blending blues, rock 'n' roll, punk and early American music with modern forms, Austin, Texas-based duo Ghost Wolves is no stranger to MOTR Pub. The band has made the Cincinnati music venue a repeat stop during its almost eight years of touring. This time is a little different. The group returns to MOTR Friday fresh off the release of its three-song single "Crooked Cop" on Jack White-founded label Third Man Records . For singer and guitarist Carley Wolf, the partnership with Third Man was a big deal. "We're just fans of the label," she said in a news release. "They have so many of our heroes in their catalogs, people like Muddy Waters, Wanda Jackson, Dead Weather, Jerry Lee Lewis, the White Stripes. It's mind-blowing that our music will be there alongside them. It doesn't feel real, it feels like a dream." Carley and drummer Jonny Wolf, who have been married for seven years, wrote and recorded the songs against a backdrop of fear and uncertainty in their personal lives. Immediately before the recording, the Jonny traveled to visit his terminally ill father in Connecticut. "I was up there almost a month when they first hospitalized him," Jonny said in the release. "When he stabilized somewhat, I went back to Austin to take a break and be home briefly, and that's when we recorded this. So we were creating with all of that hurt going on in the background. It was therapeutic for me in a way, to be there with these people, working on art. And I think it came out on the record. It's definitely darker and more intimate than our previous albums."

Erika Wennerstrom, the lead of Heartless Bastards, released her debut solo album, “Sweet Unknown,” in March of 2018 on Partisan Records. Wennerstrom’s solo songs are built on the same blues and folk foundations as her songs with the Bastards, but her flirtations with both psychedelic sounds and pop sensibilities are both ambitious and clear on “Sweet Unknown.” Although the break with the band was mutual, Wennerstrom seems to be basking in newfound freedom, singing “I walk around this crowded town / I had to re-find my way / You know I couldn't remain the same / What it is, what it is, what it is / Don't fight the change within” on her song “Good to Be Alone.” Set List: Extraordinary Love Twisted Highway - interview - Staring Out the Window Letting Go Wennerstrom also performed a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Be Here to Love Me" that is available on the WCPO Lounge Acts YouTube channel. -- Erika Wennerstrom's second WCPO Lounge Acts session was recorded on June 14, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH. WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists. Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Set List: Dennis Quaid - interview - Shouting Matches The Waiting Room Taylor Janzen's WCPO Lounge Acts session was recorded on May 31, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH. WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists. Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

No Bones about it... Raised on gospel and country in rural Missouri, Bones Owens ’ sound is far more hard-hitting than the music of his upbringing. With a simple band setup of drums and a guitar, led by Owens’ powerful vocals, it’s exactly the kind of music you’d expect to hear on the stages of Nashville. Bones released his debut EP, Hurt No One, in the fall of 2014, featuring guest appearances by the likes of Butch Walker, Matt Thiessen (Relient K) and Caleb Crosby (Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown) among others. He followed this with another EP in 2017, Make Me No King , and firmly cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with. His lyrics are intimate and relatable: recently-released single “Bout Time” covers the frustration of indecision in a relationship (we’ve all been there). Combined with commanding riffs and passionate vocals, Owens’ sound is equally at home in the intimate bars of Nashville and arenas across the country. Set List: White Lines Keep it Close - interview - Long Long Time Bout Time Bones Owen's WCPO Lounge Acts session was recorded on March 22, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH. WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists. Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

To listen to Triiibe is to know their causes: love, peace, community, prosperity, faith, self-sustainability. Triiibe, an acronym for True Representation of Intellectual Individuals Invoking Black Excellence, is comprised of three talented members: Pxvce (pronounced “peace”), Siri Imani, and Aziza Love. Together, they create their own brand of “artivism” - combining powerful lyrics, smooth melodies and rhymes, all laced with their principled beliefs. Activism is what brought the three of them together - the music followed naturally. As Pxcve, who raps and creates beats for the group puts it, they’re creating “soul music.” It’s more than just songs to bop along to--although you will. It’s the product of three souls with common goals and beliefs coming together to create something bigger than themselves. If it sounds lofty, that’s because it is. But the members of Triiibe don’t take the responsibility lightly. They’re putting their time where their mouths are, too: when not creating music, they spend time running after school programs like Raising the Bars, which helps Cincinnati Public School students learn how to express themselves through writing, poetry, and even rapping. They’re ever-cognizant of the obstacles they’ve faced in their own lives, and active in taking steps to inform and educate so those barriers are different for younger generations.  Cincinnati is taking notice of the great work that Triiibe is producing. Their first full album, “iii am what iii am” was released in October 2018 to rave reviews, and they regularly play shows all over the city and beyond. They even snagged to major awards at CityBeat’s 2018 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, going home with the Hip Hop and Artist of the Year awards. They’ve also been invited to take the stage for a set at 2019’s Bunbury Music Festival, an honor they’re eager to take on. Not bad considering they’ve only been performing together as Triiibe for just over a year. Needless to say, Triiibe is staying busy. Making music, performing, sharing, teaching and learning. How do you sum up all that they’re doing, and all that they stand for? Love puts it best: “Speak truth, always truth, and walk and live in that truth. To be who you are and to be proud of your roots is alright, and that’s beautiful. Live in that light always.” Set list: "You Can't Stop the Movement" "Green Thumb" - interview - "Gossip" "Feel Good" Triiibe's Lounge Act was recorded on February 19th, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH. WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists. Mixed by Brian Niesz. Video by Mike Strotman, Chris Gastright, Kyle Rhodes and Brian Niesz Hosted by Emmalee Smith with Clyde Gray.

