Taking Cincinnati by Storm... Well, Sort Of Part Two: The Revenge.

I don't plan on continuing to "sort of" take Cincinnati by storm. I want to go all out when it comes to this city- Either spend every night dancing off my Skyline calories or being a total hermit. Thus far, I've been doing the former far more often than the latter. In fact, I don't think I've done the latter a single night in my tenure as a Cincinnati resident which I may have mentioned before but what can I say? I love the nightlife. I love to boogie. Only to better music than the song from whence those lyrics came.

Regardless, the fact of the matter is that the DJ's around these parts spin some ace picks and interestingly enough, they don't spin exclusively Cincinnati bands. I understand the choice on their part- Considering a portion of DJ's here are in Cincinnati bands, playing their own songs might make them seem a little full of themselves to outside sources. Here at Hot Half Life, we don't judge but not everyone is as forgiving as me so when DJ's here spin music from outside sources, it's probably a good move for all parties involved.

As we discussed in the last round, Little Pictures' version of "Buddy Holly" has become a Hot Half favorite in recent times thanks to Cincy's dj's. Joining the New Zealand duo's esteemed ranks as of late has been a little trio from my old hood of Ypsilanti, Michigan called Lightning Love.

It's been a while since I've been down with the Michigan scene but having gone to college in Lightning Love's hometown for a brief period of time, the city holds a special place in my heart, regardless of how connected I am to the local music there at the present time. It's sort of like how, on occasion, I'll see a Text From Last Night from an area code I used to live in and I'll laugh and wonder who of my old acquaintances may have sent such a text (Recently the ol' 734 had this gem: "She was so wasted that she tried to tuck me in and read the jokes on the taco bell sauce as a bed time story.").

Lightning Love - Wait, Wait


Lightning Love - Everyone I Know

Lightning Love reminds me of what Joanna Newsom in a synthy, indie pop band might sound like, only replace the elfin, dreamy lyrics with more obviously relatable sentiments. (Let's face it, songs about monkeys and bears having a relationship nearly go hand in hand with the mention of Newsom's name - Along with her dating Andy Samberg but that's a story for another blog. Be the lyrics an allegory or not, you won't hear anything similar in the tunes of Lightning Love. Instead, you'll hear tales of losing friends, unrequited crushes, and drinking too much. Does that sound like your life too or is it just mine?)

For the Cincinnati residents, Lightning Love will be opening for local darlings Bad Veins (Can a single blog be posted without a mention of Benjamin Davis, Sebastien Schultz, or the collective Bad Veins? Apparently not.) on New Year's Eve at The Northside Tavern. Who's excited as heck for that? This girl.

Vic Chesnutt: 1964 - 2009

I'm not going to pretend that Vic Chesnutt affected my life greatly while he was alive. I knew who he was, I had a few albums and I quite enjoyed them but for some reason, I never fell in love with Vic Chesnutt despite the fact that, let's face it, he's right up my alley: Gorgeously tragic folk music sung by a white dude with a sad story? That's my forte! But since my initiation into the world of indie rock all those twelve years ago, Chesnutt remained an artist I knew of and enjoyed but never actively pursued.

Vic Chesnutt attempted suicide quite a few times in his day. He wrote about it openly. No matter what album you put on by Vic, you're bound to hear morbid lyrics dealing with mortality, be it his own or that of others. One of my personal favorites is "You Are Never Alone", a song in which Chesnutt says that it'll be okay, you can have an abortion, a quadruple bypass or take Valtrex before telling listeners "Keep on keepin' on, (because) you are never alone."

On December 24th, word on the street is that he overdosed on muscle relaxers. He put himself in a coma and on Christmas, was pronounced dead.

One of my first reactions was that in two months time, all the hipsters would be raising their PBR's to Chesnutt and insisting they'd loved him all along, lionizing him the way they did Elliott Smith six years back. It's incredibly jaded, I know, but let's face it, very few people knew who the paraplegic folk musician was when he was alive. This is a fact made all the more real by my own experiences over the past few days. When telling people that Chesnutt was dead, I didn't encounter a single person who knew who he was or why he mattered. That'll change, of course - The aforementioned Elliott Smith (Who, admittedly, was more well known while alive than Chesnutt was thanks to an Oscar nod and countless Entertainment Weekly articles praising him as the "next big thing") gained countless more fans after his death than he probably ever would have if he hasn't been stabbed to death under questionable circumstances.

