Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (photo credit: John Van)

The 6th annual Nelsonville Music Festival recently announced their lineup, which includes headliner Loretta Lynn, plus Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Man Man, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Buffalo Killers and The Swell Season.

The 3-day outdoor music festival takes place May 14-16 at Hocking College, a mere 3 hours from downtown Cincinnati.

Weekend passes run $45 until April 1st, when they increase to $50, and then $55 on May 1st.  Individual passes will start selling in April, and last-minute buyers can purchase passes at the gate for $60.

Check out the line up and schedule  after the jump.

Friday, May 14th:
Man Man
Black Joe Lewis
Detroit Cobras
Those Darlins
Buffalo Killers
Drakkar Sauna
Michael Hurley
Seascapes

Saturday, May 15th
Loretta Lynn
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Billy Joe Shaver
Those Darlins
Spikedrivers
Drakkar Sauna
Michael Hurley
Alwood Sisters

Sunday, May 16th
Swell Season
Todd Snider
JD Hutchison
Drakkar Sauna
Michael Hurley

Stuart’s Opera House presents
6th annual Nelsonville Music Festival
May 14-16
Robbins Crossing @ Hocking College
Nelsonville, OH

So please check out this new song, “Terrible Love” below, which Jimmy Fallon also lets us know is the first song off of High Violet, which is due May 10. Check out loads more great photos of The National that our very own Keith Klenowski shot at High Violet.com!

If you come to ENS on a regular basis, you know that one of our favorite live acts in town is The Lions Rampant. In the past couple of years, the guys have made a name for themselves as the band to see if you wanna party in Cincinnati. The missing piece of the puzzle though through all this, was the lack of a full length album. It was not for lack of effort though. After two EP’s, TLR were more than ready to put their first album together, and actually, have had it ready to go for some time now.

However, as it goes sometimes in the music industry, the right fit just isn’t out there, and their album, It’s Fun To Do Bad Things, seemed like it might never come out. Well, the band found the right fit earlier this year when Deep Elm Records offered to put it out. The album of course, is still “the kind of rock n’ roll you wanna raise your PBR to” like we told you last July. But now, it will get into the hands of fans who have been waiting, as well as folks that have yet to experience The Lions Rampant.

Congratulations to the guys, I know they have worked hard for this. The record gets an official release on April 4th, but until then, I invite you to download some of the new songs below. These were recorded in the WOXY studios last summer.

The Lions Rampant – Give Me (Live On WOXY.com)
The Lions Rampant – Lights On (Live On WOXY.com)
The Lions Rampant – It’s Fun To Do Bad Things (Live On WOXY.com)
The Lions Rampant – Shake (Live On WOXY.com)
The Lions Rampant – Do You Feel It?
The Lions Rampant – Cigs & Gin (Live On WOXY.com

Bazan is best known for his Pedro The Lion persona, but his album released last year under his given name, might be his best work to date. Curse Your Branches is a honest and revealing look at Bazan and his life over the past couple years and regardless of what you think about his previous work, it’s worth your attention. And Headlights will be in town as well, touring off of their third album Wildlife. The band have been touring the country and already have drawn here in Cincinnati really well several times.

It’s a great show, and we not only want to recommend it, but also want to give you a chance to go to it. The show is next Monday night at the best music venue in town, the historic Southgate House. So, if you would like to hit up this excellent show next week, send an email to enscontests at gmail dot com with the title reading “Bazan / Headlights.” We will pick a winner at the end of the week, good luck!