Oft-compared to the ethereal warblings of Florence Welch and Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries, Natalie Carol’s voice is unforgettable. As the frontwoman of Valley Queen, she’s the driving force behind a sound that is quintessentially California. To round out their lineup, she’s accompanied by Neil Wogensen (bass/vocals), Shawn Morones (guitar/vocals) and Mike DeLuccia (drums). Their latest album, Supergiant, features songs like “Chasing the Muse” with a rolling rhythm and steady guitar riffs: it’s a classic-meets-modern kind of rock perfect for this millennium's Fleetwood Mac lovers. Like the album’s name, Valley Queen is a bright shining star - a “galactic perspective” for an earthbound force, Valley Queen wraps up a nationwide tour this May in their home state of California. Set list: "Supergiant" - interview - "Ride" "Razor Blade" Mixed by Brain Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

In 2014, Brooklyn-based duo Weeknight released its debut album " Post Everything ." Nearly five years later, the band's founders, Andy Simmons and Holly MacGibbon released Weeknight's second album "Dead Beat Creep" on Feb. 1. The second album features band mates Russell Hymowitz and Jasper Berg, who joined the band in 2017. With Hymowitz on base guitar and Berg on drums, " Dead Beat Creep " marks a radical approach to recording for a band whose sound is described as "dark synth pop." Weeknight recorded their second album using all analog instruments and by writing each song so they could perform them live without backup tracks. Online publication Brooklyn Vegan described the new album's first single "Holes in My Head" as "a cinematic piece of synthpop noir that, lyrically, is about Holly’s father who died in 2017 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s." "It was written from his perspective, and says what I imagined he would have wanted to say to me if he was able to," MacGibbon told the publication. Set list: "Holes in My Head" "Outside the Pale" - interview - "Settle Down" "Done With Me" -- Weeknight's Lounge Act was recorded on Feb. 14, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH. WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists. Mixed by Brian Niesz. Video by Emily Maxwell and Brian Niesz. Hosted by Brian Mains.

Jules Hale, the frontwoman of Washington D.C.-based Den-Mate, is a force to be reckoned with. She’s previously described the character behind “Charlotte,” the opening track on Den-Mate’s most recent album, as the "insecure mannerism that we all revert to when we are feeling misheard, misguided and misunderstood,” but to hear Hales sing, you wouldn’t know she were capable of such feelings. Her voice is at once powerful and dreamy, a perfect complement to the genre-bending music behind it. A mix of dark pop and electro sounds, their most recent album, Loceke, is strong - both in musicality and energy - from start to finish. Written as a continuous storyline, the album explores worldviews and emotions in a completely unique, deeply honest, way. Each song adds a chapter to reveal more about Hale, weaving an intricate web that keeps you intrigued. Set list: "Paradise" "XOSO" - interview - "Sick" "Still Life"

Everyone loves a good post-breakup anthem. We’ve all been heartbroken in one way or another, and it seems to help when someone far more musically gifted is able to put those feelings into music and lyrics. Somehow, hearing a musician play out their own heartbreak in a way that mirrors yours can be cathartic, even if you’re not post-breakup. Allyse Vellture, also known as pronoun, is such a musician: following a strenuous breakup, she wrote, recorded, and produced “There's no one new around you,” her debut EP filled with delicate, deeply personal tracks. The Tinder-savvy will recognize that phrase as the end of a search on the dating app - a comical nod to the subject matter at hand. Somewhere between indie rock, post-punk and soft electronic, pronoun’s sound easily pulls you in: it’s emotive without being weepy, and raw without feeling unfinished. Her EP is getting noticed, too: she’s been covered by Billboard, Highlight Magazine, and Atwood Magazine, just to name a few, and is currently wrapping up a US tour before heading to Europe early next year. Clearly, she’s winning this break up. Her latest single, "you didn't even make the bed," dropped just a few week ago in October. Set list: "just cuz you can't" "wrong" - interview - "a million other things" "run"