The fact of the matter is that people love tragedy and Chesnutt's life was rife with it.

It's sad he's dead and it's sad that in the past three days, I've listened to his albums more than I did while he was alive. I guess I'm just as guilty of lionizing the dead as anyone but if one thing comes from this, it's that infinitely more folks are going to be spinning North Star Deserter and Skitter Take Off. So that's something.

Vic Chesnutt - Flirted With You All My Life


This song is bound to become Chesnutt's most known, considering the lyrical content juxtaposed with him taking his life. Speaking frankly about a friend's death and his own suicide attempts, Chesnutt's comes across like an infinitely more talented Langhorne Slim, something which leads me to believe that Mister Sean Scolnick wouldn't exist the way he does now if it wasn't for Chesnutt's trailblazing.


Vic Chesnutt -Wallace Stevens


2007's North Star Deserter has more prolific tracks on it than "Wallace Stevens'" but the fact of the matter is that my personal favorite track on it, the aforementioned "You Are Never Alone", is one of the tracks by Chesnutt that speaks quite frankly of death and lonliness and hey, Chesnutt killed himself. So that, coupled with "Flirted With You All My Life", is sure to quickly rise to the ranks of Chesnutt's most known songs. The fact of the matter is that North Star Deserter is one of Vic's most triumphant and fully realized album (I remember reading a book that called albums like that that were solid from start to finish "dingers". I remember The Shins' Chutes Too Narrow was called a "dinger" but do I remember the book or who wrote it? Not in the slightest, which resulted in a bit of an embarrassing moment at the bar last week when I was trying to remember said book, couldn't, and thus appeared far more drunk than I actually was.) and the record is full of solid tracks. If you only bother with "You Are Never Alone", you'll be missing out on some incredibly pretty, seriously haunting, and crazy well-composed songs, all of which will make you wonder why exactly you didn't love V.C. while he was alive and proverbially kicking.

For more Vic Chesnutt, check out Largehearted Boy's all Chesnutt Daily Downloads post from the 27th and a stellar session of Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power on Daytrotter, Daytrotter seems to always be the pinnacle of indie music and I, for one, am just happy they got Chesnutt in the Horseshack earlier this year.


ETA 1: Paste becomes the first publication, to my knowledge, to run their V.C. memorial piece, stealing my idea of making a definitive Chesnutt playlist article for TRACER.

ETA 2: The Cincinnati blog of blogs, Boil It First, has a great piece on why you should be angry Vic Chesnutt is dead and why the media reaction to it is going to suck. The fact that I wrote it is beside the point.

Taking Cincinnati by Storm... Well, Sort Of.

If I had to sum up my time in Cincinnati over the past month in one picture, it would probably be what you see to your right: Me and the beautiful & talented Tiffany Nicholson (whose photography you can see in my latest TRACER interview with the afore-blogged-about You, You're Awesome here.) at Mayday's appropriately named "Drunk Bastard Bingo" dancing.

If I had to sum up my time in Cincinnati over the past month in a phrase, it would probably be "Gee, who knew Ohio was so fan-fucking-tastic?"

Aside from the bane of my existence, Monday when a veritable amount of nothing goes on, every day here seems to go something like this: Wake up far too late for my own good, chastise myself for sleeping past noon again, walk to the cafe and drink copious amounts of coffee while transcribing an interview or two, head to a bar of choice for a band, DJ, or some other noteworthy event, drink, dance, roll back on in to my homestead sometime around three or four or occasionally five, pass out, then wake up the next afternoon to do it all over again.

It's a hard life but someone has to live it.

Now, it's not that I'm trying to wrap up my time in Cincinnati and draw my Cincy Livin' feature to a close just yet, it's just that while I was doing basically what I just described above last week, I was introduced to a band or two that, strangely enough, does NOT call Cincinnati it's home. Does that mean I should shun them? Well, I did consider it but I decided that would be against my better judgment and instead, I'd blog about it.

Picture this, fair readers: The Northside of Cincinnati (a.k.a. the Hipster capitol of southern Ohio). Myself and the pretty gal pictured with me above. At an art gallery called Fabricate. Tunes are being spun by You, You're Awesome's Yusef and Bad Veins' Ben. Sounds pretty cool, I know. I'd previously encountered the duo spinning tunes at downtown's Righteous Room only a few night's before but the fact that the crowd was, for lack of a better term, a bit douchetacular kept me from enjoying it and before long, drove me to the safety of Comet for a jerked tofu quesedilla.