Headlights – Secrets

Bad Veins –

THURSDAY 3/18

11:00pm – Official SXSW Showcase @ Red 7 611 East 7th Street -badge or wristband only

FRIDAY 3/19

12:30pm – Sonicbids Day Party @ Maggie Mae’s (upstairs) 323 E 6th St -free food and drinks
-RSVP here

5:00pm – Dominican Joe’s Day Party @ Dominican Joe’s 515 South Congress -Free to attend : no RSVP required

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SATURDAY 3/20

3:15pm – Swing House & Hell Ya! Day Party @The Roxy (Rusty Spurs) Outdoor Stage 405 E. 7th St (@corner of Trinity) -free food and drinks -Free to attend : no RSVP required

8:00pm – Dangerbird Records Showcase @ Mellow Johnny’s 400 Nueces St. -Free to attend : no RSVP required

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The Seedy Seeds –
Mar 17 2010 8:00P
SXSW 2010 Austin, Texas
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Mar 18 2010 ***Official SXSW Showcase 7 PM @ BD Riley’s***
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Mar 19 2010 2:00P ***Buzzgrinder / Buddyhead Showcase***

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Pomegranates –
Mar 16 2010 8:00P Beauty Bar – Art Damage SXSW Preparty
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Mar 18 2010 8:00P Maggie Mae’s – SXSW Showcase Austin, Texas
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Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore –
Thursday, March 18, 2010 Central Presbyterian Church (TX), Austin TX
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Thursday, March 18, 2010 Waterloo Records, Austin TX In store @ 3PM!
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Friday, March 19, 2010 WOXY Live Radio Session

You, You’re Awesome –
Mar 16 2010 1:00P WOXY’s SXSW Lounge Act
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Mar 20 2010 1:00P L4M Showcase @ Aces Lounge (w/ The Cool Kids & Rakaa of Dilated Peoples)
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Mar 21 2010 12:00P Obscure Magpie/Old Flame Party @ Encore Austin, Texas
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The Harlequins –

Mar 18 2010 NOON-4:00A House of Commons Unofficial SXSW Showcase 2610 Rio Grande St
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Mar 20 2010 2:00P La Boîte Café 1700 South Lamar Blvd
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Eat Sugar

Friday & Saturday Shows TBA

The Murat is quite an interesting complex, almost a little piece of Egypt in the middle of America. Aside from the architecture and décor, they also have two venues. There is the Egyptian Room which was where we were headed and the Theatre which featured Harry Connick Jr. on the same evening. While the theatre is much grander, the Egyptian Room felt a little like a hotel ballroom. Even still, the Avett Brothers put out my favorite album of last year, and so this was a great chance to see them for the first time.

Before the Avett Brothers played, it was time for The Low Anthem who put on a terrific show this past fall at Southgate House when they opened for Langhorne Slim. Even though I walked away enamored with The Low Anthem that night, there was concern that they would get a bit lost in a bigger and less attentive room. This proved true through the first four or five songs as they opened with some quiet numbers. Just as they were starting to lose the room, they dropped two rocking songs on the crowd which brought everyone right back. “Home I’ll Never Be” and “The Horizon is a Beltway” were so loud and raucous that they were barely recognizable to even seasoned ears, and everyone actually stopped and paid attention.

From that point on, The Low Anthem brought the set home. Closing out with songs that were on the “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin” album as well as “This God Damn House” from their first album they won the room back over. Standing out especially was Jocie Adams who was much more present lyrically than the Southgate House show. Without a doubt, this band is the most rewarding when everyone is paying attention but that is tricky as an opener in a big room.

Given the volume in the room for The Low Anthem as they played, it was clear that most everyone was there solely for The Avett Brothers, and that proved to be the point as they launched into their show. Opening with “Paranoia in B-Flat Major” a few things became evident quickly: the amount of energy brought to the stage was incredibly high and they were extra thoughtful in their choices of songs. As Scott Avett sang “… a place I thought I’d never be / Is people looking back at me” and the place went crazy, one final thing became clear. The Avett Brothers have a rabid group of fans that know, love, and sing along to almost everything.

The first part of the set was probably meant for people like me (the first timer) as it was heavy on songs from the newest album, I and Love and You. Some of the early highlights included “Laundry Room”, “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”, and “Tin Man”. The stage was soon left to Seth Avett who played a solo version of “The Ballad of Love and Hate” which silenced the room, and for good reason. The song is an incredible lyrical story and because of the solo performance, it made the song that much more powerful. As the line came “but the clock in the kitchen is slow” Seth brought that to life by slowing the song to a crawl.