Bridging the gaps between punk and indie rock, Grace Vonderkuhn is smart, sharp and deeply melodic. The frontwoman of a three piece outfit for the past two years, Vonderkuhn brings formidable vocals and guitar slayage to every song, with a magnetic energy that can’t be ignored. The band’s first EP was recorded on an 8-track cassette recorder and subsequently released on Instacrush Records. Since its release in 2015, they’ve tirelessly toured up and down the East Coast, joining the likes of Titus Andronicus, Lower Dens, Sheer Mag, Alice Bag, Ought and more on stage.  “Reveries,” Vonderkuhn’s first full-length album, was released earlier this year to glowing praise. The album's lead single, "Worry" is a powerful pop tune drenched in messy garage tones. With a follow-up invitation to showcase at South By Southwest 2018, Vonderkuhn has drawn comparisons to music icons like Joan Jett and Liz Phair.  Set list: Candy Buttons Bad Habits - interview - Cellophane Worry

Country music singer Jeremy Pinnell traveled hundreds of miles before returning home to perform at the Octave in Covington. The Northern Kentucky native spent the last four weeks driving out west and then back again for the western leg of his 2018 summer tour. The tour promoted Pinnell's second full-length studio album "Ties of Blood and Affection," which the singer released on SofaBurn Records last August. Saturday's show is the first time that Pinnell will perform a local set with his full band, the 55s in more than a year. Rolling Stone Magazine described Pinell's sound as, "no frills honky-rock with plenty of pedal steel, Western swing and vocals as smooth as the highest dollar whiskey" in an October review of his latest album.  The article also noted that the tracks on "Ties of Blood and Affection" were "a stellar collection that could earn Pinnell comparisons to Sturgill Simpson." That praise builds upon the national recognition the Elsmere, Kentucky native received in 2014 after the release of his first solo studio album "OH/KY."  “I definitely felt more freedom in making this album," Pinnell told Rolling Stone when discussing "Ties of Blood and Affection." "Just accepting who I was and what I sounded like." Set list: "The Ballad of 1892" "A Different Kind of Love" - interview - "Take the Wheel" "Feel This Right"

Formed in 2009 right here in sunny Cincinnati, Vacation is a formidable foursome bringing you a classic, grunge-influenced sound. Comprised of guitarist John Hoffman, drummer Dylan McCartney, vocalist/guitarist Jerri Queen and bassist Evan Wolff, they self-describe their sound as “grit pop.” It’s an apt description, as their sound is distinctly basement punk with just enough pop influence to keep even non-punk rockers engaged.  Contrary to their placid name, Vacation has been working hard, churning out an impressive number of tracks and LPs over the last decade. To complement their relentless production of music, they seem to be on the road nonstop. They’re certainly no stranger to owning the stage, but they’ve opened for some pretty impressive acts as well, including The Breeders, Screaming Females, Black Lips, No Age, and more. Their show this weekend at MOTR Pub in Over the Rhine will kick off a string of shows all over the country. It’s also the official release of their latest full-length, Mouth Sounds #2699. Produced by John Curley of Afghan Whigs fame, Noisey called the album "a breezy 26 minutes of loud, grungy rock." For their WCPO Lounge Acts performance, the group played a couple tracks from the new album as well as a couple older favorites. Set list: "The All" "Action Road" - interview - "Deflector Head" "Sharptooth Tinsel Town"

Picture it: you’re taking in a show from a cool local band. The lead singer rocks a blonde mullet and one long earring, and the petite keyboardist dances and harmonizes along. The music is upbeat, danceable pop, filled with synthesizers. If you think you’ve been transported back to the 1980’s, guess again. It’s 2018, and this is Moonbeau, a Cincinnati-based band giving you layered music and fun performances you can’t help but dance along with. Their love for nostalgia and new wave is evident, but their sound is still distinctly modern. Paired with relatable lyrics and foot-tapping rhythms, hear them once and you won’t soon forget Moonbeau.  Originally a one-man-band project by frontman Christian Gough, Moonbeau now plays as a foursome, including Claire Muenchen, the aforementioned keyboardist with impressive vocal chops herself, Alex Murphy-White on drums, and Kyle Kubiak playing bass.  Though their sound and look are retro, they’re actively looking forward. Several of their singles are already available to stream, including the winsome love songs, "Are We In Love Yet?", (which was featured on an episode of MTV’s Catfish last year) and "Like The Night." The latter includes adorably catchy lyrics like, "I see stars when you’re on my mind, and you’re on my mind all the time." (The romantic side of their songs is no surprise when you learn that Gough and Muenchen are engaged to be married. Insert all the heart emojis here.)  Set list: "Complicated" "Lover/Fighter" - interview - "Like the Night"