At Fabricate, Ben gave us all a taste of what we missed out on at Righeous Room by giving a few gems a repeat play. One such gem was by a band called Little Pictures and was a cover of Weezer's "Buddy Holly".

It's not often that a song excites me so much that I blog about it twice but I can't really think of anything to say about the cover that I didn't already say over at Radio Free Chicago (Hey! I still blog there!) but my penchant for cover songs makes it a necessity to spread the word about Little Pictures. A little kitschy, a little catchy, and a lot of dancey, the New Zealand band's take on the seminal Weezer classic makes me anxious to make one of my signature mix CDs of pop songs reinvented by indie bands, just to give the song a featured spot, along with William Fitzsimmon's take on Kanye West's "Heartless".

Little Pictures - Buddy Holly

Reportedly, you can get "stuff for free" at the band's Band Camp site. I didn't do my research on this one so I'm not 100%. That's just what their Myspace says.

Because One Blog Isn't Enough...

Confession time, readers: I'm a workaholic. One of the things that I was looking forward to when moving to Cincinnati was the fact that I'd actually have free time, something that never happened in Chicago, and even though I was looking forward to it, I knew that it wouldn't last and before long, I'd start getting antsy and find more exciting new places to write for.

Just more than one month into my tenure as a Cincinnatian and my multitasking has begun once more:

Presenting, Boil It First, a blog for whatever ramblings Mr. Dan Majesky, the lovely Daniele Pfarr, Sir Chris Messick, the fine Kane Kitchen, and myself come up with. And you can head over there right this second to read my overly long ramblings about fun.'s Daytrotter session!

So what are you waiting for? Go Boil It First!

2009: A Year In Songs.

So I have a confession, Hot Half Lifers. I love lists. I make them constantly & often when lists aren't even necessary. Here in Hot Half Headquarters, list making is a daily occurrence. Some of my finest lists of recent months include "Reasons Why No One Should Want to Date Me" (Basically a list of approximately 30 of my bad qualities and reasons why I would make such an abhor able girlfriend for a boy who's name shall be omitted to protect his identity although I am pretty sure I told him I made said list so he probably knows who he is), "Songs I'd Rather Be Dancing To Than Michael Jackson At This Point In Time" (Sorry, MJ fans, but sometimes, a girl just wants to dance to some Lady Gaga... I mean... What?), and "Milk Products I Wish I Was Consuming Right Now" (That one capped out at milkshake and chocolate milk but nevertheless, it was a good list). When it comes to end of the year music lists, however, I find my opinion waning.

For one, I feel like the vast majority of end of the year lists are the same twenty or so albums regurgitated throughout the entire blogosphere. We all know that hipsters love Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear. Is it necessary to freak out over them more? I don't feel like it is. Secondly, I personally don't want to rehash everything I've already given props to throughout recent months on my blog. Go back a few entries and you'll see that I've already dubbed Bad Veins, David Bazan, and Ola Podrida as some of 2009's Hot Half favorites. My blog, with it's vast amount of Kevin Devine and Okkervil River love, is already redundant enough and redundancy, in the blogging world, loses you a fair few number of readers if they don't have the same musical taste as you. I already feel like the vast majority of my readers are solely friends and family and I don't mind that. In fact, I quite like it. Basically, what it comes down to is that I just want to do something interesting with my words and I've been struggling, over recent days, whether or not a "Best of 2009" list would be unique or intriguing in the slightest.

So I've decided to do something just a little different and make you, dear folks, a mix of 12 of the stand out tracks off my favorite albums of the year. And I'll try not to give you too many repeat tunes from blogs of the Hot Half past.

I'll Bring My Jambox & Keep the Volume Low
2009 in Songs
For You
From Amber V.

Download the entire mix or pick and chose from the single tracks below!

01. fun. - Be Calm

This song has gotten quite a bit of love here on the Hot Half Life and I can say without a doubt that it is the most phenomenal track off of Arizona band fun.'s debut. fun. was a band I didn't come around to until after seeing their fantastic live show because their album was just a bit much for me to handle. It is an overwhelming effort but it grew on me and I'm glad it did, if only for this song alone. Not only perfectly lyrically encapsulating a huge portion of my life but also providing a perfect piece of dramatic, catchy, pop bliss, "Be Calm" says, in three minutes, everything you need to know about fun. Basically, they, like You, You're Awesome before them, live up to their name. You can read my interview with fun. at TRACER Magazine.