The middle of the set featured older and lesser known songs, which I didn’t know as well, but the long time Avett Brothers fans knew every word. These guys have been putting out albums for ten years now and have been building their fan base show by show, and it has really paid off. One thing that they haven’t lost though is that older fan, and I think it is due to the thought and energy they put into their shows. I had heard going in that they were a great live band and midway through the set it couldn’t have been more true.

The solid musicianship carried and thoughtful lyric adaptations continued through the remainder of the set. They finished out the main set with a mix of new favorites (“I and Love and You”) as well as old favorites (“Murder in the City”) which really got the crowd into a frenzy. The closer for the night was an old song called “Salvation Song” which came out back in 2004 and put a cap on the night with the closing line: “We came to leave behind the world a better way.” Mission accomplished.

Leaving Murat, I walked in with a much different question than the one I walked in with. I entered wondering what made these guys so special that they could build such a solid following and I left amazed that I had missed the boat for so long. Are they bluegrass? No, they aren’t. They are thoughtful and talented musicians that play extraordinarily well crafted songs which will likely stand the test of time. And yes, they do have a banjo.

-Dave Rolfes

Both bands are doing great things right now, with Los Campesinos releasing their third album, Romance Is Boring earlier this year and Cymbals Eat Guitars still riding the wave from their debut album last year.

The show is slated for April 28th.

Before you go grab your tickets, check out a song from CEG below.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Plainclothes (WOXY Session, Unreleased song)

Chronically overlooked and criminally underrated, Fishbone explodes onstage with an untamed visceral energy that makes them one of the greatest live acts in the world. Frenetic Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore’s insane stage antics are so wildly out of control it’s like watching a madman come unglued. The rest of the band matches him bounce for bounce, scream for blood-curdling soulful scream, all while pulling off some pretty tricky changes in their swirling cacophony of high energy punk funk ska grooves.

Fishbone’s red hot renditions of “Ma And Pa” and “Cholly” drew a ravenous reaction from the crowd and the effect was like throwing gas on a fire. Angelo repeatedly leapt into the crowd to join the skanking, slam-dancing masses. Keyboard player Dre Gipson took center stage to deliver a brief dancehall rap over a “Rub A Dub Soldier” reggae groove that segued smoothly right into “The Suffering”. Soon thereafter Gipson hurled himself up, over, and into the audience. Crowd surfing and twirling over a sea of supporting hands, Gipson’s flailing boots dislodged a number of ceiling tiles. This is exactly the kind of happy violent energy I had hoped for from this show. Seems like you don’t see much of it these days and I found it extremely gratifying to witness the crowd’s infectious energy and spontaneous participation. The Fishbone faithful were bouncing up and down like crazy for the duration of the band’s set.

Dirty Walt shares vocal duties with Moore, creating a hilarious call-and-response effect. In addition to Dirty Walt’s trumpet and Moore’s array of saxaphones, guitarist John McKnight occasionally picks up a trombone and adds yet another dimension to the band’s wicked horn charts. Special attention must be given to Fishbone bass player Norwood, whose mastery of funk grooves is unparalleled. His bass work-out during “Bonin’ In The Boneyard” is controlled chaos, frantic funk executed with hardcore punk energy and a clear stand-out in a set that was rife with insane moments and riotous highlights.

I wondered if The English Beat would be able to follow Fishbone’s manic display. I needn’t have been concerned. Dave Wakeling and crew took the stage with cool, calm professionalism and proceeded to please the crowd with a stream of warm ska grooves and familiar favorites like “Tenderness”, “Ranking Full Stop” and their version of “Tears Of A Clown”. Fishbone is raw, primal energy where The English Beat is slick and refined, like two sides of the same coin. There seemed to be more people there to see The English Beat, but Fishbone’s slightly smaller contingent made much more noise. And while both bands managed to keep the whole crowd dancing for the entire evening, Fishbone might have generated a little more sweat in the crowd.