It would be easy to be skeptical of an all percussion foursome, but fear not: The Kraken Quartet brings a lot to the table. Comprised of Chris Demetriou, Andrew Dobos, Taylor Eddinger and Sean Harvey, the Austin-based band met in college, and over the years they’ve found interesting and unique ways to layer their instruments to create an all-encompassing sound. Highly energetic and engaging, their style blurs genre lines, with notes of everything from indie, post-rock, electronica -- even math rock. To create the wildly expansive sounds they do with primarily percussion instruments is a testament to not only the oft-underrated power of percussion but to the talent of The Kraken Quartet’s members. They also incorporate other electronic instruments like keyboards and synths, rounding out their vibe to create an ambience that It Djents described as “a cozy, soft and warming sound blanket”. A blanket indeed, it’s not hard to get lost (in a good way) under their soundscapes. "The Gates" "Hook and Loop" - interview - "House 11" "Chance the Dog (The Song)" Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

If you’re looking for tunes to soothe your soul, look no further than Freedom Nicole Moore & The Electric Moon. With clear influences of soul, funk, and indie sounds in their music, this Cincinnati-based group with have you singing along in no time. That said, good luck matching the smooth warmth of frontwoman Moore’s voice. With introspective lyrics that are hard not to relate to, FNMTEM sings truth for the everywoman -- and man. Moore got her start singing background vocals for local acts, and claims she left a funk group because she didn’t have the vocal stylings they were looking for (big mistake on their part, if you ask us). Before forming the collective Electric Moon around her, she performed as a solo singer-songwriter under her previous name, Marisa Moore. With layered sounds of smooth funk and upbeat indie, the group sounds as if they’ve been playing together for decades. There’s no question: listening to this group will make you feel good.  Set list: Everytime Pink Sugar - interview - Road Trip Your Friend Too Morning Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Blending overlapping layers of electronic sounds, upbeat rhythms, and minimalist vocals, Us, Today is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. Recently, they added an enthralling lighting element that makes their performances visual standouts as well--see their performance in the WCPO Lounge for proof. Their eclectic sound is reflected in--and largely influenced by--the eclectic background of the band members themselves: Kristen Agee, the band’s queen of the vibraphone and keyboard, also plays drums in a folk rock group. Drummer Jeff Mellot’s background is in playing modern jazz, and guitarist Joel Griggs’ tastes are self-described as “all over the map.” The three of them getting together is an experiment in and of itself, so it comes as no surprise that their sound and overall experience is highly experimental, and a full body experience to consume. As Agee explains it, they’re playing acoustic instruments with electronic influences, without being fully electronic nor fully acoustic.

More than just another band, Cincinnati’s own A Delicate Motor is a music composition and performance project like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Launched by Adam Petersen, the group utilizes keyboard, vocals, and completely unique percussion loops to create ambient sounds that the give same improvised, untethered vibe of good jazz music, with the energy and newness of electro-pop. A Delicate Motor’s latest, Fellover My Own, releases later this month, and will feature no shortage of sonic imagery. “This work posits to express the experience — trifling, humbling and humouring — of the conundrum of human effort,” explains frontman Petersen. “By endeavouring to cultivate higher self, or spiritual awareness, or better person, we paradoxically inhibit ourselves within our very striving.” Set list: "Fall Out" "Bottom" -interview- "Durham" Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Like a warm cup of coffee, Maryland folk musician Michael Nau’s music will simultaneously relax you with cozy folk vibes and invigorate you with vibrant, expressive lyrics. Formerly the frontman of Page France and Cotton Jones, Nau sounds like your really talented friend playing for you in the living room. In fact, Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread was recorded with friends in a one-bedroom apartment. That LP won’t be released until August 3rd of this year, but the first single, “Less Than Positive” is available now on iTunes. It’s a blissfully sweet love song that will have you toe-tapping along, even on a first listen. Much like other Nau songs, cheerful keys carry the tune and complement Nau’s soulful, uncomplicated vocals for a fully approachable, feel-good sound. Set list: Shadow On Diamond Row - interview - Wonder Light That Ever Hosted by Emmalee Smith. Mixed by Brian Niesz.