02. Karen O and the Kids - All Is Love

You may or may not know this about me but I, readers, hold the books of my childhood in very high regard. Where the Wild Things Are was a favorite when I was young and I, like many a PBR swilling hipster before me, couldn't have been more excited for the film adaptation of the story. Combine that with my adoration for Karen O. and you've got yourself a winner. While I haven't loved a Yeah Yeah Yeahs album like I did their debut full length, their eccentric lead singer always, always holds a special place in my heart. Listen to any song off the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack and just try to curb your desire to cause a wild rumpus.

03. Pomegranates - Everybody Come Outside

A wonderful little band from my new hometown (Which I may or may not be taking by storm on a nightly basis), Pomegranates have delivered an incredibly solid second LP which just so happens to be a concept album about time travel. Instead of psychedelic ruminations on space, however, they've given us catchy sing-along melodies and dancetastic beats that make it pretty dang hard to stay still to.

04. Kevin Devine - Another Bag of Bones

What can I say about Kevin Devine that I haven't already said? Probably nothing. One of my favorite modern folk musicians, K.D. released an album this year on Favorite Gentleman records that could not be more different than his last effort, the glossy, overproduced, major label effort Put Your Ghost To Rest. Kevin's shown a serious progression over the years and, to me, Brother's Blood is a perfect expression of Kevin's voice. The album, combining his political views (as heard on this track) with his personal struggles (Hot Half favorite "It 's Only Your Life" got a featured spot on my personal 2009 Mental Health Mix), is a small masterpiece for the Brooklyn native, who seems to only get better with age.

05. Port O'Brien - Oslo Campfire

I've been lucky enough to discover a lot of great new bands this year. That's just the life of a music journalist, I guess. Throughout the year, however, quite a few acts, both new and more established, have fallen off my radar simply because, after repeated listenings, the songs just don't hold the gravity I thought they would. A perfect example of this is Port O'Brien's fall tour mate Sea Wolf. I loved White Water, White Bloom upon first listen, going so far as to call it one of my favorite albums of the year, but after living with the record for a few months, I just wasn't feeling it as anything new or different for Alex Brown Church. Port O'Brien, however, have stood the test of time and their record seems to reveal it's DIY folk aesthetic more and more each time I hear it. Port O'Brien aren't going to do great things, they're already doing great things. They just need more people to catch on.

06. Bad Veins - Afraid

An obvious choice but a great one nevertheless. Bad Veins make me proud to call Cincinnati my home.








07. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Love in the Time of the Human Papiloma Virus

Folk punk duo Andrew Jackson Jihad have come a long way since singing "I'm a lady killer and you're a pretty lady so that means I'm gonna kill you." Maybe it's the fact that lead singer Sean Bonette is sick of hearing people laugh at him when he's trying to be serious or maybe it's just that growing up, as Bonette sings, fucking sucks and general world weariness has taken it's toll of the Arizonians. Either way, Andrew Jackson Jihad have matured incredibly on their latest release and done what the last thing I thought they'd do: Release a sweet, affecting, strangely romantic song. Sure, you wouldn't expect a song titled after a sexually transmitted disease to be tender but that's Andrew Jackson Jihad for you: Odd and unexpected. Mark my words, one day, this music blogger will fall in love and be one of those nauseating indie kids that make mix cds to express their emotions. And when that day comes, this song will have a featured spot on a cute mix for my significant other.

08. Timber Timbre - We'll Find Out

Ah, my biggest regret of 2009: Missing out on Timber Timbre's Schubas show in October. That, of course, was before I gave the Canadian band's most recent album a proper listen. Once I did, however, it was game over and I was madly in love with Timber Timbre. I know dangerously little about Timber Timbre aside from knowing their self-titled third album (and back catalog, for that matter) by heart and I almost like it better that way. It's strange that I find a band I'm so intrigued by that I prefer them to be shrouded in mystery but Timber Timbre, with their spooky lyrics and haunting melodies, do just that. What's the lead singer's name? No clue. What does he look like? I don't know and I don't want to. I will, however, find out this March when this blogger treks down south to see Timber Timbre, along with quite a few other Friends of H.H.L.H.Q., such as Miniature Tigers and The Seedy Seeds, hit South by Southwest.