-Ric Hickey

Pop Empire at the Southgate House on Saturday (Photo credit: Robert Cate)

Pop Empire had never performed before Saturday night.  Yet by 9:30, only halfway into the opening band’s set,  their debut show had sold out.   Early internet buzz, word of mouth and a flawless lineup were all elements that drew dozens out to see what Pop Empire was all about.  The newest edition to Cincinnati’s ever-growing music scene was joined by The Lions Rampant and The Seedy Seeds to celebrate the release of their EP, Rainy Child.

I fought my way to the stage only to find that the Lions Rampant had just ended their set.  I headed upstairs to the Gallery where several pieces were displayed  from local artists who were asked to create pieces inspired by the Rainy Child EP (more on that in their interview).   The photos, drawings and mixed media pieces were all pretty interesting, even if some of their meanings escaped me.   Nevertheless, you better believe when I picked up my copy of Rainy Child, I grabbed a print of one of the pieces.

The Seedy Seeds took the stage for one of their last shows before they head to Austin for SXSW.  The set was mostly  from Count The Days with a handful of new songs thrown in.  My heart broke a little when they failed to play “The Little Patton”, but I had forgotten my kazoo that night anyway.

Still, everyone was there to see Pop Empire and by the time the band hit the stage, the audience was anxious with anticipation.  A few people may have been surprised that the band, made up of Henrie Wilson and Cameron Cochran,  lacked a drummer; one song in, however, and I’m sure no one even noticed.   Though it was only Cameron on guitar and Henrie behind the laptop and on keyboard, the sound filled the entire space in a big way.  Granted, I was standing next to a 3-foot speaker, but at one point I felt my ribcage rattle and was convinced the drum beats were going to give me heart palpitations.

The band played a short and dirty set comprised mostly of songs from the EP along with a few new tunes.  It was obvious the guys put a lot of work into the show, though the songs were a different beast when performed live.  Songs like “Play the Blues” were stripped of their vocal effects and filled out with screeching synth and fuzzed out guitar, leaving them dirty and raw.  Meanwhile, “City Girl + City Boy” seemed less polished than the album’s version but was equally beautiful in its simplicity.  The band ended with “Woman Be Kind”, one of my favorite tracks off the album and performed so flawlessly that the audience begged for more.  Cameron, however, regretfully apologized since they didn’t have any more songs to play.

Thanks to the EP’s free digital streaming and a supportive music scene, the  CD release show was a major success, selling out in almost an hour.   It was Pop Empire’s awesome performance, however, that proved the band had earned the hype.  Locals that missed the show will have a few opportunities to see the band before they hit the road in April.  Check out their Myspace for the full list of shows.

In this episode:

In the first five minutes of Episode 7, you’ll realize that, no matter how much you hate your job, it could always be worse (unless you also have a job at the zoo, and in which case, sorry, man). But there are more important things to discuss, like the great and awful movies Mandy and the peanut gallery (Ben, Yusef and Melinda) have seen since the last podcast. Mandy reviews Shutter Island, someone’s already lived through (500) Days of Summer, and they deconstruct The Wolfman so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

There’s a fantastic crop of music this time around, including some new Apples in Stereo. Rock out to We Were Promised Jetpacks, dance to Freelance Whales, and check out a new track from Dawn Landes.

But hey, they’ve got sports too! Kind of! Ben shares his medium-extensive knowledge of curling and no one knows if they know they Olympic theme song. On that note, better listen to this episode quick before the IOC sues the Milling About crew for copyright infringement.

All that, plus, Mandy harbors a crush on NBC’s stable of male news correspondents, and Ben talks about paparazzi karma on the streets of New York.

And Ken might be missing from this podcast, he’s definitely there in spirit!

The Apples In Stereo – Dancefloor
We Were Promised Jetpacks – Quiet Little Voices
Dawn Landes – Young Girl
Freelance Whales – Starring (WOXY Lounge Act)