If you ever find yourself looking for something deeply cinematic or intensely moody, Fotocrime has just what you need. If there were a universal soundtrack to represent film noir, Fotocrime would be it. If you like your music on the dark side, but maintaining a high level of mastery when it comes to song writing and style, Fotocrime is just the ticket. Fresh off two EP’s last year, "Always Hell" and "Always Night," both of which were well received, post-punk trio Fotocrime is now touring with brand new music in the form of a new album, called "Principle of Pain." Frontman R/Pattern (aka Ryan Patterson) joins with Shelley Anderson and Nick Thieneman, "Principle of Pain" unites a uniquely synth-meets-metal vibe with deeply personal lyrics for a sound all its own. The members of Fotocrime have established themselves as big players in the post-punk world, and were called "darkwave heaven" by Revolver Magazine. Set list: "Don't Pity the Young" "The Rose and the Thorn" - interview - "Infinite Hunger for Love" "Gods in the Dark" Mixed by Brian Niesz Hosted by Emmalee Smith

Set list: "Slow Down" - interview - "Lives for a Season" "The Morning" “Created with love in Over-the-Rhine.”  That’s how Jess Lamb’s music is described on her website. If you’re thinking it might sound more like the description of a piece of art than a style of music, you probably haven’t heard Jess Lamb’s music. And if you’re in Cincinnati and you haven’t heard Jess Lamb’s music, you haven’t been paying attention.  Lamb has been a mainstay in the Cincinnati music scene for years, and her unique style that is equal parts soul, pop, and R&B makes her memorable to audiences lucky enough to hear her. She punched a ticket to Hollywood on the 2015 season of American Idol, and even memorably “jammed” with then-judge Harry Connick Jr.  The “love” piece of her “created with love” description is evident in all her work, and she’s often seen teamed up with other Cincinnati-native acts. Currently working and writing out of the Harrison Skydeck Studio, Lamb continues to perform as much as she can, including an ongoing series playing every Thursday at Revel OTR Urban Winery. 

Set list: "Another Chance" "Rising Star" - interview - "A Million Pearls" "Champagne" When it comes to musical trades, it seems like Shara Nova has set out to prove that she can be jack of all trades, master of… all. With an upbringing surrounded by evangelical music followed by formal education in operatic voice and classical composition, Nova, now performing as My Brightest Diamond, produces explorative sounds described as “electronic, chamber, and art pop”. Layered with her airy, soulful voice, Nova’s technical proficiency and diverse background are on full display throughout her music. Her classical training has hardly held her back from delving into a wide variety of musical genres, proving her to be quite the exception to the unspoken rule that artists should are generally either classical or modern. To give a clear idea of the full depth of Nova’s experience, she has provided vocal support to artists including Sufjan Stevens, Laurie Anderson, The Decemberists, Bryce and Aaron Dessner, composer David Lang, Sarah Kirkland Snider, David Byrne, Fat Boy Slim, Bon Iver, and The Blind Boys of Alabama, among others. Outside of performing, she has also composed music for orchestras, as well as marching bands. Most recently, Nova has performed via her band concept My Brightest Diamond. Their latest EP, Champagne, was released in April of this year, and it’s just the sort of synthy-layered goodness you’d expect from this talented frontwoman. Nova’s voice takes center stage, powerful and finely tuned, but doesn’t overpower the music behind it. The title track is upbeat and bright, while “A Million Pearls” creates an emotive, introspective vibe, perfectly supported by Nova’s ethereal crooning. The EP also contains three variations on Champagne, two of which add even more electro sound to the tune. In both the original version and the remixes, the lyrics seem to be a narrative for the trajectory of My Brightest Diamond and Shara Nova:“Like bubbles in champagne, no one can stop what’s coming up. I cannot go halfway, no I will not stop, going up, going up” - Mixed by Mitchell Graham. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Northside-based percussionist Ben Sloan is beating on a standard drum kit, but the oscillating chords, birdcalls and Star Trek-esque bleeps sound anything but typical. "It's more like you're curating a set of sounds," the UC College-Conservatory of Music graduate said. "It's on the cusp of being a full composition and then also just improvising with the colors and sounds. Sometimes I don't really know how it's going to unfold. I have an idea and so sometimes if I hit it and it doesn't make the sound, I'm like, 'Oh, gotta roll with it that way.'"  A sensory percussion trigger composed of a tiny mirror and light sensor sits atop each drumhead, which Sloan has mapped out into regions that produce various sounds, effects and loops when struck. Tapping the drum's rim acts like a keyboard's shift key, bringing up a whole new range of samples that Sloan has preprogrammed and created with audio software.  "It allows you to play electronic music with the same dynamic flexibility that you get when you're playing a live drum set. I have them on these mesh heads, which are silent, but you can also put them on actual drum heads," he said. Sloan's stop by WCPO Lounge Acts is only the second time he's ever performed with this new technology, which he got the opportunity to explore when drummer Bryan Devendorf asked him to be artist-in-residence for the new National Homecoming festival coming to Smale Riverfront Park this weekend. "I've been doing a lot of production work and sitting in my room, which is also my studio with cables everywhere and crafting stuff and just making little ideas," Sloan said. "It was an opportunity to take that material and bring it to A Delicate Motor, which is a band I perform in under the leadership of Adam Petersen ... and collaboratively expand upon these little tiny ideas." "Mostly I'm really motivated by the fact that (Bryan Devendorf of The National) enjoys what I'm doing. The inspiration is like encouragement from somebody who is at the top of this kind of world. And he's like, 'You got it. You're good!'" Growing up in a musical household, Sloan was destined to gravitate toward the arts. His dad fed him a steady diet of good music and helped him set up his first recording studio, while he inherited his stepfather's drum kits and instincts. His mother founded ArtWorks, the nonprofit responsible for splashing murals across town for more than two decades, meaning he was "steeped in the arts" by the time he wrote his Walnut Hills High School entrance essay proclaiming Jimi Hendrix's drummer Mitch Mitchell as the historical figure he'd love to meet. "Maybe he would give me his drumsticks?" Sloan laughed.  Since studying jazz at CCM, Sloan has played in several local and national music projects, including WHY?, Lazy Heart and Fresh Funk. He also teaches percussion at MYCincinnati, a free youth orchestra program in Price Hill.  Last year, Sloan transformed scrapyard junk into children's gold when he dreamed Price Hill's Percussion Park into existence with a $10,000 grant from People's Liberty. Propane gas tanks became drums and pipes morphed into a marimba for kids to jam on at a formerly vacant lot on Warsaw Avenue. "It was a cool way to tie in what I do with my students at MYCincinnati with the neighborhood at-large. And then also we travel there every once in a while to play," Sloan said. Keep an eye out for A Delicate Motor's second album, Fellover My Own, coming in June. Sloan said they'll also record his work as artist-in-residence for The National Homecoming and make that available online. Set list: Since you asked u n e a s e -- interview -- run More at https://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/lounge-acts/sensory-percussion-triggers-let-drummer-ben-sloan-curate-otherworldly-set-of-electronic-sounds