09. Dawes - My Girl To Me

Another great discovery of 2009, I have Dear and the Headlights to thank for introducing me to Dawes, a story that's documented in my interview with Dawes at TRACER Magazine. "Timeless" is a word I usually reserve for M. Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent but Dawes, I feel, deserves that accolade as well. Listening to this, would you ever guess the band is comprised of kids? No offense to the guys but considering the fact that I'm still young myself and I'm older than all the members of Dawes, who could have easily released this record in the early '70's and fit right in, is noteworthy to say the least.

10. Cursive - Caveman

Oh, Tim Kasher. What can I say about you that wouldn't sound like a fangirlish declaration of love? One of my favorite men in rock, Cursive and Kasher's other project, the currently defunct The Good Life, have been constants in my life since I was 15. Considering I'm 25 now, I've been audibly living with Cursive for a vast portion of my life. One of my finest professional moments remains when I got to interview Tim and managed to maintain my composure while sitting next to a man who I hero worshiped during my adolescence. Why does Curisve hold such weight over me? Maybe it's the fact that Tim Kasher's self-depricating honesty strikes a chord. Or maybe it's just that damn good. Mama, I'm Swollen, the band's 7th full length album finds Cursive going in a more straight forward direction than some of their more conceptual albums but that doesn't make it any less quality than The Ugly Organ or Domestica. It just shows that Cursive continues to be one of the few bands that can reinvent their sound album to album without sounding the least pretentious.

11. Ola Podrida - Your Father's Basement

If I could date any one man in music, it would probably be David Wingo, the man behind the moniker of Ola Podirda. I bet you thought I was going to say "If I could date any one man in music, it would be Will Sheff of Okkervil River". Fooled you! Will Sheff, readers, is out of my league. We all know what happened last time I met Sheff - I shouted at him a little, stared for a while, then scampered back to the safety of my friend Rachel. Not my finest moment. Wingo, however, is someone I would like to get to know because his music is consistent and, like Port O'Brien, reveals itself all the more each time you listen to it. The fact that Wingo is mega cute is just a bonus.

12. Metric - Gimme Sympathy

I don't listen to a lot of female musicians. It's not that there aren't great female musicians in indie rock, it's just that none of them really strike my fancy. The pretty face behind Metric, Emily Haines seems to be the type of gal I'd be if I were the frontwoman of a band. Her lyrics are equal parts kitschy and affecting and the backdrop of Metric keeps the sadder undertones of the songs hidden enough to dance to. Previously, I'd much preferred Haines solo work to her work with Metric but Fantasies is a perfect mix of Emily's melancholy and Metric's dancability. Plus, it's dang hard to gracefully namecheck the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the same song. The fact that Metric manages to do so and keep it catchy as all heck is not only admirable but also pretty swell.


So that's it, kids. 2009 in songs, according to your favorite Cincinnati transplant, the Hot Half Life. Of course, there were a lot of other great songs off great albums this year (The already blogged about "Animals" from Sara Lov immediately comes to mind, as does a song or two off the always amazing David Bazan's latest effort, Curse Your Branches) but I've given them enough attention. Sure, you can argue that I've given Bad Veins, Kevin Devine, and Dawes enough attention in recent months but I feel like they deserve it. What can you learn from this mix? Well, this blogger loves dancing and singing along to the perfect sing along song just as much as she loves to walk the streets of her new city (See what I did there, referencing fun.?) with ear buds blasting an intricate folk tune. This has been my year, at least 12 songs worth of it.

A Hot Half Gift Guide.

Well, folks, it's dangerously close to Christmas time which is awful, namely because, if you're anything like me, you've been agonizing over what special, music-related gift to get your favorite blogger.

Thankfully, practical and interesting gifts abound in your favorite band's e-store - From a Flight of the Conchords "hair helmet" mug to a very appropriate Hold Steady drinking gift set to a wonderful Wilco vinyl carrying case that I, to be honest, would just use a suitcase to help complete my life goal of looking like a sullen yet hip character in a Wes Anderson film.

I, however, find myself only interested in one thing this holiday season. If you know me, internet (and I think you do!), you'll know that two of my very favorite things in the world are Okkervil River and winter accessories. What if the two were to be combined? Well, you'd probably think I'd die from excitement. And when I stumbled upon an Okkervil River scarf, well... I nearly did die from excitement. (Or rather, I made the "excited face", flailed my hands a little, and shouted about how much I loved both scarves and Okkervil River to my roommate.)

The postive aspects of this item don't end at the fact that it's Okkervil River themed and a scarf - Sure, it keeps the neck warm and this is the first winter I've had short hair in quite a few years so the warmer the neck, the better off I'll be. Instead of just saying the band's name across it, however, this scarf has some of Will Schaff's album artwork on the reverse side. & we all know how I feel about Will Schaff. Not to mention the fact that green is my favorite color. Do the pro's ever end?!



So, friends (Or dad, who will shortly be linked to this article as a very blatant hint of what to get me for Christmas), consider this your holiday gift guide. If, however, you're not shopping for a music blogger who is a fan of novelty mugs, Jeff Tweedy themed carrying cases, and Sheffian winter related accessories, I got nothin'. You're on your own.


Editor's note: If you fall into the "Jemaine" category of the great Flight of the Conchords "Bret V. Jemaine" debate and the "hair helmet" mug above just isn't your style, HBO conveniently offers a "Jemaine self portrait" mug, just in case you prefer of men with features too deep set to be considered classically handsome.

Taking Cincinnati by Storm... Part 5.

The one problem I've encountered with Cincinnati, as touched on briefly in my last Cincy-themed entry, is the fact that I've been doing so much, I haven't had the time to document it all in a timely manner. The CEA's and that Seedy Seeds show? That happened a good week and a half before I actually wrote about it! It was, of course, on my agenda immediately after it happened but between compiling year end lists and transcribing interviews, my little blog just wasn't exactly a priority. If I had to rank said priorities, it would probably go something like this: TRACER, concerts, going out, meeting boys, blogging. (Cincinnati is a land of golden dreams and the same rings true for the boys here, just so you're aware. They certainly aren't this charming in Chicago or Detroit, for that matter.)

On December 5th, I made my way to Baba Budan's, a college campus bar/coffee house within a convenient three minute drive from Hot Half Life HQ, to see The Guitars and The Harlequins. The funny thing about that is that I had written about it and queued it up to be posted today. Only, fellow Cincy blogger Zach of Random Old Records beat me to the punch! When faced with the conundrum of still posting what I'd written, altering the post, or abandoning the ordeal all together, I decided to do what my editor over at Radio Free Chicago taught me months ago and play the game of reformatting and repurposing.

Despite brushing shoulders with The Guitars at the CEA's, I hadn't heard the band play until the 4th and to say I was impressed is an understatement. I'm sure that soon, the fact that such solid bands keep popping up in my Cincinnati life will stop surprising me but as I'm not to that point yet, I'm going to enjoy my optimism. The 4th of 5 bands to take the stage, it was logical to think that energy would have died down by the Guitars set but the audience was feeling the folk-to-folk-rock-to-rock-rock progression of the night and the relatively small, cluttered floor of Baba Budan's was rife with Cincinnati's finest hipsters dancing in place, the way hipsters do when they want to dance but don't want to spill their PBRs.

Equal parts humor, '50's era rock and roll, and sheer awesome, Random Old Records put it best when he said the Guitars are the best '60's inspired garage rock band you've never heard. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about the guys is the fact that not only do they play fantastic music but they enjoy playing that fantastic music just as much as I enjoy hearing it.

The Guitars - When I Call Your Name

It was my second time seeing the night's headliners, The Harlequins (The first was at Mayday's Earthquakes, their newly started monthly dance party that's held on the last Saturday of the month, making it a nice precursor to Nothside Tavern's first Saturday of the month soiree, Dance MF.), and between the atmosphere created by the larger crowd and the fact that I was more familiar with the tunes this time around, they sounded better than ever... Or, well, at least better than the last time I saw them, which isn't because they were bad last time but rather because they were just so dang awesome this time.

Dimly lit bars seem to be the place for drunken dancing but the over 21's at Baba Budan's got surprisingly into The Harlequins. I would go so far as to say that a few kids up front were attempting to "thrash". Can you "thrash" to a 1970's throwback band that combines equal parts influence from grungy early '90's music and Pet Sounds? If you'd have asked me in November, I would have said "No, sir!" Now, however, I'm not so sure. If Cincinnati's taught me one thing, it's that anything is possible. Even post-bingo parties that involve alarmingly naked dudes. (I escaped unscathed so let's never speak of it.)