In a meteoric rise to popularity, electronic rock duo Missio had dozens of record labels come calling the same day Sirius XM's Alt Nation picked up their breakthrough single"Middle Fingers" a year ago. Just a couple months later, RCA Records released the Austin, Texas-based pair's debut album "Loner" in May 2017. "At first glance, most people will say it's a pretty dark record, but as you listen it's not just dark," producer/instrumentalist David Butler told WCPO Lounge Acts co-host Gil Kaufman last year. "It's taking an honest look, and hopefully people will feel an acknowledgment that life is hard and there are lots of dark parts to it and that this is the real s--t that happens in everyday life." More specifically, it happens in lead vocalist Matthew Brue's life. Loner's 11 tracks are filled with brutally honest looks into Brue's struggle with drug addiction and alcoholism after more than six years of sobriety. Exhibit A: "Everybody Gets High." "Whiskey was his friend, he didn't have another. Vicodin his vice, his real and only lover," Brue achingly croons over wailing synths. "Music became my way of writing in a diary. You have to do something so you're not constantly wrestling inside of your mind, just telling you to do stuff," Brue said in Missio's 10-minute "Skeletons" documentary produced by Jeff Ray. "You spend so much time focusing on money, success, goals, fans. But I didn't start writing songs for them. I started writing songs because it was my way to express how I felt." And his feelings have certainly resonated with fans. At every show, Brue and Butler stare out upon a sea of middle fingers wagging at them, even once including Brue's own mother at a Houston festival. "You would assume it's a 'f*** you' to the world. It's actually not. In a way, it's a song about unity. It's not f***you; it's f***this situation, which everyone can apply to their own lives," Brue said in the band's biography. "There's no better feeling than seeing hundreds of people from different religious and political backgrounds forget about everything and raise their fingers together. Flipping the bird can unite us." Hook-y music and killer beats are important to Missio, but a vulnerable honesty lies at the crux of their mission. "As a whole, all of the songs revolve around being in seclusion," Brue said. "There are so many people out there who feel that isolation. Being in a band with this sort of lyrical content, it's all about reaching listeners, meeting them at shows, hearing their stories and helping them feel like they can relate to someone. Maybe we can make the world feel not so alone." Missio's next challenge will be to avoid the sophomore slump. In their Skeletons documentary, Brue revealed that struggle - whether with drugs, alcohol or conflict - has become a sort of crutch for his songwriting.  "Going into record No. 2 sober scares the hell out of me," Brue admits. For all of the harmony between Brue and Butler, their backgrounds couldn't be further apart. Born and raised in Colorado, Brue studied classical piano as a kid and toured the world in a choir. In Houston, Butler "grew up in the least musical household ever" and didn't touch a guitar until he was 16. Butler escaped the Office Space-style corporate world in order to pursue a career as a producer and audio engineer, while Matthew spent a year living in a remodeled 1974 Airstream, "learning how to write better songs." They had crossed paths many times in the Austin music scene, but their initial collaboration led to a larger commitment than most bands.  "When we were in the studio, we just started talking about our lives," Butler said. "Completely unplanned, I mentioned that my wife and I were looking for a roommate." It just so happened that Brue was ready to move out of that trailer, and they've been roommates as long as the band has existed.  Since Loner, Missio has released two EPs with each containing four acoustic versions of their songs and a previously unreleased song. In October 2017, that new song was the heart wrenching "Can I Exist?" whose music video provides a tear-jerking and timely commentary on America's epidemic of police brutality against black men.