To say The Guitars and The Harlequins make for a perfect night, musically, is an extremely apt description. In fact, it's my hopes that the bands blow up, do a national tour together, and then eventually form a Cincy-supergroup called The Guitarlequins. If you thought the Raconteurs were sweet, just wait until you hear The Guitarlequins.

If you missed the bands play at Baba Budan's, it's not too late to see them. Both The Guitars and The Harlequins play Northside's Mayday tomorrow with a band from my old hometown, Detroit, the Sights. Be there or be square.



Note: All the live photos here were taken by the wonderful Tiffany Nicholson, who, in addition to being an all around awesome girl with a sweet haircut, is the latest addition to the TRACER collective! She's been wingman-ing me the past few days by taking some exclusive shots of some great bands, the first batch of which will be hitting TRACER within the next week!

You Can Stare Into The Abyss, But It's Staring Right Back.

One of the most memorable interviews I've done over the past few months was when I got to sit down with the absolutely adorable Taylor Goldsmith, lead singer of the California outfit Dawes. It wasn't that the interview was particularly insightful or mind blowing- In a lot of ways, the interview reads like your average piece. I asked some cool questions, I got some solid answers, and the finished product is up now on my home away from home, TRACER Magazine.

What you're not going to read about on TRACER, however, was how that Dawes interview came to fruition. And that's what makes it memorable.

I contacted Dawes's management after hearing their debut, North Hills, and falling completely in love with it. I felt like Dawes was going to do great things and I wanted to get to them before Rolling Stone and groupies corrupted the boys, making them forget their humble Daytrotter roots. (Just kidding! That's probably not going to happen.) I already had an interview set up with their tour mates Langhorne Slim so doing two interviews at Lincoln Hall, my favorite Chicago venue, would be a breeze. Or rather, it should have been, had I heard back from camp Dawes... Regardless, however, I prepped questions. In fact, I prepped more questions for my unscheduled interview with Dawes than I did for my scheduled interview with Langhorne Slim. And the more I listened to Dawes before I saw them play, the more things I thought to ask.

Despite my lack of management contact, mutual friends with Goldsmith and my sheer tenacity made it easy to suggest a quick interview with Taylor. He agreed and it went off without a hitch, thus endearing him to me for not only being an amazing musician but also a huge sweetheart. I did not, however, close out the interview as I had originally wanted with asking him if he would marry me. (Damn, having to be professional!)

Maybe that doesn't exactly read like the most interesting story and maybe it really isn't the most interesting story. The time Snoop Dogg rode past me on a golf cart is probably a lot more intriguing, although that sentence pretty much sums up the whole story, and I certainly like talking about when Tim from Cursive told me my shoes were cute a lot. But the fact that I was go-getter-y enough to charm my way into a completely unscheduled interview for the second time in my career (First time was round 1 with Kevin Devine, for those keeping score.) made me feel dang good about myself. And given the fact that it was with such a talented guy just makes me all the more pleased with the finished product.

Dawes - When My Time Comes

Taking Cincinnati by Storm... Part Four.

I used to see the Chicago skyline and feel like I was home. I'm not sure what it was exactly about that skyline but even before I moved to Illinois, that skyline held a special place for me, like a sigh of relief followed by the overwhelming feeling of knowing my place in the world. That, naturally, was before I moved to Chicago and in between moving there and leaving, I realized that living there... It just wasn't everything I imagined. By the time I left Chicago, I was ready to find a new home and Cincinnati, for me, was and is perfect. Sure, I'm probably not going to see the likes of David Bazan or Josh Ritter make their way through here anytime soon but that's what road trips are for and the slew of local acts I've fallen head over heels for more than make up for it.

Briefly, I went to Chicago for a concert that never came to fruition (Ah, guest list troubles. Even the best of us aren't above getting denied from time to time.) and I was surprised to find there was no feeling of longing or nostalgia that came to me when I left. In fact, the moment I got back to Cincinnati, I felt that same feeling I used to feel when I'd see the Chicago skyline. I felt home. And I was ready to do that whole "taking Cincinnati by storm" thing that I've been documenting here once more.

The only unfortunate thing about Cincinnati (if you can call it that) is the fact that I've been doing so much, I haven't had the time to document it all. So let's back track a little bit and talk about the end of November.