Fresh off the Feb. 2 release of their fifth full-length album, Fruition stopped by the WCPO Lounge with a stripped-down, acoustic set that tackled heartbreaking love lost with just a dash of hopefulness.  For the band, "Watching It All Fall Apart" represents far more than a collection of break-up songs. Like a dying tree that falls in a forest, new hope and new life eventually spring forth from the wreckage. "It describes the feeling of letting go of a sweet love, or of watching the political climate be super gnarly, or watching rainforests get mowed down, or whatever it is, and just being a spectator as well as a participant," said guitarist and vocalist Kellen Asebroek. Fruition's last Tri-State visit was as a supporting act to Greensky Bluegrass, whom mandolinist Mimi Naja called their "crazy uncles." All that time on the road with the Michigan-based jamgrass band rubbed off on them, said lead guitarist and vocalist Jay Cobb Anderson. "We are the culmination of every influence that we've had. You try to just use your voice to express feelings that most people have felt before or can be sympathetic with," Anderson said, noting lead singer Paul Hoffman's writing particularly resonates with him. "When you're around a songwriter enough, you start to ... things just get embedded in you. You can pick up on one's style." In a significant shift from their DIY style on 2016's "Labor of Love," Fruition teamed up with producer Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, First Aid Kit) to weave his golden thread through every song and make their newest album sound like "magic" in just 10 days' time at Portland's Flora Recording & Playback. A good producer captures the essence of what a band is going for, and Anderson said that's just what Martine did. "It was nice to have that captain of the ship, but he was one of those captains that let the crew think they were in charge. We're just out there doing our thing, and that's what he wanted," Anderson said. Jeff Leonard on bass and Tyler Thompson on drums and banjo round out this folk rock crew. As Fruition tackles its biggest supporting act yet this spring, opening a five-show stint with Jack Johnson, it may be that intimate shows like Saturday's visit to Octave come fewer and farther between. Set list: Eraser Northern Town - interview - Turn to Dust Let's Take it Too Far

She made a big statement with her debut EP "Life/Death/Life" last fall, but now the Queen City's own neo-soul artist Lauren Eylise is sharing her "unapologetically feminine and soul-stirring vibes" with an R&B-loving crowd Thursday night at Downtown's Aronoff Center. The songwriter and her band, the Part-Time Lovers, are celebrating Valentine's a day late by opening up The R&B Love Show, featuring Pretty Ricky, Lloyd and J. Holiday. Earning a 15-minute slot opening for these Billboard-charting artists will be one of her most prominent opportunities so far this year, but Lauren Eylise explains it's not the only one of this caliber so far in her career. Alongside local shows at MOTR Pub and the Southgate House Revival, she opened for R&B artists Linkin' Bridge, Raheem DeVaughn and Tank in 2017. Although she's been performing for more than six years, it wasn't until September 2017 that she released her first EP. Using her ability to translate raw emotion into song, "Life/Death/Life" is Lauren Eylise's interpretation of her own healing. Having learned of the unplanned conception of her son while pursuing her music career in New York City, the singer narrates her journey through the perceived death of her dreams, the life of her child, the end of some relationships and the beginning of her career. Each of "Life/Death/Life's" seven tracks draws from loves lost, lessons learned, plans diverted, black womanhood and the natural relationship between loss and gain. "While I am excited to share this project with you, I must admit, it is for me," she wrote on her blog in August 2017. "This project is from me, to me, for me. It is a mirror for me to look on and within myself for healing and the reminder of all I’ve made it through and all that I am. I hope it can be a mirror for others as well." Lauren Eylise's witty lyricism gives off the matter-of-fact tone of Lauryn Hill and the unapologetic savagery of SZA’s "CTRL" layered with vulnerability that is purely her own. While the EP is an ode to Lauren Eylise’s own personhood, she hopes any woman can pick it up and see herself. But with blatantly transparent lines sung in a sultry voice to her own guitar strumming, not only women and R&B fans will find themselves identifying with the themes of "Life/Death/Life." This is an album for us all. Set list: Loud Afternoon (Part II) Petals - interview - Peaks and Vallies Part-Time Lover

From first listen, Adron's hypnotically voiced songs grip you with their unconventional blend of Brazilian samba, Bossa nova and Tropicália in multiple languages punctuated by birdcalls, whistles and rainfall. Her music may sound odd to some, but therein lies Adron's appeal. Folk sounds have elbowed their way into the mainstream over the past decade, yet hers is still something undiscovered.  "I do a lot of musical acrobatics, and the lyrics are not quite what you expect," Adron told the University of Georgia's student newspaper in 2012. "A lot of times the lyrics are funny or sardonic, but still optimistic. I want the music to be something that you can subjectively enjoy and manipulate and make into something you like." Wondering about that Tropicália mentioned earlier? You're not alone. It was a short-lived '60s movement fusing Brazilian and African rhythms with rock 'n' roll and humorous lyrics in protest of Brazil's totalitarian government. As a teenager poking through a record store, Adron stumbled upon one of the movement's ringleaders, Os Mutantes. "There was some tag on it that said the 'Brazilian Beetles.' I just felt really at home in a lot of that music, even though I don’t speak Portuguese, and I don’t know the cultural context," Adron told The Red & Black. This discovery led her to explore other Tropicalia artists and start creating what she calls "righteous tropical pop music" in English, Portuguese and French. “(As) a songwriter who listens mostly to non-English-language music -- after a while, you start to feel like English just often isn't the right instrument for the vibe you want to get across,” she told Flagpole magazine. “Language is textured and musical all by itself.”  Alongside her sonic artistry, Adron insists on personally creating the visuals for her album art and merchandise. For 2011's Organismo, she drew inspiration from the artwork of the Huichol people of western Mexico to produce an intricately beaded heart sculpture and mask. Adron has been slowly recording material for her next two full-length albums since at least 2013: a concept album about death and mazes called Thanatrópica and a follow-up to Organismo entitled Water Music. Set list: When I Leave You Low Key - interview - Wase Ave Maria

Since 2000, this five-piece group out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been picking its own version of bluegrass imbued with a rule-breaking spirit and a concert light show to rival any rock 'n' roll act. "We bring bluegrass to people who aren't familiar with it. Often I’m told, 'I don’t even like bluegrass, but you guys are great,'" mandolinist and lead singer Paul Hoffman told Rolling Stone. "We're the gateway for some people; I think that's an important tradition." Greensky Bluegrass began more traditionally. Over the past two decades, though, this "jamgrass" band has delved into original writing and exploratory jams, even winning the Telluride Bluegrass band competition in 2006 as a last-minute (and sleep-deprived) addition. The group's latest studio effort, 2016's Shouted, Written Down & Quoted, contains 11 tracks running the gamut from freethinking improvisation to focused songwriting. "There's a flow to this album, just like there's a flow to our setlists," Hoffman said. "There are some aggressive, rocking moments. Some bouncy, funky moments. An acoustic think piece or two. It's a balance of moods and textures that we create as a band, almost like a mix tape." Joining Hoffman on a grueling tour schedule that can top 175 shows a year are Anders Beck on dobro (an awesome resonator slide guitar), Michael Arlen Bont on banjo, Dave Bruzza on guitar and Mike Devol on upright bass. "We play two sets of music every night with a big light show and really care about creating a large-scale production," Bruzza said, adding that "the goal isn't just to play important music. We want to cultivate an experience, where people can escape from their everyday lives for a minute and put their worries aside." Set list: Room Without a Roof - interview - Fixin' to Ruin

The holidays are a great time to come together, reconnect with friends and family, share sumptuous meals, exchange gifts and, after all that face time, get far, far away from home and check out some awesome music. This year, we are doubly blessed. Local favorites Pearlene are celebrating the 10th anniversary of one of the best albums ever written and recorded in Cincinnati, For Western Violence & Brief Sensuality, with a free show at the Northside Tavern Friday night. The blues-spiked Americana rockers are offering fans the first-ever double-disc, 180 gram vinyl version of the 2007 album, which comes with the Rosemary Girl EP and some unrelated tunes from their Sons of Anarchy album -- featuring songs from the popular TV show -- on the local We Have Become Vikings Records label. The limited-edition copy of the classic release features the original 9 tunes plus the bonus material in a double-gatefold, gold-stamped cover version with only 300 copies available for sale. Setlist: Watch the Way We All Get Off - interview - Hosannah Bones on my Back High & Dangerous