The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards were held, I went, I stayed sober (only because I forgot my id. Had I not, I would have been drinking away a good portion of paycheck.), and recapped the whole shebang on TRACER.

Shortly after that, I got my introduction to a band that I'd known of for quite a while before I made my move but until I physically did move, hadn't actually heard.

In the weird little indie rock bubble I live inside of, Wilco is the biggest band since the Beatles and everyone worships at the alter of Neutral Milk Hotel. In this bubble, TheSeedy Seeds are one of Cincinnati's biggest bands. Is that a fact? Is my view of the world askew? All I know is that the Seeds swept all but one of the categories they were nominated for at the CEA's (The one they didn't take home was awarded to Hot Half favorites Bad Veins) so when, on Thanksgiving eve, the band hit the Southgate House, I was excited to see what the buzz was about.

To say the band is charming is an understatement. Fun and adorable, the Seedy Seeds are the type of band you could take home to mom. And I felt lucky to see them at their homecoming show because it was clear by the audience (who couldn't stand still) that this band was something special. My one regret is the fact that I wasn't more familiar with the source material before I saw the threesome take the stage, complete with kazoos and a bit of a spectacular light show courtesy Brian Penick's drums.

In the time since Thanksgiving, I've been spending a bit of time, audibly, with the Seedy Seeds and I have to say, our relationship is coming along swimmingly. It's interesting being introduced to a band via a live setting because of the memories tied to my first time hearing the songs. Every time I hear "Oh, Cincinnati", I'm not only reminded of what a sweet and fitting set opener it was but I also get the giddy feeling of "Hey! I live there!" (& within walking distance of Findlay Market, which is name checked in the song.)

It's bands like Seedy Seeds that just confirm the fact that I chose the right city to move to. And the fact that they, along with a slew of other bands from the area, love this city just as much as I'm starting to is pleasing to say the least.

The Seedy Seeds - The Push



The Seedy Seeds performing just a few short blocks from Hot Half HQ in Cincinnati's Fountain Square. Not the best quality perhaps but this is my city. I love it here.

A Hot Half Follow Up...

Looks like yesterday's Okkervil River megapost not only paid off big time for this blogger but has also because a Hot Half Life Post of Legend and will soon be inducted into the Hot Half Hall of Fame.

Who has 2 thumbs and is gonna interview Will Schaff? This girl!

Taking Cincinnati by Storm... Part 3.

Let's pause for a moment about my Cincinnati shenanigans and talk about songs. Specific songs tied to specific places. I never had a Chicago song, but I did have a bevy of songs that represented perfectly my mental state at certain moments in time (as you may have noted by a certain mix). If I had to sum up Chicago in one of them, it would be fun.'s "Be Calm". Melodramatic? Sure. But apt, nonetheless. From the opening lines ("As I walked through the streets of my new city...") to the Broadway-esque chorus (featuring such affecting lines as "You hate your pulse because it still thinks your alive."), "Be Calm" was a snapshot of feeling alone in an unfamiliar place and that, to me, is Chicago in a nutshell. A poppy, catchy, fantastic, 3 minute nutshell.

Cincinnati, within weeks, already had a song. It has a lot of them but one, in particular, has struck quite the chord with me. At least for now.

The National is a band I never quite fell in love with in the way many of peers did. For vast amounts of National love, check out any number of Blisslist's National themed posts. Cincinnati, as the National's original home, has an incredible ammount of love for the band and the Hot Half Life Headquarters is currently stationed right in the thick of it.

Namely, the Hot Half Life HQ is currently living in a household where "Mr. November" is the unofficial theme song.

Fittingly, the song begun to get play shortly after November began and while that month's drawn to a close, the fact that every single person in HHHQ seems to relate thoroughly to it's sentiments has kept the song a favorite. I, in fact, twittered about missing my roommate while at the bar last night when the song came on.

To me, the song is a picture of transitioning from being a pretty shitty psuedo-adult to a fairly competent actual adult. Sure, it's a little bittersweet but that's growing up for you. I do wish that I believed in fate (For the record, I think I don't.) and I did used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders. Not literally, of course, although that would have been pretty boss but rather in the sense that as an adolescent, I showed so much potential that maybe I'm not necessarily living up to now. But I'm doing the best I can. And that counts for something.

The National - Mr. November